Reflections of a first time half marathoner

Pre-race approx 0500.
It wasn't cold, my hands
are just always cold.

This past weekend has been a whirlwind of activity! I completed something that I thought I never would have done in my life, I met some wonderful people, worked with a great organization and got to visit the Happiest Place on Earth for the first time in something like 15 years.

For the past 5 months I have learned to run from scratch. My serious dislike of running has turned into a very much liking of the sport. I wouldn't say "love" but it's getting there. I've gone from the girl who avoided running in school like it was the plague to a person who misses running on her rest days. The change in my attitude just astounds me! I thought I had really gotten into Zumba after starting in May, even to the point of becoming licensed to teach; but this whole running thing is way more than that even! Today I registered for 3 more half marathons within the next 3 months. I mean, really...I did that?!?

The experience of racing for 13.1 miles was so different from the practice half marathon I did on my own a few weeks ago. I felt tired after I finished that but after finishing the Tinkerbell HM I felt like I could have run even more! My next half marathon is in 26 days and will be near my home elevation of 4,300 feet so we'll see how much of a difference the elevation  really makes for me.

So let me get specifically to discussing Tinkerbell, the race, itself. Having not ever been a participant in an event this big, it was a whole new experience. My only experience with an event this big was volunteering at the Nike Women's Marathon last October. The New Mexico/El Paso Team in Training team met in the lobby of the hotel a 3:45am to make sure everyone had their gear and was ready to go. We took some team photos and eventually headed for the race around 4:15am or so. Once we got to the staging area we all broke up to head to our corrals. I walked around to find the husband and we figured out where he would be during the race so that I could look for him. After a final farewell I headed to corral B to join the other runners. I walked around kind of blankly just trying to look for some of the ladies that I had met at the Facebook group meetup the day before. I happened to see a status update on Facebook from Melanie who was also looking for people in corral B...we were actually only about 10-20 feet away from each other. We hooked up and ooooh'd and aaaahhh'd at everything (this was the first half marathon for both of us) and finally when the race started we started to run together. It was a nice conversational pace...a little bitching and moaning at the first "hill" (an overpass...hey, I train on primarily flat roads) and watching as we passed others or (as was more common) we got passed...especially by the guys who had been relegated to corral C. We looked out for people we had just met, wing shirts made by one of our friend Alissa (Balancing Act Clothing) and hamming it up for the Brightroom event photographers spaced out along the course in Disneyland. As we came up to just past mile 4 we both saw our husbands at different times...I ran to Troy and gave him a hug and kiss for actually holding up the "Go Beth!" sign that I made for him at the expo. Then off we went along the streets of Anaheim...most of which I don't remember having ever been on in all the times I've been to the area in my life. We saw several funny, supportive signs held by spectators, spectators yelling my name (it was on my jersey & bib) and just the overall excitement of the race.

Around mile 6 or 7 we slowed down a little because Melanie had developed a couple of blisters, I tried to keep her spirits up...to keep the "bling" (race medal) in sight. Melanie was a trooper and kept on going! I've gotta give the lady some props because she was just off a very light month of training due to some medical issues but she knew what she wanted and she was going to get it one way or another. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen with us together. I told her, "We started together, we finish together!"

During mile 10 we were heading back into Disney's California Adventure, a park I have never been to, and into the last few miles of the race. The final push. Then there was the 13 mile marker...for some reason that last 1/10th of a mile seemed long! We pushed with whatever energy we had and crossed the finish line 1 second apart. After a big hug we parted ways until later that afternoon when I would deliver her some moleskin for her blister(s). In the excitement of the finish, during which I had held my fist up as if yelling "YEAH!" (I'll buy the event photo later and post it) I forgot to look for the husband in the Platinum ChEAR Squad area as I crossed the line. Ooops! Anyway, I picked up my medal, checked out at the TNT tent and finally found the old man over by the finish line. I promptly  took my space blanket (which I have saved as a souvenir) laid it on the ground changed out of my running shoes into sandals and downed my post race snack. We then went and got my medal engraved and headed back to the hotel.

Once at the hotel (we walked the 15-20 minutes or so...took longer than usual due to heavy foot traffic) I immediately went into an ice bath even though housekeeping was still cleaning the room. Played on the internet for about an hour and then headed to Disneyland. It's funny how things have changed yet stayed the same there. We hit most of the larger attractions but I was disappointed that the newly refurbished Small World was closed because they were taking down holiday decorations. The fireworks also were canceled due to technical difficulties...not that we were going to watch them anyway. At about 9pm my feet were so sore and my ankles were almost non-existent due to swelling. We called it a day and headed back to the hotel. Another hour on the internet, back to the room to finish packing and a few hours sleep before leaving for home in the morning. Seriously, that was a lot to fit into one day!

So, what have I learned with this experience?

1. runDisney races are FUN!
2. Running with a friend is FUN!
3. I really, really like to run!
4. I really, really need to buy a new camera to replace the one I can't find.
5. I'm glad I'm not a picture taker when it comes to Disney characters...would mess up my PR.
6. That I'll be doing more runDisney races in the future.
7. That I am ready for the half marathon distance, but I need to work on speed.

Well, I guess that's it for now but since I missed posting yesterday...I was just worn out after all the traveling...my updates for yesterday are included in this post.


100 Days Challenge:

• Day 30 (1/30)
• 30 minute walk on the treadmill 1.46 miles with legs/feet still sore from the half marathon on Sunday!
• Day 31 (1/31) 
• 2.31 mile run/walk with the local run/walk club in 31:54
• Hatha flow yoga class for 1:20

What I Ate (Yesterday &) Today:

• Yesterday
• Peach Yoplait yogurt
• Pre-packaged bowl of Corn Pops
• Low Fat milk
• 16 oz orange juice
• Quizno's regular size double cheesesteak sandwich + mushrooms
• Snack bag of pretzels
• 2 Chocolate chip cookies
• 20 oz G2
• 18 ozs of Pepsi
  
• Today
• 1 pack chicken ramen
• 16 oz Pepsi
• 16 oz G2
• 1 fried chicken breast
• 1 fried chicken thigh
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 4 Tbsp chicken gravy
• 1 cup green beans

Flying with Tinkerbell!

Me, my purple hair and
my finishers bling

I did it! I finished my first half marathon! One down and six more to go this year. It was a great experience from the online training with Team in Training, to learning the science of running from the ground up, to meeting some 30+ new friends in person from my Tinkerbell HM Facebook group to running the race from start to finish with Melanie...one of my new friends.

