Why not make "Some Day" today?

It's only been, what, 4 months since I last posted? And in that time a lot has happened. 2 half marathon PRs, my first full marathon, a whole lot of headache and enjoying time and Skyping with my best friend... Sounds like life, right?

(One day I'll get my race recaps up... I only need to post 7-8 of them, between Dumbo over Labor Day Weekend, Women's Running Series St. Pete, and the entire Dopey Challenge a month ago... No big, right?)

😳

😅

And through all of this, the hubs and I have been talking about what we want our future to be like, and how we're going to get there. Health, finances, eventually babies (although that's a long way off), travel, and overall quality of life.

Well, health is one of those big things for me, and I hope for us as individuals and as a family - and yes, even though there are only two of us we're still a family! 😊

The discussion is and continues to be that we have a lot of health problems in our immediate family - just the parents. We're talking obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular concerns with a hx of heart attack, stroke, cancer... It's not a pretty picture.

Sorry, "hx" = "history". It just flows really well to say that, because that's what I'm used to.

For future reference, "dx" = "diagnosis", "tx" = "treatment", and maybe I should just leave all the technical stuff at work, no? 😉

Anyway, we've been talking about becoming healthier as individuals and as a family.

I've been running for two years this month (Yay!) and I'm working on eating better and everything... But one of the things I kept getting from the hubs was "I'll do it when..."

That's short for:

• When I'm less stressed

• When finals are over

• When I lose weight

• When we buy a treadmill

• When I'm not tired

• When I finish that

• When it's warm and not snowy (... BTW, we only live in the Midwest. It snowed a couple inches last night. AND today's high is about 54*F)

There are so many others that I've lost count.

Finally I had to say "There will never be perfect conditions. You're going to get stressed out, and have a million things going on at once, and have bad days. That's. Life."

Don't get me wrong, I have days of "I'll get around to it!", too! I'm only a little embarrassed of the number of cookies I've eaten the last few days (Come at me, PMS!)

But how often in our own lives do we just put our foot down and say "You know what? "Some Day"? That day is TODAY!"

I wonder how much happier/less stressed/more vibrant/more fulfilled we would be as individuals, and what our quality of life will be like.

I know after Dopey I got hung up on the excuses. I'll run: in a few days, after it warms up to like 20*F cuz that's better than -10*F (ok, that was a garbage temp, but true! Lol), after I feel better, etc. etc. etc... And then it ended up being 4.5 weeks until my next run. And I was a crabby MESS. I wasn't very nice when I finally did go for a run 😳

I guess the point of this is... What's stopping you? How do you plan to overcome it? How can I (or anyone else) help you get to where you want to be in your life? (You know, aside from picking winning lottery numbers for you!) 😉

Sometimes we're all that's standing in our way.

ETA: AH! I knew I forgot something! I was going to brag a little. Last month the hubs came to me and said he wanted to do his first half marathon!! Super excited. He decided it'll be Dumbo at Disneyland - as in, the whole challenge (10k + half). I'm probably more excited that he is, if we're being real. This feels like a huge step for us being healthier and happier together... Like you couldn't tell that that's a big thing for me 😉

Mischief Managed

The title of this post just seems oddly appropriate.

Let me just say... I feel a WHOOOOOLE heck of a lot better now than I did when I made that last post.
SO. MUCH. BETTER.
Accomplished. Content (and I don't think that's sugar talking, either - I had the feeling yesterday, too).

Long story short: I got our hotel room for Disneyland taken care of.

I was really starting to worry that nothing would be available because I listened to my husband and waited to book a room... And then I forgot about it, so it's not like I can blame it all on him.
It's within walking distance - about half a mile from the start line. And... Is really pretty. I looked at the pictures of the hotel. Our room has a king and a double. DH joked that we could sleep on one bed and crash on the other after running.

Yeah, I'd already thought about that, and thought that it sounded pretty reasonable.
After the Princess Half, we all went back to the hotel room and just... Crashed. I was out for at least an hour or two.
Runner problems, huh?

At that time, I also took care of theme park tickets. I still have to figure out dining plans, and where the post-race celebratory dinner will be - I'll talk that over with the hubs later. Vegetarian husband = some restrictions on where to go. Although some of the places look rather promising, and I think he'll like them :)

I know time's running out on raising money for the ATCP... But I'm feeling better about that, too. Not so much "I've given up", but more of realizing just how much I actually had control over with that whole deal.

Even with the Disneyland stress, it's been a good couple of days.

I was hoping to hit 100 miles this month - but 50+ is definitely where it's going to be.
I'm contemplating having a couple really strong weeks - there are only a couple weeks left in the month, anyway! We'll see how it goes.
I'm definitely thinking a run later tonight. But not too late - gotta get plenty of sleep. I've been up late reading the last couple days. My guilty pleasures :)
Courtney Milan just released The Heiress Effect. And shortly after, Reeni Austin released More Than a Maid.
I've been looking forward to both books, and I pretty much devoured The Heiress Effect. Loved it. I'm now about, I dunno, 30% through with Reeni's book... I'd say, so far so good. I've had a few issues with it, but nothing really major that wasn't later addressed in the book.

That said, I think I'll get back to reading now. And a run tonight sounds like a really good idea :)

Motivation = Down

I can't tell if I'm having a couple of down days or if this is really what Disneyland and Dumbo are going to turn into...
I bought our plane tickets for Dumbo on Friday. That's about the only thing that's gone right with this whole thing, and even then that's messed up.
We're flying into John Wayne, so not very far away... But we're flying out of San Diego - which is two hours from Disneyland... In good traffic. And no clue how we'll be getting there. We'll probably end up leaving at like 10 just to make sure we get to the airport with plenty of time. Of course, the return flights have a 60% and 50% rate of being on-time. I've never knowingly bought tickets that said anything less than, oh, 80%. Not if I could help it.
At least the plane tickets were fairly cheap in comparison to others I saw - the cheapest, actually.

And the hotels at Disneyland are sold out. Or rather, I found one that was available every day we needed it - EXCEPT the night before the half! ::facepalm::

So I'll be calling tomorrow to see what I can get figured out. The hubs says he'll do it, but the fact of the matter is... I'm our trip planner, usually. Comparing hotels, plane tickets, you name it.
I'm getting sick of being told to not worry about it. I've been hearing that for months, but now it really IS time to worry about it, when even nearby hotels seem to be sold out, AND I'm probably going to end up paying the $600 donation minimum just to run in the races!

It seems likes just when things start working out, they don't.

I tried for a month to get ahold of someone about holding a family walk/run to raise money for the charity... Would you believe I finally got ahold of someone at the beginning of this month? I had the possibilities all planned out, and then when I put my foot down because people got carried away with planning without consulting me, I got "Oh, well, we don't have enough time to do this, forget about it!" Well, we HAD enough time then. Now I've barely got a month before the fundraising deadline, and what's the use of me bringing up any other fundraising ideas when the three I've had have completely fallen through in some way or another?

I'm starting to wonder what the point in all of this really is. The fact of the matter is that this trip was supposed to be fun, but now it's just a pain in the neck.

Oh, and I double-booked us on pasta parties. RunDisney only sends out Disneyland Half Weekend RACE registration confirmations from one section, and the rest from another - at least, they did that for me, but not DH. So I thought we didn't have Pasta in the Park tickets.
Well, we do.
And now we have tickets for the free pasta dinner with the charity.
Same day. Same time.
Do you go to the party you paid an arm and a leg for, or the free party where you get to meet the people you've been raising attempting to raise money for?
Or do you find a way to go to both?

