tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50744719977310143912024-02-07T19:14:45.062-05:00My Marathon MommyRun Mommy Run!marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-40060071079623133782011-08-23T21:01:00.004-04:002011-08-23T21:15:54.152-04:00Long time, No write!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5pYousDNsd4zpUGltX7G7djc1_t5l_lFKUt2E4wXD5pIvuSJkNRNp2GtrK5QPAFIp9k9-5s45rlPsELuw9wp43nQmJOdldP7_qbMNR45duNughRx_tGN1_uR4wWAvodHx9xDo5smaeY/s1600/DSCN5575.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5pYousDNsd4zpUGltX7G7djc1_t5l_lFKUt2E4wXD5pIvuSJkNRNp2GtrK5QPAFIp9k9-5s45rlPsELuw9wp43nQmJOdldP7_qbMNR45duNughRx_tGN1_uR4wWAvodHx9xDo5smaeY/s200/DSCN5575.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644224685369171378" border="0" /></a>
<br />WOW it's been since 2009 that I last wrote? Shame on me! So much has happened in this time, where do I begin? Well since this blog was born with a newfound passion for distance running, let's recap what has happened since that first marathon in January 2009!
<br />
<br />* Have since run 2 additional full marathons, Delaware in May 2010 with a time of 4:27, and Disney in January 2011 with a very nice PR of 4:08. Delaware was a disaster of epic proportions, but I despite many problems I still managed to hobble across the finish line with a better time than previous. Disney '11 was amazing... a strong and memorable race to which I can truly say I enjoyed tremendously.
<br />
<br />* Have run several half marathons, including the Disney Princess in 2010, setting a new PR of 1:46, and followed that up at Gasparilla 2011 with a time of 1:48.
<br />
<br />* Started swimming! Took a real swim lesson and have been working very hard to perfect this very difficult and technical sport so I can move onto my next athletic challenge... triathlons!
<br />
<br />All training will be put on temporary hold for new life circumstances... more details to follow! :0
<br />
<br />Anthony is now 4 and in pre-K. He is a smart, handsome, polite, and amazing boy. I am so lucky to have him! He always makes me smile, and his hugs and kisses are the best parts of my days. The pic is of me and my boy at Adam's sister's wedding this summer... what a suave little man!
<br />
<br />
<br />marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-7649622894855112222009-05-12T14:54:00.004-04:002009-05-12T15:11:11.682-04:00Anthony's First Disney Trip!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRxSXehYL5M1bgj2b817BQD6GOfhjghHEQVS6yPtFdgCjhoUGLHr9O6IvOaqp5Z22S5p3WmNYJQKrECIRshMZV5AM0Yo16BwgvRNc1Y13VZ4GLA5W41ik5_y0ob1AR2tFWpozjjO3ytw/s1600-h/100_1176.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRxSXehYL5M1bgj2b817BQD6GOfhjghHEQVS6yPtFdgCjhoUGLHr9O6IvOaqp5Z22S5p3WmNYJQKrECIRshMZV5AM0Yo16BwgvRNc1Y13VZ4GLA5W41ik5_y0ob1AR2tFWpozjjO3ytw/s320/100_1176.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335017014760267122" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxM0e7MLWNToWq4LhF4poYSBIuoxsw9G5nx3eS6bc4dsWTBG90S3VuaGj5ncBpjTH9L8OmSRJZtKk0_EaxaOeFsfBfMzhyBGrJXeLshKbjtzVKSXRiPuAuDvJHJw4kwdYF57WJ_C-TV_k/s1600-h/100_1136.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxM0e7MLWNToWq4LhF4poYSBIuoxsw9G5nx3eS6bc4dsWTBG90S3VuaGj5ncBpjTH9L8OmSRJZtKk0_EaxaOeFsfBfMzhyBGrJXeLshKbjtzVKSXRiPuAuDvJHJw4kwdYF57WJ_C-TV_k/s320/100_1136.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335013848251390594" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We're going to Disney World!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">Anthony has passed an important milestone in a child's life... his first trip to Disney World! We took him to the Animal Kingdom with MiMi for Mother's Day. It was a surprise for MiMi. Somehow Sheramy, Adam, Dad, and I managed to keep it a secret for a couple of months. We had MiMi convinced we were taking her to the beach for the day. I videoed Anthony saying "we're going to Disneyworld!" for her and we surprised her the night before the trip by showing her the video. As she said, it was one of the greatest surprises of her life!<br /><br />We had a great time. Anthony was dazzled by everything about the Animal Kingdom, especially the big African drums! He spent two 20 minute sessions doing nothing but running from drum to drum, excitedly pounding away. He even got his own souvenior drum that MiMi bought him, luckily a lot smaller than the ones in the picture! At one point he got a drum show from two teenage boys who brought their own sticks and were there to dazzle the crowd. He continued to pound in awe, watching as they drummed. Later in the day, MiMi took him to watch a street band performance while Sheramy and I rode Everest (p.s.-- yes Sheramy got on a roller coaster. No, she didn't like it!) Apparently they just sat and watched the band for about 10 minutes, then the drummer was so impressed by Anthony's interest that he gave him his own sticks! Anthony has his own pair of "real" drummer's sticks which he calls his "d-sticks".<br /><br />When we first arrived he said "WOW! Jungle!" as we passed through the gates. He couldn't have been on better behavior. The whole day he watched, participated, played, and never once got fussy or cried. We took him on the animal safari ride, and on the train. I also took him to the 3D movie "It's a Bug's Life", but unfortunately we only spent about a minute in the theater before the 3D images frightened him and we had to leave. I felt so guilty (still do actually) because the last two days he'll randomly tell me (or someone else) that the movie was "so scary" and he "doesn't like the spider". I hate to think the image of the giant spider is replaying in his head! Though I'm sure I haven't scarred him for life I hate that he had his first scary experience.<br /><br />We watched the parade and left the park a few minutes before it closed. He missed his nap but stayed awake the entire day, finally falling asleep for a little bit on the way back to our cabin at Fort Wilderness. I couldn't believe how good he was! It was a very special experience taking him to Disney for the first time. We're saving the Magic Kingdom though for when he's a little older and will remember the experience. What a fantastic Mother's Day!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-46773861024687885642009-04-20T14:17:00.003-04:002009-04-20T14:28:50.727-04:00Still running... though much less!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN84pF2BdxuR1unF7-mCKz3u_CGltzsvJ82dYu1CPNC9zcCmoiXE8XN9ypEWgXBRIrNBPRRx60Ai8CoBPJJiwWNk507R1ko27bRPSDJzSUe7J1ko1OVNsDQB2YWCdlCwVqjjb46kGpukQ/s1600-h/DSCN3596.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN84pF2BdxuR1unF7-mCKz3u_CGltzsvJ82dYu1CPNC9zcCmoiXE8XN9ypEWgXBRIrNBPRRx60Ai8CoBPJJiwWNk507R1ko27bRPSDJzSUe7J1ko1OVNsDQB2YWCdlCwVqjjb46kGpukQ/s320/DSCN3596.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326841454063956482" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Anthony dazzles the crowd at Holmes Beach</span><br /><br />I realized it's time to change my blog picture and header information three months after the marathon is over! Hey, I have priorities with my free time, ok? It's hard to believe after all the hard work the marathon came and went. No more 40 miles-a-week training; I'm back down to running a comfortable 15 miles or so a week. That is combined with my part-time work as a fitness instructor, where I'm teaching classes about 10 hours per week-- yoga, pilates, body sculpting, and soon, Les Mills Body Pump! I went through the intensive 3 day training last month and starting next week, I'll be team teaching with an experienced Pump instructor. Teaching classes is a great part time gig that I love, and that allows me to spend more time with Anthony. I've started studying to take the Personal Trainer certification exam later this year so I can broaden my career scope while still remaining in the fitness industry. I know now this is exactly what I'm supposed to do. Running wise, I don't know what my next goal will be because a long, hot summer is approaching and we may decide to get pregnant before the year is up. I'll just stick with my 15-20 mile weeks and just see how it goes.