Fitness Challenge: Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

And guess who is doing it? Mami is...of course!

Yep! Every year she signs up for some sort of fitness challenge. Big or small, it doesn't matter, but something she can work towards. Remember I used to run with her too!

Now that we are no longer living in a city we don't walk AT ALL, and we have to drive everywhere...our legs have been getting cramped because of lack of movement. Mami says the suburbs can "be toxic like that".

Last year at this time she was one of the very fortunate bloggers to join the Nestle Pure Life team along with fellow blogger Mirka from All Baby Advice to train and run the London Marathon.

She took the job very seriously and with the help of papi, who is a runner too, she made sure she was fully prepared to make it to the finish line in one piece.

We are all going to cheer mami and papi on!

And not only did she make it one piece, but in true social media fashion, mami vlogged, tweeted and even posted updates on Facebook along the way. Yep! You can catch mami and Mirka at a few spots along the way... mile 4, mile 22 and the finish.

So this year, she (and papi) have registered to run the Washington DC Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in March. She says thirteen miles is more realistic than training for a the full 26.2 miles...yeah, that's a looooong way to run.

So for the next two months you will see a few updates here and there on her training. You know how much she loves to talk about running. Let's hope she doesn't sprain an ankle or hurt her knees.

If you are in the area, there is still time to register. And if you do, let us know...mami would love to meet other running mamas.

Anyone else taking up a fitness challenge? Tell us what you are doing!

I'm a runner too!

You know that mami and papi like to run. 

Mami did the London Marathon in April and papi is training for the Marine Corps Marathon in October. 

Let's just say there are A LOT of sweaty clothes and smelly socks in our flat! Phewwwww!

But now I get to run too! Once a week we all get up early, I put on my super fast running trainers and mami, papi and I are out the door. 

For the first part of the run I am in my  running buggy. I am in charge of holding mami's water bottle and encourage her by saying "muy bien mami" as she runs next to me. She needs our support because she likes to complain that she is "tired" but we don't listen to her and papi never lets her walk. 

And of course, papi runs too, but he's pushing the buggy. 

We cross through my favourite park, then along the main road that takes us to the river, we go on a very windy road, up a few hills then we loop back through the park and then it's MY turn!

Yep! I get to run with mami and papi all the way home. I have been waiting for this day for so long!

We start near the gate and papi says "Ready, set go!" and we are off. Mami says not to start too fast because then you get tired too soon, but I don't listen.

Last week I fell on my face running down the hill and it hurt! So today I held papi's hand and we walked down. But as soon as we made it down, we started running again.

Running is lots of fun and I think I am pretty fast. This way we get to spend time together and get some exercise.

What sorts of fun things do you do to keep healthy?

P.S. Do you think I could run the marathon with papi?

London Marathon vlog: Mami at the finish!

Mami after crossing the finish line

26.2 miles done!

Videos

Mami and Mirka at mile 4

Mami at mile 22

Marathon mami!

Mami did it! 

She ran the London marathon along with fellow blogger Mirka for the Nestle Pure Life team and made it in one piece. No blisters or bleeding. Just a smile on her face.

I wasn't there to see her run because papi said it would be too crowded and very hot. Point taken,  I don't do well in the heat. 

"AMAZING!" she shouted when she got home. She could barely move but she looked so happy.  

"I feel like a superstar, I would do it all over again, pain and all!" she said hugging papi. 

"I couldn't have done this without you you know. Thank you for training with me. I love you" 

Then, they kissed. On the mouth. Ewwwwwww!

Anyway, who better than to tell you about it but mami. That's right, she vlogged along the way, so check out her videos!

Re-live the marathon!

Click to watch videos

Mile 4

Mile 22

Finish! 26.2

I hope one day I can run like mami and papi. 

I wonder how long I have to train for?

London Marathon vlog: Mami at mile 22

 Mami at mile 22 - only 4.2 miles to go!

 Videos
Mami and Mirka at mile 4

Mami at the finish

London Marathon vlog: Mami and Mirka at mile 4

Mami and Mirka running the London Marathon at Mile 4. 

They still look happy!

Videos
Mami at mile 22
Mami at the finish

Silent Sunday

 

Fit and fat?

Mami wants to know, can you be fit (in good shape) and be fat?

She's been thinking a lot about this lately. As some of you know, she has been training for the London marathon and this Sunday is the big day.

