Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The Tinkerbell Half Marathon...ugghhh

Heidi
So Sunday morning came very early for us east coasters...ha ha ha.  We woke up before our alarms went off at 3am.  Being on east coast time really was a bonus....it felt like 6am.  We got up, dressed in our costumes (well at least one of us was in costume) and ate our breakfast.  I tried to chug down some water and Gatorade but I didn't give it enough time.  I knew I would not be able to pee enough before we had to leave and...I was right. 

In our hotel room...
We walked not even a quarter of a mile to the race start.  There were tons of people everywhere (most in costume).  I was kind of bumming that I didn't find wings to make my Tink outfit complete.  I was just worried they would annoy me or I would have to rip my long sleeve shirt off from heat and then my wings would be all tangled up.  I went to my D corral while Kristen meandered up through the crowd to find corral A.
Before we parted at the race...

While I was waiting on the curb (I had to sit for a bit before the race started) I talked with some nice runners.  Most were from California and wondered how Disney World was.  Ha Ha my west coast friends.  Nothing like this...that is for sure!!!!  They told me that Tink was just a great race and there was nothing to worry about.  That put me a little bit at ease. 



Start of the race...


They were letting the corrals go at about a 6 minutes apart.  FINALLY, it was Corral D's turn.  Bam and we were off.  So, I start running on Disneyland Drive.  Then wham, the run-walkers started to walk.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME????  We haven't even passed mile one yet.  The thing is...I was in Corral D.  There were 6 corrals and I was not in the last one.  We had to prove our times with other races.  So I did and I figured I would be with people who actually ran unlike my 5k in Disney World last year.  WRONG!!!  Now I know I am a slow runner.  There are plenty of people who do the Galloway Method of Run-Walking.  I get it.  I will probably use this method when I run my first marathon next January.  However, if you know you are going to walk, STAY TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE!!!!  I was so stuck behind the walkers.  I tried to go around them but at different places in the parks it was impossible.  Then we had to run through a tunnel which was uphill going into the parks.  NOBODY ran up the hill.  NOBODY!!!!!  It wasn't even that steep and again, it was within mile two.  It was probably the only real hill on the course.  My first 5k split was terrible!!!!!  Over a 15 minute mile.  Yikes.  So what did I do??  I already screwed my time, I might as well go take a bathroom break.  No sense in being uncomfortable for the next 10 miles.  I knew that water and Gatorade would catch up to me. 

World of Color lake at California Adventure...


My second 5k was not much better than the first.  I felt great but I kept getting stuck behind walkers in the parks where it was kind of narrow.  I really enjoyed running through the parks but I wanted to get to the streets of Anaheim so I could actually run and get this thing over with. 

I finally got into my groove around mile 6.  Although I was stuck behind many walkers for the first 10k, I really was running the majority of the race. A lot of zig zag running, but still running.  I knew I had to make up for some time so I decided to run hard until the 15k mark.  I got to the 15k line and was waiting for my text message to come through my headphones to give me my split.  NOTHING.  Great.  So I just kept running.  No walking breaks except when I passed a water station.  I still felt pretty strong.  I ran all the way to mile 11 and then decided to give myself a walk/picture break.  I had only taken one other picture in the California Adventure Park and I decided now would be a good place to take a pic of the mile 11 sign.  I also texted Kristen and my friend Jackie a few words that are not appropriate for this blog.  Ha Ha.  I posted my pic on Facebook and then I started running again.  I ran to the finish.  No other walk breaks.  I even ran up the hill in the tunnel that I had to walk up the first time.  Nobody was running up that hill....again.  I got some "wow look at her" remarks.  I felt kind of badass.  Ha Ha. 

This is where I took my first walk break...officially that is.

So my final time was 3 hours, 11 minutes and 9 seconds.  It was 4 minutes and 2 seconds (because that matters) quicker than Philly.  I wanted to be under three hours.  However, with the training I did (or didn't do) and the ridiculous walking situation, I think I ran pretty well.  I ended up having a negative split for my 15k and final time.  I have never done that before.  My next half is the Princess Half Marathon in Disney World in February.  I am just putting this out there now....I DO NOT INTEND TO GET A PR FOR THIS RACE.  I am running the Glass Slipper Challenge which is a 10k the day before the half.  One thing I want to do for the Princess Half is stop and take more pics.  Plus I will be sore and tired from the 10k.  So I am sure walking will be my friend.  (Of course I will stay to my right!!!!)

