Happy New Year recap!

I've been saying since the NYC Marathon that I was going to do a recap and tell you all about my experience. I am finally going to complete it but also look back at the year.

This year began with us starting on our training for the NYC marathon while training for our first triathlon. We signed up for NYC Marathon  last Thanksgiving. That seems like forever ago. What a year 2011 was for us. My Garmin mileage for the year totals 1238. However, that doesn't include NYC and treadmill miles that I didn't use it for, so it really is well over 1400 miles. Never in all of my life did I think I would ever say that about myself. I will say I am proud of myself. There have been plenty of trash talkers and nay-Sayers but they have not stopped me. I have stayed true to myself. I do this for me! And I am proud of myself. I was not born an athlete but this year I can say I have become one. I cannot wake up and run 26.2 mile having never done it before. I have trained hard for it and done it several times. I can honestly trust my training.

As for the ING NYC Marathon...many have done it before me and many have done a better time than me. However, I had the most amazing time! The unbelievable support from our friends and family reminded me of all that I have to be thankful for.

So let me start with the charity piece. Team for Kids is an amazing charity and I have to say I would run for them again in a heartbeat, especially after seeing/working with the people that are a part of it. By that I am not only talking about the kids they support, but the volunteers, the runners, the coaches and the staff. We could not ask for a better experience with better people. It was very humbling.

With the charity we were also thankful for al the people that supported us. I am not only talking huge donation wise. There were people that encouraged us and gave us the confidence to raise the $5500 we raised. And the OLMA girls! My heart is so full with all your support! I can't thank you all enough. We were also able to see people that were not supportive and were very surprised. However, we learned a lot and grew tremendously from that.

As for the race...Wow! I can't even put into words what it felt like. It was so amazing to see support from the crowd and especially know how many supporters we had there cheering us on as well. I can't imagine what it was like to logistically get into the city or on the race route that morning, but some awesome people did just that for us. What an amazing thing to do! We promise to pay it forward.

The race itself had the best views. I still can't believe we ran over the Verrizanno Bridge. Having grown up in NY made it so much more meaningful and special for me. There were so many times during the race I had chills. We don't run with earphones. Joe and I stay together and talk, laugh and well at this one we danced too...yes, we did! There were tons of bands during the race as well as dj's. There are videos included. My two favorite music parts were in Brooklyn and the Bronx. In Brooklyn, they played "I got a Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. Every single person was singing and dancing. It was amazing. Then when we hit the Bronx, there were some rappers rapping "Welcome to the Bronx...Don't stop, keep going.". We sang that for miles. There were so many moments like that that put smile on your faces.

There were many moments that I will never forget! Four I want to specifically tell you about. The first was @ mile 18. Our kids recorded messages for us through Asics. As we turned the corner there pops little Sophia saying "I love you Mom and Dad!". Then Tony popped up saying how proud of us he was. Of course, I was crying at this moment. It was awesome.

The second one was @ mile 22. That is where we saw the kids that benefit from the Team For Kids program. They were awesome!  It made me so proud to be part of such an amazing organization that touches so many young children around the world!

The third was seeing my kids and mom in the grandstands. When you enter Central Park you know you are close to the finish and we started checking the phone we were carrying to see where they were sitting...left or right side? Top or bottom? The text said section E? Huh? We had no idea what that meant until we hit the bleachers. Then it was so hard to contain ourselves. The sections were labeled with letters. We found section E. Then we spotted the lime green hats! We stopped waving like crazy and blowing kisses. That when we realized we should really finish.

The fourth is crossing the finsh line holding hands with the love of my life. I know it sounds cheesy, but what better way is there than to run a marathon with my husband and to finish hand-in-hand together. His support is amazing! And his videography skills pretty good too;).

I could probably go on forever about the actual marathon, but I'll move on. We did have an article written about us. No it wasn't solicited by us, but what a fun experience. The reporter spent a lot of time with the kids and took some fun pictures too. Had we known she was going to spend so much time letting Tony verbal vomit we probably would have been a little more cautious ;). I would have loved to sit on the couch eating chips. It all added to the memory/experience.

Someone asked me how long it was before we ran again....less than 16 hours. Don't get me wrong we only ran @ 1 1/2 miles the next day, but we don't do this to hurt ourselves. We trained properly and that means we knew how to recover also. We had no trouble walking (or with our joints) and don't do massages either. We do this as a long term hobby not as a competition. And certainly not to hurt ourselves. With that said, I truly feel anyone can do it. No it is not easy. Yes, it takes a lot of time and research, but once you do it you will be so amazed at what an accomplishment it is.

Now don't get me wrong, I have made plenty of mistakes along the way. There are some people that are just unwilling to share their knowledge and I have had to learn some stuff on my own. Fortunately, I learned all that on my training runs. And I will do it again. We are actually doing our next marathon in one week from today. On January 8th, we will run the Disney Marathon. We are super excited. Mainly because we love Disney. Even more because we know some awesome people running the Disney Half the day before. One in particular is running her first half-marathon ever. We are so excited for her and will be ones on the route screaming our heads off! Go Kristin!

So what will 2012 have in store for us. Well my first wish is for health for all our loved ones! After that, I want to continue on this journey towards a healthy lifestyle. I know that is very general, but I am not about setting numbers as a New Years Resolution. I am a realist. Every race and every race day is different. There are different people in front of you, different climates, different courses and so much more. To compare races to each other and other peoples time to mine is just futile. Again I am in this for me.

I'm not perfect. I love sweets, but I have not taken more than a day off in a year and a half. Even when I'm sick I do something. I still have alot to learn, but I am willing to do so. I am also willing to put in the work and will. We have lots of races in mind and some we have already signed up for this year already. It keeps us focussed and with goals in sight. It also make me look forward to what 2012 has in store for us. Maybe we'll see you out on the race course or on a training run. I hope 2012 has all that you are hoping for!