<br /><br />This past weekend we took Anthony to the beach-- the real beach, not that little crappy one near our house. He had a blast. This year he's not afraid of the water like he was last, so even though it was chilly he loved shuffling his feet around the waves. We had a moment of crisis when he missed a uneven spot in the sand and went face-first into the water... he was none to thrilled about that but he handled it well. The best part was watching him attract an audience with his uncanny drumming ability. I should've set out a separate bucket for him to catch spare change! Some kids on a nearby blanket donated their sand buckets to his cause, and before long he had a full bucket spread. With his beach hat and sunglasses, he looked like a Coral Reefer in training!<br /><br />Everyday I'm amazed more as his vocabulary increases and he learns more about the world around him. He speaks in phrases and sometimes full sentences now, and has a very good handle on asking for what he wants. It's nice also he can tell us when something's wrong or hurts, though he still hasn't grown out of the whining phase yet, unfortunately. He's also very affectionate now, and has just learned to say "I love you!" Talk about making a mommy's heart melt!<br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-36559021294059851472009-03-20T13:01:00.002-04:002009-03-20T13:15:00.524-04:00Anthony's 2nd Birthday!<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Well it's been a busy week in the DiMuzio household. We had Anthony's 2nd birthday celebration... twice. Last Saturday we had a party at the park for him and his friends. It was a great time, beautiful weather, and all his favorite friends came. We decided to make this birthday very low key. Last year I found planning a party with all the whistles and bells just more stressful than it was worth for me, so this time we only got a cake and refreshments, and other than that it was just a day at the park! The cutest thing was when Daisy arrived. Daisy, as everyone knows, is Anthony's little girlfriend. I had told him she would be there but Daisy's parents were running a little late, so when we first got there Anthony walked around looking for her. She arrived about 15 minutes later, and as soon as they saw each other it was like something out of a movie. They giggled and screamed and ran together to hug. Anthony's mood went from blah to elated-- apparently it wasn't a party until Daisy arrived!<br /><br />This past Wednesday, March 18th, was Anthony's actual birthday. Adam went up to Atlanta the day before so unfortunately he wasn't home for it. I tried to make the day as special as possible for my big boy. I made him banana pancakes in the morning, then later on I had to teach a class at the gym so he went to the gym's childcare. I bought him a smoothie from the smoothie bar afterwards, which he absolutely loved. In the afternoon Auntie Sheramy came over and we took Anthony to EG Simmons Park. He must've been hungry because he whined the majority of the time we were there. After we went to Qdoba for dinner, his favorite place, and he chowed down on rice and beans. When we got back home he was running around, crazy silly... amazing what a little food can do! I try to tell him this but he insists on toddler anorexia.<br /><br />He even took his very first pee-pee in his potty that night! What a milestone for his 2nd birthday. I've tricked him into sitting on his potty by showing him pictures on the camera while he sits on it. That night we were looking at the pictures as usual, and then he just started peeing! I freaked out (excitedly) of course and tried to help him tuck it in so pee wouldn't get all over the floor. Anthony just thought the whole process was hilarious... he just laughed and laughed. Sheramy and I made a very big deal of course out of his first pee-pee in the potty!<br /><br />Thursday we had our biggest event of all: Anthony's first plane ride! I was super nervous about it, but everything turned out great. Anthony was such a little angel on the plane. he did not fuss, he did not whine, he just sat in his own seat like a big boy and enjoyed the ride. We had plenty of entertainment, of course, including books, letters, and his portable DVD player. I had business class vouchers so we got unlimited apple juice and coffee. I decided business class is the only way to fly. Too bad I usually can't afford it! We arrived in Atlanta for Grandma Chris's 65th birthday party this weekend. Anthony was very excited to see all of his Atlanta people.<br /><br />It's amazing to me that my boy has grown so much! He's such a handsome, happy, and smart child. I'm so proud of him and everything he does. Hard to believe that just two years ago I was struggling to figure out which end was up, literally! Everyone in our little family has come a very long way!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-74112692501308354612009-03-03T14:44:00.003-05:002009-03-03T14:53:19.182-05:00I did it... again!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiV8Txe5kPYQavhkI1-612gvQlOLeNUxZU7H-tVELnlLlcu306v9YNge94EV7lfEtfovTJzUyGjdBPz4rK9yFsQKk96gCkRwLEzkTBGLK_Rqj-0uQP44-sNAIw-opPGcyKVUUy9DddlGo/s1600-h/5K+2009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiV8Txe5kPYQavhkI1-612gvQlOLeNUxZU7H-tVELnlLlcu306v9YNge94EV7lfEtfovTJzUyGjdBPz4rK9yFsQKk96gCkRwLEzkTBGLK_Rqj-0uQP44-sNAIw-opPGcyKVUUy9DddlGo/s320/5K+2009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309051889962668434" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Nothing like making a big goal and achieving it! I'm so addicted to road races because I just love the anticipation and the training of setting a goal and meeting it. I made my under 2 hour goal for the Gasparilla half marathon.... finishing in 1 hour, 56 minutes, and 45 seconds. It was a hell of a run. I could tell as soon as we started out that as long as I could pace myself in the beginning, I'd be able to turn it loose after mile 3 and hold the pace until the finish. It was warm and humid that morning with the threat of rain, but it held off until mile 12. The last mile I ran through a pretty decent downpour, but it felt pretty good at that point and I wasn't about to let a little rain slow me down! It was also very windy that morning. Around mile 7, the course turned straight on into the wind for three straight miles, like running into a brick wall! We turned the corner and headed back the other direction with the wind at our backs for the rest of the race though after mile 10. My greatest achievement in this race was catching up to Adam's friend Jon just after mile 10. Jon is a fast runner--he left us behind very early on, but as my pace increased over the distance I saw him ahead and on mile 9 and knew I had to catch him. I ran up alongside him, said hi, and the look on his face of sheer amazement that I had caught up to him was priceless! He paced ahead of me for the duration of the race and beat me by about 25 seconds, but it was well worth it just to catch up with him at all. At the super bowl party at his house I had told him one of my goals was to catch up with him at some point, not thinking I'd actually do it.