runDisney Sense of Timing

It struck me today that runDisney has a very interesting sense of timing.  I think it's only a recent development for most things, but some are always at odd times.

I received my final race instructions for the Disneyland Half Marathon just last week and yet today I had my final race instructions for Tower of Terror tonight.  Two emails were only a week apart, and yet the races are a month apart.  Not that it's really an issue, but it did cause me to give it a thought (and apparently part of a blog article).

runDisney also has their usual pre-race meet-ups, which they post at really odd times of the day... ok the morning.  I tried to get one during the Princess Half, but missed out, and due to my crazy busy work schedule didn't even see the current one for the Disneyland for almost an entire day.  Apparently it was posted pretty early in the morning and filled almost as quickly.

I kind of wish that they would leave it open for a day and then choose by a random drawing.  That's what they used to do for all of the exclusive limited edition pins.  You signed up and then if your name was drawn you got one!  Should be the same kind of deal...

I'd like to go to one of these meet ups, but especially for Disneyland, I have a life around the race that includes spending time with family and friends I haven't seen in a while... and o ya, my parent's work schedule since they're helping me get around for everything.  Maybe one day I'll get into one of these meet ups, but surprisingly, it's not on my "must do" list.

More Medals!

I had the sudden realization last week that August really isn't that far away.  I was excited because that meant I would be heading home in just a few short months, but then again I'd also be running the Dumbo Challenge in a few short months.  And my running... ya, it probably isn't anywhere near what it should be.

But you can always count on Disney for releasing new information to keep you excited for any race, no matter where your training is.  Just a few days ago they released pictures of the four medals you could gain at the Disneyland Half Marathon.

In all honesty, i don't really care about the Alice in Wonderland medal or the Dumbo one for their design, but that's more of because they were movies I never really connected with.  I still love the D medal for the actual half, and of course I'll be collecting a fourth medal that weekend, my second Coast to Coast.

Speaking of Coast to Coast, they recently announced a few more races and new medals.  When I say new races, I mean more 10k's and double race challenges.  There will be the Glass Slipper challenge in February with the Princess Half Marathon (another 10k and Half pairing).  Then if you do the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in January and the Princess in February, you get a special Coast to Coast medal.

In all honesty, I'm not a pink kind of girl, so I won't be going after this specific coast to coast medal.  Good luck to everyone who is!  That's a quick turn around, but should be fun!  Now the glass slipper I may do just to keep my running up for all these weekends.  Plus, the Princess Half is the only race I have done every year since I've started running these races.  There are a lot of special memories with the race so I figure I might as well...

So now, coming the the realization I better start training some more.  I have been able to get to the gym for elliptical and spinning training to help salvage my knees and then a few road workouts just to keep that training up.  Speaking of which... it's almost time for spinning!  Enjoy your workouts, whatever they might be today... I know I'll have a sweaty, but great time at mine!

Back To Training

It was nice to get a week or so break in after the marathon, but my break wasn't going to last forever.  Especially with the Princess Half Marathon only a month or so away, I had to get back into running.

My knees were still tight and sore, but I'm beginning to think that my knees will ever be completely ok. With the help of some Aleve and Icy Hot, things are looking ok.  I'm not too worried about the Princess Half in all honesty.  I've never had the best race at Princess because I've either been nursing an injury (my ankle 2 years ago) or running with a friend and making sure she finished.  So I guess I should technically run this with something hurting since I'm not running with someone...

This year I've made a goal for myself to run over 600 miles, which is an average of 12 miles a week.  Even with a week and a half off, I'm only off right now by just under 4 miles.  I thought it was going to be a lot worse, but of course that marathon is technically worth more than two weeks.  Either way, not as far off my goal as I could be.

So now the count down is on till Princess.  Then maybe I'll give myself a bit more of a break before picking up the training again.  If anything, running the marathon has given my confidence in running quite the boost... one that I didn't realize I needed, but I'm definitely not complaining now.

WDW Marathon Course Reveal!!!

I don't think I can properly convey how EXCITED I am right now.  Let's just say, I want to go on a run now and keep running until January 7th (and well beyond that) to be ready for the Walt Disney World Marathon.

RunDisney had announced that they would be premiering the Walt Disney World Marathon course and some special additions that were being made for the 20th anniversary.  You know what... why don't you watch the same video I just watched...