Me after the finish...from very far away...ha ha.

So, overall I think it was a great race.  I love anything Disney, as we all know.  This was my first Disney Half.  Kristen and I had never been to Disneyland so that was a bonus for us.  What I loved about Disneyland (which is what I hated the first night there) was that you could walk to everything.  Our hotel was located across the street from California Adventure.  (Although you had to walk around it to get to the entrance.)  Our walk to the race line was seriously less than a quarter of a mile.  That was quite useful walking back to the hotel when my legs were shot.  I have a feeling I am going to miss this when I run Princess in February.  Now that Tink is over, I am getting very excited for Princess.  I would highly recommend running Tink, especially if you are a Disney fan.  You can't get any better than Disney, unless you want to get a PR.  Then this is not the race for you.  It is just a really fun, energetic, no need to run this seriously race.  It would be nice to be able to run a race like this with friends someday.  Guess I better start getting faster. 

After the race, we showered and headed over to California Adventure to get a beer.  The lines were long and I was feeling a bit ill at that point.  We did get that beer(s), it is tradition after all.  However, we ate lunch at 1:30 at a delicious Mexican restaurant called Tortilla Jo's and then called it a day.  We bought a six pack for the room and I was asleep by 4pm.  Yes, 4pm West Coast time.  I didn't even drink my beer.  Kristen was able to stay awake until 7 watching the nfl playoff game.  I have no idea how.  The biggest disappointment was, I burned over 1,500 calories and barely ate or drank anything.  What a waste.  But still a great day!!!

Our awesome medals and beers...
















Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Sunday-AKA Race Day

Kristen

Finally, the moment we have been training for-running in the cold, running injured, just plain old running.  The day was finally here.  We set our alarm for 3 because the race started at 5, but since we never really adjusted our internal clocks it was really 6!  Yeah for racing on the west coast!  We dressed and ate and headed out to the race course at about 4:20.  I have to say, it was super nice being so close to the start line.  No need to stand in the endless port-o-pot line.  No need to get there 3 hours pre-race-we literally rolled up to the start line.
 

Heidi and I split up pretty quickly and I walked to my corral and sipped my Gatorade and listened to the speakers.  Before I knew it we were off!  I am not one to remember too many details about the race but I will say this-it is really really nice being up near the front.  I almost immediately has the space around me that I like to have.  A few times, I felt like I was on another training run.  I did not stop for any character pictures although I really should have.  At about mile 3, the men who started in Corral B started passing me-that really brings you down a notch.
Heidi had been complaining about the dry air for the last 2 days.  I finally understood what she was talking about on the race course.  Thank goodness there were so many water stations.  I used almost all of them, which is unheard of for me.  Once we left the parks around mile 6, we were just running through Anaheim.  I'm sure it was nice, but it was pretty dark, so I couldn't see a whole lot.  I did appreciate the people who woke up to sit in their front yards and cheer us on-never underestimate the power of cheering someone on!

Towards the end of the race, I started getting so cold.  I am really glad I chose to stick with my original outfit!  Once done, I texted with Brian who was in church about my times, did some math on when Heidi would finish-do you know how hard it is to do math after a race?-and decided to walk back to the room to shower-best hot shower ever!!
 
This is what I could have done all day!

After eating the non-existent food in the after race box-seriously Disney please do better-I walked back over to watch the race and wait for Heidi to finish.  I must have dozed off standing up because next thing I know Heidi is dancing a jig in front of me-totally strange.
 
This was our race food-WTH?  What am I going to do with a wet nap?

After she got through the crowds we walked back to our room-seriously I love that it was all in walking distance!  Heidi got ready while I laid around and then we eventually made our way over to the parks.  Our plan was to go to Disneyland since we hadn't seen much of it yet.  I was stupid and wore my long sleeve race shirt since I had spent the whole morning freezing.  Once the sun comes out-not so cold anymore!  Anyway, I  took one look at the line to get into Disneyland and said no way.  Heidi tried to fight me on it-California Adventure's line was not much shorter, but it was in the shade and sometimes that makes all the difference!

