Weight Lifitng Stage One = DONE!

So I had plans for a big post at the end of stage one recapping the first phase of the program and telling you how it all went but then all hell broke loose. Well, actually just the tailgate to be exact.

I finished stage one while I was home in Georgia helping out a friend and visiting family. I was planning to write my post the week of July 4th which was my rest week between one and two. I never got around to it though because on July 2nd, as my parents were leaving North Georgia where we had been for a few days, the tailgate of my dad's truck fell open and my suitcase, containing all of my clothes for the two week trip, fell out and was swiped before he could stop and grab it. I was in my car on the way to Atlanta on a different road. My parents were taking my stuff with them so that I would not have a truck full of luggage to tempt thieves. Turns out some one is more likely to steal your suitcase on mountain roads in North Georgia. I was almost a week away from returning home so I had to start replacing clothes quickly, which included four of my beloved SparkleSkirt running skirts. Because of all this craziness, I never got around to writing my post. Now I am back with the hubby and pups and two weeks into stage two which means I am half way done with it.

Stage one was really great and a learning experience. I learned how to do lots of exercises I had heard of but never attempted. I learned that eating protein while weightlifting is VERY important. Days when I did my workouts but did not have enough protein, I would wake up the next day completely exhausted because my body did not have what it needed to rebuild my muscle. Stage one is six weeks long. It consists of two workouts that are alternated three times a week. You do each workout 8 times each and increase the difficulty every two weeks. The last week is filled in with two special workouts that include the same exercises you have been doing but you drop back to the original weight used and complete as many reps as possible to see how you have improved.

I really enjoyed the stage as a whole even though I did prefer one workout over the other. I had originally hoped to throw a few runs in there but I never was really consistent with that part. Instead I focused on my strength and developing a good base for the rest of the program. After the craziness that went on during my rest week, I had a hard time really getting motivated and getting started on Stage two. I also ended up leaving Georgia a day later than I had planned so that interfered with my MWF workout plan.

I finally got settled back in here and adjusted my calendar a little to allow me an extra day to get started but not throw off every stage after this one. One of the good things is that you don't have to take a rest week after each of these next few stages because they are much shorter, only 4 weeks. The break between 2 and 3 will be just a little shorter than the breaks between 3, 4 and 5. I must admit though, I am not loving the workouts in stage two. I have to start running this week to do the full training program for Avengers and this stage is VERY leg intensive. As part of the B workout, you are supposed to finish with 15 minutes of interval training, which would be fine but my legs are burnt out by the time I get done so doing a higher intensity interval run is tough. It got a little easier this week but it is still a tough set of workouts.

Tomorrow night will be my first training run for Avengers. It's just 3 miles but it will be my first real run in a while. I'm swapping my run and workout night so that I can take advantage of the awesome weather we are supposed to have tomorrow before it starts to warm back up this weekend. I'm still figuring out how all of this is going to work. I am definitely not going to over do it on my long training runs. They will be slow and steady to get the miles in. I am hoping the strength training will help with my speed even when I am not going fast in my running. I'm also trying to refocus on my eating because I have let that slide for way to long. I need to clean it up again and start focusing on good lean protein on my lifting days and smart carb choices for my long training runs without over doing it.

Mac and I are planning an anniversary trip to Disney this fall. I remember where I was when I went last year and I am hoping by some miracle, maybe I get get back there by the time we go this year. I hate that I have to do all that work again but I am also not surprised because some of how I got there was the wrong way and I am really trying to do it right this time. Either way, it will be nice celebrating my anniversary at California Grill with my husband this year instead of from afar.

Week One in the books

I have had a running theory in my life that if it feels like the devil/world is fighting you every step of the way, you must be doing something right. If that is in deed true, I must be on the right path with my current plan. This week has been a nightmare to get through and it is all because of annoying little things that can set you back. 

Monday was day one of my training plan using the New Rules book that I talked about in my last post. I had to get our workout space set up which meant I had to do some rearranging. We had originally planned to use the "sun room" as the spare bedroom and what would be the master bedroom normally as the workout room. Once we started moving everything in however, we decided to switch it around but the movers had already put the spare bed and most of our boxes in the sun room. So Monday night started with me clearing out the air mattress from the back bedroom and moving LOTS of boxes so that I could move the spare bed into the right room. Then I had to continue shifting boxes around to make room for the workout space. This, of course, was a pain in the ass. I got a little beat up in the process as well.(Moving a queen size bed alone can be dangerous.) I was frustrated and tired before I ever began my workout, but I sucked it up and did the first work out in the plan. I felt good but was really reminded of how far I really have to go in this journey of strength. 

The plan calls for you to do their workouts three times a week. I will be doing MWF  with some running on TTS. That means Tuesday night called for a quick run. Nothing major happened that night when I did my two mile run. I could have gone for more but I wanted to make sure I wasn't pushing too hard during the week since I really want to do the strength stuff right. 