Pretty cool, huh?

So now I'm super excited about the chance to run through all the parks AND the speedway.  Plus, a bit of the Disneyland Half Marathon is coming to Florida; we're running on the baseball diamond! I just cannot wait for the race now!

Of course, I'm going to have to do some research as to where the characters are going to be, what entertainment will be out there, and where I want to stop for pictures... I guess it's a good thing I still have over 6 months until the race.  Of course, from the video it looks like there is going to be plenty of entertainment and picture opportunities along the course!

Of course I still need to get through the Tower of Terror 10 Miler and the Wine and Dine Half Marathon.  All in good time, right?

Click here for a pdf copy of the 20th Anniversary Marathon course.

A Year In Review: 2011

It's amazing that after tomorrow we'll be running into 2012 and leaving 2011 behind us.  I want to give 2011 a few minutes though because there really were a lot of things that happened this year, especially in my running.

My first half marathon was in 2010, but that was more like an experiment to see if I could do it.  My first half marathon after deciding this was something I wanted to stick to was 2011's Princess Half Marathon.  It was also when I was able to inspire one of my closest friends to join me in 2012's Princess Half Marathon.

2011 was also the year I completed the Coast to Coast challenge by runDisney.  If anything, Disneyland Half Marathon was an extra special race to me.  It marked my 1 year anniversary from my first Half Marathon (and 1 year in sticking with the sport).  It also marked my first return to California after moving to Florida a few months prior.  Plus, I got to come home with an extra medal...

I can say 2011 was the year of the gym for me.  I started running on treadmills (still not my favorite, but very doable now), and really working on weight machines as well as free weights.  I also did a lot more circuits than before to keep my fitness level up.  Running is great for cardio, but you need strength to.  As my physical therapist always liked to remind me... "If you can't do a lunge, then you can't do a half marathon".

I didn't improve in everything though.  My eating habits weren't always spectacular (sometimes the exact opposite) and thus my while I didn't gain weight, I also didn't lose any.  I've found a weight my body has apparently decided it likes, even if I don't.  That's why I've already started my New Year's Resolution of losing some weight and keeping it off 2 days early... as in today.

My roommate, Kristin, and me at graduation

Other big things that happened this year.  I graduated college with a BS in Zoology and a minor in Professional Writing for Business Communications.  I moved from California to Florida (a big move considering I went to college only about an hour away from where I grew up).  I found an internship and will be staying on after the internship ends, even if it is just part time.



2011 was a great year, there's no doubt about it.  I'm looking forward to 2012 considering I already have a few races planned out (maybe a personal best time at one of them???) and life just looks good in general at this point.  Yes, I know there's going to be ups and downs, but I'm ready to take them on... let's just see if 2012 is going to be better than 2011.

Arm Workout

I've been on a break since the Disneyland Half Marathon and I'm gearing up to start increasing my mileage again.  I'm still hitting just about 2 miles at a time, but that's been good since my ankle and shins have decided they want to act up... again.  I have to admit, I don't ever think I'll never not be injured or fighting something.

Still, I am getting mentally prepared to get back in endurance training.  It is definitely going to be my focus now because it was seriously lacking for the Disneyland Half.  Plus the humidity is finally dropping off and the daily temperatures are calming down.  That means I'll be able to run outside again!  I was going to today, but it's an important day at work for me and yesterday my ankle had me limping around in the afternoon so I decided to take it easy.

If you remember when I started this journey I said I was going to do pull ups everyday because I recognized that as one of my weaknesses.  Then I stopped... Well, I just discovered the pull up and dips machine in the gym.  It uses weights to help you back up and so I've been playing with that to find the right amount of help.  I can tell you one thing... my shoulders are sore!  I spent about 10-15 minutes today in the gym just focusing on my arms and they are definitely tired and will be sore tomorrow.  Still, I had fun discovering the new machines to help out with my arm workouts.  That's still one of my biggest trouble zones and an area I'll probably always continue to work on.

So a run tomorrow followed by a night at Magic Kingdom park for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party... what a great start to the holidays and to the weekend!

I've Been Bad...

So, this week was just busy.  It's the easiest way to explain the week really.

