Many of you have been wondering... "What has Marathon Madrigal been up to?" After crossing the finish line, my life has been great! I am still on such a high from the marathon.
Now, my life has involved a lot more work than running, which is understandable, because for five months my boss was very easy on me..so for that I am thankful. (Thank you, Pam if you read this.) The good thing is that our Paris training group increased in size. Sadly, not all my girls that are training with us are going to Paris but its great to know that they are going to keep us company. Sunday (Nov 15th) was my first day back in the park and man oh man did I miss my Central Park!! It was an absolute AMAZING day in New York City!! The weather was 66 and the running conditions couldn’t have been any more perfect for November. I met up with Lauren at our old TFK spot.
Vane was supposed to come out but she was a bit under the weather we will say ;). Lauren and I decided to run the 6.2 mile loop of the park. I was a little nervous at first because she is a bit faster then me, but to my surprise, I kept up with her all the way. Everyone that has read my blog knows that I hate Harlem Hill, we have this love/hate relationship, but on this past run, I was shocked and surprised. As we made the turn passed the ice skating rink, I saw it -- HH -- and I thought, this will be where I will lose her. This is where I will fall behind right away. I put those thoughts out of my head and just kept it moving (remember, it's mind over matter). So I did, and I didn’t lose! I didn’t get left behind. Once we made it to the top, I looked at Lauren and commented that it was so much easier. She looked at me and said "Girl we just ran a flipping marathon". It was true. I did just run a flipping marathon. I ran through five boroughs, over five bridges (Queensboro Bridge, hello!!) So what does HH have on me?? NOTHING!
Running the marathon has given me a new look on things and now I walk a little taller and I know I can do anything that I want. Oh yeah I am also trying to convince half of my friends to run next year's marathon and half marathon with me…I will keep you posted of course.
With <3,
MM
Monday, November 23, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
NYC Done...Next Paris
Yes, I have signed up to do Paris in April 2010!! Let me know if you want to come out and support me.
Here is a finishing picture of me at NYC ING Marathon
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
I AM A MARATHONER!!!!
Sunday Nov 1st was an amazing day. Not only was I going to run my very first New York City Marathon, but my mom was here to watch me, it was Santa's Birthday and I was going to honor both of them on this special day.
Saturday was great. I went to have lunch with Bianca and my mom and then, to my surprise, Lissy flew in from Tampa to see me run. The NYC Marathon was Santa's event and she used to sit right out in front of her apartment on Bedford Avenue in BK and cheer on the runners. She passed away three years ago and Lissy asked me if I would write on my leg for her and of course I said Yes! On my right leg I wrote Happy BDAY SANTA RIP on my left leg I had I <3 MOMMY.
I went to sleep at around 9:30 p.m. on Halloween, which is not too bad since I am not a fan of Halloween. I was up again by 2:00 a.m. I was so excited I could not sleep! Of course I forced myself to go back to sleep. I set my alarm up for 4:15 because I wanted to make sure that I had enough time to apply the right amount of Body Glide to my body because on race day there is never too much Body Glide. Blondie and I ate our bananas and we were on the road. It was fun getting on the train at 5:00 a.m. ready to run the NYC Marathon when people were also getting on the train still in their costumes ready to go home and hit the sack. We got off at Times Square and then we saw them, the first group of runners heading downtown to catch the ferry. That was one major reason I signed up with Team For Kids - we had police escorted buses that took us to Staten Island, and that in itself was worth it all. As we all were excited about the run we were also so excited to be able to share this experience with one another. When we each joined the team we might have known one or two people max but now we have become real friends. There was a moment when I looked around the bus, and was so overwhelmed with emotions that I started to tear up. The bus trip was fun and as we hit the bridge we saw an Achilles Walker starting her marathon journey (she finished on Monday morning around 11:00 a.m.) Once we all settled in our little location we saw each of us go off in waves, we hugged our departing teammates and wished them the best of luck. When it came down to my wave, the third wave, I was ready. It was the normal crew and we got extra lucky because Coach B got to run with us. The NYC Marathon is truly the most amazing run ever. It exceeded any expectations I had and it was great seeing all my friends and family along the course with posters and cheering me on. I did it. I completed my marathon and I am officially hooked!
I have said it before... I never thought that I would get so much out of this experience. If anything I thought, ok I might meet new people, but nothing to the level it has become. I am so thankful for my TFK peeps! They are truly the most amazing people I have ever meet and I love them dearly. The weekend was a huge success! My mom came into town, Lissy and Tyriek surprised me, my friends came out in the boat loads to cheer me on and I completed my first marathon!!