Wednesday was my birthday and I decided I wanted to get myself a gift. that gift was a tiny barbell set from Academy so that I can start the program completely at home while I get comfortable with all of the moves and figure out how much weight I should/can lift. The thought of walking into a gym with NO CLUE how much weight to use made me want to stay at home. I had looked several places but couldn't find what I wanted. We finally hit Academy just before they closed and they had EXACTLY what I needed. It is a total 110lb set. It has a 5 foot,  25lb bar and 85lbs in discs(four 10s, six 5s and six 2.5s) It is perfect for a newbie like me. Once we were home, I still had a few more things I needed to set up. Workout A(Monday) didn't call for too much equipment other than a few dumbbells but for Workout B, I needed a bench. Luckily, I had picked one up for Mac's birthday last month but we had not put it together yet. After searching what seemed like forever for the tools needed to put it together, I finally located everything.(FYI: I HATE MOVING) The instructions said it was a two man job but I was on my own because mac had already gone to bed. It was all fine until  the wrench slipped and I knocked a huge chunk of skin off of the knuckle on my right pinky. It hurt like hell and bled like crazy. I had to get Mac up so he could put a band-aid on it because I couldn't control the bleeding and put on a band-aid at the same time. He helped me get the last of the bench put together. I was hurt and angry and really just wanted to go to bed, but I didn't. I grabbed my lifting gloves I picked up for cheap at TJ Maxx and decided to just get it done. My hand wasn't always comfortable but I made it through the workout. 

Thursday was the first day I was really sore. We were heading down to Fort Worth that night so I wasn't going to get in a run but I was hoping to get some time in the pool at the hotel. Unfortunately, we got there a little later than we had hoped and that wasn't an option either. It didn't end up being a total wash though because we were staying in the Stockyards area and did a lot of walking that night. I got a horrible night's sleep at the hotel and woke up feeling off on Friday. I just felt bad all day. I think something I ate Thursday night didn't sit well with me and I felt it all day. As the day went by, I wondered how I would be able to do the workout that night. Mac finally suggested that I start it, see how I felt and then either stop or continue. I ended up making it through the workout and only cut one set short but that was because I still have to work up to being able to complete it.

I was hoping to get a long run in this morning but running this weekend is going to be hard because we are supposed to have rain and thunderstorms every day for the the next few days. I am hoping I can at least get a short run in tonight if it holds off for a couple hours but we will see. In reality, at this point, if I can't do any of my runs, I'm ok with that, as long as I am doing the strength workouts. I have to get my body used to these new workouts first and the training plan I was hoping to use for Avengers, doesn't actually start until the end of July so as long as I can throw in some short runs here and there just to keep my legs moving, I should be fine.

I am considering doing the Runners World Summer run streak but I ma not fully committing to it yet. I will see how running a mile on my workout days feels and if I feel like my body can handle it, I will continue. If I feel like it is too much, I'll stop.

For now, week one is in the books. I did all three workouts and I am happy with it. I still have to tweak a few things to find the right amount of weights to use but I am getting there. I also finally have our workout space completely set up. The entire room isn't done because there are still boxes we need to deal with in one end but the  required area for everything else is cleared and set up. Take a look below. You can see my tiny barbell set in the corner. It currently has 10lbs on it and the rest of the discs are stacked in the corner. Hopefully, now that it is done, I will quit beating myself up and all of this will get easier. 

Here we go

So I have been wanting to blog more but just haven't done it. I try to blog during the day so that people will actually see my posts but now I think I am just going to have to start scheduling the posts because I always want to write at night, while you are all sleeping. I want to get back to sharing my story because even though it is not pretty right now, it is real and I think I need that to keep me accountable. I've let myself slip way too far and I really want to make a big change in the right direction during our short time here.

I'm finding myself feeling like I am starting over. I'm not, but I am just as scared as I was when I started all of this. I guess it is because I had done so well and come so far and then I let myself mess up and go backwards. Those fears that it just isn't possible keep creeping in. The reality is that it is possible, I just have to find the right way for me. A lot of the success I had last year was the result of the fear I had from the crazy medical stuff that was going on. When you are scared to eat anything, it is easy to cut back and lose weight. Now that I am not afraid of food anymore and not depriving myself, I need to learn how to eat what I like, feel satisfied and lose weight.  Mac and I have done way too much eating out for the last month or so with the move and I am really trying to get away from that again. It's still hard though because there are still so many boxes and we can't find everything we need. Plus the kitchen is so much smaller than our last one and it feels like there is no room to do anything.

