List #5 Random Thoughts of the Week

I liked Mandi's list of news for the week and I’m going to copy the idea slightly... List #5 Random Thoughts of the week

1. I have no motivation lately. Or I’m suffering from the blah’s... I don’t know if it is post race blues, or this cold (which ended up being bronchitis) which has got me down. Dear Motivation, Where are you? Why did you leave me alone? Please come and find me. Love, Emily
2. There has been several times when I’ve been to the same place they’ve gone to on the Amazing Race. But this last episode in Reims blew it all away. I’ve been there not once, but
   twice!
3. Seriously, what is going on with Lost? They need to start tying up some loose ends.
4. As of now, the Huskies are out of the tournament. Oh well, it was a fun run while it lasted. I heart my Huskies!
5. Duke is still in the tournament (as of right now - they play tonight). And if they win tonight I will be bringing cupcakes in on Monday out of sheer happiness! Plus, who can pass up a cupcake?
6. So, with me not being motivated and mainly staying on my couch I have caught up on a lot of TV.
7. Maybe there is something to this Daylight Savings – it was light yesterday until 7 p.m.
8. It is probably not a good idea to wear white shorts and no underwear to hot yoga. Just saying...
9. Even with the lack of motivation, I am excited to start swim bike run instead of just run. Hopefully training will start sooner rather than later...

Five Senses on Saturday

So, my fives senses are a day late this week but I wanted to make sure I gave props to my co-worker who made yummy corned beef & cabbage for St. Patrick's Day!!

Seeing:
* Lots and lots of basketball! I love March! And I just finished seeing the Huskies advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
* The sun! I think spring is here.
* Very good friends in Houston.

Hearing:
* Bump! As someone backed into me in a parking lot. Fortunately they weren't going very fast and no damage was done. Worst part? I wasn't driving my car. I'm still so sorry Jason!!

Tasting:
* Wow, Jenn (my co-worker) is an amazing cook! I "guilted" her into making us corned beef and cabbage! And it was really good! I didn't mean to guilt her into it - I asked if she was making it again this year and she hadn't planned on it until I asked. I'm glad I asked! :)
* To top off the St. Patrick's Day celebration, we had Irish Mocha cupcakes from New York Cupcakes.

Smelling:
* Not a lot as I caught a cold on my flight home from Houston.

Feeling:
* Relaxed - I originally had a massage scheduled for Thursday but it was cancelled. But then I was able to get in on Saturday at another place. Ahhh... This was my "reward" for doing the half marathon.

Run Like a Princess

Here it is almost 2 weeks later and I'm still basking in the glow of my half marathon!

My partner in crime for this trip was Jessica. We got in late Thursday night and were up Friday morning ready to go to Animal Kingdom where it took Jessica a couple of rides to work up to the yeti, but finally she conquered her fear and after that she was ready to ride again! But it was time to head to the expo where I checked in for the race. And I was tempted by all the neat things to buy and ended up getting a tiara and another baseball hat. More options to wear for the race! We finished up the night at Epcot, as they had extra magic hours.

The next day was Hollywood Studios, where we saw Taylor Swift and her entourage being escorted to the super secret rock star entrance, before finishing up the day at Epcot, this time to see it in the remaining daylight hours. We didn't spend too long at Epcot. Back at the hotel, I put on a fashion show for Jessica so she could help me pick out my race outfit. I was in bed by 9:30 or so, but didn’t sleep all that well because I was worried I wouldn't wake up, even though we had set 4 alarms. Yup, 4 alarms! No way was I traveling all this way to sleep through the race! :)

Alarm #1 woke me up at 2:30 and it was time to start the day. Soon I was bundled up and on my way to the start line. Once the bus dropped us off, it was a decent walk to check in and then another 20 minute walk to the actual start line. Huddled in my corral, I tried to stretch and keep moving, partly to stay warm! It was a chilly morning!!

I was tearing up at the start as the Fairy Godmother counted down the first wave and the fireworks went off. I think the tears were the culmination of all that I had been working for over the past several months. The next two waves took off and then it was my turn! I crossed over the start line, discarded my gloves and sweatshirt and was off! I soon began wishing I hadn’t gotten rid of my gloves so fast as my hands were freezing!!

The first several miles were all about positioning – dodging runners and walkers left and right and trying to find a spot for myself. Sometime after mile 2, I finally settled into a decent pace and had even warmed up!

My original “mini” goal for myself was to run 4 miles before stopping for my first walk break. Somewhere between mile 2 and mile 3 I had to stop because the princes were cheering us on! I snapped a quick photo and continued on my way. I knew I was going to need to stop soon for a bathroom break as well. I kept passing the port-o-potties until I found one that had a short-ish line.