I pick a line-always the slowest-I get that ability from my parents.  Heidi is doubled over ready to pass out from the heat/dehydration/running.  I look for a bench-none.  I push her more into the shade and eventually we get through the gate.  I think we may have wandered around for a bit until we got our act together and just decided to go drink a beer and relax-delicious!  Eventually we left for our lunch reservation-again delicious-but starvation does make food taste good.
 
This is what it's all about!

Once we left lunch, I really couldn't imagine fighting out way back into a park.  We decided to check out ESPN Zone.  Unfortunately it was the middle of a football game so no go on that!  I bought my son a shirt though-I know better than to come home without what he asks for-which was a 49s shirt.  He was very sad I wasn't going to Washington and couldn't get him a Sea-hawks shirt.  We then decided to take the monorail into Disneyland-no wait going in that way.  Well, unfortunately the monorail broke-you sometimes have to know when to fold them...

Eventually, we just decided to buy a 6 pack and hang out in our room-it was 4:00.  Heidi laid in her bed and immediately fell asleep.  Until. The. Next. Morning.  I watched the game and also fell asleep early-come on people we never switched over to West Coast time-it can't be helped!

Monday, January 27, 2014

Saturday...Before Tink!!

Heidi
 
So because we went to bed at 7pm (I kid you not) I believe we woke up around 4:30 am which would be 7:30 am Eastern Standard Time.  You can only lay in bed so long.  Our plan was to go to California Adventure at opening which I think was 9am. 
 
I was in a pretty foul mood on Friday and when it took us 800 years to walk to Disneyland, I was almost in tears thinking we had to do this again before the race.  However, the brilliant person I am, I decided to go through The Grand Californian Hotel to get some breakfast and see about going through their private entrance into California Adventure.  (I actually did do a little research on Disneyland before we left...unlike my good friend, Kristen.)  Well we weren't staying there so we couldn't use that entrance but it did take us to Downtown Disney which was a few steps away from Disneyland and California Adventure.  That put me in such a great mood.  It cut off tons of time and miles (in my mind).  The cool thing about Disneyland is Disneyland Park, California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney are steps away from each other.  NOTHING like Disney World!!!!  No bus or monorail needed at all.
 
The other thing that pissed me off on Friday was that we walked through Downtown Disney in search of Ghiradelli's so I could have a delicious chocolate milkshake.  (I always get one when I am at Downtown Disney in Florida.)  I was OFF my diet after all.  No stinking Ghiradelli's anywhere.  I knew I read about it so where the heck was it??  No milkshake for Heidi on Friday.  Kristen brightened my day even more as we were studying the CA (California Adventure - I can't write it out anymore) map at breakfast.  Ghiradelli's was in CA!!!  HOOORAYYY. 
 
So we get to CA about a half an hour before opening.  They let you in the park to a certain point and then you have to wait until the official opening time.  We see this very long line and Kristen wonders what it is.  I knew right away what it was...(again because I did a little research)...the Radiator Springs Racers fastpass line.  Kristen almost had a heart attack.  She did not want to wait in this line.  I told her it goes fast and from what I read....you have to get a fastpass right away or you were out of luck for the ride.  Oh...and Kristen and I DO NOT wait in lines that are longer than 30 minutes.  It is just not what you do when you are an expert fastpass user and I believe that is what we are.  So I ask the lady how long the wait will be and she said once the park opened and they let people start getting the FP's (Fastpasses because I need to abbreviate that word too) it will only take about 15 minutes.  She was right on.  We get our FP's and move about the park.



All Taken In Carsland...
 
 
CA reminded me a lot of Hollywood Studios in Disney World.  They had some cool different attractions that Disney World does not have but some of the same too.  Another thing I read online was that many of the FP's are disconnected.  Meaning...when you have an FP you have to wait until the ride time comes to get another FP for another ride.  Well since Radiator Springs is such a big deal, they let you get an FP for other rides at the same time.  I believe there were 3 disconnected FP rides...California Screamin', Radiator Springs Racers and Soarin' were all disconnected.  SCORE!!!   WOO HOO!!!  You also need an FP for this cool show they do at night called World of Color.  We saved this for Tuesday night so we will write more about that later.


 
Paradise Pier...
 
 
Us With Doug From UP...

This was a bit different than the one in Hollywood Studios...
 