One thing I have really wanted to do for a long time and been too scared of was weight lifting. I knew that I needed to do more strength training but I had no clue what to do or how to do it so I tried to find other ways around it. While I love Insanity and gained a lot of strength from it, I still wanted to do something more strength focused. I have toyed with the idea of getting a personal trainer but it is just so expensive. I have really been wanting to get to a point where I can do a pull-up and looked at a ton of different possible plans but they all felt overwhelming.  Last week, I noticed a blog post from a FB friend of mine that I found very interesting. She was reading a book about weight lifting for women and it sounded really interesting. I decided to do a little more research on the book and found a fitness blog with a review of the book. He loved it(and the others by the same author) and only had wonderful things to say. He is a personal trainer that doesn't treat his female clients like they are incapable of really working out and lifting real weights. So many times, you see stuff for women recommending 2 or 3 lb weights or doing lots of reps with basically no weight and these guys(the blog author and the book author) don't do that. They tell you to really lift real weights.

The book is called "The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift like a Man, Look like a Goddess". I read a few sample sections and finally bit the bullet and ordered it on Amazon. I also had some credit on my Nook so I downloaded it there as well. I really like how it breaks it all down, explains the methods and thought process behind all of the rules and then gives you a training plan to follow. It also talks about nutrition as well. The full training plan consists of 7 stages with stage 6 being optional. If you complete all seven stages, it is a six month program. I am going to be skipping stage 6 for now so it is about a five month plan for me. Some of the workouts I will be able to do completely at home, like tonight, and other days, I will need to go to the gym. The awesome thing is that, on a military base, the gyms are free. I just have to get over my fear of them. I'm still self conscious but I am hoping to work on that this summer as well.

One of the other cool things that I found when I was looking up the reviews of the book was in the review I read by the personal trainer, he also mentioned his progression to pull-ups for women. I looked into them and really liked what I saw. One thing that I really liked was that his first stage incorporates a TRX for those of us that are really starting from scratch. I am going to be throwing some of those workouts in the mix as well but I will be taking it very slowly so that I do not over do it at all.

On top of all of this, I will be running and hopefully swimming. I will either do an easy short run on weekdays or maybe spend some time in the pool and then run my long runs on Saturdays as usual. I want to really have a nice solid base before my mileage starts going up as I prepare for the Avengers half in November. I want to be sure that I can get the miles in early in case things are really crazy right before the race with the possible move being around then.(Which seriously has me stressing over airfare. It's hard to buy a ticket when you have no idea where you will be flying from.) I want that race to be a really strong race. Lots of people talk about not trying to get a PR at a Disney race but I am really aiming to do just that. I don't stop for pictures and the DL courses are actually really good for having a faster race since the last half is spent on city streets so there is nothing to stop for at all.

I also want to possibly go home and run the Macon Labor Day Road Race again. I still have a bone to pick with that race and I know that it could be a great way to get a good proof of time for a future race. I'm not expecting the 10K at the end of May to be a great race but I will still do my best. I haven't been getting the right training runs in like I had hoped. The following weekend is a half marathon on post that I am considering doing(so I can check Oklahoma off the map) but it will be a slow race I'm sure. We got permission for Mac to pace me on his bike so that he can carry lots of water and some snacks for me since I am sure I will need them on June 7th. They were finally smart about it and moved the start time up to 6:30 so it won't be horrible, but it will still be hot by the time I am done.

I have lots of great plans, but I have had lots of great plans before. I just have to ignore the fear and do it this time. Mac is trying to help me stay on track and I am hoping to leave Oklahoma a new person.

Getting back to it

I just went for my first run in 4 weeks. The last time I ran was the day of the shooting at Fort Hood(April 2) and was my way to process the events of that day. Since then we have moved to another Army post in a different state. Tonight was sort of an exploratory run as I try to find new running routes. The route we used tonight will be good for long runs(even though we just did 3 miles) but I will have to find something closer to home with better lighting for my short week night runs.

It wasn't a great run but it was a way for me to shake out my legs and get ready for some upcoming races. I am hoping to do a 10K at the end of May here on post and possibly another race the weekend after. I know the 10K is completely doable, the second race I am not as convinced. We will see how my body feels and what the weather is like. I am going to be trying to get in some runs that are longer than a 10K during the weekends leading up to the race so that my 10K will hopefully be a little faster. I am hoping to have a good finish time to possibly use for race proof of time down the road. My goal this summer as I train for Avengers in November is to get faster and have a strong finish at that race.

I had made great strides last year but I let the disappointment at Tower of Terror get me down and I didn't continue training like I should have. If I had, my last few races would have been much stronger. I am hoping to be able to have a sub 3 hour half by the end of the year, but we will see how it goes.

I'm ready to refocus on  my training and get back into everything. I am going to start really trying to work on my strength training this summer as well, since my Avengers specific race training doesn't have to start until the end of July and if I am maintaining a decent mileage each week until then, it won't start getting hard until a few weeks later, giving me all summer to work on my strength.