<br /><br />5 K pre-race pic above...<br /><br />The 5K was fun too, though I'll take the wind and rain over the heat of that morning! My girls did great, they all finished strong and had a great time. We intended to stay together but with 8500 people running it was impossible. I lost them all early on, then just picked up the pace to the end. I finished in 0:28:44, a little slower than my half marathon time, but not surprising considering the size of the crowd.<br /><br />Looking ahead to March 15th... a small community 10K race. It'll be less hooplah than Gasparilla or Disney but should be fun none the less. Shooting for less than 54 minutes on that one...!<br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-18867440758601906752009-02-24T14:18:00.002-05:002009-02-24T14:31:44.386-05:00First 5K for my girls!<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Well it's been awhile since I've posted but I've been working like a fiend on my first great American novel, so blogging has taken a back seat. Besides, with the marathon over, though I'm still running I've shifted my focus more to my teaching. I've taken on almost 10 classes a week, teaching yoga and pilates, and I'm happy finding my with that. When I decided to do the marathon, a big part of it was because I felt so empty and unmotivated in my work, and I needed something to get me excited again. Now, every day I get to teach is exciting.<br /><br />Anyhoo... I did have running news that I wanted to blog about. The Gasparilla distance classic is this weekend (!) and I'm signed up to run the half marathon with Adam on Sunday and the 5K with three of my former students from Baby Boot Camp on Saturday. I'm super excited for the 5K because this is the first race ever for two of them, and the other one has only run a small community 5K and has never been a part of a big road race before. I feel like a proud mama because it was me that motivated and encouraged them to do it, though they had never run before. I've watched these women evolve from new moms frustrated with their baby weight to healthy, active moms who are trained to run a 5K race. They're all so excited to run on Saturday, and we're even making plans to go to the fitness expo together on Friday. I remember the my first 5K-- this very same race 4 years ago-- and little did I know then how it would become so addicting to me and pave the way for the marathon I just completed. I love knowing that I've helped others get excited about running the same way I did. They're even bringing their families to watch them cross the finish line of their very first race! I'm so proud to be sharing in that moment with them.<br /><br />As for me and Adam, we're still shooting to finish the half marathon in 2 hours or less on Sunday. I don't know if it'll happen for me or not. My training has been spotty on the time goals, I've run 6-7 at the needed race pace or faster, but I've struggled to keep it up for longer. My best training run has been a 9 miler at a 9:15 pace and a 12 miler at a 9:20 pace. Neither is good enough to make a 2 hour or less half marathon, but I'm hoping race day excitement and motivation will help propel me along. I decided NOT to wear the GPS watch... I've found obsessing about the time is putting a damper on my running and I really just want to enjoy this race, especially since it will likely be my last half marathon until the fall (or later, if we decide to get pregnant again over the summer!) I want to focus only on running a good race and if it happens in 2 hours or less, that's all the better.<br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-40232778607436469332009-01-25T13:05:00.004-05:002009-01-25T13:08:18.801-05:00Pictures of Anthony, Ladies' Man<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsTnJoAqkbT4S3SyEE_D_C-Gz5IsU0EP9013OnJMPVpP8wyaVgHrSwPzXw2OFMcAz1lvUQK7XeFe73qsIO4d9z4d1rvRGa1I0VjqC7rv4Qzy1MeMjneaUOqnk-7RHeHdcStAjhM489bY/s1600-h/DSCN3411.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsTnJoAqkbT4S3SyEE_D_C-Gz5IsU0EP9013OnJMPVpP8wyaVgHrSwPzXw2OFMcAz1lvUQK7XeFe73qsIO4d9z4d1rvRGa1I0VjqC7rv4Qzy1MeMjneaUOqnk-7RHeHdcStAjhM489bY/s320/DSCN3411.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295294553838126578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMkyzs_cW7TDy2tKri-DMb1LUxkfdZd4nsyabsL1V1GTZ8lTjZjsuFqLlrh0laGZnXdYUz_bZXM70BTgkxMEohK6HTvc4W_qQQiYobfsxS8q-00POei1NgGlU9oB0EB9iCmv71OFE_Gk/s1600-h/DSCN3412.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMkyzs_cW7TDy2tKri-DMb1LUxkfdZd4nsyabsL1V1GTZ8lTjZjsuFqLlrh0laGZnXdYUz_bZXM70BTgkxMEohK6HTvc4W_qQQiYobfsxS8q-00POei1NgGlU9oB0EB9iCmv71OFE_Gk/s320/DSCN3412.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295294275184554242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anthony introducing himself to Layla...<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You got me on my knees, Layla... I'm begging darlin' please Layla...</span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-29462081881153291652009-01-25T13:01:00.003-05:002009-01-25T13:04:51.147-05:00Training for Half Marathon<div style="text-align: left; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Well two massages later I think my recovery from the marathon is complete. I took a 3 day hiatus from running and was pretty much chomping at the bit by the third day. I'm back at it in full swing now, but thankfully, only doing half the mileage I did in marathon training. Right now I'm working on speed as it is mine and Adam's goal to break 2 hours the Gasparilla half marathon, which is scheduled for March 1st. At the Atlanta half on Thanksgiving I finished in 2:04. My goal then was 2:10, and if I'd had any idea I was that close I would've picked up the pace, to say the least! I'm getting another crack at it though and the focus of my training for the next month will be consistently running 9:00-9:10/min miles. I ran 10 yesterday at a 9:05 average pace, plus I'm running on shoes that need to be replaced. I'm waiting until a week or two before the race to buy new ones because I know how I can fly on new shoes.<br /></div><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br />I saw Auntie Chiara posted some pics from our marathon weekend on her blog (thank you for that!) I want to add a few along with a story that needs to be immortalized. My son, always the ladies' man, saw a little girl that caught his eye while we were waiting for dinner at Downtown Disney. She was probably three, maybe four, and quite a little cutie with a headful of blonde curls. Anthony immediately chased her down and threw his arms around her in a hug, and even shook her hand! Both families just cracked up at the spectacle, and Anthony did not want to let her go when it was time for her family to move on. Her name was Layla.<br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-58450741812709120682009-01-12T20:11:00.003-05:002009-01-12T20:37:42.509-05:00I DID IT!