Chevron Houston Marathon Weekend 2016

wooooooo!  more than 27,000 runners from all 50 states and various countries participated this year. WHAT a turnout and what a blast i had!  it took a record 41:00 min JUST for everyone to get across that start line.  soooo many people.   finishing my half marathon was my ultimate goal but seeing so many fit friends along the way was icing on the cake (that i'm eating later). 

CONGRATS, RUNNERS!!!! WE DID IT!

friday afternoon, we headed to the GRB Convention Center for the  Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute EXPO.

i have made visiting this EXPO a friday tradition since 2009.

 

follow the feet, Dego!

we went straight to pick up my race packets, 

i know, i look a lil' 'Hell Raiser-ish' (remember that movie? lol) but i will get back to this hair of mine in a moment. keep reading!

then we visited a couple of the vendor booths.  Dego saw that basketball and it was all over.  nobody else could shoot it but him. nobody.

    

this was Sonny's first time attending the EXPO with me!  all the other years he was working at his engineering job. a lot has changed for us in this past year!

ready!!!! kinda sorta not really!!!!

 

 i finally feel like i'm getting somewhere with this natural hair of mine.  Bantu Knots for the win!  there are plenty of YouTube tutorials on how to create these guys and i love how they turned out. going on day 3 and my curls are still poppin'.  i was supposed to get braids for the weekend but we simply ran outta time for an 18+ hour job.  my girl Ogechi was still able to hook me up cause that's what she does!  

saturday morning, it was 5k time!  i parked right in front of the Toyota Center and booked it to Discovery Green. 

    

i squeezed right into a good lil' spot at the 7:00 min per mile mark this year!  last year  i was back by the 13 min mark.

peek-a-boo

 done in 30 min and some change! i found some fit friends and started snapping victory pics.  great job Ayesha! she did the half marathon the next day and we literally ran into each other during the race.

beautiful, buff, natural sisters, Ama & AJ! #HairGoals i was crushing HARD on Ama's pineapple top! AJ competed in her first bodybuilding competition a few weeks ago.

  then i ran into my Soror, Arlene before and after the race!

i had to go teach my Lifetime class after running but i wanted to go check out the post-race food first. so i did...and the line was crazy long and i didn't have enough time to wait. so i walked out of Discovery Green and tried to go back the way i came (i.e., walking right into the flow of post-race people traffic) and a security guard immediately warned me that i could NOT do what i was about to attempt and that i'd pretty much have to walk all the way down towards Minute Maid park first and go around. i was like, "but i parked by Toyota Center and i need to get outta here, sir!".  that's what i get for being greedy, LOL. out of nowhere though, this guy appeared and said "it's ok, i'll escort her since i need to go tell people to keep moving along anyway." WHEW. so off we went!  i saw the back of his jacket and thought, angel indeed! he definitely saved my butt.  i would not have made it to teach on time if it weren't for him.

after HIIT class, it was time to carb the heck UP!

oh yeah.  Jason's Deli has always been a favorite of mine.  i got the manager special: half turkey sammich w/ fruit & side salad bar. oh and some un-pictured self-serve vanilla fro-yo.

back home to get ready for the next day!

sunday morning, i got up and headed down town to the GRB.

this was around 6:30 as the runners were heading out to the start line a few blocks away. MAN IT WAS COLD out there! but the GRB was nice and toasty and i did not want to leave.

waiting and being random....

taking my traditional starting line selfie and talking myself through this!  

why he so salty back there though? bwhahaha

i wore my Fearfully & Wonderfully MADE shirt by Active Faith Sports.  a few spectators saw it along the route and shouted "Amen!" 

the race officially started at 7am, but i finally made it to the start line around 7:21.

but not before running into one of my  5:30am crew Lifetime class members!! 

and we're off!  about 2 miles into the race a heard a bunch of commotion.  naturally, i turned around and proceeded to have a good laugh.

look, it's a Wookiee!!! Chewbacca had no idea how much he lifted my spirits!  i ran with him for a while and EVERYBODY he passed shouted his name. everybody!!  hilarious. 

i so wish i could have taken a pic of all the ridiculously funny signs i read!!!!!! here are a few that made me bust out laughing:

*at the 5k mark* "You're almost to the finish line! Wait, my mistake. " -Steve Harvey 

 "Remember when this sounded like a good idea?"

 "You feel like crap, but you look good."

"You run better than the Government."

"Could you hurry? We're freezing."