 
We had lunch at a very yummy restaurant at the Pacific Wharf area of the park called Pacific Wharf Cafe.  I had a sandwich and Kristen had a salad in a bread bowl.  Lots of bread for Kristen.  We ate dinner at Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria.  It is located in Downtown Disney.  We needed to get our carb load on.  I had delicious lasagne and Kristen had a delicious pizza and green beans.  (Yeah I know those two do not go together but they were good!!)  Sadly, because we ate lunch late and our reservation for dinner was at 4:00 pm we didn't eat much of our dinners.  Oh and before we left CA...I FINALLY GOT MY CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE. 

After dinner we decided to go back to the hotel and rest for the race.  I was getting kind of nervous as my training had not been great.  The more rest for me, the better.  First we cut through The Grand Californian Hotel to get our food for the morning...yogurt for Kristen and a bagel for me.   I believe we were in bed by 8.  Hilarious!!!!  

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Friday

Kristen

Our day started EARLY!  Our flight left Philadelphia at 9, which means we left our house at 5:45.  In good traveling fashion, we decided to make good use of our time and have Bloody Marys on the flight out.  Let me tell you how quickly our time passed!  Our flight attendants were awesome-they gave us 2 free drinks each and were just so cool.
Anyway, we finally landed in sunny California around 1:30.  The only way I can describe California after being stuck in winter for the last 2 months is bright.  I felt like I was in a black and white movie and finally stepped into color.  Everything was just so vividly bright.  It was wonderful.  We had to wait at the airport for about 20 minutes, where Heidi decided it would be totally appropriate to paint her toenails.  I sat there and enjoyed the warm weather on my skin.
 

Once at our hotel, we changed into shorts and headed over to the race expo.  I have to say that the signage on where to go was not very good.  We wandered aimlessly for about 20 minutes before we finally found the sign telling us where we needed to go-of course we had to go underground!
I'm not sure why we couldn't find this random sign!

We got our measly race packets and then our tickets to the park-5 day park hopper anyone-and we headed back upstairs to the "real" part of the expo.  Heidi got to talking to someone who told her that it had been so hot in the mornings-70-75 degrees.  Well, I did not pack race gear for a summer run, so I'm in a panic about what I am going to wear.  I buy a pair of shorts and think about a tank top.  We head over to see Another Mother Runner who give us an awesome 3 pack of socks-thanks ladies!!  Then we go check out the Run Disney stuff.  I have to say that though I know it is a Tinkerbell event, there was not a lot of choices in terms of what to buy.  I did get a headband-they are my favorite-but I was really hoping for something else and frankly they didn't have it!
We left the expo and walked back to the hotel-our room was finally ready!  We unpacked and hung out for awhile, then decided since it was only 5:00 to head over to Disneyland.  We walked the extremely long way and headed inside.  Now I realize we were starting to get tired, hungry and maybe slightly cranky, but I really felt as if we couldn't see a thing in Disneyland-it was just so dark!  I have never been to an amusement park that was so dark before.

Our awesome hotel!

We wandered around in the dark for awhile trying to get our bearings-never happened.  Finally, we decided to get something to eat-a chili bread bowl.  I don't know if this is a California thing or a Disneyland thing, but a good majority of their food comes in bread bowls.  I have to admit, I wasn't a big fan.  It seemed OK for some things, but I really sometimes wanted some soup without a loaf of bread on the side...just sayin.

Anyway, after we ate, we wandered a bit more.  We rode Pirates of the Caribbean, which I have to say I like better than the Disney World version.  We also rode the Jungle Cruise-can't say I've ever ridden that at night, and went through Tarzan's house.  By then we were both exhausted, so we walked back to our hotel and crashed for the night.  It may have only been 7:00, but it's only vacation right?
 
Because every tree house has a ship's wheel in it right?
 

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Quick Rundown

Kristen

Well, we just got home from Disneyland.  I have a lot to say on the subject of the race and also Disneyland as a whole, but I have pictures to download and wash to do.  I overslept this morning while assuming we would have a 2 hour delay.  I turned all the alarms off last night.  What a race to get out the door in time-but we managed it. 

Anyway, it was a fantastic trip.  The race was awesome.  What I want to touch on briefly today is that your goals are possible.  I know I have talked before about how miserable a runner I was in high school.  The church run we used to do was probably only about 2 miles long.  I would dread it all day.  ALL DAY. 