Happy New Year and thank you for being a part of our lives and taking the time to read my blog. I've decided to continue to blog about my experiences in 2012, but am starting a new blog titled "Making FIT my way of life.". You can follow it at www.fitmywayoflife.blogspot.com.  Hope you'll pay me a visit there.

Less Than Two Weeks :)



Melissa's TFK Shirt for the Marathon

  

Joe's TFK Shirt for the Marathon




Is it horrible to say that I am ready and overly excited?  We have had mile by mile conference calls with Team For Kids and logistic ones as well.  On each one I have gotten teary eyed.  I know pathetic, but in two weeks I/we will be running the NYC Marathon.  It is such a dream.  I never in all my childhood though I could and would do this. 

I know physically I can do the miles and mentally as well since our 26.67 "training" run.  I certainly feel relieved that for me the unknown is out of the way.  Now I just need to try not to cry too much when I am done.  Many of you already know this is a huge accomplishment for me.  It will be my first marathon EVER!  I do feel, however, that anyone can do it.  Yes, that means you, if you are reading this.  No, it's not easy and you need to be smart about it.  You need to find people that have the knowledge and suck it out of them.  Train smart!

As for me it's taper time!  I will become the girl in the bubble over the next two weeks.  The marathon has been one year in the making.  Between training, fundraising and the logistics, we have been working towards this goal since Thanksgiving day last year.  I have already had my flu shot.  I am Lysol spraying everything(even the kids...just joking...they have all had their flu shot also though).  We are pretty much laying low and trying to stay up on our rest.  I took the kids skating the other day, but I refused to skate (I know bad mom, but they understand).  Joe actually went to play paintball at an overnight game and fell in a four foot ditch....what are the odds.  He could not walk last night, but went to the urgent care this am and everything is fine...really?  Now you can see why a bubble.  So much goes in to training for such a big race whether it be a marathon or ironman(maybe someday) that a cold/virus or anything righ now would be such bad timing. 

So what do things look like from here.  According to the NYC Marathon tapering should be for three weeks before the marathon.  Tapering is hard mentally and physically.  For me, it makes me feel like you are slacking off and lazy.  However, it's amazing how rested your legs feel when you race.  Let alone you feel like a cage animal that has been released.  Its a pretty awesome feeling when you finally run.

Today I need to pack.  I am already stalking the weather.  Not really sure how I will handle rain, but I'm running no matter what, so I may just have pneumonia the week after.  We have funky bright yellow old school "singlets" from Team for Kids that we will be wearing, so it won't be hard to spot us.  The kids are joining us and my mom is taking them to the finish line.  We purchased grandstand tickets so they can be guaranteed to see us.  We also bought bright green hats(see below) so we will have an easier time spotting them.  Although, we started working for a time and know what we can do we have decided to saver every moment.  We are planning on stopping at the grandstand to find the kids and get their picture too!  Yes, we will be running with a video/picture camera.  There are so many things we will encounter along the way that we will want to share, so what better way to do it.  It will be at least an additional week before we will post anything though because we are planning on doing the food tour of New York and long Island:)!

Here are some extra pictures that ING NYC MARATHON has been posting on Facebook.  Just had to share...

Grandstand being set up!!!

Banners everywhere!

 

Super bad blogger

There has been so much going on lately that I don't even know where to start.  Everytime I even think about blogging, life just seems to take over and I just don't get to it. 

Today I promise will be different.  I figure I'll focus today on updating you on all my/our training.  So as of today, there are only 40 days until race day.  Can you believe that?  I am still in shock.  We signed up for the NYC marathon and Team for Kids on November 25, 2010.  It seemed so far away then and the fact that we agreed to raise $5240 seemed daunting!  But we did it.  To date we have actually passed our goal by over $100.  I still am amazed at everyones generosity!  A little side note is if we raise $280 more we get Grandstand tickets for our kids.  No pressure.  (http://www.runwithtfk.org/Member/PublicPage/4226)  I have already beat a dead horse with the fundraising.  I want to say that I appreciate your patience with all my relentless begging over the past year too!   THANK YOU ALL!!  Okay enough about that! 

So where are we in our training and what have we done up to here?  Our long run is now up 23 miles. I can honestly say I never thought I would be able to complete 23 miles.  I am proud of myself.  I know that may sound bad, but I can honestly say I have gotten here by working very hard. 

So how have we gotten here?  There are a number of things that have gotten us here.  For training, we continue to do our hill workouts as well as speed workouts.  Those are our two short runs every week.  They range from a minimum of 30 minutes up to 1 1/2 hours and range from a minimum of 4 miles up to 7  miles.  They have definately helped me get faster.  We also continue to Cycle, Swim, Weightlifting/Strength Training(to help with muscle stability) and Core (to help with overall stability). 

Then for our long runs we started out with the Galloway.  Galloway you ask???  Why?  Well for starters, it began as a confience thing and a social thing.  We have met so many wonderful and supportive people.  How was I going to possibly make it through 26.2 miles running?  I then decided after learning more about it, that it was more about not getting injured.  That's cheating some people say.  Don't knock what you haven't tried.  There are people I know that mock it and make it seem like I am "not running" my marathon or "not really training".  So let me tell you a little about it.

First, there are people with the Galloway group that have qualified and run Boston.  Not me...who knows maybe someday. For the group we have run with, we average 9 minute miles(945-10min in the really hot weather).  That's not bad in my opinion and for my goals and puts me at an estimate finish of @4:20 for the warm weather runs and even better in the cool weather.  That would be amazing to me for my first marathon. 

