Festive Preparations at Home At home, the Christmas tree is up, and I’ve noticed my pawrents bringing home intriguing boxes and packages. Naturally, I assume they’re filled with treats for me, their spoiled princess. I’ve been nosily investigating because, after all, Christmas is nearing!

Last Year’s Christmas Memories In anticipation of the upcoming celebrations, let me share what I got last Christmas. There was an attempt to dress me up as a reindeer – quite a mismatch, given that I’m a proud dog. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the reindeer look, I played along for the sake of more gifts.

Gifts Galore I uncovered a festive collar, a cozy new nap blanket, and a fun toy from my gift bag. Nap blankets are my absolute favorite, especially for nibbling! Then came the posing session – I must say, I’m quite the professional.

Post-Reindeer Joy Once freed from the reindeer attire, I thoroughly enjoyed my gifts. My soft penguin blanket remains a favorite, and the reindeer toy survives in my toy box, albeit with one ear missing. As for the reindeer ears and collar, their whereabouts are unknown, and I hope they stay that way. But, with Christmas approaching, I’m bracing myself for their possible return. I’ll keep you all updated, friends!

The post Doras Corner Week 4 appeared first on Aj in the Life.

Well I am only kidding about just deciding to do it this morning. I am not kidding about the 27 miles I had planned for the day. As you probably know by now, I have been on a journey to run 100 miles in a week (6 days technically).

I gave my why’s before I started, but the main one I wanted to focus on today, was pushing my limits and seeing what my body was capable of. I have a distant dream of running 100 miles in a single day, so I figured that a stepping stone to that journey is 100 miles in a week.

I woke up today at 3:30 AM, and was pretty awake. I was excited to run. I slept a total of about 7 hours, which isn’t bad considering most “race” days I get about 2 hours of “good” sleep. I have also run a marathon on 1 hour of sleep, and while not recommended, I was still able to crush my PR.

There was no walking Dora this morning, as I needed to save some energy, and also she was not waking up that early!

I ate a banana bread, drank a Liquid IV, had my Zipfizz and started prepping my fuel for the day. Based off of my goal time, I figured 6 gels would suffice. I also planned to use Tailwind’s newest flavor, Colorado Cola. No joke, it tastes just like flat Coke! That might sound gross, but to endurance athletes, it is liquid gold.

It was funny because it felt like a race day, even though I wasn’t really “racing”. It is a feeling of nerves and excitement that can’t really be reproduced, but this definitely came close.

After making sure I had everything packed up, I kissed Janell and Dora goodbye (both still sleeping), and left for my mission.

I got to Kapiolani Park and was able to find parking (it’s finally legal to park there again). A few minutes of rain blessed the morning, as the first light of the sun started to peek through the clouds. I did some warm up and activation drills to get my body ready, and then started my run.

My music today was expertly curated by Janell. I asked her to make me a playlist for my marathon, and she added enough songs for almost 7 hrs. Jeeze Nelly, how slow do you think I run! All kidding aside, it was a great playlist and kept me distracted for 4 hours. Thank you!

I was happy that there was some rain to start, but it was short lived. Luckily it didn’t get too humid after the rain, which is the norm here in Hawaii. There was a nice 8-10mph breeze most the run, with it starting in my face and ending in my back.

For my route, I thought about just running around the island (something I want to do one day), but with only 27 miles, I chose to run most of the Honolulu Marathon route. It is a route I am very familiar with, but from my starting point, it would be short about 8 miles. So I ran a few laps around Kapiolani park and the Honolulu Zoo to start and then headed up and over Diamond Head on the marathon route.

On this 100 mile journey, I wanted to make sure to have walk breaks built into my runs so that I wouldn’t go too hard. I was pacing for 100 miles, not 10 miles or 6 miles. But today, since it was my last day, I didn’t have scheduled walk breaks. I was just going to run at a comfortable pace, and walk when I needed it.

For the most part I was able to keep a great even pace just under 8 min/mile, where my only walk breaks were at miles 7 and 17 for Instagram story updates, and mile 20 for a bathroom break.

One of the main reasons I love this running route, is that there are many opportunities for bathrooms/water fountains. I think they are spaced out every 2-3 miles and once they open at 6:30 AM, are a great resource for most runners. I don’t usually use the bathroom during marathons, and today I didn’t really have to, but I made a quick stop at mile 20 because I needed a breather.

While I could tell the effort was getting slightly harder, it wasn’t because of sore muscles or injuries (although things weren’t 100%). The heat started to get to me since the sun was out, and after my surge up a hill at the end of mile 21, I was toast.

I have run this route several dozen times on training runs, so I have ideas in my head of how many “matches” I need to save. The finale of the marathon is a painful 100 ft of climbing between miles 23.8 and 25. But the sneaky hill at mile 21.8 can really break people. As it did for me today. It is long, and after 10 miles of relatively flat running, it can cause a heart rate spike that can be hard to come back from.

