FAT TUESDAY - FAT BUSTER!!

HAPPY MARDI GRAS Folks!! Tonight is the last night that you can enjoy that one or more items that you will be giving up for the next 40 days and 40 nights. Now, while I know that not everyone is a Catholic and actually participates in Lenten traditions it is a known fact that even the most fickle of catholics particpate in Lent. Hell, we all have those stories of being a child and having to give up candy or cokes or cheeseburgers or Taco Bell (I was in high school!).

Anyhow, tonight I will be celebrating FAT TUESDAY with some Mojitos. I will be paying to my lord tomorrow at noon mass and making a commitment to myself to cut all cocktails and sweets from my diet for 40 days. YEP! That's right no more cocktails for me. Well, it won't be that hard since I gave it up drinking last year.

If you aren't a religious person then think about this as a COMMITMENT to yourself. This morning I was up at 6am hit my coffee, cereal and my P90x. Polymetrics -- Holy Crap! It kicked my butt but in a good way. It was all about jumping around and getting your heart rate up. I LOVED IT!

FINAL TIME for my 4th Half Marathon was 2:31:52. I beat my Vegas time. So far this is my best time. My goal is to run my butt off for the next 3 weeks and see if I can match that time in Dallas on March 14th. YEP! I am locked in for my 5th Half Marathon - It is the Dallas Inaugural Rock n' Roll Half Marathon.

So, whatever you do tonight to celebrate Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday please be sure to have a designated driver with you. Or at least enough cab money!!

...TOOTLES

LOVE IS IN THE AIR - LOVE RUNNING BECAUSE YOU CAN!!

Well, I figured out the best way to spend Valentine's Day! Love yourself! No matter what other people say and / or express their expectations of you. You mush know your self worth. Today, i'm going to reflect a little on how we perceive ourselves. A little self reflection is a healthy thing.

It is 2:22 pm in Austin, TX. I'm sitting at the airport waiting for our boarding time and while I wait i'm charging my phone and decided to post at this moment. I got here starving and wanting everything I see. I ask for a Whataburger. What is the deal with Whataburger? Why aren't they in the airports in TX. I mean really, i'm going to have to talke to some friends of mine. But to no avail the security at the Austin Bergstrom Airport pointed me in the right direction to Waterloo Ice House. What many of you don't know is that I have a Half Marathon tradition. After each Half Marathon I have a big cheese burger and fries. In Las Vegas my staff Ielina and Josue came out to support me in my last two miles so I treated them to In-and-Out (I still don't understand the obsession with that burger joint). After the Phoenix race, Raul and Bret took me to this gourmet burger place that served crispy french fries and sweet potatos fries. I had an amazing burger with blue cheese etc. Good call Raul. In Miami, Irma, Jeanette and I went to this local spot and had great burgers in Miami beach. Today, it was Waterloo Ice House. It was the perfect burger, mayo, mustard, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, onion and tomatoes. I even managed to have some chili cheese fries. They were authentic Texas Chili fries. Now, i'm blogging and my stomach is rumbling. It was good food. All the calories I just lost doing the run, i just ate in 20 minutes.

So, today is Valentine's Day and I hope that those of you that have loved ones are taking the time to show your love for them in all and any ways. I think what I have gotten out of this year is that it doesn't really matter if you have someone to love you. What matters is that you love yourself unconditionally. I think I do and after today I just realized I must. While i'm not where I want to be in my weight or my looks, it's still better than what I used to be. It takes time to get where you want to be in your life and your health is the same way.

So my message today is to take the time to reflect and really appreciate who you are and what you have to offer. No matter what you are worth it. I know because I have to remind myself almost everyday. And well today it was a little more special. I was running at my state capitol. I ran in my old neighborhood and i'm not the same person I was when I lived here.

Love is indeed in the air. So hug yourself and then hug others. Everyone deserves love. (at least that's what they tell me! ;)

Until tomorrow....TOOTLES

PS: Enjoy the chocolates and flowers.

AUSTIN RULES - KEEP IT WEIRD

So, this week has been a bit busy with work. Tues - Friday I did my P90 workouts, hit the massuse and because my ankle was bothering me decided to cut back on the running.

Today is Saturday, I landed in Austin yesterday. Hit the hotel then the Applebees with my cousin-in-law. Celinda picked us up and we hit a local bar on the East Side. Then we moved to the West Side at Molotov. Let's just say I had one too many Maker's, Soda and Lime. But it was nice to cut loose. I try to only indulge in cocktails once a week. So last night was my empty calorie night. Today, it's all about the water and nutrients for tomorrow.