I didn't have the tears of joy at the finish line that a lot of people have talked about, but I did have a great sense of accomplishment at finishing at 2:51:17...8+ minutes faster than my practice run a month or so back. So now, I have an official PR for a half marathon! The course was nice, with only a few overpasses/hills and for the most part was flat. I've definitely got the bug and can't wait for my next half at the end of February. No traveling for that one hardly as it's down in Roswell, NM...just 1½ hours from home. So, that's going to be it for now. I'm getting ready to head to Disneyland!! :D

I'll try to update this more later tonight! Got things to do, places to see and characters to visit with!  ;)

My running partner, Melanie, and I.

Starting line courtesy of Tony Conticelli from the
Tink HM Facebook Group.

The night before the Tinkerbell Half

Sandra & I...after 30 years!

Well, I'm just writing a quick post before going to bed super early for the half marathon tomorrow morning. It's been a great day starting off with meeting up with one of my besties from high school, Sandra, and having lunch at Brennan's at Downtown Disney. Then the Tinkerbell Half Marathon Facebook group meetup at Compass Book in Downtown Disney...it's great to be able to put faces to names after all the online communication we've been doing! It was a great bunch of people who I now consider friends and whom I hope to run into (nearly literally) while continuing on my running journey. Lastly the Team in Training Inspiration Dinner was fantastic! Amazing stories, amazing people...really good food too!

Tinkerbell Half Marathon Facebook Group Meetup

I've loaded up my Fuel Belt with 3 packets of thinned Gu Chocolate Outrage gel, grape G2, water and some Clif Shot Bloks just in case. My ensemble is all set up so I shouldn't forget anything although I have to fill out the back of my bib with my safety information. Our chapter is meeting in the lobby at 3:45am...race starts at 5:45 am. I made sure that the husband (who was a good sport and took probably 15 cameras and shot pics for our group meetup and held the meetup sign) is all set up with the top of the line ChEAR Squad package (breakfast, prime seating, luxury portapotties and lounge at the starting/finishing lines) so he should be good for the day while I run.

After the run the plan is an ice bath, maybe the pool, food and Disneyland for as long as I can remain standing. Then a quick sleep and back to New Mexico early Monday. It's a great weekend so far! Good night and wish me luck tomorrow!

100 Days Challenge:

• 30 minute round trip walk from hotel to Downtown Disney + walking around Downtown Disney an addition 1+ hour

What I Ate Today:

• Yoplait Peach Yogurt
• Corn Pops pre-measured bowl
• 1 pint non fat milk
• 72 oz water
• 40 oz G2
• Shrimp Cobb Po' Boy
• ~½ cup coleslaw
• ~2 cups Oriental Salad
• ½ cup marinated mushrooms
• ~2 cups p
• ¼ cup meat sauce
• 1 Roll with ½ pat of butter
• ~3oz grilled chicken breast
• ~1 cup steamed vegetables
• Lemon bar with raspberry sauce

Wow! That was a lot of food!!;)

Tinkerbell Thinking

NOTE: Written as I was sitting on my flight from Albuquerque to Denver this morning.

Well, here I am, on board my first flight headed back to California but this time it’s not the my hometown in the San Francisco Bay Area that I’m headed to. Instead I’m headed to Southern California to the home of Mickey and Minnie Mouse…and Tinkerbell! My goal this time is to complete my first half marathon, the inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon, with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. Since August 6^th I’ve been learning and reading and experiencing running in such a way that I’ve never experienced in my life. For as long as I can remember I have had a dislike of anything requiring an extended amount of running. Only while I was in basic training at Lackland AFB did I actually enjoy running and I think it was just because we ran in formation and the group basically pushed you to keep up.

In less than 43 hours I will be making my 2^nd attempt at running 13+ miles. I did a practice run of 13.3 miles, much to the chagrin of my TNT coach, just to prove to myself that I could do it. Now, when I say “run” please know that I actually mean more of a run/walk/run situation. Right now my max distance while running is only about 1½ miles…on a good day. More times than not I run about ½ to 1 mile at a time before walking.

As I continue on this journey of my first run with TNT I ask that you remember those who have had to struggle and/or succumbed to the various forms of leukemia, lymphoma and myelodysplastic disorders. It is for those who can’t run due to illness that I run. It is for all cancer patients living and those no longer with us for whom I run. It is to do something for those who might similar or better actions once they get some relief from cancer. 

To all my TNT teammate, all of whom I have not yet met and some that I’ll meet this weekend…GO TEAM!!

100 Days Challenge:

• Brisk 2.39 mile walk back to the hotel from dinner

 What I Ate Today:

• 1 whole wheat Bagel Thin
• 2 Tbsp cream cheese
• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 20 oz G2
• 3 slices French toast (IHOP)
• 4 sausage links
• 32 oz hot chocolate
• 24 oz orange juice
• ½ Tbsp butter
• 50 oz water
• Hawaiian BBQ mixed plate (beef, beef short ribs, chicken, white rice, macaroni salad)
• 3/4 Spam masubi

Day Late Post

Whoops! I was so busy cleaning last night that I missed writing a blog post. So here’s the update for yesterday…

100 Days Challenge:

• 2.1 mile run in
• Yoga class for 1:42:25 

What I Ate Today:

• 2 fried eggs
• 2 sausage patties
• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 30 G2
• 1½ cups rosemary potato soup
• 1 regular size Double Cheesesteak sandwich from Quizno’s
• 1 regular size (20 oz?) sweet tea at Quizno’s

Didn’t do very well at eating or at fluid intake at all!!

The (cleaning) clock keeps ticking

I am a little over 24 hours away from leaving for California to head to Disneyland and my first half marathon. Actually I'm almost exactly 30 hours away from my departure from home. Of course, here I am doing the last minute cleaning as usual. Why is it when I go on trips, I don't actually get the house clean until the night before I leave? My great procrastination genes at work I suppose. I swear, I need to ask my sister if she has this problem too. I'm betting that it's a hereditary family trait!

Part of the problem is that I am just now getting around to personalizing my race jersey and training shirt (pics when they are done). I had my jersey done by a friend and had him press on die cut block letters for my name and "GO TEAM!" then I got it home today and decided that I wanted to add "Tinkerbell Half Marathon 2012" to the jersey as well. On my training shirt I made a freezer paper stencil of Tinkerbell and also added the "Tinkerbell Half Marathon 2012" on the back of it.

