I'm brining sexy back

Summertime is already here in South Florida. The heat index has been comfortably resting at 90 degrees since mid to late April. Fortunately my runs are now in the evening around 7pm since my oldest daughter is in volleyball practice at that time. I'm so happy that I get to use her practice time for running because not only can I avoid the high heat (most of it at least) but I can get back to training five days a week. 

Today I got up early to run so that I could avoid the heat. I didn't want to run too late since I have my early morning, long group run tomorrow. Anytime I run early in the morning I always run on a trail next to beach. The trail is filled with runners and bikers and I can start early without having to worry about being by myself. 

Since I haven't been on this trail in a while I forgot just how amazing it is. Not only am I running by the beach.

How can you not love this view!?

But there's a bridge and a lot of rolling hills along the trail that I use to do hill work. 

It's kinda hard to tell but in the picture on the right, after the bridge there's another incline to get back up to the trail. I did a total of 8 miles and crossed this bridge four times. Great leg and butt workout.

After the first mile, which was about 6:30am, I was already sweating like crazy and my shirt was plastered to my body. It was a balmy 86 degrees and although I've run in the summer in Florida before, it always takes a minute to adjust to the heat. I didn't want to suffer for the rest of the run and my shirt was getting on my nerves. So I did something that I never thought I would do, an unthinkable (but wise) decision that made the remaining 7 miles more bearable. 

I took off my shirt and ran in my sports bra!

Since it was so hot outside I had very little time to mull over this decision and once I started running again, the cool breeze on my sweat soaked body felt so good. I have never, I repeat, NEVER run in a sports bra. Even when the heat was smoldering and I thought I would pass out I always kept my shirt on. I can't say that the thought never crossed my mind but whenever it did I simply shot it down.

Here's the thing though. When other women run in their sports bra I'm not even paying attention to them. In fact when a women who's running in a sports bra passes me I'm thinking about... nothing! Well nothing in regards to that person because I'm too busy thinking about me! I'm monitoring my form, I'm thinking about my breathing, I'm tuned into my muscles and making sure they aren't fatigued. Truth be told I have absolutely no issue when it comes to women running in sports bras. So why haven't I done it before?

I would be lying if I were to say that I don't think about my weight and my shape. When I was overweight my thoughts were much more centered around trying to adapt to my heavier shape and convince myself that I was happy. Now I'm not saying that "skinny" is the way to be but I gained weight doing unhealthy things and adopting unhealthy habits, many of them due to an underlying lack of self-confidence. Once I lost some weight and dropped a couple of sizes I became obsessed with my weight. I didn't want to go back to my heavier self and I became very serious about monitoring my diet and exercise. Even with my new fit body I was still uncomfortable showing my stomach. 

When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter I gained over forty pounds and lost it relatively quickly. Once she turned six months old I went back to my old dance studio and started taking ballet class again. Then my old dance teacher asked me to start teaching and I taught dance for about two years. All that dancing helped me to loose weight but my skin didn't snap back so quickly. Dare I say it but I was ashamed of my stomach!

Can you believe that? Ashamed of a body that created and helped to sustain a new life. This body gave birth to an eight pound, beautiful baby girl and breastfed her to keep her healthy. This body was able to express things more than words ever could through the power of dance for SEVENTEEN years. This body was able to train for and FINISH a full marathon without shutting down. This body is able to do hard workouts, run for miles and miles, play beach volleyball and keep up with an ever moving two year old. So what if I have some stretch marks and a couple of skin folds. My body is my trophy and shows the world that I am so much stronger than you could ever imagine.

There are a lot of men out there with less than attractive bodies running without their shirts off and do you think they care about what someone else says? The answer is no. So as women and mothers we shouldn't hide our bodies. Whether you have stretch marks or a little extra to love, sexiness doesn't come in a size 0 looking like Giselle Bundchen or Naomi Campbell. Sexiness is being confident in who you are and showing the world that beauty comes from within. So I stand in solidarity with my fellow blogger Power to Prevail and say don't hide your belly, be proud of it!

What's in a name?

In the blogging world, your name is the first thing that your readers see. You don't have your face and overall presence to make a first impression. Unless you're a major blogger, people determine if they will read your blog or not based on your title and your name. With all that being said, I've been thinking about changing the name of my blog and subsequent social media platforms. 