But here I am 21 years later and it seems almost silly that the voice of my coach and the voice in my head held me back for so long.  My training for Sunday's race was not quite where I wanted it to be.  We flew in on Friday, so I was tired, probably slightly dehydrated and my diet was not fantastic Friday and Saturday. 

Having said that-I finished in the top 3%!  If you are struggling with a goal, it can be done.  It takes work.  It takes heart.  Sometimes it takes everything I have to give.  If someone had told me 20 years ago that I would finish a half marathon in the top 3% of all runners I would have laughed.  I am still in a little bit of shock over the whole thing, but what if?

What if next year I can run faster still?
What if I take my diet to the next level?
What if I actually follow a training plan?
What if I start to believe in myself?
Running~ motivation

Monday, January 13, 2014

Less Than A Week Till Tink...

Heidi
 
So it is Monday, six days out from my second half marathon, Tink.  I haven't run outside since New Year's Day due to the crazy weather we have had...snow, sleet, freezing rain, crazy wind, rain and let's not forget the day it was 5 degrees without the wind chill.  Today is a high of 55 and I can't wait to run outside.  If I had to face that stupid treadmill one more day, I might cry.  Seriously. 
 
Unfortunately, my knee issue is acting up again.  I haven't had a long run in over three weeks and there isn't any time left to get it in before the 19th.  So we shall see how this run today goes.  As for the race, I am going to pray and hope for the best.  I originally wanted to be under 3 hours but since I am not fully prepared for this race like I wanted to be, my new goal is to finish.  Perhaps under what I did at the Rock and Roll Philly Half.  That is all I can hope for.  It is what it is.  Really though...I AM GOING TO DISNEYLAND.  Who cares about this race, right??
 
Oh and I decided to buy a sparkly green skirt and dress up as Tinkerbell for this race.  Sort of.  I will be in green anyway.  Ha Ha.  It is going to be hilarious.  I didn't buy wings though.  I don't think I've earned them yet.  Just saying.  Kristen was supposed to dress up too but she is trying to be all serious about this race and get a PR so she couldn't possibly be in costume.  That might make her run slower.  Ha Ha.  So it will be just me and 15,000 of my closest friends dressed up for this race. 
 
On a brighter note, I started my new "diet" the Monday before New Year's Day.  (Yes only I would start a diet before the New Year but I had to drop some pounds before Tink.)  It has been exactly two weeks so far and I lost 9.6 pounds.  FINALLY!!  I am losing again.  It is called The Fast Metabolism Diet by Haylie Pomroy.  My friend April told me about it.  Her friend lost a lot on it and so I researched it and bought the book.  It is all about clean eating and the week is broken into phases.  So you aren't eating the same boring food day in and day out.  The first week was murder for me.  I have a major sugar addiction and coming off of that was brutal.  The second week was much better.  I really am not even that hungry anymore.  So that is good.  It is supposed to be a 28 day diet (or longer if you need to lose more) but since I will be flying to Cali on Friday, it is a 2 1/2 week diet for me for now.  There is no way I am going to Disneyland and not eating some yummy food.  NO WAY!!!!  I will start again when I get back.  Of course I still won't have 28 days before I leave for Florida for the Princess Half Marathon in Feb. but I can only do what I can do.  I really do like this plan though.  No sugar, caffeine, corn, wheat, alcohol, dairy and I am sure other bad stuff.  Nothing processed.  I actually have to cook.  That part is painful.  I hate cooking!!!!!! 
 
Here is my revelation for 2014....I started my weight loss journey in January 2012, two years ago.  Kristen got me going to the gym frequently and I cut a lot of junk out of my diet.  I lost 45 pounds in 2012.  Then in 2013 I started to seriously train for running and triathlon races.  My weight fluctuated between the same 5 pounds no matter what I did.  I know I was probably over eating some weeks but others it just made no sense.  The more I read about people training for endurance events and how they couldn't lose weight either, the more I felt better.  But still I have to do something.  Hence, The Fast Metabolism Diet. 
 