The kitchen and bedroom are pretty much done. All I need to do is wipe down the counters and stove in the kitchen and sweep/mop. In the bedroom I just need to change the sheets and wash the comforter. I probably should straighten up the master bathroom too since we're going to have the daughter stay in our room so that the K9s can sleep in there if she wants them too.

My dining room table is still a mess so I've got to work on that tonight & tomorrow as well as attempt to clear off my desk so that the daughter can use that computer (if it even works...haven't used the "new" computer in there in years; I bought it in 2007, it sat around in the box for almost a year and hasn't been used since I set it up I think!). Lastly I need to sweep, scrub and mop all the floors. Joy. That is definitely not my favorite task.

Does anyone know if there is a magic pill or a potion that will make me into a domestic diva who loves Zumba and running? Please?

Oh...and I still need to finish packing. Oy vey!

As of the posting of this blog post I have: 1 day, 6 hours, 46 mins until Disneyland

As of the posting of this blog post I have: 3 days, 7 hours, 31 mins until the Half Marathon!

100 Days Challenge:

• 1.92 mile taper run in 24:37
• Aqua Zumba class for 50:08

What I Ate Today:

• 1 slice whole wheat, whole grain toast
• 1 Tbsp Jif Reduced Fat peanut butter
• 8 oz hot water with lemon
• 40 oz G2
• 2 small loaded baked potatoes 
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 7 Tbsp Fiesta blend shredded cheese
• 2 tsps freeze dried chives
• 1 Tbsp imitation bacon bits
• 3 cups Texas style beef chili
• 2 oranges

The unfortunate genetics of bipolar disorder

Oh geez, it's been one of those nights. I'm dealing with my bipolar disorder quite well thanks to the running and getting back on my lithium, but one of the my main problems that I have to deal with the high risk of passing on the same genetic makeup to your children. Fortunately, my son has shown a very low tendency of having a mood disorder or other mental illness but my daughter on the other hand has had definite problems with mood disorders and substance abuse. In the past, even arguably minor problems have cost her significantly...relationships breaking up, the passing of a friend, basically things that most "normal" (and I do use that term lightly because what the hell is "normal" anymore?) people would recover from fairly quickly would send her over the deep end for weeks/months. Tonight I found out one of those life altering events has happened again.

I can tell by her Facebook posts that the mood is going downhill, but luckily she actually went to see a counselor at the college and has an appointment with a provider to get a prescription this week. Hopefully she tells the whole story about her mental health history...which I just don't see happening. But, she is an adult and needs to make her own mistakes...hopefully not a permanent one.

You see, I have a history of attempting suicide at least 6-7 times since I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder back in 1997 with the last time probably in the early 2000's. I've tried overdoses, planned out suicide by train, dreamed of driving off a deep ravine and so many other ways. I've been in the ICU for an overdose for 3 days and on the unit 4 more days. I've been in an inpatient psych unit twice for a week or more. My kids have found me after overdosing and had to take care of me while calling their dad to come home. I've been seriously screwed up in the past. I'm stable now...but the question is for how long? Had I known I had a mental illness before I had kids would I have even considered having them? Truthfully, I probably would not have taken the chance. Especially if I had the knowledge about mental illness that I have now. After being a psych patient for nearly 20 years and having taught/studied psych nursing for 6 years I know so much more now than I did when I first started having the kids.

Don't get me wrong, mental illness, in most cases, is totally survivable but there are always the few that don't make it. But had I known the trials and tribulations that I would go through there is no way I would have taken the chance for my kids to have to go through anything similar. Unfortunately, my knowledge and experience came too late. Now I have to sit and watch, crossing my fingers that my daughter will find a way to survive as I have. I'm here if she needs me, but she has to be willing to ask for help before it can be given. It's time to just take things one day at a time and watch for any major mis-steps that may occur.

100 Days Challenge:

• 1.69 mile walk in 26:02 minutes
• Hatha yoga class for 1:36:05 

What I Ate Today:

• 1 serving Cream of Wheat
• 3/4 cup non-fat, lactose free milk
• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 3/4 cup Skinny rosemary potato soup
• 40 oz G2
• 10 Swedish meatballs with gravy
• 3 cups cooked egg noodles
• 1/4 cup steamed carrots
• 2 oranges

Half Fanatic Wannabe

OK, I'm going to do it. I'm going to get crazy and try to join the Half Fanatics Club for sure. Yeah, I've mentioned the club in a previous post, but I was only thinking about it at the time. Now I am positive that I'm going to go for it. There are different levels of entry into the club based on how many official half marathons (HM), that's 13.1 miles, that you run in a period of time. Here is a breakdown of the first three levels:


NEPTUNE

1. 2 Half Marathons within a 16 day time frame.

2. 3 Half Marathons within a 90 day time frame.
_______________________________________________________________

URANUS

1. 3 Half Marathons within a 16 day time frame.

2. 6 Half Marathons in 6 consecutive calendar months.

3. 8 - 11 Half Marathons within 365 days.
_______________________________________________________________

SATURN

1. 4 Half Marathons within 37 days.

2. 12 - 18 Half Marathons within 365 days.

3. 4 Half Marathons in 4 different US states, Countries or Canadian Provinces (any combination) 51 days.

I know that I can at least get in at the Neptune level by doing Tink HM this Sunday and 2 area HMs by the beginning of April. I'd really like to try to shoot for the Uranus (OK, put the SNL thinking away!) level when I join but that would mean waiting until May to join. Yeah, again...I know...I said I wouldn't change my race schedule again...so sue me!! lol! At least only 2 of the races following Tink will require overnight stays...the rest I can drive to the morning of the race albeit at earlier than o'dark hundred!

So, these are the races that will get me into the Half Fanatics Club barring any unforseen injury or lack of fundage!

Tinkerbell HM - 1/29/12 - Anaheim, CA
Pecos Valley Stampede HM - 2/25/12 - Roswell, NM
Bloodgusher HM - 3/31/12 - Midland, TX and/or
Wayland Wellness HM - 4/7/12 - Plainview, TX

Wish me luck! :) Seriously...who would have ever thought that I'd actually want to run?!?! lol!

Note to self: You know, if you throw in the Hobbs Centennial HM (4/21), the OKC Memorial HM (4/29) and the Hope & Healing HM (5/13) on top of everything else, you can qualify for the Saturn level. Hmmmm?


100 Days Challenge:

• 3.15 mile run in 37:41 minutes
• 50 minute Aqua Zumba class

What I Ate Today:

• 8oz hot water with lemon
• 1 Honey Stinger Waffle (honey flavor)
• 2 pepperoni french bread pizzas on Bolillo rolls (breakfast & dinner)
• 2 oranges
• 20 oz G2

This has not been a good eating day...  :(

Football: A renewed love?

