Monday, July 11, 2011

anyone still out there?

i hope everyone is having a fabulous summer! time is flying by. thomas just turned two and i just hit the 20 week point in this pregnancy! it's crazy! i have felt pretty fantastic this pregnancy which is SUCH a blessing compared to my pregnancy with thomas.

last week i had my big anatomy scan. yep, still a boy! baby #2 is growing perfectly and so far is in the 57th percentile. with thomas, there was an issue with the umbilical cord's placement into the placenta and because of this he was on the small side of growth. that meant i was in for growth scans about a million times throughout the second half of my pregnancy. and at 38 weeks i was induced because he just wasn't growing enough. this time, 57th percentile aka PERFECTLY NORMAL! what a relief! 

another great part about this pregnancy is that i've been working out pretty consistently. sure, i'm not running any marathons (heh) but i've been running and/or walking most days of the week. most of my runs are only 3 miles but i've steadily been doing a run/walk or a run for about an hour 4-5 times a week. my weight has been going up, up, up!!! ugh! well, at least i'm moving.

i've been doing some reading about the WDW Marathon and although i'm sidelined for the 2012 race, i will be there for the 2013 race and i'm so excited about it! 

i'm hoping to come back here every so often to report that i've still been active and once baby is born i'll be back on to report on my training!

have a great summer everyone!!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Still going :)

I'm having a nice time being back in running mode. My feet feel much better and I've been going out most days with Thomas in the jogger. Sure, I'm not doing the mileage that I'm used to but I'm staying active in this pregnancy which is more than I can say for my last pregnancy! I've been so lucky and blessed that this little one seems to be growing perfectly so far. And I've been feeling really good. A little tired but that might just because I'm trying to keep up with a 2 year old! :)

My runs have usually only been about 1-2 miles followed by a 2 mile walk. Today I felt really good and had a little extra bounce in my step. I decided to run a 5k on my own. And I did it! My time was 36:47 which isn't breaking any records considering my best time in a 5k race has been a little over 29 minutes. But, when I ran that race I wasn't pushing a jogger and I wasn't over 4 months pregnant!

And I have some news....we found out last week that we're having a BOY! I couldn't be more thrilled. And of course our first thought when they told us was how our Disney trips will be so much easier just having to do Pirate stuff and not any Princess stuff!

I'm 17 weeks tomorrow. It's going fast! I guess I just don't have much time to think about pregnancy with a little guy around!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

an injury! and i'm not even training!

Here I am 15 1/2 weeks pregnant and doing pretty well the last couple of weeks as far as getting in some exercise, and in particular, some good runs. Sure, my runs are only 2 or 3 miles but considering it's hot, I'm pushing a 25 lb toddler in a jogger, and I'm knocked up, I'd say that's pretty good.

I ran a really nice 3 miles around SUNY Maritime. I got home and showered and put some flip flops on. OUCH! My right heel! PAIN! Like, hurts-to-put-weight-on-it pain. Crap. What is that? The dreaded plantar faciatis? Fatty pad injury? Off to Google I went and it looks like both issues require the same treatment - rest. Ah poo. I feel like this happens so often. I get in a good rhythm and then have to stop due to some stupid injury.

The next few days we are supposed to break records as far as heat and humidity are concerned so really it's forcing me not to run and overdo it anyway. As I've learned alot the last couple of months, everything happens for a reason!

All this being said, I'm happy to report that we maybe sorta might go to Disney one last time as a family of three in September! I'm hoping and praying that John will be able to take the time off from work (his new place is SO anal about it). I've made a reservation for us for a week in a one bedroom villa at Bay Lake Towers at Disney's Contemporary Resort! I've even gone so far as to make our dining reservations for the week too. Wishful thinking maybe but one can hope and dream, right??

Monday, May 30, 2011

Surprise!

Well, friends, I'm sure you've been wondering where the heck I've been. I mean, I signed up to run a marathon and then a disappeared, right?

Yeah, well, notsomuch. See, the day after I signed up for the WDW Marathon, I started feeling sick. Rundown, tired, pukey. Just didn't feel right at all. Lo and behold...

I'm pregnant. Yep, knocked up. WHAT A SURPRISE! I signed up for the marathon, FINALLY hit my goal weight and BAM! Pregnant.

Well, that doesn't have to stop me from running, right? Right! But about three days later I was hit with a terrible stomach issue. I was literally homebound for 5 weeks. It was horrible. Turns out I had c.Diff which is some notsogreat intestinal infection. After getting on the right antibiotics for it I FINALLY started to feel better. 

John, Thomas and I took a wonderful trip to Maui for two weeks after that. Thank goodness I was feeling good for it. But still no exercise.