What I realized though was, in 2012 I needed to straighten out my diet and start exercising.  I did.  In 2013 I just wanted to train and race and check some things off of my bucket list.  I did.  I just didn't lose any weight (although I did lose some inches.)  This year I am going to focus on my diet and eat clean.  I need to balance fueling for my training and racing with eating healthy.  It is a fine line for me.  So I will keep you updated with how this all works out.   


(From Pinterest)

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Week in Review

Kristen

Have I told you yet how much I HATE winter.  Seriously, I dream of the day when I can leave the north for the winter and never have to be cold again.  For the first time ever though I have reasonable winter running gear, but I still freeze.  Earlier this week I went running with the temps in the 20s-I couldn't complain because it wasn't 5 like the day before.  Anyway, my feet felt frozen for the first three miles-not fun, but it had already been 8 days since I had run and didn't want to lose anymore time.

We are officially one week until Tinkerbell.  I can't wait to see the west coast and be immersed in warm weather.  Sunny and 70's-sounds perfect!

Sunday:
Bike for 45 minutes.  My husband set up a bike trainer for me in the basement so I've been having a great time watching season 2 of Scandal.  Sadly, it's over now and I think I may be too scared to watch American Horror Story by myself, so I need a new show to watch-I'll take suggestions.

Monday:
Heidi took me to the gym and we did cycle class for 60 minutes and then went to the sweltering machine room and we did some awful machine for 20 minutes. 

Tuesday:
Today I just did random exercises for 45 minutes-jumping jacks, squats, etc.

Wednesday:
Rode the bike again for 45 minutes.  I was hoping to run but still too cold.

Thursday:
Run 8 at 8:58 pace.
This is the freezing cold day...

Friday:
Bike for 75 minutes.  I was watching a 2 hour episode of Biggest Loser and doing push ups and sit ups during the commercials. 

Saturday:
Run 6 at 9:24 pace

Sunday:
Run 6 at 8:51 pace

Seriously though I do hate running in the cold but the day the kids had a delay because of the cold my husband went out and did his run.  Apparently it's never too cold and shouldn't be an excuse, but I will continue to dream of spring.

Don't let the weather keep you from getting your sweat on!  @espnW

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

2014...So Many Races To Run!

Heidi
 
January 7, 2014.  Coldest day of the year so far...or in many years for that matter.  Record breaking, actually.  It is four degrees here in Southeastern PA and we have a wind chill of -15 degrees.  I need to run today.  I was scheduled for a long run this past weekend.  My last long run before Disneyland's Tinkerbell Half Marathon...Tink for short.  It was a sheet of ice on Sunday and Saturday our roads were still icy and snow covered.  So I went to the gym to run on the treadmill.  I will be there again today.  Ain't nobody got time for this weather.  I HATE THE TREADMILL.  It is so hot in there and I can barely run a mile at a slow pace without having to stop.  Needless to say, my next long run may be on January 19th in Anaheim, CA. 
 
So...2014.  I am so looking forward to this year and all of the races Kristen and I will be running.  First on the list is Tink...in less than two weeks.  It is worth having to run 13.1 miles just to be in sunny California. 
 
Then in February I will be headed to sunny (hopefully) Florida to run the Princess Half in Disney World with my friend, April.  I will be getting that coast to coast medal.  I am actually running the Glass Slipper Challenge.  It consists of a 10K on Saturday and then the Half on Sunday.  I am so not ready for it.  I can barely run back to back days.  I figure I can just walk run the half.  I am not worried about a time at all.  So I am just putting it out there in case any of you want to check my time on Athlinks.  The best part about it...FOUR MEDALS.  REAL medals too.  Not that rubbery thing from the Disney 5k last year.  (I am not bitter, I swear.)  How am I getting four medals you ask??  One for the 10k, one for the half, one for the Glass Slipper Challenge and then one for the Coast to Coast challenge.  I am super excited!!  I hope my leg and knee hold up to the challenge.
 
Those are the only two races I actually am signed up for.  I signed up for those months and months ago.  As for March, I will probably make Kristen and my running friends run a local 5k in West Chester for St. Patrick's Day.  You know, so we can drink afterwards.
 
I would also like to do the Hot Chocolate Race with my children in April.  There is also the Hershey 10k in April and....we are headed to Boston (no not to race because we are too slow for that).  Kristen's husband, Brian, is running Boston.  So we plan to join him and cheer him on.  Of course this is assuming I don't go to Disney World with Haley's lacrosse team.  I haven't decided about that yet. 
 
