Long time, no see...

Yeah, I've been super busy sitting on my ass for a good long time.  I didn't train for the Dumbo Double Dare and it killed me.  I'll have to write that sad story some other time.  Maybe when I'm over it. 

For now, we'll focus on the phoenix rising from the ashes and my glorious restart into fitness.  I am way out of shape, so right now I am just walking.  I started again because I am signed up for two races coming up in the next two weeks.  Because that's how I roll - I sign up months and months in advance and ignore it pretty much until a week before when I panic.  That brings us to now... panic time. 

In 5 days, I'm doing the City Of Oaks 10k with my daughter.  It's a 14 minute mile pace and there is no way I can make that.  We'll probably be asked to finish it on the sidewalks so they can open the roads.  I am prepared for that and for being last.  It is what it is.

The week after is the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon which was so much fun last year.  By "so much fun", I mean I was slightly more trained and almost threw up because it was way past my bedtime.  Disney has a 16 minute mile requirement and this one I think I can do under the current conditions.  I just can't stop for pictures or potty breaks, which is fine.  I've done enough Disney races that pictures are not as necessary.  Maybe at some point where I actually train and not stress a half marathon, I can enjoy the whimsy of photos again.  Until then, I plod along.  If I get swept, it's not the end of the world... I'll just have more ammo to trash talk myself!

I'm really not as depressed as all this sounds!  I am glad to be back to doing SOMETHING (ANYTHING) and hope it's the start of a renewed commitment to fitness.  I was in love with my bad-ass triathlon self and I'd love to get back there again.

So, this is just to check in and say I am going to give this some effort and see where it takes me.  I am starting huge with two races I am unprepared for, but I will get through them as gracefully as possible and continue to move forward.

First Swim Lesson

You know, I thought I knew how to swim fairly well. I mean, I don't sink and I move forward in the water.  Maybe not Ryan Lochte fast, but I get there.  So, I was excited to fine tune my already sufficient swimming skills with a few lessons at the Y.  What I found out is that my swimming SUCKS and I am doing just about everything wrong.  My new coach stops short of saying she can't believe that I don't just sink to the bottom, but I think she was just being kind.

Ok, first - I don't put my head down far enough into the water.  The waterline is supposed to be above my hairline and I need to tuck my head down.  See, the reason it was up higher is that I LIKE TO BREATHE AIR.  Apparently, there is some trick for breathing air this way and it has to do with...

Second, my hips need to open up more.  I should be almost sideways with my hip up as I rotate to take a breath.  This will pull my side up and my face will be above water.  Or I will roll over.  Not sure which.

And third, I have to kick up and down like a crazy person (with pointed toes!) during all of the above.  So yeah... that was hard.  My coach, Heather (who is a tri coach as well and she seems super knowledgeable), gave me some drills as homework which basically have me holding onto the pool wall while I kick/rotate hips/breathe so I can get that down before moving forward in the water.

I was a little discouraged because I honestly thought my swim was ok and this was just to help me swim more continuously without breaks.  But, no.  This is going to require some serious practice and commitment on my part to improve.  Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

I'm baaaaack!

Ok, I've been away.  Regrouping.  And I didn't want to post until I had my act at least somewhat together.  (Note the "somewhat"!  I am still very much a work in progress!)

The last three weeks, I have started doing a 30 minutes bike followed by 30 minutes on the treadmill at least three days a week.  I have done a longer (1 hr) treadmill on Saturday or Sunday.  I am only walking fast on the treadmill, but will start working in intervals next week.

I am trying to not expect perfect fitness and perfect speed right away - which is really hard for me!  I honestly think one week at the gym should make a huge difference and it just doesn't.  I read somewhere recently that it takes 6 weeks to see improvement, so I hope to see better results then.  But until then, I have got to celebrate the small victories (who I am kidding - HUGE victories) of just getting out there and doing it each day.

I am 8 weeks away from Dumbo.  I am doing back to back Friday and Saturday longer runs to prepare.  Two weeks after Dumbo, I have an Olympic Triathlon (the Outer Banks Tri that I did last year) so I CAN NOT SLACK.