It's just one nightmare after another, and I can't help but ask myself why I'm going, other than what's been paid - and what's going to come out of my bank account when I don't reach the fundraising minimum. Ouch.

My annual appointment sounds more fun than this. Although I never saw the big deal about annuals, once you get past the first one.
But that's beside the point.

Well, it's now 12:01.
45 days until Disneyland.
Woo.
Goodnight.

How to start a Sunday:

1) Wake up at 7:44(ish). Check Facebook. Be amazed at the people awake before you, and the fact that you naturally woke up at this time. Blame work for the fact that you naturally wake up by 8:30.
2) Go back to sleep. You know you want to.
3) Wake up at about 10:14 to your husband rifling around in the kitchen. Realize that it's after 10, and that you just had a dream about running the WDW Marathon... Excited, or nervous about not being well-prepared?
4) Laze about for a bit. Contemplate reading after blogging about your running dream.
5) Take the clothes out of the dryer.
6) Look up races, and daydream about doing them. Include your own little cheering squad in said daydreams, as you look up two marathons.
7) ... Decide to go for a run today. Three weeks ago was exhausting, putting in over 40 miles. Two weeks ago had a little bit in my new Saucony Ride 6 running shoes. Last week had next-to-nothing, and my skin recognized (and complained!) about the difference. Why not start this week off with some miles, and get used to your new shoes? Contemplate before or after work, and decide that both might work if you get your butt in gear. Feel disappointment/discouragement over the lack of a fan in in the apartment complex's workout room.
8) Check the runDisney training schedules for Dumbo and Dopey. Exhale in relief that you're ahead of schedule, and not behind.

Yes, ladies and gents, that is my morning to right now (11:25 AM CDT).
It's so amazing that a year and a half ago, I was contemplating running. Vaguely. I think I started in either late February or early March of 2012 - I don't remember which.
Back then, a 5K sounded reasonable, yet intimidating. A 10K sounded scary as hell. A 7-miler, for one of my dream races, sounded like, well, a dream... And a nightmare all the same. No way I was ready for it! A half marathon was, at best, hilarious. A marathon? Shoot me in the foot.

Now it's July 7. 23 days until I'm 23. I've done 4(?) 5Ks, a half marathon, a virtual half marathon, 4 virtual 10Ks, 2 virtual 1-milers (and still have one to go!).
Oh, and all of those virtual runs were in that exhausting week two weeks ago.

Can anybody say "Learn to balance"? That's what I'm still working on.

In the next 3 months I have... that virtual 1-miler... 5K or 10K for my own virtual run. I have another virtual race on the 25th (I forget what distance, though...). 2.3 miles for a virtual birthday run for me. A virtual 10K for Harry Potter's birthday.

Yes, you read that right. I'll say it again: A 10K for Harry Potter's birthday.
Yes, I know when that is. It's the day after mine (and 10 years before - holy geez, Harry Potter is going to be 33!! LOL)

Anyway... Not too much in August, other than THE START OF THE DUMBO DOUBLE DARE!!!!

Yes, that was important enough that it needed to be in all caps.
Be glad I didn't bold, underline, and italicize it ;)

So I have the 10K on August 31, and the half on September 1. A virtual.... Some-distance-or-other  (Nerd Herd Running's Banned Book run). The Prairie Dog Virtual Half. And I'm waiting to see what else I cram in these next few months, or in October. Hoping to add a couple more half marathons, or a marathon in there somewhere.
...
Must consult with the hubs. One of my biggest cheerleaders, he also brings me back down if I start having race mania - that is, trying to sign up for every race I possibly can.
Sometimes I'm not the practical one. Go figure (insert eye-roll).

Now, as far as that WDW Marathon dream... It was definitely one of those that first made me think I was worried about being unprepared - which I am, but I wasn't expecting to dream about it! Haven't had a running dream in a while.

I dreamed that everybody was ready to go, and I... Was still in my pajamas. At the start line. And all of my stuff was on a school bus... And the school bus had driven away. So there I am, running and looking for the school bus. I find the bus, and have to dig through giant piles to find my bag of clothes. I even found my sleeping bag! After a while I finally find my clothes... Found my running shorts, but couldn't find my sports bra or a shirt.
As I was about to give up, I found my sports bra. Nevermind shoes or a shirt, because I don't remember how those cropped up. So I run back to the start line, and my dad's waiting for me! Weirdness number one (well... Yeah...). Next weirdness, my husband is nowhere in sight! My dad is wielding my DSLR, looking super confused.
...
And the last wave has already started. Nevermind that I should've been in the second-to-last corral. I crossed the start line about 30 seconds after everyone else... And joined the group in getting lost in this little catle-like-thing that depicted the homes of different Disney characters, and you had to find your way out. Included running down stairs (or jumping down small holes, if you preferred that to the stairs).

Then I woke up. Anti-climactic, I know. But the husband was moving around in the kitchen, and it was after 10, so it was definitely time to get up.

Well, looks like it's time for yours truly to get moving. Hope everyone has a great day!

ATCP and Red iPod Shuffle **Giveaway**!

As some of you are aware, I am doing the Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland over Labor Day weekend. I'll be running with the A-T Children's Project to raise awareness and funds for research to benefit those affected by ataxia-telangiectasia.

The specific team I'm supporting is Team Randy and Alex. Alex is an adorable three-year-old who was diagnosed with A-T a few months before he turned two. Randy was Alex's mom, Crystal's, cousin. He lost his battle with A-T in 2004.

To help spread awareness, I'm doing a giveaway! (My very first one - I'm rather excited) ☺

The prize? A brand new red iPod shuffle.

"Why red?", you ask. Well, head on over to the ATCP website and you'll see - red is a color to show support for the ATCP.
The shuffle will come engraved with "The A-T Children's Project" on it... Those who know me know I tried to add more to that, but let's face it: Putting "Supporting Team Randy and Alex and the A-T Children's Project"? I tried, but I ran out of room. By a lot. (Surprise, surprise)

See, what'd I tell you?

Anyway, here it goes!
The entry period is between June 29, 2013 (see also: now) through July 22, 2013 at 12:00 AM CDT.
A winner will be chosen with 48 hours of the completion of the giveaway. The winner will have 48 hours after their name has been announced to contact me. If they do not, another winner will be chosen.

Have at! Please share with your friends and family. Our goal here is to raise awareness and help those in need! ☺


a Rafflecopter giveaway

And more virtual running

I would officially like to say "Scratch that last post" - that is, the count on it.
I said 8 virtual runs, not counting the one I did yesterday... Let's make that 11, not counting yesterday's.
...
Well, 10 left now, considering that the hubs and I did one of the Disney Series Virtual Runs (to benefit the ASPCA) tonight. He and I have apparently gotten each other in the spirit, and in addition to us doing at least 5k for each of the races, we're also doing each of the 1-milers.

I think I may have gotten my husband hooked on the "bling" aspect of running. With the 5k+ for those races, you get a medal. With the 1-mile, you get a dog-tag version of those medals.
At first he decided on the mile for Pluto because, well, it made sense. You know, getting a dog tag, and Pluto is a dog. Then he decided he was ok doing all of them with me ☺ Granted, he's got me doing the 10k version of each one, at LEAST, so I'm prepared for Dumbo and Dopey. And I'm glad he's got my back on training and doing this with me and all, although it's a bit daunting to think about doing 10k, whether it's on a treadmill or outside.