I finally got out last week and walked. Then today I finally jogged. Felt great. I only did 3 miles and I have a feeling I'll be at that distance for a while.

So, I won't be doing the WDW Marathon in 2012 but I WILL be doing it in 2013! This time I'll just be a mother of two!!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Congratulations!

"You are now registered for 2012 Walt Disney World(R) Marathon"
 Oh. My. GOD! Here we go!!! I am trying to wrap my head around the idea of moving my body for 26.2 miles and probably 5 1/2 hours! But once I had that Princess medal around my neck I just KNEW I needed the Mickey Medal.
A marathon! ME! Really? Am I really going to do this?? YES! I will! 
Now I just need to find someone to watch the little man for me so I can get out and keep up my running. It's been a real struggle these last couple of weeks. But before we know it it'll be warm enough to take him out in the jogger myself!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

New Goal

It's been almost two weeks now since my big finish and I'm still riding high off of it. Last summer I never thought I'd be able to run 5 miles at a stretch let alone 13.1! So now I'm thinking...what's next? Well folks, it's official, I've got my sights set on the FULL MARATHON in January! That's right, the WDW Marathon.  I can't see myself running any races elsewhere besides Disney. At least, not any loooong races!

I'm fighting a nasty cold right now but plan to get back into the running groove as soon as I don't feel like dying.

I hope you'll join me again on my journey to the marathon! I have a feeling I'm going to need the support more than ever with this bad boy.

xoxoxo,
Nancy

PS - The WDW Marathon will be our next trip to Disney. After going there 4 times in the last 6 months it's going to be really difficult waiting to get down there again. An even better to make it a good trip with a Mickey Mouse medal around my neck!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

13.1 Miles of Disney Magic!

Before I start writing about my amazing journey towards my awesome medal, I want to thank you guys who have read my blog for the last few months. Thank you for joining, following, and commenting. I know I wasn't as exciting, funny, witty, or adventurous in my writing as I had hoped I'd be but it was really nice to have something I needed to be held accountable for. So, thanks. I couldn't have done it without you!

I'll start at the very beginning ;) My flight left NYC early Friday morning, way before Thomas was even up. So the last time I saw the munchkin was when I put him to bed Thursday evening.  I made it to the airport in record time (duh, it was 5:30am!) and breezed through security with just my backpack and a smaller bag. We boarded quickly and I wound up sitting next to two of the most annoying girls ever. They were 20 years old and I overheard, well, everything, and know pretty much every single little thing about them. Eh, whatever, I just kept telling myself that I'm on a flight without a little boy to have to worry about. I could sit there and stare out the window in relative peace. 

Anyway, let's get to the point.  I was able to check in early at All Star Movies Resort. The room was fine, nothing special but nice and clean and that's all I cared about! Now that we have a son, space is more valuable to us on our vacations so I'm really happy we own Disney Vacation Club.  After I dropped my stuff off I grabbed a bite to eat and made my way to the Expo to check in. 

Disney's Wide World of Sports is HUGE! My goodness! I've never been there before and was really amazed how big it was.  We were greeted with some great welcome signs and I just knew this was a first class event about to take place.  Oh, I should tell you all right now that my pictures are HORRIBLE! I have lots of random people in my shots. I was too lazy to ask anyone to take my picture and most of the time I just snapped and went about my business.  You'll see more what I mean when I post the race pics.

Welcome princesses!

There was a loooong line to get your picture taken with the royal guards so I opted for the Express Entrance

Look at the size of this place! And it was chock full of STUFF to buy!!


I've been reading more and more about Jeff Galloway's run/walk method and I'm really beginning to think that perhaps I should try it.  Then again, once I start walking there's a slim to zero chance that I'll start running again! Still, it was pretty cool to be able to see him speak!


After the Expo I had to go back to the resort since there were no buses running to/from the Expo and the parks.  It was slightly annoying at first and then I remembered that I definitely didn't want to walk around the parks with my goodie bag, bib, and D-tag. How awful would that have been to lose my bib on the Haunted Mansion! After dropping off my race day stuff as well as the "I did it!" shirt that I bought at the Expo (I NEEDED to have it because I knew that if I had paid for that thing I would make sure I finished!)

I let the fates decide which park I'd go to. And sure enough, a Magic Kingdom bus showed up so off I went! I walked over to Columbia Harbor House and got the Lighthouse Sandwich. I love it! Ever since we tried it in January 2010 we've eaten there in each of the next three trips! I am not a vegetarian by any means but this hummus sandwich is delicious. Plus, we usually eat there a few days into the trip when I've been eating burgers nonstop so it's a nice break. I felt the first twinge of loneliness while eating there but quickly got over it when I reminded myself once more that I could eat in PEACE! After I finished my lunch it was close to 3pm and everyone was lined up for the parade. We usually don't watch the parade so what better time than the present to enjoy?? I found a spot between the Hall of Presidents and Sleepy Hollow. What a fun parade! And all the princesses were out so I made sure to wave hello.  Yes, I was waving to fictional characters while standing all by myself. AND I LOVED IT! SO THERE!