So my critics say that you walk then run.  Do the math...if I walk for a minute say every four minutes how fast do I need to run?  So what did you get?  It's an 8 minute mile.  Not bad huh?  So that makes me super slow? (From when I actually started, it's fast.  I started running more than 20 minutes only in December of 2009.  I did my first Half-Marathon in May 2010.)  That is when all water in take takes place too.  Smart huh?  There are people that stop for bathrooms and also stop for drinks standing still for a while.  We don't do that.  We continue.  Forward motion as Joe and I like to call it.   

So with all that said, that does not mean we are walking the NYC Marathon.  We are preparing properly and going to go into our marathon injury free!  We have actually gotten to a point in our training that we don't Galloway at all.  Our 23 mile run was a complete run and had a great pace too.  Sorry, I'm just sharing the mileage :).

(Notice the horrible nails...all my manicure $ went to Team for Kids.)

 

So let me share all about Galloway!  There is an 86 year old woman/legend named Iris that is a very integral part of The Raleigh Galloway group.  She still runs Marathons.  Note the plural part of the word and the fact that I didn't say run, but runs marathons!  She is my idol.  I need to be doing this for a very long time and I am setting myself up for that.  So why walk breaks?  That's not running you say.  Who was born to run 26.2 miles and have their body say okay without any pain or discomfort.  I know I wasn't.  Jeff Galloway says this about walk breaks:

"By using muscles in different ways from the beginning, your legs keep their bounce as they conserve resources. When a muscle group, such as your calf, is used continuously step by step, it fatigues relatively soon. The weak areas get overused and force you to slow down later or scream at you in pain afterward. By shifting back and forth between walking and running muscles, you distribute the workload among a variety of muscles, increasing your overall performance capacity. For veteran marathoners, this is often the difference between achieving a time goal or not.

So where are we going from here.  Well, with 40 days left.  We have another down week this week for miles and then we hit 26.2!  Yes, we will do 26.2 before we hit NYC.  For me, running is mental as well as physical.  I don't want to get to NYC and doubt that I can complete all 26.2 miles unless I have already done it.  Before I did my first half marathon, I ran 14.  I know 13.1 is a half, but I'm and overachiever :).  Seriously though, there are points in a marathon, I have experienced now, that your body and mind try to tell you that you need to stop.  By completeing 26.2 miles before the race, this eliminates the doubt for me because I know I have already done it before. 

Fueling has been so interesting too and is another reason for running the full 26.2 before.  Our actual marathon start time is 10:40 am.  (Yes, the Kenyans will be halfway home by the time I start.)  However, we get our bus at 6am to get to the start point(which is a city in itself with 30,000 runners).  Usually I run around 6am and am done by around 10am, but this will be totally different.  We will have to leave our hotel around 430am to get to the buses that will take us over to the start of the race which is the other side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.  Then we will not start running until almost 5 hours later.  After running 23 miles, I was ready to eat my own arm, so I now know what I should be doing at all the right times to sustain myself for 26.2 miles. 

With that said, miles 18-20 seem to be a hard point for me.  So who wants to come to NYC and meet me around that point.  Here's the link to the map http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/documents/INGNYCM11_Course_Map_For_Media.pdf

Anywhere along 1st Avenue from 68th Street up(you could even cross there to 5th Avenue and see us again) or by the Willis Avenus Bridge or the Madison Avenue Bridge would be amazing.  We would love any cheerleaders!!  After the race we will hobble back to our hotel and shower, but would love to meet up with anyone crazy enough to venture into the city!  

With all that said, I am so excited.  We are running the NYC MARATHON in 40 days!  It seems like a dream.  I absoluely cannot wait.  I am also looking forward to seeing some friends I had lost touch with.  This journey has been about so many things for me.  I have learned how truly strong I am both physically and mentally.  I have learned that I have surrounded myself with some truly wonderful and supportive people.  I have also reaffirmed that my husband is truly the best partner I could ask for.  I am so excited to finish this part of our journey together!  

I will blog more before the big race.  I am planning on taking tons of picture and video along the race too if my husband doesn't kill me!!

See you all at the finish line!!  Look for us on TV...nbc does the coverage! 

Athletes come in all shapes and sizes

A few weekends ago was my first triathlon ever.  I would have never thought 15 years ago, let alone last year, that I would have even tried to train for one.  For me this is huge.  For many people it's huge.

While waiting for our turn we watched the half-ironman.  70.3 miles...wow is all I can say.  One of my biggest observations was that athletes come in all shapes and sizes.

For so long, I always pictured athletes one way.  It has taken me so long to get beyond that.  After having four kids, my body is certainly not that of a teenager anymore.  Now don't get me wrong I'm not boasting saying I'm this amazing athlete, but I work hard and get results.  My point is that I saw so many people, this weekend especially, that if I saw at the grocery store a few years ago I would not have thought they may have just completed a Half-Ironman.  Many of them like me, who at first glance may not look like I have run at all.  Just to explain, in case you didn't know, a Half-Ironman is a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run.  If your like me, your are thinking holy cow.  I agree.  (This us all in a consecutive span too and not spread out over days.)

Anyway,  back to my points, part of which is, genetics and size doesn't mean everything. Some people look amazing and do nothing.  People automatically assume that if your were blessed with a great figure that you are automatically an athlete. I have to say I am a bit jealous of those people. Hard not to be, but I know how hard I work out and just need to keep reminding myself I wasnt born with that gift. There are people like me that workout five, six, even seven days a week and may not be beach body perfect.  That doesn't mean they dont work hard either.  Sometimes genetics just makes it so much harder. 