I just got back to the hotel. I went for a 4+ mile outside in the neighborhood. I need to just be ready to have a not so great time. I'm having problems controlling my breathing. I need to really work on that for my next half marathon in March. So I will have 3 1/2 weeks to work on it. I really have a hard time after I hit the incline and push myself. Damn I hate inclines. They hurt my breathing. But it's all in my head. At least that's what i'm gonna tell myself tomorrow. Take it slow for the first half and then push it.

Will let you know how I do. All I know is that I will be looking forward to my traditional bacon cheese burger after the run. I may even through in some chili cheese fries.

Until tomorrow...Tootles

SOAKED SATURDAY - SUPER SUNDAY - MONDAY MADNESS

Have any of you run in the rain?? I was always scared to run in the rain because the roads tend to be a little slick with oil and car junk. In fact my first 5k that I ran was St.Patrick's Day Dash in Dallas March 2009. That morning it rained heavy and while the course is on the street I had a couple of slips. Thank god I didn't fall but since then I was always more hesitant to run either in the rain or on wet pavement. BUT Saturday was another story. It rained all morning and mid day. It rained so much that at 1pm I thought hell it's a movie day. But by 2:30 the sun and blue skies were starting to peek out and I said to hell with the movie...I'm going for a run. I rush home and realize it's kind of cloudy on my side of town but who cares the drive was in me. I suited up thinking i'll get a few good miles in before the rain starts. By the time I get half way through my 5k it starts sprinkling...by the time my Nike+ tells me I have 2k left It is a torrential down pour. By the time I finished 4 miles the rain had stopped. I got home came in and was just shocked at how soaking wet I was. But you know...it felt good. Every time I get home after a run I'm a little sore but damn it just feels so good. Of course I also did my P90x Stretch video and some abs with my Nike 10lb medicine ball (not the one with the handles).

Sunday was HELLA SUPER!!! Way to go SAINTS!! I went to work and my goal was to get out by 3pm hit the workout and run a few miles and catch the end of the game. But what was this...I got home they just finished up the 1st quarter and Colts were up 10 points. I started making my ceviche and by the time I knew it was enthralled in the game. The Saints almost scored a TD and they went into the half at 6 to 10. That's it. Sunday is my rest day...I need to concentrate on this football game. Second half starts and I'm watching the kick-off and all of a sudden I scream...onside kick. WTF?? AWESOME call. Well, I don't have to give the play by play but it was an awesome super bowl game but that was one hell of an interception and 74 yard return for a TD.

Monday Madness started at 630 with some coffee, toast and a little bit of work. Two hours later it was P90X Core Synergetics time!! My favorite! Then the sun peeked out this morning! I just completed 7 miles. YEAH!! I need to make sure I can handle this Sunday in Austin. It will be my 4th Half Marathon and i'm super siked to get it together. Barring any allergic reactions or injuries, i'm hoping to stay under 2:45. PLEASE send me your bendaciones and oraciones. I'm gonna need them. That's prayers in Spanish for my English friends.

Well, i'm running late today and it is just an update day. Will see what we discuss tomorrow after I hit my Shoulders & Arms and Abs.

Good Times Peeps...TOOTLES

SUPER SUNDAY!!!

To all my buddies and loved ones in DC, I just have to say that I hope y'all are doing well and not missing my Super Bowl parties. Although with the two feet of snow on the ground no one would even venture out of their homes, not even for my party!! For everyone that doesn't know me should know that I'm the HOST WITH THE MOST when it comes to Super Bowl parties. Since I was a kid my birthday parties were always held on Super Bowl - Jan 31st was a good day for football madness. My favorite birthday was Jan. 31, 1988 when the Washington Redskins smacked down the Denver Broncos to become the Super Bowl XXII Champions!! It was my 14th birthday and I had a grand time. It was the first year I lived with my father and from then on my birthday celebrations were around super bowl all the time!!! Even my Qinceaniera weekend...the next morning we had menudo and super bowl. What memories!!

