One Bad Ass Runner

  Today I ran the Miami Turkey Trot 10K, a feast of 4600 people all standing in the wrong corral. This is the third time I've done this event and it has always been a very tough race because it's usually the only weekend in November where temperatures are close to 80F. Not this weekend. Today it was 71-75F during the race. I did not check the humidity but I know it was high because my sunglasses were foggy all through the race. So, the weather was better than last year, which was 77F. I was not going to shoot for a PR because I know I have not been able to run my normal paces since the asthma diagnosis. However, I wanted to run all out to see what I can do with the asthma. I was not disappointed in finding out I am stronger than I thought. Update on Asthma: I went to the doctor on Monday and they redid the breathing test (this is my 6th test). I was at 80-81% after NYCM, with the small bronchi at 62%. Bad, bad, bad. So, with less than two weeks with the new medication

Short:  I ran my third 13.1 Ft. Lauderdale (10th completed half marathon).  Did not PR but ran strong.  Final time: 2:14:58, which is a PR post asthma, but not even close to what I could have accomplished before the Summer. Long: On Sunday, I ran the 2011's 13.1 Ft. Lauderdale race.  This has always been my favorite HM of all times, mainly because it was my first HM in 2009 and because it's always my PR race of the year.  However, since being diagnosed with asthma, I have struggled to come to terms with the fact that my PRs may be gone for good (or at least for a while).  I also finished the NYCM last week and, although recovery is going very well, I approached this race with trepidation. I have been debating between attempting a PR or not for this race.  I knew it would be hard, first because my lungs are still stuck at 80% breathing capacity, and because I had an unplanned marathon I just finished.  After NYCM, the doctor changed my inhaler but it was two days before the

Summary: On Sunday, I finished my 4th Marathon, the NYCM, the first of my season.  It was a great experience and I had tons of fun, I met tons of forumites, and I experienced how my marathon season may go if I don't get my asthma in check.  Even with that, I finished in 4:59:22, not a PR, but with a lot of insight as to how my lungs work. Novel: Chapter 1: The Training This was not a marathon I was planning or wanting to run, but my friend wanted me to enter the lottery and run with her (pacing her on her first) so I entered never believing I would get in.  So, of course I got in.  I had already planned to choose a high mileage intense training for the West Palm Beach Marathon (December 4), so all I needed to do was to organize my training so that I was already trained by the time I would get to NYCM and with enough time to recover until WPB. Since I was already doing 50mpw easily, and already averaging 40mpw in 2011, in June I made the decision to use Pfitz 18/7

Chiqui and I ran the Miami Beach Halloween Half Marathon on October 29.  This is the third year of this race and, if you remember, this is the race that I DNF'd last year due to the flu.  So,I invited Chiqui to do this race while they were running (aka struggling) through the 13.1 Miami Beach, where Chiqui informed me that she would NEVER sign up for that HM (or any other) ever again.  Then, Chiqui proceeded to sign up for this race and other Half Marathons as well, LOL. I had been debating about what to wear, including what costume could I use.  Then, Chiqui told me she had purchased a devil costume and me and my big head thought: hey, I can dress as an angel and go as her nemesis! So, off I went to try to find something runable and light, since it is still 80+ degrees here.  Both decided to treat it as a LR or training run, me because it was one week before the NYCM, and Chiqui, because she's training for her goal HM race which comes later this month. The weath