While I've Been Gone...

It's been a few weeks since I written a blog post cause life has been pretty busy. It's been non-stop travel and activities since I ran Wings for Life and completed Swim Miami (I know, I know... I still have to post that recap). And I just came back from my last (planned) racecation until Berlin in September. This past weekend I did the Ragnar Niagara Falls relay (that recap will be forthcoming as well) and had yet another amazing Ragnar experience...

I'll have more details in the official race recap when I post it but **spoiler alert** I finished it with an incredible team and felt great about my runs. I was even able to enjoy the Falls for a bit after we were done...

It's A Double Race Week!!!!

It's finally here! My double race weekend is this weekend...

And no... I'm still not 100% ready. BUT I did manage to get some training completed this morning. First I did a 1 mile swim...

And then I did my daily run...

Tomorrow and Wednesday are scheduled to be running days, and for Thursday (and maybe Friday) I plan to swim again and do quick one mile runs.

In addition to this week being busy with training and my back-to-back events on Sunday, it will also be a busy work week. I'll be spending more time out of the office (in class or teaching a course) than I will at the office catching up on work. So eating properly, resting and hydrating will be challenging but essential this week. 

It's probably a good thing the weekend wasn't too hectic. I only did 1 mile runs (on both Saturday and Sunday). I spent most of Saturday at a CPR course and then watching movies and TV shows on Hulu. And Sunday was spent hanging out with Dafney and Kai trying to "escape the room"...

And indulging in dairy-free butter pecan ice-cream...

Happy Monday & Happy 1st of May!!!

How was your weekend?

How was your training to start off the week/month?

Friday's Things...

It's been a busy week with travel, conference lectures and poster presentations etc...

And even though it's been busy (and I decided not to continue the blog streak), I still feel like I'm posting less than I should be. However, in the unlikely event that I even remotely decided not to worry about my lack of posts, Facebook decided to remind me that my slacking off was noticeable...

Despite my lack of posts & updates (and my busy week) I'm still keeping up with my running streak...

And I'll have a few more days of St. Louis running before I head back to FL; during which I'll be spending my non-running time hanging out with the co-founder of my new Chicago Coalition (both Jane and I are trying to find a way to go back to Chicago)...

How was your week?

What's your favorite US city to visit? To live in?

Do you love/hate your Facebook notifications?

The End Of The Streak...

I ended my blogging streak on Friday. It was intentional so I'm only partially sad when I think about it. Friday was my 500th blog post and Day 90 of my blogging (and running) streak. It seemed like a good ending point... blogging every day isn't easy. I know a lot of bloggers that have new posts with fresh content everyday. But most of them work from home, or don't work, or work part time, or have more than 24 hours in their day. I made it a point to set aside time for each blog post but some days I just didn't have much to say. And rather than continue with quantity over quality I decided to just focus on my running streak, getting enough rest, and increasing the cross training aspects of my current training plan...

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There were other changes this weekend... I went home (to Jamaica). It's a very long story but I needed to be home and made the decision to travel on Thursday and came down on the first flight on Friday. Which meant I missed the triathlon relay that I was supposed to do today (the team found a replacement though and they did really well). 

While I was home on a #FamilyFirst mission, I was able to continue my running streak. I've done a mile each day that I've been here (some a lot slower than others). Friday's run...

Saturday's run...

Today's run...

Saturday's run was after spending most of the morning at the beach so I definitely felt extra tired on that run. And even though today's run was mid-morning on a very sunny day, I was able to push myself to a sub-10 min pace. I'm always excited when I can do that 😊.

In between runs and family time I've tried to catch up on sleep. Last week was a busy work week and this upcoming week will be as well, so things are going to be non-stop for a while. I've also been applying to some online teaching jobs and the next sessions should be starting some time this month or next month (please keep your fingers crossed that I get one of them) so my days will be even more hectic. These upcoming changes also contributed to my decision to end the blogging streak.

Instead of blogging every day, I'm going to try and blog at least 3-4 times a week. Some weeks will be more, but hopefully no future weeks will have less than three blog posts. Especially since training will start to get a bit more structured so I'll have much more to post about from now on 😉. 

(If you blog) How often do you blog each week?

What's the longest blogging streak you've done? 

How was your running/training this weekend?

MY 500th BLOG POST!!!!!

When I started blogging in 2014 I had already been running for about a year. I still felt like a brand new runner at that point and, even though I wasn't new to writing, I had never done a blog before. At the time I wasn't sure where the blogging journey was going to take me...

I wasn't completely sure where the running journey was going to take me either. But I knew that I wanted to complete a marathon, and I knew that I wanted to write about my experiences along the way to achieving that goal.

Over the course of my 500 blog posts I've told you about my full marathon experiences in New York... 

Snack Attack...

I'm a snacker. I could snack on food all day plus have my three meals a day (including my morning coffee). Cause let's be honest... food = joy 😊. I used to be on the "diet all day" plan. Meaning, I was always trying something to loose weight. Always. And granted, I've been in the 5 to 10 lbs over my "ideal body weight" range for a while now, the reality is that I stay in that range because food tastes yummy. I'm also an emotional eater (with LOTS of feelings), and since Jesus allowed for the creation of cashew milk ice cream, it would be a sin to not show appreciate for this creation on a regular basis...

Today I had to live without the ice cream from heaven so I snacked on other things...

(These chips keep me happy while I stay away from flour for the rest of Lent)

(When I need my chocolate fix)

Weekend Getaway Day 2

It rained all night so the roads were wet for our run this morning, but we got it done...

And then we went down to the beach to run on the sand for a bit...

It's still a pretty overcast day but there is something about standing on the beach and watching the waves that I find really beautiful and relaxing...