"Worst Parade Ever."

"I love your endurance.  Call me 713-229-3390"

"Pain is temporary, but Facebook posts are forever."

"You trained for this longer than Kim Kardashian was married." 

aaaagh, there were SO MANY.  a sign contest needs to be apart of this event, seriously.

 

was having a little hip soreness at the halfway mark but i kept going. i even had to pee before we started but i kept putting off using the port-a-potty and never did! passing mile 12 and entering downtown made me one happy girl. time to book it.

mama is on her way, boys!! Sonny told me Chiso turned around and said "Papa, this is not very fun." waiting does suck sometimes, Chi!

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we DID that!!!

2:25:04!  #SkeeWee

couldn't wait to hug my boys and find more fit friends.  HEB was handing out ice cream sandwiches and i couldn't wait to kill mine! then... Chiso happened :) 

great minds think alike :)  Lifetime Fitness instructor and trainer, Milton, finished strong today!  his wife, Jessica, is preggo with their first child! congrats to them and their expanding family.

 

ran into my girl Pam....again!  she run yearly as well; always fun chatting it up with her!

soooooo proud of Nike.  she said FORGET a 5k, i'm taking on a half marathon for my first race.....ever!!! she wanted to cross it off her bucket list...... and she did.

in 2 hours and 30 minutes at that! 

 

i ran into my girl and supporter, Angel! she got to meet Chi and Deg in person, lol.

 

afterwards i sat down to stretch and wait for Papa to go get the car so we could go EAT!  all i wanted was a burger from Jerry Built!  they wished me luck on Instagram so they had been fresh in my mind ever since.  thanks again, guys! that burger did not disappoint! 

   

never does. #LookAtIt #GoneIn60Seconds

thanks for reading!  i put off my post-race nap to blog so GOOD NIGHT!!! :)

Q: do you have a favorite race or event you participate in annually?

YOU are a work in progress! Sunday Soror Shenanigans

hey, wassup, HELLO!  both my boy's birthday's have passed and my BFF is now happily hitched...so, i'm officially back. life happened for the past 2 months and i'm not apologizing for it or anything, but i did kinda up and leave this space without saying a word, i know #noshedidnt #ya #shetotallydid. however, i hope you've been following me on Insta cause i'm definitely still active there, aaaaand i recently joined the awesomeness that is Periscope (fitfoodiele)!!! it was a bit scary at first (still is) as there is no editing, no filters, no nothing... just you and your camera, broadcasting live from your mobile device.  sometimes i have a plan...sometimes i do not... so luckily there is a delete option, haha.  anyway, i'm just having fun with it. i know i'm all about fitness and food 200% of the time, but there is so much more to LIFE and fit foodie le. some stuff i'd love to share, some stuff i'll gladly keep private.  i know people use social media for different things, but i have grown to stop taking it SO DANG SERIOUS!!!!! and let's not even start with the comparison crap (bodies, material things, status, etc) i mean really.  say this with me with conviction: 'God has big plans for ME and i am on HIS timeline.'

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got it? believe it.

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you know when you KNOW you need to go do something but keep avoiding it and making excuses every. single. chance. you get? for me, that thing was sprints. i have not run full speed in i don't know how long but i KNEW that's what would get my butt back into gear and rev up my workout motivation big time!  and well, they DID.  i've been eating clean as often as possible and sticking to my 6 Pack USA plan for the most part--->but<--- i have been walking a fine line (and going overboard more often than not) when there is an abundance of a particular food around (shrimp fried rice, cake, pizza......).  and um these past 2 months i've had plenty of all 3 with all these parties!  that's nothing new with me though. so, to keep things 'under control' and still enjoy those foods in moderation, i have to go out in the street or on the track and get uncomfy every now and then.  the trade off is always worth. i cooked up 400 cals in 30 min before heading to teach my Preggo Patties this past saturday morning!  a post on that is coming up soon:). here's the bad news-- because i hadn't ran so fast in so long, that all over itchy sensation tore my legs UP.  yep, it really is a 'thing' and there is a scientific explanation for it. ugh. i can't stand it though! has it ever happened to you?  only way to cure it though is to KEEP RUNNING, and keep working out. consistency, consistency, consistency.

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my body responded immediately, so sunday morning i woke up (late) feeling SO good!  i got to put on this gorgeous H&M dress (that was the perfect shade of pink) and meet up with my Sorors for brunch. we are turning two on June 30th! skee wee!  we dined at North Italia and you know i have the pics to prove it.