That said, I might have to buy him a medal hanger at some point! I know he's not terribly keen on running, but that he wants to get in better shape.
Although, I have my doubts on him "not liking it" because, uh, the man said he wants to do ALL of the runDisney runs with me at some point! That's 1 marathon, at least 5 half marathons, a 10-miler, whatever-distance-Expedition-Everest-is, at least 3-10ks, and at least 5-5ks. So either he's warming up to running, or he loves me. A lot.

Oh, what the heck, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say both! ;)

Now about that medal hanger... ♥

For the love of virtual racing!

I just did my first virtual race yesterday! :) I don't have the info right off hand, but 6.2 miles in `1:23:58 (that sounds about right).

I'm starting to really take an interest in virtual races, partly as a motivator and a training technique for Dumbo and for Dopey.

The hubs has been really supportive about the whole virtual race thing - which is cool, because I've signed up for a BUNCH. Motivation has been down lately, due to a combination of the heat, work, being tired, etc. etc. etc. And I was ok making excuses. Too tired, it's too late, I just don't want to, my hair will get all sweaty and gross, it's too hot...

Ok, that last one is decently acceptable, because I'm mainly a treadmill runner. I use the treadmill in our apartment complex's fitness room, and in the last, oh, 7-8 months or so, they put up signs that they don't want us to open the windows. And running on a treadmill without any sort of cross-breeze to help you keep cool is, well, not cool.
Part of me wants to ignore it, because that room gets absurdly hot and stuffy, and they don't have any fans in there (safe/healthy? I think not). The other part of me acknowledges that they put the signs up for a reason. Whether it's pest control or not wanting people forgetting the windows are open, or maybe the windows have been broken in the past, I don't know.

Although, in all actuality, this is good motivation for me to get back to the base to work out. Yeah, it involves driving to get over there and all, but at least there are fans.

We call this the contemplation stage. I'm aware I need to make a change, I'm just not quite ready to do it.
Heck, I've thought about just bringing my own fan into the fitness room, but that either involves lugging a fan back and forth (like I want to haul that up to the third floor after a long workout...) or donating a fan... There IS a Goodwill right down the road, though...

Anyway, back to virtual runs.
Like I said, I completed my first one last night! Now let's see what all I have left...

Before the end of the month I need to do the Moon Joggers Full Strawberry Moon Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K. I'll be doing the half.
I've also got the Pluto Virtual Race (think Disney's Pluto) for... Maybe a 10K, I'm undecided. The hubs will be doing the mile.
Then there's the Mickey Mouse Virtual Run, for which I'll be doing 10k the hubs will be doing 5k.
The Donald will be available in the coming week, and I'll do another 10k for that, and the hubs will be doing a 5k.

(Note: Anyone interested in the Pluto, Mickey, or Donald virtual races... the proceeds go to the ASPCA!)

Next month is the Birthday Run, which I plan to do on my birthday. 2.3 miles, for turning 23.
Immediately after (or any time during that week) is the Nerd Herd Running virtual Happy Birthday Harry Potter 5k and 10k.

I admit it, my birthday is the day before Harry Potter's.
I admit that I know this.

His birth year is also 10 years before mine.

Yes, I'm actually aware of these facts. Hence the run ☺
I missed their May the 4th (be with you) 5K, but I do want to hit the Banned Book Week 5k and Half Marathon in September... Which is right after the Prairie Dog Half Virtual... As in, they're in the same week.
Obviously I didn't plan that one out too well, but what are you gonna do about it except run?

So, that's 8 virtual races between NOW and the end of September (not including the one I did yesterday). Hopefully they'll help get me ready for Dumbo over Labor Day Weekend, and Dopey in January!

Also, speaking of Dumbo! Since I'm raising money for the A-T Children's Project, one of the things we'll be doing is putting on a virtual run! It'll be the first one from the A-T Children's Project. Stay tuned for more info! It sounds like it's going to be super fun, I'm just hoping we'll get people to sign up for it. We're having a number of options available for registration, anywhere from just wanting to donate up to anyone wanting to run more that 26.2 miles! Still working out the kinks to the price points and all. And to make sure all of the money goes to the ATCP, there will be virtual medals instead of the traditional running medals.
Hopefully we'll have the page up and ready to go soon! I'm really looking forward to it.

On that note, I think I'm going to try talking my husband into a run! Wish me luck ☺

The joys of adulthood

I've been MIA in blogging, I know. I mean, HARDCORE MIA in blogging. As in, I don't remember the last time I made a post.

There have been plenty of things that have come up that I could have posted on... But haven't. It seems I'm to that lovely point of adulthood where I work 40-50+ hours a week... And then I sleep.
DH even jokes about my routine. I get up, have a bowl of cereal, go to work, come home, sometimes take a nap, sometimes read... Go to sleep. Add a shower in there somewhere, maybe add in a run - which is lovely for someone who has a number of long-distance runs coming up in the next 7 months, I know.

Nobody tells you that growing up means working a lot and sleeping instead of having a life, do they? (yes, I just rolled my eyes)

Let's see... I know a picture is worth a thousand words, but I'm kind of lacking pictures at the moment.

• Just over a month ago (on May 4th) I graduated with my M.S. in Community Counseling :D
• On May... 12th I completed the Runway Run. I was either 5th or 6th from the end, but I did it! Other than the Princess Half Marathon, THAT was the event that got me interested in running :D 7 miles in 1:29:06... I admit to being a little miffed that it was 3 second slower than I thought, but I beat my goal of 1:30:00! :D
• On May 29th, the hubs and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary.
• Two days later my hubs celebrated his birthday. No clue why I married him so close to his birthday. Shopping for gifts was a pain! :P
• Two days later was our 6-year dating anniversary. See above, but this time no gifts.
• Aaaaaaaand, good ol' June! On the 6th I apparently was issued my PLMHP (Provisionally Licensed Mental Health Practitioner). Got it in the mail on the 7th, started supervision this week to work toward a license that DOESN'T say "provisional"!
• Lacking running motivation. I think part of it is related to the heat.
• What I lack in running motivation, I make up for doing three walks a week with my clients at work to improve physical (and hopefully mental!) health. Nothing like getting out and getting moving!
• Speaking of which (see also: reminder to self) I've got clients who often pace due to not being able to sit in a group/class for 45 minutes... I need to invite them on the walks
• Today... I realized that I have walked and run at least 280 miles this year. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay less than I'd hoped to have achieved at this point, but let's face it... I'm doing better at this than I ever have. I may not reach my Moon Jogger goal of 2,013 miles this year (and I still have 6.5 months to go!!!), but I'm doing so much better than I EVER thought I would have done as far as running, walking, and overall exercise.
• Speaking of which, my ILs and DH got me registered for the Dopey Challenge as a graduation present!! SO excited. NEVER would I have thought I'd be doing a marathon. But in 7 months time, I will be sticking it out there and trying my best - and doing it. I won't be the first to finish, but it'll be a first for me. And I'm excited.

Random blurb, that I may have mentioned before: After the Boston Marathon events, I had a friend text me to make sure I wasn't there.

Let's face it, there's no way I'm getting a BQ - at least, not any time soon, not without a whole lot more effort and all.