My friends know that I'm not a huge sports person. Heck, the only time I really got into any sports was football in high school. It wasn't just the asses of the guys in their football pants or the crushes at the time, but it was part school pride, a year of being in marching band and just the sheer excitement of the games with our arch rival Hogan High (RIP...now a middle school) and Vintage High. Other than that I never really paid much attention to pro football aside from a few games while Joe Montana was playing for the San Francisco 49ers.

Even though I'm not a football fan, I do have my loyalty to the 49ers. We won't talk about that other team that was in the Bay Area, moved to SoCal and then had the nerve to move back to the Bay Area. They lost my respect when they left! So, for the first time in a couple of decades I decided to watch the NFC Championship game between the 49ers and Giants. It was a good game, a true nail biter. I was yelling at the TV, cursing and probably just short of throwing things sometimes!! lol! Unfortunately, my team lost with some sloppy plays and passes...but still it was a good game.

In the meantime I've remembered just how engrossed I used to get in the high school games. Pretty much like I did today. My throat is sore, my dogs were hiding during the game due to my yelling at the TV, my head hurts and I have no energy to do my exercise for the day. But even with all that, maybe next season I'll start watching the 49ers games on a regular basis. It was fun...even if it was only me watching the game (the husband doesn't do sports at all).

100 Days Challenge:

• 33 minutes of PT exercises/stretches

What I Ate Today:

• 2½ pancakes with Mrs. Buttersworth's syrup
• 2 sausage patties
• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 2 oranges
• 20 oz G2
• 1½ cups Texas style beef chili
• 2 Tbsp Fiesta blend shredded cheese
• 2 cups Tostitos Scoops

Simple update

Not in the mood to blog tonight, so just an update...


100 Days Challenge:

• Day 21: 6.07 mile run in 1:21:07 on Yucca/CCC/Norris route

What I Ate Today:

• 1 slice whole wheat, whole grain toast
• 1 Tbsp Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter
• 8 oz hot water with lemon
• 2 sausage patties
• 2 fried eggs
• 8 oz low fat chocolate milk
• 2 oranges
• 1 3/4 cup beef stew
• 1 bag microwave popcorn
• 28 oz G2

For what it's worth...

My brain is a little scattered for some reason today so this post may not make a lot of sense...but here we go anyway!

Two pieces of good news so far today: 

1) SOPA/PIPA were pulled from consideration for the time being. That doesn't put censorship of the internet as something in the past, so we have to keep our ears to the ground and listen/watch for new legislation being put forth as a alternative to SOPA/PIPA. Hopefully, whomever writes it actually takes time to consider all aspects and the potential effects.

2) Son got a job as a network administrator out in Tempe. Of course, he has not told me the details, but at least it's a job he wants to do.

Other stuff:

1) I'm freaking out a bit about my upcoming race. Can't find things I want to bring/wear, the packing list for my carry on is 4 times longer that what I have for the checked baggage. Can't find my camera. I've got so much cleaning to do since the daughter and you boy friend are going to house sit over the weekend. Thinking about upgrading the old man to my old Droid X...but he hardly uses his phone as it is. Worried that I'm going to forget something that I really need. But, darn it...I've planned where we're having just about every meal while we're in Anaheim!! Including a 2 mile walk (one way) to L & L Hawaiian BBQ for our first meal in Cali!! See...I'm pinging just a little about this whole journey. *le sigh*

2) I'm wanting to join the Half Fanatics Club...minimum requirements for entry at the lowest level: 2 half marathons within a 16 day time frame or 3 half marathons within a 90 day time frame. I can do the 2nd option by adding the Pecos Valley Stampede to my race schedule on 2/25. Hmmmm...OMG...I'm turning into a run monster!! I hope it's just not a mania coming on...Not that it would be a bad thing during my race! lol.

 

100 Days Challenge:

• Run/Cycle/Run class at YMCA
• 0.96 mile run on treadmill in 11:39 
• 16:30 spin/cycle session 
• 1.37 miles run/walk on treadmill in 17:55

What I Ate Today:

• 40 oz G2
• 48 oz water with lemon
• Bacon Swiss cheeseburger from Baby J's Grille
• French fries
• French bread pizza

Made my 80oz fluid intake goal for today!! Yay!!

Procrastination...friend or enemy?

I admit it, I'm a world class procrastinator. I don't know how I can be both a type A- personality (that's a story in and of itself) and a procrastinator at the same time, but I am. I can trace my history as a procrastinator back to junior high in Mrs. Matthews' English class where our assignment was to watch the mini-series Roots and write what would essentially be my very first term paper. I can remember actually writing a rough draft two days before the paper was due and then finishing up the final draft the day it was due. From that point on I began honing my craft as the current world class procrastinator that I am today.

Academically, last minute preparation served me well through high school, two associate degrees, a bachelors degree, a masters degree and the second masters and PhD that I was working on before I became too ill to carry on. Granted a lot of what got me through as well was my bipolar disorder...as long as I was on the manic end of the spectrum. Procrastination did alright by me in the work setting when it came to paperwork and such. Of course, in the process of patient care procrastination was something I could not afford!

Now that I am unable to work, I find myself spending a lot of time at home and putting off stuff around that house that should be getting done on a pretty regular basis. I'm so not the housewife type...I didn't grow up learning to cook, clean, organize, etc. I'll start something but not necessarily finish it. Or I may never start what I want to start. For instance, I leave for California in 7 days...I have yet to do laundry and start packing. You'd think that that's no big deal, but it's my very first half marathon...I really don't want to forget anything, so I should be packing and re-checking everything already.

I should have added to my 2012 to stop being a procrastinator, but I would have already failed at that!! So, as of tomorrow I stop procrastinating...at least when it comes to prepping for California! Baby steps, baby steps...maybe one day I'll actually stop procrastinating for good.