Ok - this is my public declaration.  I will try my best and work hard now through Dumbo, through the Oly Tri, through Wine & Dine, and keep moving forward.  I can't be discouraged that I am not faster.  I must appreciate that I am just getting out there.

Race Recap - NCRC Classic 10K

Well, this was... humbling.

I honestly have been telling myself that a 10k was nothing to get too worked up about and my inconsistent training was not going to stop me from attaining my time goals.

HA.

HAHA.

I didn't respect the distance or train enough and, oh man... did I pay for that. Here's the breakdown:

What?  No balloon arch?  Sad.

The Good:  I PR'd!  Not as fast as I wanted but faster than my last 10k.  So that was awesome!  And I wasn't last, so there's that.  I really thought I would be last for the first couple of miles but then I passed some people and at turnaround saw that there were even more people further behind me.

The Bad: The first mile was soul-crushing.  I huffed and puffed and suffered.  I thought about turning around and quitting.  Not in that, "It'd be nice to quit" way, but in a very serious, "OMG, I'm going to have a heart attack if I take one more step" way.  By mile 2, I had found a groove but I already figured out my time goal was a pipe dream.

This came just at the right time to keep me moving.

The Ugly: The last .2 of the 6.2 was a monster hill.  The half marathon leaders were passing me and they even walked up the hill.  Here's my elevation chart from Garmin:

 

The downhill didn't feel that significant on the first mile, but at the end... oh my stars... my final .41 mile was at an 18:58 pace if that gives you any idea of how bad it was.  That was the second time I wondered if quitting was an option.  I literally have no idea what kept me moving up that hill.  I thought about my kids, my IRun4 buddy Garin, and the Swim, Bike, Mom mantra, "Just Keep Moving Forward".  And I guess it worked because I made it.  But it was an exhausting way to end a race I was not prepared for.

Lessons Learned:  At some point, this lesson is going to sink in.  I MUST TRAIN FOR RACES.  Train like it's a serious thing.  I mean, really.  It's getting embarrassing to be me.

Best Part:  I looked cute!  I wore my Everest SparkleSkirt over tights (because it was in the low 50s this morning!) and big eyelashes.

I ran this race to submit a time to Disney for my upcoming Dumbo Double Dare and Wine & Dine.  I am wondering if I will though.  The time is not what I had hoped and last time, I didn't submit a time and got in 3 corrals from the last.  If I take the lessons learned part to heart and do some training, I can handle being in the last corral.  It's not the end of the world.  Maybe any time submitted is better than no time submitted?  I don't know.  I'll have to see if any RunDisney experts chime in on the comments.






Before the race!

After the race!  Still smiling!

UGH - Reality Check Pants

Ok, it's been a rough couple of weeks.  A root canal, a DNS, and basically not doing anything to train has been a big challenge.  As I mentioned in my "boo-hoo, I'm bipolar" post, I did get a change to my medication and I do believe it is improving my attitude.  So, that's great!  But now I need to look at what I've done to myself during my last few months of backslide.

Reality Check #1 is that I have got a 10k that is my time qualifier for the upcoming Disney races (Dumbo Double Dare and possibly Wine & Dine) that is in two weeks.  I am not TOO stressed, but I don't want to struggle.  My goal is just to finish with a good enough time to keep me out of the last Disney corral.

Reality Check #2 (and the biggie) is a hard pill to swallow... It's a pair of capri shorts that fit just great about 2 months ago and now I can't zip up without major effort.  NOT COOL.  I don't feel like I have been totally pigging out, but stress and depression eating happens, and must have in these dark times.

SO!  What to do now?  I'm about 20 lbs from my lowest Weight Watchers weight of about 4 months ago, so that 20 lbs needs to go before I tackle the rest.  It will get me back into my capris and down to a size where I feel good (not great, but good - and hey, good is GOOD).  I'm just going to go back to tracking calories and daily work outs and see if that naturally takes care of the problem.  If not, I'll have to reevaluate in a few weeks.

That's the plan!  Anyone have any advice for getting faster in two weeks?

