Hello Treadmill

Well apparently I got a little post happy over the past few days, so if you missed it, here is a recap!

Postcards From Moi - I love postcards, how about you?  Especially postcards from Zagreb & Brussels!

I'm Really Getting Sick of Riding Rides With You - Recap from my trip to WDW where I attended Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and ventured outside of Disney!!

Twelve By 2012 - Goals to complete before the clock strikes midnight on 12/31/11 (and is it just me, or does the world twelve look funny?)

What else has been going on?  Well, this morning I realized there was no way I was going to go out in the dark and cold to do seven miles so treadmill it was.  When is daylight savings again?  It has to be happening soon, right?  Have I mentioned before how I abhor the treadmill?  Well, I do.  Especially for anything over three miles and I here I am attempting seven!!  Treadmills definitely have their good points - being able to stop anytime and use the bathroom being primary on my list (plus the already mentioned avoiding darkness and cold - oh and keeping a consistent pace is another point in the treadmill's favor).  So work up this morning, headed to the gym and attempted to turn on the TV.  Nothing.  Blech!  I could have definitely used some TV to keep me entertained.  But I still had my iPod.  It seemed so much longer than it actually was but finally I was done.  Hip, hip, hooray!!

P.S.  Guess who signed up for the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll??  Oh yeah!  My first Rock 'n' Roll event!!  And if I do one, you know I'm going to have to do another one, because I will want that special medal.  Now which one to do??

Twelve by 2012

 

It is no secret that I love lists.  And even more than lists, I love crossing things off lists!  So when I saw Mandi's list of 12 by 2012 I knew I wanted in (via oh, hello friend).  There isn't much left of 2011, so let's see what I can do before the clock turns to 2012.  Plus this may be the motivation I have been looking for.  I don't know if it is the change in season or what but I have been feeling blah lately. 


Bold = Finished!   Italics = Working on it!   (Last updated: November 6, 2011)

1. Close unused checking account.
2. Try two new recipes.
3. Hold a plank position for 1 minute.
4. Ease back into running once 1 year has passed since I fell off a cliff (I think the best part about falling off a cliff is saying "I fell off a cliff!").
5. Cancel my American Express card since I never use it.
6. Attend yoga at least twice a week.
7. Upload & send out pictures from recent trips.
8. Catch up and finish reading my bible in one year plan.
9. Decide if I'm wearing a costume for the Tinker Bell & Princess Half Marathons (and order them!).
10. Make an appointment with the podiatrist.
11. Find a green monster smoothie recipe I like.
12. Take the stairs to work at least twice a week.

Five Senses Friday

Seeing

• The new show "Once Upon A Time" - I was intrigued and will keep watching (for now)

Smelling

• Someone's really icky smelling lunch 

Hearing

• Everything on a muted level - my ears are still somewhat plugged from this lovely cold I picked up 

Tasting

• Yummy food at Via Napoli at Epcot!! 

Feeling

• Rather run down - stupid cold! 

I'm Really Getting Sick of Riding Rides with You

So while those words did come out of Jessica's mouth they originated with a kid in front of us while we were waiting for the Yeti (proper title being Expedition Everest, but much more of a mouthful than to simply call it the Yeti).  It cracked us up and so became our go-to phrase during the trip!  I think we're going to do a bullet point extravaganza to sum up the trip because that means it will actually get done!