When I started this blog my intention was to write about all things geeky since I'm a big nerd. But as my teenage daughter pointed out, that's not the main focus in my life. Before I stared writing about running I had very little traffic on here and I think it was mainly because of what my daughter said. Once I was able to write about what I love and enjoy, the foot traffic started to build and my Twitter followers grew. 

I still talk about some things related to geek culture but I also talk about my family, my life and whatever else I want to put on this blog. I've been told by someone people that the name is nice and I shouldn't change it. 

What are  you thoughts?

Should I change the title of my blog?

Patience is key

It's funny how life gives you lessons in ways that you didn't see coming. My oldest daughter has recently taken up the sport of volleyball. She decided in the early part of her freshman year that she wanted to play volleyball and make the junior varsity team at her high school next year. Since she has never played volleyball, or any sport for that matter, this meant that she would need to prepare.

My daughter spoke to a couple of her friends who were on the freshman team to get some pointers as to what to do to get ready for tryouts. As it turns out, some of the girls also play on a recreational team outside of school and essentially play all year round doing indoor volleyball in the fall, winter and spring and beach volleyball in the summer. My daughter contacted the coach of the team and soon she was doing an evaluation to see if she would be able to join.

My wife and I wanted to help her in anyway possible so we bought a volleyball and started practicing. My wife became her conditioning coach and helped get her physical fitness up. I helped with all the basic volleyball moves and simple drills to get her prepared. I even took an online volleyball coaching class so that I could be a better coach. Little by little she was getting the hang of the sport.

One day after her second practice she told me she was upset that she wasn't able to serve the ball over the net. I praised her for how hard she was working, that she should cut herself some slack, and that if she kept working as hard as she has been she'll be getting the ball over the net in no time. But I could see that my words were falling on deaf ears. She said, "I just want to get these awkward stages out of the way and just play". I continued to try and tell her that with practice and patience she'll be playing the way she wants in no time.

I'm not sure what clicked in my head but in that moment of talking with my daughter about being patient and going easy on herself, I couldn't help but realize that I should apply those same words to myself. A couple of weeks ago I was doing some intervals to start working on getting some speed. I did 4x800's with a 400m recovery. For one 800 meter I was clocked at 3:52 and averaged about the same time for the second 800 meters making my overall pace for a mile about 7:48. 

This was the fastest I have EVER been. Do you want to know the first thing that I thought about? I could've gotten it to an even 7:45. Uh... hello! 

Runners are always thinking about going faster and pushing harder. After my coaching class and hearing that the majority of my runs each week should be at conversation pace (easy pace) I couldn't help but feel like I was running too slow. What do they know anyway? You're supposed to run hard every single time you step out the door. Why do we always want to go faster, be bigger and stronger and not just enjoy the space that we're in at the moment? 

I remember the last time (which was my first time) doing intervals and I could barely maintain a 9 minute pace. I thought my lungs were going to collapse on themselves and I would have to be hauled off the track. Now I'm able to do a 7:48 mile and I couldn't even appreciate that moment. 

Until I heard my daughter stress about not getting her serve and totally neglecting the positive accomplishments that she had, I didn't think I was guilty of the same thing. When talking with other runners about races I never divulged my times. I would often tell people that it wasn't about time for me, it was about the love of running. But that was bull crap. I didn't divulge my time because I didn't want to talk about it until I reached my magic pace (which is 7:30 by the way). 

But why not share in ALL of my accomplishments. Like the first time I was able to run 10 miles without stopping. I couldn't even tell you what my time was because I don't remember. All I remember is feeling like such a bad ass that I ran the entire time. Then there was the moment when I ran to a song that I have on my running playlist that used to be so hard to keep pace with. Now when I hear that song and run to the beat it feels as though I'm running in slow motion.

I have to keep in mind that I've only been running for about a year and a half now. In retrospect this is all still very new to me and there are things that I'm still learning as I go along. But I often forget that within this small amount of time, I've managed to grow leaps and bounds. I should be proud of the milestones that I have made and not neglect them for my future goals. So why do I constantly focus on getting faster when I should be happy about how fast I've already gotten?

'Cause I'm a runner. :)

I mean, I already paid so I might as well

It wasn't until I headed to the start line that I realized I haven't run in a 10k race before. Not as if that fact mattered to me but when I was thinking back on previous races to base this race on, there weren't any to reference. Of course after the race I remembered that I ran a training 10k in my neighborhood and do have a 10k time to aim for. But before I started my Garmin I knew that this race would not be a record breaker. Aside from the heat that was already rising at 6 o'clock in the morning, I was having some "female issues". 