I really would go into deep detail about the race…but let's be honest, I cant possibly describe what I felt during the run. It was………unbelievable, amazing, breath taking and so on! So, here is a list of my top moments.
1. At the start line they played Frank Sinatra's New York New York. I am not going to lie I teared up..EMOTIONAL.
2. I love Brooklyn!! Seeing my mom, friends and sorority sisters on Bedford Avenue, on Santa's Birthday…PRICELESS
3. Looking out to the front and seeing so many people with the same goal…WE WERE RUNNING THE CITY!!
4. 59th Street Bridge..a little hard but..see below
5. 1st Avenue was what I expected…BREATHTAKING.
6. Seeing my fellow teammates on the road…AMAZING.
7. The Bronx - we hit mile 20..Hit a wall? What wall?! My exact words at mile 20 were "We are doing the dam thing"!
8. Harlem welcomed me with open arms and so did Coach Asteria and Coach Sid.
9. Hearing all of New York City chant, yell and scream my name…indescribable!
10. Running into the park with only 3 miles to go…I already felt like I had accomplished my goal.
11. Seeing mile 26…tears!
12. Crossing the start and finish line with Melissa was the most amazing thing ever!!!
Saturday was great. I went to have lunch with Bianca and my mom and then, to my surprise, Lissy flew in from Tampa to see me run. The NYC Marathon was Santa's event and she used to sit right out in front of her apartment on Bedford Avenue in BK and cheer on the runners. She passed away three years ago and Lissy asked me if I would write on my leg for her and of course I said Yes! On my right leg I wrote Happy BDAY SANTA RIP on my left leg I had I <3 MOMMY.
I went to sleep at around 9:30 p.m. on Halloween, which is not too bad since I am not a fan of Halloween. I was up again by 2:00 a.m. I was so excited I could not sleep! Of course I forced myself to go back to sleep. I set my alarm up for 4:15 because I wanted to make sure that I had enough time to apply the right amount of Body Glide to my body because on race day there is never too much Body Glide. Blondie and I ate our bananas and we were on the road. It was fun getting on the train at 5:00 a.m. ready to run the NYC Marathon when people were also getting on the train still in their costumes ready to go home and hit the sack. We got off at Times Square and then we saw them, the first group of runners heading downtown to catch the ferry. That was one major reason I signed up with Team For Kids - we had police escorted buses that took us to Staten Island, and that in itself was worth it all. As we all were excited about the run we were also so excited to be able to share this experience with one another. When we each joined the team we might have known one or two people max but now we have become real friends. There was a moment when I looked around the bus, and was so overwhelmed with emotions that I started to tear up. The bus trip was fun and as we hit the bridge we saw an Achilles Walker starting her marathon journey (she finished on Monday morning around 11:00 a.m.) Once we all settled in our little location we saw each of us go off in waves, we hugged our departing teammates and wished them the best of luck. When it came down to my wave, the third wave, I was ready. It was the normal crew and we got extra lucky because Coach B got to run with us. The NYC Marathon is truly the most amazing run ever. It exceeded any expectations I had and it was great seeing all my friends and family along the course with posters and cheering me on. I did it. I completed my marathon and I am officially hooked!
I have said it before... I never thought that I would get so much out of this experience. If anything I thought, ok I might meet new people, but nothing to the level it has become. I am so thankful for my TFK peeps! They are truly the most amazing people I have ever meet and I love them dearly. The weekend was a huge success! My mom came into town, Lissy and Tyriek surprised me, my friends came out in the boat loads to cheer me on and I completed my first marathon!!
I really would go into deep detail about the race…but let's be honest, I cant possibly describe what I felt during the run. It was………unbelievable, amazing, breath taking and so on! So, here is a list of my top moments.
1. At the start line they played Frank Sinatra's New York New York. I am not going to lie I teared up..EMOTIONAL.
2. I love Brooklyn!! Seeing my mom, friends and sorority sisters on Bedford Avenue, on Santa's Birthday…PRICELESS
3. Looking out to the front and seeing so many people with the same goal…WE WERE RUNNING THE CITY!!
4. 59th Street Bridge..a little hard but..see below
5. 1st Avenue was what I expected…BREATHTAKING.
6. Seeing my fellow teammates on the road…AMAZING.
7. The Bronx - we hit mile 20..Hit a wall? What wall?! My exact words at mile 20 were "We are doing the dam thing"!
8. Harlem welcomed me with open arms and so did Coach Asteria and Coach Sid.
9. Hearing all of New York City chant, yell and scream my name…indescribable!
10. Running into the park with only 3 miles to go…I already felt like I had accomplished my goal.
11. Seeing mile 26…tears!
12. Crossing the start and finish line with Melissa was the most amazing thing ever!!!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body
This is what I am going to be telling myself when I hit the "wall" come Marathon Sunday. Although I have to wonder will I hit a wall? I will be running the NYC (FLIPPING) Marathon and I will have all eyes on me!