So my message of the day(well really since it's been @30 days since I posted last, so month) is:  Encourage people to do what is right for them and be better for themselves.  The sky is the limit!!!  You can do it!  Look how far I've come.  Never forget how far you've come too!  Happy Thursday!

Oh and less than 150 days :)!

Let the training begin!!!

So the official training for the NYC Marathon begins today. No we never really stopped training/exercising, but the official "training schedule" starts today. It's pretty crazy when I look at it thar way. There are now only 182 days until we actually run the race. I have a mental goal time(no I'm not sharing that), but my/our overall goal is to complete our first marathon. Then I'm finally getting a tattoo.

I'm going to explain that by going off topic a little because you are probably laughing. After two c-sections I figure that won't hurt at all. No seriously, after completing my first half-marathon I swore I was getting a tattoo. I seriously though I would never be able to do any more than that and didn't think I would want to. So now I am waiting until after my first full marathon. However, I am putting this in writing, I think there will be more marathons for me. I am not saying I will be setting any records (crazier things gave happened though), but I want to experience some marathons I have already been looking into...like Hawaii:). I haven't been there since I was there on business in 1995 and I would love to go there again. Talk about scenery while you run. Anyway, my point is I never want to forget this experience. I never thought I'd be scheduling my vacations around marathons. Pretty crazy.

Okay back to the reality that I haven't finished my first yet and I have my first triathlon scheduled for next weekend. So after I finish the triathlon I'll have to run a little longer to get my planned run in for my marathon training. Crazy. I can say I am looking forward to putting my focus back into the running. I was certainly feeling spread thin fitting in swimming, cycling and running. However, all the cross-training did help me in so many ways. Trainers do know what they are talking about ;).

So here goes nothing. Were off and the training has begun. 26.2 here we come! Look out NYC the Verdicchio 6 are on their way;).

Meeting Jeff Galloway

What a neat experience this was.  We took the kids to meet a very inspirational man named Jeff Galloway.  If you don't know who he is click here for some basic info:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Galloway.

We decided this would be very inspirational for the kids and we were right.  I am amazed that at 66 years old Jeff Galloway runs one marathon a month and hasnt been injured in over 35 years. That is certainly the way I want to be doing this. I am very serious about staying injury free (well as long as I don't have any other stupid toe mishaps). I also love that he and his wife have been running together forever. It's awesome. They don't worry about beating other people. They run to better themselves and enjoy the time together! It was so inspiring.

I have found myself seeking other inspiring people to follow. I've found several in my community and several through blogs I now follow. I love learning through their experiences and seeing their challenges, as well as, triumphs.

Joe and I are making sure we stay true to ourselves and the reason we got into this in the first place. Meeting Jeff Galloway renewed those reasons for us. We want to spend time together, set an example for our family, and stay healthy for a very long time. Here's hoping we can stay true to our running "values" forever!

Bella's First 5K

So it's official Bella completed her first 5k (that's 3.1 miles) on April 16, 2011.  I am one proud momma!  It's not about when or how fast either, but about the fact that she did it period.  I cried as she crossed the finish line.  I made sure she was in front of me because I wanted to see every moment of it!  It was amazing for me to watch as a mom.  I just completed my first 5K in March of 2009.  So I am amazed.  She did wonderful too.  I won't broadcast her time, but it was very good.  She didn't even struggle.  She ran with her friend Julia.  They were adorable together.  The weather was perfect and the rain held out.  It was overcast, but thats much better for running.

So where does she go from here.  She is still running.  Amazingly she can run better than a 9:54 average pace.  Not bad for a ten year old.  She is trying to run three times a week still and last week we even ran the whole way to our local coffee shop which is one mile away.  She ran the whole mile.  She is looking forward to signing up for her next race. 

As for Girls on the Run, I cannot say enough about the program.  It is amazing.  Not to mention the wonderful coaches that volunteer for this.  The lessons they go over, for example, bullying and self-esteem to name only two are priceless.  We discuss all of these things with our three girls, but it is so great when they hear it from others and in such a great teachable format.  We are huge fans now!!  To top it off they put on a great race as well.  It truly shows the girls that they have accomplished something huge.

So if you are ever able to support, GOTR or a similar program please do so.  And no it doesn't need to be Team for Kids(although that would be great).  There are so many programs like this that help kids be active and feel great about themselves.   It's amazing that running can do all that.

Laundry is dangerous for your health...and your running schedule

Yes, laundry is dangerous for your health.  I am writing Congress...not that they'd do anything.  Anyway, two weeks ago Sunday, I managed to bash my pinkie toe on my wrought iron bed.  Oh, the pain was horrible.  I hoped it wasn't broken, but it was so painful and every toe turned black and blue.  Not good.  

The Monday after it happened I decided to know for sure and be proactive.  I did not want to do any long-term damage by working out on it.  I went to my doctor, who then sent me for x-rays.  She was pretty sure it was broken, but since I was planning on continuing to run she wanted to put a stop to that by giving me proof.  So the x-rays showed a "partial fracture".  That means not all the way through, but if I didn't want to be out even longer than the three-6 weeks by breaking it all the way, I was immediately on a "no running plan".  Argh!  

I do have to say that it hasn't been that bad.  The mental part of not running has been difficult, but I have certainly not slacked off.  Since, I insanely signed up for the triathlon, I have had plenty of cycling and swimming to work on.  I can actually now swim 1200 meters straight.  I am very proud of that accomplishment.  This past Saturday, Joe and I did 1200 m straight with 300m warm-up and a 300m cool-down.  I can't tell you how huge that is for us!

