New River Gorg-eous 1/2 Marathon

Grandma Nativa, Acalias and I traveled to Beckley to stay with our friends the North's the night before the race. Derek stayed behind to prepare for his surgery rotation and watch Skofeild. We stopped by a few scenic look-outs so my energizer bunny could get his wiggles out.

Scenic look-out an hour outside of Clarksburg.

New River Gorge

We had a great time catching up with our old friends and Acalias enjoyed interacting with another child close to you age. It's crazy to think about last October, our babies were so small then. Children grow so fast.

These two were so fun to watch together.

The race didn't start until 11am, we met up with the Bishop family at the Ace resort where the race began.

Pre-race pictures.

It was cold that morning but I was happy that the sun was out.

Starting line.

I set a goal to run it under 3 hours, I figured that the elevation wouldn't have steep inclines like the trail run I participated in, in California. I started off in the middle of the pack. I love fall and I love spring. The colors were so beautiful to look at as I ran. There weren't too many big boulders to jump over so I was happy about that, I'm a wuss when it come to leaping from boulder to boulder.

Beautiful right?

This is what I love about trail running!

At about 1hr 35 min into the race the sun had warmed me up so I removed my long sleeve shirt. I was feeling confident that I could possibly run the race in 2:30. I fueled up and found an upbeat song on my i-pod. As soon as I was getting into my rhythm there was a slight decline, my foot snagged a root or rock and I went flying through the air. This time it wasn't graceful (a woman told me I fell gracefully at my last race) my face thumped the ground so hard that I felt like my brain shifted. I remember groaning as I rolled onto my back. I just laid there for a few seconds, shocked at what just happened. The runners ahead of  me and behind me crowded around me. I was embarrassed. Warm fluid ran from my nose, I thought it was blood but it was mucous and it flowed like the sink faucet. I had scraped my arm, chin and lip. The runners helped me up and handed me all my gear that strewn about the area. I just stood there reassuring them that I was ok and to keep running, I didn't want to hold them back. I re pinned my bib and took the Tylenol that I had in my hydration belt pack, my head was pounding. I continued to run at a slow pace, the fall had forced me to be overly cautious. The thing about trail running is falling tends to happen to everyone. The moment you look up to enjoy the scenery you inevitably fall. I love the fall leaves but the leaves hide what lies beneath them, rocks, roots and even slight declines.

I approached a fork on the trail and I had the option to run the 8 mile route but I continued with the half-marathon. I hate to train for a 1/2 only to participate in a smaller race. I headed toward the half-marathon route trail. The leaves were plentiful, and the trail was nice and wide. I ran the next stretch of about 5 miles alone, I thought that I may have taken the wrong turn. I didn't see a single runner for what seemed like forever.

I was excited to see a living, breathing being after miles and miles alone.

Yup, my chin is still oozing with blood but at a least I have a smile on my face.

I decided since there wasn't a single runner near me that I'd relax, enjoy the trail and snap more pictures.

I also switched my i-pod from music to a podcast, Jillian Micheal's show (I just discovered them and I really, really enjoy running to them, it's like running with a friend and I didn't feel so alone)

Running towards the finish line, finished at 2:43 (19 minutes faster than my first trail run, even with the fall!!)

After the race.

This may be an annual race for me, first I need a pair of trail running shoes.

I ran into the guys that helped me out when I fell. One had to call the ambulance he had rolled his ankle. I have a love hate relationship with trail running. I love the challange and the beauty that surround the trails but lets be honest I do not like falling.

I usually don't stay long for the award ceremony but they fed us a delicious free burrito.

 I was surprised to hear my name over the intercom, I placed 3rd in my age group 20-29. Sweet! 

My #1 fan!

 I look forward to the upcoming trail races in the spring!
Please don't forget to vote this week:)

My Weight Loss Story -part 1

Cue Jennifer Hudson's smooth silky voice... and pretend it's mine.

15 months ago I was pregnant with my first child. I was so excited to have our son, but a bit nervous about all the weight I had gained.

I gained 40 pounds, to make matters worse, I was already overweight before I got pregnant.

Here I am weighing a whopping 219 pounds!

After giving birth to our little boy Acalias, I avoided the scale while I enjoyed my bundle of joy and recovered. At six weeks postpartum,the doctor gave me the green light to start a workout routine.Weight Watchers was the only weight loss program that worked for me in the past so I registered once again. 

6 weeks postpartum

197.8 lbs

I started training for a 1/2 marathon and dropped 25 lbs training for it! 

Three months later.

172 lbs

Eleven months later.

155 lbs

14 months later

150 lbs

Today

147lbs (Goal 145lbs)

How has losing weight affected me?

Yeah, this pictures is the classic Haitian or Dominican pose, 

it's cheesy but I had to get creative beyond the white wall.

Mentally & physically feeling ENERGETIC,CONFIDENT & COMFORTABLE

Fitting into these Hot skinny jeans!

What motivates me?

Who do I hope to inspire?

All of you!

Please take the time to vote for me.