We are only going to be at this post for 6-7 months and I am going to try to use that time to really buckle down and start making some progress with my running and my overall fitness. Mac will have a lot more time since he is in a school and no longer a commander so he will be able to help me work on building upper body and core strength. As long as I can figure out a good week night running route, everything should be set up for a successful summer.

Earning my Glass Slipper

This year was my 4th time traveling to Disney World for the Princess Half Marathon. This year was a little different because they introduced the new Glass Slipper Challenge which required you to complete the new 10K on Saturday and the Princess Half on Sunday to earn a third medal for the challenge.

Thinking back to my first attempt at Princess 2011, I could not have imagined taking on the type of challenge during that weekend. I had not trained. I was scared to death and I almost didn't start the race. But after 8 miles I had a new determination and desire to reach the finish line the next year.

Now three years later, this year's Princess was the 7th half marathon I have completed. One of the reasons I did all of the races at Tink was to prepare for the Glass Slipper Challenge. I'm glad I did not sign up for the 5K at Princess even though I REALLY wanted to once I saw a picture of the race shirt. I tried to be smart about how much time I spent on my feet before the races so we saved most of our park days for after the half.

Mac and I splurged on our hotel this year since he just recently completed his time as a battery commander. We used the trip as a celebration so we stayed at the Boardwalk. Saturday's 10K was a very new experience. I got up alone and headed to catch the bus. There were no spectator areas on the course, just at the start and finish. We have learned in the past that trying to see anything at the start is pointless and we had a breakfast reservation at the Dolphin right after so we could hit Hollywood Studios. Because there was no point in Mac and Rachel being at the start and I wanted them to be able to make it to the reservation on time if I couldn't so I told them both not to worry about getting up to go to the start with me. It was a little weird heading out on my own but it ended up being just fine. I went to catch the bus and was shocked at how long we had to wait for one. There was one there when I got to the line but it filled up quickly and there was no bus behind it. Every time I have caught a bus for Princess, there has been a line of them waiting. The person that was overseeing the buses and lines was surprised too. They immediately got on the radio and asked where our buses were. We had to wait a while but thankfully one finally came. While I was on the bus, I recognized the costume of someone I knew on FB. Jennifer and I have been friends on FB for a while but had never met in real life. This was her first time at Princess and it was going to be her first half marathon. When we got off the bus, I ran and caught up with her so that we could finally meet. While I was with her, she ran into some one she knew from another FB group, Tina, and her sister, Suzanne. Princess was going to be Tina's first half as well and Suzanne was doing her first 10K that morning. We talked and found out that Suzanne and I were in the same corral. She was worried about finishing and I was determined to make sure she made it to the end. I wasn't in a hurry since I had to run the half the next day so I told her I would help her through the race.

She didn't need much help, just some encouragement and someone to keep her distracted. We mostly walked the race but that was fine because she easily walks a 16minute mile, which is something I can't do on my own. Our first mile was a little slower but every Disney start is. The one mile mark was right before a U turn in the course so as we got closer to mile 2, we could see the end of the race and the balloon ladies. I pointed them out to her just so she knew what they looked like and being able to see them freaked her out a little. We decided to run a little after that to give us more of a buffer(even though we really didn't need it). By the end of mile two we had made up some time and did the second mile in 15 minutes. The third was right at 16 minutes and we were right were we needed to be as we entered Epcot. It's always fun being in there so early. We made our way around the World Showcase and out of the back gate towards the Boardwalk loop. Since we were staying at the Boardwalk, Rachel and Mac were able to just walk outside to see us go by. I grabbed a quick hug from each as we passed and we made our way around the Boardwalk. Every time we hit a new mile marker, it seemed quicker than either of us expected. As we were crossing the bridge towards the Yacht Club, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw Heather, Amy and Jackie from Tink. Before long, we were back in Epcot and heading to the finish line. Suzanne was a little surprised that she had done it but I wasn't at all. After getting my medal, I had to head over and get my Glass Slipper wrist band so that I could get my extra medal the next day after the half. I said goodbye to Suzanne since I was already late for our breakfast reservation and ran to hop on a bus to the Dolphin. I tried to schedule the reservation based on when I expected to finish but I didn't realize how long they were going to wait between each corral so I ended up being late anyway. Fortunately, Mac and Rachel were already there and the server was awesome and gave me a hard time. He asked me why I was so late and held up my medal. He proceeded to give me a harder time and say I was making up excuses. The food was great and he was very funny.