• On the Magical Express video, Huey, Dewey and Louie are on the screen and the little kid behind me goes "3 Donalds!"  And this is just another reason why Disney needs a Classic Disney channel to show all the old cartoons!!  That way Huey, Dewey and Louie are not mistaken for their uncle!
• We had to work our way up to the Yeti with the trio of dinosaur rides - Dinosaur Dumbo (I don't know its real name), Primeval Whirl, and Dinosaur.
• We were entertained (and reassured) while we were in line for the Yeti by 4 cousins (ages 7 to 12).  The one who said "I'm really getting sick of riding rides with you" was pulled out of line by mom and substituted with a girl cousin.  They were super cute and helped pass the time.  Although they did tell us that the Harry Potter ride was not a good ride.
• I just discovered the fruit and cheese snacks at Animal Kingdom!!  Yum!
• Jessica, errr Cruella, got reprimanded by most of the characters at Mickey's Not So Scary.  Poor puppies!  
• I did get recognized as Minnie (I'm sure the ears helped!) and Minnie liked my outfit! :) 
• I remembered the Headless Horseman being way cooler.
• Ditto with Cinderella's carriage.
• We did not do so well getting candy at the Halloween party - and it was not the good candy either (i.e. no chocolate).  I was fairly disappointed in my candy haul.
• I felt a little like a traitor going to Universal but good things about Universal?  Starbucks, the super cool hand dryer machines, and BUTTERBEER!
• I was nervous about going on Harry Potter for several reasons, one being would I be able to fit considering I'm on the bigger side?  I sat in the test chair outside the ride and was given the okay that I could sit in any chair I wanted.  Whew!
• Harry Potter was a crazy ride!!  But fun!  And much better if you close your eyes in the room with the spiders.  
• Of course the second time I got stuck in the room with the dementors.  Ick!
• Butterbeer was DELICIOUS!  (A cross between cream soda and butterscotch.)
• Loved Suess Landing!
• Usually it's Toy Story over Rockin' Rollercoaster, but this time it was the other way around.  
• Jessica IS the rebel spy!
• Um, when did Lightning McQueen replace Herbie on Lights, Motors, Action?!
• Watching Fantasmic while Illuminations is going on is a little distracting.
• We brought our sweatshirts instead of buying new Mickey ones.  Which is probably the more fiscally responsible thing to do. 
• Not having a park hopper option is somewhat liberating!  Instead of deciding what park to go to next when you are done, you just go home.
• I love driving to Magic Kingdom (and Epcot) and looking at roads I've run on - and will again in February.  Ack!!  That isn't that far away!!
• We had zero line magic at Epcot.  Which meant no Mexico and no Nemo.  Boo.  Guess that means another trip is in order! :)  Hey, how about February?
• There is no gum sold in the Orlando Airport.  Seriously.  No gum sold in the entire airport.  Normally it wouldn't bother me, except I caught a cold and so really needed gum on the way home.  No such luck.  It was a fairly painful descent (although I've probably had worse, but this was the worst in recent memory).  And my ears are still plugged.  Ugh.

Postcards from Moi

I love postcards.  I'm not sure when my love affair began with postcards.  But getting a little slice from some exotic (or not so exotic) place captivates me.  I am always so excited when I receive a postcard in the mail.  I generally bring them to work and hang them up on the wall as my window on to the outside world.  My wall used to be completely covered but then we moved a couple of times and the postcards came down.  So each time we moved I started a new postcard wall.  Because I love postcards so much, I generally send out lots of postcards when I travel.

Anyone who has travelled with me knows how seriously I take my postcards.  It is a labor of love.  First there is finding the postcards.  I'm fairly picky, not just any postcard will do.  And I don't like to send a postcard unless I've been to or seen what is on the postcard.  And it has to be pretty (to me at least).  Or say what is on / in the postcard.  Next is finding a post office to buy stamps.  You wouldn't think this would be so difficult.  But it can be.  (I'm remembering a time walking through "Sherwood Forest" in Prague to get to the post office.)  Then there is the addressing and writing of the postcards.  I try not to write the same thing on each postcard.  They may have a similar theme, but I try to personalize each one a little or add one or two different thoughts.  There is a particularly incriminating photo somewhere that shows me asleep on a train in the middle of writing a postcard.  I'll see if I can find it.  And finally there is the mailing of the postcards.  A few times I have had to rely on the kindness of strangers when I've left the mailing too long and there hasn't been a mailbox at the airport.  (Each time I have given postcards to someone at the airport they have all arrived!)  Oh, and on my very first overseas trip (way back when to my favorite place in the whole world - LONDON) I gave my postcards to some little old lady I met on the street in York.  And those arrived safely too!

It is always interesting to see how long it takes for the postcards to arrive (if they do - postcards from Budapest took months and when they arrived they were in pretty bad shape and some of the postcards from my trip to Austria earlier this year never arrived).  And every once in awhile one postcard will arrive at a house and one will not and when one arrives for one sister but not for the other, that can be a problem!