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 19: 1.9 mile walk with the big grand pup in 36:48

What I Ate Today:

• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 10 oz Swedish meatballs
• 1½ cups mashed potatoes
• ½ cup mixed vegetables
• 40 oz G2
• 1 3/4 cup rosemary potato soup
• 2 oranges
• 8 chocolate chip cookies

Stop SOPA/PIPA

You may notice the new image that I have on the right sidebar pertaining to the current legislation that is moving through the legislative process that is known at the H.R.3261 - Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA which will be discussed in the House in early February and the S.968 - Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and heft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 or PIPA which will likely be discussed in the Senate next week.  Today was a day of strike for several websites including larger sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, Google, Twitter, etc. For a period of 12-24 hours these plus other sites went dark (essentially leading users to pages about SOPA/PIPA) or visual support by blacking out their company logo to call for support in defeating these two actions. Basically, if these two pieces of legislation pass the internet will become censored and will become a shell of what it is. This would lead to many more idiotic lawsuits than there already are and our freedom (with reasonable, not over, policing) to read, listen to and watch what we like is going to be affected. You can view the full documentation of these actions at Open Congress. The link to SOPA is http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3261/show and the link to PIPA is http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/show.  The thing about these proposals is that they are badly worded and have too many loopholes which would result in an extremely censored internet. Please read and make up your own mind. You know which way I vote... :) Contact your representatives by clicking here.

100 Days Challenge:

• 5 mile run in 1:04:46 on Manana/Llano/Norris/Jonquil Park Neighborhood

What I Ate Today:

• 3 pancakes with syrup
• 3 oranges
• 1 bag microwave popcorn
• 40 oz G2
• 1 slice whole wheat toast
• 1 Tbsp Skippy Super Crunch peanut butter
• 8 oz hot water with lemon
• 1 3/4 cup Texas style beef chili
• 2 Tbsp Fiesta blend shredded cheese

Such is life

Ya know, there are some days that you can't think of anything to blog about...and this is one of those days. Oh well. It's just an activity update and food log...such is life.

100 Days Challenge:

• Walk with the dogs 1.93 miles in 40 minutes
• 1.42 mile brisk walk in 23:59 with the local running club

What I Ate Today:

• 8 oz hot chocolate with a huge dollop of whipped cream
• 3.5 oz nacho cheese Doritos 
• 1 cup taco seasoned meat
• ½ cup Fiesta blend shredded cheese
• 3 Tbsp sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp sour cream
• 2 oranges
• 20 oz G2
• 2 cups jambalaya (chicken, beef sausage, shrimp)
• 3 cups white rice

The Great Hair Adventure

My hair history is not all that outstanding, in the sense that I have played it safe for a lot of my life. When I was around 4 I had almost waist length hair which my mother chopped of just before I started kindergarten at the age of 4½. When I say "chopped" I literally mean...a boy short pixie cut. Through most of my early elementary school days I kept shortish hair and in 3rd grade had the ever popular shag reminiscent of Mrs. Brady on the Brady Bunch. While growing it out and by 4th grade I had shoulder length hair. My hair stayed that way until 9th grade when "stacked perms" became all the rage and I decided to jump on the bandwagon (along with the maxi jean jacket, elephant bells, Dittos, etc.). Sometime before 10th grade I had the perm cut off resulting in a shortish loose curled look. Then during the year a got a tight, big curl perm that looked like a bad 'fro. By the time 11th grade came around I had chopped of that 'fro into a really bad pixie. As the hair grew out again, it eventually came to resemble a chin-shoulder length loosely curled bob.

In my adult hair life, I chopped it fairly short again while I was in the US Air Force Basic Training and even had a light body wave in it. My hair traveled through another period of a semi-'fro (which I liked well enough, especially after it loosened up and started growing out just a bit), to near shoulder length and back to short. In 2007 I decided to challenge my nursing students to help me raise $1,000 at which point I promised to shave my head at the local American Cancer Society Relay for Life. They helped me raise $1,600!! I was on stage for the graduating classes pinning ceremony with a wig on (didn't want to draw attention from them) but as soon as it was over, I attended the reception totally bald! I had a bald head for about a week before the stubble started to really grow!

So, my latest venture is to dye my hair purple for the running of the inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon (my first!) which I am doing with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. The fact that I'll be decked out in my fave color (purple) which is the team's color I decided that it would be fitting to also have my hair dyed purple. So, that's what I'm in the process of doing right now. Yesterday I bleached my hair for the very first time...ever. That was an interesting experience and this was the result:

Older pic with an idea of original hair color
(more greys in front).

First application of bleach.

 

Oops! Forgot the shower cap!

After 1st bleaching, kind of a
medium, brassy yellow.

 

After 2nd bleaching,
more blonde but still
some yellow areas.

 

       Sitting with the purple dye in.
    Added a warm towel on top to
   use heat to improve uptake.

The finished color!
Color: Splat! Lusty Lavender

Another view.

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 16: 4.196 mile run with grand pup in 58:21.

What I Ate Today:

• 1 slice whole wheat toast with 1 Tbsp Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter
• 8 oz hot water with lemon
• 40 oz G2
• 1 Bacon cheeseburger on homemade roll w/ grilled mushrooms and onions (Baby J's Grille)
• 1 order of french fries (maybe 8oz)
• 2 cups white rice
• 1½ cups shrimp etouffee

Confessions of a picky eater

As I was digging through the fridge for something to make for breakfast today it dawned on me just how much I have spread my wings in the way of eating in the last decade or so of my life. Let me give you a background before I delve into the specifics.

I grew up, mostly in a single parent household with my mother as that parent. It's true, we are Filipino or in the case of my sister she is Filipino/Chinese. My mother is anything but a "typical" Filipina. The woman barely cooked and while everyone else's houses were spotless, we got by with clean enough (apparently my day to day "clean enough" is pretty slob like, lol!). Anyways, we probably ate out 5 days of the week easily. It was Burger King, Carl's Juniors', McDonald's, KFC, the Chinese place downtown, the Mexican place on the corner, Smorga Bob's, the fish 'n chips place, Straw Hat Pizza, Long John Silver's, etc. Needless to say I have never had a really strong sense of nutrition due to those eating habits...nor do I have a huge love for vegetables.

Up until the last several years the staples in my diet were beef, pork chops, dark chicken pieces, rice and potatoes. My veggies were a basic tossed salad, corn & green beans. Nothing was cooked any fancy way just pretty much straight forward everyday fare. Until the last year or so we (the husband and I) ate out probably 3-4 times a week. Can you believe that I didn't start eating broccoli until about 5 years ago? Biscuits and gravy and beef chili only about 3 years ago? I've used tofu and TVP (texturized vegetable protein) off on on in the last decade but have really just accepted tofu into the diet regularly in the last year! I've just never been very adventurous when it comes to food. Heck, even when I go to dim sum in San Francisco's Chinatown I tend to stick with food that I've eaten for a long time! And for a Filipina, I will eat very little Filipino food...oh, and do not even try to get me to eat dinuguan (Filipino pork blood stew...parents call it "chocolate meat" in hopes that kids will eat it). Been there done that will die before I eat it again!

