Training week: NIKE WOMEN'S DC!

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 2M+ Strength Training

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 2M

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 13.1M Nike Women's Half Marathon

Squats and Lunges make me tired- like, exhausted by Wednesday tired. I almost skipped the gym because it was a taper week and work alone was making me tired, but I went anyway. I am excited that I am actually feeling my muscles again, but why does getting stronger make you more tired?!

Since it's taper week, I also decided I would only do one-ish lower loop of Central Park on Thursday. Enough to run the soreness off and it was worth it. I just wasn't feeling it this week, so I'm hoping this Blah week will make for an awesome race! 

Sadly, by the time the race came around, it wasn't as awesome as I was hoping it would be. I only finished a minute faster than my NYC Half time, but I know I could've done better. The good news is it was still a great experience and I can't wait to do it again. More on that later!

Since my goal is to get faster, on top of the hills and strength training, I've been trying to cut out sugar. Implementing that plan during Easter week was not the smartest of plans. . . so instead of trying to go cold turkey, I'm just slowly weening myself off. I keep trying to remind myself I've done it before and it feels great, but sometimes so does chocolate. Ugh! I also know once I get off the bad carbs, afternoon snacking will stop, but until then, I've thrown out the chips and started bringing in carrots and hummus and almonds. It's been working! I've also been incorporating hot tea and matcha into my afternoon routine, but more on that later. Honestly, even though I haven't been the best about it, I really do feel better. After my Thursday run, I almost cheated because it would've been more convenient- do you know how hard it is to find food you can eat when you're trying to cut out bad sugars?! Then I realized I was feeling much better and I should keep it up. So we'll see!

The Hot Chocolate 15k: Philadelphia edition

I've been wanting to run a Hot Chocolate race for awhile, but none of the locations/ dates were that convenient. This year, the Philadelphia one worked out perfectly. Sarah, Pam and I could visit with Megan and Chloe (the cutest 18month old ever!) and get a race in. We drove down Saturday morning and went straight to pick up our bibs. Seeing that it was in a running store, I was expecting the worst. Yes, it was a tad crowded, but all in all, it went a lot smoother than I was expecting. 

The Race Marshall. . . Mallow

The next morning, we drove to Megan's and hung out at her apartment until the race started. Her apartment is ridiculously convenient to the start; it's about a 5 minute walk to the Philly's Museum of Art (which is where the majority of races start/ finish in Philly. How nice is that?!). We left around 7:45 for the 8AM start and had plenty of time for a last minute portapotty stop. Surprise, surprise- there were no lines! It was awesome.

After seeing the course, I was a little concerned. It happens to be the last part of the Rock-n-Roll Philly course and I'm not that big of a fan of that part of the course. I'm usually ready for the race to be over and the Museum looks closer than it is and that drives me insane. But it's also flat and along the water, so life could be worse. Plus, a major positive of it being an out and back was I got to see Sarah and Megan speed by, which was a great mid-race boost!

Originally, I thought it was a little weird that they had the 5k start 45 minutes before the 15k, but I think it was logistically perfect- the 5kers could enjoy their post-race party and probably be on their way home by the time the 15kers were finishing. Smart. I never felt the area was over crowded.

Surprisingly, my race went really well. I knew I didn't want to race it, but I did want to push myself a bit. I've been running races just to get through them since before marathon training (for fear of injury if I pushed too hard) and since I'm trying to get faster, why not see how my progress is going? I was a little perturbed that I was over dressed (I switched out of my costume because it was freezing at 6am when we were leaving the hotel. At 8:15 when I started running? Not so much.) but it turned out to be really beautiful race weather. I decided to run how I felt and apparently I was feeling good. At the 5k mark I noticed I was only a minute off of my PR, so I decided to see if I could hit my 10k PR (since the ultimate goal is to 10k PR).

Then there was chocolate. Sadly, I couldn't stomach it at the time, but saved it for later. The volunteer handed me a handful, so I started giving the volunteers some as I passed them. Did I mention the volunteers were awesome?! Because every one I passed was cheering like no one's business. It was great. There weren't that many spectators (I'm assuming because of where the course was), but the volunteers enthusiasm definitely made up for it.

Once I got to the 10k mark, I realized I was about a minute behind my PR then, too! (sidenote: I later discovered that my PR is actually 3 minutes slower than what I thought, so I was ahead of pace! SCORE!) I decided I would continue to push myself to see what I could do. I had just run the Ted Corbitt 15k in December, but I wasn't running for time (just to finish without being a popsicle!). Even though I had no clue what my time was (note to self: you should probably check that before you run a race!), I just continued to run harder than I normally would've.