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we started with yogurt, granola, and berries for the table,

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then, BRUCHETTA BABY!!!!!, (check out their menu for details)

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and i got the egg white veggie scramble with fresh grated parmesan on the side (yes i had just eaten eggs at home for breakfast lol), smashed fingerling potatoes, and grilled sourdough bread.

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we ordered french toast for Chiso and gaaaaaaah, it was as incredible as it looks.  

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the 'food makes me happy!' dance! the fruit was a no-go for him though. twinsies <3

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happy early anni to us!

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 - pretty girls -

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- AKAtch 22 -

i have a First Line Brands Dri Sweat Flex headband to give away in my next post, so get ready!

don't forget to follow me on Periscope and Insta ;)

Q: what food comes to mind when you hear the word BRUNCH? 

le

ABB 5k 2015 + consistency is your BFF

 go time!  i do believe this is the longest start line i've ever been in.

it took about 9 minutes just to get to the very front and start running! all that body heat kept us warm though.

 i left my house late (unsurprisingly) and with the street closures and all ended up parking pretty far.  i pretty much ran a dang 5k through downtown before the race started!  i don't ever pay for parking downtown if i can avoid it; i'd rather walk and just save a few bucks.  i was tempted this time though cause i didn't want to be late, but i made it, whew.

#atomicphotobomb & #selfiewhilerunning. the reason for that face is because i was contemplating that 24 min PR i set the night before!!!!

so i didn't find the white rabbit to follow but i DID find a black gorrilla. or whatever that was. i had to speed up to get this pic cause he was BOOKIN' IT.

stats were posted tonight and my official time was 26:41!  i did set a PR of 24, but i'm thinking if i actually take the time to train correctly then maybe i'd actually hit it or come close smh! i love the challenge and i'm up for it.

done!  grateful to cross yet another finish line. i just can't get enough of that feeling.

so Sonny has been in Nigeria all week long for work and was supposed to touch down in Houston at 5am this morning. however, his flight was canceled and he had to hop on the next available one.  i sure would have loved to see him at the finish line, but i did find two of my gorgeous Sorors there, Ayesha and Crystal.  they are both doing the full marathon tomorrow; run hard ladies and good luck!!.

last shot before heading to catch the tail end of the boot camp class i teach with Brian every saturday.

adding to my medal and t-shirt collection!

after boot camp? a leg workout with my trainer, @showtimefitness of course!

 'what seems impossible today will one day become your warmup.' yes. i remember running my very first 5k a few years ago and not moving or lifting a finger afterwards for like 3 days straight! i was crazy tired & super sore and could have easily said 'screw running'and never did another race again. one of the hardest decisions we face in life is choosing whether to walk away or try harder. well, i chose the latter! how do you get better at something? DO IT MORE! no earthly idea how many 5 and 10ks (1 half mar) i've done since then but because i refused to quit, consistency had me up in the gym post-5k yesterday beasting through an intense full body workout with my trainer @showtimefitness. and you better believe there's a full marathon on my to-do list! just keep going. don't quit. consistency is key.

i actually love being trained as much as i love to instruct the trainings with my own clients!  Brian is awesome at what he does and i always learn more than a handful of things from him.

then... i headed to Luby's for dinner to celebrate. i can ALWAYS count on a great, tasty, healthy meal from there.  i don't care that the population is 80% senior-citizen per my husband!  i have so many childhood memories from Luby's. it was a sunday, after church staple for my family growing up.  anyway i got the salmon, steamed cabbage, seasoned carrots, pickled beets & cucumbers, and...... yes. THE BEST EVER. if you don't like mac n cheese we cannot be friends!!!!!!!! i earned it and i enjoyed every single bite.

