Short Post/Update :)

It's the start of my long weekend and what better way to start if off then by writing a new fitness post?  #heyhey Well It's been well over a month since our marathon and I am now ready to start training again.  Training for my first sprint triathlon that is.  :) 

I'm so exited for this new adventure.  I was going to start training for another marathon but the more I thought about it I decided I need to step out of my comfort zone.  Honestly swimming and bicycling have always been a struggle for me so it will be nice to train and get better!  I've learned training for something is so important.  In the past I never thought I would ever be able to run past three miles but putting myself on a training program changed this notion. :) 

Jalen got me a fitness pass to UCLA.  They offer an assortment of different classes which I am super exited to start attending.  My fiance is da best!  We've been hiking a lot these days.  We like to go every Saturday and Sunday.  There's nothing quite like early morning air and mountain walks.  One of my all time favorite things.  We take our pup Rio and he absolutely loves it as well.

My goals for this month are to eat healthier, work on my core and of course start training for my sprint marathon which I will run within the next month or so.  :) I want to share one of my favorite morning smoothies.  I hope you enjoy. 

Have a wonderful and safe weekend everyone!  Proud to be an American!:)

Morning Smoothie:  Terra Whey Protein, Pineapples, Blueberries, Almond Milk, Kale, Flax seed, Parsley & Lemon.  #yummy

Our first MARATHON!!!!!

Wow I've got to be theeee worst blogger ever!  ;) Where does one find the time? I always think back to my younger days when time was all I had.  Not the case anymore..  hehe I would love to make a habit of posting at least once a week, month??  Anyhoo I just finished reading one of my best friends blogs and she inspired me to post a new one myself.  So thank you my beautiful Jrose.  :)

Well where do I begin..  So much has happened since I posted last.  Things are changing left and right and I don't really know where to start but here we go. :) (I like smiley faces:)). We started training for our first marathon back in January.  Jrose and Conrad were on our same running schedule.  Although we were so far apart we felt like they were right there beside us.  Most days we would be running at the same time.  I learned very fast we were not all only competitive but very very competitive.  The guys tried to hide it most days but Jackie and I loved talking about our times and how we could improve. Not a bad thing in our books. 

We traveled home for a weekend getaway back in April and it turned out to be one of the best weekends of our lives.  Jalen proposed to me!  Yup he did it.  :):):):):)  It was one of the most magical weekends ever.  We also found out some of our best friends were expecting their first baby!  Those best friends being our training partners.  Yup this is the change I was talking about earlier. :)   This all came right in the middle of our training.  We had a wonderful weekend of celebrating and just being together.  A weekend none of us will never ever forget.  :)

When we got back to California it was hard to get back on track.  We were on still on cloud nine and the celebrations continued with family coming to visit, traveling to San Diego and then to The Grand Canyon!  Our training schedule kind of went off course for a bit but that's okay.  I found myself getting frustrated at times because I would miss a run or 2 or 3 but we just had so many wonderful things happening.  I wasn't going to miss out on any of it.  Things got back to normal after our Grand Canyon trip and our training was sort of back on track.  We were getting so close to the race.  It was important for us to eat well and get plenty of rest. 

We traveled to Santa Cruz, California to run our Marathon.  We were ready. We trained hard and I mean really hard.  Before we knew if we were at the starting line.  It all happened so fast I'm actually really happy to be writing right now so I can re-live everything yet again. 

 Boom here we go.  Mile 1.  We felt great and our adrenaline was in full force.  We lost Conrad at mile 2 I believe.  I was trying to keep up with him but he was going way too fast.  He's a beast spartan warrior just like my Jalen.  The run was so breathtaking beautiful.  I can't really explain how beautiful it was.  I just remember telling jalen at least 10 times to look around at how magical everything was.  
The race went on and on and on.....  After all we were running 26.2 miles.  Can you believe it?  We ran the first half a lot faster than we had anticipated and we saw Jrose!  She was snapping so many pics and cheering us on.  So so very thankful for her!  The second half of the marathon was so much harder.  There were so many hills and it started warming up a lot.  We kept going.  There was no stopping now.  It wasn't until mile 25 where I hit a huge wall.  I found myself weaving everywhere.  I just didn't want to run anyone.

But...   We did it.  We made it.  We finished hand in hand across the finish line.  What a moment, a moment I will never ever forget.  Anyone who has ran a marathon before knows that feeling.  A feeling of wow I really did it now I can pass out.  Literally that is what I did. :)

Actually training your body and mind to do something you never thought you could do is hard but now more than ever I believe you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to.  This is true in every aspect of life.  Something I will always remember.  2014 has been one of the greatest years of my life.  I did something I never thought I could do.  Looking back at where it all started 4 years ago it is still hard to picture.  I could hardly run a 5k and here I am in 2014 a marathon finisher.  Wow.  Blessed.  Thank you Jesus.

Thank you to one of my best friends Jrose.  You taught me so much about training hard and friendship.  Although I missed you running next to us I always felt like you were right there.  I'm so very exited for this new journey in your life and I can't wait to be there right next to you.  You're an inspiration.  Good Job Conrad.  You seriously rock!!!!!!!

Thank you to my fiance Jalen.  My rock, my everything.  You keep me strong and keep me going.  You keep me sane when I want to fall apart and most of all you teach me everyday to never ever give up no matter how hard things get.  I love you forever.  

I know I kind of went on and on but hey isn't that what blogs are for?  :)  Well my running adventures will continue.  I will forever be a runner.  And yes I will run another marathon.  Until our next journey.  #journey2my1stmarathon 

As I sit here writing this on the first day of 2014, it is hard for me to decide what is more amazing. How far I have come as a runner or how far I plan to go.  The second half of the question is easy. 26.2 miles.  I plan to run 26.2 miles.  Turns out it is as scary yet exciting to write as it is to think or say.  The first half of the question is a little more tricky. 

To see how far I have come over the past year I guess we have to start from the beginning.  I started 2013 coming off my first 10K, a distance I thought to be impossible.  I ended 2013  running 6 miles as an easy Sunday funday workout.  Stuffed between those were two half marathons, hundreds of miles and even more memories.

The miles ran and the times achieved up until this point only tell part of the story.  Running has taught me the meaning of hard work, dedication and determination.  It has taught me the value of friendship, support and perhaps more importantly who I am.


I am stronger.  Not just physically, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually.   I have shed any boundaries I have ever have put on myself or this world ever could put on me.  I now attack everyday like I would a hill and meet any new challenge like i would a new distance.

I know where I have come as runner and I know where I am going but just like any great long run, I wont forget to enjoy the journey start to finish.
 
If I have learned anything it is that everything is possible. 26.2? lets do it!

Cheers,

Stephanie Miers

rs