Anne a Runner,a Cyclist, a Life in Progress!

I"m Back

2011-08-16T19:17:00.001-07:00

I am back and I feel stronger and faster than ever!! 2010 was a challenging year for me and in July finally things started looking positive. I settled into a new job and my life changed after one bus ride home when I met the love of my life! On New Year’s Eve Robert proposed to me and we were married on June 29. Robert is my best friend, love of my life, and also has become my training partner and crews me at ever event.

I met Robert while taking the Westmorland transit bus, a 45 minute ride, home. It was love at first sight. We hit it off right away. I had just come back from running in the Harrisburg marathon when we went on our first date; and what a date! Dinner, a horse drawn carriage ride through Overly's Christmas lights and let’s not forget the beautiful flowers. Every day since then it has been a wonderful experience and our love grows stronger. He has even become my head crew logistics planner for all my events. All I have to do is train. He plans everything else, including the wonderful restaurants that we get to eat at featured on some of our favorite food shows on the Food Network.

The Laurel Highlands 50K challenge was my first major event this year, and I have to say that if you love trails this is a must. It should be featured as a top trail race to do in your lifetime. I can now call myself a trail runner!!!! It’s a very hilly and technical course but the sightseeing you get to do along the way is out of this world. I highly recommend it. Yes, it’s usually very hot and wet so be prepared to get extremely dirty!! This was Bob’s first experience crewing and naturally I was worried that he would hate it, but he said he had a lot of fun. And now when I mention what’s next on my race schedule he is already booking hotels, planning a road trip, and making sure I have everything I need. He even joins me on my week day runs on his bike. I love the support I get from him.

This past Saturday we spent it in Cleveland with an amazing group of runners. It was a six hour run for Impossibe2Possible that Laurie Colon had organized. It was also the first time that my girlfriend Susanne experienced running her first longest run. And for the first time running on a trail. She did fantastic. We had a fantastic time.

I will finish the year with another 50k next week, my first triathlon in September, and Tussey Mountain 50 miler in October and maybe back to Harrisburg for the fall. Will have more races schedule in future post but it a will lead up to my first 100, Burning River 2012.

Coming Back from Adversity!

2010-01-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

My friends have encourgaged me to tell my story. The main reason I never have spoken too much about it is because there is always someone else out there who has had worse happen to them and they are the ones who should be writing their story. I finally decided, okay, I will tell mine.

As I look at my life today I am very blessed to be doing what I am and thankful for those who helped me get here. I especially want thank my sister Queta and my mother, Carmen who lost the battle to cancer last year.

In 1997 my life came to a sudden hault when a terrible car accident left me in a coma for 3 weeks, and in a hospital bed for nine weeks, with a very long road to recovery afterwards. The diagnosis at first was terrible. I was basically told I wouldn't walk again and I would need constant care for the rest of my life. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I was a runner and super active and now I was being told I would never run again...This couldn't be happening! It was bad enough that I had this metal thing ( halo) holding my neck together, my jaw was wired, and I had lost sight in my left eye. My specialist was trying to save my right eye. So to make it short, I was really in bad condition. And, depression had also taken over. I didn't want to see anyone in this condition. I thought I looked like a monster, I couldn't speak, I had a trach in my throat, and the halo on head. To make it worse, I had a two-year daughter at home.

I had smashed my face on the steering wheel and my eyes were in terrible condition. The last thing I wanted was people to see me in this condition. But Queta, my sister, and mom didn't allow me to do this. They forced their way into my room and made me realize they were there for me. Mom assured me the doctors didn't have a clue about my eye. She was already upset because for three weeks she had watched the infection in my eyes get worse, and begged the doctors to do something, but they claimed they were trying to keep me alive and had other trauma more vital to them. She encouraged me to try a wiggle my feet. These words were engrained in me. "Wiggle Your Feet!" I just couldn't. I felt nothing.

One day Mom made her famous scream and my feet finally wiggled, she said, "Te lo dije!!! I told you will walk again!" At 6:30 a.m. everyday, Mom would wake me up and make me try to move my legs, and finally try and get out of bed. She spent seven weeks on a couch. The last two weeks the hospital got her a room at the residence hall. My sister Queta would visit me everyday and encourage me, too.

I took me two years to get myself back to running and in 1999 I ran my first half marathon in Connellsville, PA. I still knew I had a long way to go. The first half was grueling, but I was happy to be doing it and wanted to push myself even further. In 2006 I knew I could do a full marathon. I had been running a lot of 5k, 10k and half's and got the courage to see how my body would feel after running a full marathon. I ran the Shamrock Marathon in 2006 and have pushed myself even futher since then, running distance as far as 70 miles in one day!

I believed in being healthy and strong prior to my accident, and having such a fantastic support really helped me get back. We are so much stronger than we think, and have to keep telling each other this. It's like running--doing speed intervals, you push yourself hard but wonder if you could have pushed yourself even harder.

Today I am happy to be able to run, bike, swim and enjoy life with my family and friends. Although I lost the sight in my left eye, I see a beautiful fourteen-year old daughter smiling in my direction everyday. Never doubt your abilities because you will surprise yourself!

Protein

2009-09-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

I get ask a lot were I get my protein from since I am vegan and 80% of my diet consist of raw foods.

I have a shake in the morning consisting of 5-6 strawberries, 2 scoops of hemp protien or rice protein,and 8 onces coconut water or rice milk if it runs to thick I add water. It all depends how hard I worked out that morning. I try to get 33gr of protein in. I watch what I put in the rest of the shake because calories will add. I change things up a lot not to get bored. Livingraw.com has some great recipes for smoothie. And if you aren't a vegan/raw foodie, don't restrict yourself to the same drink everyday it will get OLD!

Do you need protein after a workout is something I get ask a lot from my spinners or I didn't eat anything all day and worked how for 3 hours how much weight did I loose!

Yes you need protein, to repair those muscle you have been working out! That is the most simple answer but watch out, how muscle calories and were that protein is coming from. Yes there are a lot of products out there with a lot of garbage in it. I make sure my protein powder is low on sugar! And I never go workout out on an empty stomach for for those thinking you will loose more weight think again your body will be starved for food! You may end up a fewer pounds heavier.

Whats your opinion? Whats your favorite protein?