My First Marathon - Publix A1A Marathon

This course is absolutely beautiful and since it wasn't part of the Storm Series I decided it would be my first half.  I have been wanting to do a full marathon for a few years & I spent just under a year training for it. I am so pleased and proud to say that I finally completed my 1st FULL MARATHON. 26.2 miles in 4:39:19! I know it's not an amazing time, but damn it I finished it!!! 

It was a cold early morning when the race started, a fun 58, for you none South Floridians, you think that is practically balmy for February, but for us locals...that is COLD! From that in the next 4 1/2 hours it went up to 75+, with the sun and salt and beach air. 

To be honest, I was really nervous, but feeling really good about it. I was ready to do it. While waiting in the coral, I meet a nice block from NYC that had come down to visit him mum and decided to sign up. His pace was around mine, so I figured my goal would be to keep up with him. LOL. Prob should have informed him of that, but I didn't...until many many miles later.

I have run my fair share of half marathons and I went into the Full not given the mental and physical challenge of the Full Marathon the respect that it truly deserves. Well let me just say when I hit mile 20....from there till the finish line, it was the LONGEST 6 miles of my life! It was no longer mind over matter and the idea that it is all in your head, no it has become your body! Ever step, ever movement, ever slight incline (even a bloody speed bump) I felt. It was completely agonizing, the desire to stop...to walk...questioning why I even wanted to complete one, all plagued me with every next foot fall. 

They say you hit a wall when you run the Full Marathon, I didn't really know what they meant when they said "hit your wall". I train, I run, I have always been able to push though, I honestly thought this was the same kinda thing, I would just push through, no big. But nope...I know completely understand what they mean when they said "hit your wall"! Mine was at mile 22. My feet and ankles were screaming at me. My shoulders and arms ached. My lower back pulsed. I felt light headed, dehydrated and just wanted to stop. My feet were so swollen I could feel my laces digging into the top of my foot, I was just hoping and praying for them to go numb. Every person that I passed that yelled, "you are almost there, you can do it" and I know they were just trying to encourage me, but I wanted to kill them and all I could think was, "There are 6 million ways to die mother f'er chose one and shut up you ass hole!" There was no thumbs up 

The last 1.5 miles the adrenaline kicked it. I put my head down and just kept telling my self "mile & half to go, mile & half don't stop now, mile to go keep moving, finish strong, mile to go, mile to go, mile to go, half mile, almost there, just go, move, move" I wanted to die! Lol but I stayed strong & finished even stronger. And when I though I had nothing left to give, I somehow managed to even dig deep down inside to find the desire and energy to sprint the last half mile. When I crossed that finish line I didn't know if I should cry or laugh I was so happy! 

Let's be honest my ankles & feet are FUBAR but damn am I proud!! :-) 

And I gadda day I have some  amazing friends who came out to support me &/or sent me encouraging text while I struggled the last few miles!!!! Since I have no family here, it's nice to have good friends to support you in your accomplishments! 

I want home, relaxed the rest of the day on the couch, mostly because it hurt to move. Every muscle in my body had pushed itself & needed to rest. I had to stop half way up my stairs to rest when I went up to shower. And although I lay hungry in bed, the thought of going back down the stairs to get food just sounded painfully crazy...so I just went to sleep instead. 

The next day, I woke up & my body cursed me when I got up. I shoulda taken a sick day.  It seriously took me 10 min to go pee. I after almost ripping the doorknob of the bathroom stall while I tried to lower myself to the toilet...and using it to pull myself back up (next time handicap stall for sure) I looked down and realized my pants where around my ankles I cried a little when I realized I would have to bend down to get them. LOL :) 

I'm hoping for better tomorrow cuz tonight, I'm going to rest. Hot/cold, hot tub, Biofreeze & hot pad. :-) Just a fun fact....only about .05% of the US Population has actually completed a Full Marathon. So for those of you that have, you should be proud, I know I am!

 So will I be doing another full marathon??....ask me in a week :-)

A Day at The Gym

Monday night is Leg Day for me, the only down side to Monday being a gym day is that it's usually pretty busy...weekend regret & all. But this Monday was worse than normal. 

I usually go in, head phones on & jump right into my workout. I'm already pretty warmed up from BJJ & teaching KB for the past 3 hours. But as soon as I came around the corner to the weight section I stopped dead...Powerlifters...LOTS of them. And not just the ones I see every Monday, no more like there's a powerlifting convention across the street the just let out. Groups of 3-6 guys gathered around each machine loading up as much weight as possible before have a 5 min discussion about how they are gonna lift that weight. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't care how you workout, as long as you love it & you are working out....but what I can't stand is the hoarding of a machine (and the weights) for an hour when you only do 10 min of actually working out on it. 

The normal crew that I see every Monday is pretty cool, they usually will hop off a machine & let me bang out my workout real quick & then they will get back on. They all know I don't mess around...I'm there to sweat, but these new guys, a whole different story. 

I have an hour to do my workout, I have already been gone all day, it's 9:30 at night & I still have to run Jake. Let's just say I had to skip a few things and tweek my workout, which to be honest bothers me...I apparently don't like change. 

I felt like a crazed stalker, watching the next machine I wanted with hawk eyes then rushing to finish my workout so I could nonchalantly wonder over to the next one, like I hadn't been watching it for the past 15 min wondering if I could snag it. Then after getting it, I have to spend another few min groveling around the gym floor trying to find extra weights that aren't already being used by the powerlifters. 

Then to top things off, some if the guys in the new groups were blatantly enjoying the view of the girls passing by. Some girls may love this & believe me there are a few that come dressed in short shorts & sports bras with their makeup & hair done just for that....I am not one of these girls. I am in some BJJ shorts & smell like, well, all the blocks I roll w/...not pretty. But it was like a horrible night of "I've got the bigger dick...oh look a girl"

I wanted to laugh, cry & hide! 

I burnt outta there ASAP...and fingers crossed this upcoming Monday will be back to normal & I won't get that itching feeling that I'm being gawked at & mentally stripped by a bunch of guys.