I combined 2 weekends to take 4 days off for the Disneyland Half, so I ended up working for 2 weeks, or 10 days.  Today was day 10, which is great because that means I get tomorrow off.  However, the 10 days have worn me down and I've just had no energy to run.  Just this afternoon, I collapsed onto my bed after work and took a 2 hour nap.

Due to this extra time off, I'm way behind on my Nike+ goal.  I'm almost 10 miles back.  Tomorrow I'll be running about 3 miles, it depends on how I'm feeling.  Saturday could be the same.  It's one of the sad things about the Nike+ is that it doesn't log biking or weights.  I've done both of those in the last week, but they didn't count!

For most of the week, I've been good about what I've been eating, but I unwravelled a bit yesterday and today.  Especially today.  Luckily, tomorrow is my day to get back on track... I'll run, eat right, and just feel better with where I'm at.

I think that was the worst part of this whole week.  I knew I was falling behind on my goal and I knew my calories weren't as good as they should have been.  That ate at my conscience and I've had it bugging me over the last few days.  I guess that's still the competitive athlete in me.  When I swam competitively I never missed a practice unless something with school came up or I was really really sick.  Now, it seems like one little thing can throw me off.

So like I said... tomorrow will get me back on track.  I'll get up and run, take my roommate to the airport, and relax for the rest of the day.  I'll recenter myself and just regain some of that control I've lost.  Maybe I'll do a little meditation while I stretch?  Who knows...

Break Boredom

The taper before and break after the race are nice times to relax.  I already talked about how I relaxed during my taper and currently I'm getting ready to start running again... thus my break is coming to an end.

And thank heavens for that!  I've been wanting to run and workout again since only a day or so since I got back to Florida.  The weather is getting cooler, I have new shoes, and quite frankly I am bored.  

Just 2 days after getting back, I did get on the treadmill for a 1.5 mile run.  

Then yesterday, so nearly a week from the race, I was able to get back down to the gym.  Unfortunately, my foot was having some issues so I chose to just use the stationary bike and then I used some weights for abs and arms.  My arms are a bit sore, but part of that might have been from a shot I got for work that gave me dead arm.

I'm thinking I'll get back on the treadmill or out on the road in the next few days. Maybe Monday?  Maybe tomorrow even after work?  We'll see I guess.

O!  And check out my picture from the Disneyland Half Marathon.  All 3 medals (Princess 1/2, Coast to Coast, and Disneyland 1/2)...  

Thanks to my father for being a personal photographer for the day!

Race Recap

So it's been two days now since the Disneyland Half and it's about time I start looking ahead to the 2012 Princess Half Marathon.  So, to put the race behind me it's time to recap all that happened.

The first mile was spent trying to get around people.  The first few miles of the Disneyland Half is spent weaving through the parks so it bottlenecks a lot and you tend to get stuck behind walkers and slower people.  Which brings up my first issue... those people who somehow get into the higher corrals and are walking within the first .5 mile!  The starting line was still visible and I was passing walkers.

For those of you who believe that moving up corrals doesn't hurt anyone... it really is annoying and it can be dangerous if runners can't get by or aren't expecting you to stop.  So, if you are in a higher corral and are planning to walk early, go to the back of the corral so those who are serious about the running part can get by.

Once we were in the parks I took pictures with Phineas and Ferb, Dug and Russel from UP, Rapunzel and Snow White, and then Belle and Cinderella.  There were other characters out, like Darth Vader who had the longest line, Tigger, and Sleeping Beauty and the fairies.  Sleeping Beauty was actually on the Carousel which was pretty neat.  They also had some floats out from the parade, but without any character so that was kind of iffy.  If you're going to bring a float out, at least have the character with it...  They had the trains out again which was a cool and that was my last picture before hitting Anaheim.

The course looped through more of Disneyland than it did last year considering California Adventure (DCA) is still under construction.  I liked the fact you saw a lot more of the park, but again, there's a lot of bottlenecking through the parks.  Maybe next year when DCA is open again they can have more of the race inside the parks?  What do you think runDisney?

 Between miles 4 and 8, it was pretty boring.  Let's face it Anaheim isn't the prettiest of cities.  There was a bit of snaking up and down streets to get the miles up before heading to Angel's Stadium.  I hit my first and biggest wall just before mile 5.  I didn't feel good and fatigue was just tearing apart my legs.  I walked a bit to get over the nerves making me feel like I was going throw up, but then once I calmed down and got some water and powerade I was feeling better.  I was still feeling a bit sluggish though.