I am not back to doing squats and lunges after two weeks.  (I know exciting.)  The swelling is completely gone and almost all the black and blue.  I am hoping to give slow running a shot this Friday, as I am supposed to be Bellas running buddy for her first 5k this upcoming Saturday.  I have had to work two days this week and ran in my class with my toddlers and preschoolers, so that's a good sign.  Even if I do run the 5 k this weekend, I will probably take off another 1-2 more weeks to make sure it is completely healed.  New York is only 209 days away so I am hoping this is all the injury bad luck I'll have.  I do also wish there was a good running injury story associated with my pinkie toe.  Like....I was struggling to beat a 5 minute mile half-marathon and tripped over the foot of the Olympian chasing me;).  Funny I know!  

Paying it Forward and Bella's First 5k

This past weekend a few of my friends and my husband ran the ATT Half and Full Marathon in Cary, NC.  Since I had already run Myrtle Beach a few weeks earlier I was not willing to risk injury and run this race too.  I am very conscious of what a body , especially mine, is capable of.  

We departed after the race started and began our journey to get to a place cheer people on.  We were practically bribing cops to let us cross the race course a few times.  Finally, we were able to park around mile 11.5.  We thought that would be a great point where people would be tired and need some extra encouragement.  

While we were there we met some wonderful ladies.  They were there just to volunteer and cheer people on.  They are running their first Half-Marathon in May and decided to go support other and "Pay it forward".  I couldn't get over it.  I thought that was so wonderful.  I started running and exercising for my weight, but I have learned so much about people.  Some good and some bad.  This was definitely good.  It put alot in perspective.  I have chosen my races for what organization they benefit.  NewYork is the perfect example.  I am such a believer in getting children involved in physical activites.  It not only helps their bodies but their minds.  

It was so much fun to be a spectator!  This may be my new calling.  It was so nice seeing smiling faces so grateful for the encouragement.  It helped that we knew a lot of the people, but we will definitely be doing it again.  

We really want to take the kids to do this as well.  Joe, Anthony, Gabi and Sophia will be getting their first dose when Bella does her first 5K.  Shes been participating in the "Girls On The Run".  It is such an amazing program!!  Go to www.gotrtriangle.org for more information.  Bellas first 5k will be April 16th.  I'm her running buddy and am so honored.  I didn't run my first one until May 2009.  I am so proud of her.  I'll keep you posted.  

Also we only have one more day of 100% vegetarian.  The kids have all decide on big burgers from Red Robin for Friday.  I'm not looking forward to it.  I have really enjoyed the vegetarian thing and more than I thought!  We have tried alot of new foods and just added a lot more variety.  From here on out, we will stay mostly vegetarian and just throw 1-2 days in of meat in for the kids.  I'm happy we all completed the full month and I can say it wasn't very hard.  I promise when I can I will post more of the recipes.  Today was an especially yummy day of Brie, Tomato, Arugula and Spinach Sandwiches for lunch and Pear, Ricotta, Walnut Crostini's for dinner.   

Hope you are having a great week!

Vitamins

The past few days I have been feeling so tired.  I definately increased my workouts and thought it was that.  However, I have had a sinus infection and bronchitis, as well as allergies,  so i thought that it was just a combination.  Then I thought maybe is was depression over the thought that my favorite Core class instructor was leaving.  Could it be all of the above?

I have come to the realization that a little may be from all that, however, when I started my antibiotics I stopped taking my vitamins.  The combination for the antibiotic and vitamin was really irritating my stomach so I stopped the vitamins temporarily.  Bad idea.  I started them back up today and finally feel so much better.  It's amazing how such a little pill can effect me.  This is in part because my diet is less than perfect.  Don't get me wrong I eat pretty healthy.  However, I am certainly not a veggie lover.  I eat them because I have to.  I would much prefer fruit any day of the week over a vegetable.  So for me I will have to stay on top of my vitamin consumption so that I don't effect my performance and training.  

And for dinner tonight...some kind of quinoa. Yum???

Bad Blogger...

So I have been slacking off on writing the blog lately. It certainly not for being lazy, just that there is so much to do on a daily basis lately.  The kids schedules seem to have picked up.  We run all day until bedtime and then collapse.  

I certainly haven't slack off on my training either.  The tri has added a whole lot more training too.  I have now added swimming into my already packed workout schedule.  So I now swim on my run days too.  On the weekends, I try to do all three...Swim, Bike, and Run.  I, however, make sure I never miss my rest day.  I have really needed it lately.  

The vegetarian month has been really great actually too.  The kids are enjoying it as well. I have decided to add a tab in the blog with recipes and things that we have tried for our vegetarian world. Check it out if you have time.  I doubt it if we will stay vegetarian forever.  However, we will definitely stick to maybe one or two non-vegetarian meals a week.  That is a swing the other way from the mostly meat diet we had before this month.  

I myself have seen a lot of benefits from this month so far. I have lost @2 pounds.  That may not seem like much, but I have been at a sticking point for a while.  I have enjoyed looking at things in different ways too.  I have learned alot more ways to incorporate different proteins in my diet. I grew up with the mindset that meat is THE protein.  Now beans of all kinds have taken alot of that mindset.  The kids realized very quickly that desserts are vegetarian.  Interesting, huh?  

We have only really had one yucky recipe.  For the most part, we have had alot of good ones.  We have really enjoyed a Vegetarian Chili from Whole Foods.  We followed the recipe on the back for Southwestern Chili Nachos.  It adds corn , black beans, and a few spices to the mix. You serve it over nachos with cheese.  Our best meal yet!  

There's still a lot to explore as a vegetarian.  I'm looking forward to trying a lot of new foods.  Coming up on the menu for us is Tofu and Tempeh.  Wish me luck!