<div id="prp_clock" align="center"><img src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_4.gif" alt="4" /><img src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_58.gif" alt=":" /><img src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_4.gif" alt="4" /><img src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_3.gif" alt="3" /><img src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_58.gif" alt=":" /><img src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_3.gif" alt="3" /><img src="http://results.active.com/images/a2/clock/digit_2.gif" alt="2" /></div><table summary="Race Results for CHANTEL DIMUZIO" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="title">Distance</td><td>MAR</td></tr><tr><td class="title">Clock Time</td><td>4:56:02</td></tr><tr><td class="title">Chip Time</td><td>4:43:32</td></tr><tr><td class="title">Overall Place</td><td>5378 / 14940</td></tr><tr><td class="title">Gender Place</td><td>1855 / 7139</td></tr><tr><td class="title">Division Place</td><td>322 / 1166</td></tr><tr><td class="title">Age Grade</td><td>47.8%</td></tr><tr><td class="title"> 5 Mile</td><td>57:09</td></tr><tr><td class="title"> 10 Mile</td><td>1:47:29</td></tr><tr><td class="title">Half Split</td><td>2:19:35</td></tr><tr><td class="title"> 20 Mile</td><td>3:33:43</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">I did it! I did it! I did it! I did it!<br /><br />I ran the 2009 Disney Marathon yesterday. I don't know how to exactly describe the experience, other than saying it was unforgettable. It's hard to articulate the mass of physical and mental thoughts and feelings you get when running 26.2 miles for the first time. Friday and Saturday nights, there was nervousness and anxiousness. Sunday morning, as I got up at 3:20am to start getting ready, I felt completely super-charged. As the fireworks and starting gun went off, and we waited in the very large pack slowly moving towards the start line like a heard of cattle, I felt like a very small fish swimming towards an ocean.<br /><br />Around mile 4, the very tight pack started to break up, and I felt relieved.<br /><br />By mile 6, I had found my "sweet spot", my groove, and lipsynched along to my favorite songs as I coasted along.<br /><br />Mile 9 brought the entrance in to the Magic Kingdom, and a somewhat emotional moment rounding the corner and heading down Main Street USA, the Cinderella Castle in front of me, the streets lined with cheering spectators. I thought about my first trip to Disney World at age 5, which I vividly remember, plus the photograph capturing the moment in time when I first saw Cinderella's Castle. Would've never dreamed I'd someday be running a marathon through those same streets!<br /><br />Miles 12-16 were sheer boredom down the long, uneventful road between the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom. Interest in this stretch was brought by Erin's need to pee and our decision to duck in the woods rather than wait in a port-a-potty line (No, I didn't have any toilet paper and I haven't squatted in the woods in about 10 years!)<br /><br />By mile 17, we were entering the Animal Kingdom, and I could see the proverbial wall looming ahead of me as I started to tire. I enjoyed running through the Animal Kingdom, but was distracted by the 8 miles that remained.<br /><br />By mile 19, I had smacked right into that imaginary wall and with legs of fire, continued to press forward, becoming annoyed by the fact that Erin remained a good 5-10 paces ahead of me at any given moment.<br /><br />Mile 20-- thrilled to be within a 10K of the finish line but felt a little worried, knowing I had never run above 20 miles before and didn't know what this No-Man's Land would be like. By this point everything below the waist was really hurting, my hips, my knees, my ankles, how could I possibly keep this up for 6 more miles?<br /><br />Mile 21... WTF?!... the route had us run half a mile straight down the road and then double back. They couldn't make up another mile somewhere else other than that?!<br /><br />At Mile 22, Erin was still ahead of me and I was getting even more irritated that she didn't seem nearly as tired as me or all the people around us. If anything, she was speeding up. WTF?! Where the heck did this super-girl come from?<br /><br />I don't remember any of Mile 23. I think I blocked it out.<br /><br />Mile 24. Erin glanced back at me from the more than 20 paces she had gotten ahead. I waived her down frantically, and when she slowed to allow me to catch up, I snapped at her: "I thought we could at least two the last two miles <span style="font-style: italic;">together"</span>. Yeah, I was exhausted, in terrible pain, and pissed as hell that she was still bouncing around like the g.d. energizer bunny while myself and everyone around us fell apart at the seams. What kind of crack did she smoke that morning to get that superhuman resolve?<br /><br />Mile 25. Ran through the World Showcase of EPCOT center, wondering when the hell EPCOT got so big. No longer appreciated the crowds of cheering spectators, and wished I could smack the next person that said <span style="font-style: italic;">Almost there! </span>or <span style="font-style: italic;">The finish line is just around the corner!</span> REALLY wish I could smack Erin when she asks, "Are you able to run a little faster?" NO, you psycho, I'm NOT!<br /><br />Mile 26. Tears.<br /><br />Rounding the corner, I could see the finish line and began scanning the massive crowd lining the road, hoping my family was able to secure a good spot to see me finish. Right as we approached the finish line, I grabbed Erin's hand and we raised them up for the camera, hoping to get the million dollar shot for the photographers as our time chips beeped, signaling the torture to finally be over! Suddenly I spotted Sheramy and my dad in the crowd-- I don't know if it was delirium but I never did see my mom, Adam, or Anthony, though they were right beside Sheramy. I started to worry something was wrong.<br /><br />I tried to stretch as best I could so I wouldn't get stiff, but when you're that exhausted it's hard to even stand up. I wobbled over to the family reunion area to meet my posse, happy to hear mom, Adam, and Anthony did see me finish, though I didn't see them. Erin immediately started talking about when she wants to run her next one, and I told her she was on her own.<br /><br />Will I ever do another marathon? I don't know. It's an experience like no other, and you only do your first one once. I get the same thrill from half marathons with only half the training and pain afterwards. But... there is a challenge out there I will need to tackle sometime in the future, and I only started thinking of it because it really annoyed me there was something bigger and better than what I had achieved, and it was right under my nose the whole time.<br /><br />The Goofy Challenge.<br /><br />Am I goofy enough to even contemplate it? I've been accused of worse!<br /><br />For now I'll just focus on my next challenge, and one that hopefully will allow me to walk normally the next day... Gasparilla Half Marathon, March 1st, 2009, which Adam and I will run together and will attempt to break 2 hours.<br /><br />It's nice to always have a goal to work towards!<br /><br />In health,<br />My Marathon Mommy<br /><br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-81778374445521407492009-01-08T13:17:00.002-05:002009-01-08T13:22:10.213-05:00The 2DW officially begins!<span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">After my Pilates class this morning, I jumped on the treadmill to do a quick and easy two miles, the last of my training. As of now marathon training is officially OVER and the 2DW begins! I can't say I feel nervous exactly-- more anxious. I know I've done everything I could do to this point, and I can just hope all that training pays off in a great run. I'm feeling much better about the weather forecast today. They're now calling for cloudy skies and a low of 45, high of 67. That is ideal running weather. Earlier this week it was supposed to be sunny and 75, which would've made it way too warm for a comfortable run. Let's hope the current forecast holds and we have grey skies and a nice comfortably cool temp.