Some people are surprised to know she is training because they expect her to be lean and thin. Not gordita, or curvy like she is now. One person even said "I expected you to have lost loads of weight".

Ohhhhhhhh! Not the thing to say to mami. She did handle it well though and laughed it off saying "I'm sure I can out run you any day".

But I know she was very upset. I know that she had high hopes of finally losing a few pounds and getting back in shape when she agreed to be sponsored by Nestle to run the marathon.

She and papi have been training, but I'm sad to report, mami hasn't lost any weight and had to buy jeans a bigger size up. I should know, I was with her and it wasn't a pleasant moment.

So why does this happen? I mean she feels healthy overall. She can run for a long time - just last week she did 4 hours! We walk everywhere and she is constantly on the move.

Do you think it's how you are built? Because I've got the biggest tummy I know but I can out run all of my really skinny friends on the playground.

Papi suggested she needed to do "high intensity" work outs because the body gets smart and running doesn't do it anymore.

"Unbelievable!" She yelled out. "I just can't win!"

So now mami is thinking about what to do next. After the marathon she needs to venture into a few fitness regime that works in order to drop those pounds.

But the question still is, can you be fat and fit?

Tell us what you think! In the meantime I will make sure mami stays active.

Countdown to the marathon!

In exactly two weeks mami will be running around London for the marathon as part of the Nestle Pure Life team.

I know she is nervous, but I can happily report she has been training and making sure she is fully prepared to run all those miles.

Yesterday, mami and papi got up even earlier than usual and papi announced in the kitchen that "this is the most important run before your marathon. If you are in good shape today then you will sail through it"

The watch doesn't lie

Mami looked up at him a little worried and just smiled. When they were in LA they did a little bit of running, but no more than 1.5 hours.

Off they went and I stayed with Sharon my super fun friend and babysitter. Anyway, long story short I now now know why mami was worried - they ran for 4 hours! That's 20 miles! Wow mami.

Now the only problem is that they won't get off the sofa! I want to go outside, but they can't move because as mami says "my legs hurt". 

I don't know if I like this "long run" business anymore, it cuts into my park time.

At least it will all be over on the 17th of April.

Grandpa's back!

Guess who's back? My GRANDPA!!! (and grandma too!)

I was just playing with my blocks this morning when suddenly they came strolling in. I remembered him from his last visit - I am soooooo happy!

See they live very far away, they have to come by airplane and they are here to visit me.

Mami and papi have been busy getting ready for a trip - they are off to a place called California.

I don't think I am going with them, but that's okay, grandpa is here to stay with me and he lets me do anything I want, hehehe!

A lot has been going on, as you can see I haven't blogged much.

Mami is working more now, she went from 3 days to 4 days and that means I go to nursery more too and the social demands are getting out of control.

Every weekend there is a birthday party, a lunch, a "quick coffee" or somewhere to be. We just can't keep up!

This week I will let you know how mami is getting on in LA. She has promised to call me every night and tell me how she and papi are doing.

I am going to miss them. I know sometimes I just want a break, but mami and papi are my best friends.

Mami and papi,

Los quiero mucho, mucho, mucho.

Please bring me back something nice.

My favourites are ice cream and Elmo.

I promise to be good to grandma and grandpa.

Oh and mami, don't forget to do your long run while you are there - it's your most important one!

HALF a marathon

Only 6 weeks until the London marathon! Mami is running with the Nestle Pure Life team and has been training to make sure she makes it all the way.

This past weekend she ran the Silverstone Half Marathon - not a full one, but 13 miles instead of 26.2.

Ready to go

Papi and I couldn't go with her but we followed her tweets and she even called us when she was halfway done!

Her day went a little something like this:

2 hour bus ride to Silverstone from London

1.5 hour wait before the race and FREEZING because it was very very cold

At the start line mami wondered "why am I doing this?"

Reached mile 5 in under one hour

At miles 6- 9 she felt good and in control and called us to let us know she was ok

She made it to 10 miles in under two hours

Ran by a very orange lady named Katie Price (mami says Katie may be skinny, but mami can run faster)

Says she "hit a wall "at 10 miles and said "her legs wouldn't move"

At mile 11 mami realised she had gone out too fast in the beginning

Tried running through miles 11, 12 and 13 but struggled to push through it

Ran the last half mile because "you must cross the finish line at full speed"

FINSHED!

She didn't say it was easy

A personal best for mami, she ran it in 2 hours and 36 minutes and didn't break or hurt anything.