Hey there Fairy Godmother! Thanks for the wave!

Belle was my chosen princess for the race so I made sure to get a picture!

After the parade I went to the Hall of Presidents (again, something that's not easy to do with a toddler). I was really starting to get exhausted but it was only 4pm! I needed to keep going just for a little longer so I could go to bed at a more reasonable hour than 5pm! I walked over to the monorail and decided to take a ride to Epcot.

After I got to Epcot I took a nice long time browsing Mousegears and bought two Duffy outfits for my cousin Michael who got his own Duffy bear in January when we all went together.  I went on the Land boatride and headed back to the resort. I got a salad and a snack at the food court and brought it back to my room.  Really enjoyed lounging in the room and going to bed early. I fell asleep around 9pm and was woken up by someone banging at the door at 9:45. I was pissed at first until I saw that it was someone from the front desk bringing me a cute gift basket that John had ordered for me! It was really sweet!

I slept ok that night but my neighbors kept slamming their door at 11pm which was fairly annoying. But, whatever, no biggie.  I showered and dressed and headed over to Hollywood Studios.  I got a FastPass for Toy Story Mania but it wasn't for until 2pm so I wound up not using it. I walked around the park and sat to watch the Disney Channel Rocks show. I've never seen it before and don't know any of the songs but it was still very good and fun! I loved seeing the kids dancing around and singing along.

I left Hollywood Studios and walked to the Boardwalk. It was such a beautiful day and it's so peaceful walking along the water.  I waved to the boats that went by too. At the Boardwalk I sat on a bench and looked at the Beach Club.  We just purchased DVC points there so it was nice to be looking "home". Can't wait to be there January 2012!  I walked to Epcot and then talked to my mom on the phone for a while.  I had lunch at the new Counter Service place at the Mexico pavilion.  The chicken tacos were delicious!

After lunch I went back to the resort and sat by the pool for a while. It was so nice to feel the hot sun for once instead of the freezing cold temperatures we've been dealing with at home! Before I knew it though it was time to head to All Star Sports to go the The Dis W.I.S.H. team's meet and greet! I was nervous about going at first but SO glad I did.  The women there were really great. So nice to meet each and every one of them!

Go team!!!
I left the girls and walked back to my resort where I got another chicken salad for dinner. I went back to my room, laid out all of my gear for race day, took and Ambien and went to sleep. I'm not a good sleeper so I was grateful for the little help I did get falling asleep.

Before I knew it I had woken up and it was 2am! I set three alarms for 2:45. I laid in bed until about 2:30 and finally got up.  I took my time getting ready and was hopeful that I'd, ehem, go to the bathroom before I left the room. No such luck.  I made sure to get a shot of myself pre-race:

Very strange and dorky smile! It was early.

I got on the bus at 3:30am and talked to two girls from the Dis Boards, Summer and Betsy.  Both were really sweet.  It was nice to talk to them as it helped calm my nerves a little more. After we got off the bus we had a bit of a walk to the area where everyone was. It was nuts! There were SO many women and SO many tu-tus! I made my way over to the porta potties, went to the bathroom, and got right back in line. I knew my nerves would get the best of me and I needed to pee alot. I checked my bag and grabbed a water and some medicine that they had at the medical area.  I put a Tylenol and Pepto Bismal in my fanny pack thingy just in case. In yet another line for the porta potty I saw two Dis Boarders, Lisa and Kathy, who I had met the day before. We wound up all walking to the corrals together. The walk to the corrals was very long. They weren't kidding when they said it would take 20 minutes.  I was wishing out loud that they would count the walk as part of the 13.1 mileage!

After making my way to Corral D I snaked around people to get to the front. I was really nervous about finishing and wanted to give myself as much leeway as possible. I met two girls who were running together. One had a shirt that said Bride and the other one's said Bridesmaid. They were best friends from Orlando and the Bride was getting married on Thursday in Hawaii! She is probably on her way there right now! What a fun thing to do before saying I do!

Finally it was race time! Fairy Godmother wished everyone good luck and good race and each wave got their own fireworks!!!
Here we go!!