A pattern has risen with me for almost every race I've been in for a little over a year now. Without getting too personal, my monthly visitor seems to always make an appearance either the day of or the day before a race. Overall I don't feel horrible but I've started getting debilitating migraine headaches and sore hamstrings. So it would only be fitting that this race would be the same. I mean why stop a tradition now that it's really gotten underway, right! :)

The day before the race I started feeling sluggish and my cramps were coming on strong. I plopped on the couch to take a breather and ended up falling asleep. When I woke up I felt worse than I did before my nap. I will say that I've never felt refreshed after a nap. Maybe because I take too long of a nap. As I was setting up my clothes I wondered if I was really going to race at all. I set my alarm and decided that I would make the decision once I got up.

Once my alarm went off I felt good but not 100%. I knew that although I was feeling alright at that moment, once the day started chugging along I would feel progressively worse. There hasn't been a situation just yet where I've felt so bad that I decided to skip out on a race. With the time and money that goes into all these races, I would have to feel pretty bad to not run. Fortunately for me I had my racing buddy with me. Danielle and I are a part of The Fit Moms Club in Palm Beach and the Wellington Runners Club. We've been working out and running together under one year.

Our paces are close enough that we run and chit chat during races. We've worked out a system (without planning it) that we can work off of one another to get through the tough parts of the race and finish strong. Without her there I don't think I would've been able to run as well as I did because after about three miles my head started pounding. Six miles is a very comfortable distance for me but I just wasn't feeling it for this race and I really had to focus. 

After we hit four miles I told Danielle that we were going to kick it up a notch. I was ready to be done with this race, eat some breakfast and go home to take a nap. I pushed it hard and finished with an overall time of 54:58. Sweet! And I must say that out of all the bling that I've received for various races, this one is certainly the prettiest. 

We also got a pink boa. 

After the race my family and I got some breakfast and I parked myself on the couch where I lived for the next two days. My headache got worse to the point where moving even hurt. I'll be really happy when this trend completely runs its course. But headaches aside, I had a great time at this race and look forward to running it again next year.

New city quirks

Every city has something unique that sets it apart from every other city in the country. Miami has the Art Deco scene, Los Angeles has Hollywood charm, New York has everything and Des Moines has... skywalks!

Skywalks?! You may either be saying Why are we talking about skywalks? or What the hell is a skywalk? Well being from south Florida I had no idea what these things were that tied all the buildings in downtown Des Moines together. Many of you from the northern part of the United States may be reading this and wondering why I'm even making a post about this. Yeah we have skywalks. Who cares? Well I do and that's why I'm writing about it.

The first day I noticed this enclosed glass bridge right outside my hotel. I didn't think anything of it because I've seen structures like this before. But as I explored the city I noticed more and more of the glass bridges and even saw people in them. In addition to the bridges I saw signs with a big red S on them marking access to this so-called skywalk. Though I was curious I didn't make any attempt to explore. I was already exploring the city via bike ride and to me that was the best way to get acquainted with the city. 

The second day in Des Moines was much colder than the first. I was relatively prepared with some of my "cold weather" clothes from home, but the wind was making it brutal for me. I walked to the convention on the street because I mapped the route the day before. I'm the kind of person who can be dropped in the middle of an unknown city and can figure out my way around in about a day. Not only can I figure out how to get somewhere but I can reroute myself to get back to my starting point. My internal GPS has always been on point, so much so that I was literally my family's GPS when I was a kid. 

Finally during my lunch break on the first day of class I decided to explore this skywalk and see if it couldn't help me get back to my hotel. *cue the angelic music*

This wonderful, architectural invention was the answer to all of my prayers. I was able to avert the cold altogether in this magnificent walkway in the sky. That's when it dawned on me. The sole purpose of a skywalk is to avoid the cold weather in the winter! Amazing!

Not only was this skywalk functional, but it was also convenient. There were businesses that existed only in the skywalk and not on street corners. The Starbucks and Panera Bread that I was struggling to find on the bike, magically appeared on the skywalk tucked away from the clean streets of downtown.

