Tiffany's necklace for 13.1 miles ...CHECK!

Team Nom Noms

You can't run a half marathon and not have it change you in some way. It never gets easier, you just get better. We've heard it all haven't we? It's true, though. Each time you learn something new. Maybe about yourself or maybe about life. What did I learn about myself? I learned that I really love to stuff my face post race LOL bring on all the goodies!! haha OK so race time... I finished later than my last half. I know, how is that possible? Did you even train, bro? So my first half I finished with about a 2:20 time. This time I finished with a 2:30 time. Oddly enough, I felt like I did so much better this time around. I did a lot better with pacing myself and my recovery time was almost non existent. I was ready and able to play at my soccer game that same night. I didn't play, though for fear that I wouldn't be able to function the next day and wanted to give my legs a break. Smart move? who knows! I was walking on sunshine the next morning, though. The last half I did put me out of comission for a solid week! 
The race itself was incredible. Great weather for it and who doesn't love a nice long run around our Nation's Capital through a few monuments? It's always been a bit of a dream for me. To have the monuments be my morning runs. Sadly, I'm not close enough to DC to make that a habit :(
So I hit a nice, lovely, monthly female obstacle that morning and thought for sure I was not going to get through the race. Got my breakfast in with good time and finally made it to my corral before it closed. Just barely, though! Anyway, can I just say this was by far the best race I've done so far?! There were about 15,000 runners and who knows the amount of spectators. The signs were hilarious and I very much enjoyed the shirtless men holding up motivational signs. My favorite being "I like fast girls!" School marching bands, dancers, DJs and I'm assuming local bands posted up at a few stops to keep the energy high. There were plenty of water, Nuun and energy chew stops throughout the race. Even bathrooms! I've heard that is definitely a luxury to have at races. Thankfully, I haven't had to experience a dire need for one during a race, but man those lines were long. Not too many inclines... Just a few. Or maybe I just didn't notice because I was in la-la land seeing all the smiling faces and loved ones cheering on their favorite runners. One thing, I thought was interesting was after about 7 miles, walking was starting to hurt. It got to the point where running was actually alleviating. A lot of it had to do with the shoes of course. I was running in my Nike Free 3.0s and before you elite runners start rolling your eyes... I'm fully aware they're terrible for walking. Running however feels glorious so I don't want to hear how "bad" they are for me. Midfoot striker here who does NOT over pronate. I repeat.. does NOT over pronate lol 
Point is, I finished yet another half marathon and felt on top of the world. So much energy, love and dedication from beginning to end. BFF was with me supporting me the whole way and informed me that one of the runners got proposed to at the finish line. AWW!! how sweet, right? Well yes. It really was. I'm not one for sappiness, but I'm not going to lie. Having someone wake up at the ass crack of dawn to stand for a couple hours holding a sign waiting for you to pass by all because it's something you love and they want to have a part in, supporting you every step of the way with encouraging words and chants... it's pretty fkin awesome. I don't have that. In fact, I never really have. Not that I've had several years of a running lifestyle either, but I never really put much thought into it until this race. I've always been happy with my cheer team, but having a special someone waiting for you at one of the mile markers or the finish line of a race like this would be pretty great I imagine. Maybe one day I'll find a crazy who would love to wake up early to stand for hours hoping to catch me for a second on race day. Someone to meet me at mile 7 with a brand new bottle of water, Nuun and/or energy gel OR maybe even someone crazy enough to just run it with me! Until then, I'll just keep doing what I do best and stay high on some endorphins! :)

"What we find in a soul mate is not something wild to tame, but something wild to run with." - Robert Bault

Get Up and Go...