Sunday morning, Mac got up and headed to the start with me. Rachel was staying at Art of Animation so she headed over a little later. It was mass chaos before the race as usual and I made my way out to my corral. Sitting in the corrals is when it sucks being on your own. I found a spot to sit and wait until the start. They surprised a runner with a video message form her deployed husband for her birthday and made everyone cry. The race started and we slowly moved up until it was our turn. I tried to keep it slow at first but even though there were crowds, I still started a little too fast. There is a turn not long into Tink that forces everyone to be slower but at Princess it is an open road at first so I was moving a little faster than I wanted. I did pretty well and stayed pretty steady for the first 5K. I kept waiting for my phone to go off saying I had a text from the runner tracking and it never came. I texted Rachel to let them know I was getting close because if I didn't get a text, I doubted they did. I saw them quickly and continued on to MK. I kept running into people I knew on the course which was nice. I always love entering Magic Kingdom. I love running down main street and this year was the first time I stopped for a castle picture. I had a volunteer take it right before turning off of main street towards Tomorrowland. The castle was crowded like last year but not as bad. When I crossed the 10K mat, I still did not get a text. I had my garmin so I knew how it was going but I was still frustrated that I wasn't getting the texts. I texted Rachel again since I knew they were waiting just before mile 8 again. After seeing them again, I had to take a picture of the 8 mile marker. I think that will always mean something to me. If it ever stops being special, I need to stop running.  I was starting to slow down thanks to the humidity and crowds but I knew I could make it to the finish. I was in some pain though thanks to busting my butt on the boardwalk the day before. It had rained a little and Rachel and I were walking out to the ferry to meet Mac and go to Epcot for the traditional Via Napoli dinner and as I stepped out onto the wet  wooden boardwalk, my right foot slid out from under me and I hit the ground HARD. I pulled something in my hip so by mile 9 I was feeling it.

I ended up walking mostly after the cliff shots stop. I was very disappointed that they did not have it set up like Tink where you got your cliff shot and then immediately went through a water stop. This makes sense because you are supposed to use those with water but they didn't do it this way at Princess. Which meat I held on to mine for almost a mile before getting to the next water stop. I was feeling light headed which is the same thing that happened at Tink but that is where the awesome people in the community provided us with animal crackers and pretzels. That's one thing that sucks about races at WDW. Since they are all on property, you don't have the chance to run past awesome people with snack s like in California. My legs felt fine but I was running out of energy. The energy shots helped but I needed something more on my stomach. The closer I got to the finish, the more light headed I became. I was starting to worry. Thankfully right before mile 12, I ran into Amanda, a girl I know from a few places on Facebook. She and a friend were doing 30 second run intervals with a minute walk(I think) and she told me I could hang with them. Staying with them is what got me through the rest of that race. Once I crossed the finish line and got my medal, I went straight to the huge mister fan they had out. It was hot and humid and we definitely needed it. I grabbed water and powerade before going to get my glass slipper challenge medal and special pink coast to coast medal. I grabbed some food and headed to the entrance of Epcot where I sat down as soon as I saw Mac.

I was hurting from the fall and very light headed. I drank some water and powerade and ate a little something before heading into the park for breakfast. This was the first time I was heading back in before the race was over so we had to go through the crowd control points and it took longer than usual. As we approached a very narrow walking path out to world showcase, it was blocked by a guest and a stroller talking to a cast member. He was causing quite a pile up behind him. Once he and everyone else finally passed by, we headed out since it was really only wide enough for one way traffic. As we approached the CM she looked up and asked if we knew where we were going. When we responded, "Yes" her reaction was, "Thank God" We couldn't help but laugh because we knew it had to have been tough. We saw the tail end of the runners on the course and tried to cheer them on as they passed. We finally made it to the restaurant and then waited for everyone else to arrive. We were cutting it close but everyone made it there before they switched from breakfast to lunch. We had our pictures taken with Belle and then enjoyed a great breakfast. I wore all 7 of my Disney medals from 2014 for the pictures with the princesses. They were SO incredibly heavy, haha. For the rest of the day, I only wore the coast to coast medal.

Over all, the weekend was great. I am glad I did it again but the WDW races are still proving to be brutal weather wise. I am hoping to do the new Avengers Half Marathon in California in November because I am sure it will be an awesome race and I love the weather out there. I am hoping Mac will be able to go and possibly do it with me but right now, I am not holding my breathe. It's crazy how far I have come in the last three years. Every time I do a race, I feel like I learn something. I will not do another half marathon without a bag of animal crackers in my pocket because by mile 8 or 9, I have to have something of substance to eat and keep me going.

And just so you all know, after telling me over and over she could never do a half, Suzanne is now signed up for her first half marathon. She is planning to run the Wine and Dine Half in November and I know she is going to do great. We all have to start somewhere but as long as you are determined and train, you can do anything.

When a Kenyan gives you running advice, listen.