May brings on the Broad Street Run which is a 10 miler.  Kristen and our friend, Diana did it last year.  It is a lottery system and I am going to try and join them for that.  Hopefully we all get in.  May also brings on the Kennett Run (the first race I ever raced so I have to continue with that) and the Turkey Hill Run which was a lot of fun last year. 
 
After May, I don't really know.  I want to focus on a few triathlons this year.  I want to do an Olympic Distance one this year.  So I will be training A LOT!!!  Now that Kristen has her new fancy bike, she will be leaving me in the dust. 
 
Here is the big one...last year while Kristen and I were in Epcot at Disney World drinking a few beers and watching the runners finish their last mile of their marathon, I convinced Kristen to run the 2015 Disney World Marathon.  I figured I can run a few half marathons then I can start training for the big one.  26.2 miles to be exact.  I am scared to death but I know we can do it.  So we will be starting our marathon training this year too.  Big plans always happen over beer. 
 
So many races...so much time and money.  Ha Ha. 
 
Oh and I started a new "diet".  I am hoping this is more of a lifestyle change than a diet.  I just need to tweak what I have been doing (like not eating cookies every night).  So far so good.  (Of course if you ask my family or Kristen, the first week was pure hell!!  It was like food rehab.)  I need to give it a few more weeks to see if I like it.  More to come on that. 
 
Happy New Year Everyone!!  May 2014 be a great year for all of us!!
 
2012 Tink Medal

Ten more days until we leave...
 
I tell Kristen about my weigh ins every week.  She is always so encouraging.  Ha Ha
 
(Photos courtesy of Pinterest)
 

 


Monday, January 6, 2014

2014 Goals

Kristen

Well here we are 6 days into the new year.  To re-cap where we left off-I was fighting to hit 1000 miles.  We went away for a last minute mini-vacation when it dawned on me-in the middle of the night of course-that I probably did not have to force myself to run close to 100 miles in 10 days because if I remember correctly my running log for the year started after last January's half marathon.  Of course I couldn't confirm this as my computer was in PA and we were in South Carolina, so I had to continue with my running. 

It really wasn't a hardship once in South Carolina because it was warm and flat.  Myrtle Beach also has this wonderful thing-so simple, easy, but sadly not found many places.  It's this thing called a bike lane-it allows you to run on the road without feeling like you are going to be hit-why can't more town/cities adopt bike lanes??  So yes, I hit my 1000 mile goal plus a few extra miles unaccounted for.  The running was so pleasant, I also ran on New Years Day!

Anyway, enough about the old, it's time to ring in the new.  So here are my goals for 2014 in no particular order...

1.  Run 1500 miles-this may be a stretch, but I will be marathon training, so I am hoping that picks up the miles for me.

2.  Train and run a marathon.  Heidi wants to run the Disney marathon next January, so I figure I will train for one in the fall so I am ready for January.  I still remember how horrifying my first half was, so I like to get things out of the way.  When next January rolls around, I will be ready.

3.  Run at least one 5k with all the kids.  I am looking at the Hot Chocolate Run in Philly in April for this one, but it depends on how spring sports shape up.

4.  Train for and complete 1-2 sprint tri's.  Last year I completed a dual-which I loved, so I may do the dual again this year and then find another sprint to do later in the season.

5.  Train for longer distances on the bike.  I finally got a credible bike for Christmas.  My last bike was borderline embarrassing, so now I can feel competitive!  We only ever rode 15-20 miles, so I would really like to increase our endurance and mileage this spring on the bike.  The we is Heidi and I, since we always ride together.

6.  Get back onto the clean eating bandwagon.  Towards the end of the year, I really failed at this and my body could tell.  So I am getting back into clean eating where possible and am already feeling better!

So I think that's it.  Obviously, I would like to PR at all my races and I have a list of races I want to do this year, which will be a post later this week hopefully.  Have to have a conversation with Heidi into what is really doable and what we really want to do this year. 

The first big race of the year is less than 2 weeks away-I can't wait!
#New Years #Resolutions #Quote  _ Set Your Goals High Enough To Inspire & Low enough to encourage you ! _ ….
What are your 2014 goals?
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