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-56286744503579547842009-01-07T21:52:00.002-05:002009-01-07T22:01:46.458-05:00In the 2DW<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">When you're trying to conceive, they call the two week wait between ovulation and Aunt Flo the "2WW" (2 week wait). When you're training for a marathon, the training plan tapers you down for three weeks following the big 20 mile run, and the week before the race is very light-- a 3 mile, a 4 mile, and a 2 mile run, then two days of complete rest before the race. Tomorrow, I do the ridiculously easy 2 mile run, and then.... nothing. I'll be in the 2DW (two day wait). No cross training, no jogging, nada. Just two full days of rest to help my body rest and get ready for Sunday. After tomorrow, the training is officially over.<br /><br />I am relieved to not be anchored down to an extensive training schedule anymore but at the same time, it's become such a part of my routine that it will be really weird not to have it. It's not like I'm going to stop running-- we already have two half marathons planned in March-- but I've run halfs before, and will be very well conditioned for those races and won't have to put a lot of extensive training into preparing for those.<br /><br />Will I run another marathon? Honestly, I don't know. There's been so much put time and effort put into this that I'm not sure I'd want to do it all again. But, I haven't run the race yet, haven't felt the excitement of the crowd or the exhilaration of crossing the finish line, so I may change my mind over time, who knows. But, you only run your first marathon once, so even if I do run another one in the future, it won't be like this first time. I'm planning to enjoy every moment of it!<br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-21909384109923910032009-01-05T12:53:00.002-05:002009-01-05T13:03:37.896-05:00Less than a week to go!<span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">I can't believe it's less than a week until the marathon! I started planning for this very shortly after completing the half marathon last year, and here I am, about to embark on the great journey! Lots of things to worry about this week--drinking plenty of water, getting my fruits and veggies in (especially my Vit. C!), not getting a last minute injury, and staying healthy. My parents arrive on Thursday, and Saturday together with them and Sheramy, Anthony, Adam, and I will head to Orlando. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">One thing I did this past week was ask my family and close friends for song suggestions for my iPod. I wanted a little piece of all my favorite people with me as run the long road, so that when I'm feeling the most tired and defeated, I'll remember the people I love to propel me through. I'm even going to put one of Anthony's favorite songs on there-- "Calling All Movers" by the Imagination Movers. That song makes me laugh because I think of him running around like crazy whenever it comes on. I'll think of him, and Adam, and my family waiting for me on the other end of the 26.2, and that will help me run like Forrest Gump!<br /><br />On a side note, Adam just pulled Biscotti from where she was hanging on the screen of our porch. Last night we saw "Marley and Me" in the theater, the story of "the world's worst dog". Now, in our best Owen Wilson voices, we call Miss Scotti "the world's worst cat".<br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-6681178977338499732008-12-31T12:28:00.003-05:002008-12-31T12:32:17.624-05:00To Bill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FyPmUAWVS-dusmaeCWrf9JBUaPpGe-wSxQ38eXJOjKxP2ZQNL6xcfPjUOJ8CcrtG_ytllHhmI26WiB8beVeCKnSxzcYeVcN37tXkcLv32PIFf9VQkKsHlp-SGezoReQt_TRWiH3Ljls/s1600-h/Dad+Picture.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FyPmUAWVS-dusmaeCWrf9JBUaPpGe-wSxQ38eXJOjKxP2ZQNL6xcfPjUOJ8CcrtG_ytllHhmI26WiB8beVeCKnSxzcYeVcN37tXkcLv32PIFf9VQkKsHlp-SGezoReQt_TRWiH3Ljls/s320/Dad+Picture.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286007869283871042" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Thinking of you today.<br /><br />We love you and miss you.<br /><br />You're always in our hearts, Dad.<br /></span></span></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-21691156075100066402008-12-29T13:06:00.002-05:002008-12-29T13:10:02.114-05:00Domestic Diva<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">This has nothing to do with running but I have to write a quick blog about this. I realized this morning that I was the perfect picture of <span style="font-style: italic;">domestic diva</span>! I taught yoga this morning at the Y, and wore one of my new yoga outfits with matching top and stretchy yoga pants. Afterwards, I had Baby Boot Camp class, and then decided to take Anthony to the park because it was such a nice morning. We stopped by Starbucks to get me a latte and Anthony some vanilla milk, and then headed to the park. There I was, with my matching yoga outfit, sunglasses, perfect handsome little kid on one hip, and Starbucks coffee in the other hand. Jesus! I was such a parody of domesticity that I had to laugh at myself. Oh well, at least I was wearing the yoga clothes because I had taught two classes that morning, not just because they looked good! I had actually sweated on them! </span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-78713594238562282512008-12-28T12:38:00.003-05:002008-12-28T12:47:59.385-05:002 weeks from today!<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">2 weeks from today, I'll have completed the Disney marathon! I can hardly believe how fast the time has flown. It's been a crazy year. Christmas has come and gone already. It was a very good Christmas-- we went up to Georgia to spend it with the family this year. Perhaps that wasn't our smartest idea, since we had just been up there 3 weeks before for Thanksgiving, but it turned out to be a great trip. We spent the first half of the week with my family, and the second half with Adam's. We even got to go out on a real date with our friends Rich and Tracy, and got to have both dinner <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> a movie without it costing us $30 in babysitting money! Ah, the perks of grandmothers.<br /><br />I realized I forgot to blog about my 20 mile run. All that buildup and I don't even talk about it. Whoops! Well, it's over, I can say that about it. Actually, it wasn't that bad, though it was pretty darn warm that morning and it really made me worry about how hard the marathon will be if it's that warm on the 11th. We've been lucky in that it's been pretty cool most of our long runs; in fact, the previous week, I wore a warm up jacket and long pants for the entire run. It was in the 70's for most of the 20 mile run, which isn't bad if you're outside just hanging out but sucks when you're working out that much, plus there was NO shade along our route. We finished in 3:23, which was remarkable time, just over 10 minute miles. If we were to continue on that pace for the marathon we would finish in about 4 and a half hours, which I'd be thrilled with. That last six miles will be tough though. Pretty much once you get beyond 20 miles, it's all mental. there's not a whole lot you can do to prepare your body for that kind of stress.