But, HELLO, love and support. I know she doesn't know a person has to qualify, but the feeling was "She thinks I can BQ!" Add that to the other supportive people in my life, and it's all golden.

So, being an adult is busier than I thought, considering I have pretty similar hours the ones I kept in high school - only difference is I'm in bed by 11 usually. Or at 9:30 I'm asleep on the bed until DH pokes me and tells me to get ready for bed. LOL.

Oh, the joys of being an adult.

And yes, I am surprised that it's just barely 9. I thought I was 22, not 222! haha

Women's Running Series Bloomington, MN Half

I can't remember if I posted on this before (what kind of blogger am I?! haha, kidding), but I talked it through with DH and I signed up for the Women's Running Series Half Marathon in Bloomington, MN in June!
It'll be my second half marathon, my first one by myself. That latter part is  intimidating  terrifying, but I have to remind myself that not only am I doing the Dumbo Double Dare by myself over Labor Day Weekend, I'll be doing the Dopey Challenge by myself in January. And maybe a couple other runs in between.

I always  expected  knew that I would be doing many of my runs and races by myself, but when it's only happened once then it's something you forget about.
I also can't help but remember the Princess Half back in February. I was in such a nasty mood, and my legs just hurt so badly that, of all things... I contemplated giving up.

Now, obviously I didn't, and I have the medal to prove it. And now that I have the experience under my belt, I know what I should and shouldn't be doing (for the most part) pre-race. And that includes not burning myself out (physically, mentally, and emotionally) in addition to putting more effort into my training.

Unfortunately, as much as I can remind myself of what I have "learned" (kinda already knew, but had verified), it's easy to get caught up in the negativity of one event.

One of my goals after we move into our new apartment next month is to get a medal hanger.The search has been... Interesting... But I think I'll be going with one from Allied Medal Displays:

I think at the point I'm at in my running, this sums it all up for me. I started running because I knew I could. I always told myself I couldn't, I'm not fast enough, I'll look stupid, etc... But one day I realized the only thing holding me back is me.
That goes for running longer distances. Running races by myself. Heck, just getting the guts to sign up for one!
Because I know my husband is behind me. My family is behind me (that includes his folks, too, even though dear FIL thinks I'm nuts - then again, the magnet on my car says "13.1 - cuz I'm only HALF crazy!" haha). My friends are behind me.

Speaking of support systems... One of my friends actually texted me to make sure I wasn't in Boston. I told her no (obviously), and then on Friday I realized... She thinks I could run Boston. Nevermind getting into a discussion with her on the details of BQing and such, because I don't think we discussed it. And I'm pretty sure a BQ isn't in my future.

But the fact remains:

It's great to have people who have your back and have confidence in you,

but you have to have your back and have confidence in yourself.

Even so, I wouldn't trade my support system for the world ♥
And before I forget, other medal hangers I'm contemplating:

(both from Heavy Medalz)

Feeling a Little... Dopey :D (Also, questions for runners!)

Those of you who follow runDisney probably have an idea of what I'm going to say next...

In January 2014, I'll be running the (first!!) Dopey Challenge at Disney World.

I couldn't tell you if I'm more nervous or excited about this whole thing.
DH took a quick break after his meeting at work on Tuesday in order to get to get to a computer that wouldn't block the runDisney site (see also: he went to his folks' house) to register me for the race.

Happy impending-graduation present from the in-laws.

There's a small part of me going "WTF was I THINKING???" because this will be my first marathon, but the bigger part of me is going "Man, this is cool... I have 9 months to train for it, so I should probably get on it." And with the Dumbo Double Dare (and any other races I register for before Goofy), it's not like I'm not getting out there.

On that note, any runners reading this: How did you select a training plan to use - and did you actually use it? Also, how did you find it? (Internet, books, personal trainer, etc.)

I've been looking at the runDisney training plans, and they haven't updated the ones for the WDW Marathon Weekend for the 2014 races. Which makes sense, because race registration opened up less than a week ago!
All the same, the Goofy's Challenge training plan is 28 weeks long. So about 7 months long. That time out from Dopey is coming up pretty quickly. I wonder if that's a training plan I should use - I mean, even though the dates are wrong, it's still pretty relevant.
But I've also been thinking about whether or not to use a training plan for an ultra. Because Dopey is a 5K + 10K + half marathon (21K) + marathon (42K), we're looking at 48.6 miles run in 4 days.

Now that seems a little overwhelming at a glance. I gotta stop to catch my breath.

Biiiiiig sigh.

Ok, I think I'm good. Although suddenly the treadmill is calling my name.

Speaking of treadmills, I was recently enlightened to the existence of "virtual runner" apps, that you can use on the treadmill to "run" a certain route.

Has anyone ever used a virtual running app/DVD/video/what-have-you??

It was either through Competitor, Runner's World, or Women's Running, but one of them talked about Outside Interactive's Virtual Runner app. It sounds really cool. Although, less-inspiring is that you would have to purchase each individual route, and the reviews have been either hit or miss.
I was noticing the same thing with the (free!!) Virtual Active app reviews. Obviously you can't please everybody,but even so.
Both apps appear to have wonderfully different things to offer. Heck, Outside Interactive's VR app has the Boston Marathon route! I know in order to run Boston, I'd have to run at just under 2/3 of my current pace! My (qualifying) miles would have to be 8 minutes/mile or less... You do the math.

In other, far more depressing words, my client had to take her dog back to the (no-kill) shelter a few days ago because, with her age and health concerns and all, she can't care for the dog as well as she could when she got her over a year ago. So I looked at the website for the shelter she (the dog) is at... And then I started looking at the puppies.
We're moving to a 2-bedroom apartment in a month and a half (which will clean things up around here dramatically, between school and work stuff and everything) but I'm pretty sure that even then they wouldn't let us adopt a dog. Besides, we both work full-time. It would take quite a bit of maneuvering to have a dog OR house-break a puppy.

Alright, I'm off to sulk. Call me the mood-killer.
Have a good one.

"After Ever After"

I absolutely could NOT resist sharing this video that I found through Twitter earlier. It's called "After Ever After", and the guy's (Jon Cozart) YouTube name is Paint.

He pulls the stories of four Disney princesses, and sings (from their point of view) about what life for them is like after "Happily ever after". Is really freaking amazing., hilarious, and kinda sad at the same time because of how much truth/fact is involved in it when you take into account history, even recent history.

Also, his voice is freaking amazing. And not just his voice, but the talent and sheer skill involved in putting this video together and getting everything aligned as well as it is.

So now, without further ado... Enjoy.

And believe me, you'll enjoy it.

Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend RECAP!!!

Oh, my goodness. I've been neglecting my blog. I was going to post about a week and a half ago, but I got caught up with comps and everything (and I'll hit that in a later post).

Long story short: Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend 2013 was THIS weekend. As in, we got back about 7.5 hours ago.

In the end I'd say it was pretty successful, but sometimes it's easy to forget that trips can be stressful. Granted, I was expecting a decent amount of stress - and I got very little sleep the whole time, too! But it was definitely enjoyable.
We stayed at Coronado Springs Resort, in Casitas 4. I'm so glad we stayed there, especially because that's where the Expo was. When we got back from the 5K Saturday morning, there was a line for the Expo that not only went out of the door (mind you, Coronado Springs has a very LARGE convention center. We're talking LAAAAAAARGE!) but it went down the side of the building, across the street by the parking lot, and down the front of the main building! It was absurd! But we were able to go on Friday. We picked up our race packets, did a little bit of wandering and shopping... I could've stayed at the Expo all weekend, just looking at everything, but I had places to get. We took some pictures with Disney princesses on the way out of the Expo (and basically every day, really), then did a quick jot around Animal Kingdom before ending up in Magic Kingdom for the rest of the night and a beautiful fireworks display.