Lets be honest here I am an attention getter and per a certain ex male model (for real he really was) we will call him "E-Nice" he said that my partner in crime Vane and I are "Camera Whores"…I wont lie to we really are. Come on, who doesn’t love to pose for a camera? I know I do.
So will this wall come? When I ran the 20 miles I remember hitting a little wall at mile 18, but I was on running alone there were no spectators no one cheering my name (yes, I did put my name on my singlet). At mile 18 I will be one 1st Avenue just passed 86th street will 8 more miles to go. But again I will have all of NY cheering for me, and most importantly my mom will be there cheering me on and hopefully carrying my sign ( I was going to make one for her but my girl Kermit made me a dope one for the half so we are going to reuse it). On Tuesday we got together with Papo and he hooked up our jerseys please check out the pictures and let me know what you think.
Lets be honest here I am an attention getter and per a certain ex male model (for real he really was) we will call him "E-Nice" he said that my partner in crime Vane and I are "Camera Whores"…I wont lie to we really are. Come on, who doesn’t love to pose for a camera? I know I do.
So will this wall come? When I ran the 20 miles I remember hitting a little wall at mile 18, but I was on running alone there were no spectators no one cheering my name (yes, I did put my name on my singlet). At mile 18 I will be one 1st Avenue just passed 86th street will 8 more miles to go. But again I will have all of NY cheering for me, and most importantly my mom will be there cheering me on and hopefully carrying my sign ( I was going to make one for her but my girl Kermit made me a dope one for the half so we are going to reuse it). On Tuesday we got together with Papo and he hooked up our jerseys please check out the pictures and let me know what you think.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Quote.....Hello Finish Line. Goodbye Old Me.
This came to me today from my running buddy L.Simmons (heart her)! It is from the book "A Race Like No Other".
"Marathoners push themselves to the edge of insanity and exhaustion, because when they look back on those 26.2 miles, the view is profoundly satisfying. They see where they have been and what they have become. Distance running is a pastime uniquely suited to introspection. To run is to question why. To run the New York City marathon is to discover the answer."
I cannot wait to let you know what my answer is I really cannot wait to Run this Town via all 5 borough's. November 1st is right around the corner and I cannot explain what I am feeling right now.
One thing is for sure, Jay-Z was right in his song "Empire State of Mind" when Alicia Keys is singing:
"In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of There's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new Big lights will inspire you, let's hear it for New York, New York. One hand in the air for the big city. Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty. No place in the world that can compare. Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. "
"In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of There's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new Big lights will inspire you, let's hear it for New York, New York. One hand in the air for the big city. Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty. No place in the world that can compare. Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. "
Coach B has said that he is going to try to find me and run the last couple miles with me. We shall see...if he does I totally expect him to have this song playing the whole time we run together.
My heart is filled with so many emotions, my eyes begin to tear when I think about crossing the start line. Why the start line you ask? Because it has taken so much for me to get to the starting line. Crossing the finish line is going to be icing on the cake. This goal has been in my journal since 2003 and now in 2009 I am completing it and I could not have asked for a better time in my life to do it and I have had the best team in the world to do it with.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Good Morning Marathon Runners!!
The week is finally here. Marathon Week in NYC. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about this week and My Big Game Day..Sunday.
I have been part of my great and fabulous green team "Team For Kids" since June. That’s when my journey began with the goal to finish the marathon in under 5 hours. My target now, after all the training and the long runs, is 4 hours 45 minutes but I am aiming for 4:30…we shall see. Will you be there to watch me run across that finish line?
I remember showing up to my first practice and I reverted back to fifth grade thinking. Who do I talk to, will anyone talk to me? Then it happened, someone turned to me and said Hi and that changed everything. From that day on I kept meeting people, they turned into running friends who are now my really important people that I care about. The month of June changed my life and from that moment on it kept getting better and better. My running has improved and my friends are amazing. My favorite memory thus far is running the 20 miler from Brooklyn to the George Washington Bridge, I was running on my own and the "fast kids" passed me up but they encouraged me and told me I looked great and to keep going. The team feeling we all have is AWESOME! I love love my team!!
I am going to try to update this blog daily so I can try to explain to you how I am feeling but I think once Friday hits…that might be the last entry until Tuesday. I am off on Monday and my boss got me a massage on Monday which I am so excited about.