<br /><br />I feel really confident going into this last two weeks. We are tapering down now in mileage to prepare for the big day, so I'm going to be focusing on cross training and strength building until then. I'm beginning to be able to imagine myself and Erin crossing the finish line and getting the coveted medal. It's been an incredible journey of training, and in some ways I'm sorry to see it end, but it will be nice not to spend every Saturday morning running for hours at a time.<br /><br />let's hope for COOL WEATHER two weeks from today!<br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-37047484722821440992008-12-18T12:37:00.004-05:002008-12-18T12:43:30.203-05:0022 Days!!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!! 22 days to go!! I can't believe we're in the home stretch. One more big push forward with our 20 miler on Saturday, and then we start to taper down to get ready for the big day. Erin and I were both sick this week with nasty colds, but despite that we got out and did our shorter runs and the 10 miler last nig</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">ht. We've run through heat, cold, wind, rain, sickness, injuries... and it all comes down to one day. I just hope I've gotten all the funk out and will be healthy and ready come January 11th.<br /><br />Christmas is in one week! This whole holiday season has flown by. The weeks between Thanksgiving and now are a blur. We took Anthony to do some fun holiday things, including</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulkh4gm9fY0B3oMnzKIOcllUuQjwjguv7gRsgj3C1ui0y2nZdEjo63p7ZeLgsJj3Dnedq7CNf85C2Nkl5n0_Re9oWtF_mEpR4XvnCb4hxBy0Y7X0OKBG02AUwz6sPCFjNEBHxO3IJNhc/s1600-h/1216081913.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulkh4gm9fY0B3oMnzKIOcllUuQjwjguv7gRsgj3C1ui0y2nZdEjo63p7ZeLgsJj3Dnedq7CNf85C2Nkl5n0_Re9oWtF_mEpR4XvnCb4hxBy0Y7X0OKBG02AUwz6sPCFjNEBHxO3IJNhc/s320/1216081913.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281186610919941858" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> the train ride to the "north pole" and to Christmas Lane this week. He loved the lights and the choo-choo.<br /><br />I've started writing a new novel. We'll see if I can actually finish this one, unlike all the half written novels I've started before. I won't say what it's about here (I don't want any casual browsers stealing my ideas! Ha ha) but let's just say it's at topic very close to my heart!<br /><br />Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night....<br />Chantel<br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-77148159839399853442008-12-09T14:01:00.002-05:002008-12-09T14:14:57.672-05:00My Longest Long Run, Part 3<span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Hey, I just noticed my countdown clock is down to 31 days! Holy sh*t! Time is a-flying. It's a good thing too, to quote one of my life heroes, Jimmy Buffett... <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />And now I must confess I can use the rest...<br />I can't run at this pace very long...<br />Yes it's quite insane...<br />I think it hurts my brain...<br />But it cleans me out and then I can go on<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></span></span><br />It's been quite a ride, and as we move through the heart of this thing and the highest mileage, I feel more prepared to take this on but even more ready for it to be over. It's not the race itself-- it's the training. Our "medium" run in the middle of the week is up to 9 miles this week, 10 next. It's hard to find an hour and a half after dark to go run, especially for poor Erin who is rushing home from work busting her butt to meet me on time. I thank Adam for being so gracious and supportive of my running, and be willing to take extra Anthony care time so I can get 'er done.<br /><br />We did our 18 mile training run this past Sunday. Only one more big run to go: the 20 miler in two weeks. The 18 wasn't bad, but I'm a moron and ate food court chinese food the night before, so I spent the first half of the run battling a sour stomach and heart burn. Then, my left knee started aching a bit around mile 15, and later that night I had quite a bit of pain on the back of that same knee. I iced it down and stayed off of it yesterday, and am skipping a 4 mile training run today in order to take the extra day of rest. It's feeling better today though so I don't think it's anything to be overly concerned about. I'm not taking any chances though, I've devoted way too much time and effort to this to get sidelined in the homestretch!!<br /><br />Erin told me she was planning to have a picture of a friend of hers who had died in Iraq this summer screen printed onto the back of the shirt she's going to wear for the marathon. I'm going to do the same thing with a picture of Bill. I've thought a lot about him during my training. Nothing makes you more aware of your breath and of being alive than endurance training. When it's just you and your breath out there on the open road, you have nothing to do but think about it and be grateful for it. I remember 3 years ago when Bill was sick at Christmas, and a week later as we sat by his bedside in the hospice... how he struggled to breathe his last breaths. I don't think we ever take enough time to be grateful for every clean and easy breath we take, and this training has made me so aware of that. I dedicate this run to him.<br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-92229940859068369992008-12-04T13:34:00.002-05:002008-12-04T13:45:53.699-05:00spanning the seasons<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Atlanta Half Marathon Official Time: <span style="font-weight: bold;">2 hours, 4 minutes</span>! Whoo-hoo! My goal was 2:10, and to know I not only beat that goal, but shaved 20 full minutes off my time from Disney last January, makes me extremely proud. It was quite a run, one of the best I've ever done. I'm already thinking of my post-marathon goal now-- finish the half in under 2 hours. If I had known I was going to be that close, I would've booked it even more to hit the 1:59 mark!<br /><br />So as Erin and I were out doing our 9 mile training run last night, it started getting dark around 5:45pm. I started thinking as we were running past houses lit by Christmas lights how my running has carried over time. After the half marathon last January, I hit a whole new level of interest and excitement with my running. Even with my goal a year away, I continued to train, even through the dog days of summer when it was a too hot to run at 7:00am.<br /><br />When we started our official training schedule in September, it was still hot, and even though we still had daylight at 7:00pm, you couldn't get out before then because of the heat and/or summer afternoon thunderstorms. As the long runs increased from the first week, 6 miles, to this week's upcoming 18 miles, we kept going, never missing a training day, never cheating, never stopping. The rainy season slowed, the oppressive humidity dried up, and an occasional comfortable day started slipping in. Night fell earlier and earlier, and it's continued to get cooler and cooler. We've run from summer straight through fall and into winter (granted, not that our seasons are very pronounced in Florida, but you get the idea!). We've run distances I never thought possible. I took 20 full minutes off my half marathon time. I feel stronger mentally and physically than I ever have in my life, and the race still looms ahead of us, a mere 6 weeks away!