For those of you that don't know about my parties let me just say that the best Super Bowl parties in DC were with the Amigos de Mariachi - a 5 piece mariachi band with only one Mexican. They played for an hour before the game to get us all warmed up. I and others would perform some mariachi songs and take plenty of tequila shots. I must confess, I got the idea for the entertainment from my brother Temo Figueroa - but he left us after the first year to join the Obama campaign as the Field Director during the primary. But then the girls Ingrid and Catherine came through and took his place in sponsoring the band in year three. That was a crazy party. The Mariachi - Tequila and Janet Jackson having her wardrobe mal-function. We saw that live and BTW she had a pasty on! They knew they were going to make that move.

Plus, how could I forget about the food. I think people came to the party for the food. I grilled two briskets, made potato salad, frijoles a la charra, spinach dip, rice, tamales (flown in from Texas) and well MARGARITAS!!!! Damn, I miss those parties. Maybe I will be back in DC by next Super Bowl. Who knows what may happen in the near future.

Well, I just have to say that I am cheering for the Saints today. Even though they will most likely get spanked by the Colts...I have to go for the underdog when I don't have a favored team in the mix. I would have much rather be bleeding green - JETS! Sanchez is a rookie and there is always the dredded response...Maybe next year. Get it together Sanchez!! Make us proud Hermano!

Tomorrow, I will update on my fitness from Saturday and today. But for now ENJOY your super bowl chips and dip. LETS GO SAINTS!!

TOOTLES....

BREAKFAST SNACKS...IMPORTANT

So this morning I woke up earlier. I told y'all I was gonna work on it. Now I just have to keep it up. I was up and moving around by 5:25 am. YEAH! Had my coffee, my cereal and my P90X KenpoX. Very interesting video. It's a little hard to control my knees doing some of those twists. I had to be really careful with that. But it was a good cardio workout. After that video I hit the cloudy cold streets for a brisk 3.5 mile run. My time is still about the same. It's good to be just under 11 minutes so that my next half marathon I will have a decent time. I'm just worried that the next half is going to be partial up hill. UGH!!!

Anyhow, the focus for today's blog is BREAKFAST for an active lifestyle. I'm sure you are tired of hearing how breakfast is the most imporant meal of the day...but IT IS!! And what's just as important is that breakfast snack. If you are an early riser you have to plan for these breakfast snacks so that by the time lunch comes around you aren't starving yourself and throwing your metabolism through a loop. I have my favorite morning snack. If I don't have time for toast (which I still enjoy the Sara Lee 45 calorie / slice wheat bread) I enjoy my Fit 4 Soy Strawberry Creme bars from Apex. I buy them by the box at my local 24 hour fitness. I really like the bar because it's 160 calories, 4g of fat, 200mg sodium, 27g carbs, 3g fiber, 11g sugar and 8g of protein. It's not the most lean bar out there but I also love the flavor. It's kind of higher in sugar than I really like but it tastes great and goes well with my second cup of coffee or a bottle of water. It helps me when I'm feeling some hunger pains but it's a little too early to eat my next meal.

Whatever you have for breakfast should be accompanied by a breakfast snack. Especially, if it's something that you can enjoy on the run. Coming from someone that applys her make-up in the car on my way to the first meeting of the day it is a LIFE SAVER.

Well figure out what snack works for you and you work the hell out of it. Snacking can be good when it's controlled and you know exactly what you are consuming.

Until next time...Tootles

P90X - WHAT???

Okay, it's time to fess up. So everyone should know that I had a great trainer for a while and he introduced me to a great massuse. Well, I can no longer afford the trainer but I can still afford the massuse (thank god). So, my massuse mentioned the P90x to me. That he is a BeachBody.com coach and has picked up his Shakeology and the P90X Insanity. So a couple weeks ago I told him I was interested in the program. He said it would be good since I can't afford my trainer and well i'm a pretty active person so it should be a good program for me to start. He brings his wife's videos at our next session and well I had to try it out. I tried it for three days straight. Started with the Stretch, Arms & Shoulders then the Core Syndergies. HOT DAMN!! The great thing was that I was able to get through the workouts. Of course I had to modify a few of the push-ups sets that I had to do. But it felt awesome! The thing was that I didn't feel it right away but I felt it the next day. By day four I was like damn! I skipped the yoga and the cardio. I went to gym to get those in. I haven't been that dedicated just yet but I'm going through each DVD once then I want to officially start the 90 day regimen. Which will be interesting since i'm going to be traveling a few days within the 90. Will have to figure out how I keep those exercises on track.

