My First 1/2 Marathon Weekend

Have you ever been so excited to tell someone a story that you don't even know how or where to start, and then it becomes even more difficult when you have to write it down for millions...errr...I mean, for a handful of faithful, awesome, amazing followers to read and all the while worrying about spelling and grammar and shit? 

Yeah, me too...

This weekend was just...oh gosh, how do I put this...? A-maaaa-zing!

On Friday, the Hubs texts me that he is on his way from work and that he was going to stop at the post office on his way home. While I found it odd, I didn't give it a second thought. Why did I find that text convo weird, you ask? Well, we have a P.O. Box (its the thing that is recommended here in PR) and we are what a person might call "lazy" in our mail pick-up, although, another person might look at it as efficient and even a little green in not checking the post office every single day. We are saving time, gas, energy and the environment. A third person could even say we are the Atmosphere's Heroes! 

Okay, after writing all of this, I realize that I still haven't answered your question as to why I found my text conversation with the hubs weird. Sorry, friends, I tend to get sidetracked a little bit. The reason I found it weird and a bit odd was because we had just checked the mail like 2 days before. Duh! So, now you see why that would be weird, right?! (For those Judgy McJudgy, most-likely-jegging wearing people, I am not ashamed to admit it, we are "those" people who will at any given time find a note, no mail, just a note, from the post master telling them that they ran out of room in our box and we need to pick up our bulk of mail at the front desk. I don't care...judge away!)

Moving on with my incredible Half Marathon Weekend...

So hubs comes home and I see that he has one measly little envelope in his hand (total disappointment and probably a stupid bill too) but as I looked a little to the right, there it was, firmly in his other hand, a glorious and beautiful package! Score!!! (P.S. I am that person, who upon seeing a package or handwritten card, regardless of who the sender or receiver is, becomes a jumping up-and-down, giddy school girl. I can't help it, seriously I can't. Its involuntary. My cross to bear...) 

I see that the package is from the none other and the always smiling, Sweet Missy. That my friends is a double score because I instantly knew it was addressed to ME! I found out several minutes later that she had sneakily texted the Hubs and told him about the package and that is how he knew to go check our box. I just love surprises, don't you?! I got, oh so, very excited that I didn't even use a knife or scissors (I don't have super strength or anything, it's simply a gift) to open it and when I finally got it opened this is what I find:

She is the greatest...even remembered that I like to run
with gum  (not pictured here) and sent me a pack!

Isn't that sweet, y'all?! 

If you wonder why she got that nickname, Sweet Missy, all you have to do is read this post and if you need further evidence just look at some of the texts she sent:

She did encourage...Sending texts the whole time and
she is even more awesome because it was 4am, Oklahoma time! 

This came in right as I was doing the last mile. Simply beyond words....

Sweet Missy, also a marathoner, is coming off a tiny break from training, and we
both look forward to the day when we can run a race together.

She is the best! I told her that her wisdom, advice, tips and brutal honesty was a crucial part of my training! Everything that she advised me on came to beneficial fruition the days before and the day of the race. I think she could make an amazing running coach! So, Sweet Missy, if you are reading this, I think you should quit your corporate job and become a coach, for reals, yo!

Getting this care package really helped kick-start this weekend for me. It was when I felt for the first time real butterflies in my tummy. I always thought people confused nervous stomach aches/pains with feeling "butterflies flutter" in their stomachs until I felt it. All of the sudden it hit me. OM gosh, I would be running in my first ever half marathon in two days. Two days!!! TWO DAYS!!!

Saturday we woke up very early and got the car all packed and ready to go. With my green juice in hand and plenty of water we got on the road. We made a small pit stop to pick up Chica's Grandparent In-Law (I think I might have made up that term...somehow just looks and sounds super weird...) and headed towards San Juan and the hotel where already Chica and her husband would be waiting for us. I didn't take any picture of the place but it was amazing... (this tripadvisor.com link has some great pics ----> Caribe Hilton San Juan) The hotel was the host hotel and walking distance from the finish line and even provided shuttles the morning of to take runners and their families to the starting line.

