Runners tell all: The pebble in my shoe...

Hi y'all!
Today I'm linking up with Amanda @ The Lady Okie and Beka @ Sunshine to the Square Inch for their monthly link up, Runners Tell All! I am super excited to be joining them as I consider myself a runner! Although I have just started back at it...let me tell you, running is my life and during the time I wasn't allowed to run, I was uber jealous of those running in the street for the up and coming race events!

Today I want to tell you about the pebble in my shoe...
Lucky for me, the pebble has been getting smaller.

I'll give you my story because for the past year, I have dealt with what has been a major rock in my foot....plantar fasciitis.
I hate it. I loathe it. I despise it.
It keeps me from running, walking, dancing, and wearing the cute shoes that I love to wear.

I've seen more than a couple of specialists (doctors and physical therapists) that have poked, prodded,  flexed, stuck my foot with needles, rubbed ice, and even electrodes on my foot.

Looking back, it all started when I began training for my half marathon. I probably developed the pain because of poor stretching, too much mileage in short amount of time, poor shoe choices, and the extra poundage I added to my butt.

Well, think about it...extra poundage and I can't even run.  ARGH!!!

Either way...my hands-on physical therapist finally said that he will "allow" me to begin a run-walk program and luckily, I've been on it for the last few weeks. I am beyond excited! I haven't been able to run in over 6 months! It's been a real mood killer and worse when everyone and their mother was training for the ING Miami Marathon which was in February. It will take me a while...but I know I would like to be able to run and do this by the summer...

Morals of the story:
I will train properly by increasing my mileage slowly.
I will stretch before, after, and maybe even during my run.
Wear my cool sneakers to work if I have a plantar fascia meltdown.
Spoil my feet by resting them, roll over iced bottles or spiky balls, give them a warm epsom salt bath, elevate them and use "The Sock" religiously!

Have you had any serious training killers lately?

Got a story to share about your worst race experience or training or what you learn from it? You can still tell us about it! Clink on the image link below!

See you at the finish line!

HIIT me baby one more time!

No it's not another Britney song. It's just HIIT!
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the best workout there! That's just my honest opinion. It is a quick, super fast and a fat cell killer! HIIT is any workout that alternates between intense bursts of activity and fixed periods of less-intense activity or even complete rest. Shape Magazine gives us 8 reasons as to why you should be doing HIIT!

1. Efficient
2. Burns more fat
3. Healthier heart
4. No equipment necessary
5. Lose weight, not muscle
6. Increases metabolism
7. Do it anywhere
8. Challenging

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I have my own HIIT method which I will share in a few. If you are just starting, make sure you are cleared by your doctor first. We don't want to see anyone falling apart or being sucked by a treadmill in the middle of the gym.

An example of a beginner HIIT workout, consists of running as fast as you can for 1 minute and then walking for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Repeat that 3-minute(ish) interval five times for a 15-minute awesome, heart pumping workout! As always, stretch out your calves, ankles, quads, and hamstrings, so you don't pull any muscles and decrease soreness.

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I usually do HIIT on the treadmill, but you can do this anywhere (i.e. elliptical, bike, running outdoors). What I like the most is that you do not really need any gadgets, just a desire to challenge yourself!

Warm-up with a fast walk at 3.5 mph on the treadmill for 3 to 5 minutes.
1 minute of low intensity running  (I keep it the same at 5.0mph throughout)
1 minute of high intensity  (I begin at 7.0mph and increase it by 0.2 every two sets)
Each interval will be FASTER
I will do this for 8 rounds
Cool down slowly for 5 minutes

As I progress with my work outs, I will start my high intensity running at 7.2 or 7.4. The whole point is to run as fast as you for as long as you can in a short period of time. The rest period should be brief enough to get you ready for the next one.

Hope you try it out too!

PS - HIIT in the morning is best since it will keep you pumped for the rest of the day!

::20 Songs to Run To::

For me, running is about:

* motivation

* getting up and running

* feeling free

* connecting with myself

* challenging myself

* fitness

*sweating the day off

All of these are great reasons for me to run. However, once I'm out there, I have to stay focused and entertained. This is why I have my trusty iPhone playlist to keep me company. Here are the songs that make me run and move!

Check out my playlist on Soundcloud:

Source: helpwithweightloss.org via Andie on Pinterest

The Day I Killed 13.1

Wow....wow....wow

I still can't believe I did it.

I still can't believe it happened.

I finally accomplished this crazy dream of mine.

I ran a half-marathon! thirteenpointfuckingone! 13.1 miles!

I freaking did it!

13.1 miles in 2hrs 35mins 

{according to my running app, I ran 13.5 miles in 2:35:55}

What I learned from my first half marathon:

Make sure you test out your gear and your food intake the days of your training runs.

Go to the bathroom as often as you can, before.

Do NOT overindulge on energy gel/Gu...you will feel it later!

Hydrate yourself as much as possible throughout your workout.

Start training slow and allow your goal to be finishing the half alive!