Which brings me to the point of this post.  I thought I would share my love of postcards.  If you'd like to get a postcard from my upcoming trip to Croatia and Brussels, send me an email at travelwithemily (at) gmail (dot) com with your address by November 5th and I will send a postcard to the first ten people to respond (and hopefully the postcards will make it!).  Your address will only used for this purpose.  If you think it's weird and/or stalker-ish, then don't send me your address! :)

Asleep on a train from Venice to Florence

Autumn Colour Week: Brown

Hasn't this been fun?  But now Autumn Colour Week is at an end.  Hopefully you enjoyed it!!

 

 

And yes, the last picture isn't rotated correctly but I can't figure it out so it is just going to be wrong-side up.

Autumn Colour Week: Grey

It's Autumn Colour Week over at  Poppytalk.  Today we are grey.

Tune in tomorrow for our last color - brown!!

Autumn Colour Week: Orange

Orange you glad it's Wednesday!?  Ha!  That joke never gets old!  Well, at least I haven't tired of it yet! :)  It's Autumn Colour Week over at Poppytalk!

The rest of the week looks like this:
Thursday - Grey
Friday - Brown

Autumn Colour Week: Yellow

Oh Yellow Tuesday!  It is Autumn Colour Week over at Poppytalk! 

The rest of the week looks like this:
Wednesday, October 19th - Orange
Thursday, October 20th - Grey
Friday, October 21st - Brown

Autumn Colors Week: Red

Yay!!  It is time for another Color Week over at Poppy Talk!!  I do adore Colors Week!!

Five Senses Friday

It has been a rough week.  But it is almost over!  I'm so thankful for my massage tomorrow!!

Seeing

• A fantastic race at Kona!!  Huge congrats out to Crowie & Chrissie.  I had tears in my eyes as I watched Chrissie cross the finish line  And a huge congrats out to all those who raced at Kona.  Each time I watch it I think maybe...  But then I come back down to reality.  I do really want to attend Kona one of these years though to just be a part of the race.

Hearing

• The soundtrack to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (I leave next week!!!)

Tasting

•  Too many snacks!  Fruit snacks, fruit leather, goldfish, M&Ms...oh and my new fave - Peanut Butter Snickers!!

Feeling

•  A little anxious about my Halloween costume (I leave for WDW in less than a week and it hasn't arrived!!)

Smelling

•   Maple syrup

Rain, Rain Go Away

Now normally I love a good fall storm, but today looking at the torrential downpour, I can only I wish I was someplace warm and tropical.

Am I an athlete?

Now let me preface this with these are completely my own thoughts and feelings - so read with a grain of salt or pass on reading altogether.  If you are reading this then I actually hit post!  Which, truth be told, doesn't always happen with posts like this.  Many times they just sit, gathering dust, in the draft phase, never to see the light of day.   Poor little posts.

I happened to catch a random observation about "real triathletes" and it caused me to pause.  Because labels are something that I have struggled with.  Am I a real athlete?  Am I a runner?  But the label I hadn't had a problem with before is that of triathlete.  Until this comment.  Now if the observation had  been about "serious triathletes" I would have had no issue and would have agreed completely and gone happily about my day.  I do think there are tiers and I am at the very bottom tier.  Or maybe even a tier below that!  Ha!  The one reserved for beginners.  And the one reserved for very slow beginners, who still don't quite know what they are doing.

While I haven't had a problem calling myself a triathlete, I am always quick to caveat with sprint distance triathlons, I don't do long course.  I only do the baby version.  I also add how slow I am.  I know I am not a serious triathlete - I don't own a wetsuit, or bike shoes for that matter.  I don't have a coach.  My bike is a hybrid (not a road or racing bike), and I don't even know what the aero position is (okay, so that last one is a slight exaggeration).  But I love triathlons.  I love race morning.  I love the feeling of finishing the swim and getting out on the bike course (well when my bike & I are on speaking terms).  And even better I love T2 and getting out on the run course.  I never questioned that I was a triathlete.  Once I completed my first triathlon, I was a triathlete.  Not a serious triathlete, but a triathlete all the same.  I know because Sally Edwards told me I was.  In the water, preparing for my very first swim, Sally Edwards asked us what kind of triathlete we would be when we crossed the finish line.  And my group were going to be wonderful triathletes!  I crossed that finish line and I was a triathlete.  I never questioned it - until now.