I wanted to get to the hotel early Saturday so we could take full of advantage of the resort and its beautiful pools and beach. After doing our early check-in, we quickly got into our bathing suits and had one of the most perfect breakfasts at one of their restaurants and was super impressed at what the omelette chef (I doubt that his chef abilities are just omelette making, but the conversation was had while he was making my wonderfully tasting omelette...hence, omelette chef!) told me regarding the hotel's policy on taking special dietary precautions for anyone needing it. As a Celiac hearing something like this was like a gift from the heavens and you guessed it, all weekend we didn't eat or order food from anywhere other than the hotel's kitchens and I am happy to report that I was pain and tummy-trouble free for all of it! Hilton, you rocked my life!

Across the street from the hotel was the convention center where we picked up our bib and chip. So, we headed there before the pool and got that out of the way. We originally planned on going back at 2pm for the runner's orientation but laying out by the pool was so fun that we lost track of time and completely missed it. Oopsy!

Oh, yeah! 

The Loot

Don't remember why I made this heinous face, enjoy it none the less and your welcome!

Even Princess was excited!

Hanging out by the pool with the Hubs and my Toddler Princess all day was simply divine, add to that a good serving of hang-out time with Chica and her hubby, plus a spoonful of the sweetest grandparents and I had the perfect recipe for the perfect weekend with the perfect cheerleaders. So many of the runners were staying at the host hotel and you could feel the excitement and anxiousness in the atmosphere. It was so freaking great! Everywhere you turned there were people talking about the race and you could frequently hear random running tips and advice being uttered, basically everywhere you turned. It was like music to a runner's ears! For someone who has never been a part of anything remotely athletic it felt nice to be part of a "team" of sorts. So many of us there, all coming together for the same event with the same common interests. 

We all decided that it would be a smart idea to call it an early night and so after a fun day laying out by the pool and people watching we headed to our respective hotel rooms and got ready for dinner. Chica and her family drove over to the Condado area looking for a fun restaurant to have dinner at and we decided to go for a family walk to find a place that sold ice cream (we sometimes like to have our dessert before dinner.) When we got back we found out that the restaurant where we had breakfast at only opened for brunch but fortunately for us, it was also the restaurant that cooked all the meals for room service. So, room service it became. Before heading to our room we made a quick Startbucks coffee/tea stop and I ordered the biggest Soy Iced Chai I could get.  A pre-victory celebratory treat! I know, I know...our meal courses all out of whack, but it keeps our dining experience interesting and fun. If you haven't tried this, you should. I promise that you might not be disappointed. Finally, dinner was amazing! I had a Churrasco with grilled veggies and Boricua style white rice and it was 100% delicious! 

Part of the hotel view. I am from PR and it still takes my breath away!

Chica and I decided that before going to bed we would meet downstairs for a pre-race pep-talk. The Hubs graciously took care of Toddler Princess' bedtime ritual and at 7pm I headed downstairs. Chica and I had the best pep-talk, while it was only our first pre-race pep talk, I am sure if you had been there, you too, would agree that it should go down as the best-pep talk in all of history. I am not trying to be cocky, we are just that awesome! 

A little sun-kissed!

An hour later I was back in my room and with Princess fast asleep (thank you, Hubs of the Eternity), Hubs and I took advantage of our ocean view balcony and planned the next days events. We talked about the mile points where he would be able to cheer us on and take pictures and discussed what knick-knacks and things he would take to keep the Princess happy and entertained. Somehow we (he will say that I did most of the talking...) made a contingency plan in the event of an earthquake dash tsunami and verbally "wrote" up a detailed will and testament for our children (I tend to get a little morbid when I am nervous. I think it might be a coping mechanism, I didn't get far enough in my Psych degree to officially diagnose myself.) Finally, at around 9:30pm we headed off to bed ourselves. 

Unfortunately, physically get into bed is all I did because as my beautiful daughter and hubby laid peacefully sleeping the night away I laid AWAKE! I counted 156 Fireworks, visualizing each firework exploding in my mind's made-up sky before silently counting the next number, I played five lives of Candy Crush Saga (curse you level 29), read a super long blog post of tips and advice for before, during and after the race and watched several muted YouTube videos on how to properly tape your Achilles tendon. I just couldn't fall asleep, my mind was going bonkers! After finally admitting to myself that I wasn't going to "just" fall asleep I succumbed to taking a natural sleeping aid. The last I look at my phone it said 12:30-something AM. Grrrr, right?! 

My alarm was set for this:

Frak my life! Double, grrr! 