This was a breakdown of race day:

3:45am alarm goes off
4:20am packed my (cheering squad) hubby, sister, and bro-in-law in the car
4:45am met my friends (runners and their respective cheerleaders) at the rail station
5:15am arrive at race location and frantically search for available bathrooms. The port-a-potties line was neverending! Make a mad dash to find the bathrooms at Bayside Marketplace.
5:45am picture time between the runners and the cheersquad
6:00am start whistle blows. Do some quick stretches and say my goodbyes to my cheersquad.
6:10am quickly run to my carril alongside the rest of the boys (I snuck from "I" to "C" and "E")
6:15am make a last fix of my outfit and tie my shoes. Set my iPhone to record...and offfffff I go!!!!!
6:45am make fun of the Korean group that kept stopping to take pictures of themselves. I thought it was awesome and hilarious all together!

The rest of the run was pretty fun! I saw the beautiful sunrise while running through the MacArthur Causeway to ward Miami Beach. Waved goodbye to the cruiseships and the folks out on Star Island. And the rest I remember only because I tried to text dear hubby along the way.

7:19am arrived to 5th and Ocean Drive.
7:45am passed the Miami Beach Golf Course and tried waving hello to my other bro-in-law's building, the two times we passed by it!
8:00am stopped at a port-a-potty for another bathroom stop. By this time, I had already taken advantage of most my water stops! Finally on our way through the Venetian Causeway back to the Mainland.
8:30am arriving back to downtown Miami! Near the Omni Mall.
9:15am finally finished!!! Unfortunately, there were so many people at the finish line (family, friends, runners) that the network was overcapacity. I couldn't communicate with anyone!

Oh yeah, and I may have had one to many "Gu" energy packets throughout the race! Reminder to use less or just pick one flavor/brand for the run. My tummy was extremely angry all day!

Ready or Not, Here I Come!

It's almost that time peeps! 

The big race is around the corner. In less than 24 hours I will have accomplished one of my bucket list items!! 

To run a half marathon...13.1 miles to be exact.

Keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer so that I survive running all 13.1 miles :)

I haven't been able to train the way I would've liked this week. I ran 4 miles on Wednesday and 3 miles on Thursday. I got a yucky cold and have been feeling congested all week. So instead, I trained long enough to not get tired and worsen my condition. I feel I need to be at 100%, this week I've been between 70% and 80%.

Eating...well, I'm trying to make healthier choices. However, I will need to focus today on eating my best. And maybe the morning Krispy Kreme was not the best choice. Heck, I still got a few hours and a kickball game to make it all better!

Today is also dear hubby's birthday celebration so I may or may not be avoiding BBQ food!

Inspire Me Healthy

Ok...so I think I AM gonna do this.

No, really, I promise I am gonna do this.

You see, I was on this health kick over two years ago.
I was up at the crack of dawn, hitting the gym in the morning and stomping the pavement that same afternoon. 

I loved how I felt and I loved going running everyday!

Then life happened... 

I quit my job to start my year long grad school internship.
After graduation followed a few months of unemployment and then I finally started my 1st year of work in the education system, the job I had buried myself in books for for over 4 years...yeah THAT job! 

To say the least, I hit a bottom.
Not only with my health, but also with my self-esteem, my marriage, my friends, and everything else in between. 

You could say I "let myself go". 

Fast forward to today: parts of my life are back in shape. 

I am loving me for who I am, for my mistakes, and for all of the things I have learned!

HOWEVER... 

I am still working on making my fitness my daily routine.

Summer time came and went...and I was doing awesome during the last 2 weeks before work started. Unfortunately, work began and I just stopped going, doing, running, eating healthy...regularly.

But today...TODAY: I am happy to say I went to the gym!

****HOORAY FOR MEEEEE!!!!!****

I know it was only one day, but I want it to be the first day of many to come in one week.

I am not doing this because I hate the numbers on the scale, because I don't let them define my health. I am doing this because I want to be back at my peak. I want to be healthy in mind, body, and soul. I will know I have reached my goal when my clothes are not so tight and when I can feel confident wearing those skinny jeans and body forming shirts!! 

Here is my "post work out pic" from a month ago...I hope I can have many more photo ops like these...without the ghostly looking face!!

Because THIS is what I want to go back to:

Wanna join me in this adventure?

Living Healthy

What does it mean to live healthy? 
What does it really mean? Is it all about working out? Is it about eating right? Is it about avoiding bad foods? Hell if I know, but I do know that I am trying. 


Ok, so I'm sort of trying. I may not be choosing the correct foods, but I'm sure making an effort to get my cardio in at least 4-5 times a week. I still eat the chocolate, I still eat fried food, but really, maybe once a week (each).


I'm also desperately trying to get my husband in the diet mix since he has joined a bet with 5 other friends on who loses the most wins $500 ($100/person). So I'm making him feel guilty about eating out and forcing him to eat my kitchen concoctions, which are some time, not quite delicious. ha!

The one thing I will swear on is how just switching from sodas to water has changed my life. It is to the point that if I have one glass of soda, I will have a new bulge in my stomach and will have difficulty running the next day!


So if you make a change, any change at all, is to add more water to your diet. To eat from smaller plates so they appear fuller. And to eat with a smaller utensil so that you eat slower. It takes 15-20 mins for your stomach to tell your brain you are full, and by then, you may be double stuffed!


May start reading more of the series for Eat This! Not That! to get more into healthy eating habits!