But what makes a person an athlete?  A triathlete?  A runner?  Especially someone like myself - I mean I have to look at each race to see if there is a time limit that I can finish in before I even sign up.  And right now I have to make sure they allow walkers.  I have not been under any illusion that I will finish anywhere near the front of the pack.  But does that mean I am not an athlete?  Or maybe aspiring athlete would be a better term.

I agree there are different levels of athlete.  And on any other given day I might have just passed this off but something about it struck deep in me.  Maybe because I have been feeling insecure with my knee injury.  (Or maybe I'm just REALLY tired and completely overreacting.)  But there is a small part of me that thinks I'm just a pretender - I am dressed like a runner, but really I am a walker.  Maybe because I have a hard time thinking of myself as a runner.  If someone were to call me a runner, I am usually quick to jump in with no, I do run but I am not a runner.  Runners do hill repeats, know what fartleks are, and do speed work.

All these thoughts basically boil down to one question.  What makes a person deserving of the title "athlete"?  Professionals?  Fast and speedy participants?  People who take their sport seriously?  Or do you just need to finish a race to be called a runner, a marathoner, a triathlete?  Or is it somewhere in between? 

When did you feel you had earned the title of athlete?

Five Senses Friday

Hearing

• The rain pelting against my window - oh rain, how I have missed you, but yet, how I have not missed you!! 

Tasting

• Goldfish & M&Ms - there is something to be said about that salty/sweet combo 

Seeing

•   Lots of shoes - but not the pair I am looking for

Smelling

• Peppermint tea 

Feeling

•   Tired

Want more Five Senses?  Check out Mandi's!

What's Next?

I am a planner at heart.  I like plans.  I like schedules.  I like to put things on a calendar (so I can later cross them off!).  And while January and February seem like a long way off, throw in a couple of holidays, a vacation or two, and pretty hectic work schedule for at least a couple of weeks and all of a sudden it is time to plan out my training schedule for the Tinker Bell and Princess Halves.  (Or would it be more proper to say Half Marathons instead of trying to pluralize half?)

My loose training schedule looks a lot like this:

Monday - hot yoga
Tuesday - walk/run 2 to 4 miles
Wednesday - hot yoga/Pure Barre/weights/something else?
Thursday - walk/run 2 to 4 miles
Friday - rest
Saturday - hot yoga
Sunday - long walk/run

I can pretty much guarantee I won't follow this to a tee (look at me - I rhymed!) but I will try to stick close to the schedule and definitely hit the long walk/run.  Notice I threw run in there?  That's right!  I am almost back to running!!  Only 2 more months!

I have a feeling the trick will be to keep up my motivation between Tinker Bell and Princess.  Any tips out there on staying motivated?  And not letting the high of finishing a race turn into a low?

In the meantime, I need a November race and a December race.  December is easy-peasy.  I'm so doing the 12Ks of Christmas - it is easily one of my favorite races of all times.  November isn't as easy.  I'm out of town for most of the Turkey Trots.  But I think I'm going to do the Seattle Marathon 5K.

And off we go! 

Project Athena 10K

I would like to start this off by saying I was No. 1 in this race!!  Okay so I'm talking about my bib number, not my actual placement in the race.  But I did get a lot of cheers for No. 1 from other participants and people on the trail which made me smile! :)

This was the race that almost wasn't.  I fell off the bandwagon after the YGG Half and just wasn't motivated.  I had the finishing the race high followed by a low.  Plus there was that little side trip to Disneyland that distracted me.  But what better to get me back on the wagon than a race?

I was a little nervous going into the race as I knew it was a small race and the 10K was technically only for "runners".  But as the course was mainly on "my" normal route I figured if it was too bad and I was way far behind, I could hide my race number and just pretend to be out for a normal walk.

The 10K racers started and sure enough I was last within no time at all.  Well this is going to be fun.  Will this be the day I am last?  It isn't so much that I care about being last - it is more about people waiting for me to finish.  There were 2 women just ahead of me who were alternating run/walking and was able to catch up and pass them on their walk interval.  They would pass me back and so we leapfrogged for a little while but I kept gaining a little more and finally was able to increase the distance enough.  Okay, so I won't be last if I can keep this up!  I played the same game with 2 other women.  So now there was at least 4 people behind me.  Whew!  A little breathing room.