My first DNS will be tomorrow. :(

I was all set to race tomorrow but my mouth has gotten in the way.  By that, I mean a huge abscess requiring a big scary root canal has presented itself and I can't get an appointment to fix it until Monday.  They did give me pain pills (which make me sleep all day).  I'm not sure I want to Open Water Swim when high on Vicodin and barely conscious. Although, it might be an improvement since I PANIC in open water!

Anyway, I am bummed.  And my least favorite tooth hurts.  And Vicodin is no fun.  Why do people take this for recreation?  I am sad and tired on it.  If that is better than not taking it for some people, I need to stop and count my blessings, like immediately.

Here's a totally unrelated graphic that makes me laugh every April 25th:

So,  no sprint tri tomorrow.  I'm tough, but I'm not mouth-pain tough. 

Some Forward Progress

Good news:  I have been running.  Just 3.1 every other day this week, but it is a start.  The busiest week of our busy season is pretty much past, so I can concentrate more on making the time to train.  I have been just squeezing it in when I found an hour, but I think I need a firm schedule or this house of cards is going down.

More good news:  With birthday money, I bought new shoes and some new tri shorts.  I had a one-piece suit, but I wanted just some shorts for another option.  They are nothing fancy - just black 2XU tri shorts.

Less than good news:  I haven't been swimming or biking and I have a Sprint Tri next Sunday.  I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally need to get on that this week.  I'd say it was the swimming that terrified me most, but I'm not so hot on the biking either.  I still need to get my bike in for a tune-up before then as well.  I am definitely having some DNS feelings about this race.  I think I can do it, but I will be dead last and that is never a good feeling.  I wonder if I don't commit and train like I should to give myself that mental "out" for being last or not even starting.  I don't know.  All I know is that I am trying to make changes and it's hard.  I feel like such an ALL OR NOTHING kind of person, where I am religious in my training or I just half-ass it and don't do what I'm supposed to.  Maybe I do need a coach to help motivate me?  I don't know... I don't know... I don't know... I need to figure out something though.

Happy Birthday To ME!

A friend posted this to my FB wall and I couldn't be more in love.  Anchorman is my FAVORITE movie and I just had to laugh at this birthday wish.  So I thought I would share it with y'all!

I am spending the morning watching live coverage of the Rock N Roll Raleigh Marathon finish line and it's inspiring, to say the least.  It reminds me of why I started running and the joy that can be found there.

I have two updates in my upcoming race schedule.  First, I was scheduled for an Olympic Triathlon on April 26th.  I checked and they are running a Sprint Tri at the same time/location so I asked to be switched to the Sprint.  I haven't heard back yet but I can't imagine why they wouldn't let me make this change.  I feel like I can reasonably finish a Sprint with my base plus two weeks to get back into beast mode.  It's 750m swimming, 16.5 miles biking, and 3.1 miles running.  Totally a doable challenge (I hope).  The second thing I am thinking of signing up for is the 16th Annual NCRC Classic 10K on May 18th.  I need a 10K or Half time to get me out of the last corral at the Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare over Labor Day and the cut off for submitting a time is June 1st.  These are both non-medal events (boo - I love my bling) but both will serve a very useful purpose in my training and for my mental health.

My personal calendar year really goes from birthday to birthday, so today is the first day of my new year and I plan on making some much needed changes!

Facing Challenges and Finding Inspiration

Pack a lunch, it's going to be a doozy today.

I can't recall if I've discussed this before, but I suffer from Bipolar Disorder.  I say suffer because it is just that: suffering - a horrible affliction at its worse and a maddening gift at its best.  Lately, it's been at its worst and I have been terribly depressed for the last few months.  The very thing that would lead me to feel a bit better (training) is also one of my favorite ways to further mentally berate myself (because I have continually failed to commit to a consistent training program this year).  I am SO adept at functioning under depression that people are shocked (SHOCKED!) that I have any problems at all which basically means I kick ass at being completely fake.  Not something one is to be proud of.