WHAT big fitness goal have you set for yourself this year?

le

TJ's visit + my 1st SETX Cluster Conference

Happy Veterans' Day to you all! today we honor all  US veterans and victims of all wars.

i couldn't help but to stop by TJ's this past friday, you know, since i was in the area and all.

i was greeted with all things FALL! the smell of Fall, the look of Fall, the taste of Fall.  the warm apple cider and pumpkin pie samples were the icing on the cake. there was no cake though; i looked.

i came out with a handful of specialty items:

• TJ's reduced guilt popcorn
• Envirokids Peanut Butter Panda Puffs
• bananas
• Fig Spread
• TJ's 0% greek yogurt

and THIS.

ok this is what i really stopped by TJ's for, i'll be honest. it had been taunting me on IG for way too long. in short, all you need is a spoon. i have yet to spread it on a thing.

saturday, my sorority sisters and i attended our very first South Eastern Regional Conference for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated!

i even got a chance to meet and take a pic with our gorgeous South Central Regional Director, Chelle Luper Wilson.  She is a very busy mother of four, wow.

attendance was outstanding - we were everywhere!  successful event indeed.

we are on a budget (especially with the holidays coming up) so my debit card was restricted from buying any paraphernalia this time.

and the food was great :lol:.  of course it was great- the conference was held on my alma mater's campus.  GO COOGS! we had lightly breaded & butterflied chicken breast with a lemon caper sauce, yellow rice, carrots, green beans, and a wheat roll.  a spinach salad preceded our meal, but i couldn't wait yall.  

on sunday we hit up early service at church as usual.  man daylight savings time has been my saving grace this past week!  i've gotten more rest than i have all year.  i've been popping up an hour earlier than usual so i've been able to get more stuff done. i didn't want to exercise at ALL yesterday but since i skipped saturday (i crashed when i got home after the conference) i had to get on out there.

so i did.  1 hour of walking/jogging/running in my neighborhood, 3 sets of walking forward & back lunges down the side-walk and i called it quits.  something IS better than nothing!  thank you to my Instagram #fitfam for the motivation. never fails.

are you off today!? and are you staying in town for Thanksgiving or going to visit family this year?

le

skee-wee!

well it's about time!!! for this post, that is.  

non-fitness related, but this is definitely a part of  le.  i give God all the glory and praise for allowing me  to be apart of such an illustrious, historical,  organization of exceptional, talented women.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated! #21 ;)

we are the ladies of 'AKAtch 22'.

 God has blessed and enabled me along with 21 other ladies to give our time, our efforts, and our service to this respected organization.  to be able contribute to and continue this historical legacy is an honor i don't take for granted.  i love these ladies and look forward to a lifetime of sisterhood with them.

enjoy these highlight photos from a very, very special day in my life.

gifts, gift, and mo gifts from the celebratory brunch held for us at the end of this past June 30th, 2013.

i heard my name, so out i came!

one by one we entered into the main ballroom as new initiates for all of our friends, family, and new Sorors to see.

posing with the incredible Soror Shakia after our ceremony. 

Sorors Tiffany, Ijeoma, and Dami. my special day would not have been the same without these ladies and i'm excited to be able to call them Sorors. thanks for the photo, Tiff ;)

this guy right here... i've been waiting a looong time to show my hubby some SKEE-PHI love!  Sonny made it back from his 4th Musclemania bodybuilding show in Miami that same morning, just in time.  i sure did want to go to Miami with him though, not even kidding :shocked:

and then i got the surprise of my life - THIS guy came aaaaaall the way from Afghanistan to celebrate with me and see the fam!  he has been overseas working since the beginning of the year and we have missed him terribly.  he's my only sibling and we are super close so i was pretty dang happy to see him.  cue the ugly-cry-face.

posing and celebrating with the beautiful sister Sorors Brandi and Shalonda just before AKAtch 22 made our grand entrance.   excuse my raccoon eyes from crying my face off all morning.

i look up to and admire my mentor, Soror Brandi, tremendously.  this woman is always on point.  ALWAYS!

making memories with a dear friend of mine and 21 klub, Tiffany.  thank you for..... simply everything.

my girl Andonnia and i!  my sister for life.  i was honored to be able to share that day with her.

Chiso had noooooo idea what was going on,

but his little confused face was priceless.

there might not be any fitness up in this post, but i couldn't get away with mentioning food.

Matthew caught me finally sitting down after it was all over to EAT!! i told him to tell those waiters to NOT touch my plate cause i was coming back. and boy did i.  i had one of everything from the humongous buffet, dessert included. #allout

i loved all my gifts...but this one touched my heart sincerely and means so much to me.

just a quick snippet - the journey really is just beginning...

thank you to my precious FAMILY & FRIENDS for supporting me in countless ways throughout my entire journey.  my heart is completely full of gratitude for each of you!!!  to my dear Aunt Hazel and Godmother whose role was pivotal in my journey to AKA...i love and appreciate you. i thank my loving mother and Soror Andrea for joining me at my ceremony table as well and for their incredible support.

thank you for reading!

le