I'm glad to be making more new choices about food, but sorry that it's taken nearly 48 years to get brave enough to do so. I can't be the only one like this. Are you a picky eater? What do you prefer and why?

100 Days Challenge:

• 7.89 mile leisurely bicycle ride...fighting the wind about half the time!

What I Ate Today:

• 1 buttermilk Grand biscuit
• 1 cup homemade sausage gravy
• 1 orange
• 8 oz glass of non-fat, lactose free milk
• 3 oz Nacho Cheese Doritos (nachos for lunch)
• ½ cup Fiesta blend shredded cheese
• 3 tsp green onion
• 3 Tbsp diced tomato
• 1 cup taco flavored ground beef
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 40 oz G2
• 1 3/4 cup beef stew
• 1 orange

A (good) long day

Well, we've finally made it back home after our day out to Santa Fe. Here's a quick recap of today's activity:

1) Wake up and get Bandit, the rescue pup (German Shepard), fed and watered for the trip to Santa Fe at 5:45-ish in the morning. Bandit spent the night with us and tolerated my pesky, sometimes pushy pack (especially the big grand pup) pretty well...by spending a lot of time safely laying down in her crate instead of roaming too much. This morning she was roaming the house and I think was on the verge of figuring out how to use the doggie door. She went to a rescue in the Santa Fe area. Oh, did I forget to mention that I remembered to get Bandit all fed...but forgot to feed our pack before we left! My bad. There were not happy campers when we got home!

Bandit at the vet.

2) 8 Mile run - I got out on this run about 45 minutes later than I had planned because I was downloading new running playlists from iTunes. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that I had changed the settings to sync all music. While I was waiting for this to finish, Bandit had to come and stick her nose in the KT Tape that I was trying to use to tape up my knees for light support or the regular athletic tape that I use to tape up my turf toe. Let me tell you, it's not easy working with tape while a curious pup is literally sniffing at the stuff while you put it on. I did think of sticking a piece on her nose, but decided not to be mean (although it would have been interesting to watch her reaction when the tape kept changing from paw to paw). Today's run was done in the memory of Sherri Arnold, a runner and school teacher in Montana who went missing during a run last Saturday and was whose body was found late this week. The run itself went pretty well and actually was my best time for that distance at 1:44:26 with a pace of 12:49 which is about 30 - 45 seconds faster than my normal. Felt really good after the run and immediately got ready for the all day drive/trip. Made my first ever smoothie (hey, I just started drinking smoothies last year!) which needed vanilla yogurt or something sweet instead of plain yogurt. Note to self: Look at some recipes for smoothies.

3) Historic Santa Fe Plaza - We used to go up to this historic area of Santa Fe fairly often when we first got to New Mexico. It's probably been 4 years or so since the old man had been up there and the only reason then was because we were transporting out first Chihuahua, Corky, to be cremated. I was last there myself probably in 2006 or so with a small group of students before clinicals started in Las Vegas, New Mexico about an hour away. We were going to go eat at Il Vicino where we've eaten several times before, but we walked past The Atomic Grill where the fish tacos and the turkey burger caught our eyes, so we ate ther for the first time. Well worth the stop...nothing fancy but our food was tasty. Next stop was The French Pastry Shop at the La Fonda Hotel just off the Plaza. This is a regular stop for me when I come to the city. I rarely have a chance to get a good Nutella crepe (I got hooked on chocolate crepes from street vendors during 2 trips to Paris). A plain Nutella crepe is $4.50 and the husbands Nutella/banana crepe ran $8 (ouch!). A nice hot cup of hot chocolate and mocha topped off dessert. When we checked out, the owner was working the register and counted out change and spoke primarily in French. First time that's occurred for me!

The French Pastry Shop & Creperie (duh!)

Santa Fe Plaza

 4) REI (Santa Fe) - Now, I didn't know that there was an REI in town. I guess it would make sense with all the outdoor things that you can do up there, but I had just never thought about it. I stocked up on Gu Energy Gels (chocolate, of course) and also picked up a couple of Clif Shot Bloks and some Honey Stingers Energy Chews and Honey Stingers Waffles (kinda like a cookie). I'll use the gels and maybe one of the Bloks during the Tinkerbell Half Marathon, but I'll try the Honey Stingers stuff during my 6 mile run next weekend or a long bike ride. The thing about the Honey Stingers is that they are all natural and organic.

REI Santa Fe, smaller than Albuquerque.
About the same size as Concord, CA.

5) Santa Fe Half Century Ride Route - We drove the entire 50 mile route to see exactly how terrifying the hills would be if we continued in our pursuit of this ride. Ummmm...really scary! The course is fairly flat and even downhill initially then becomes gentle hills progressing to rolling hills and then, one after the other, some really big ascents...14 of them! Of these, 11 were pretty quick increases in grade the other three were long, drawn out increases in elevation. We've determined this route to be too much for us as newbies with mountain bikes and slicks. So, we're going to opt out and instead do the Tour de Muleshoe in June which is only an hour away from home and relatively flat. We'll probably end up doing the 40 mile ride, but I haven't ruled out the metric century ride (62 miles).

6) Osaka Express - While we were up in the Plaza area, the first restaurant we came upon was a sushi restaurant. Unfortunately, they had already closed for lunch...just 5 minutes before. So, for dinner I decided we were having Japanese and opted for this place because it had an express side. I really didn't want to go into the full restaurant. The shrimp and vegetable tempura I had was good although the shrimp was a lot smaller than I am accustomed to getting in tempura plates. The husband got chicken teriyaki which looked more like chicken in a curry sauce. He said that it was good but didn't taste like teriyaki. The California roll was okay and the tuna nagiri was rather pricey at $5.95 for 2 pieces. We walked out of there with a $50+ bill (not including tip). I might go back there for a bento box at lunch, but next time I'll try a different Japanese grill/sushi bar.

So after a very quick stop at Target to see if they carried Fuel Belt items for runners (which they do not) we got back on the road home. I had to have the old man take over driving in Clines Corners (about an hour south of Santa Fe) because I had forgotten to take off my contacts before leaving home. For some reason when I wear my contacts at night I have fairly bad issues with night blindness, especially with on coming headlights or headlights in the rear view mirror. Ah, the joys of aging. I don't know why, but with my glasses the night blindness is barely and issue. We finally made it home just before 11:30pm (we left at 9:30ish this morning). I've typed this up and I'm ready for bed. So, farewell, adieu, aufsetzen, adios, au revoir...and good night!