Which is of course when my knee started acting up (note to self: strength train. Seriously). I stopped to stretch a couple of times but not for very long. I started to do some math (note to self: mid-race math is never a good plan) and I figured I could try for a sub-2 hour finish. That sounded fun, right? Not to my knee! I laid off of it as much as I could, but pushed to the finish (who puts a hill at the finish, seriously?!) I finished in 2:01 on the dot. I'll take it! The plus side of being the slowest runner of the group? Having your own private cheer section as you cross the finish line!

Finally got my own finisher's mug!

One suggestion: More things to dip in the chocolate! One marshmallow was not cutting it for me and the airline sized pretzels didn't work very well with dipping either. I ended up eating the rest of the chocolate with a spoon (no shame!) which was DELISH, but turned out to be a terrible plan. I can't eat a lot of chocolate at one time because it actually makes me sick. Add that to warmer weather running plus a sensitivity to getting car sick and you have the perfect equation for a not so pleasant unscheduled stop on the side of the road on way back to the city.

With that aside, I really loved this race! From the easy packet pickup to the no line portapotties to the after race celebration, it was a great way to spend a Sunday- or weekend visiting with friends in my case. It was extremely kid-friendly, I saw a bunch of space walks and families hanging out. It was a tad pricey, but for everything you got, it was well worth the price. The hooded fleece lined jacket was enough! On top of that, I got a 9 minute PR- and who doesn't love PRs?! Hopefully I'll get another chance to run one of their races and I would definitely recommend the same to you!

Glass Slipper Challenge Training: week 19

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Zumba/ Zumba Tone

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Yoga

Sunday: Rest

The start of the 2 week taper! Or my schedule just didn't work out this week. I'm a fan of the former :)

Monday we were tourists through New Orleans and Tuesday was a travel day. Thursday, I couldn't stomach running so I took two Zumba classes. The second one was Zumba Tone, which was awesome until the day after. Surprisingly, my thighs were killing me; I thought it was going to be my arms and abs. 

When the time came for a long run this weekend, I decided against it. My knee has continued to give me trouble and I'm trying everything to get it in better shape for Princess weekend. The back to back half marathon weekends are definitely taking their toll. So, I spent extra time rolling and I think the beginner yoga DVD helped- I've noticed if you want yoga for stretching, do beginner. They spend much more time in each pose to get your familiar with them, hence a nice long stretch session. 

Better to chill out this week than get injured and not have time to recover. 

How was your week?

The Rock-n-Roll NOLA Expo

Last Saturday was an extremely long day. We had a super early flight WITH a layover. I've been extremely spoiled with scoring direct flights in the past, but not this time (anyone else noticing flights are terribly priced lately?!) Layovers are always so draining and doubles my chances of getting motion sick. But I digress. We made it to New Orleans in one piece and headed straight downtown to The Convention Center to meet up with Fred for the expo. 

Brooks had their Run Happy Island set up which is always a good time. 

I really wanted to get my sister fitted for running shoes via the treadmill (apparently that's not a thing in New Orleans running stores) but the line was wayyyy too long. So instead, we got our passports, ran up the mountain and I finally got the coveted foam finger I've been wanting since RNR Philly. YaY! That will come in handy the next time I spectate a race. 

I was also impressed with their merch selection. But then again, I'm a sucker for anything that says NOLA (or Brooklyn). My sister bought me the teal race jacket and B got me the grey pullover hoodie (I wish they offered that one in women's cut, but it's cute either way) as early birthday presents. I also had to have the medal replica pin and magnet because that medal is definitely in my top 5 favorite medals of all time. 

I did get to stop by The Sweaty Bands booth for a race specific headband, which they did not have but they did have a black and gold one that said "Run New Orleans"; good enough for me! My sister did admit this booth was also one of the main reasons she wanted to come to the expo. I  got her a sweaty band for Christmas and now I think I've created a monster!

The new Heavy medals were also on display, further confirming my need to have them in my life. I'm so glad they've finally upgraded their medal ribbons, including on the heavy medals. 

It was also really great getting to finally meet Karen! 

We've run so many of the same races but our paths never crossed. Hopefully I get to see her again in Florida for Princess weekend.