AND! Many of the halls were heated. The main halls that were my saving grace were the ones closest to the convention hotel and my hotel. The only time I stepped out of the skywalk was to get to my hotel which was not attached to the skywalk and was about a block and a half away from it.

I called my wife and told her about it, I took pictures of it (obviously), when I came home I told my daughter and parents about it. I mean I was really tickled by this thing. For my classmates who live in Minnesota or Wisconsin, this was nothing new to them, but I was in complete awe. I mean if you think about it, Florida has no need for skywalks. Not only is it hot practically all year round but everything is so spaced out that you need a car in order to live here. 

So yes, you can make fun of me for dedicating this post to a skywalk. But if you are ever in Des Moines when it's cold, windy and raining and you just want to get out of the weather; take a trip on the skywalk, find the warmest hallway, stand under the heat vent and remember me. 

Making new friends (RRCA coaching Part 3)

I know that you've been waiting with bated breath for the third installment of my RRCA Iowa trip. Sorry for the delay, the days always seem to speed along faster than I can catch up. In part two I talked about the subjects that we learned and how our days were structured. You can check it out here. For this post I'm going to talk about the wonderful people I met and the new friendships that I made. Aside from learning how to be a coach, this class was a great opportunity to mingle with other runners and bond over our running stories. So let's get to it!

I wanted to make sure that I participated in as many events outside of the classes as I could. The first night there was a welcome reception with appetizers and drinks. After I got my food I noticed that there was an african-american woman sitting at a table by herself. I was so excited to see another woman of color at the event that I made my way to the table.

Anytime I go anywhere I am always on the look out for other women who look like me. So often in my life I have embarked on hobbies and activities that had very few people of color. It's never made me stop doing the things that I love but it just makes me feel more at ease when there's someone else that I have a little something in common with. 

Shaquita, Me and Sarah

Shaquita (pictured above) and I started talking and hit it off. She's the president of her running club and was attending the convention to bring back some useful information for her club members. She wanted to attend the coaching class but was unable to because the class was sold out. She's been running a number of years and has a goal to get a race medal in every state. So far with what she's already done and what she plans on doing this year, she is well on her way.

Sarah (pictured above) came to our table and sat down to join in our conversation. I immediately noticed that Sarah was also in the coaching class with me, so we shared some of our thoughts about the first day of class. Sarah is a working mom with two kids (boy and girl) and started her own local running group. I always admire women with kids who work and run because it's not easy juggling all of that at once. So yeah, she's a BOSS!

After the welcome reception Shaquita, Sarah and I went to a Mexican restaurant and continued our conversation. Both ladies were so easy to talk to and it felt as though we were rekindling old friendships rather than making new ones. We talked about our introductions to running and our love for race bling. I learned about Sarah's motivation for becoming a running coach and marveled at Shaquita's list of 200 races that she's running in this year alone. Okay, it's not actually 200 but it is a lot. Our conversations were never strained and we never had to fish for a topic to discuss. Don't you just love that when you meet someone new?

Me, Celeste and Melanie

During my second day in class I met Celeste (pictured above), whom I found out (after eavesdropping on her conversation) is also a blogger. Go check out her blog at: Confessions of a former fat girl. She's been blogging since 2009 so I asked for any tips that she might have for me. Celeste and her husband lost a combined 100 lbs. with diet and exercise. She works at a gym and in addition to getting her coaching certification she is also working on getting her certification for personal training. We hit it off immediately and exchanged phone numbers, blog addresses, Twitter and Instagram names. You gotta love a fellow blogger!

That same day I met Melanie (pictured about) who was also taking the coaching class. Her face was very familiar to me and I approached her thinking that she is the writer of a blog that I read before. Turns out she isn't the person I thought but that introduction lead us to striking up a conversation. Melanie is hilarious and has boundless energy. She's an actress, singer, runner and running shoe enthusiast. She had me cracking up as she shared her inner dialogue about all the random activities that occurred during the weekend. 

I met other classmates and convention attendees but I kept chatting and hanging out with these ladies. It's been a little over one week and so far I have still managed to keep in contact with each person. Sarah ran in a green M&M costume because of a challenge that she gave her running group members. Shaquita has already run in three races and I'm sure the next one is right around the corner. Celeste has also run three races, completed her coaching test (okay!) and is studying for her personal training certification. Melanie has an acting job that she started immediately after the convention and will be doing that for a number of months before heading back home. 

By far meeting all of these women was the highlight of my trip! :)