This past Sunday was Marathon Kick off. We started by participating in the Poland Springs 5 mile race and what an event. Because the Marathon falls on Nov 1st none of us get to dress up and party for Halloween, so we made this our Halloween Party. I dressed up with Steph, Vane, Blondie, Carly and Ally as JEM and the Holograms and of course two Misfits. I will admit that once we looked at our outfits we looked more like 80's aerobic instructors but we had a blast with it. We ran the fun run at a nice pace didn’t want to push it too much since it was a fun run, and the outfits we were wearing were not ideal running attire. As we ran the 5 miler, it was great to run with my friends and see how much we inspire each other. It is also funny because Vane kept yelling at us "Speedy's you're going too fast", so we pulled back, and we kept doing that the last two miles. The last mile our friends, the Running Fairy and her hubby Nacho, joined us and they, along with Jem (Steph), talked about the finish line at the NYC Marathon Finish line. I am not going to lie, I had goose bumps but when I saw the bleachers all ready and set up for next Sunday, I got a little teary eyed. I don’t even know the emotions that I am going to feel come Sunday at around 3:00 when I cross that finish line. I want to cross it with a smile on my face, on one hand I cannot wait for Marathon Sunday, I think it is going to be a blast to run from Staten Island to Central Park, but at the same time it makes me a little sad. Over the last five months I have made some of the best friends I could ever make and I don’t want to stop seeing them three to four times a week…I know, weird ha-ha. I don’t want to get too mushy, so here, enjoy some pictures from Sunday's run.
The Highlights:
Ren and Brian dressed up as Paige and Becky
Dimitri dressed up as Frank
Eric did awesome as Raul
Raul dressed up as Asteria
Dustin dressed up as Sid
The week is finally here. Marathon Week in NYC. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about this week and My Big Game Day..Sunday.
I have been part of my great and fabulous green team "Team For Kids" since June. That’s when my journey began with the goal to finish the marathon in under 5 hours. My target now, after all the training and the long runs, is 4 hours 45 minutes but I am aiming for 4:30…we shall see. Will you be there to watch me run across that finish line?
I remember showing up to my first practice and I reverted back to fifth grade thinking. Who do I talk to, will anyone talk to me? Then it happened, someone turned to me and said Hi and that changed everything. From that day on I kept meeting people, they turned into running friends who are now my really important people that I care about. The month of June changed my life and from that moment on it kept getting better and better. My running has improved and my friends are amazing. My favorite memory thus far is running the 20 miler from Brooklyn to the George Washington Bridge, I was running on my own and the "fast kids" passed me up but they encouraged me and told me I looked great and to keep going. The team feeling we all have is AWESOME! I love love my team!!
I am going to try to update this blog daily so I can try to explain to you how I am feeling but I think once Friday hits…that might be the last entry until Tuesday. I am off on Monday and my boss got me a massage on Monday which I am so excited about.
This past Sunday was Marathon Kick off. We started by participating in the Poland Springs 5 mile race and what an event. Because the Marathon falls on Nov 1st none of us get to dress up and party for Halloween, so we made this our Halloween Party. I dressed up with Steph, Vane, Blondie, Carly and Ally as JEM and the Holograms and of course two Misfits. I will admit that once we looked at our outfits we looked more like 80's aerobic instructors but we had a blast with it. We ran the fun run at a nice pace didn’t want to push it too much since it was a fun run, and the outfits we were wearing were not ideal running attire. As we ran the 5 miler, it was great to run with my friends and see how much we inspire each other. It is also funny because Vane kept yelling at us "Speedy's you're going too fast", so we pulled back, and we kept doing that the last two miles. The last mile our friends, the Running Fairy and her hubby Nacho, joined us and they, along with Jem (Steph), talked about the finish line at the NYC Marathon Finish line. I am not going to lie, I had goose bumps but when I saw the bleachers all ready and set up for next Sunday, I got a little teary eyed. I don’t even know the emotions that I am going to feel come Sunday at around 3:00 when I cross that finish line. I want to cross it with a smile on my face, on one hand I cannot wait for Marathon Sunday, I think it is going to be a blast to run from Staten Island to Central Park, but at the same time it makes me a little sad. Over the last five months I have made some of the best friends I could ever make and I don’t want to stop seeing them three to four times a week…I know, weird ha-ha. I don’t want to get too mushy, so here, enjoy some pictures from Sunday's run.
The Highlights:
Ren and Brian dressed up as Paige and Becky
Dimitri dressed up as Frank
Eric did awesome as Raul
Raul dressed up as Asteria
Dustin dressed up as Sid
Enjoy the pictures!
Thank you again for all your help and support. I cant believe its almost here…. Five days! Five days!
