Race 8 - Providence

 

And August came.... and Eliana, Ga and I flew from Houston to Providence, which is the capital of Rhode Island for Race # 8... way to go girls!!!!! and 4 more to go for Gaby, Katy and who knows.... Eliana???

 

 

 

 

Here is the elevation of the race, which seems a little off. I was waiting for Ga and Eliana at the finish line... I could guarantee, there was a hill at the end. The weather was perfect, around 61f, which actually helped them, especially when training in a hot and humid place like Houston. Gaby and Eliana set new PR's.

It was such a small race, compared with the other races; around 3,500 people, the route had  challenged hills but at the same time they enjoyed a beautiful city, around parks, and along the  Providence River.

Have a look at this video of the race route:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1550751604001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAABAI06Hk~,I3WnLiyY6vdys8zfWV-VgGTyN8NwnaGv&bctid=1789776402001
'
                                                    The Runners..... before the race!!!

 Almost there Gaby!!!!!

                              The girls showing up their medals!!! and very happy for the best PR's ever

We also had time to drive around, and visit Newport.... we  loved it

 A good friend recomended The Black Pearl at Baniister's Wharf

 

         

And here it is....The Famous New England Clam Chowder @ The Black Pearl@ Baniister's Wharf

Baniister's Wharf

                                                        Tour around the Mansions

 

 

After a nice trip with good friends, nice race... a nice drink!!

 

Why we run?

Here are some of the answers of Why We Run......

Thank you for sharing this with us Sis (Claudia)!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1-WNB7niK4&feature=share

Enjoy it :)

GA!

Race 7 - Napa2Sonoma

Race # 7.....5 more to go.....Check it out...... http://www.napa2sonoma.com and enter for next year.... may be we can run it together. Katy and Ga loved this race. It is an small race, around 3000 people. They said it was a beautiful route, a perfect weather, white wine on mile 10. The start line is in Napa at: http://www.cuvaison.com/ and the finish line is in downtown Sonoma, in a nice area with live music, and wine for the runners.

If you visit Napa go to: http://oxbowpublicmarket.com/ it is amazing. There is a Venezuelan place called Pica Pica Bar.... they have very good empanadas.
Also an Italian small restaurant called Ca' Momi. The heirloom tomatoes mozzarella is one of the best.

From Sonoma to Napa we found this beautiful winery http://www.domainecarneros.com//index.cfm

try the brut rosé...

 To be continue..... next race will be Providence.....

Injuries....

Just right after the San Diego half marathon I was diagnosed with a small Posterocentral protusion at L5 S1.

What is a disc protrusion?

 Your back consists of a column of individual bones - or vertebrae - separated by small cushions - known as discs. These discs serve as shock-absorbing pads and are located between each vertebra.

When a disc is strained beyond its limit, the outer casing may bulge or rupture. The jelly-like inner substance can be squeezed or pushed out to the side or back and touch or put pressure on one of the spinal nerves. 

Symptoms of L5 S1 Disc Protrusion

The pressure on the lumbar spine nerves mentioned above causes pain that can be felt all the way down to the back of the leg. Most back pain does not need medical attention, but if you have back pain that includes weakness down the leg....... then you need to pay attention to it.

L5 S1 Disc Protrusion Treatment

Depending on how painful the L5 S1 disc protrusion is for you, there are a number of treatment options to give you some (at least temporary) relief.

• Physiotherapy - The treatment offered by physiotherapists helps you stretch and strengthen the muscles involved. This takes some pressure and thus some of the pain away and also makes the back more flexible and stable.


• Stand up and Move - If you sit too much in the same position you put a lot of pressure on the l5 s1 disc and this brings you the pain. If you work in an office, make sure you stand up and walk around every now and then. Make it a habit never to sit down for too long. When at home, do some appropriate physical exercises.

• Acupuncture - This is a scientifically accepted, very old alternative treatment method (using thin needles to stimulate energy points in the body) that can help relief the pain caused by a disc protrusion. Acupuncture is a very good option to release the pain temporarily.



•  Spinal Descompresion - This is a way of enlarging the space between the discs (by slowly separating the back bones) using technology. This method helps taking the pressure from the disc and even pulling it back in place, and thus reducing the protrusion.

Race 5 - Dallas - May 2012

This is the worse race for me so far!!!
My time was "horrible" It was extremely hot for me.
I walked around 3 miles.
This race was special because Arelys, Dewey, Arelys's dad, Crystal, Daniel and Carlos ran with us.





           Heels and Hills - Dallas May 2012

Race 6 - San Diego - June 2012 - HALF WAY!!!!!!!!!

Number 6 is done... 6 more to go.
The race started at 6:00 am, the weather was perfect... this race was really good, around 30,000 people. Nice route, people cheering you up pretty much along the entire race.

Here is the inclination:

We thought a downhill race was easier.... it may be, because you go faster, but after the race 3 of us had legs pain.

Rock'n'Roll San Diego Medal

Race 4 - Edinburgh - April 2012

This is so far the MOST beautiful route. This race was indescribable. We ran around Edinburgh Castle, the North sea coast, magnificent scenarios, wonderful buildings.
My experience wasn't perfect, in fact, it was anything but perfect. It was very cold for me, I was sick, and I decided to run anyways..... bad idea.... I got sicker "obviously" and I end 2 days later in Houston after a long flight with Bronchitis

The Medal

Race 3 - Moab - March 2012

This one was beautiful, but difficult, the altitude of 4,025 feet killed us, as well as the cold weather.
It was also an uphill race all the way, so honestly I couldn't enjoy the Colorado River views. I am glad we had the opportunity to visit the park and do some hiking before and after the race... and here is a tip: "It did help me a lot to do the hiking after the race, I recovered faster, and I did not have as much pain on my calf as I usually do after a race"
The worse part of this race "There were not medals" I can't believe it.... it was the most difficult so far... and we didn't receive our medals"

http://www.discovermoab.com/


                                           Cold... cold... cold.... before the race started....



Moab Canyonlands Half Marathon - March 2012

Minutes before we started

Moab Canyonlands Half Marathon - March 2012

Race 2 - Houston - February 2012

I did not like this one. We have to ran 3 times the same loop. I think I have to prepare myself for this kind of races, it wont be always the perfect route.
Which was really special about this was the fact that my brother came from Venezuela and was running with my friends Katy, Gaby, Lucia and I.

Rhythm and Blues, Houston Feb. 19 2012

Race 1 - Phoenix & Houston - January 2012

So far my best one. The route was nice, the weather was good, fresh and dry for me.  Elevation was good.

Houston...........

Houston Half Marathon - January 15, 2012

Arizona January 2012