Before you knew it, we were entering the Magic Kingdom and running down Main Street and through Tomorrowland on our way to the castle. There were lots of opportunities for pictures with the characters. I had told myself at the beginning that I could stop for 2 pictures, so make them count. I passed by Cinderella and Prince Charming because they had a huge line and at this point I was still worried about time. I did stop for Princess Tiana & Prince Naveen (from The Princess & the Frog) because they had a short line. Coming through the castle, I saw the professional photographer was taking pictures in front of the castle – there was a long-ish line for that but I stopped anyway. I think by doing that I may have missed my chance for an action shot in front of the castle, but oh well. From there on out, I kept stopping for photos – not for everyone, but for a lot of them. They had people there to take your pictures, and the lines moved fairly quickly. Darn – I should have stopped for Cinderella! Next time!!

I didn’t actually take an “official” walk break until around mile 10. Don’t get me wrong – I walked through a couple of water stops and stopped several times for photos, so I did take rests, which is sometimes all I need before I can start running again. After mile 10, it was hard to keep running consistently, especially with climbing up the overpasses but I knew I was close to the end. A big smile was on my face - I was going to make it!

Epcot came into view, along with the mile 12 sign. Just one more mile – piece of cake! I made one more stop for a picture with the mice from Cinderella. And then it was mile 13! Only a little bit left! I would have stopped for one more picture had it been Minnie & Mickey, but I must have just missed them and instead it was Donald & Goofy at the finish – they weren’t worth stopping for being so close to the finish line! And there it was - the finish line! I made it!!

I got my medal, met up with Jessica, and switched my hat for a tiara for pictures! With that taken care of, we climbed on the bus and headed back to the hotel. One of the funnier moments for me was after we got off the bus and you could see all the runners hobbling as they started moving again. It made me feel better that I wasn’t the only one who was stiff and sore.

And just like that it was time to start the day over! I took a shower, got dressed, put my tiara on along with my hot pink compression socks and we were off to the Magic Kingdom! Oh yeah, I was styling – especially with the pink compression socks! ;) And while I was tired and stiff, walking around the park helped loosen me up. At one point I was behind a couple of girls who had also ran and we all groaned as we hit the first stair on our way to Big Thunder.

Monday we woke up early to ride the yeti one more time as Jessica hadn’t gotten to fully enjoy the experience the first time, being worried about the ride. We finished up the day with a trip to Downtown Disney before boarding the plane for home.

My official time – 3:08:23! I don’t know why I feel like I need to justify my time, but for whatever reason I do. Finishing in itself is a great accomplishment! And deep down, I am happy with my time, even if it was over 3 hours.

This was a great race – the entertainment was fantastic, the atmosphere incredible and the volunteers were amazing! And after all my declarations of this being my last half – well, I can definitely see myself doing this race again.

List #4 Why I Will (most likely) Run the Princess Half Marathon Again

So I'm still working on the actual race report, but in the meantime - a list! Leading up to this race I was so sure that this was going to be my last half for long time, if ever. I should know by now that generally when I say never, it pretty much guarantees that I will do it with very few exceptions. One exception would be a full marathon - I feel very confident saying no way will I ever do a full marathon. It is just way too long!! It was somewhere around mile 10 where I thought to myself, I could do this again!! Not necessarily any old half marathon - but specifically the Princess Half. And here are a few reasons why.

1. It takes place at Disney World!
2. I get to run through the castle!
3. Taking pictures with the characters (and I'm so stopping for Cinderella next time)
4. Wearing a tiara
5. Embracing my inner princess!
6. The bling!! (I HEART the medal!!)
7. Running with 13,000+ other Princesses (and a few Princes too)
8. So I can take pictures without my hat on (you'll see what I'm talking about once I get around to uploading my pictures)

Seriously - if you could sign up tomorrow for next year's race, I'd be all over it since I'm still on my post half high!

FINISHER!!!

I did it! I finished the half marathon in 3:08:23. More to come later...

List #3 Things in my carry-on bag

Thanks to Mandi for the great idea of a list of things to pack! So here is a list of common things you can find in my carry-on bag:

1. One set of clothing, including pajamas and shoes. This stems back from when my suitcase was lost and I had to go buy underwear and pajamas. Never again!
2. Plastic bag of my liquids/gels. This includes travel sized toothpaste, shampoo, etc. Really, losing the suitcase has left me with a permanent scar, or made me a better packer!
3. Hairbrush
4. Toothbrush
5. Books
6. Notepad & pen
7. Deck of cards. You never know when you will need to pass the time with a deck of cards.
8. Travel documents. How to get to the hotel, my itinerary, etc.
9. Travel pillow. I forget what flight it was where I finally broke down and got a neck pillow. And let me just say, even if I look silly, it does help!