Luckily, the sleeping aid kicked in really fast and at least got one and half hours of rest. Its true what they say about how the adrenaline and excitement carries you through something like this because when the first alarm went off, I shot out of bed and was basically ready to go. After quickly making us a good serving of green juice (oh yeah, brought the juicer along for the adventure) and leaving it to cool with some ice I jumped in the very spacious shower and took a long, long hot shower and stretched my muscles and mentally got myself all "pumped up" and excited. 

We met up with Chica and her family at around 4am, and after lots of hugs and lots of "good lucks," Chica and I boarded one of the shuttles to take us to the start line. Our families would meet us at Mile 1 to cheer us on, have snacks/energy stuff ready for us if we needed the extra boost and take lots of pictures. They also did this for Mile 3, Mile 9, Mile 12 and had plenty of time to still get to the Finish Line. See...now you know why I said we had the best cheerleaders, ever! Side-note: whoever is in charge of designing running courses is a freaking genius! I mean it!!! 

How can I even begin to describe what happened after we arrived? Where to even start?! Runners everywhere. All shapes and sizes, all ages, all different levels of experience and all with their own unique motivation for doing the race. Stretching. Jumping up and down. Some with very serious faces. Some giddy and giggly, like Chica and I. Chanting. Singing. And, it being Puerto Rico, lots and lots of dancing. Everyone doing their own unique combination of things to get ready for the race. This was great! 

And, A LOT of flashes. Pictures...EVERYWHERE!!! Family and friends taking shots of their loved ones and the event photographers documenting the event. I guess, this is what the Rich&Famous must feel like... 

Chica and I positioned ourselves behind this average pace sign:

Us again...super pumped and ready to go!

The event announcer was so fun and did an amazing job with translating everything he said for the English speakers. He did a great job encouraging us, and every couple of minutes would tell us to dance and holler and I had to keep reminding myself to stay chilled and collected, to try to stay a bit under control in order to not completely implode right then and there. I have heard before that some people get swept away by all the excitement in the air and the adrenaline makes then "shoot out" at the start line and they experience early burn out. I was determined to not let that happen to us, so we decided that we would move from right behind the 12 min/mile flag to just before the 13 min/mile flag. I am so glad that we did that because I was able to finally find my neighbor (he ran the Full Marathon and did great, congrats Isaac!!!) and wish him and his running buddies good luck. 

We started and finished the race keeping a steady pace the whole time, and thanks to that we were able to take plenty of water and potty breaks as needed and still ended up with an average pace of 14:24 min/mile. Which meant that because Chica and I stayed under the cut-off time we would receive the beautiful finishers medal. Finishing and getting the medal was our #1 goal, and we did it! Woohoo! 

Us at mile 1, 3 and 9!

My only "hindsight" regret is that I wished I had incorporated more hills in my training because this course was hilly as hell, despite the fact that it was described as a flat course (I am mentally tsk-ing the event organizers in my head as I type this.) It caught me totally off guard and the up and down, up and down, all-the-way-to-the-end type of up and down, really made the knee pain worse. Luckily, I used all the middle-of-the-night acquired knowledge and taped my Achilles tendon and thankfully never had problems during the race and have not experienced any pain or discomfort since the race either. Thank you, YouTube! 

I have only experience "hitting the wall" a few times, and it was mostly on some of the runs that came after my first seven-miler. But, friends...Did I hit a ginormous wall or what?! At mile 10-ish I felt like I just couldn't go any further. My knee felt awful, I was super wore out, was desperate for some ice, water, Gatorade, anything, and the only thing that propelled me forward was letting my mind go blank and concentrate on a strike at a time. I could have just sat down and given up...its what my body was screaming for BUT...

I refused to verbally express those thoughts. I knew that if I allowed my lips to utter those words I would be doomed! I would allow those thoughts to fester for a second then I would just swipe them out of my head before my mind could visualize them. I had a goal, dammit, I would finish this race even if it killed me AND I would receive my medal even if it meant I would end up in the hands of a handsome medic at the end (aren't all medics suppose to be handsome??!!.) Sounds a little bit psycho when I read over this paragraph again, but I was determined, DETERMINED!!! 