100 Days Challenge:

• 8 mile long run in 1:44:26 (12:49 min/mile pace)

What I Ate Today:

• 1 Slice whole wheat toast
• 1 Tbsp peanut butter
• 1 banana 
• 6 oz hot water with lemon
• 1 Clif Shot Bloks - Black Cherry
• 50 oz G2 (during run and throughout the day)
• 18 oz mango/banana/strawberry/pineapple smoothie with 1 cup Greek yogurt & 3 tsp sugar
• 3 fish tacos (deep fried Pollack)
• 3 iced teas (1 with 3 sugars, 2 with 3 Splendas)
• 1 Nutella crepe with powdered sugar
• 1 hot chocolate
• Shrimp & vegetable tempura (6 small shrimp)
• 1 cup of white rice
• 1 cup of Miso soup
• 1 simple salad with Ranch (they were out of ginger dressing)

Dog park review & a dedication to a runner lost

 

First off I'll start with my review of the Hillcrest Dog Park here in lil' ol' Clovis, New Mexico. The park is located at Hillcrest Park and on part of the property that was the old municipal golf course. The park is just east of the old pool complex and clearly identifiable by all the cyclone fencing. There is a sidewalk leading to the area from the parking lot that leads up to a display board and the posted dog park rules. The small dog area (<30#) is to the right and the large dog area (>30#) to the left. The entrances to the areas consist of a double gate, do be careful though because these gates are new they don't always shut all the way by themselves so be sure to pull them closed behind you. The small dog area is located in the vicinity of an old green which appears to be in the process of being torn out and has quite a few trees on the west side. The large dog area is mostly open with a few trees along the southwest edge.  Right now the only amenities that are present are some old fire hydrants from the golf course which have been placed randomly throughout the runs. We happened to be checking out the park while a crew and the assumed designer were there putting up the hydrants. We were told that there would be watering stations near the south border of both areas and the benches were being put in soon In addition, there will be five poop bag (for lack of a better description) stations installed with one at the entrance and 2 in each of the areas. Hopefully people will use these bags and realize that this is not a doggy toilet! Either way, we will continue to carry our own bags just in case. The one thing that I really appreciate is that this is an area where the K9s can run free and socialize (the big grand pup really needs some social skills). Also, because it is an old golf course there are no goatheads or burrs that I've noticed. Hopefully the city will keep up the grounds so that pups don't have to worry about painful stickers in their pads. I think this will be a much needed resource here in town and I hope that the people using it will respect it and others using the facilities. Thumbs up, Clovis!

Both the big and little grand pups enjoying the small dog side of the dog park. The workers were in the large dog area and since we were the only ones there we went in the little dog area to play fetch for a while. Both kids seemed to enjoy themselves.

Front area of the large dog area, note the hydrant...
as far as I could tell they were not secured in any way.

The green in the small dog area, partly torn apart.

Secondly, I'd like to make a brief dedication of my 8 mile long run tomorrow. It was reported today that the body of Sherri Arnold a teacher in a small town in Montana had been found. Sherri had gone missing while she was out on a run this past weekend. At the start of the search for her only one of her running shoes had been found. This does have the huge question of safety, in particular for women who run solo, on the minds of runners. Even though I have only been running a few short months, I do often go on  my longer runs by myself. Most times I'm on streets here in town, but I'll also occasionally go running on rural routes. I don't normally carry pepper spray even though I have a canister of it. It's making me think that I should probably start carrying it on my long runs at least. I can take the big grand pup on the shorter runs...he only lasts about 3-4 miles even as slow as I am but I don't know how much of a deterrent he may actually be. So in essence I am joining many in the running community who will be dedicating their next runs to Sherry's memory. Not only for a runner lost, but as a stand that women runners will not give in to fear but rather will stand strong and make themselves safe from danger during their runs. Peaceful running, Sherry.

Sherri's body was reported found today.

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 13: 55 minutes at PT (recumbent stepper 8 mins, treadmill at 4mph for 10 mins, Bosu stability/balance exercises, jumper machine, stretches, bridges w/ and w/o 6" roller at feet. Officially released from PT today!
• 1 hour 1.97 mile walk with grand pups and 30 minutes of playing fetch with them.

What I Ate Today:

• 1 3/4 cups shrimp etouffee
• 3 cups white rice
• 24 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 1 slice banana bread
• French bread double pepperoni pizza (whole hoagie roll)
• 1 orange
• 40 oz G2

Shakedown ride

In preparation to begin training for the Santa Fe Century ride, I decided to teach myself how to change my bike tires and inner tubes. Now, I know how to change a car tire, but I've never had to change the tire on a bike myself. It was much easier than I had thought and within about 20 minutes and only having the old man double check that I got things right I managed to change my rear tire and inner tube. The next step was to go out on a ride. I had initially thought about taking the big grand pup out with me, holding on to his leash as I rode but technical problems came up and I took so long troubleshooting that I gave up getting him on a run. I'll try to take him out for a long walk tomorrow instead.

After about 20 minutes of troubleshooting, myself and the old man working on the problems, we were finally able to take off. It was half a mile into the ride before I realized that I had forgotten to start the GPS app so we had to stop to do that. We went on, down the bumpy road (why when road crews do patches, can they never make them level?) past one house with 2 German Shepards who were locked safely behind a wrought iron fence but barking their heads off. We turned the first corner, crossed a main road and passed another house this time with a Border Collie who was barking and chasing until it reached the wire fence around it's property. As we turned onto the next road is when this American Bull Terrier mix came chasing after us. Since I was in front it came at me first nipping at my heel before finally catching my ankle. I didn't thin that it broke skin, but there is a slight surface break with minimal bleeding but some bruising and a smaller, red area from the bottom jaw. Like I told the old man, it's a good thing I'm not afraid of dogs! That will teach me though to take pepper spray or a water pistol with my for protection. We went by one more house just down the road where the owner was out on his ATV and was able to control the dogs...when I ran this route the dogs were locked up but barked like crazy at me. Thankfully, after that no more dog adventures. The rest of the trip was pretty much uneventful.