Around mile 7 the soundtrack from Illuminations, the nightly EPCOT show, came on.  That music helped push me through the next mile and and once I hit mile 8 I was feeling a lot better.  It also helped that mile 8 is like the turning back to home point for me.  I know it's over half way, but there's so much more after that marker and it just pushes you that much harder.

First was the Honda center, although they didn't any hockey players of the Duck from the Anaheim Ducks out.  After that we ran on the Santa Ana trail.  That's a pretty narrow area so again, it's important to make sure you're out of the way when walking and just make sure there's no one who can run into you or for you to run into.  There was a nasty little hill coming up from the trail, which I did walk, but after that it wasn't too bad.

Almost immediately after the trail we were at Angel's stadium.  The Boy Scouts were out again cheering everyone on and trying to get high fives from the runners.  I was more than happy to run on the side and slap there hands... Then we turned into the tunnel, and ran onto the field, just like the teams.  They were getting the field ready for a game, but we were still able to run around home base (see picture below).  They had the jumbo-tron on again and it's always fun to see yourself on a massive tv.

After Angel stadium it was almost a straight shot back to the parks.  You hit Mile 10 in the stadium's parking lot, and then Mile 11 out on the streets.  Mile 12 was right when you hit the parks.  Now, but this time my ankles were on fire, my calves were tired, but still my quads were good.  The last mile weaved through the service roads behind DCA and then through the hotels.  

Finally, between Downtown Disney and Disneyland Hotel, the finish loomed over everyone.  Mickey and the rest of the Fab 5 were at either side of the finish cheering everyone on.  It felt amazing to finish... I had finished another half.

Getting the Disneyland and Coast to Coast medals was the best feeling ever.  As soon as I have a picture with all of my medals on, I will be posting it!  I wore them around most of the day, even though they were smacking each other the whole time and being annoying.  They were heavy, but I was proud to bear that weight of those medals to show off what I had done.

If you've been reading this blog then you know how bad my training has been since my move.  The fact that I survived and my quads didn't hurt nearly as much as either of the last halves is a testament to how important strength training is to a training plan.  However, I was running about a 11 minute mile so the endurance training would have helped to get that time down.  

I know the things I need to work on before the next half and the things I need to just keep doing.  I need to get my endurance up again and my strength training needs to stay strong.  Other than that... less than 6 months to Princess!

Some tips for those who might be running the 2012 Disneyland Half or even the 2012 Tinkerbell (if it's the same or a similar course).

• Get to your corral early because there are a lot of a people, not a lot of room, and you'll just get a better position.  Then again, please be mindful of your speed (walking vs running) when you decide where to go in the corral.
• Enjoy running through the parks.  Take pictures with the characters you want.  They are only in the first part of the race since the rest is in Anaheim.
• Spread out and focus on your own pace while running through the city.  You have pretty much the whole street, so use it!
• Enjoy everyone cheering you on.  There are a lot of bands, cheerleaders, and dance groups out there for YOUR entertainment.
• And most of all... HAVE FUN!

So there it is, my recap.  For those who haven't thought about doing a Disney race, I would HIGHLY suggest it.  Personally, I plan on looking forward to Princess next year, then maybe Disneyland again and Food and Wine?  I might possibly be looking to do all runDisney events in the next 5 years or so...

Run Hard Party Harder

I'm done.  It took me 2 hours and 36 minutes, but I'm done... Now, I'm sitting here in comfy jeans and my new "I Did It!" t-shirt.  My legs are sore, my back is sore, I'm just sore in general.  Overall... Disneyland was another fun and successful race.

Initial thoughts-

• My ankles hurt the most, my calves and knee would switch, but were tolerable.  Both spots were expected to be painful so that's not surprising.
• My quads weren't nearly as tight as I was expecting.  Actually, they aren't tight period (In my opinion at least).  I guess I should thank Jillian Michaels for those quad workouts... I'm stronger than expected.
• Weren't as many cheerleaders and bands, but still the course was fun.  
• My medals are heavy, but AWESOME!  Yes, I did bring my Princess 1/2 Marathon medal and so I will be wearing three around with me today.  It's my neck's workout for the day because anyone who's done a runDisney race will know how heavy and well done the medals are.
• Volunteers were amazing.  They deserve a round of applause as well.