The goal behind Project Athena is to help survivors live their adventures.  The survivors were given orange shirts to wear.  I was now behind a group of 4 women, 3 of whom were survivors.  Of course they were my next targets! :)  But being behind them I was able to see racers coming back giving them support.  Even the super fast men gave them high fives or shout outs.  It was really neat to see nearly every participant giving support to these survivors.  When I finally caught up with them I added my own cheer and they cheered me on as well.  We leapfrogged a couple of times but when we hit the turn-around I was able to pull ahead.

Wow, we're at the turn-around already?  The problem with being on my familiar route - as I passed by my normal parking lot I was ready to step off the trail and get in my car!  Haha!  Not quite yet - I still had a a good 2 miles to go.

I caught up with another woman and walked along side her for awhile.  It was her first race of any sort and she was just hoping to finish.  I told her she was doing great and she was going to finish!  I walked with her for awhile until I saw the finish line and the clock which was ticking towards 1 hour and 30 minutes.   At the beginning I was hoping to finish within 1 hour and 35 minutes but somewhere along the course I was starting to think that 1 hour and 30 minutes was possible.  And when I saw the clock at  1:28 I took off.  I was tempted to run but kept up the walk and finished in 1:29 and some seconds.  I don't remember the exact seconds and I can't tell you because the results aren't up yet.  Grr!  Where are my results?  Ha!  Apparently I am impatient today.

And there you have it!  My October race is done.

Five Senses Friday

Hearing

• The Tampa Bay Rays come back and win!  Not only the game but a spot in the post season.  I love listening to baseball on the radio.  What an exciting game!!  And then the next morning I woke up to Sweet Caroline on the radio - I think there is some irony in there somewhere! :)

Tasting

• Eggplant - you know for someone who isn't too keen on veggies, I really do love me some eggplant! 

Smelling

• Why is this one so hard for me?  I got nothing... 

Seeing

• The shows piling up on my DVR.  The new TV season just started and already I am behind!! 

Feeling

• A little overwhelmed and a little flabbergasted it is already October.  When did that happen?! 

Want more Five Senses?  Check out Mandi's!

Disneyland - September 2011 Edition

Would you believe it?  My annual park pass expired at the beginning of August.  And since then I have been feeling like I lost something - the ability to pick up and go to a Disney park on a whim to be precise.  To renew the annual pass or not is similar to the chicken and the egg.  If I have the pass, I can go whenever, and it will save me money the more times I go so of course I should get the pass.  But if I didn’t have the pass, I wouldn’t go as often, which would also save me money.  Ah, the dilemma.  But since I am planning on going to WDW in October and February (for the Princess Half!), I felt justified in renewing.  But instead of renewing (which you can’t renew the premier pass online – lame!), Jana & I figured it was probably time to go to Disneyland and buy in person.  Pretty smart, right?  Plus with me doing the Tinker Bell in January, and us going to Disneyland to renew, I had completely validated my decision to renew the premier pass.  Completely makes sense to renew!  For those of you thinking I have a *slight* Disney addiction, you would be wrong.  It’s more than slight.  I was trying to explain it to a friend of mine.  It is my happy place.  I can feel stress melt away as I walk through the entrance.  It isn’t just about rides or food or what have you.  It’s about the atmosphere and how I instantly feel young again.  Not that I am old, by any stretch.  Plus it is a fantastic place to meet friends who also happen to be Disney fanatics!  Especially meeting up with those friends who love Disney and who live in other parts of the country.

(And this year, I started a spreadsheet to track my savings.  Oh yes, I am a nerd.)

All this to say, guess where I was last weekend?  That’s right!  Disneyland!!  And perfect timing – since I had just finished the You Go Girl Half (within my time goal!) I felt a little like a Super Bowl winner – “Emily, you just successfully walked the You Go Girl Half in 3 hours 14 minutes and 4 seconds.  What are you going to do next?”  To which I happily reply, “I’m going to DISNEYLAND!!"