Why am I telling you this?  Well, for a few reasons.  I keep having great plans to train and I'm not following through.  I guess I need you to understand that it's more than just laziness that is thwarting me.  Secondly, I am having some pretty rock-bottom moments right about now that I won't go into but suffice it to say, I am struggling to make it through the day while doing so in a way to not alarm my children so they don't worry.  (That sounds pretty grim, but I am taking steps to improve, involving doctor's visits, so no need for you to worry either).

Thirdly, I was recently assigned a buddy through whoirunfor.com and he's a 14 year old boy with Down's Syndrome named Garin.  I am getting to know him and his family and will share more as there is more to report.  This organization assigns special needs kids with runners in hopes they can build a relationship where the runner dedicates their training and races to the child as a source of inspiration to the child.  As I reflect on Garin's challenges and how I can inspire him, I also am thinking about my challenges and how his spirit can inspire me.  I feel like I am the lucky one in this match and I really look forward to dedicating some efforts to Garin if I can't pull out any efforts to do it for myself.

Thanks for reading and thanks for the comments left either now or in the past.  It helps to know someone out there is engaged enough to follow my journey - no matter how many detours I take!

World Balloon Convention 2014

Well, it was like an endurance sport, so I am recapping it, damn it.

I have NEVER worked so hard in my life. It was 7 days of 15 hours on my feet and running around, teaching, judging, smiling, prepping.  Yikes.  But SO worth it. This is the World Series/SuperBowl of balloons and it truly was amazing.  I think it's kinda like childbirth and I'm already forgetting the pain.

Here are some pics of the competition pieces:

 

 

 

Everything you see was made from balloons!  Amazing, right?

I almost forgot the best picture!  I did my nails up like balloons:

Ok - the huge event is over and now it's time to focus on my Oly Tri at the end of the month.  I hope you guys enjoy the balloon pics!!

5 ways that April is going to turn my life around (or else)

Ok, I know it's still March and all, but the hours left in this month are pretty much spoken for.  I leave March 24-31 for World Balloon Convention and that will be a non-stop week of work and more work.  I scoped out the fitness facilities at the hotel and they do have a nice set up, but it's undetermined whether I will have the time or energy to partake.  So, I am setting my sights on April. I have big plans for April and it better deliver.


1) It's my birthday!
I know most people consider January 1st to be the new year, but those people are wrong.  It's April 13th that starts the new year.  It's the glorious day of my birth and I'm still a little annoyed that it's not a national holiday.  I am entering my 44th year and have a lot to accomplish.  This new year is a great time to start what I knew I couldn't in January because of the schedule.  And in February because of.... well, because I'm a lazy hog.  And in March because I JUST TOLD YOU I WAS BUSY!  Jeeze.  So, April it is. 

2) I have a triathlon this month!

In one of my more delusional moments, I signed up for an Olympic Triathlon on April 26th. (Are you shaking your head at me in disbelief?  If not, I strongly suggest you start immediately.)  This event had two of my favorite reasons to sign up for a race:  It was close and it was cheap!  Pretty much the opposite of my beloved Disney races.  Side note: This is called the Beaver Dam Triathlon. I get myself a "Pandora-like" charm for all my races as a wearable reminder of my badassery.  Please take my advice here and don't Google "beaver charm" with safe search off like I did.

3) I have to make a decision about that Half Ironman by 4/17!

I actually have longer if I want to give up the measly $75 they allow for refunds if I wait longer than April 17th, but $75 will buy me a new Sparkle Skirt so it's nothing to sneeze at!!  I have no idea what decision I will make, but I'm sure it will be the right one for me.  If I try and DNF, at least I will have tried. If I decide not to attempt it, there is always next year when I will be able to plan for it better.  I'm already ok with either outcome, but I would like to give it all I've got to make it to the start line.  How I train the beginning of April will tip the scales on this decision!

 4) I get a Buddy this month!