Alright, well now it's time to refuel, aka go get breakfast.  Eggs, breakfast potatoes, and fruit, or cinnamon bun french toast?  Decisions decisions...

Tonight I'm getting together with friends from high school and college and tomorrow I'm heading back to Florida.  A more detailed race report will come tomorrow or the next day (along with pictures), and product reviews will come after that...

2011 Disneyland Half Marathon Done.  Next stop... 2012 Princess Half Marathon!

Checked In and Ready To Go

Check in finally got here, which means the race is tomorrow!  There's no backing out now and it's just time to get ready to run.

Check in was busy, but went smoothly enough.  I printed my waiver at the event and signed in for the race.  Pretty much it was sign here, sign here, initial here, initial here, great!  Here's your bib, pin (I bought one when I registered), and some other papers.  After I was signed in I got a green wrist band which distinguished me as a coast-to-coast candidate.

I then went over to the expo and picked up my goodie bag.  It was decent, no disposable camera which I appreciated since I still haven't used the one from last year.  This year's tech shirt is black, which means I can wear it with my blue shorts.  There were a lot of ads for other races, a discount card for sports authority, Blocks, and some other little things.

I did do some shopping at the expo.  I got some asics to replace my old running shoes, a new headband (we'll see if it slips or not), and new earbuds.  I also got 2 shirts and a second pin at the expo.  I got the women's "I Did It!" shirt (yes, they had male and female versions this year), and a coast to coast shirt as well.  Pictures of those will come later as I'm not wearing them until I've completed the race.

And the surprise of the expo?  I got to meet Drew Carey and Megyn Price (the woman from Rules of Engagement).  They are both running the race, and were taking pictures and signing autographs for a bit.  I found out that Megyn was a swimmer until college, where she ended up lifeguarding since she didn't get onto the Stanford swim team.  It was awesome seeing that we had something in common.  Drew Carey's lost a ton of weight.  I mean, it's obvious when you see him on TV, but in person it just smacks you in the face just how much weight he's lost.  He looks good though.

In just a few hours, I'll be getting up for the run.  I'll admit I'm pretty nervous, but I'm also excited.  It'll be interesting to see how I do, but either way, I'm finishing, getting the Disneyland 1/2 medal and the Coast to Coast medal.

I'll have an initial summary/reaction tomorrow once I get back to my room so check back tomorrow morning for race updates!

Last Preparations

One more day till I fly to California!  Three more until the Disneyland half marathon!  I am so pumped right now that I'm not worried about what's going to happen after the race (shin splints, ankle injuries, knee injuries, etc...).  I just want to get there and have fun running!

That's one of the great things about the Disney races is that the Disney spirit is still throughout the race.  Yes, running 13.2 miles is not an easy feat by any means, but to have characters, bands, other groups, and crowds cheering you on makes it a lot more fun.  Plus there are the little things...

If you register early enough you get your name printed on your bib.  I was about halfway through and this school group was out cheering on someone used my name.  It confused me for a second until I realized my name was on my bib and they had just read it.  It was still awesome to have complete strangers cheering for you and using your name!

It's memories like that, that I'm excited to make more of this year!

In preparation for the race I haven't been too strict on my running, but I have been stretching a lot.  My current best friends in the running world.... my stick, mat, and rope.

My stick especially.  The rope is great to help on those hamstring stretches and what not, but the stick can just get so deep into the muscle that it can roll out all of the lactic acid.  One thing to be careful about is that you do have put effort into rolling, it can't just be like rolling it over your skin lightly.  But that little bit of effort goes a long way when it comes to rolling.  Then the mat just makes it nicer when I'm sitting on concrete or makes it so I don't let my soak into the carpet.

I'm relaxed, I'm stretched, I'm loose, and I'm checked into my fight.  Time to 13.2 miles!

oOoOoOo

In other news, I have decided to start a new blog.  I get to do a diversity calendar for work and I've been finding a lot of really fun holidays throughout the month.  So, in order recognize these days, I've created Everday Holiday, a blog celebrating all the daily holidays throughout the months.  Check it out, follow it, and enjoy all the cool holidays!