Since I never really posted a race recap for Tower of Terror, there is one awesome thing that happened that weekend that I have never had a chance to talk about. It's crazy how you run into random people on Disney trips and it can be a huge blessing. I love that while you are at WDW you can talk to people from all over the world. It's amazing being able to ask about different cultures and countries and get answers from young people that live there. It is one of the awesome things about the exchange program that Disney has for college age employees. They get a chance to learn about and live in the American culture and we get to learn from them about their homes if you take the time to just ask. Sometimes though, the encounters happen organically and a random act becomes so much more.

After the ToT expo, we went to the food court upstairs to grab some lunch. We had to wait for my food order to be corrected in the system because these poor kids had very little experience with the dining plan since they usually just feed hungry school kids that are there for competitions. While we were waiting off to the side, one of the cast members that was helping direct expo traffic noticed Diane's birthday button and decided to sing to her. Moments like that make wearing the celebration pins so much fun. Great cast members go out of their way to make you smile. Diane found herself being serenaded by a young man named Elvis. As soon as he was done, she cracked up and said, "Now I can say Elvis sang me Happy Birthday!" He began to laugh because his name had never occurred to him when he decided to sing to her. When she pointed out his name, I looked at his name tag and saw that he was from Kenya. As we were all standing around talking, he asked if any of us were running the race. When he found out I was, he asked if I wanted some advice and pointed to his name tag saying, "You see where I am from, right?"

In my head I was screaming DUH! but I simply laughed and said of course. I was not born yesterday. There is a reason you can buy so many running things that say "In my dreams, I'm a Kenyan."  They get it, they understand how to run and how to do it right. World class runners who want to be better, go to Kenya and train with them because they just get it. So of course I was eager to hear anything he had to say. He kept it short and sweet but he made two very good points. One I already practiced, even though people think I am crazy, I know it works(and I finally had some back up) and the other is something I have heard but so many runners have a hard time doing it.

His first piece of advice:

Do not drink during a race.

This is something that has always been natural to me. Most people think I am crazy and many think you will die if you don't drink while you run, but that is simply not true. If you are probably hydrated BEFORE the race, you typically do not need to drink during. I always increase my fluid intake the week leading up and make sure I add some electrolytes the day or two before the race. Then morning of I will drink very little water before the start and that's about it. You shouldn't have to have a pit stop during a race. If you do, you are over hydrated and drinking at every water stop will only make that worse and slow you down. If I drink anything, it is only a sip and then I dump the rest or use it to swish out my mouth. Most of the time your mouth is just dry, you are not actually thirsty, so I swish some water around and then move over to the side and spit it out. I can feel it if I drink too much at a water stop and it sucks.

His second tip:

Run every mile faster than your last. 

This is the hard one for so many runners, including myself. It is such a mental struggle for many to start out slower but starting too fast will catch up to you quickly. It's a problem that I have always had and one of the things that was so great about the start of Tink. It was too crowded for me to be too fast. It forced me to slow down the first mile or two and so by the time I was out of the parks, I could run each mile a few seconds faster than the last and still feel good. It is something that I am going to try my best to remember as the Princess half begins. It took me a few months to be able to follow his second tip but once I did, I had an amazing race. I will definitely keep my eyes peeled to see if Elvis is still working there when I return this week. If he is, I will have to let him know that it took a while but I finally figured it out and he was right. I knew he was right when he said it  but it took some practice to be able to follow it.

It was so cool being able to chat with someone that has such an awesome knowledge of running that is just natural to him. I have always looked at and tried to follow how Kenyans do it. It is one of the reasons I love my Vibram Five Fingers and wear more minimalist shoes. If they can run marathons barefoot or in shoes that are barely there, why can't I. It feels natural to me and is the only way that doesn't make my feet hurt. I am a Georgia Peach and was raised in the South. That means my feet are shaped naturally because I ran around barefoot all the time and still do. I hate shoes because they try to force me feet into a shape that it isn't. It was nice talking with someone that understood that and so much more about running. It also reminded me about one of the things that makes WDW such a great place to visit.

Next time you are at Disney, pay attention to the workers around you. They have so much to offer us if you take the time to look for it. Check their name tags because everyone loves being called by name and you can find out where they are from. You never know what they may be able to share with you if you don't take the time to notice. And if you are celebrating anything, a birthday, anniversary, first trip or any other thing you can think of, grab a button, because you will find so many people that will go out of their way to acknowledge your celebration and you might get something bigger out of it.  Diane was serenaded numerous times that weekend(because when you are at Disney you can celebrate all week)by ushers, waiters, cashiers and even a custodian that was emptying the trash cans near our bus stop. Elvis sang to her and gave her free ice cream and we had a blast soaking it all in with her. I always wonder how many people miss out on the fun things like that because when a cast member calls out to them, they just keep walking. Appreciate the people around you no matter how "small" their job might seem.

But above all else remember when a Kenyan gives you running advice, listen.