Going Vegetarian

So as of tomorrow, I will not accept any invitations for a burger date;). My friend and trainer, Tara, asked me and several others to join her in an experiment to go Vegetarian for a month. So since I have agreed to do many insane things lately, I thought why not.

Since I am the grocery shopper and meal planner of our household, I answered for my whole family too. The Entire Verdicchio family with be zvegetwrian for one month effective tomorrow. Everyone was okay with it to an extent. Anthony, our self proclaimed carnivore, is a little reluctant. I bought him veggie bacon and veggie sausage, but he is still withholding judgment. Sophia (2) and Gabi (6 on Thursday) really have no idea what that means. They aren't the craziest about having meat with meals either though, so I don't think they will give too much trouble. I tell Bella that I think she was born a Vegetarian. She has always loved veggies and fruits.

We have decided to be Vegetarians, not Vegans(which is nothing but veggies; we can eat cheese and eggs) and not Pescetarian(which eat fish and the like). We thought we should try it without the fish first and we could always add it back in. We have also given the kids the option that if there is something they really want we won't make them suffer. However, Anthony could live off Bean Burritos or Pizza, and the girls could live off cupcakes ;).

I am looking forward to learning a lot of different recipes, as well as, the way to incorporate different proteins into my diet. I grew up with the mindset that you should have meat as your protein, a veggie and a starch. It is challenging to think outside of that. We have found some great recipes. If you have an awesome Vegetarian one that you don't mind sharing we'd love to have it. We are certainly learning a lot. We planted our garden again in hopes that we will get some veggies to eat. We also purchased a Mushroom Kit to grow mushrooms.

Tomorrow's menu is:
Oatmeal for pre-breakast(really pre-workout at 515am),
Peach and Greek Yogurt parfait for Breakfast
Fresh Strawberry, Peanut Butter Pita Pocket with Sunflower Seeds for Lunch
Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese for Dinner

Sounds good to me. So tomorrow we wake up Vegetarians!!!!

What Was I Thinking?

So this one definitely falls within the category "What was I thinking?". We were coerced(not really) about two months ago to do a Triathalon. To be more specific it will be our FIRST one. I think we knew from the get go that it was certainly going to be a challenge.

Both Joe and I, were not swimmers. We knew how to get to the edge of the pool and could rescue our kids if need be, but swimming a consecutive 750 meters in open waters is another story. Oh I didn't mention the open waters part did I...at least it will be in a lake. The swimming has been challenging but we are getting better every day. We have done laps equalling over 1300 meters, but that is with a few breaks. I just keep reminding myself that when I began running I could barely run for a quarter of a mile. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?

As for the biking, the clips have been the hardest part for me. Being strapped to a bike can be a little scarey. Even more so is riding next to cars on busy roads. I certainly have a new appreciation for people biking on the roads. I used to view them as a little bit of an annoyance(sorry to all the people that have been biking for years). They honestly aggravated me when I got stuck behind them; kind of like a tractor. Anyway, if you see me please don't get frustrated and certainly don't run me over ;). I am not worried about the 14 miles in the Tri though. They are supposedly on a flat course and the only traffic will be other speedy bikers. Besides I will probably be grinning from ear to ear after I complete the swim.

The running part is the easiest of the three for me. It has really been the focus of most of my exercising for the last two years and the biggest help for me on my quest to be a size 0. Wishful thinking after 4 kids. I will say it is certainly different running after riding on a bike for even just 10 miles.

Today we did our first brick. We rode 10 miles, then changed our shoes and ran for 3 miles. After which we treated ourselves to a coffee and walked the mile home chatting. It wasn't too bad. The coffee was great.

So we have over two months more to train. The main thing we both have to practice is our swimming. Its not that I cant doggie paddle, but I am certainly a perfectionist when it comes to myself. I also want to complete the tri. I dont want to drown. Its just so hard to fit it all in though. I have no idea how people train for Ironman races. It's just insane.
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We are also not doing this to get any particular time. We are just planning on completing it. Period. So we are stepping out of our comfort zone and trying a tri. Funny huh? So try to step out of your comfort zone a little. Maybe even do a fundraiser race. The are so many 5k's out there and they are for such great causes. You don't have to run them either.

So what was I thinking? I was thinking you only live once. And who knows how long I will be able physically and mentally to do all this. Oh and we haven't forgotten about NYC. The biking and swimming are only helping my running. Thank goodness.

Running the Myrtle Beach Half-Marathon

First, I want to say thank you to all who have already contributed to TFK in our name through donations or through our cupcake sale. We are truly grateful. The final final tally for the cupcake sale was $475!!! Not bad huh?

This weekend was the MB Half-Marathon. It was so much fun. I spent a lot of the time laughing, which was exactly what I was hoping for. I wanted to have fun. I certainly did. I ate a lot too though. I kept rationalizing it with the fact that I burned 1365 calories on my run.

We left early Friday afternoon after Tara taught Core class that I attended. I need all the abs help I can get. We arrived about dinner time and went for pizza/carbs at The Mellow Mushroom down in MB. Then off to bed after prepping our stuff for the early wake up for the race. We set our alarms for 415am to leave about 540am for the 630 am start. It was still dark when the race started which was cool. The temperature to start was @52 degrees. Not only was the company fun, but the weather was perfect. It was a little windy at times but not hot or cold.

I am very proud of my time. I think I will always want better. However, there are things that happen during races at are out of your control. Some races have pace groups. This one only had it for the full Marthoners, so we spent a lot of the first part weaving in and out. It was interesting in the end because all the weaving made the race end up being 13.2 on the Garmin for me. It amazing too how there are highs and lows in a race that long. You'll start cruising along then come upon a water stop or someone will cramp up and stop in front of you. It's not like you just run straight and flat for the whole race. That would be nice though.