As I've posted before, I've been using the MapMyRun app to track my runs and also play my music on my iPhone. It has my playlist all set up so all I need to do when I start running is hit play!  Yeah, well, that is unless I'm about to run my first half marathon and it decides not to play anything!!! COMMENCE FREAK OUT!!! I have always run with music because when I can hear myself huffing and puffing I start psyching myself out! The app was recording the run but it wouldn't play a song! OMG. I'm iPod illiterate and so while I was running I was trying to get music to play on my iPhone which was on my arm. Awkward! I finally got some music to play but it started playing the same song over and over! Ahhh!! Finally I got it off repeat and then listened to the whole Ben Kweller album. That was fine but once the album ended it started playing over again! Gah! I finally got it on a shuffle but it wasn't my playlist. It just played whatever. And let me tell you, I have some TERRIBLE songs when it comes to keeping a beat! Like, I love Elvis right? Yeah well owning his albums on there means I also have the sloooooow Gospel songs of his! Oh well. At least I had something to listen to.

The next set of pictures are really blurry. I was too afraid to stop and take photos with the characters. Now that my first half marathon is over, I think I'll actually stop and take time to get photos next year! After about a mile or two I saw the pirate ship!
Can you see it? It's a pirate ship!

Then we saw the Epcot hot air balloon! How very cool! That hot air balloon really pissed me off in the second part of the race though. I saw it thinking it was the real Epcot ball and was angry at Disney and the world for teasing me.

Holla! I made it to the Magic Kingdom sign! I have to say, I was feeling pretty good! I didn't hate life at that moment which says alot because of how much I hate running! Seeing that sign was a great pick-me-up!  The only thing that sucked was the fact that that sign is actually pretty damn far from the Magic Kingdom!

Lovely sign in the early morning

Hey! Check out Lilo and Stitch. It was really funny to me that Stitch was dressed like Elvis considering I was at that point listening to THE MOST BORING Elvis songs EVER! I definitely took out the earbuds and listened to the fun and upbeat Elvis songs that they were playing. The hula dancers were so fun!

And then there were these guys. They were AWESOME! What a joy it was to see these drummers. I think everyone picked up their pace when passing them!
Just totally completely awesome.

It was now daylight and I was getting pretty hot. Also, I know I was only at 5 miles but I was getting tired! But I was still pumped up and just told myself that I had run 5 miles already and that was 5 miles that I didn't have to run anymore! I ate two of these little PowerBar gummy thingies. I never really did the whole eating and drinking while running thing right. I need to improve on that. Still, I was getting a little tired and thought that a little nibble would keep me occupied for another minute!
Yay!

We passed the Contemporary Resort and I could see Space Mountain! Joy! I'm getting there! I'm getting there!! The path for the runners was a bit narrow at this point but still not too bad. I passed people and people passed me and at only one point did I bump into someone. I'm pretty sure that was my fault. Oh well.
Hard to see but that spire in the back is Space Mountain
We went into the Magic Kingdom through the side and when we turned the corner....AAAAHHHHHH!!! There it is! Queue my tears! I'd been waiting for this moment since August when I signed up for the race. I had made it to the Magic Kingdom! In all my training runs I would imagine once I'd gotten to about mile 6 that I was entering the Magic Kingdom and somewhere on Main Street USA. And finally, there I was!
Hello old friend. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!

Now, I must pause here to do a little complaining.  I was actually fairly disappointed with the folks on the sides who were cheering, or should I say NOT cheering.  The volunteers were amazing and always clapping but I can't tell you how many people with great signs like, "Go Mommy!" and things like that who were just standing around. I understand that they were there to cheer for their mom/wife/sister/daughter/whatever but it would have been nice if they had cheered for not only just them.  I feel that if you're there to cheer for the half marathon you should cheer for everyone! We all could have used the extra oomph! That being said, I've already instructed John that if I do the full marathon and he and Thomas are there, he is to cheer for EVERYONE!! Ok, end rant and back to the magic!

Here is another blurry pictures of the castle. I think the sweat from my hand got on the lens. Whoops.

We went into Tomorrowland and then off to the left towards Fantasyland. I was sad to see the pathway to Toontown all boarded up as some of the best memories of Disney that I've had so far have been there with my son. Oh well. Change is good!  We made our way into Fantasyland and it was just awesome. Just a completely awesome feeling to be running this race with all these women. I felt really empowered. Oh, and tired too. But definitely empowered.
Such a great feeling!
Mickey and Minnie were waiting right before you went through the castle to take pictures. The line for that was insane! I just told myself "you'll do it next year" and kept moving. It was great to have the trumpets fan-faring us in and through the castle! 
Can't figure out why this is sideways. But you get the idea.

We turned right after going through the castle and went through Liberty Square and off to Frontierland. This part just went way too fast!
Off towards Frontierland
And before I knew it we were heading out of the Magic Kingdom. It all went so fast I can't picture exactly where we went out. We saw the "coo coo" as my son calls the train so I was sure to get a picture of it! The train was tooting its horn and it was so cool to see it so close!