So this morning I got up at 5:45 am - trying to get up by 5. Hopefully will get there. By 6:15 I had my coffee, my cereal and was getting ready for the Legs & Back workout then I hit the Ab RipperX. Wait do you think i'm done? Oh Hell NO! I got my jacket, my ipod, Nike+ and hit the road for a 3.5 mile run. So this should be a typical day for me. This is my old schedule I'm trying to get back to. Then I was at Starbucks by 9:10 for a meeting. Yep, In true Artie style I was a little late. What can I say...It happens.

Well, tomorrow I will be doing KenpoX. It looks like some sort of kick-boxing class on steriods. I'm sure it will make me burn!

BTW - My eyes are back to normal. The swelling finally went down in timr for a press conference we had yesterday morning. Thanks to my girls who keep checking up on me. Much Love and Appreciation!!

Irma and Jeanette you are now inspiring me to get with the P90X and give it a real chance. I'm there! Hopefully, I will catch up to y'all.

Until Next Time...Tootles

BACK FOR THE NEXT COMMITTMENT

Yes, it has been three months since my last post. I have no excuses except that I have been a little distracted. So to put all my cards on the table...YET AGAIN. I guess being overweight and living an obese lifestyle is like being addicted to drugs and alcohol. The difference is that there is no Rehab for fat people when you fall off the wagon. I mean yeah sure since my last post I have completed three half marathons but it doesn't mean i've been living a 100% healthy lifestyle.

YES!! You read that right. Dec. 6, 2008 was my first half marathon. It was the Las Vegas Inaugural Rock n' Roll Half Marathon. It was a blast. I made it even with my knees killing me the last three miles I completed in what I consider a good time 2:39:04. My goal was 2:45 so I did it. My 2nd race was Jan. 17, 2010 in Phoenix, AZ. I was fortunate to spend time with Raul, Brett and Douglas at Brett's place. I had a great time. Except I had to use the restroom and I was battling an ankle injury I sustained during the holidays. I felt it the entire time but kept going... nothing is ever going to stop me. After like a 5 minute bathroom break I finished at 2:42:26. Still keeping it below 2:45.

This weekend Jan. 31, 2010 on my 36th birthday I was running my 3rd Half Marathon. After hitting 2.5 miles I started noticing my eyelids getting in my way while running. I just thought it was clumped up mascara on my eyelashes. I wiped them but kept going. Once I hit 4 miles and set a good pace at the 5k mark I just couldn't help but wonder what was going on with my eyes. I couldn't see. It was as if they were closing in on me. I stopped at mile 6 into a hotel on the south beach strip hit the ladies room and just about passed out of shock from what was going on with my eyes. I was having my first allergic reaction. My eyes looked like I was in a boxing match except they weren't bruised in color. It scared me so much...but there was nothing I could do. So I kept going. But just couldn't see so I stopped at the next cop and asked him if there was an ambulance. They came, they freaked out and tested me. Asked me what I did different and all I could think of was this shitty ass make-up from the mall that I bought the day before. That mixed with my sweat must have caused the reaction. Well they gave me a shot of benadryl and washed out my eyes with two bags of water. They seemed to get a little better. Well the race was already passing me by. I thought what the hell. My body is okay...i mean sure I just ran 6 miles and stopped for like an hour but hell I have to finish. Even if I have to walk. Sure the bus was there that was picking up injured runners etc but I refused to get on. I ran some and walked most of the remaining course. What can I say i'm crazy, obsessed, insane and well just all around nuts!! But I finished. There were times while running that I eventually had to close my eyes. I was fighting just to keep them open a quarter of an inch to see in front of me. Mixed with tears and sweat I finished the damn race before they cut it off and I got my medal. My face is still swollen but my eyes are open they aren't as shut as they were before.

So i'm sitting at O'Hare waiting for my connection to get back to Vegas. I have calls from everyone that I need to follow-up on but It is Feb. 1, 2010 and I need to make my commitment to myself once again.

I must also confess the dating. I have also been a little distracted with dating. I've been seeing a few guys (all younger than me) and let's just say I need to cut the chord and commit to myself again. Artie Blanco still needs to come first. They are really nice but no one that I really see myself making a deep connection with. That is too distracting at this point in my life. I need to stay focused. Back on track.

Well, I think this is enough for now, I don't even know my finish time for the race but oh well. In my next blog I will talk about the difference in the races that I have participated in. And why I probably won't be running an ING race again. It just wasn't that fun or exciting.

Until next time...Tootles