<br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-12238987506703450122008-11-27T12:58:00.002-05:002008-11-27T13:05:39.616-05:00Atlanta Half Marathon<span style="color:#3366ff;">Happy Thanksgiving! Me, Adam, his uncle Guy, his cousin Emily, and my friend Becky started the holiday out with a little 13.1 mile run known as the Atlanta half marathon. The AHM is kind of a tradition in the Walenga/DiMuzio Thanksgiving holiday rituals, with always Guy and Emily and a random assortment of other friends/relatives taking the running plunge before the grand feast. This was my first year running the AHM, and it was quite literally, a training run for the marathon.</span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;">That didn't stop me from treating it with due respect though, and I set a PR for time. I could tell as soon as I started out it was going to be a fabulous race day for me, so I rolled with it and paced well ahead of my Disney half marathon pace. For that race, I finished in 2:24, and this one was 2:17 clock time, which is not my official time because it doesn't not take into account the time it took me to reach the starting line. The official race time won't be posted for a few more days, but it should be somewhere in the vicinity of 2:10, which was my goal for this race.</span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;">This race was mostly flat in the first half, but there were two or three very challenging uphill climbs in the second half. It was a lot of fun though because the course takes you right through the heart of Atlanta and past the landmarks I grew up with, like the Fox Theater and the old Macy's building.</span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;">I finished a full five minutes ahead of Adam and Becky, which made me very proud because both of them are lifelong runners that have done this course before. I never thought I'd be a good enough runner to even complete the distance, much less finish before Adam.</span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Anthony's had a great time earlier in the week with MiMi and Grandude, and is now enjoying his first Thanksgiving with a house full of relatives at Grandma's house! He amazed Auntie Chiara with how smart he is-- check out her blog at : <a href="http://dimuziogravell.blogspot.com/">http://dimuziogravell.blogspot.com/</a></span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Happy Thanksgiving!</span><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Chantel</span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-55772447306296011812008-11-22T13:39:00.002-05:002008-11-22T13:59:41.147-05:00New Longest Run Ever!<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">You know what is freaking awesome? Pushing yourself beyond your limits. Doing something you never thought you could do before. Moving towards a goal, one step at a time, checking off one training run at a time, moving ever so closer to the coveted finish line. Today we took another big leap towards that goal, checking off the 16 mile training run, leaving only two more longest runs of my life to go before the big 26.2.<br /><br />Today wasn't quite as exhilaratingly good as last week's 15 mile run, but I think that's because I logged in 43 miles total this week, and it's not really surprising my legs were tired. I did great the first 14 miles-- I hit the wall there and pushed myself through the last two against a wall of unusually chilly wind for late November in Florida. Aside from running 16 miles in 2 hours and 39 minutes, my big accomplishment today was clocking in at 2 hr, 9 min, 30 sec for the half marathon length of 13.1 miles, a full 15 minutes better than my half marathon time last January. Slowly but surely I've improved my half marathon time in this training, from 2:24, to 2:16, to 2:14, to 2:09.<br /><br />Someone asked me this week what my goal will be once the marathon is over. Though doing a triathlon is in the back of my mind, I'm not sure I want to tackle that one just yet. Who knows. Maybe I'll work on goals in my life that aren't athletic in nature, something that doesn't require me to dedicate 18 weeks of my life to training!<br /><br />Onto my amazing son... he did the cutest thing today! We put him down for his nap today at noon, usual time, and he laid in his crib babbling to himself for awhile. Typically he'll do that for 15-20 minutes or so, talking himself to sleep. Today though, it was 1:15 and he was still going, so I went in there to check on him and was greeted by a roomful of stifled poop smell. I took him out of his crib to change his diaper (after all, who can sleep with pants full of poop?) and he looked me in the eye and said ever so sweetly, "I'm sorry, mommy". Sorry, I suppose, for having pants full of poop and not going to sleep! I just melted, gave him a hug and assured him it was ok. As soon as I laid him back down, I didn't hear another peep out of him and he went right to sleep.<br /><br />He's so cute!!!!!!!! I'm so lucky to have such a sweet, intelligent little boy! He is what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving, and every year to come!<br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-9060220510496341852008-11-16T12:36:00.002-05:002008-11-16T12:56:15.763-05:00Longest run of my life... for the next week<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Today we completed our 15 mile training run. Wow.<br /><br />15 miles! I have to admit, I was pretty intimidated by this run, mainly because it was the furthest I've ever run in my life... to date. When I looked at the training schedule, I wasn't nearly so intimidated by the 20 mile run we have to do the week of Christmas as I was the 15 miler. So much of running these long distances is mind game, and I really do believe your mind runs a marathon as much as your body. It was a really good run today. We finished in 2:33, which is 10:10 minute miles, very good pace considering that also includes our water breaks. We broke the run up into a 5 mile loop which began and ended at Erin's mother's house, so while we completed each leg we focused only on getting back to the driveway for water rather than the full task at hand. I know I'm going to be saying this a lot in the next 6 weeks, but there was a time that I didn't believe I could ever do something like this, and now, not only do I know it's possible, but I can easily visualize myself crossing the finish line.<br /><br />Running like this is a celebration of life. It's an amazing feeling to be so aware of your body, of the air filling your lungs, of the rhythm of your feet as you press forward stride by stride. It makes me grateful that I am healthy enough to undertake this endeavor, that I long ago stopped the stupid behaviors (aka, smoking) that otherwise would've prevented me from doing this. People do ask me all of the time, <span style="font-style: italic;">why?!</span> when they hear I'm running a marathon. My answer is: because I can.<br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-77310116181811251092008-11-12T13:47:00.003-05:002008-11-12T13:57:01.977-05:00First Time-Out<span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Well, it had to come sooner or later... Anthony's first time-out.<br /><br />We've had some problems the past few nights with our eager tot waking early in the morning, and yesterday it was before 6:00am. Of course, an early rising spud equals crankiness later. Yesterday he went to Ms. Erica's for the day, and seemingly had a great time... except for skipping his afternoon nap. I guess the change in scenery and routine was much too exciting, and he slept for maybe half an hour, whereas he's been doing two to three hour naps.