Soon we were backstage and saw some floats from the parade! Fun! Captain Hook and Smee were there among some other great characters.
A glimpse backstage

I have to take this opportunity to thank "Britney" as I named her. This sweet young girl was in front of me for MILES! She didn't know it but I was following her and trying to stay close! And yes, her shirt had "Bieber Fever" on it which gave me a giggle. She was like my own person pacer. I didn't finish with her. I started to walk through the water stops so I'm sure she finished WAY before me. But, thanks Bieber Fever, you kept me going!
I don't know much about Justin Bieber but after following this shirt for so long I should probably thank him :)
Around Mile 10 or so I was HURTING. And it felt like we kept running uphill! Then I heard something weird through my headphones. Bouncing? I turned around and saw this girl! She was dribbling for the whole half marathon. I told her that she was my hero! How cool is that!? I could barely put one foot in front of the other and she's dribbling a basketball for 13.1 miles!
You go girl!!

So, for those of you who have read my previous entries, you'll remember that I'm kind of an angry runner. I just seem to be swearing in my head nonstop. All the time! "F this! I hate this! F that". Well, just because I was at Disney World didn't mean I wasn't going to be a very hateful runner! Haha! Around mile 9 or so I was thinking that if I could just see Spaceship Earth (you know, "The Golf Ball" as I like to call it) then I'd at least know where I was and how much longer I had. I kept repeating to myself (and perhaps out loud a few times, hehe), "Where the F*** is the Ball? Where the F*** is the Ball?" Then I saw it! Then I realized it was that damn hot air balloon! Gah! Foiled by Disney! Meanies!

But finally, there it was! The real golf ball!
Love it!
I was so tired and had allowed myself to walk for 100 steps. Then I saw a water stop up ahead and ran to it telling myself that I could walk through the pit stop. Then back to running. Well, shuffling really at that point. But seeing the 12 mile marker and knowing I only had 1.1 miles left to go was great
Almost there!!

We were getting so close and I saw the Gospel Choir! Hallelujah is right! Amen and praise God! I was so close to finishing! It was amazing to hear them! I didn't get a picture of them though as I was too busy waving to them and saying THANK YOU!!

Once we made it into Epcot I could barely keep a forward motion. My feet were killing me and I so badly wanted to stop. Then a lovely volunteer said, "You can do it Nancy!" and it made me so happy I had my name written on my t-shirt! It was so great. And I knew I could do it! I saw Phineas and Ferb by Innoventions and snapped a picture of them since we like that show.
The question must be asked: Where's Perry?

I didn't snap any more pictures of the race. I should have but I just was focused on finishing strong and getting that medal.  Let me tell you the feeling I had when I finished was indescribable! I felt so choked up once I received my medal that I actually felt like I couldn't breathe! I immediately got a text message from my dear friend Lauren congratulating me! She and John were signed up for the text updates and they were following me the whole time. Very cool! I waited in line to get my official picture taken. I'm pretty sure when I see it I will be scared - the combo of sweaty, cry baby, and ultra red face will most likely not make for an attractive picture.

My first goal was to finish. My second was to finish around 2:45-2:50. And my time was 2:22:15!! 

After getting the official picture taken, they had tables and tables of food and drink for the runners. Full sized water bottles and Powerade (which, by the way, is pretty disgusting, especially when it's warm but it's still totally hit the spot!) as well as bananas, oranges, muffins (they looked SO unappetizing. I'm sure they tasted fine, I just couldn't imagine a muffin right then), and Luna bars. I ate half a banana and took an orange with me to the bag pick-up tent. From there I headed to the family reunion area and over to the T-Z area where I met up with some W.I.S.H. teammates from the Dis. It was SO nice to be able to see SOMEONE I knew after that finish. Even though I had just met these people, it was great to hear someone say "Great job!" I hung out with the group for a while and decided to make my way to the buses and back to the resort. But not before a final group shot:

I'm looking forward to next year and running with them again! Maybe I'll get a lime green shirt too! The line for the bus to the resort was insane. And of course there were two women who totally cut the whole line. I was really annoyed but way too tired to even say anything.  The bus finally came and we boarded. And it was HOT. It felt as if the driver had the heat on! It was really terrible. We were all so hot and so sweaty and many of us were probably slightly dehydrated (me!) that it was just very uncomfortable. A woman actually ran off the bus at the first stop and collapsed. Luckily there was a VERY nice woman on the bus who was a nurse who helped her and she was a-ok. 