Voting period is from October 20-25, 2011

You can also post this link on your too!

https://apps.facebook.com/storyofyou/facebook/video/35/

Thank you for all your support.

100% Weaned

The day has finally come, Acalias has finally accepted whole milk. Grandma Nativa knew before arriving to West Virginia that she was expected to help me wean Acalias. She is a decisive 80-year-old woman and she took the assignment seriously, every time I wanted to give in she reminded me of her responsibility to help. I can't decide which was more difficult, the beginning or end of breast feeding. Both were very painful, physically speaking, but I'm proud that I didn't give in and give up. I have high expectations that my child's health will live up to all the statistics of  a breastfed child:)

So long to the crying child pulling my shirt off in public...hello to the tantrum and biting phase. Acalias is bouncing off the walls with energy, he's into everything. Although, I feel so depleted of energy by the end of the day, I'm really enjoying this age. He's trying to communicate with words more, I love walking in on him talking to Skofeild. He mimics our voice intonations to a T. I'll have to catch him yapping away on the phone with the camcorder, he paces around just like his dad.

We've been enjoying Grandma Nativa's company. She thinks everything Acalias does is so adorable, he couldn't possibly do anything wrong in her eyes.  Derek and I have been going on dates every weekend, we haven't really been out alone and it's so nice to go out alone. We miss him when were out, but it's nice to have grandma as our live-in nanny for several more weeks.

I've been trying to learn all of Grandma's rice variations and sell the recipie to the highest bidder in my family:)

 Acalias refueses to eat anything else!

Derek is completing his fourth rotation this week and will be starting Surgery rotation. He's been practicing his suturing, he's heard horror stories of how students get yelled at all day in the surgery rotation. He's doing well, he is impressive in his ability to recall information he's learned years ago. I know that he will become an amazing doctor, Acalias and I are so proud of him.

This week I'm tapering down my miles, I will be running my last official long-run race of the year. It's a half-marathon (13.1 Miles) Trail race at the New River Gorge. I don't know what to expect so my goal is to run it under my last race The Cinderella 1/2 Marathon Trail Run in California, at least under 3:00 hours. I've made a few running friends that I met from the local library Mother Goose Time . I'm currently deciding on which marathon to run (I'm considering this one, this one or this one. I hope to run 2 marathons next year with a hand full of 1/2 marathons and participate in my first triathlon in June (I need to learn how to swim first). I will run the Boston Marathon one day so I need to step it up and improve my race times. I'm currently running 9-9:30 min/mile, which is 6-7mph this winter I will train at 8:30-8:50 min/mile on the treadmill, I need to be at a 7 min/mile to run the Boston.

Here are few pictures from the last few races I ran, the Labor Day 5k Fun run (23:00-placed 1st in age/female category).

Valley Falls 10 Miler, it was a beautiful run but unfortunately I had to tap out. I started the race 20 minutes late (due to our dysfunctional GPS)and once they began removing the flags from the trail I was paranoid of getting lost forever in the woods. I sulked all day but I will redeem my self this Saturday:)

The falls. A perfect place for a family portrait.

It's a beautiful park, It was really cold and dreary that day.

We're excited to discover more of our new area.

Running in Bridgeport

Skofeild and I have been enjoying all the routes in Bridgeport. We have sidewalks and wider roads to run on! I'm a little crazy and wake at at 5:30 am to get my runs out of the way while Acalias is asleep and his dad is still home in bed as well. It's a bit creepish with how dreary things look with the darkness and humidity but it's a whole lot cooler than running later in the morning.

Stroller + dog + intense heat & car exhaust= an awful run!

There are allot of killer hills in this area. Hills are not my strong point so I've incorporated some steep hills at least 4 times a week. Thankfully Derek has several days when he doesn't have to be in until 9am so it gives me more time to run.

The best thing about running so early is the quiet calm. Most people are still asleep, the deers are frolicking about and I get to witness the beautiful sunrises.

I'm nearing the peak of this hill of Ridgeway drive.

This phone picture doesn't do it justice, it's so much more amazing in person.

This is the real deal, I didn't edit any of the following pictures.

This is at the peak of Ridgeway/Shearwood road run. The pictures were taken on two different days. The second picture was taken this week when a cold front rolled in, it was 58 degrees! So glorious for a woman like me who sweats way too much.

This makes waking up early to run so worth it!

I spotted a deer from a distance, they are all over the place but Skofeild likes to scare them away before I could get too close. I snapped a few pictures from a distance, as we drew closer he didn't move so I took more.

I love this picture. Good thing he was on top of the hill, Skofeild didn't notice him at all.

This was at the end of our 10 mile run this past Saturday near the trail head at Bridgeport park.

Not such a glamorous picture of myself but who looks great after miles of running? I had to highlight Skofield, he's kid-tested, mother approved. He is a great protector, without him I wouldn't be able to run so early in the morning. Anyone or dog who has ever approached me is instantly put in their place. I have some fun stories of how protective he can be, we're lucky to have him.