Also Blondie, Vane, Steph and Carly stopped at Union Square to take pictures with all the signs of the Asics ad check them out too! :)
Thank you again for all your help and support. I cant believe its almost here…. Five days! Five days!
Also Blondie, Vane, Steph and Carly stopped at Union Square to take pictures with all the signs of the Asics ad check them out too! :)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
TFK's Last Long Run
This past Saturday was our last long run. We did 11 miles all on the Bridal Path in Central Park. It was a cold day but I had to run in shorts because that is what I am running the marathon in, so I wanted to get used to feeling the cold.
My running partner Melissa was there and we started with Coach Sid's group. We ran with his group because we love him. He is such an inspiration. I still cannot believe that he is 72 years old and he is in such wonderful shape and can beat us all in a long run or a sprint.
It was about 8:00 a.m. when my group started out, and as we ran up to Tavern on the Green we saw the set up….the set up for the Marathon. OMG it is really happing! I was so excited to see the stands and the trailers that were there all in preparation for our big day!
As we ran, Melissa and I couldn’t help but laugh because we both couldn’t believe that this run was only 11 miles…I say this because I remember when 6 miles was a long run. As we continued and made our laps around the Bridal Path and then two more laps on the reservoir, it hit me….this is our last long run.
No more getting up early on Saturdays. No more "guilt-free brunches" after our run. This was it. We only had the marathon to go. As I did my final lap and then saw our coaches, I was a little sad. The marathon was a goal for me. It was a way for me to lose weight and at the same time reach a goal. Now I feel that after November 1st I might lose touch with people that I now consider as close as family. I have learned so much from so many people on the team and in a way, I don’t want the training to end. I have a list of memories that I have from some of my teammates and coaches:
Coach Sid: "All for one and one for all", you have made my marathon training awesome thank you for everything.
Coach Brian: Thanks for pushing us to be faster, taking random pictures of us running and of course, encouraging us to do more marathons.
TFK staff: Thank you, thank you for always watching our stuff and bringing us water/Gatorade. Eric,Michael, Glen and of course Frank - thank you, thank you!
Our Friday Night Dinner & Saturday Brunch crew: We have shared a lot over the last five months and I have loved every minute of it! I cant wait to see where this experience takes us. I know for some we are already on our way to Paris.
Thank you, thank you for everything. I cherish each and every one of you.
To all my friends that have supported me throughout these five months that I have been MIA, you are all amazing. My true friends have stuck around and I appreciate you putting up with me and my never ending talks about the marathon. I am so excited about marathon Sunday and now with only 11 days to go…. I can't wait!!!
MM
My running partner Melissa was there and we started with Coach Sid's group. We ran with his group because we love him. He is such an inspiration. I still cannot believe that he is 72 years old and he is in such wonderful shape and can beat us all in a long run or a sprint.
It was about 8:00 a.m. when my group started out, and as we ran up to Tavern on the Green we saw the set up….the set up for the Marathon. OMG it is really happing! I was so excited to see the stands and the trailers that were there all in preparation for our big day!
As we ran, Melissa and I couldn’t help but laugh because we both couldn’t believe that this run was only 11 miles…I say this because I remember when 6 miles was a long run. As we continued and made our laps around the Bridal Path and then two more laps on the reservoir, it hit me….this is our last long run.
No more getting up early on Saturdays. No more "guilt-free brunches" after our run. This was it. We only had the marathon to go. As I did my final lap and then saw our coaches, I was a little sad. The marathon was a goal for me. It was a way for me to lose weight and at the same time reach a goal. Now I feel that after November 1st I might lose touch with people that I now consider as close as family. I have learned so much from so many people on the team and in a way, I don’t want the training to end. I have a list of memories that I have from some of my teammates and coaches:
Coach Sid: "All for one and one for all", you have made my marathon training awesome thank you for everything.
Coach Brian: Thanks for pushing us to be faster, taking random pictures of us running and of course, encouraging us to do more marathons.
TFK staff: Thank you, thank you for always watching our stuff and bringing us water/Gatorade. Eric,Michael, Glen and of course Frank - thank you, thank you!
Our Friday Night Dinner & Saturday Brunch crew: We have shared a lot over the last five months and I have loved every minute of it! I cant wait to see where this experience takes us. I know for some we are already on our way to Paris.
Thank you, thank you for everything. I cherish each and every one of you.
To all my friends that have supported me throughout these five months that I have been MIA, you are all amazing. My true friends have stuck around and I appreciate you putting up with me and my never ending talks about the marathon. I am so excited about marathon Sunday and now with only 11 days to go…. I can't wait!!!
MM
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