After The Jacksonville Half Marathon in Florida where I fell short of making the mark to qualify for the Marathon Olympic Trials (Video Here) and convinced that was my last attempt, I was in shock when I got the news from the Rock n Roll Series that I had won a free ticket and hotel to the Arizona Rock n Roll thanks to the Grand Prix Series program in which I was leading my age group. I knew my chances were not great as the course looked harder, this would be my third half in a row and it was going to be around my monthly visit. The odds were against me, but I had my kids decide. The following my recap in pictures.
I managed to run 1:16:30 and a top 10 in a great field. There was no rib pain involved, but I could feel the fatigue in my legs. After 10km I still had hopes my legs would bounce back and would allow me to negative split. I kept thinking of my kids back home. It was hard to swallow the fact that I was not going to be at the trials. Yet, on my way home I got time to reflect on the journey and what lies ahead. When I posted the picture below on my Instagram account (zoilagomezita) I was thinking of Martin Luther King Jr. and I realized my dream is not over, it just got postponed. Im thankful to be back in the athletic arena. Thankful to be motivated and the fact that thanks to In The Arena many dreams are alive.
Before I left to Arizona, Araceli one of our kids from the after school program said.. "If you make the time, we will make you a party and if you dont make it.. I will throw a party too" The following Sunday we had a nice reunion/party at my place...
47 seconds of 1 hour and 50 minutes run with @inthearena_team Pure beauty.. This is not about being brave or tough, but committed to the sport, your goals and your team. #Iminloveagain 15 segundos de 1 hora y 50 minutos de belleza pura. No se trata de ser valiente o fuerte, pero ser comprometido con el deporte, tus metas y tu equipo.. #enamoradaotravez
On this specific day afer our 6 mile warm up run, a blizzard came by and there we were stranded next to Rio Grande. Instead of backing up and heading home my teammate and I encourage eachother to go find a shovel and made a path to do our technique routine. As, Cs,and a Boundings. I came back home so proud that I was able to make a video and in a funny way tell the story, but in Spanish. In summary, I explained how two runners were being wanted for borrowing a shovel to do a workout along Rio Grande. Then I go ahead to describe one of them :) and a number to call.
It took us close to 3 hours to clear and sweeo the entire track the night before the workout. The following day we spend another hour and 30 minutes sweeping last minute snow. By 10 a.m that morning the sun came out and by the time we started our workout lane one was clear and has been cleared to date :)
Once a week the mountains call and no lie I Love this day more than any other day. Its up in the mountains where I do find a sense of peacefulness. Hard to describe. It gives me life, feels like recharging batteries for the days ahead.
Needless to say,I live in a cold, snowy and a very fragile to blizzards area. It feels like spring whenever it gets up to 30s and it really feels like winterland when temperatures gets down to -20s with a wind chill of -47s. The average high temperatures in January are 34.3°F Average low temperature:-1.7°F Average temperature:16.3°
So, how do I train in such conditions? First, I smile, bacause I can move, I can run and then make the best of what I have or possess. One of my blessings is the partnership ITA has with LL Bean. Thanks to our yearly allowance, I get to train with the most comfortable and warm clothing there is to be.. So here some of my favorites:
Essential Tank Top keeps me dry, it's lightness makes me feel very comfortable with the extra layer.
Bean Sport Quarter Zip: Helps me keep my arms and core warmer. Great for when I start getting warmer in workouts. I can leave that on and still feel right.
The polartec colection: Jacket, Tights and Ear warmers have been a workout saver. Running endless laps on tge track or many miles outside in freezing temperatures has never felt that comfortable. So much in love with every single item.
Compression Socks: It's very important to protect those achilles tendons and this socks are the best to do so. Plus compression aids to fast recovery, win/win.
L.L. Bean is having some great sales and shipping is free. Anything you buy from L.L. Bean will be the warmest investment of this winter season.