I pushed up that hill, and then needed a break. So I walked for 2 minutes. I could have stopped right then and there. I wanted to stop. But I was just 5 miles away. I had completed 95 miles, and needed to suck it up for 40 more minutes. Gosh, that seemed long. I needed to cool down. One of the reasons I pushed up the hill is because I knew there was a downhill and some shade following the hill. So I used this to cool down and regroup mentally.

I put my head down and thought about getting to the next mile marker. However, 2 minutes later, I was walking again. Doubt started to creep in. Would I be walking 4.5 more miles???? Just make it to the next mile marker, I told myself. And so I pushed to mile 23. Another 2 minute walking break.

Under normal racing circumstances, this point in the marathon is so tough. It is usually hot (which it was), you are mentally exhausted (which I was), and you are going to hit a wall if you haven’t already (which I was actually good with). But the Honolulu Marathon throws in a “mountain” to climb at that point. Yay.

But I knew this, and I planned it as the hardest part of the run. Once this double hill was over, it would be downhill to the finish. So after my 2 min walking break, I put my head down again and pushed until I got up the first climb. My heart rate spiked pretty high, but I didn’t care since I had one hill left. But first, another 2 min walking break and Instagram story update.

I gathered my composure, and charged up the last hill. Once I got to the top, I felt like lying down on the side of the road.

I felt like I reached my goal and I was done! Except, that was only a temporary goal, and I still needed to run 2 more miles. Another walking break, my last one. I enjoyed the view from the top of the hill, my favorite part of the run, and I started racing down the hill to the finish.

I wanted to end the run, at least the 26.2 miles on a high note, so I pushed down the hill to the normal Honolulu Marathon finish line. I was able to get back to my 8 min/mile pace, but instead of a 150 bpm heart rate, I was at 180 bpm. I needed one last walk…again. But it was ok. I finished my marathon in training, something I wanted to do, and used the last 0.8 miles as a cool down.

Finally my watch buzzed and it said 27 miles.

27 down. 0 to go.

I will make another post in the next few days to discuss my overall thoughts.

For this run however, I was proud of myself. I have come a long way in 4 years, when I ran a 3:31:50 at the Honolulu Marathon. Today my time was about 3:37:15. I think I have proven the fact that if you put in the work, you can make amazing leaps in fitness and accomplish just about anything you want.

I didn’t know how my body would react to running 73 miles in the previous 5 days. Turns out, my body is more resilient than I thought. I barely felt any different than the previous days, even late in my run. If I was running in cooler weather, I would have probably run under 3:30.

One thing I want to take away from this run in particular, is that if I ever want to qualify for Kona, I need to be able to run faster than this at the end of an Ironman triathon. So I still have a ways to go in terms of fitness, but I know that if I continue to train hard and be smart, I will accomplish what I set out to do.

Thanks for reading and for all the kind words of encouragement!

The post My First 100 Mile Week – Day 6 appeared first on Aj in the Life.

For my family, it was filled with a roller coaster of uncertainty and emotions.

For my Dad, it was filled with withering away, a few hip replacement surgeries, and most recently, a few spinal surgeries. Yes, more than one. Not to mention the blood work, pre-surgery COVID tests (good thing he has big nostrils), colonoscopies, and EGDs. The man has done it all. If you are not caught up on the reason for all these things, make sure to check out the first two posts (part 1 and part 2).

Despite going through all the world went through, and then going through his own medical issues, he still was one of the happiest people around. Not everyday has been good. In fact, most days are very hard, but he still tries his best to be a Dad.

If we have learned anything collectively as a family in the last two years since his original diagnosis, it is that we are all stronger together than apart. We have all done our part to support him physically, emotionally, and spiritually as needed.

But things weren’t looking good. In fact, they still are far from great. His second spinal surgery sent him into a spiral of pain and discomfort. So much so, that it made living not fun. Imagine waking up one day with deep chronic pain in your back that won’t ever stop, and affects every other aspect of life. Oh, and you can’t eat much because your body is in such discomfort from the surgery and the fact that the celiac disease was diagnosed so late, that your stomach is not absorbing the food you eat. Every bite of food just makes you nauseous. But you have to eat or you die. This is his every day.

All of these non celiac disease medical issues were created because for years, his body stopped absorbing nutrients. The celiac disease went undetected in his body until it was so far gone, he was falling apart. Why is this important? Because right now, this can happen to anyone. Without proper funding from the government, celiac disease can go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years. Sometimes, a patient is young enough and their body can heal. Other times, they are not so lucky.

Celiac disease is also found to be hereditary on some level, and I am lucky enough (sarcasm) to have the two genes needed to get celiac disease. Yay me! What does this mean? Well for now, it means nothing. For now it means I am lucky enough to KNOW about celiac disease, the symptoms, and how to handle it.

One of the best things we have all found out in this process is that there are more and more gluten free food options in the market, and many taste just as good or better than their counterpart. We have spent majority of the past year eating GF, and it has been pretty good. Not perfect, as my favorite pizza and burger have gluten, but as I currently don’t have CD, I am clear to enjoy them for now. There are even gluten free beers that are beginning to taste better and better!

SGN

Now I don’t want to end the update without Some Good News.