oh Man, where should I even begin? I've had so much going on lately, I haven't been posting anything at all. OK well I've been posting on IG, but not so much my little blog. So let me start with HI! Hope you're doing well and that you have a few minutes to read up on what's been going on :)
I left my job/industry at the end of January. I know I talked about leaving in my last post, but I want to elaborate on it. It was rather unexpected and I was a little unsure of how things would pan out once I left. Yes, I had a "plan" or rather an idea of how I wanted things to go, but as much as you plan things, they don't always turn out as you hope. Well, this has definitely not been  at all what I expected. I honestly don't remember the last time I was this happy about a decision I made! I knew I'd basically have all of February off before starting new employment. So that meant PLAY TIME! In a nutshell i spent pretty much all of February having a great time. I've been doing my runs in more sunlight and enjoying more of my meals now that I have more time to cook what I want! I've also been playing Volleyball weekly and continued with Soccer during the week as well. Additionally, I've gotten all my ducks lined up for school and I am officially enrolled in classes. I start my first one next week! I can't wait! Time to shop for a new backpack!!

So with all that in mind, I went on a mini weekend vacation to Ocean City with a great friend of mine and then the day after we got back, I headed off to Mexico for one of my best friends' wedding. They decided on a destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta Mehiko and before you ask... yes, I actually made it a point to run while I was there. Running on the beach is definitely different than running on pavement! Still... who wouldn't want to run in 85 degree weather when they had just ran away from 13 inches of winter wonderland as far as the eye can see?! Oh man, I nearly kissed the sand the instant i stepped foot on it. The wedding was amazing and Puerto Vallarta was beautiful as always! It wasn't my first time there... I actually have family there so I've been making it more of a priority to visit. Look how pretty it is!! That's just one of the several beaches we visited on the trip.


Once the wedding was over and done with, the next trip was out to Ohio for the Arnold Classic Sports Festival. I'm not sure if you've ever been to one of them, but if you haven't I'd definitely make it a priority. It was incredible! So many fitness heros! Not only that, there were so many events and activities going on from gymnastics and cheerleading to amateur boxing. There were bikini competitions and contest giveaways. Some of our favorite apparel and nutrition companies were there and to just go ahead and tell you the best part: i got to meet DANA LINN BAILEY!!! Not only that, but ROB BAILEY and SEAN SARANTOS!! You might know him as Sean Fitness Freak. He was the most animated one out of the 3 to meet. We met a few other Instagram Fitness Gurus and even saw the lovely muscle barbie. We left with bags full of samples and new gear. I would love to check out the LA Fit Expo one day. I'll get there eventually! Everything in due time.

Now that it's March and play time is over, I've started looking into some work to keep me busy when I'm not at school and of course, pay those bills! I know I've basically done a complete 180 in life and it does freak me out sometimes. I know I'm taking a huge risk doing all this, but if it gets me to where my heart is then that's fine by me. I'm so lucky and thankful to have such a great support system. I know it will be a huge adjustment both in just my regular day to day as well as financially. I figure it's a small price to pay and I might as well get it started now so I can start living my dream sooner than later! I know it's crazy, but sometimes crazy is what it takes to make your dreams come true. Race season is rapidly approaching and with this Nike Half Marathon next month I'm sure you can imagine I'm just going to keep getting busier and busier. I love this new life of mine, though. I wouldn't change it for anyone or anything :)

What Next?

Instagram : @Sunshine_Memoirs

 So What Are You Training for Now?

I was at a family birthday dinner about a week and some change ago. One of my cousins heard that i had recently completed my first half marathon. So of course he had a million questions for me. I was actually pretty surprised at the interest, but was more excited that anyone even cared to hear about it and my training. So I'm telling him all about it and showing him pictures when he hits me with "so what are you training for now?" It seriously caught me off guard. What am i training for? I mean i just finished a half marathon... wasn't that exciting enough? Apparently not. My family is not easy to please... but it did get me thinking. All this training for the last several weeks/months for the half and now it's done. So what's next? Well, I hadn't really thought about any immediate challenges for post half. Actually, I just wanted to get back into the other activities I enjoy doing like weight training with the BFF more regularly, supporting the other BFFs in their fitness hobbies, boxing, soccer, hiking, etc. Of course I have other halves i want to do and next year a full marathon, but until then I think I'm just going to enjoy this wonderful little life of mine. 