You can fly...(Redemption)

Two years ago, I finished my first half marathon at Tink 2012. It was a bittersweet race because of the triumph of finishing my first half marathon, missing my deployed husband and hating the course. I finished that race but it was not easy. I fought emotions, mental blocks and pain to accomplish the goal that I was unable to accomplish at the 2011 Princess. Before I ran the first Tink, I had plans of running it every year to become a legacy. After completing that inaugural race, I swore I would never run it again unless it was an anniversary year or they offered something worth running it again because I hated the course so much.

In spring of 2013, Run Disney announced the new pink Coast to Coast medal for those runners that completed Tink and Princess in 2014. The funny thing is, I had decided that one Coast to Coast was enough since they don't really change from year to year. All of a sudden, I had a new reason to run Tink and bring home a new Coast to Coast. It also made me sign up for Princess which I was on the fence about, but there was no way I could pass up the new medal and the chance to run the inaugural Glass Slipper Challenge. As I signed up for Tink, my focus was still mainly on Princess. Even though Tink will always hold a special place in my heart as the first half that I completed, I still had a bitter taste in my mouth from the disappointment with the course. 

When they announced the new Tink 10K, I signed up. Even though they weren't offering a challenge, I figured it would be good practice for GSC. Then I was able to talk Rachel, my most reliable cheerleader, into trying the 5K so I signed up for that too. When I trained over the summer, I used a plan that had back to back runs every week so I knew that it would help me prepare. Unfortunately, I did not stick with it like I should after the Rock 'n' Roll half in November. As Tink weekend grew closer, I became more and more nervous about doing all three races. Even as I picked up my packets, all I could think was "What did I get myself into?"

Friday wasn't too bad. I knew I would be walking the 5K with Rachel and not really trying to run at all. I had a fun costume and stopped for one character, Captain Hook. 

It was way too much fun having him react to my costume. As we walked past a boat full of lost boys, it was fun to hear them call out to me. It's things like that that make dressing up for Disney races awesome. I had hoped to have a costume of sorts for the half but time wasn't on my side so all I had was the one for the 5K.

After the 5K, we spent the day in the parks. Then Saturday was the 10K. I was planning to run a little at the beginning and then walk the rest. I never felt good during the race. Something just felt off and people on the course were only making it worse. There were SO MANY PEOPLE. And there weren't enough corrals. The course was always packed and I seemed to be surrounded by extremely crabby runners. I was run into and pushed around continuously and no one ever apologized. There were people bitching about other runners or how the race was conducted or whatever and the negativity made a not so great race worse with every step. Looking at the finishing pics of the 10K I was shocked by the mass of people around me. The entire course was that way. I was so glad to be done and headed straight to the room to get changed. I was freaking out because the 10K was so bad I couldn't imagine any kind of good outcome at the half.  I took it easy the rest of the day to try to rest up for the half. 

I had my traditional pre-race meal after taking a quick nap and then turned in for the night. Through a crazy turn of events, Rachel and I ended up with another roommate for the weekend, Heather, who was also running the half. She was out a little later that night but as soon as I heard her come in, I was asleep. The alarm didn't go off as early as WDW races which is always nice. The hotel we were in was so close to the start it meant we didn't have to rush. I found my way into corral D and found a few people I have known online but never met in person. We chatted a bit as we waited for our corral to start and then we were on our way. 

They have not adopted the new corral system on the west coast so it was very crowded getting started. It forced me to run slower during my 10 minute warm up but I think in the end that was a good thing. We circled the back of Disneyland and then entered a side access heading for California Adventure. There was a down and up that I had already done as part of the 5K on Friday just before we entered the park. It was weird running CA first since it was at the end of the race when I ran it the first year. We headed through the park in the dark but it was cool seeing everything lit up, including the fun wheel and the colored fountains from World of Color.  That was the first thing I snapped a picture of along the course. 

Soon we were running between the parks and I had a chance to see Rachel. I tossed her my running shrug, checked out the poster she had for me and headed into Disneyland. The environment was a lot better at this race compared to the first year. There still weren't many spectators since you had to have a higher level chear squad package there but there were lots more cast members this time. Even in the backlot areas, there were cast members everywhere and they were cheering us on and giving high fives. It was cool seeing Small World still lit up with the Christmas lights  and getting a quick pic of the castle before we ran through it. 

I missed seeing Rachel on my way through Downtown Disney because they were allowing spectators to cross the course by redirecting the runners from side to side of a holding area they had in the middle. Because of that crossing, I was running on the wrong side when I passed her and had no idea. During the first Tink, I remembered seeing the Red Hat Society ladies out in front of the Disneyland Hotel, but I was not prepared for what I saw that morning. There were so many more of them out there this year. They stretched at least a tenth of a mile if not farther down the course as we exited Downtown Disney and began our time in Anaheim. I couldn't help but get emotional as they all cheered and screamed for us. That is one thing unique to the DL races. At WDW, you have lots of spectators but they are mostly family and friends of the runners. In DL, you get groups like the Red Hat ladies that just come and cheer for the heck of it. It was really nice feeling the support of the community. 