I was able to postpone my NYC Marathon to 2022, which works out because my 2021 race calendar got filled with a few important races (Ironman World Championship in Kona).

More importantly than that however, is that Dad has started a new protocol of Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). Basically his heart is connected to an I.V. bag 24/7. While that sounds like a drag, the bag actually is filled with all the macronutrients and vitamins and minerals he needs, directly into his bloodstream! So he is finally getting nourished!

In the first few days since he started the TPN, he already sounded like a new man. I can’t tell you how happy that made me. Just the tone in his voice was so much better than a week before when he felt like he was circling the drain.

The process is a bit scary because there are a lot of things that can go wrong and don’t end well, but if things go well, this could be the first step toward the long long road to recovery. Science is amazing.

We can’t thank his doctors enough for continually searching for ways to heal him, even if the process is longer than we want. With all the additional stuff the medical staff have had to go through with COVID, they have been true heroes in keeping him alive, and possibly on the right side of this mess.

If you want to support the Celiac Disease Foundation, please donate to the team. I might not be running my race in 2020 or 2021, but I will forever support the cause behind this disease. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions!

The post NYC Marathon: Life Update appeared first on Aj in the Life.

The training alone can last anywhere from six months to several years.

Hundreds or even thousands of hours are dedicated to pushing yourself to
new limits.

Swimming, biking, and running are just a part of it.
Training for an
Ironman consumes your life.
The way you eat changes.
The way you sleep changes.
The way you think
changes.
If you are going to dedicate so much time to something, you want
to do your best!
You become obsessed with getting faster in the pool.
You become obsessed
with getting every aerodynamic gain possible on the bike.
You push yourself
until you break on your runs.

Then race day comes, and you lay it all out on the line.
Everything you
worked for.
Time to execute.

One thing I experienced first hand a few weeks ago, is nervousness before a
race.
Part of it was because of the unknown of the bike course.
But mainly
it was because I set some difficult performance goals for myself.
I knew I
couldn‚’t control anything but my own race, but doubt and worry still crept
in my head.

As you know from my race report, things didn‚’t go at all how I planned it in my head.
I walked away from
the race feeling broken.
Physically I was fine.
I didn‚’t even have one sore
muscle after the race.
Emotionally and mentally however, I was damaged.

I built up that particular race as my A race.
I wanted to be at peak form.

It was a beautiful race venue, the course was “easy”, and the weather was
going to be perfect.
When all was said and done, all those things were
true.
Technically speaking, I still did get a PR.
But that wasn‚’t enough
for me.

Maybe I wanted that physically broken feeling, where I knew I gave it my
all.
I mean, I did give it my all with what I had that day, but it wasn‚’t
really my all.
As I crossed the finish line, I felt like I settled, even
though there is no chance I could have performed how I originally wanted.

I laid in bed the night of the race, sick to the stomach (literally), and
glad I wasn‚’t still on course.
I woke up not feeling like I accomplished
anything.
I didn‚’t feel like I did an Ironman.
I wasn‚’t proud.
I was
depressed.
I needed some time to process what had happened.
I needed some perspective.

We stayed in Napa a few days to unwind, and while it was wonderful, I still
wasn‚’t as happy as I could have been.
I was mentally and emotionally
drained.
I needed some time off.

I have only taken multiple days off four times in the last four years.
They
came after marathons or my Ironman.
This time, I took almost a full week
off, and when I started back up, it was hard.

I felt slow.
I felt tired.
I felt like I did an Ironman.
It was only at
that moment when I started to realize that win or lose, Ironman triathlons
are an accomplishment.

In the first Ironman I did, I crossed the line and said I didn‚’t want to do
that again.
I was struggling.
I didn‚’t enjoy the second half of the run.

This time, despite everything, I finished the race running a 7 minute/mile
pace.
I beat my previous time, and despite my stomach, I was physically ok.

Why does this matter? Because it showed me that my training did pay off.

The 500 hours of training between races made me a better athlete, so that I
was able to finish faster, and be more physically prepared.

This idea provided me some of the validation I was looking for after the
race.
I was in a better spot than I was the year before.
Perspective.
Another few days went by after my revelation, and slowly I started to add
more recovery rides and swims.
Just getting the blood flowing.

After two weeks, I was finally able to start real workouts, and also ran
for the first time…and boy did it feel good.

Before I knew it I was planning my race schedule for 2020 and 2021, and
even adding a handful of shorter races this year.
I was able to fight
through the depression I was feeling from the race, and get that chip back
on my shoulder.

Mental toughness is a huge part of endurance racing.
It is what gets us
through the hard intervals and long training sessions.
However, we are only
human, and sometimes we aren‚’t as tough as we think.
Or at least that‚’s me.

Luckily for me, I have an amazing support crew, who lifts me up when I do
fall.
I honestly wouldn‚’t be able to complete these races without having
such support from Janell and my family and friends.
Ironman‚’s are not as
individual as they may seem.

Going forward, I will continue to set goals for training and races.

However, after this experience, I know what is actually important to
worry/think about.

I have perspective.

The post Aftermath Of An Ironman Triathlon appeared first on Aj in the Life.