Tapering (aka Relaxing)

One of the greatest things about coming up to this race is that I've been using it as an excuse to relax... even more so than normal.  Now, I see relaxing as an important part of a day, just like working out, going to work, eating, and sleeping are.  

Personally I like to spend my relax time in front of the tv watching my favorite shows or a movie and working on either some sort of writing project or on a cross stitch.  In fact, with all of my "quiet time", I've been able to finish a new cross stitch!

Other than that... lots of TV, lots of movies, lots of just relaxing.  It's been nice, but it does come with a bad side.  If I'm not working out as much (my runs have been shorter) that means I have to watch what I'm eating even more.  Can't eat as much if you're not burning as much...  Luckily I am keeping on top of that so I'm not gaining any weight.

I've been stretching a lot as well to keep my muscles all nice and loose.  I've also been using my rolling stich and rope to help stretch.  Unfortunately, neither will be coming with me to the race, but I'll definitely be using them to recover once I get back.  

Probably on Thursday I'll do my last pre-race run and I'll go on a walk once I'm back in Cali possibly.  There will be lots of walking through the parks pre-race as well... I guess that can be considered a warm-up?  

Only 3 more days till I fly out to Cali... and 5 till the race!  

Dangers of Treadmills

Usually this close to a race I would be playing it safe and just trying to be relaxed as possible.  Things were going well... until today.

One of my greatest motivators is being frustrated with people or life in general.  Running has just always let me clear my mind and release those frustrations.  Yes, they might come back later, but that time hitting the pavement (or in this case treadmill) just gives me a sliver of peace in an otherwise hectic world.  It was exactly what I needed and got... well somewhat.

So, today was one of those days where I was just boiling inside and knew I needed to run to release everything.  I got home, got changed, put some new music on my iphone, and headed to the gym.  There weren't too many people and a single treadmill open so I jumped on and started running.

My mind was clear... I felt really good on my run (like, way better than I expected), my music was pushing me on, and I was letting go of all of that frustration.  Unfortunately, at 2.3 miles tragedy struck.

It would appear as though life was out to get me because my treadmill stopped.  The computer threw up an Error sign and the treadmill simply stopped.  No warning, no slowing down, but a hard stop.  I nearly ran into it since I was running a 9 min 13 sec pace.  Luckily I caught myself before any injuries happened, but still, it scared me for a bit.

I'm 6 days out from my race and the treadmill just tried to kill me... just what I needed.  But did I quite?

Of course not!  A women 2 machines over finished her workout and I was able to hop onto hers and get to the 5k mark without any other incidents. At the end I told management in hopes of preventing any other possible injuries.

Will I still run on treadmills?  Probably... but I'm still preferring to run outside.  The humidity is starting to go down so I'm thinking that might become more and more of a possibility as the heat index continues to drop!  I'll be avoiding that specific treadmill (probably even when it's fixed), but there's not much else I can do.  I know the possibilities and I'll be ready to catch myself the next time a treadmill decides it doesn't want to work...

Luckily my run did feel good and I'm still looking forward to the Disneyland Half.  I can't wait to get home and run in non-humid weather.  Only 6 days left!

1 week...

...7 days... 168 Hours

Ok, it is a little less than 168 hours, but still... it's coming up!

That's right, less than a week until I'm running the Disneyland Half Marathon.  It's about time!  I'll be running past the hotels, through the parks, through LA, and rounding home base at Angle Stadium all before running back to Disneyland and under that glorious Finish.

Less than week until these medals are mine!

Of course the Coast 2 Coast medal will say 2011, but still... they are almost in my grip!

Leaping Lizards!

Ok, here they're probably geckos.  But they are everywhere and they don't jump out of your way until you practically stepped on the little guys.  I swear, there have been runs where I've stepped on them, but I try not to!

There were quite a few little geckos out today, but I wasn't even planning on running outside.  I was hoping to do another brick workout with an abs focus in the middle instead of arms, but alas... the gate to get to the gym was jammed and I couldn't get to the gym.  So, I sucked up the fact it was later than I wanted to run outside, and hotter, and decided to take off down the sidewalk.

And was it hot... It was definitely a challenge just getting 2 miles in, but I did it.  I'm also running in my back-up shoes which are nice, but not the best.  I discovered they don't have the right support so I can't go long distances, but they're perfect for these small runs and gum workouts right now.