<br /><br />So after I picked him up and brought him back home, I had him lay down with me on my bed thinking I could squeeze an hour or so nap out of him. He wasn't very interested in sleeping at first; it was far more intriguing to point out and name the parts of my face. All fine and dandy, until he decided it would be fun to slap my face. No, Anthony, I said, calmly but firmly. He did it again. NO Anthony, I repeated, a little more forcefully this time. SLAP. NO! I grabbed hold of his hand, and he <span style="font-style: italic;">laughed at me!<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />That's it! </span></span></span></span></span>I jumped up, grabbed him off the bed, and put his little butt in the corner. I blocked him into the space by using my arms, and told him he was in time-out for hitting mommy. Good God. You would've thought I had pushed him off a cliff. DADDY, DADDY! he shouted desperately as mean mommy instilled the first-ever punishment, tears streaming down his face. It lasted all of, oh, maybe a minute, before I scooped him back up and explained why he had been in time-out. He continued to snivel and snot for a few minutes until thankfully, he had tired himself out enough to fall asleep.<br /><br />We've been discussing the need to start time-outs, and now it looks like it's an official Chantel and Adam DiMuzio family policy. I'm not going to have a brat child that runs around without control, hitting and acting rambunctious as he pleases. He's a smart kid; I hope he learns a good lesson from it.<br /><br />In running news: this week, the longest run of my life to date-- 15 miles. Next week, the longest run of my life to date- 16 miles. YIKES!!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></span><br /></span></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-18853752641413941172008-11-03T15:06:00.003-05:002008-11-03T15:08:53.110-05:00Happy Halloween!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUa4ftfWOiskGg9LNVhdvuvxaAvXxXLbpEU-8GREIIb3MUSitSzb0B1JCijfqSuhUn73GNU9AIxw5gWUHjamUuJAyJGufeZYOKwJCwFgMUFym5Zco5-RVZ4HHqS13XlSiM3l6P2KehTU/s1600-h/giantpumpkin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUa4ftfWOiskGg9LNVhdvuvxaAvXxXLbpEU-8GREIIb3MUSitSzb0B1JCijfqSuhUn73GNU9AIxw5gWUHjamUuJAyJGufeZYOKwJCwFgMUFym5Zco5-RVZ4HHqS13XlSiM3l6P2KehTU/s320/giantpumpkin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264525639803758210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxb05VszihshbNZNDcfXYFwlgOKT-oi_XKr35o4efIpBN-VXn7AeLi24uQemaOMnSZlKvcaztI2UOuhJX5OVenCvdjEU9OvIGup25bWCogJpLEz7lLOTlX0_NEq3BCeihViOHC1dnaVCU/s1600-h/happyhalloween.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxb05VszihshbNZNDcfXYFwlgOKT-oi_XKr35o4efIpBN-VXn7AeLi24uQemaOMnSZlKvcaztI2UOuhJX5OVenCvdjEU9OvIGup25bWCogJpLEz7lLOTlX0_NEq3BCeihViOHC1dnaVCU/s320/happyhalloween.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264525370182136978" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><br /><br />Halloween 2008<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-12811759621923529732008-11-03T14:50:00.002-05:002008-11-03T15:06:12.767-05:00One half marathon down...<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">... one more to go on Thanksgiving morning. In training yesterday we completed 13 miles... the distance I was training to achieve two months later last year at this time. Hard to believe a year ago I doubted my ability to complete the half, and now I feel confident that I'll be able to conquer the full. It's very different running 13 miles with your buddy on the sidewalks around your neighborhood than the excitement of race day in Disney World, but I have to say, I ran better. I know my fitness level has improved by leaps and bounds, thanks to the fact that I'm 19 months postpartum this time around instead of 8. I improved over my Disney half marathon of last year by 7 minutes yesterday in my training run, when I wasn't attempting to break any personal records. It was just a great running day, and I probably could've gone longer. Plenty of time for that though, so I decided not to push it.<br /><br />So tomorrow is Election Day in the good ol' US of A. Will we have our first African American president, or our first female vice president? Either way, if I have to hear one more dang "Joe the Plumber" ad I'm going to SCREAM like Scrunchie when mean Mommy won't let him carry the stick inside. That is the most ridiculous, annoying political propaganda ever... I absolutely cannot stand it when fat-cat politicians pretend they can relate to the little guy when they haven't the slightest comprehension of how the average American lives. Personally, I can't stand McCain, and at the risk of sounding like Nigel from <span style="font-style: italic;">So You Think You Can Dance,</span> I hope America gets it right this time!<br /><br />I survived a long weekend as a single mom while Adam was off in Orlando selling stadiums. Overall, a pretty decent weekend, though the little fry definitely knows how to push mommy's buttons when daddy's not around. After whining all the way through the grocery store, having a meltdown over getting a free chocolate-chip-versus-sprinkle-sugar cookie, and then refusing to hand over the "magic Publix stick" (ie, the customer dividers that go on the scan belt), he went into a full on screeching fit much to the shock and awe of the 18 year old cashier and his 16 year old bagger. Kindly the young lad did grab my cart to help me out (probably eager to get the screaming toddler out of the store as soon as possible) and proceeded to get his ear drums blasted the entire way. Jesus.<br /><br />Katelyn came over to watch Anthony while I ran my training miles. I love my training time, especially when I'm feeling stressed and overwhelmed like I often am since I started my own business... I will miss it when the marathon is over. I don't know what my next big goal will be, but I'm sure there's one out there waiting to be discovered!<br /><br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074471997731014391.post-14848850443258946202008-10-29T14:24:00.002-04:002008-10-29T14:33:26.113-04:00Bragging about my Boy<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Taking a break from running blogging to brag about my incredible son...<br /><br />At 19 months old, this is what he's accomplished already:<br /><br />* Has a very active vocabulary of at least 50-75 words. Can say and understand several phrases<br />* Knows and can point out several colors, including yellow, red, blue, purple, green, black, and white.<br />* Knows 2/3 of the alphabet letters; can recite what they are when pointed out to him. Also actively seeks letters his surroundings and points them out, such as on signs and license plates.<br />* Knows numbers 1-10. Somewhat knows the order, though he can't count from 1-10 he knows that 3 comes after 2, 4 comes after 3, etc.<br />* Knows most of his shapes-- circle, square, triangle, heart, star<br />* He remembers and can sing tunes from shows he likes. Knows the tune of the "clean up" song from Barney, for example. Also knows the theme song from Imagination Movers.<br /><br />Those are the big things. There's much more he knows and can do, but these are the ones that really stuck out at me as advanced for his age. As we always say, he's sooooooo smart!<br /><br /></span>marathon_chantelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15540729258749277106noreply@blogger.com1