They were also offering taste tests for the Gumocracy promotion. I voted for the Salted Watermelon. Apple Cinnamon was the runner up because I just couldn't stomach the taste of coffee in a gel, even if I'm slightly obsessed with the salted caramel.

On top of that, Rock-n-Roll introduced their new social app for this race weekend. I was a little confused as to where things were being shared, but it seems to be only within the app itself, unless you specifically chose either twitter or facebook, which is nice. The more hashtags you shared, the more badges you could earn. I know I'm a fan of searching race hashtags, whether participating live or virtual, and I like that this app collects those posts in one place. There seems to be some glitches (the app crashing when you try to upload photos) but I think it will be really great when they're cleared up.

Another new to me was the race information guide only being available digitally. I'm not a fan, specifically for this race. My family and I liked the convenience of the printed guide. Trying to explain to them where on the website to find the information they'd like to know is hard enough for me to find, much less for someone not familiar with race websites and/or The Rock-n-Roll brand. The last time I ran this race, my family really enjoyed reading up on it and I liked that they liked being involved, so not having it was kind of a bummer. If I'm on a regular race-cation, I like not having to use my data or phone's battery life to read the race information as well. Hopefully they bring them back.

Once we made our rounds through the expo, it was time to meet my parents for lunch; I was starving! We got to check roast beef po-boy and shrimp po-boy off the must-eat while I'm in town list. 

After the delicious lunch, we took a quick ride on the streetcar. Normally, I'd prefer to keep the sightseeing/ time on my feet until after the race, but it was B's first time visiting and we had a limited amount of time to pack in a ton of things!

On the way back to my sister's we made our first of many stops for beignets. Then it was time to get ready for my brother's surprise 30th birthday party (he's birthday is a week after mine, but we wanted to have the party while B and I were in town). 

No rest for the wicked! 

Are you a fan of a printed race guide? Which Gu flavor would you choose?

(3 Things) Best race photo ever, NON-complimentary entry to BK Half, and healthy cheap eats

I'm still exhausted from this past weekend and I didn't even run half the distance most people did! That's what I get for not scheduling a post-vacation rest day, but I honestly didn't think I'd need one. This was supposed to be a fun relaxing trip, but let me tell you, volunteering and spectating are anything but relaxing! PS- I flew home marathon night and saw a TON of Goofy/ Dopey Challenge finishers in the airport as well. KUDOS to yall! I couldn't imagine getting on a flight right after a marathon, let alone a 2-4 day running event. Hope everyone is recovering well.

 BEST RACE PHOTO EVER.

 You're welcome. 

I'm seriously contemplating buying this photo and making it all of my profiles' picture; it's that EPIC. If I needed to describe my runDisney experiences, this photo would be worth every one of those 1000 words. I laugh out loud every time I look at it.

 

I'm a tad peeved at NYRR right now. I just received the pre-registration email regarding my guaranteed entry status for the Brooklyn Half- remember, the third time I volunteered last year? Apparently, that guaranteed entry is NOT complimentary, which they conveniently left out when trying to recruit volunteers. Maybe it's my fault. Maybe I didn't read into it as well as I should have, but it's CLEARLY stated for volunteering at The NYC Half, why leave that part off here? NOT COOL, YO.

If you plan on volunteering: BEWARE!

Granted, The Brooklyn Half is more insane to get into than a runDisney race (no kidding- it sold out in like a hour and crashed the NYRR site last year), so not having to deal with the crazy is nice, BUT you still need to clearly state the non-complimentary part. I wouldn't have spent $40 to run 2 loops of Central Park and only get a bike hat (the Fred LeBow Half) if I would've known. Thanks, NYRR.

 

CUTEST "Fast Food" packaging ever.

and it was delicious as well! 

I'm trying really hard to spend as little money as possible until at least March (maybe even May). Our February is jam packed with traveling and I didn't budget well. Who am I kidding, I never budget well. Anyway. Seeing as I was out of town last weekend and haven't been able to get to the grocery, I've been trying to keep my lunch under $7. Today, I just could not stomach another $5 foot-long Subway sandwich (tip: no, that doesn't mean a 6inch will be $2.50. There's only so many times you can eat subway for lunch and dinner FYI.) so I went to Wendy's. It was very yummy and totally under budget, but I don't know if it was worth the guilt. The Honey Chicken at Yak & Yeti (pictured above), on the other hand, totally worth it :)

Anyone have good tips for eating healthy but staying within a budget?!