Yesterday was my 1 week till I fly back to California.  Today is the 1 week till I go to the registration/expo (aka shopping for tech shirts and whatever other goodies they have).  Tomorrow is the 1 week till the race!  I am getting excited, but again, my training does keep my nerves going.  We'll see how I end up doing, but I cannot wait to get out there!  Plus, I can't wait till the cooler weather.  I will actually get to wear my sweats and a new jacket from work because the heat index won't be in the triple digits!

What I also discovered by having a countdown on another page... I passed the 6 month mark for the Princess Half Marathon.  I believe today is 5 months, 4 weeks, and 2 days until that race.  I'll admit... I'm a bit more excited to run that race because 1) there's more characters and 2) I'm running it as a team with one of my friends!

New Goal!

Since I met my frequency goal last week I decided to set up a new one.  I didn't want another frequency goal, so instead I decided to do a distance goal.  My new goal?

Run 45 miles in 4 weeks.  

The first run towards this goal... 4.08 miles. 

Alright, I'm already thinking that this might be too easy, especially since I have the Half Marathon next week.  The difficulty might come in the fact I'm going to probably take a break or at least not run as much after the half.  We'll see if I finish ahead, exactly on, or after the 4 week mark.  

Speaking of the half marathon, I'm kind of worried because I think my shoes might have died.  Or my insoles have died.  Still, I think I might be in trouble either way.  And of course there's no time to get new shoes because breaking them in would cause shin splints or other soreness... Well, this is wonderful, but life tends to like to throw these little complications at me and I just have to keep running through them.

Good Runner

Yesterday I was a bad runner, skipping my run to relax and go to a park.  I felt bad for it, but today... today I made up for my laziness.

I woke up and actually got out of bed in order to go on a run before work.  I got down a few minutes later than I wanted, but still... I went running this morning!

And the good runner status didn't even end there.  After I work I got back and did an abs and arm circuit.  My legs were still pretty sore from my last circuit and run this morning so I just focused on my arms and abs.  I did the Jillian Michaels "No More Trouble Zones" and skipped a lot of the squats and what not, but it did have a lot of weights for the arms and abs so it went well.  I could definitely feel my arms and abs working.  I'm going to be sore tomorrow... but I'll be happy and proud of myself with each step of soreness.

2 weeks from today... I would have finished the Disneyland Half Marathon and I will be hanging out with friends at home!

One Of Those Days

I woke up this morning and the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and... I did not want to run.  Ya, had absolutely 0 motivation to get out there and run.  And the birds really weren't chirping and if the sun is up that means there's going to be the humidity factor.  So I decided to do a circuit instead.

I did yet another week 3 of Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred.  It's still hard, but I can tell I'm getting better.  There are just a lot of exercises that were hard or that I couldn't really do the first time.  Now, I'm able to do almost all of those hard exercises!  The balance ones are still being a pain, but my balance is getting better.

In other news...

2 weeks from today I will be on a plane heading to CA.  Yup, 2 weeks and 2 days from now is the Disneyland Half.  I can't believe it's already here pretty much... I wish I had more time, but I can't really help that now.  Time to buckle down and get ready for the fun!

3 Weeks Out...

... And I'm not still convinced this is going to be the greatest race.  I've started thinking of the things I'll need to pack, what I want to wear (more of which T-shirt I want to wear), and what I might need to get at the store before the race.

I confess I didn't run yesterday even though I was hoping for a 5 miler.  No worries though.  I ran 5.11 miles today.  It felt pretty good, although my pace is all over the pace, from 8:45 minutes to 11:45.  I'll need to get that handled, but I think my pacing consistency should hopefully get better when I get out of the humidity.  

Towards the end of the run I was feeling dehydrated, one of the main reasons I ended it when I did.  When I got back I had one of my coconut waters.  I learned that it definitely tastes better the colder it is.  After resting and finishing the coconut water I was able to get small cool down in at the pool.  Still the best way to cool down in my opinion... Now I'm still not completely sure if coconut water is totally worth it, we'll see how sore I am tomorrow and how I feel for the rest of the day.  

I'm thinking about getting up even earlier next week to get a 6-7 miler in and then about the same the week after that.  Then of course, it's 13.1 as I take on the Disneyland Half.