On Friday we got up and went to the Expo. Let me just say that it was SO COOL! One thing that could keep me going back and doing Disney races, other than the fact that I'd be going to Disney(!!!!), is the fact that the Expo was just amazing! There was such a variety. And the volunteers at the Expo AND during all of the race events were just so wonderful.
After the Expo we went to Animal Kingdom and did an awesome safari through their Wildlife Reserve. We got to see cheetahs, lions... Even a white rhino - an endangered species! There were also giraffes, elephants, crocodiles... Heck, there were even flamingos!
Then we went to Epcot for the Pasta in the Park Party, and then their IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth light show.The Pasta party was beautiful, to say the least. The chandeliers, the lights... And the DJ they had was amazing. I'd be surprised if they didn't have him for every resort possible at WDW. He was even up super early (but not bright!) for the 5K the next morning.

On Saturday... Well, there was the 5K. We were in Corral C... Oh, and we had a special guest in our corral! You'll see a picture momentarily.
I'm proud to say I finished in under 40:00. Give or take I'd say it was about 39 minutes. I'd been thinking my ideal time goal was under 40 minutes, and my ideal was between 42:00 and 45:00.
By the way, one of the race photographers... Got a not-so-attractive picture of me. I accidentally cut in front of a guy who was about to have his picture taken. So the picture basically has me making an "OH, CRAP! SORRY! Eeeeeeeee...." face.

After the race we crashed. I still can't believe that I napped for a couple hours after a 5K, of all things. Granted, I didn't sleep much... But still!
Then we went to Hollywood Studios, saw a shortened version of Beauty and the Beast, in which Gaston dowa NOT die, as far as we are aware. and then back to Epcot.

Word to the wide: Don't ever walking too damn much the night before a big race. I should've ditched the group and gone back to the resort for rest, as I had to be on a bus by no later than 4 the next morning... But I didn't. Can you say foolish?

(Why, yes, Santa was at our race AND in our corral! LOL. I was so surprised when he turned around and I saw short, dark brown hair. He was good enough that even in his short red running shorts, well, he just did it so WELL!)

Now on Sunday, our wonderfully amazing day... I'm genuinely amazed I was able to eat a banana for breakfast. And almost as surprised that it didn't come right back up.
I didn't take very many pictures, just because it wasn't that easy to access my phone.
The most disappointing part of the race is that my legs hurt so badly between the 5K and the BEYOND excess of walking, that I was only able to run a few miles. I had to walk about 10 miles of it. I was truly hoping that I could've run at least half of it... Well, now I know what to train for when it comes of Dumbo in Disneyland in August/September.
I hate to say it, but I was just so ANGRY about not being able to run more of it. It feels like I'll be doing some easy shin splint exercises for a bit...

I'm so surprised that I didn't start crying around mile 10. I'd already seen the volunteers there on that side, since we were heading back on the other side of the divided highway... They were holding up signs saying things like "You deserve a pedicure after this" and "Mind over muslce".
It was such a good feeling, knowing that random strangers (or at least random and strangers for some of us) were just so willing to support us all.

BTW.  I think the winner this year finished in about 1:17:00. Ir was insane!

(yes, my poor running buddy was asleep at the Race Retreat)

We wandered the Magic Kingdom after napping for a few hours.
Apparently they requested help from someone from housekeeping services. I was so tired that I had a pillow over my face, AND I didn't hear her come in. Wow.

After my nap, we went to Cinderella's Royal Table for lunch. Can you say "Yum"?

Anyway, I think that's about it. OH! And I bought A STICK! That is, they at least help with tired, sore muscles. So far so good, although if your muscles are really tight then you will DEFINITELY feel it!

And now I leave you all with some memes to describe this weekend in my life:

This next one is important because I'm self-conscious about being slower than most of the runners:

To be honest, I never thought I would ever work to becoming a runner. Or that I would enjoy it! I'm working to not hold myself back with limitations I impose on myself.

This is how I was feeling after the run:

Because let's face it, I finished, AND within the time limits!

And with one last parting shot!

I was feeling the "Why am I doing this" in the middle of the run, around 6 miles or so. And again around mile 11 or so.

But I've been thinking... Disney races are something I would LOVE to continue doing. I have high hopes!

Anyway, I'm trying not to doze off over here at my desk. Out I go. Goodnight! ♥

Running to live

I'm kind of ashamed to admit this but... I haven't been running in two weeks. Two weeks today, actually.

Yes, you read that right: I have a half marathon in 28 days (well, about 27.25 days, give or days), and I haven't been running in two days.
Thanks to the Liebster Award nomination, I've been checking out the blogs of other people and, because I follow a couple running blogs, I've found some more running blogs to follow. The word I saw used on one of them (if only I could remember which blog!) was... "Lethargic".
Maybe it's just this time of the year, and the fact that the Midwest doesn't have the greatest weather this time of year, but I certainly feel no motivation to get on my running shorts and freeze my butt off outside to trudge through the cold to a treadmill.

Heck, I'm having a hard enough time writing this blog, but I think that's because Sex and the City 2 is on right now, and I haven't seen it in well over a year.

Anyway, back to the running bit... It's funny saying that basically I've been having one heck of a time running lately, because I've been thinking more seriously about deferring my Disneyland Half registration (see also: not the Dumbo registration) to part of the Goofy's Race and a Half. I would absolutely love it, too.

It's amazing to think of how much I have gotten from running. Greater confidence, on top of everything else. Excitement, opportunities - hello, I am doing FOUR Disney races this year (5K and Princess Half at Disney World, and the Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland)... Even though I don't do it near as often as I'd like.

What can I say? Life gets in the way.
I know, I know, I'm over here typing a blog post, so I've got time to run, right? I just haven't felt the... Inspiration. And to make it even more... Ironic... Yes, ironic is the word I'm looking for! Diabetes runs in my family. So does obesity, apparently. A bit of high blood pressure (although mine is really good), probably some high cholesterol (again, mine is quite good).
But one of the things I've been discussing with DH is that even though we have no intention of having kids any time soon - and unless my IUD magically fails, there's no way I'm going through the hell to get it taken out any time soon! But I have no intention of raising my kid(s) in an unhealthy environment. That's not to say that they won't be allowed to have sweets or watch TV/movies or anything like that. But I want my kid(s) to grow up knowing physical activity and the importance of taking care of one's self. And I think that running, or at least modeling the physical activity I plan to encourage, will help to encourage that. Maybe break down some barriers, some of the limitations we impose on ourselves - like I mentioned in my Liebster Award post, and probably a different one, I never thought that I would ever be a runner. Or even vaguely close to it. Walking, I can do. Shopping til I drop, I can handle - in heels, strangely enough. But running? I never saw that happen, and I guess I never thought I would get support for it, although in retrospect I guess I should've known better. When I mentioned it to my dad a year ago, he was all for it, encouraging me and telling me training was important if I planned to run the Runway Run, and that since I wasn't trained for it last year, it's definitely something I can work toward this year.