I did meet some interesting people too. There was one lady that was making me insane too. She sang the same song while listening to her iPod for 3 miles(that's about 27 minutes straight). I was joking with some ladies that I was wondering if there would be a band. I was so close to changing her ipod or tossing it in the ocean when I finally lost her. It did make me run faster though;). There were some torturous things too. Like passing Krispy Kreme while they had their "Hot" light on. And another was passing Ihop @7am when they were cooking bacon. It smelled so yummy.

I will tell you if you have never gone to watch a Half-Marathon or Marathon you should try to do so. There we're so many different types of people. One of the cutesy things I saw was a husband running along the spectator part with his wife(both were about 75 years old) carrying flowers for here. They both had the most amazing smiles on their face. Another cute thing was an 8 year old boy finishing the race with his mom! Watching the girls we went with was amazing too. They have such drive. I am not sure where they get it from but it's amazing. There times in a full marathon out mine to shame. Maybe someday I'll get a little close to their abilities, but for now I just live awestruck. I am a little scared watching them complete 26.2 miles and thinking there is about 258 days before I will be attempting that.

For myself, I beat my goal. I know a few of you out there are waiting for me to tell you the time, but that only really matters to me. I had a goal of a few minutes better than my last half and I beat that by over 2 more minutes. I know in some ways that may not seem like much but to put it in perspective, on average I cut over 25 second off per mile. I am super happy with that. My hard work paid off. I am proud of myself.

If you didn't see, I found a temporary mantra during the half of "Courage to start. Balls to finish.". Its not bad. Not quite right, but it did give me a little push on Saturday. Thanks for all of you that sent the "speedy vibes". They certainly helped. Hope you had a great weekend!

I Love the Biggest Loser

I truly enjoy watching the Biggest Loser show. I find it so inspiring. The people on the show have to overcome so many obstacles. And they are not all physical either. Through my running I have discovered many things about myself. One major thing is that I can actually run. I was the dancer, growing up. I was certainly not the runner/athlete. I am becoming one though.

In watching the BL show, I see people like myself. They are taking the steps to become active. They are learning all about running, working out and nutrition as I am. I am learning when the right times to eat are. What things I can eat that make me feel more energetic during my runs. I have also become more aware of what I need to try to avoid.

I started on my journey seriously, after I had my fourth child. I had gained a decent amount of weight and was just surviving. At the time of our fourth childs birth and my second c-section nonetheless, Joe was a District Manager for The Home Depot in Richmond, Virginia. He worked Monday-Friday in Virginia. I found the easiest thing to feed the kids and myself for dinner. Usually no though was put into the healthyside of it. I had a new baby, a preschooler, an elementary schooler and a middle schooler. There was little to no time for myself, but I had to change that for all of us.

The exercise and running has made me a better person. I am so much more compassionate. It is a struggle and will always be. However, I truly believe that if I can do all that i am doing anyone can. I know there are some self-centered people that live by that in relation to me. However, I feel that we all have it in us. Don't get me wrong there are hard days. I strive to be a better athlete. I know this is a lifelong decision process. Rome wasn't built in one day ;).

There are so many people that inspire me like the BL people. There are Marathoners like the ones I am running with this weekend. The halfers I'm running with this weekend that are willing to run through snow. There are Ironmen like my friends husband. My husband who stuck with me during my last two halfs even though he runs a lot faster than me(Even though he was yelling at me for stopping and taking pictures.). They all have such drive. I feed off all that. I look at it kind of like what our moms used to say when we didn't want to eat our vegetables..."There are starving people in Africa that would kill for that brussel sprout." I have the physical and mental ability to run right now. I have no obstacles. As long as I do this properly, I too can run. I can run the New York City Marathon, but first I'm off to the Myrtle Beach Half-Marathon this weekend. Have a great weekend. Send me happy running vibes!

Thank you for supporting the Cupcake Sale

So I've decided not to go into the cupcake business. I love to bake, but baking 162 cupcakes with four children and Joe...was an insane idea. I am happy to report that so many wonderful people bought our cupcakes and supported us! We made a total donation amount of $400 which was our goal!!!! So many of you donated more than the recommended price for the cupcakes! That was such a nice surprise! Thank you all for your continued support.

Our donations have now reached $1260! How awesome is that!!!! We are about 1/4 of the way to our goal!! Thank you!

So by now you've seen my hair. I have now washed and styled it myself twice. I think I'm doing it okay. I do really like it though. I actually put a lot of shampoo in my hand today forgetting that I only need like a dime sized amount now. I am saving money :). I am so grateful for all the compliments too. It's such a huge change that its nice to hear. Some peoople that didn't know I was doing it have stopped in shock. It's kind of funny.

As for working out, this week is taper week. I am not a big fan of taper week. I feel more tired and frustrated because I am not doing anything. If your not familiar with what taper week is, it's the week before a big race where you give your legs a rest so that you can run on fresh legs. You kind of end up feeling like a caged cheetah by the end of the week though. At least I do. I am going to try to catch up on my house though. We are also having amazing weather, 70 degrees here today, so I spent some time outside with Sophia. She is like the rest of us Verdichhio's and loves to be outside. I am so ready for some Vitamin D. Its amazing how some Vitamin D can give you energy.

Tomorrow I have work, my kids classes. Yes, I have a kids Fitness and Crafts business too. So this week will be a busy one.

Thanks again for showing the love to us with donations! I hope you are being shown the love on Valentine's Day! Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

The Hair is ALL Gone!

The New DO!

Well today ended up being the official haircut day!  I had procrastinated a little too long and couldn't get an appoinment for Monday.  However, I will be mailing it on Monday. 