Ready or Not!

Woohoo!! Tomorrow morning I will be boarding a plane for WDW!! And on Sunday I will be running 13.1 miles. Or you know - running interspersed with walking. Which is a different definition for me than it has been previously – walking interspersed with running.

So let’s see what is on the packing list:

• iPod (complete with half marathon playlist)? Check
• Icy Hot? Check
• Epsom salt? Check
• Running shoes? Check
• Race belt? Check
• Various running outfits? Check
• Compression socks (for after the race)? Check
• Bathing suit (to soak in the pool after the race)? Check
• Tylenol (for before the race)? Check
• Ibuprofen (for after the race)? Check
  

I think I’m ready! Or at least prepared! :) I'm still not exactly sure what I'll be wearing race day. I might be all in black. So much for the pink...

And FYI, while iPods are discouraged, they are not prohibited. So I am not breaking the rules by bringing my iPod, because after all I am a rule follower if nothing else.

My goals for this race? In order of how likely they are to occur:

1. To finish!!
2. To finish in under 3 hours and 30 minutes
3. To finish in under 3 hours (this would be absolutely amazing!! And would probably mean no bathroom or picture stops.)
   

Oh, and a final tally on Operation 5 to 10? I’m down about 4.5 lbs, which isn't bad and hopefully will translate into a few seconds off my normal pace!

List #2 Places I Can Visit Over and Over Again

Now don't get me wrong, I love visiting new places. But there are some places I love to go back to again and again. And thanks to Michelle for pointing out the error with my list - where is Disney World, because we know I that I can (and have) visited there over and over!

1. London
2. Disney World
3. Rome (plus it is only a short distance from Florence which almost made the list)
4. Paris
5. Lisbon
6. Prague
7. Maui
8. Krakow
9. Cannon Beach

14 Days to Go!

Only 14 days until the half marathon! I have one more long training run before a weekend off in Houston. What have I learned on these long runs? That I need to take along some sort of fuel.

Something else I have learned - I really like short distances. I am enjoying the challenge of the longer distance and it has been good to push myself, but I will happily go back to 10Ks after this! :)

My last 2 long runs have been 11 miles and I have finished in about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Which means with the time limit of 3 hours and 30 minutes, I should have around an hour to complete 2.1 miles, a bathroom break or two, and maybe even a few picture stops along the way!

Now comes the hard part - what to wear in the race? It is a princess race so I wanted to do something a little princessy. I have a tiara I can wear, I also have a baseball hat that just says princess. Somehow I think the baseball hat is going to win out. I have a couple different options - several different combinations of pink and black. I'll probably take a couple and decide on race day.

ETA: I got the 14 days from the race website, but then realized technically it is more like 16 days to race day, but 14 days to check-in day. So it's 14 or 16 days to go, depending...

List #1 Gold Stars I Deserve or things that I'm good at

Mandi has taken up a great project of making lists (via Hula Seventy who is doing a weekly list). I love lists, I really do. While I don't know how ambitious my list-making will end up being, I am going to give it a try. Right now I have several lists started, but none of them are feeling complete to me but Mandi's list of gold stars gave me a great place to start! Plus I liked that we had a few in common!

1. Laughing. I can laugh at a lot of things (including myself). And I’ve been told I have a nice laugh. In fact I also have a laugh that carries across the office.


2. Observation / Details. I usually pick up on the little things. I am great at sitting back and observing a situation.


3. Packing. It probably comes from packing my suitcase so often! :) I can usually look at a space and look at what need to go in the space and figure out the best way to cram it all in, utilizing all of the space.


4. Traveling. Maybe this is why I do it so often – because I’m good at it! :) And I’m becoming more proficient at map reading as well.


5. Remembering. Maybe this plays into the details one above. It isn't only elephants who can remember! Although lately, my remembering skills have fallen a bit off, perhaps because there is too much clutter in my brain. But I'm usually the person who can remember meeting someone after one time. And when people say, oh you may not remember me, inside I'm thinking actually yes I do remember you.

And there you have my first list! What are some other ideas of lists for me to make?

32 Things Update

6. Try out a new recipe. Mmm, Italian Stuffing and Black Beans & Quinoa.

10. Make it through a hot yoga class doing all the postures. You have to love the hour classes! I made it through a power class and several hatha classes (all an hour), starting every position. At times I may not have lasted through the entire posture, but I at least attempted each one.