I made it to the resort and rested for a little. My stomach was bothering me so I just hung out in the room for a few. After my shower I put my "I Did It!" shirt on.  My medal and I went out and headed to Epcot but not before stopping at the food court for a little snack and some more water.  

I hobbled off the bus at Epcot and had my picture taken!



I headed straight for the sweet sweet nectar of the gods - the frozen margaritas in Mexico. I got the Wildberry one and it was amazing.What a treat. What a great weekend. What an accomplishment. What's next???

Monday, February 28, 2011

I DID IT!!!

I can't believe the day has finally come when I'm coming on here and telling the world that I DID IT!!!!

I'm back home now and exhausted, bloated, and sore. I need to look through my pictures which unfortunately are pretty lame-o as they are all pretty blurry since I didn't stop along the way to get good shots! I hope to write a nice little report today. But right now I'm just sitting on the couch squeezing my little boy who I haven't seen in three days!

Thank you ALL who have read this little blog along the way. It's pretty boring so the support you've given me is even more appreciated!!! XOXOXO

I will "Hurry Baa-aaaack" (Haunted Mansion, duh!)

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Getting close!

Tuesday I had a pretty good short run. My friend came over and watched Lauren so I could do the run. It was really cold and windy but not nearly as bad as the wind from over the weekend. I ran the 4 miles pretty fast (well, fast for me). I'm hoping to get in a run today and then I leave tomorrow at 6:45 am for Disney!!

I can't believe it's almost here! I'm so incredibly nervous. I'm scared that I won't be able to finish. I have been promised by so many that 10 miles as my longest is plenty to be able to complete the half. I have to remind myself that I'm doing this for fun, for me, and NOT for some crazy finish time.

I woke up this morning with a little bit of a cold. Perfect. I am hunting down my Zicam and will be shoveling that down my throat through Sunday. I have to pack today too. I'm planning on just bringing a backpack and telling myself over the weekend that I MUST just relax and not go to crazy trying to get on all the rides. Maybe I should just hang by the pool for a while? But how often will I be able to stroll around Disney by myself and go on ANYTHING I WANT?!?!

Need to relax. It's a half marathon. I can totally do this. I will do this. I just need to stop thinking about it so much and psyching myself out. I'll be around thousands of women who will be finishing as well. Push it! Get that medal! Woot!!!!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Major bummer of a last long run :(

GAAAAAHHH! I planned on running 10 miles yesterday as my last long run before the big race. I walked out the door and the wind was CRAZY! I figured that it would just make me tougher and I still headed out. Holy jeez the wind was insane and according to the news the gusts were around 40 mph. My hat kept blowing off and I just couldn't seem to move forward! I made it to the park but needed to turn around. There was so much stuff flying around like garbage cans and dirt and dust. YUCK!

I made it only a little under 7 miles. I was really disappointed. I've done only 2 10 mile runs so I'm hoping that's enough to get me to the finish line. I'm telling myself that the almost 7 I did yesterday was the equivalent to running alot more since it was SO hard to run. I usually don't stop to walk but I needed to stop 3 different times yesterday which made my pace something like 13 min/miles.

Wah, I'm a little bummed. But, one week from today I'll be running my race! Wow!!! Now or never baby!!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The weather is playing games with me!

Monday was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous! My friend's daughter was supposed to come over to watch Thomas so I could run but she wound up going home from school sick with a cold. Ick.  It was so nice that day so I figured I would just take Thomas out in the jogger. Mistake! I took him in the jogger and made it half a mile down to Maritime College before I had to turn back.  The wind was insane! I could barely control the stroller. Bummer.

Yesterday John had meetings in the city so he was able to get home by 4pm which was great! I left him with Thomas and went out and ran as soon as he got home.  I did my usual 4 mile short run and unfortunately I felt like poo the whole time. Still, I wound up finishing it pretty strong. And when I looked at my MapMyRun app I saw that I completed with with a 9:55 min/mile pace! Wow! Hey, for me that's pretty fast! My long runs tend to be at a 11-12 min/mile pace so it was nice to see an improvement in SOMETHING after all this running!

Tomorrow I hope to get out and do another 4 miler.  My friend is supposed to come up and visit and I might pawn Thomas off on her for about an hour. And this weekend I'm going to do one last 10 mile run before next week's 13.1!!

It's getting so close! Time to start thinking about what I'm going to pack! I'm hoping to make it down for the weekend with just a backpack. I think I can do it! I'm not planning on wearing any sort of  costume. That's just not me. I'll wear my usual running clothes. My goal is to finish this thing - I don't give a hoot about how I'll look doing it! Haha!!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

T-minus Two Weeks!!