(if only I could find a link to the race... I hope they have it again this year)

I'm not saying I felt like I wasn't living before. But I was living under the limitations I imposed on myself. Full-time graduate student. No running outside of running laps in marching band. Don't like sweating. Can't do it. Afraid of looking silly. Don't want to do it alone - granted I think that last one was more along the lines of wanting support.

But still, you get where I'm coming from. Now I'm just afraid of freezing ;)

A-T Children's Project

If you missed the last post, I will be participating in the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend over Labor Day Weekend this year.
As part of it, I decided that I will do some fundraising for one of the Charitable Organizations that the particular race weekend will be working with. The one I chose is the A-T Children's Project.

A-T stands for ataxia-telangiectasia. If you would like more info, click on the embedded(?) link.
A way to look at it is like it's a combination of muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, and others.
My A-T Children's Project Page also provides more information.

It's interesting, because it's suggested that finding out more about A-T could actually help with other diseases such as varieties of dementia - which, if you know me, you know that's a subject near and dear.

If you would be able to donate, even just a couple dollars (or, hey, a couple cents!) it would be greatly appreciated - and not just by me.

Thank you, and have a good night :)

Disneyland, here we come! (fundraising tips welcome)

Race registration for the Dumbo Double Dare opened this morning. The DDD isn't anywhere near as long as the Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge (half marathon/13.1 miles one day, full marathon/26.2 miles the next, for a total of 39.3 miles.
But the DDD still looks pretty promising. It's doing a 10K (6.2 miles) one day, and then a half marathon the next day, for a total of 19.3 miles.

I was one of the many many many many MANY people upset with runDisney. I tried for over an hour to get into the race, but the site kept glitching because so many people were trying to register. And by the time I got to it, it was already sold out! The DDD filled up in about 30-45 minutes after it became available to the general public!
(The part that bugs me about that is they KNEW there would be a mad dash for it - it's the first year for the DDD and the 10K there, after all. And yet the website wasn't equipped to handle it. I even checked different events on the website to see if it was just trouble getting that race to load. Nope, the whole site)
It also turns out that there were only about 5,000 spots available... And plenty of people were able to pre-register at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, as well as at the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend, if you were an Annual Pass holder, if you had a Disney Visa credit card (almost makes me wish I'd decided to get one but, uh, no thanks). The DDD was between 60-80% full by the time the general public got to it. Not only that, there were people (like myself) who signed up for an email alert about registration. By the time I finally got the email, registration was closed!

It's amazing how many people, like myself, were mad with the whole thing. I hadn't expected it to be so wide-spread. It was even more amazing how many people were saying something along the lines of "It's not runDisney's fault. You should've gone to a race!"
I'll be the first to tell you, me doing Disney World AND Disneyland in one year? That's a HUGE splurge for me. Call it a bucket list thing, if you will... Although I don't actually have a set "bucket list". If it had been as simple as "Oh, well, you just didn't get to it in time", that's one thing.

Anyway, let me quit my ranting and raving. It's really getting me nowhere.

So I went ahead and registered for the 10K. QUICKLY. At the time I registered, the 10K was about 90-92% full. Then I registered for the half which, at this time, is about 85% full. Unless the website has been updated some time in the last 5 minutes, but I think it's probably closer to 80-85% full by now, if not more. We shall see.
The hubs will be doing the 5K, and we can be each other's cheerleader. I'm looking forward to it, and maybe holding a sign for him, since this will be a 5K he's doing by himself - the 10K starts 45 minutes after the 5K, so unless he's doing an 8:00 mile or something, I don't think I'd have enough time to be able to see him before I take off for my race.

Onward with where I'm getting with this blog!
I kept seeing people saying "Hey, you know, you can register to run with a charity. They still have open spots for the DDD!" Eventually I decided to just check it out.
The A-T Children's Project had a spot where I could become a fundraiser, even though I'd already registered for the race. AND they still have DDD projects. So I figured I'd jump on the chance. And I took it - although I'm still trying to figure out how to get from "I already registered, but wasn't able to get into the DDD" to "I'm registered for the DDD".

It wasn't the easiest decision to make. I'll be the first to tell you that I can't pronounce all of ataxia-telangiectasia. I just can't. I'm getting closer, but I feel like I'm butchering it. So in addition to the weird feeling I had (coughHAVEcough) about "I'm going to raise funds for something, but I can't pronounce it", my main concern was "I've got about 6.5 months to raise $600. How am I going to do it?"

Ok, so that's an average of about $100 a month. No problem. Except... I'm no fundraising whiz. Never have been. But the hubs really settled it for me.
"We're going to be there, we might as well do some good and help others."
(paraphrasing, but you get the basic gist of it)
AND he said that if I wasn't able to raise the $600, he'd take care of it, and not to worry. And, well, 6.5 months.
Yes, my husband said that. Something tells me I should keep him ;)

Well, it's that time of the night. I'm gonna ski-daddle. Any tips/suggestions for fundraising are more than welcome!
Also, here's the link to My A-T Children's Project Page.

Goodnight!

The last first day of my program!

I'm gonna be completely honest, I hope wasn't my last first day of a semester in my education ever. I think I mentioned a while ago that I'm currently waiting on a decision from three doctoral programs... I'd forgotten what it was like to just... Wait. I've been checking on my applications for over a month now, and the status shown online still says the same thing:

Submitted.

It's a relief to see that word when you're concerned about whether or not a test or homework assignment got turned in, but not when you would like it to say "Under Review". I'm hoping to find out something (positive) soon.

Today (that is, Monday, not Tuesday, since it's after midnight) was my first day back at school this semester. And my last first day for my current school program!

The day as a whole started off pretty nicely. Got to my internship, did our morning meeting, ran my group... Then I started on paperwork and I thought I was going to die.

Ok, not that bad, but long story short? Cramps + IUD don't mix. I kinda felt like I was being crushed from the inside.

I should clarify, now that I have the IUD my menstrual cramps don't feel like the usual menstrual cramps. Hell, if I have them I don't notice them. All I notice is THE SQUEEZING FEELING. Yes, all bolded, larger font, and in caps is a start at being sufficient enough to describe it. Note that I said "a start".

I ended up heading home before lunch to hopefully find some food I could stomach so I could take 800 mg of ibuprofen (yes, you read that correctly: 800 mg), and get some sleep with the hope that I wouldn't oversleep my first class back. Or, you know, vomit.

I have to say, nothing makes me feel quite as... Pathetic. Yes, pathetic. Nothing makes me feel quite as pathetic as knowing that not only did I bail early because I had cramps, but that I had to take a doctor-approved dose of a pain reliever (a pain reliever that often isn't recommended for runners, unless I'm mistaken - I've heard both ways) so that I would quit feeling like my uterus was about to be sucked out of me. Which already sounds forceful and gross and agonizing and all that other (not-so-) fun crap.

On the plus side, I restarted a book I'd read (and loved) previously. Any romance novel fans, Jennifer Crusie fans, or... I don't know how to define what Bob Mayer writes, but Bob Mayer fans... If you haven't checked out Agnes and the Hitman, I HIGHLY recommend it. Especially if you've got a good sense of humor. Southern mob, a hot hitman, good food, a dog named Rhett (yes, Rhett, as in Gone With the Wind Rhett), and swingin' frying pans!

Then I got my nap, and all was well.