We’re going to do this recap in bullet point style:

• We had breakfast at La Brea all three mornings.  Yum!!  And each morning I would have juice, cappuccino and water.  Liquid much?  Why yes, thank you!
• I love the new Little Mermaid ride – especially the first part where you go “under the sea” and the room playing Under the Sea (although I didn’t care for the Ariel with the crazy hair in that room).
• I had visions of the new Goofy’s Sky School being like Barnstormer.  Boy was I wrong!  Instead Goofy’s Sky School is a lot like Mulholland Drive.  Except with Goofy.  And planes. 
• I totally won on Midway Mania.  Jana totally won on Astro Blasters.
• It does not take much to convince me I NEED to buy another Mickey sweatshirt (instead of walking back to the hotel to get one).
• Speaking of shopping, I think I got one thing on my list.  But I got lots of things not on my list! 
• I would so buy a World of Color soundtrack if it were for sale (hint, hint Disney merchandising people). 
• Speaking of soundtracks, I was set to buy a Disneyland soundtrack, but could not find one anywhere.  Boo.  Word to the wise, if there is something at Disney that you want, don’t wait to buy it because you may never find it again. This has happened more than once.
• This was the first time I smelled the ocean on Soarin'!  I don't know if it was because I had been near the ocean the week before and the sight of the ocean triggered the smell or if it actually smells like the ocean.
• I love the Matterhorn at night!!  Not so much during the day.
•  I heart Mr. Toad.  And I think I need to read the Wind in the Willows (I thought I read it when I was younger but I’m not so sure now). 
• We waited in little to no lines for Indiana Jones – all 3 times we rode it!  Guess that means the park wasn’t super crowded (although it felt like it sometimes). 
• Holiday Haunted Mansion rocks my socks! 
• Oh – and it smells like gingerbread!!
• Mickey Ice Cream is delicious!!
• I still get teary eyed watching Fantasmic.  The DL version is my fave (although I do like the setup better at WDW.)
• After Jana left I had about another hour before I needed to leave so I got in line for Tinker Bell.  Oh yes.  My excuse for being an adult in line to get her picture made with Tinker Bell?  I needed to do costume research of course!  (I'm thinking about putting together a fairy outfit for the Tinker Bell Half.  Not sure how yet...  Or what fairy for that matter!)
• Pirates was closed.  Boo.  Guess that means I need a return trip. :)
• Drinking Diet Coke on vacation is awesome!!  (I only let myself drink soda on vacation or in a dire emergency.)
• ETA: Oh!  I completely forgot one very important thing!  We were walking over to Fantasyland and I glanced at the guys walking next to us and they were both wearing identical shirts with Club 33 on them.  If I were brave, I would have asked them if they worked there and how we could score an inside glimpse of the famed Club 33!  But no, instead I walked them walk by and wondered...

 I’m sure there was much more, but that’s all I have for the moment.  See ya real soon!

What to have to drink this morning?

Drinks at Breakfast #1

Drinks at Breakfast #2

Drinks at Breakfast #3

In line for the Little Mermaid

California Adventures

Disneyland

I heart Mr. Toad

I heart Mickey Ice Cream

Us in our new Mickey sweatshirts

Costume Research - hmm, Tink or Vidia?

Five Senses on Thursday

What?  Five Senses a day early?  What does this mean?  It means I am leaving on a jet plane!  I'm off to the Happiest Place on Earth!

Seeing

• The newly painted walls at work. 

Hearing

• What I think was a frog croaking  

Tasting

•   Chocolate milk

 Smelling

• Fall is definitely in the air

Feeling

• Excited!!  Not only for a trip to see Mickey (and Jana!) but I also figured out what I'm going to be for Halloween!

You Go Girl Half Marathon

I ran this race last year, except the 10K version.  I enjoyed it last year and when my co-worker started talking to me about doing a half in September and mentioned this race I thought why not?  Especially since it had a 4 hour time limit!!  This would be an excellent race to judge my walking time to see if I could finish in Disney's 3 and a half hour time limit.  At the time I signed up for this race and started training I didn't know if (or when) I was going to be "allowed" to run again.  It would be my test race.  Oh the things I do for Disney! :)

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain.  And not just rain, but a steady, heavy rain.  Oh Fall, couldn't you have held off for one more day?  Eh, it's just rain, right?  I decided against changing my outfit, figuring either way I would be wet.  Well except to switch out my sunglasses for a hat.  I checked my bag one more time, tried to make garbage bag ponchos, and then headed out the door to meet my co-worker (we were going to carpool to the race).