I am short on friends and inspiration to run, so I found a group that will help me with both.  It's called I Run For and it pairs runners with kids (normally kids, but sometimes adults) that can't run due to physical challenges.  I signed up early this year and it has taken about 9 weeks so far with about 3 more weeks to go before my name comes up on the waiting list.  I am excited and I hope I am assigned a buddy in time for my April 26th tri.  It should be about that time.  I'm sure I'll do a blog post about my buddy when I get one, so stay tuned.  I love this idea and I am hoping that the inspiration my buddy provides will push me along when I am running low on motivation.  In turn, I hope to add a smile to my buddy and his/her family's lives as well.


5) I just really have to get some control over my life!

And April seems as good a time as any.  I have made improvements since January so it's not like I'm a total loss.  There's just not been much effort in the "health" arena and that has GOT to change.  So, I am leaving tomorrow for WBC, and I'll be gone for a week totally immersed in balloons.  I plan on leaving all my bad and lazy habits in Denver where the stoners can make better use of them.

(PS - despite the way the post title sounds, this is *not* about blogger extraordinaire April from Run The Great Wide Somewhere but she is awesome and you should check out her blog!)

Let's play, "Will It Still Fit?"

This is the story of my size 10 teachin' pants.  Are you intrigued?  No, not really?  Well, read on, my friends, because it's a tale of terror and elation, with more than its fair share of binge eating!!

So, I teach balloon decor (as well as having a balloon decor business).  Most days, I hang out at home in yoga pants or jeans.  When I go out, it's normally in jeans as well.  But lately, it's been the year of yoga pants.  Stretchy ones.  When I have put on jeans, they immediately get unzipped when I get home and they stay up that way until I change back into my delightful yoga pants.  Lately my jeans have seemed extra constricting since I have been inhaling food like someone training for an ultramarathon.  Except the only thing I am training for is not splitting the seams on my yoga pants during the Dr. Phil marathon on the OWN network. Grim.

I travel to teach and I have nice black and khaki pants in a respectable size 10 that I wear with my logo teachin' polos.  I haven't worn these magical pants since January and they might have been a tad tight then.  But, that didn't deter me from eating a whole bag of iced molasses cookies this week.  Or Ben & Jerry's last week.  Or anything sweet coming near my mouth for the entire year of 2014.  I have been pigging out.  I think I'll blame it on stress.  That sounds reasonable and much less hoggy than proclaiming, "ME LIKEY SUGAR!" like the yoga-pants-wearing land beast I have become lately.

Next week, I travel to the World Balloon Convention where I will be teaching, thus needing my good teachin' pants.  But size 10?  Did I outgrow them?  Do I need to run to Kohl's and avert my eyes as I save 20% off on size 12 teachin' pants?  I avoided trying them on for days and days - not wanting to face that blubbery muffin top or the puffy under-belly-button area that screams, "YES!  I've birthed two ten pound children!"

But, what is this?  The size 10 teachin' pants fit?  I was so happy that I wrote this haiku:


You barely zip up
My size ten black teachin' pants
I'm not too fat yet!

Do you have a pair of pants that are the barometer of your tipping point in weight?

And I thought January was crazy...

Between chemistry and WBC, I am beyond busy and stressed.  I can see an end date, but it's not for another two weeks.  I am mad with myself for not finding the time to work out, but I don't especially need another layer of guilt and pressure smothering the life out of me right now.  Are these excuses?  It feels like it, but I honestly feel like every moment is spoken for until after WBC.

To distract you from judging me, here are some pics of the last World Balloon Convention so you can see how big of a deal it is:

This is 100% made from balloons and was 15 ft wide.

Circus walk through arches.

Can you see the person off to the left?  That should give you some idea of scale.

Yep, balloons.

I can't wait for WBC, but I also can't wait for it to be over so I can make training a priority.  UGH, I just feel like such a slug right now.

Come view my seizure-inducing grammar rant!

I'm enjoying the Princess Half recaps filtering in (list posted here), but if there's one thing I could share with people who want to blog about ANYTHING, it would be this:

How do people make it out of high school without knowing this?  I think this is honestly one of my biggest pet peeves in life.  (Which means my life is pretty damn good so I should probably just let it go...). 