So you wanna runDisney: Part 2

Last year before marathon weekend, I complied a list of some tips for running a runDisney race. Here's a few more to add to the list!

PACKING:

Gallon Ziplock bags are your best friend. I learned this from many people's Ragnar packing tips. Each race outfit gets it's own ziploc bag. Makes packing easy, makes unpacking easier (everything is in one place!) and repacking smelly clothes? EASIEST!

Powerstrips are amazing. 3+ runners in a room + 3+ electronics each? There won't be enough outlets. Who am I kidding? There are never enough outlets without the running electronics. Invest in a powerstrip. They've saved me on many occasions.

Garbage Bags save your compression shorts. I bring them every racecation- in case it's raining or cold. I'm pretty sure I've read this over and over but it just recently hit me- bring one to sit on, silly! RunDisney gets you to races SUPER early (especially the night ones), I stressed my first TOT because we got to the start 3 hours early and I wanted to save my legs. For Everest and my 2nd TOT, I just sat on the concrete; that doesn't mix well with my running shorts, trust me. Bring the bag. It's a smart plan.

BREAKFAST:

These work for me and they're completely travel friendly!

Most on property hotels were offering breakfast boxes, but you have to buy them the night before. They most likely won't be open early enough for you to get one before you have to get on a bus.

In case your room doesn't have a coffeemaker, the 5ks usually have coffee by the start line (but of course, this is all subject to change). I don't recall from any of the other races.

RACE MORNING:

Credit: FruitFly

GET THERE EARLY! I cannot stress that enough for Disney races. Every race, I hear horror stories. I was almost one myself for Princess this year- and I was on one of the 1st buses! Also, for you multiple morning people- just because there was a surplus of buses one morning, does not mean they'll be there the next (that's a true story from The Art of Animation hotel last year). Remember that garbage bag? Curl up on the concrete and get a few extra winks in, but at least you'll be there.

If you're doing a challenge: Stop for characters in the earlier races, that way you can save the time you're on the course during the marathon and skip the ones you got previously. (Except for the 10k, don't stop for characters during the 10k. It's the only race I'm running and I don't want to wait in long lines ;)

POST-RACE/MARATHON:

Schedule a dinner in one of the parks that's having magical hours or Downtown Disney. It will force you to walk around and that really helped in recovery. It was one of the best decisions we made last year (plus, it was Be Our Guest. win win!)

UPDATE:

DURING THE RACE:

Chapstick doubles as Vaseline if you feel a hot spot coming on and not near a medical tent. And vice versa- Vaseline works if you forget your chapstick!

Can you think of anything I'm missing?

runDisney Happy Haunted 5k Trail run, race recap

The first official race of the weekend kicked off with the Happy Haunted 5k Trail race through the Wide World of Sports complex. This is a family fun run for everyone to enjoy. The race is an un-timed event designed for everyone to just have fun. No matter your athletic abilities, a runDisney 5k is a great taste of all that they have to offer.

I knew I wanted to get there early because the food court at the hotel didn't open until 6:30 and the standard resort rooms don't come with coffeemakers. I learned early on, they sell coffee at the start lines of all the 5ks I've done. This year, instead of the convenient kiosk right in front, it was in the concessions area. That was off to the side and if you didn't actively seek it out, you would've missed it. On our way in, I noticed the complex's rest rooms were open and we made a quick stop. Score! 

Once that was taken care of, we walked over to the line that was already forming for Mickey Mouse. He didn't come out as early as he did last year, but they did mention he would be taking pictures after the race as well. That was a nice bonus. Last year, he was at the finish line.

Morning, Mickey!

We decided last minute to change our costumes from Captain Hook and Tink Raw Threads shirts to Dee and Dum because who can resist a new Raw Threads purchase at the expo? I think I've created a monster, because B loves their shirts just as much as I do. Our bank accounts are not pleased. I can also say, I am a total fan of their tank tops, they run bigger than their short sleeved shirts. 

So, I know a lot of people are saying it was hot and humid. RunDisney even put out a heat advisory, but to me this was NOTHING compared to last year. I can safely say it was the most beautiful weather I've experienced all runDisney year. It was even a bit chilly at the start. I was perfectly content. 

The course was the same as last year but with one huge difference: Lots more entertainment! It started off with an appearance by the headless horseman (which sadly you couldn't see unless you were in Corral A) and it continued throughout the course. 

We even got to see B's favorite: Captain Hook! 