Two weeks from today it'll all be over! I can't believe it's so close! Yesterday I ran an 8 miler. It started off really cold but I felt pretty good! It was nice to for ONCE  not feel like stopping as soon as I started. I ran pretty well and wound up finishing the 8 miles in a little less than an 11 min/mile. That gives me plenty of time to finish within the time limit! Sure, I'm not breaking any records but I'm ok with that.

I'm a little nervous about the fact that the longest run I've ever done has been 10 miles. That's not a whole lot. "They" say that the adrenaline will get you the last 3.1 miles and I'm hoping that's right because after I finished 8 miles I was exhausted and couldn't imagine doing another 5 miles. I am planning on running 10 miles next weekend and then the next weekend will be race weekend! It means I won't be doing any tapering but I think that that's more important for the full marathon anyway.  I really feel like seeing all those people running this race with me will keep me going. That, and my iPhone. Lol! My iPhone is what I use to play music and also has an app on it that tells me how far I've run. I might use that app during the race. I will obviously know how far I'm running but since I've been running with that app for so long that it might be nice to hear it tell me how far I've gone and how long I've been running.

Tomorrow is a short run. Looks like it's supposed to be a little warmer this week! Hurray!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

good LORD it's cold!

This morning it wasn't that cold. In fact, when I put Thomas down for a nap it was probably in the mid to high 30s (sad that that's what I consider not cold nowadays). My friend's daughter came over after school to watch Thomas so I could get out and run. Before she came I ran outside (you have to go outside my house to get to my basement) to do some laundry and the wind was howling and COLD! Gah! Why couldn't it have stayed warmer just little bit longer??

I headed out and it was really cold and windy.  By the time I was under the Throgs Neck Bridge over at Maritime it was FREEZING! The wind was gusting so strongly that I was practically sprinting against the wind and going absolutely nowhere. Doing three laps of that SUCKED! But hey, it's done.

But was REALLY pissed me off was my iMapMyRun app decided to crap out on me. I use it to time myself and figure out how far I ran. I got back to my house and hit Save to stop the run and it said I only ran .8 miles. WHAT?? Nope, sorry, I did more than that!

Workout: ~4 miles
Times:~45 minutes
Next up: Need to get another 4 miler in sometime this week. Looking at the schedule, I might not be able to do it until Friday
Next long run: Sunday 8 miles. Be there or be square.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Bib #8103!!

It's almost here!! I got my bib number today! 8103. Sounds as good as any number to me! I think the number of runners is somewhere around 14,000 so I'm guessing that I'm not in the last corral. Sure, it may be second to last but I like the idea of not being last. The sweepers who stop runners who are going to slow frighten me. I really don't want to get swept! They are sweeping if you don't maintain a 16 min/mile pace. I have been running (ok, it's not running, it's more like something between a jog and a walk...a wog) at about a 11:30 min/mile but I like the extra time cushion in case disaster strikes and I need a bathroom break or need to walk more or, hey, I just HAVE to get that picture with Chip and Dale.

Yesterday I ran 6 miles. I actually ran into (literally, lol) one of the moms from Mommy & Me class who runs as well. I had been running for about 30 min already and we ran together for about 20 minutes.  I have to admit, it was awful. Don't get me wrong, I love this woman. LOVE! But she is so darn fast and SOOOO darn in shape! My legs felt like lead and I just know she was running so much slower than she normally does. After a while we split up since she lives a bit away from me and I finished up my 6 miles. It was really bad. I felt really crappy. I am still struggling with eating and drinking way too much lately (after Disney I pretty much haven't stopped) and it's making the runs pretty rough.

I'm hoping the weather holds out this week as there has been talk of even more snow. I would like to run 8 miles as my next long run next weekend. Then after that I'll run 10 miles and then after that is the big half marathon!!!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

damn this snow!

so yes, i did go out and run after that last post. i did not, however, do a long run the day before we left for disney. the high that day was 19 degrees and i just couldn't get a long one in. i only did about 2.3 miles as i was totally freezing. i wound up not running AT ALL during our trip to disney. and you know what? i'm ok with that. we had a GREAT time. i ate and drank like a piggy but it was so fun!

i got in 4 miles yesterday and froze my butt off. i did ok with it and felt alright. but this snow is just out of control. it is more like ice-raining right now and it looks like i won't be able to get out tomorrow like i had hoped. it's supposed to snow all day. they will probably close the schools too. blah.

the race is getting closer and closer! i had originally hoped to do a 13 mile training run but it doesn't look like i'll get that high up. i think that's ok though as many training plans only have you go up to 10 miles anyway.

i have to go back to drinking my hot chocolate. it's cold out!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

yeah, totally slacking today

there, i said it. i'm not running today. it's rainy and yucky and cold out. i canceled the sitter. she IS coming tomorrow so i can run. i'm feeling awfully lazy today. and hungry. this is the part of the winter when i decide i'm going to eat everything in the house and then spend the rest of the spring and summer trying to lose those 10 lbs i just gained. gah!

i'm allowing myself to have this day to veg. and tomorrow it's back on the wagon. if i come back here and haven't run tomorrow i give you all permission to e-slap me!