All my grammar flouncing is basically a filler post since I have been swamped and not riding the bike.  I also didn't get in a long run (supposed to be 6 miles) this weekend.  I'm going to try to get that done today.  Part of my issue is that World Balloon Convention is in two weeks and I have SO MUCH to do to get ready!  Add that to Chemistry and trying to get ready for my midterm test before I go and UGH.  Life is just getting in the way and I am not making extra time to do extra things.

What do you do when life gets in the way?  Does the then/than issue make you want to get stabby?!?

The weather is trying to sabotage me!

FACT: Mother Nature wants me to be fat and lazy.

I was all prepared to ride the momentum of my one consistent week of working out, and darned if it didn't sleet up my streets and cancel school Monday and Tuesday.  The gym was closed so I couldn't go swim and the kids were all up in my biz, so I didn't run.  I'm so upset!  Mostly in myself for not locking the kids in a closet with their iPads and throwing in some Oreos to keep them busy while I eeked out an hour to get a small run in.

So, I have to restart my enthusiasm for squishing my lard into a swim suit and try again tomorrow.

Hopefully, winter is over.  I need to run and ride outside!  Especially because today I registered for two races!  Coming up first is an Olympic Triathlon at the end of April.  Second, and more exciting, is the Wine & Dine Half Marathon at Walt Disney World in early November.  This means I am all set to get my Coast to Coast medal!  WooHoo!!

Are you SICK OF WINTER??  Or are you hard core and run in the cold??

I was consistent for ONE WEEK! (That's a bigger deal than it seems, people!)

I was supposed to do 5 miles yesterday for my "long run" as I start over with this serious and consistent training plan.  I didn't.  Instead, I got up at 6:30am, ate a bunch of leftover sushi from the fridge, and went back to bed until 10am.  After that, we had a bar mitzvah to decorate and that took most of the remainder of the day.  By the time we got home at 7pm, I was toast and kicking myself for being such a lazy whore earlier in the morning.

Today, I once again got up early, ate something, and went back to bed. ::frownie face:: In my defense, the kids are at my ex's this weekend and I just don't get the opportunity to got back to bed, like... EVER.  We had an Oscars event this afternoon but I had time most of the day to run.  And just didn't. 

But, this story has a happy ending!  As I sat on the couch at 5pm, eating saltines and feeling pretty annoyed with myself, I actually got up and went toward the treadmill.  And I got on it and did intervals for 2.5 miles and then walked faster than my run for negative splits on the other 2.5 miles.

So HOORAY!  I am SO not good at motivating myself, but I can now say I am one week into a serious training program.  Tomorrow, I add swimming!  (Hopefully)

My treadmill lies to me.

I've mentioned before that my treadmill is a dirty liar.  For example, yesterday I burned over 400 calories in 3.1 miles with a pace of 15:38 and a heart rate of 44 bpm ACCORDING TO THAT LYING POS.  I know the pace reads slower than both the treadmills at the gym and my outside pace.  Plus, when I'm doing my home treadmill runs at the same pace as my walking (elsewhere) pace, you know something is hinky.  Last Monday, I ran at the gym and was happy with my pace.  It's slow, but I'm really working on being consistent with my run/walk intervals so I'm not stressing about being "fast" at the moment.  BUT!  My home treadmill has me a whole minute per mile OR MORE slower and I know I am not going slower. 

Since it still works, I hate to get a new one when really - these are just numbers.  As long as the numbers improve, it's still improvement.  It IS psychologically frustrating to see these numbers reflect such slowness.  However, I am fully embracing the "Go Slow To Go Fast" school of thought. 
I am pushing myself, but I am not killing myself.  I also decided to crank up the incline a bit since hills flat out kill me every.single.time. and I need some uphill practice.

I'm starting the 12 week HIM plan on Monday.  Commitment to this plan will determine whether or not I cancel my HIM in June.  Even commitment might not save me if I can't get to a place where I can finish in 8.5 hours.  I need to get better (and faster) in all three disciplines.

I'd ask for you to wish me luck, but what I need is determination and commitment.  So can you please wish me some of that instead?

A little hope for my June Half-Ironman?