15. Run (emphasis on run) a 5K. To be perfectly candid, when I wrote this goal, I wasn't sure I would be able to do it. It's interesting to think back to when I was running one song, walking one song and now I ran a 5K!

30. Go for a hot air balloon ride. We’re going to change this one to Ride Tower of Terror, because really that should have been on the initial list. And I definitely can check it off! Once with Jana at WDW, and twice with Michelle at DL!!

Valentine's Day Dash

Today I ran in the Valentine's Day Dash along with 2,000+ other people. Notice anything about the verb in the previous sentence? That's right - there are no quotes around the word ran! Yay me! And just like that #15 on my 32 Things List is done.

I started off slow amongst the hordes of people. As I came up to the first mile marker, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it, but I kept plodding along. Once I hit the second mile marker I knew I was good. After all, I only had one mile to go! The last mile went by fairly fast, and then the last little bit to the finish line. Woohoo!

I finished in 37.23 - which is pretty good for me.

My feet after the race

Black Beans & Quinoa

One of my goals (it even made the 32 Things List), was to cook more. Slowly but surely I am trying out new recipes. And after hearing from several people the benefits of quinoa, what better recipe to try than one that involves quinoa? I found this fairly simple recipe and it turned out pretty good. I topped it off with a bit of sour cream and salsa. Yum!!


1 teaspoon vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

There are no more bananas today

So in my last five senses, I talked about how I was excited to be eating banana mango salsa at Cafe Mexico on Saturday. Guess what? They changed their menu and one of the the things they changed was the banana mango salsa. It is now mango salsa with jicama instead of bananas. It was not as good as the old salsa. Boo.

Five Senses Friday #15

Seeing:
* A beautiful rainbow, although that might have been last week that I saw it...

Hearing:
* The benefits of quinoa - I have now heard from several people that quinoa is good for women runners. Hm, might have to try out a new recipe.

Tasting:
* I will be tasting some sweet potato fries & banana mango salsa on Saturday! And I'm not even going to think about how many weight watcher points they are! :)

Feeling:
* Ice packs - wow, anything over 6 miles and it is time to break out the ice packs for my knees and lately, my lower back. Only 27 more days until race day!!
* Hungry - I re-signed up for weight watchers to kick this weight loss into gear. I had forgotten how hungry I can get the first week until I get used to it. And of course most of my conversations revolve around food.
* Sore arms - I really tried to work on my chattarongas (sp?) at hot yoga the other day and I am feeling that effort.

Smelling:
* Popcorn - it seems to be the snack of choice this week and since I sit near the kitchen I have been inundated with the buttery popcorn smell.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Hi, my name is Emily and I think I might be addicted to Disney. Okay, okay - who am I kidding? I am addicted to Disney. After all, I'm attempting to run a half marathon because it gives me an excuse to go to Disneyworld (WDW), and I'm contemplating running one in Disneyland (DL) so I can get the special coast to coast medal. But in the grand scheme of things, that isn't too bad, right?

My original Disney friend, Michelle, was going to DL at the end of December with her family and so I decided to tag along. Mainly to see Michelle, but also because I'll take any excuse to go to a Disney park! :) Michelle was the one who introduced me to WDW for my 30th birthday. Wow, was that really almost 3 years ago now?

We met up at LAX (we being me and Michelle's family - Michelle, Jason, Bailey, Reese and Michelle's parents - Janette & Mark), caught the shuttle and were on our way! We were dropped off at our respective hotels with a plan to meet back up at California Adventures. This was going to be my first time at California Adventures! Surprisingly, I've only been to DL a few times and haven't been since CA Adventures was built.

First was lunch, followed by Mike & Sully's Adventure, Playhouse Disney and the end of the HSM3 Pep Rally. And then it was time. Time for what? For me to face my fear.

(This would be when the foreboding music starts playing)

Michelle's favorite ride is Tower of Terror and she has been trying to get me on it since our first trip together. This ride absolutely terrifies me!! I think it is more psychological than anything. Each time I've said, maybe next time, maybe next time. The cajoling of Michelle, my brother and Jana finally got to me and I rode it with Jana last time at WDW, knowing I was still going to need to ride it in DL with Michelle. Jason, Michelle & I headed over to Tower of Terror but before we got in line Jason & Michelle got fast passes. Me? No, once was more than enough for me on this ride. We stood in line with the dread and anticipation building and building. Finally we were there, sitting down, strapped in and ready to go. I closed my eyes, hung on the hand rail for dear life and screamed. And then it was over. My legs were shaking uncontrollably, but I did it!