As far as classes go, I'm really looking forward to this semester. Not just because it's my last semester before I graduate with my M.S. (knock on wood! Comps are next month!), but because so far classes are looking good! Granted, I've only got two classes this semester, and I've only had one. But the benefit to being so far along in my program is that my internship class? There are only 8 of us, if you include our (pretty cool) instructor. My Human Growth class is on Tuesday evenings, so I have yet to experience it, but I hear it'll be pretty easy. Mostly writing. And I took a Human Growth course in undergrad, so here's hoping that helps.

It's interesting, though: There's no required book for this class. The Blackboard shell isn't even online, so I don't know who is in my class, although with some hunting I can figure out how large the class is... It looks like there are 24 people (including myself) in the class.

My internship may very well end up leading to a job. I'm unsure of how I feel about it. On the one hand, I spend 30+ hours a week there, and it would be lovely to be paid for it. On the other hand, I know good and well that not only am I waiting on doctoral decisions, but that if I get accepted I may not be able to work there. Or if I do, it will have to be part-time - which I suppose isn't horrible. Let's be honest, that's not bad at all.

Now on to running!

What, you didn't think I could make it a whole post without talking about this journey, did you? ;)

Ok, ok, I thought I could, but we're getting down to crunch time with the countdown, and I'm just excited to be going to Disney next month! Everything is just under 45 days away. About 44 days and 23.25 hours, actually - according to the runDisney website, of course!

I didn't get a run in tonight like I'd planned. Too easily distracted by the fact that I'm making our running tutus. And they. Will. Be. AMAZING! I'm going to post pictures and everything when I finish them, because the ideas I've got are so exciting!

Another reason I *may* have put off running, in addition to a lack of time and all that fun jazz when compared to everything else going on right now, is probably nerves surrounding my lovely running fuel. Since Friday's awful post-run episode of GI distress, I've gotten a couple other types of running fuel to try. I've long since established that Gatorade is not my friend. I'm adding GU to that list, although I don't know if that includes the GU Chomps, which I'd already purchased. I've bought Hammer Nutrition gels (one in Apple-Cinnamon flavor, one in Tropical), and some Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem Solids in Strawberry-Vanilla, which I don't have to worry about mixing into a drink.

And excitement of excitement, Jelly Belly makes sport jelly beans! Now THOSE I'm excited to try!

There are some other brands of fuel I was looking to try. I've heard from lots of people that Honey Stingers is good, and that Nuun has really been nice for people with sensitive stomachs.

Speaking of supplements, I picked up some Calcium Magnesium Zinc, which my dermatologist suggested when I talked with him about the half a few months ago. He didn't tell me that they'd be so large!

(That's what she said)

Although I don't know what I was expecting. But it certainly wasn't to take 3 a day.

Before I go, I think I've decided on a new name for this blog. I'm thinking it's going to go from "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" to "A Runner in the Making". But it's been over a year so naturally I've grown attached to the current title of this blog, even though I don't dance even half as much as I used to. Not even close. I'm lucky if I'm gettin' down in front of the bathroom mirror nowadays.

Well, I've rambled on quite enough for the night. It's bedtime. Toodles!

An experience I'd not care to repeat

I know a couple months ago I posted about fueling for runs - before, during, and after - and that Gatorade was a nightmare on my stomach.
Well, with the half next month, I figured that now's as good a time as any to get back into checking out fuels. I believe Disney gives out GU brand energy gels and such, so I decided to look it up. I saw some good things, mostly. Some bad from some people, but nowhere near as many as had trouble with Gatorade. So I picked up three flavors of the gel to try, and one back of the Chomps chews. I decided to have one (lemon sublime) pre-run, and one (strawberry banana) mid-run.

I got to the apartment's workout room around 11 last night and - this, btw, is super creepy - I flip on the light and there's just someone in there on the elliptical! I about had a heart attack!
...
And pretty sure it's not safe to work out in the dark. Especially when using and surrounded by equipment.

Older BIL suggested that if the TV was on then maybe that was enough light.

No. It was straight up DARK. Talk about scary as hell.
A couple came in not long after I got started, so I didn't felt as, um... Weirded out. Considering the time and all.

Eventually the couple left, and I pulled out the iPad and started to watch Mulan. About an hour into the workout (so maybe 25 minutes into the movie?) I have the second energy gel.

BTW, the scene in Mulan where she chops off her hair and steals her father's armor? I watched that 3-4 times. It was wonderfully motivating. I ended up going 5.7-6.0 MPH (10:00-10:30/mile, my usual is 12:30-13:30, if that tells you anything).

I decided to keep going until the end of the movie. I made sure to take a picture of the treadmill when I hit 9.11 miles (because seriously, that's funny), but I did hit "stop" at the end of the workout instead of "pause", so no pictures of the 9.55 or 9.56 I ended with.

That's right. Yours truly finished out at 9.55-9.56 miles! In about 2 hours and 11-12 minutes, keeping in mind I used the first mile as a 20- to 21-minute warm-up. That is 2.5 miles farther than my previous longest distance. And even with walking I'm still faster than the required pace :)

I got back, uploaded my run (my first failed NikeFuel mission - short by 300-ish points, but my best yet, so I can't wait to try it again! Another shot for the "hard" difficulty. I WILL get it), and then when I got ready to shower... It hit me.

I'm sure you can see where this is going.

I spent about 2.5 hours between the bathroom floor and trying to snuggle my sleeping-like-a-rock husband, all while feeling nauseous and having a case of the shakes. It was horrible! Even the stomach cramps I had from Gatorade didn't have that impact! I finally got a shower and got o bed at about 4:15 this morning.

Let's put it this way: between my post-shower weighing and my waking-up weighing (not even 6 hours apart) I lost 8 pounds. Which doesn't put me underweight or anything, it puts me at a weight I was more accustomed to a few years ago, but it still isn't good.
TMI, but I'm not sure how much of the loss was water because I made sure to drink water pre-, during, and post-run, and especially when I thought of the risk of dehydration with the post-run symptoms, and the gels/symptoms really cleaned me out...

Part of me is going "Hey, maybe you should just try the same brand but do it differently, even more water or something! Or maybe try a different brand! You may just have to condition yourself for it."
The other part of me is going "Hell. No. Do you really want to sit through another night of 2+ hours of shakes and nausea?"

I'm quite jealous of those runners who don't experience GI problems with running. Apparent,y they do exist.

On that note, 47.5 days to the Princess Half! I'm really feeling that I can do this. I got to 7.05 miles without energy gels, 9.55-9.56 miles with. I just need to make sure I can get that last 3.5 miles in, and I'm all set!
Also, DH and I have discussed the Disneyland 10K (the first year for it!) and the Disneyland Half Marathon so I'd have a shot at the Dumbo Double Dare medal for doing the 10K and half, AND the Coast to Coast medal for doing at least two races of half marathon or greater distance, one at Disney World in Florida and one at Disneyland in California :)

Hey, Disney?
...
I'm coming for you.
I hope you're psyched, because I know I am.

(Now just some pictures to showcase some of the fun parts of last night's/this morning's run:
- 9.11 miles. Just for kicks.
- "Citizens, I need fire power!" "Who are you?!" "Your worst nightmare." (I think Eddie Murphy did the Batman voice better than Christian Bale! Haha)
- "Light me!"
- the fireworks :)
- "If you ask me, she should've brought home a man!" "Does Fa Mulan live here?" "Woo! Sign me up for the next war!"
It's the "small" things, right?)