I tried to upload a video of the beach (which captures the beauty of the waves a whole lot better than the pictures do) but the internet connection at the beach villa is really slow. I guess that's their way of saying "stay off the electronic devices and go enjoy nature". 

We took in the scenery for a bit after our run...

And then it was time to get ready to host friends at today's breakfast and barbecue. The weather will be a challenge because rain is on the forecast for most of the day the rest of the day. But we plan to make the most of it anyway. Plus it's always fun spending time with family and friends. 

I decided to do my daily post earlier than normal because once the barbecue gets started I don't want to be on my computer or my phone. Plus it's hard to make memories if you don't stay in the moment 😉...

I hope you have a great Saturday!

Anybody racing this weekend?

What memory making activities do you have planned for today?

Weekend Getaway Day 1...

Let the vacation begin!!!! I was up well before the crack of dawn (around 2:30am) getting ready for my flight, and left just as the sun was rising...

By the time I saw home the morning was just getting started...

Most of the morning was spent visiting family so our road trip didn't really start until the early afternoon; and thanks to the highway I didn't get car sick...

It was rainy and overcast all of the way...

Once we arrived we decided to stop for food to get "some of the best jerk chicken"...

Am I Faster When I'm Sick?

I'm sick guys. My cough has gotten worse and now my throat hurts and I'm freezing 😩.  I have a busy week at work and an even busier week outside of work, so I hope the DayQuil & NyQuil and Halls cough drops I'm taking will start to kick in soon. Surprisingly, even though I feel like crap, I was all smiles after my run today...

because I was able to do this....

(sub-9:30!!!)

As I started out on the run I glanced at my watch and saw a 9:20 min pace, so I got super excited! Then I noticed that the pace was slowly started to creep up. When I looked at my watch again the pace was 9:58 and so I tried to run as fast as I could to keep the pace under 10 minutes 😊. It really took everything out of me, but I'm excited that I was able to pull it off, especially considering how sick I feel. 

Tomorrow is International Women's Day!!!

So tomorrow I'll be wearing purple to work (which, to be fair, is probably not that much of a deviation from my normal attire) and I'm doing a group run with some of ladies from the running group. The theme for this year is: Be Bold For Change. There are so many things that need to be changed about how women are treated. And as a women who is raising a daughter, it is important for me to take a stand against inequality and injustice, and to teach her how to take a stand for what she believes in as well. Tomorrow, and everyday, I will (and I'll teach my daughter to) #BeBoldForChange.

How was your Tuesday?

Do you run/workout when you're sick or is that an automatic rest day?

Do you have any plans for International Women's Day? What change(s) will you be bold for?

Welcome To Pittsburgh!!!

I'm in Pittsburgh!!! And It. Is. Cold. But the plus side of the cold is that it's snowing!!!

(Can you see the tiny slow flakes in my hair?)

The trip up was uneventful. I traveled on Southwest and they allowed me to check my carry-on and my poster for free! Best. Airline. Ever.  Once we got our bags, Kai and I took a Lyft ride to the hotel where we met up with Shakeva and Caleed!

(the kids were enjoying the flurries)

We walked the city for a bit in search of gloves for me (Kai had mine because hers went m.i.a somewhere in transit) and a nice top for me to wear to the conference tomorrow (because I left the one I was planning to wear in the dryer at my house 🙈). 

Another Successful Day...

Today was the last day of the Trauma Symposium! It was a huge success thanks to an amazing team leader and friend...

(Candace and me)

The highlight of the past few days was catching up with my former Pediatric Trauma Medical Director...

Both Candace and I worked with Dr. Stylianos when we were at Miami Children's Hospital...

A 5K & a Barre...

I had a really great 5K this morning!

I focused on getting negative splits and despite it being "Winter" I was drenched in sweat after...

A fast 5K always results in my legs feeling exhausted. I really felt it this morning (I know I said that last time too 🙈) but thank heavens for my CW-X running tights...

(These running tights are incredible! They keep my legs from falling apart 😊)

The "Good", The "Bad", & The "Why Am I Doing This?!" {TCS NYC Marathon Race Recap}

I have a ton of emotions surrounding the NYC marathon so it's hard to figure out where to start. I guess starting at the beginning is as good an option as any, but before I do that let me just say that (regardless of what I felt during and in the immediate aftermath of the race) I'm proud to be able to display this badge...

I was well rested for the event thanks to Daylight Savings Time and the fact that I didn't have to leave for the race until 7am. I took my time to get ready, met my friend Will (who was also running), and walked to the Staten Island Ferry Station well before my 7:45am ferry departure time. The race staff encouraged everyone to take the first available ferry so Will and I (along with half of New York) shuffled our way on board...

Once on board I spent my time trying not to focus on the fact that I have motion sickness and unwisely boarded the ferry without my anti-motion sickness bands (not my finest moment), and taking pictures of the Statue of Liberty...

The Expo & The Parade...

I flew into New York yesterday morning and it was a non-stop day of activities... 

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The morning started out as any other travel day: up early -- pack last minute items -- get to airport -- still get annoyed about taking off shoes in security line -- search for food -- find a Starbucks -- all is now right with the world :)

Kai and I were on the same flight as Will (who is also running NY) so we were talking about race strategy until it was time to board. Once we got on board I ran into my friend Alex from the law firm where I used to work...

Alex was one of my favorite people there. Always super cool. We spent the entire flight talking and catching up on what has been happening in our lives. Once we landed we said our goodbyes and Kai, Will and I made our way out of the airport into the Big Apple! Whenever I saw a bridge I asked Will "Do we run over that one?!"...

(I don't remember if this is one that I will run on, but the picture is nice right?)