I actually have a cute little 5k coming up this weekend. You like how i said cute and little? haha i remember when that seemed nearly impossible. OK sorry, i digress. So this 5k, it's in DC. Perhaps you've heard of it? Quite popular! Well, 2 of the BFFs will be joining in on this run. Not everyday I get the BFFs together for a run together. It's pretty amazing when your BFFs love being as active as you are if not more. It really makes life so much easier and happier(high on endorphins). You know what else is great? Being with someone who supports and encourages all your hopes and dreams, but not only that... is willing to lace up and do it with you. I gotta say... I'm walking on sunshine these days :)

So now that the leaves are falling and the days are getting cooler, it's time to find ways to keep moving OUTSIDE and stay warm. I decided to get the team together for our first Winter Season(we usually only play fall and spring seasons). The Winter season doesn't start until January, though. In the meantime, I got asked to join a team for the remainder of the Fall season since they're short on girls. It's actually turning out to be a win-win situation. I haven't played since May, so this will be good practice to get me ready for the upcoming season. I'm pretty excited about my off season and all the promising activities it holds, but no worries! I'm not giving up my distance running. It is an addiction and I'm no quitter lol 

Heritage Half Marathon - Done!

 Achievement Unlocked

Well well well... guess who successfully completed her very first half marathon?!  :)
That's right! All that training on ridiculous inclines and adding those extra miles paid off! Whether it was in NY or in VA, there was always plenty of work to do! I may have only had 6 weeks to train, but i tried to make the most of it. I was really worried about how i'd do since the weather was looking rainy and i had just been informed of the several miles of straight inclines through the course. 8 miles was the most i had done at one time a week prior to the race, but i wasn't gassed out after them so I figured I would be ok. Just get some gels and stay hydrated, right? So there i was... 7am waiting to go. It was dark and it was raining. I thought for sure i'd be done in close to 3 hours. Well, i'm so super proud of myself for not taking 3 hours. I finished in 2:20. Sure it's not the fastest, but it was sure as hell a lot faster than i thought i would take on my first half! I can't really put into words how I feel about it all though. Besides the obvious, feeling incredible and triumphant. I guess you'd have to know what running really means to me to even try to understand. It's so much more than just being healthy.
I started my running journey over a year ago and it was more for therapy than anything. Through rain, snow, heat and fog i found my strength and learned to push through all the pain, sweat and tears. That's right... tears. Each mile showed me just how much i was really capable of both physically and mentally. I was never any good at running and trust me when i say i HATED it at first!! Now i just can't get enough of it. I grew so much more as a person the more I ran and can honestly say I have never felt healthier than i do today. Never thought I'd see the day I would willingly sign up for a half marathon and yet here I am today... taking Advil to recover from my biggest accomplishment. I've been through hell and back in the last year and I couldn't be more proud of myself for sticking through it all and pushing myself to be better each day with each mile chasing after a dream i thought would never come as soon as it did. 
I was so worried about the weather. Afraid to have to run my first half in rain, but when i really think about it, I don't think it would've been the same had it been sunshine and rainbows the whole way through. I think everything about it was perfect. The downpours for all 13 miles is pretty much how i felt this past year and conquering each mile was just a reflection of how far I've come in all this time. 
I was so blessed to have my cheer team with me. 2 of my best friends surprised me with shirts they made to support my craziness. Each shirt said "Team Sunshine_Memoirs" ... i almost cried! Best shirts ever!! Those closest to me who have first hand witnessed my struggle were there showing their love and support yet again like they always do. Waking up at the crack of dawn to stand in the rain waiting for me to finally come through that finish line. Never doubting me, but always believing in me. I don't know what I would do without them. It feels pretty amazing to have that kind of support and I know how blessed I am to have them in my life. God is good and He gets more gold stars for getting me through my first half, but we're not done here... no sir. We're only just getting started. Where are all those fun music ones? Country music and Rock and Roll HERE I COME!! :)

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the founder and protector of our faith" - Hebrews 12:1