I had a nice easy run today...ended at 7.5 miles.  Great conversation with great friends on the run.  And as one of my friends put it the last run with "Rapunzel" and for me the last post-run knot removal with conditioner for a while.  I have to admit I was super nervous.  The last time I did "Locks of Love" was almost three years ago.  I did not like the cut or the way I looked.  I was actually shaking when he was cutting the big ponytail part.  I wasn't going to back out, but was certainly anxious.  I went in with pretty basic ideas, except for the picture of Heidi Klum in short hair.  I told him I wanted her body and face too...didn't happen :).  I gave pretty basic requests:              Four kids, no time, easy maintenance, be able to pull away from face and not old grumpy looking. 

Over 12 Inches to donate



I love it!!!  Jay was recommended by my friend Tara.  He was awesome!  I am so pleased with the end result.   

The fund raiser part kind of tanked though.  I thought it would draw more interest and possibly a super-large donation, but that's okay.  I am very happy I did it.  I think I am 12 pounds lighter too...maybe that will may me have super speedy next Saturday in the Myrtle Beach Half-Marathon.  Either way who cares my husband thinks I'm hot!

Exercising While Away From Home

Sorry I haven't written much this past week. We started the week delivering flyers and geering up for the cupcake sale. If you didn't get a flyer(and live locally) you can print one, I can drop one off or you can just email us your order too. For all the details, visit the "Fundraising" page.

This past week we had a lst minute opportunity to join Joe on a business trip to Florida. We went very willingly. Anything to get to warmer weather. Joe was very busy the first three days so the kids, Grammie and myself enjoyed some time together. Having a workout plan and somewhat of a compulsiveness to working out now, it was a rather difficult week. I normally workout everyday except Sunday. This week being away from my normal gym and schedule, I was only able to squeeze in three. That was kind of torture. I was just too tired to do more. Don't get me wrong we swam, walked and were busy. However, it is so different than the gym. I did get in my long run too of 10 miles. Joe and I ran together in the Downtown Disney area.

You would think since Disney has several Half-marathons and a Full that they would have great areas to run a 10 miler. That would be wrong. We had no problem finding 2-2.5 mile loops but over that didn't exist. There aren't many sidewalks to link their many hotels so you can't keep going, so we did 4 loops around Downtown Disney, Pleasure Island and Saratoga Springs. It was cool because it was so empty. I've never seen a Disney area that empty. We then added the extra through the golf course to Old Key West.

It was an interesting run. It was hard running the paths with so many turns. I also had a little bit of muscle fatigue because I had done my interval run just the day before. Not the best planning. So this week should be interesting. I have less than two weeks until the Myrtle Beach Half-marathon. I need to do alot to make up for lazy week and slacking off. I am honestly more exhausted than when I left. Traveling with four kids in not a vacation. I think anyting that takes us out of our normal routine makes it harder to workout. I will say that running is one of the easier things to do on vacation as far as accessibility, however any exercise is difficult when away from your norml element.

I hope you find time in your "normal" element to take time for yourself. Whether that be exercise or something else, take some time for you!

And dont forget to order your cupcakes! Our goal is 40 half dozens...that will be $400 more for TFK!

Cupcake Sale Preparations and Update

Here's the Order form for our upcoming "Cupcake Sale".  We hope you'll be needing some yummy homemade cupcakes for your Valentine or yourself.  You should be able to right click and print it.  If that doesn't work for you, email me and I will email you an attachment.  Or just email me your order with the details. 

As for the update, today was a cold early morning run.  I ended up at 13 mile and then treated myself to a hot coffee and walked a mile home as my cooldown.  I wonder if I could add that mile in as mileage for the week;).  Just joking.  It felt great though.  Cary does have alot of hills.  We hit our highest elevation at mile 6, but laughted that we were on the Cary version of Mt. Everest.  Not really, but it did feel like that.  So after a 45 minute shower to thaw our all body parts (it wasn't that lon, but I would have like it to be), we are catching up then off to the NHL All-Star Skills Competition!  I am so excited.  This is certainly a once in a lifetime night for me.  Hope you are having a great night and an even better weekend!

And don't forget to order your cupcakes!

Finding a Mantra

So I am under 300 days until the NYC Marathon and over $700 raised.  Still have alot to go, but I am staying confident.  The cupcake sale is coming up, so if you are local (if not feel free to move down here;)) please consider buying some for your valentine(s).  Thank you Aimee L for ordering already!  Also, February 14th is my hair donation day.  I have only had one offer.  The hair is going, so I'd love to donate it in your name. 

Okay enough of that business.  I have read several aritcles lately about having a mantra.  Not as easy as I'd hoped.  I did see a funny one during the OBX Half-marathon in November that Joe actually had put on my RoadID.  It was "Make pain your B**ch".  There were friends of a runner cheering her on at mile 11.  Pretty funny.  I am kind of a modest person though, so I have a hard time having a confident mantra.  I was raised that there is a fine line between confident and cocky, so it's a little difficult for me.  The pathetic part is that the mantra is all in your head.  You don't scream it while you are running.  So I guess that goes to my character that even in my mind I am considerate to others.  Weird huh! 

I saw another one that kind of goes back to some earlier posts.  It was "Define YOURSELF."  It's Deena Kastor's mantra (She won the 2005 Chicago Marathon and was the first American to win a marathon since 1994.).  So still no mantra.  What about "Run Strong.  Feel Power."  Not quite perfect.  Needs work.  Well, I'm open to suggestions. 

In the meantime, this weekend is 12 miles.  Bring it on!  That's not a bad mantra.  I am starting to wish I lived in a flat town;).  Oh and it's NHL All-Star Weekend in Raleigh!!  That's my other passion!  HOCKEY!  Happy weekend!