The rain started to subside to a light mist as we drove down to the race start.  The race start is about a half a mile or so away from the finish.  Last year I parked at the start and regretted it slightly when I had to make the climb up stairs and hills back to my car.  Since my co-worker was the one driving I let her decide where to park.  She opted for the finish (which I would be so glad for at the end!).  We parked and started making the trek up to the start line.

I knew this had the potential of being an emotional race, being my second "big" comeback race since my knee injury.  I started tearing up as the National Anthem was played.  And then we were off!!  Being a girl oriented race, it looked like a sea of pink stretching out in front of me.

This was the first race I would be using my Garmin and as it buzzed for the first mile I glanced down and saw 13:39.  Whoa!  That's a little fast.  The upcoming hill slowed me down naturally.  This race is made up of three out and backs.  As I started up the hill I saw the super fast girls coming towards me.  So impressive watching them.  I kept my eyes open for my co-worker and then I saw her!  We gave each other the thumbs up sign as we passed.  And soon I was at the top of the hill and at the first turn-around point.  It was neat to again see the sea of pink clad runners stretching out in front of me.

We were coming back towards the start line.  Do I stop at the port-o-potty?  I had a conversation with myself about whether or not to stop before finally deciding to use the port-o-potty.  Better safe than sorry!  I was back on the course in no time flat and coming up on the big, bad hill I remembered from last year.  It was still bad, it hadn't improved since last year.  It was also the second out and back (not a true out and back) and about half way up I saw my co-worker again.  She shouts to me "this is a wicked course!"  Those hills can be pretty bad.  Up the hill and around the little park, through the mud puddles.  And then it was a big stretch of downhill!

Coming around a corner, there was a spectator with a great sign reading "1) Run 2) Breathe 3) Repeat".  Love it!

And then it was the finish line!!  For the 10k-ers.  Why didn't I sign up for the 10K again?  LOL!  So last year when I finished, they had chocolate milk but it was only for the half marathoners.  That was going to be me this year!!  Past the finish line and up the incline and on to the last out and back section.  I rounded the corner and could see the fast half girls closing on the finish line.

I knew the last section was along the water so I foolishly hoped it would be flat.  And it was flat for the most part except the few hills thrown in for fun.  Fun or torture at that point!  I finally got to the flat portion.  As I passed one volunteer, he tells me I'm about a half a mile from the last turn-around point. He was a liar!  Liar!  But it did give me a boost for a short time (until I realized it was a lot longer than a half a mile!).  That out section was a doozy!  I kept thinking I was seeing the turn-around but I wasn't.  But all along the course women on the back section were telling me encouraging comments.  Which I needed and so when I passed by a woman who was looking a little down I said something along the lines of "you're doing great!"  And she tells me "thanks, I really needed to hear that."

Finally, finally, finally I saw the turn-around and it really was the turn-around!!  Hallelujah!  As I reached it I could feel tears welling up again.  It was at this point I could see how many people were behind me.  And while I was near the end, there was still a good number of people behind me.

I hit the 10 mile sign.  Only a 5K left.  I can so do a 5K!  Although by the 11 mile sign I was just ready to be done.  And drink my chocolate milk.  Mile 12 comes and goes.  One more mile.  Up the last hill.  One foot in front of the other.  Keep going.  Around the last corner.  And I hear my co-worker yelling my name!!  Finish line!  And done!

I head to the food tent and there isn't any chocolate milk!  Color me sad.  (I stopped at the store on the way home and got some though.)  I eat my banana, do some stretching before we walked back to the car.  I was so happy the car was at the finish line!!  Because I don't know that I could have walked back up to the start line.  Ha!

My time: 3 hours 14 minutes and 4 seconds for a per mile pace of 14:49.  These are the official results because guess what?  I forgot to turn off my Garmin after crossing the finish line!  Doh!  My time wasn't actually that far off my Princess Half time.  Granted even though I ran a good deal of the Princess, I also stopped for lots of photos! :) 

You know what this means?  I will be able to stop for pictures for the Tinker Bell & Princess!!  Yahoo!!  Well at least one or two photos, let's not get to crazy!

And I'll end with - what's next after finishing a half marathon?  Chocolate milk!!  Ice packs!!  A massage on Tuesday. And one more thing on Thursday!  What is that?  I won't say just yet, but see if you can guess! :)

At the start line

Me at the start line

Done!

Another medal!