It's the most wonderful time of the year

A belated Happy New Year to everyone :)
Not too much is going on here in my neck of the woods. Just the usual life of a Master's candidate hell-bent on being a successful runner. Who wants to go to Disney.

Speaking of school, typing that made me realize that I graduate this year! Four months from Friday, if I'm not mistaken. But at this point in time it really doesn't feel like it's all that close.
I'm halfway done with my second internship, and I basically have until the end of April to get it taken care of. With any luck it won't be particularly difficult, seeing as it seems that I practically live here.
School starts on Monday. It seems so weird to say that. With any luck this won't be my last semester in school. I'm still waiting on my doctoral applications to be reviewed. Hopefully I won't have to wait too much longer.

Regarding the running, DH and I officially kicked off our part of the Ultimate Moon Joggers challenge last night. We didn't get as much distance as we would've liked (he got 2 miles, I believe, and I got 3.33 - for the Ultimate we each need 5.5+ miles per day) but it was a start and we're going to work together to get in our miles. If we each only get 1000 miles this year instead of 2013 miles it won't be the end of the world, but we're gonna go hard because sometimes going home isn't the answer.

Last night I did my fastest 5K in 36-37 minutes. The exact time I couldn't say, since my shoe pod is a bit off, but I won't worry about specifics for now. The fact of the matter is that it's an improvement.

Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend is officially next month. Yes, you read that right. NEXT month. I'm... Unsure of how to feel about it.
On the one hand, I'm super excited. I know I can finish it, even if it ends up being a run-walk combination. I'm pretty psyched because I think I can get under the 3-hour mark if I keep this up. At least that's my hope. I've got 7.5 weeks to make it happen.
On the other hand, my brain is going "... You're kidding me, right? 13.1 miles? What the heck is wrong with you??????" And the nerves want to start.

Then I remind myself of the pin on Pinterest that says something to the effect of "That little voice that tells you you can't... Is a dirty lying whore." Or, you know, something to that effect ;)

On a more positive note, I booked all of our trip stuff with the exception of flights, which will be booked sometime within the next week - probably within the next few days, actually.
Disney level of readiness? Probably about 65%. Book flights, finish room and food reservation-type stuff, keep running, keep excitement up.
I'm running with a camera, if I can. And we're going to get so many pictures on and off the courses! And a few hours after the race were going to have lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table!

Not gonna lie, I think it's some funny mess. Cinderella is now a princess and she's going to be serving us our appetizer. Never mind that it's one that "she picked especially for us", the fact is she's going to be our server for a short time.

I hope I'll get that laugh out of my system before we get there.

Not much else is going on. Just running, school, and internship.
DH and I have been discussing the possibility of the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend. I would love to get the Coast to Coast medal for doing at least two halves in one year, one at each resort. We'll just have to wait and see, no?

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly

"I'll do what it takes 'til I touch the sky" - Kelly Clarkson, "Breakaway"

Last night's run was very reminiscent of that song. I'm pretty sure I've said before that I've really been struggling to get much higher than 4 miles. Some of that is related to speed, some of that is related to workout length... But last night my darling workout buddy and I got together for a run for the first time in a while. She got about 5.5 miles, which I think is a biggie for her, and I hit 7 miles. SEVEN!!! And I mean a legit 7, as in on the treadmill and not just my watch reading into how often my foot hits the ground along with... I think it measured my stride when I calibrated the shoe pod.
So on the treadmill I got 7.01 miles and on my watch I got 7.05 miles. It was grueling, and I walked at least a couple of those miles, but the fact of the matter is that not only have I done it but I can KEEP doing it! AND I can do it and keep faster than the max pace!
Disney had better watch out, because I really plan to take that Princess Half by storm! That doesn't mean I'll be the fastest or anything, not by a long shot, but will I finish? Yes!

Another fun bit on the running front: Nike+ now has Nikefuel Missions, where you're basically turning your workout into a video game and trying to get a certain number of Fuel Points in an hour.
(I told my running buddy about this and she got so excited because she thought the Fuel Points were like the fuel points we get from the grocery store that we can use to save money on gasoline. It was pretty funny, but also kind of sad. I can only imagine how many more people would be active if it could save them tons of money on gasoline!)
My first mission I decided to up it to the "hard" level and work toward 450 Fuel Points in 30 minutes. When I started my watch it recorded the 30 minutes that corresponded with the challenge, and according to the website, I "destroyed" the challenge and got 672 Fuel Points. The next challenge, if I go straight for the "hard" level, is 800 Fuel Points in half an hour. I think if I keep a pretty good running pace of at least 4.5MPH (I think that's a 13:20-ish mile??) then it should be pretty easy.

I admit that I have yet to figure out how Fuel Points are calculated. Obviously it's something to do with the level of energy that is used, but I also have to wonder how time, weight, distance, etc. factor into the equation.

I have yet to decide if I want to go for another run tonight or if I just want to wait until Friday. It could go either way, really. And if a lot of it ends up being walking, I won't be offended, as long as I keep at 4.0MPH or faster :)
And last night I was ridiculously thankful for my calf compression sleeves.
Oh, and I got a blender from older BIL for Christmas - the blender I've been eyeing with the dispenser on the side and everything. Methinks I there will be running smoothies made for this!

Bring it on.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

I'm currently chilling out with the in-laws right now. Literally, chilling. Yet another realization of just how much I differ from them for the most part. Or at least from my FIL. My MIL feels my pain of freezing one's butt off.

I'm going to go ahead and say that today was a pretty fabulous day. For starters, I'm typing this on the new iPad that my ILs gave my for Christmas. I'm loving the fact that I should also be able to use this for class instead of having to lug my computer around.

It's easy to forget just how much my ILs spoil their loved ones... Until you're in the lion's den!!! It was a little overwhelming to get seated in with everyone while working to open a mound of presents. The mound was terrifying last year, since it was my first year to experience it. I mean REALLY experience it... I have to wonder if anyone has ever been crushed under presents. But everyone was really amazing about giving gifts to each other. It's been an enjoyable day, playing UNO and dinner and FaceTime with my sister and just hanging out.

That conversation with my sister was interesting, to say the least. But in a fun way! She and her husband are visiting his folks, and he was playing a game that she got him, and she FaceTimed me on the iPad she got from her ILs (what is with ILs and iPads this season? Not that we're complaining!). I completely forgot that her ILs were also in the room with her and suddenly I went "Oh! I also got practical underwear!" ... And then I heard laughing in the background and it occurred to me that "... You're not alone, are you?" to which she replied "Practical underwear are good."

DH and I also went over to see my brother and his wife (my SIL) for dinner last night. His MIL (that is, her mom) was over there. We watched Speed, had dinner, and had a ridiculous number of jokes. My brother was playing with candle wax, so his wife jokingly tells him he's acting like a kid. Then DH talked about soy candles where the melted wax can be used as massage oil...
Then her mom takes that and starts talking about sex candles! It was somewhere between horrifying to be discussing sex in front of my big brother and hilarious. It's always nice to know for sure that the hubs really blends well with my folks.
Also, DH and my brother were making jokes about those Topsy Turvy planters and making money.

I love my family.

On that note, I'm gonna get back to bonding with the hubs.

Also, 58 days to Disney's Princess Half Marathon!