But at home papi and I were sad for her when we realised she had left her most important piece of running gear behind- her swiggies! They were on the kitchen counter full of her orange sports drink.

She forgot these

Next time papi and I will help her lay out her running gear the night before and make sure she takes her swiggies.

She is still finding it hard to run during the week, but I am here to make sure that she does!

Mami's marathon report

Uh oh. Bad week for mami. I didn't see her go run once. Or go to the gym.

As a matter of fact, she came home from work when I was in bed so I guess she had lots to do at her office. She is being sponsored by Nestle Pure Life for the London Marathon and she knows she had better get running or else!

But yesterday despite the cold rain, mami got up and got ready to go for a run. And papi was dressed in his running clothes too! I thought great, we are all going together. After all I have my special running buggy.

But then the doorbell rang and my friend and babysitter Sharon had come over! Yesssssss!

Two hours later, mami and papi came back home, cold, sweaty, and compleley wet! Mami looked miserable. Turns out she couldn't find her hat and gloves before the run so she paid for it big time.

Papi didn't look so bad, he had taken his hat and gloves.

However, even though she didn't train this week, she did complete her two hours. She has been drinking lots of agua, especially with the special delivery we had this week.

Even I'm drinking some of it!

So Karen, I hope you are proud of her!

Tip of the week:

Buy proper running shoes. No point in training if you are hurting your feet and legs in bad shoes.

Mami recently bought herself  pair of Asics Gel 1160. She says they are like running on pillows and have made running more more enjoyable.

Papi and I are on her case. She knows she has to run this week to be ready to go for the Silverstone Half Marathon and we will make sure she gets it done.

After all, a full marathon is 26.2 miles!

Training day and papi day!

Two important things happened yesterday:

1) Mami had her first London marathon training day with the Nestle Pure Life team and Full Potential

2) I got to spend the WHOLE day alone with papi. Yep! Just the two of us and it was great!

Okay, so the first point is very important for mami because she means business. She is dedicating lots of time to training for the marathon and yesterday she realised just how much she loves to run (even though it hurts sometimes) and that she needs to lose weight.

She met up with Emma from Me the Man and the Baby and Mirka from All Baby Advice who are both running with her.

By the looks of it I don't think the workout was hard enough because they are all smiling in the pictures! (that's them with their trainer Karen who is super fit)

Mami, Mirka, Karen and Emma

They learned all about running techniques, stretching (which mami is not very good at) what to eat (she is very good at that) and that it IS possible to train around a busy schedule!

Let's hope she remembers to stretch

They were even interviewed for a video so keep an eye out for that.

She has her running kit thanks to Pure Life and next on the list is to get a proper pair of running shoes.

As for papi and me, we had lots of fun.  I missed mami, but only at the very end.

Shhhh, don't tell her that!

Mami's big run!

That's right. Mami is going to be doing a very long run in April, or the Virgin London Marathon as you might know it as.

I can't fully explain the excitement that this has caused here at our home, but it is all thanks to Nestle Pure Life sponsoring her to run and working with Full Potential to make sure she makes it in one piece.

Papi is jealous because he wants to run it and mami is busy getting into "marathon mode" as she calls it.

"I need to sleep well, eat well, get running and strengthen my knees" she says to herself and makes another "to do" list (she has lots of those!)

She has been taking care of her ankle since spraining it last year running the Adidas 5K Challenge, and is ready to get back to it.

"Remember when I did my first marathon?" She said to papi.

"We weren't even married yet! And you were my coach"

Papi smiled and says "You did so well, I was very proud of you"

See mami did the Marine Corps Marathon (that's 26.2 miles by the way) many years ago in 2004 just one week before she and papi got married.

She said her legs and feet still ached when she walked down the aisle.

Papi was already a runner when they met and he got her into it too. So when she decided to do the marathon, papi would run with her, encourage her and even cycle next to her on those long runs carrying extra water!

Now I carry her water when we go running with my buggy and I even cross train with her at home. Check us out doing weights and bicycle crunches!

This Saturday she has her first training session with Full Potential and nutritionist Anita Bean along with Mirka from All Baby Advice and Emma from Me the Man and Baby who are also running it.

As always, it is my duty to tell you all about mami's busy world, so until the big day I'll bring you her running report and progress.

So far so good, she did 60 minutes on Sunday and today we are off for 30 minutes.

Got to get her to the finish line!