Since I have been basically crapping out on any meaningful training program (ie I am SOOOOO inconsistent!), I went ahead and looked up the refund/deferral process for the Raleigh Half IronMan coming up June 1st.  Basically, there is no deferral and you only get $75 of the $225 back if you cancel by April 17th.  I am super annoyed with myself and feeling pretty defeated. 

HOWEVER!  Today a gal in a Facebook triathlon group I belong to posted a 12 week HIM training program.  I am just over 14 weeks out, so this could actually work - although, Lordy, will I have to COMMIT.  I have decided to follow this plan until April 17th and then evaluate whether or not I think I can finish the HIM.  I have somewhat of a base so it's not completely out of the question and I really, really don't want to punk out on this race.  My goal is to FINISH and I have 8.5 hours to finish.

Today I did W1 D2 of C25K with no problems.  Looking to lengthen my intervals and just condition myself to keep running after a walk break. 

Am I crazy?  We'll have the answer by April 17th.

Day (I've officially lost track) of 100 (AND Princess Half Recap List!!)

Yesterday I added weight training so within weeks, I will be ripped like Linda Hamilton in Terminator!!  While I'm super excited for these excellent muscles, today I feel like I've been beaten in all my tender places.  :(

I also ran yesterday and since I have been somewhat inconsistent and have been wanting to increase my intervals, I re-started Couch 2 5k from Day One.  It was not terribly hard, with 1 minute run/ 90 secs walk, but I pushed hard on the intervals and did the whole thing.  Recall from previous posts that I peter out at halftime, regardless of the length of run.  I was pleased that I didn't give in to that little voice that tells me I can just skip a run interval and pick back up again next time.  I never do.  It's all walky-walky after I cave in.

 

Now then, you are invited to consider my big dilemma!  I was in Japan during the Dumbo Double Dare sign up.  To be honest, as much as I wanted to do this race, I just didn't see it in the cards for 2014 so the sign up day came and went without much thought.  Also, I was in Japan so I was pretty consumed with thinking about any food I could eat other than rice.

Imagine my surprise when I got an email from RunDisney saying I was signed up!  What?  Yes, well, that guy who's not really my boyfriend signed me up without my knowledge/consent/permission the day it went on sale.  So, I have mixed feelings because on one hand, DUMBO DOUBLE DARE - YAY!! And on the other, airfare and hotel and park tickets, oh my.

Also, if I'm going all the way to Disneyland for a race, I might as well do that Coast to Coast thang again. I was thinking of doing Wine & Dine anyway.  My question with this is that our big local race, City Of Oaks, is the weekend before W&D and I hate to miss it again.  Last year, I volunteered, but it was my first half and it holds a special place in my heart.  I could probably do both on back to back weekends, but do I want to?  It seems like you need a burning fire in your heart to want back to back halves.

 

Speaking of RunDisney, it was just Princess weekend and man, I missed not being there.  I think I will try to be a charity runner next year.  I've got to figure out a way to do more Disney races without selling my much-needed organs.  Here are some 2014 Princess Half Recaps.  I'll add more as I find them of  if you have one, please leave it in the comments!  (Here's mine from Princess 2013.)

Disney Princess Half Marathon Race Recaps - 2014:
Rachel - Undercover Diva: A Sitcom
Amy - The Point One Will Getcha

Amy - Mom's Magical Miles
Catie - Thank You For Running
Amanda - Disney Everyday
Tabetha - I Run On Water
Karen - Losing The Glass Slipper
Heather - Run Heather, Run: 26.2 or Bust
Meranda - Fairytales and Fitness
Jennifer - JennFaulk.com
Erika - Running Toward My Happy Ending
Amy - The Relocated Tourist
Bonnie - 'Cuse Runner Girl
Lauren - Will Run For Disney
April - Run The Great Wide Somewhere
Kara - Makeup, Cupcakes & Running
Julie - Run.Walk.Fastpass.Repeat.
Hildarys - Running Through Theme Parks
Patty - Margaritas, Miles & the Mouse
Laura - Run. Write. Rejoice.

And tell me, what should I do about my fall race schedule?  I only did my race goals for the first six months of 2014!!