Fit and Fun (and frustrated) in Mexico

I never thought I would be that person who works out on vacation.  I usually scoff at those people!  Buuuuut.... sometime, somehow I have became that person.  In fact, I didn't even need to drag my butt out of bed to do it. I was excited!
After a long couple of flights, we arrived to Cozumel late at night on Saturday. I got a good night's sleep and I woke up in the morning and headed straight for the gym to go for a run. I was dying to run on the island, but wasn't sure how safe I would be, so I opted for the trusty treadmill.
I knew that my legs were quite heavy from the plane so I chose to take it easy and go slow.  As my legs started to warm up, I felt surprisingly good and I picked up the pace.  I decided to listen to my body and stop just after 7km.  Although I felt good, I didn't want to overdo it after such a long day of travelling and I knew that in just a few days,  I would have a run partner and could go a little harder on those days.
A few days later, my dear friend Carlos arrived from Puebla for a short vacation and visit. We had agreed ahead of time that we would go for a run or two. With his training for Mt. Tremblant Ironman and mine for the Calgary Half Marathon, we figured it would be good to have a little extra push from each other.

We woke up early to avoid the stifling heat, but unfortunately for this Canadian girl, not early enough. I have been running in arctic temperatures for the last 6 months, so this change was a little much to take.  By 6:00 it was already well over 20 degrees and the humidity made it feel much much hotter. I managed to run a very slow 5km, but I was struggling. It was hot, I was slow, and I needed water.  With much envy, I looked over to see Carlos in his long sleeve shirt and noticed he was barely breaking a sweat.  Frustrated and embarrassed by my performance I continued the best that I could and ran back to the hotel.  I managed to run a grand total of 9km with a few walking breaks. What was wrong with me? I don't usually complain about running and I definitely never walk.  After a few apologies to Carlos for ruining his run, I decided to pass it off as a bad run due to a change in the humidity, heat, and altitude and I promised tomorrow would be a new day.
That afternoon, we decided to head to the ocean for a quick swim.  The waves were growing, but I was happy to be able to get even a small swim in.  It took me a few strokes to figure out how to swim with the waves, but in a matter of minutes I was feeling comfortable and confident.  We used the ropes and buoys as a guide and after a mere 700m and a few large gulpfuls of salt water we decided we were more interested in looking at the fish and called it a day.  Although it wasn't a long swim, it was a lot tougher than any swim I have done.  The current and the waves made me feel like I wasn't even moving, but I was enthralled by the swim and felt motivated once again! So much so, that we decided we would head out early in the morning at go for a longer swim at a calmer time and finish with a shorter run after.
At 7:00am, I drank half a bottle of water, grabbed my goggles and walked out confidently to meet Carlos.  As soon as I laid eyes on him, I knew something was about to go terribly wrong. There I was in my bikini and he in his running gear.  Apparently along the way he thought logically about our plan and realized it was smarter to run first.  I instantly regretted drinking all of that water...  Reluctantly, I agreed to run and changed in to my run gear.  I felt great for the first 2 km. We had a great pace.  I was sweating like crazy, but happy to have my groove back. That's when it happened... My stomach started to bounce like a half full water bottle that I had just chugged.  It was so loud that it made us laugh out loud. Still, I kept up the pace, did my best and finally at 5km made the choice to walk. Two days in a row!!!! I felt horrible to hold Carlos back.  He was patient, walked with me and after hearing my water bottle belly agreed it was best to take it easy.  We did a few intervals  to end of the run and I headed back to the hotel after only 6km. I couldn't help but get down on myself and I felt frustrated by my inability to adjust to this new environment and of having to walk two days in a row!

Before the swim!

I ended off my holiday by choosing what I do best... going for a swim.  I got up, met up with my friend Bob and hopped in the pool.  It didn't get much better than this.  I swam a relaxed pace and used this time to enjoy the tropical heat and the sun shining on my back.  With each breath, I grabbed a glimpse at the palm trees and the blue sky and considered how lucky I was in that moment to be where I was.   I took this opportunity to reflect on my week and it was at this time that I realized how proud of myself I was for taking care of my body and of the fact that I did 22 km during my spring break vacation. My runs may not have been the best I have ever done and I may have struggled through them, but I ran, which is an accomplishment in itself.