This year my goal was to run 1,000 miles. It's still my goal but it's been a bit harder than I had anticipated. I didn't add sickness, stress, fatigue into the equation. You'd think that stress would help motivate me to run but if and when it keeps me up at night, I'm far too tired to get up in the morning to run. Acalias still has his bouts of sleeplessness in the middle of the night and I opted to pack and unpack the week prior and after our move. Some days I just don't want to run at all! That's when I strap on my Rollerblades or strap Acalias into the trailer and head to the trails near our home. To date I've run 511.4 miles, I'm behind so somehow I need to log 122.15 miles each month to make my goal by 2012. That is 10 miles more than the 20 miles per week that I had planned...I hate to set a goal and fail so I'm going to push harder.

Acalias and I frequent this trail near our home. If only I was into fishing, the lakes are stocked with trout so there is always several people there fishing. It's a nice scenic paved trail. We give it two thumbs up.

The Parkersburg 1/2 Marathon is this coming weekend. I'm so excited! I feel stronger and I hope to run in better time than my last paved road race (2 hrs 18 min).

Stay tuned. Next week I will give you a tour of our new home...

Cinderella Trail Run-Oakland, California

Several weeks ago the leaders at Weight Watchers asked me to talk to the other members about running, as part of their spring into action Challenge. The members asked me when I started running and if I’ve always been a runner. So I thought it’s time I share my story of how I became a runner.

In college, the pressures of academic success caused me a lot of stress. I coped with this stress by trying run. I had a bulky Walkman with a recorded mixed tape of the latest hits of 2000. I would run one lap and walk a lap. I was consistent in trying to run, but I was more of a jogger/speed walker.

As a missionary, my second mission companion Hermana Lewis insisted that we run to stay in shape. I agreed, but I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. The first morning we ran around our gated apartment complex, I remember my lungs burning and my legs feeling like heavy logs. Gradually my companion convinced me that we should run outside of our complex, I was super slow but I was a stickler to rules and kept her in my sight at all times. I eventually worked up to running 30 minutes without stopping. On our preparation days, we would hike Mt. Diablo and other local trails.

My missionary companions who followed Hermana Lewis were also runners, so I spent the remainder of my mission running nearly every day. I even worked up to running a full hour without stopping, which was a huge accomplishment for me.

Hermana Olsen and I discovered a trail in Joaquin Miller Regional Park, it was a refreshing change from the exhaust we breathed in while running on the sidewalks in Oakland (not to mention I refused to run in our neighborhood after the gunshots I heard near our apartment). The trails also overlooked the entire city of Oakland and the Bay Area. The mornings were misty and the rays of sunlight peep through the tall redwood trees. It's difficult to describe the beauty of it all.

This year I to registered for a ½ marathon at the Joaquin Miller Regional Park. I was so excited to return to my mission and run the very same trail my companions and I ran over 6 years ago.

Course map (click for larger image).

Check out the elevation profiles. The 1/2 marathon has a gain of 2,370 (no wonder I was DYING...literally!).

When I arrived to the race, I was shocked at how frigid cold it was. After snapping this picture of Acalias and I, I had to steal my moms over sized windbreaker jacket to keep me warm.

I guess I was looking like an armature runner because everyone assumed I was running the 10 K. Here I am stretching, trying to stay warm.

The trails were intense. I had set a goal to run the 1/2 marathon in 2:30...but that was before I saw what I was in for. Immediately after running past the starting line, I was confronted with this.

For some reason I don't remember the trails being this steep, while I was running them as a missionary.

I ran up this hill careful to avoid the roots and rocks. I figured I could pull ahead if I ran up the hill rather than walk it as many of the other runners did.

I was excited to take in all the beauty but if I didn't keep an eye on my footing, these roots would have easily caught my feet.

During the run I tried hard to stay on my toes, it was easy to do it up hill but down hill was nearly impossible. The trails were very steep and running on my toes surely would have let to an injury. I managed to get through the majority of the race without falling until the last 2 miles. The trails began to look like this.

And this.

I was feeling so fatigued that my legs gave out on me and I fell down one of the hills. The runner behind me later told me that it was a "graceful" fall but by the looks of all the bruising on my legs you wouldn't have thought so.

I was tired and I was so tempted to walk but my thoughts were that anyone can walk 13.1 miles. I had to visualize my smiling son at the finish line to keep trotting along.

My mom said that Acalias started kicking his feet in his excitement when he saw me making my way toward the finish line. Here is my little stud!

The last stretch is always the hardest. I tried to push myself before the 3 hour mark.

Pushing through the finish line.

Next time I will try to smile at the camera. I'm looking rough in this picture but with reason, it was by far the toughest race I had ever run in my life.

Notice my feet. My husband specifically purchased these shoes to reduce the strain I had been feeling in my joints and knees. They work wonderfully only when I run on my toes. I was tired and gave into running how I normally run, which is on my heels. I was so sore the remainder of the week and the following week I had to abstain from running to fully recover. Poor me. I learned my lesson. Don't wear vivarium toe shoes during races that are on mountainous terrain.

Me and my madre!

I'll be running This race next on August 20th!. I hope to run it in 1:55. I also hope to have reached Lifetime status with Weight Watchers. I have 8 more pounds to lose!