I should have known once I definitively said, "There is no way in he$$ I am doing this ride more than once!" that I would ride Tower of Terror again. We finished and Jason gallantly gave up his fastpass so I could face my fears and go again. Note to self, always get the fastpass, even if you don't think you will ride it. The elevator door closed, I held on to the handle with all my might and we plunged. The second time was worse! But I faced my fears and lived through it, twice! Riding it with Michelle was (dare I say it) fun. And Michelle - I'm glad you made me ride it & I'm glad I got ride it with you! :)

We met back up with the rest of the group and started over to California Screaming, another rollercoaster which had me a slight bit terrified. But it was actually really smooth, and only had one upside down loop, which I shut my eyes for. California Screaming just might be one of my new favorite rides!

After that it was King Triton's Carousel, Mickey's Fun Wheel, Mulholland Drive, and Soarin' before ending the night eating a corn dog and watching the Electrical Parade. You know how every once in awhile a hot dog just really sounds good? Or is that just me? And a corn dog? But it was really good. After the parade was over it was time for bed.

The next morning, I met up with the crew at their hotel before we caught the monorail over to Disneyland!! Michelle, Bailey & I rode the teacups. Next it was Pinocchio, Pirates, Haunted Mansion (which was decked out like The Nightmare Before Christmas for the holidays) and lunch. Then it was time for Mark to leave (he was going to work on one of the floats for the Rose Parade). We did a little shopping, watched the Christmas Parade and went for a ride with Mr. Toad. It was then time to say goodbye and goodnight to Janette & the girls. Michelle, Jason & I headed back to the park.

One of my favorite rides at DL that isn't at WDW is the Indiana Jones ride. The line was atrocious, so we decided to brave the single rider line, which we were assuming would be much faster than the 110 minute line. We weren't in line for that long when the ride was shut down for mechanical issues. Darn! On our way out, we were given a magical fastpass!! Hm, what to use it on? We did Big Thunder and then opted to use the magical fastpass on Space Mountain. Note to self, when you are trying to get into your seat on Space Mountain fast, don't lower your lap bar until you are ready. This may or may not be from experience. I may have lowered my lap bar before I was fully seated and gotten my leg caught outside the bar and gotten yelled at by the ride operator. I'm not saying it did happen, all I'm saying is that here is a slight possibility it could happen! :)

Next up was the Matterhorn and Pirates before checking out the Indiana Jones situation. The line was operational and had about 105 minute line. We headed for the single rider line and were on our way in a lot less time than 105 minutes!

We finished up the night with the Jungle Cruise and It's A Small World, which was all decked out for the holidays.

What a great trip!! See ya real soon!

Check out more pictures here.

Operation 5 to 10 Update

We're about a month into the new year so it is about time to check in with the goal to lose 5 to 10 lbs by the half marathon! There have been some ups and some downs (possibly more ups than downs!) since I made this goal and I'm now at about a net 6.3lbs to lose by March 7th to get to where I want for the race.

I was at hot yoga on Monday and my favorite instructor (and she was my favorite before this!!) told me I looked like I was losing weight! So while it may not necessarily feel or look like it to me, perhaps there is some change going on. :)

Acceptance

Sometimes you can start a run and wonder how on earth you are going to make it but you keep going.

Sometimes you are going to walk more than you planned.

Sometimes you have to turn off the stopwatch, because it is going to take as long as it is going to take!

Sometimes you have to suck it up and use the icky, nasty port-o-potty and be very thankful it was there and had toilet paper and soap!

Sometimes a "good job" from a passing runner can motivate you from barely hanging on to run 6 songs to running 9 songs.

Sometimes a High School Musical walk song can put you in a much better mood and ready to tackle the rest of the run.

Sometimes you just keep putting one foot after the other and before you know it you are at mile 7.5 of a 10 mile run.

And sometimes you have to accept a run for what it is, not good, not bad, but rather a building block on the way to 13.1 miles.

The Best Laid Plans

Well, I had great plans to update pictures, write up my latest trip report, but it didn't happen. Instead I created this mosaic as a tribute to my Disney trips in 2009, since I visited 3 parks (yes you read that right - 3 parks!!). From left to right it is Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland. And if you look carefully - I think I am wearing the same shoes in each foot picture!!

Orange You Glad

I got my Teddy grahams! And more oranges and bananas. Sadly, we are out of Princess fruit snacks. This is our smorgasbord of snacks:

It is kind of a running joke how much liquid I consume during the day. And as you can see from the below picture, I can even drink different types of water, out of different containers at the same time (although I do have to say the Diet Dr. Pepper & the Propel were from yesterday - they just never made it off my desk).