Even though I was originally bummed to see that the parks were only at the beginning of the race this year instead of divided up, it turned out to be not so bad. By the time we were heading into Anaheim, we were almost half way done with the race. Being in the parks and DTD for the first 5.5 miles made it go by in a blur. The streets were still a bit boring but not as monotonous as they seemed the first year. There were more people just out watching us run. By the time we were close to downtown Anaheim, we were already at 8 miles. I was shocked at how good I still felt so far in the race.  I had the runner tracking texting me and I had been keeping a pretty steady pace of just over a 15minute/mile. That was slower than I had started any other race last year but I felt really strong. As I approached the 8 mile sign, I started to cry again and snapped a picture. Knowing that it all started with 8 miles and how I had felt at the 8 mile mark in the first Tink, I couldn't get over how far I have come. Even though I had some really bad races in 2013, I was finally seeing the work pay off. 

Passing the 8 mile mark will always mean something special to me

Unfortunately, right after the 8 mile mark, I started to feel light headed. I grabbed the fruit snacks I had in my pocket and opened them up only to find that it only contained two pieces. I ate them but knew it was not going to be enough and I still had over a mile before we hit the gel station. I was really worried that I wasn't going to be able to keep running. Just when I needed it most, God sent some help. At around 8.5 miles, there was a group handing out orange slices and red vines. I grabbed one of each and said a quick prayer of thanks. I am not typically a red vines or twizzler fan but at that point, it tasted amazing. I felt a little better but I wasn't great yet. Then as we turned a corner in the downtown area, there was another tent set up with a different group. They had animal crackers, pretzels and peanut butter stuffed pretzels and more that I couldn't see. I grabbed a huge handful of animal crackers and a few pretzels for the salt. I spent the next little while walking and enjoying my snacks. My stomach was happy for something other than sugar and I could feel my blood sugar rising. By the time I reached mile 9 and the gel packets I was feeling good again. I still grabbed a gel and a cup of water just to help hold me over for the last 4 miles. 

After that, I was in the home stretch. It's still crazy to me when  you are running down the street past McDonalds and Subway and a million other restaurants but this time I tried to keep my focus on the road and on moving forward. I was still running my intervals which has never happened that far into a race before. I've always had to start skipping run intervals or just giving up and walking the rest but I still felt good. Every time I thought about where I was in the race, how far I had come since the first one and how good I felt, I couldn't help but get emotional. As we got closer to the finish, the more I had to fight back the tears. Fortunately, I soon passed one of the most awesome signs and it made me smile. 

Finally, we were running through the backlot of California Adventure and I was almost there. I was running. I was feeling good. I was about to finish. I saw Rachel once more right before I turned the last corner. There it was, the finish line. I started to sprint which felt crazy because I am usually too tired to sprint at the end of a race. As I crossed the finish line, the tears began to flow. It is evident in the crazy expression that is on my face in my finisher photo that I was getting emotional.  I cried more at this finish than I did when I finished the first one. I was so emotional that I had a hard time talking to Mac when he called to congratulate me. When I checked the final alert from the runner tracking, I had actually gotten faster in the last half of the race, not slower. I couldn't believe it. 

In a lot of ways, I feel like this race actually meant more to me than completing my first one. I was proud of my first half marathon but I was still hesitant about the achievement. I had finished, but I had not finished in the allotted time or under the required pace. I had struggled a lot and still had a hard time calling myself a runner. Finally, with the 2014 Tink, I finished under the required 3:30 time limit and with a pace faster than a 16minute/mile. This was the first Disney race I have ever completed in under the required pace. I finally really felt like I had earned the title of "runner." I know I have been a runner for a while but I felt like I had never really ran a race. I always seemed to end up walking more than running and so it was hard for me to say "I ran a half marathon." For the first time I felt like I could proudly say that I ran a race. 

The race redeemed itself this year. I didn't hate the course as much, the crowd support was great and I finally felt like it was a race I would willingly do again. But more than that, Tink was my redemption. Last year was a hard year for me when it came to races. I was truly ready to hang it all up and call it quits. I was tired and felt like I wasn't making any progress. This year's Tink finally proved to me that I am getting somewhere and that I haven't been wasting my time. It taught me something about my pacing and about the strength that I do possess. I'm finally looking forward to Princess and the Glass Slipper Challenge again, though I don't expect to have as good of a finish time. California is blessed with low humidity and great weather, and Florida is not. Even though the conditions probably won't be as good, I will still run my best race and hopefully finish with my head held high again.  

 My weekend in summary

 This was in my fortune cookie the day after Tink. 

I was really ready to give up after last year but I think I will keep pushing forward instead.