Scar, The Big Bad Wolf, The Brair characters, Prince John and The Sheriff from Robin Hood and the Grave Diggers were also on the course, but since we were walking and the lines were kind of long, we kept going. In retrospect, I wish we would've stopped once or twice more. It didn't seem like there was a big concern for sweepers, especially because the course was entirely on trails on property but we knew we should keep pace. 

Action shot!

Last year, the course was wet and muddy. This year, it was dry and dusty. I don't know which was worse! The loose sand and dust being kicked up made us extremely happy to see the track. 

Then it was time to be finished! We saw pirate Goofy at the finish line- and that was a must stop, then we raised our arms and finished strong. 

It was a great way to kick off the weekend. 

Epcot's Food and Wine Festival experience 2013

This was our first experience at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival and now I can definitely understand why it's such a must-do!

We decided to dedicate our last day in Disney to the festival (with a ride or 2 thrown in there). Spoiler alert: We got to try all the booths we wanted with time to spare even with a rain delay! We were only eating, which I'm sure helped get through. In retrospect, it would've been nice to have another day or so to experience even more and maybe get all the stamps on our passport. For the record, this was by far B's favorite day of the trip and I don't blame her. Who wouldn't want to spend the day eating and drinking around the world?

Our first stop was the Festival headquarters, aka the old Wonder of Life Pavilion, mainly because I wanted to go in and see what occupied where Cranium Command used to live (ps- is it weird to anyone else that the Making of Me theater was showing a film about fermenting grapes?!) and it was nice to get the overall feel for the event.

All of the demonstrations, seminars, book/ bottle signings and meet and greets for the festival happen here. If any of that interests you, there is an agenda and I believe there is an extra charge for most of the events.

There was tons of cute merch, too! 

There are kiosks set up throughout the World showcase in case you want to grab a souvinor, but this is where the majority of any and every thing Food and Wine was. They had really cute women's cut shirts and even branded trays with drink holders to make your experience even more convenient.

This is also where we picked up one of the gift card bracelet they recommend you use. You could also buy them throughout the world showcase and refill them pretty much anywhere that had a register. It makes it quick and easy at the booths instead of pulling out your wallet and credit card every time. There is a handy-dandy bracelet to keep it at your fingertips, literally. It's also quite helpful for setting a budget for what you're willing to spend- it can add up quickly, especially if you're drinking as well!

sidenote: The bathrooms in the pavilion haven't been "modernized", meaning there were actual faucet nobs with a heavy stream of water to wash our hands. This thrilled us more than I should admit. 

Once we got around to starting our journey of eating around the world (remember World Showcase doesn't open until 11!), there were some seriously threatening clouds forming. My strategy was to get to The American Adventure before the sky opened up. I knew we could hang out in the Chase Lounge until it let up. This meant walking while eating as well, which wasn't bad considering most of the tapas size portions were manageable.

Pretend you also see the Seared Rainbow Trout with Bacon and the "Le Cellier" Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce. I totally forgot to get a photo, opps. Bad blogger.

Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise

Beef Empanda

Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Tomatoes

Lettuce Wrap with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw

OUR FAVORITE!!

Ravioli Di Formaggia all'Emiliana 
(Baked Cheese Ravioli with Creamy Beef Bolognese Sauce, Parmesean Cheese, and Melted Mozzarella)

We pushed our luck with trying to go past American before the storm, but instead were forced to back track. We made it half way to Japan, when drops started to fall. So, instead we ran back to America and managed to get a funnel cake before the sky opened. I'll be making a separate post about the Lounge, but it was a perfect place to wait out the weather. Since this is Florida we're talking about, it was a quick shower and we continued on our way. 

Teriyaki Chicken Hand Roll

Baklava

Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney

Originally, after New Zealand, we were going to go back the way we came (instead of making the full loop), but since we were passing by the Refreshment Port again (first time around we got the pineapple fritters), I got an Orange Dole Whip for the road. FYI, the pineapple is much better.

Since, I'm a master at time management (or at least I got extremely lucky this time!), we had to time make one more stop. Did you know about the Disney Chase Visa members photo area in Innovations West? I just discovered it. It's a separate area to get character photos but you never know who will be there. We got to get a picture with Mickey and Goofy in our medals. Another part of the perk is getting a 5x7 printed photo for free. It's a nice little bonus if you have time, I'd suggest it!

a photo of our photo

Then, all too soon, it was time to head to the airport to end our amazing trip. 

Have you been to the Food and Wine Festival? What was your favorite food?