The last couple of miles, I have to mentioned, were the hardest. Not physically, I was able to beat that by the time we reached mile 11, but definitely challenging mentally. The side line volunteers and other runner who had already finished would tell us, "you are almost there, " "the finish is just right ahead," and "you are just about done," but man, it felt like an eternity before we finally rounded the corner and saw the finish line. Finally, towards the end, I stopped a kind sir and asked him where exactly the finish was and thankfully he quickly pointed towards it and we could actually see a bit of it. Friends, can I just tell you that it is beyond words what I felt when I finally, after what felt like a lifetime, could see with my very own eyes the actual finish line and it was just straight ahead. Beyond words, friends, beyond words.

Got very, very, very emotional. Probably a
total of like 10 minutes of sobbing! No lie!

Hugging my running buddy and enjoying our victory!

An ice bath has never, EVER felt so damn nice! Glorious!

One of the things that I will never forget was the incredible feeling of having someone put a medal around me. It was like time slowed down a bit and as I bent down slightly so the lady could "medal" me, I distinctly felt the fabric of the ribbon gently lay on my neck and chest and the medal find its resting place on my tummy. It was a visual representation of the hard work, the tears, the pain and the challenge that I had experienced! I felt like a winner! I felt like a champion! 

As, I finished this post, I still feel on cloud nine. It feels a little like a dream, not quite fully real yet. It was tough and it challenged me physically, emotionally and mentally. At times I wanted to give up, say, "forget this shit" and go home, but I stuck it out, I pushed hard and earned my medal. The greatest part is the satisfaction of proving to myself that what I set my mind to do, I do. I may not be the fastest or best half marathoner but, as of 8:08am on May 5th, I became a half marathoner! The girl who struggled to complete 20 minutes of straight running, ran a HALF MARATHON!!! 13.1 miles and I did it!!!

Sooooo, pretty!!!

On the way home, tired and sore but ELATED!

I, Bella, am a Half-Marathon runner!

Maybe my running journey into the world of half marathons isn't typical. Maybe I went through things that runners never experience, maybe it is normal, I don't really know. What I do know is that I couldn't have gone through this journey and I can't fully bask in my victory without acknowledging some key people that helped make all of this possible.

First a big thank you to YOU, yes, you, our faithful readers, for how ever few you may be, you propelled us to go further and further. You became the voice in my head and I would oftentimes visualize you at home, in front of your laptop or computer, anxiously waiting to read about the next running adventure. You became our virtual accountability and part of this medal goes to you! 

A big thank you to my wonderful, running partner, Chica. You started this whole crazy adventure and went on this journey with me. I have never felt as healthy, fit and happy as I do right now. My life is forever changed! 

Sweet Missy, I will not get tired of telling you how thankful I am for all of your advice, support, encouragement, tips and brutal honesty. Your shoe tips saved me. Your "soak it all up" advice carried me. The personal stories you shared made me feel less "whack" and I am so glad that the "missing puzzle piece" to our common interests doesn't exist any more. I look forward to our first race together, far more than simple words can express! I love you and miss you dearly!

And last, but certainly not least, my wonderful hubby and Kiddos. Babe: You were my biggest supporter and cheerleader from the very beginning until the very end. You watched out for my diet, gave me countless muscle rubs, helped heal me when I fell ill and constantly praised me and encouraged me. You selflessly made this whole weekend about me, putting yourself on the back burner, doing whatever necessary to help me get ready and caring for our Princess for the majority of the time. You gave me a wonderful, luxurious, relaxing and fun weekend! I feel so spoiled and much loved!!! You are truly the best thing to happen to me and I feel lucky that you chose to marry me! I love you, so much!!! Princess: I will never forget your perfect little face as you cheered for me and clapped your little hands. Daddy tells me that you turned on the water works every time you saw me disappeared and I completely broke your heart (and of those around you) when I didn't stop to take a sip of your water bottle. Its those little things that tell me and show me how much you really adore you Mami. Little man: Sorry you weren't able to see me race but I thank you for encouraging throughout training and thinking you had a pretty cool running mom. Your iMessage text, "You were a maze ing" made my day and the perfect ending to my Half-Marathon Weekend! I love you both, you are my life and part of this, I did, so you would be proud of your mom!

Next up...Hubby and I will be training for our first ever full marathon, Disney 2014 here we come! Don't worry friends, this blog has plenty of room for more of my crazy updates, confessions, stories and the such. So, stay tune...I am not done needing your virtual accountability just yet...

Love&Hugs,

Bella