exercise

#MiamiFamous – Recap of the Miami Half-Marathon

January 29, 2016 By Nory Pouncil Leave a Comment

Today I am sharing my experience running the Miami Half-Marathon. This past Sunday I completed my third half-marathon (second in Miami). First and foremost I had a great time while there. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to do a destination race.

There is nothing like getting away in the middle of winter to bask in seventy-degree weather. Also, I was there for a bachelor party weekend for one of my friends who was also doing his first half marathon.

Running the Miami Half-Marathon

Getting There

Since the east coast was buried in snow, I almost didn’t make it.

My connecting flight was in Charlotte, so my flight got canceled on Thursday night. I was able to rebook through Phoenix early Friday morning. When I arrived i Ft. Lauderdale, I was accosted by the rain, and I thought that the whole weekend was going to be a wash.

The rain quickly dissipated and was mostly dry the, rest of the weekend. That night I was able to eat good Brazilian food and hang with friends at a club.

Saturday

Saturday morning my friend and I got up to pick up our race packets. The convention center was filled with dozens of vendors selling everything from shoes to bikes to performance products.

It was a maze to get through, but I enjoyed the overall experience of being surrounded by so many runners. Saturday we all hung out around South Beach. I got my feet pressure measured, and my gait analyzed at the Fit2Run store. I found out that I’m running in shoes a full size too small.

Sunday

Sunday morning we left South Beach to get to American Airlines Arena, but so many detours caused us to get to the race after it started. I was supposed to start with carousel E, but I didn’t leave until carrousel I. This caused us to wait around in the cold (38 degrees) with shorts on. I was so cold when the race started, not what I imagined while running in Miami.

When the race started, I had to zig zag through so many walkers and picture takers that it severely slowed me down. That combined with the fact that I didn’t get warmed up until around mile 5 I didn’t come close to my PR. I did do better than I did last year which is a good thing.

I’m glad I got to run #MiamiFamous again, and I’ve signed up for the full marathon next year. I’m so excited to get it done next year. Until then I’ll be running the Shamrock Run half marathon in six weeks and more half marathons this summer. I’m looking forward to collecting more medals this year.

Do not forget to check out the IAHF Running Club to run with me in Portland!

Running Updates: #iAmHealthyFitRuns and Half Marathon

January 15, 2016 By Nory Pouncil Leave a Comment

Today marks nine days until my first half marathon of the year. I’ve been using the coaching feature app on the Nike running to train for this run. My goal is to finish the race in ninety minutes.

I thought it would have been possible since my last half-marathon I finished in one hour and forty-four minutes. I’m pretty excited about soaking up the sun in Miami and becoming Miami Famous.

Currently, I’m winding up my ‘taper week.’

Running schedule:

Five miles on Monday,
Ten on Tuesday (hated that),
Five on Wednesday,
Rest day on Thursday,
Four miles Friday,
Ten miles Saturday,
Rest day on Sunday.

After that, I have one last week of training, and I get to run for real.

To help me train this last month of running, I enlisted the help of the iamhealthyfit running community. I set up a running challenge on Nike Plus to run one hundred miles, and I was ecstatic at the turnout and enthusiasm that the participants showed. The competitive juices have been flowing all month!!

The grand prize will be a pair of Nike (my favorite brand) sneakers, and all finishers of the one hundred miles will receive a fitness bundle.

Today I signed up for the Portland Shamrock Run on March 13th, and I’ll be signing up Foot Traffic Flat Half Marathon on July 4th. I still want to sign up for two races in the fall and some 5 and 10Ks scattered, but I’m happy with my 2016 run schedule.

Those are my running updates. Are you part of the iamhealthyfit challenge? How is running going for you?

Do not forget to check out the IAHF Running Club!

How to Balance Motherhood and Fitness

January 13, 2016 By Nory Pouncil Leave a Comment

Entering mommyhood is like entering the twilight zone for your body. Throw in a toddler and a one-year-old and the words healthy or active for a lot of us mommies disappear. So today, I am sharing some tips on how to strike a balance between motherhood and fitness.

Everyone Moves At Their Own Pace

After the birth of our second child, my Hubby and I decide to focus on living a healthier lifestyle. To us, this involved eating clean and working out on a regular basis. I wasted no time to get my journey started but like any wife would tell you it took a while before my Hubby joined me.

In the beginning, I tried to encourage him to work out with, “a couple that workout together, stays together right?” No! He was not interested. Apparently, my workout sessions weren’t his thing (LOL). While this was tough for me, I quickly realized that he had to find something that worked for him to commit.

In my experience, the most important part of a healthy lifestyle is finding out what works for you. Remember that it might take a few tries before you find your niche.

Everything Ain’t For Everybody!

At first trying to exercise while being a stay at home mom seemed impossible. I was slightly (Okay! overly and borderline crazy) over protective with my oldest and refused to leave him in a gym daycare with all those germs ( I know I am not the only one)!!

One day while I to my usual playtime date with my son, I saw some women with their kiddos in strollers working out. This was the moment that changed my fitness journey as a mom. After getting some information, I attended the first class of Stroller Strides and was hooked!!

I even forced my “mommy boo” to join me, and she loved it as well. It was the best of both worlds; I was able to get a fantastic workout and have my son with me while doing it. Not to mention all the amazing connections I’ve made with other moms in my area. Stroller Strides has been a huge blessing.

Given my naturally competitive nature group exercises are the perfect fit for me. Being with other people helps me push myself harder than I would if I was just at the gym or going for a run alone.

Don’t get me wrong, gyms are excellent, and their daycare facilities are clean and very helpful to parents, but I needed something different.

Once I realized this, I was able to take my workouts to the next level. I finally started seeing changes in my body and more importantly in the way I feel.

Once You find What Works Stick With It!

Now fast forward to 4 years later, I am still an active member of Stroller Strides! I am now in charge of their weekly playgroups which take place at the end of some of our classes. I have formed some amazing friendships, and my son has too!!

I also love that my kids think working out is fun. My son and his friends play “stroller strides” and copy the exercises that they see us do. It’s helping me to create a healthy culture in my home, and hopefully, it will help my children grow up with a desire to be healthy and fit.

I know I am not the only one, how are my fellow mommies staying fit and fabulous? Leave me a comment below and let’s keep the conversation going.