Monday, January 17, 2011

so much for LOSING weight!

more like gaining weight. oh well. i was in north carolina this weekend for my friend sarah's baby shower. i was away for one night. one glorious night of not having to worry about getting up with a baby! my first full night away from my son. and you know what? i wasn't nervous at all. i knew john had it all under control. sure, i'm sure they ate junk the whole weekend but guess what? so did i!

i ate chick fil a. i had a cookout milkshake (peanut butter banana thank you very much). i had bojangles and more homemade southern food at the shower. it was awesome. and now i'm just...bloated! i've been really bad about my eating habits. i know what i need to do to lose a few pounds but i just don't have the motivation. look, i'm already running alot ok? so just let me eat! lol. at least i AM running!!

i knew i'd be away for the weekend so i had my friend watch thomas and i set out on a 10 mile run. it was horrible! it was 19 degrees and the streets were craptastically plowed. i almost died no less than 12 times on my run! it took me just under 2 hours to complete the run which turned out to be about an 11 min/mile run. hey, it's not the fastest but it'll do for the half marathon. you have to run at least a 16 min/mile and i seem to be able to do that. even if all goes wrong during the last 3.1 miles, at least i know i'm capable of maintaining a decent pace for the first 10 miles!

i went out today for a 4 miler and again was SLOW. i think it's because all the fried food i ate slowed me down! at least it's over with!

we are leaving for disney on sunday! i need to do another long run on saturday before we go because i definitely will not have time for any long runs on our vacation! i will plan, however, on doing at least 2 short runs while i'm in disney. can't wait!!!

Monday, January 10, 2011

chug chug chugging along!

well i feel like we're really getting down to the wire! this past saturday i went out and ran 9 miles! it was slow and i felt pretty awful during most of it! i managed a 11:19 min/mile pace. but that is a big average. the first few miles i was running at about a 10:00 min/mile pace and i swear the last 2 miles i was going at a negative pace! haha! i just kept telling myself to put one foot in front of the other. there was a time when i had thought that because i ran 4 miles at a 10:30 min/mile pace that i'd be able to keep that up for the half marathon. yeah, who am i kidding? that is totally not going to happen. at this point i don't care if i have to crawl across that finish line! i'm a beginner runner, no need to worry about time.

what i really want to do, if possible, is have FUN during this race! disney works so hard to put these races on and have entertainment for the runners that it would be a shame for me to at least not TRY to enjoy myself! why not try to get some pictures, right? that's what these new tiny cameras are for! it's not like back in the day when your camera broke your back! i could probably just hold mine in my hand!

so, after the 9 miles i was really tired for the rest of the day and my hips were killing me. in fact, they've been bothering me ever since. i can't figure out how to stretch my hips! still, i managed to find a college kid in the neighborhood today who could watch thomas for an hour for me. i ran 4 freezing cold miles. FREEZING COLD!!! did the usual maritime college loop. hips are sore again but the massive amounts of pulled pork sandwiches i just ate for dinner should make me feel better...right??

workout: 4.2 miles
time: 43:22 (10:20 min/miles)
next: we're supposed to get ANOTHER snowstorm and i'm hoping that i will be able to get out on wednesday. if not, ugh, i don't know. i guess i'll go out thursday although i need to do a long run on friday since i'm going down to NC to my friend's baby shower this weekend!

Monday, January 3, 2011

two steps forward, three steps back

GRRR!!!!

i really feel like the universe is totally against me running this half marathon. well guess what universe? i'm gonna do it if it KILLS me!!! i got back into running after i got over my stomach bug and was doing really well. was getting in at least two or three runs a week which is not exactly what i wanted but considering it was freezing cold and it was next to impossible to get someone to watch the baby, i did pretty good. in fact last weekend i ran a 7 miler. it was long and slow but it was completed!

then of course i'm all set to run a 9 miler this weekend and BAM! sinus infection and cold. like, BAD cold. like, couldn't get out of bed cold. i was grounded again. i even had a sitter lined up for today but had to cancel. dammit! i'm hoping i'll be better tomorrow and the sitter can come again.

i must i must i must do my training! at least i know that i can do 10 miles.  sure, it was months ago but it was done. and i did 7 miles last week so that's over halfway there! i can do it! dammit! i can do it!

this winter has SUCKED as far as sickness!