Things I learned during this ride:

• My bike needs a serious tune-up (minimum cost $140)
• Definitely need slick tires (around $55 for a pair), too much drag with MTB tires
• Need toe cages since my feet keep slipping off the pedals
• Carry pepper spray or a water pistol
• Need to study up on gearing (bike has 18 gears)
• We're gonna be in a world of hurt if the 1,150' elevation gain is fast!
• Do not ever wear jeans for a long ride! Body Glide and bike shorts to prevent chaffing!
• Would love to get a lighter road/hybrid bike sometime this year
• Definitely need one of these so that I can ride and the grand pup can run:

Walky Dog Hands Free Bicycle Leash

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 12: 8+ mile bike ride over 1:02 hours

What I Ate Today:

• 5 slices of thick cut smoked bacon
• 2 fried eggs
• 1 slice whole wheat toast
• 2 cups Land O' Lakes Supreme Hot Cocoa with Reddi Whip
• 24 oz low fat chocolate milk
• 4 oranges
• 1 banana
• 1 3/4 cup shrimp etouffee
• 2 cups white rice
• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 20 oz G2

Santa Fe Half Century ...yikes!

Yeah, well, the website for the Santa Fe Century Ride has finally gone live (a few days later than expected). I was able to take a look at the course for the half century (50 mile) loop finally. The distance isn't what scares me most, it's the ascent! You'd think that they'd make things just a little more pleasant by doing a descent at the end of the ride, but no...there's about a 1,150 foot ascent in the last 20 miles of the ride. My quads are already hurting!! lol! I've already committed myself, in my head, to this ride. I will do this although I will have to figure out how to get the hill work in since there are basically no hills here. Looks like 2012 is going to be a year of firsts as I plan to do my first sprint duathlon about 15 days before this ride. As soon as I'm back for Tinkerbell cycling training begins in earnest...after I get some slicks to convert my mountain bike to more of a road bike. That surely will make the ride just a bit easier!

The hubs and I are doing a dog rescue transport this weekend to Santa Fe...I guess we'll take the extra time to drive the route just to see how terrifying the ascent really is. Of course, it'll be a totally different aspect from the inside of an Explorer versus being on a bike, but at least we'll know somewhat what to expect.

Santa Fe Half Century Ride

48.5 miles / 78.053184 km

Created 01.11.12 by MouseRN

Course for half century ride. Looks like a 1000' descent in the 

first 20 miles and ~1150' ascent in the last 30 miles.

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 11:  55 minutes at PT - 8 mins recumbent stepper, 10 minutes treadmill (0.73 miles), Bosu ball stability/balance exercises, jumper machine, stretches/exercises
• 5 mile treadmill run in 1:11:37

What I Ate Today:

• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 2 oranges
• 1 3/4 cups Rosemary potato soup
• 1 cup Jambalya Combo (chicken, shrimp, sausage)
• 1 ½ cup white rice
• 1 3/4 cups Texas style beef chili
• 2 Tbsp Fiesta blend shredded cheese
• 20 oz G2

Tink is getting more real

Well, things are getting more and more real as far as getting to the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. Today I received my information packet, race jersey and a half zip technical pullover from Team in Training as well as final race information from runDisney.

Front of the race jersey.

Back of the race jersey.

Back of the half zip pullover.

Front of half zip pullover with 2 pockets
and thumb holes in the sleeves.

Tomorrow I'm taking the race jersey to have my name imprinted on the front and "Tinkerbell HM 2012" on the back.  I think I'll also have the pullover imprinted with "Tinkerbell HM 2012" as well, now that I think about it!

I had planned to go to Zumba tonight, but as I was running this afternoon my hips started to ache just a little so I thought it would be better to sit it out for now. I'm going to try to get back on the same running schedule as the rest of my Flex team so I'll try to get my 5 mile run in tomorrow morning after physical therapy.

So, that's it short but sweet...I'm just tired today and not thinking quite straight for some reason. Gonna try to get some decent sleep tonight so until tomorrow...

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 10: 3.13 mile run/walk - 45 minutes

What I Ate Today:

• 3 cups bacon fried rice (diced bacon, scrambled eggs, green onions, white rice)
• 20 oz G2
• 15 pieces of  Pork & Shrimp won ton with 4 baby bok choy leaves
• 36 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 6 chocolate chip cookies
• 1 peanut butter cookie
• 3 oranges (really late night snacking at 1am)

Not a very good day for eating: no breakfast, very little fluids. Geez, really need to work on fluid intake! :-/

It's gonna busy at the land of Disney!

With it being 19 days out from my trip to Disneyland to run in the Tinkerbell Half Marathon, there's a lot of questions that are popping into my mind and not enough time to do everything that I want to do while I'm there. I have this elaborate schedule planned out of how my 3 days in the land of Disney will go. Some of it meeting an old friend, some of it meeting new friends, events associated with Team in Training and hitting up the Expo. I got word from my coach that there's even more to add to the plate which I should become aware of once I receive my TNT jersey and jacket in a couple of days. My immediate thought is...when? I need about 2-3 more hours added to the day! lol! Here's my schedule so far:

Friday-
1:30pm - Arrive at LAX
3:30pm - Arrive at hotel via shuttle
4pm - Be at the Expo at the Disneyland Hotel

Saturday-
11:30am - Lunch with a high school friend I haven't seen in 30 years!
3:30pm - Meet up with members of the Tinkerbell Half Marathon Facebook group
5:30pm - Team in Training Inspiration Dinner
~9pm - TNT Team meeting
10pm - I hope to be tired enough to sleep since it'll be 11pm at home in NM

Sunday-
~3:30am - TNT Team meeting
5am (or earlier) - Be at the starting line in my corral
5:45am - Race starts (guessing that the last corral, where I am, won't go until closer to 6:30am)
10am - Finish the race (if not sooner)
11am - Recovery (protein) and ice bath, if needed
12:30pm - Disneyland for the day until I'm too tired to walk (haven't been there in over 15 years!)
2am - In bed!

Monday -
7am - Be at or at least headed to LAX for the flight home

I think I'm pretty good with what I'm actually packing for the race. Now I need to get things ready for my personal wardrobe. It's going to include Team in Training stuff, pixie wing shirts, jeans and maybe some running skorts to choose from if the weather is warm enough.

Still trying to decide when to bleach and dye my hair purple. Maybe tonight? Whenever I do, I'll post a pic! :)


100 Days Challenge:

• Day 9: Attended Run/Cycle class at the YMCA. Mostly walked instead of run on the treadmill for 25 minutes since I ran 13+ miles yesterday. Spin/cycling for 26 minutes.

What I Ate Today:

• 1 3/4 cup beef stew
• 1½ oranges
• 2 peanut butter cookie
• 1 chocolate chip cookie
• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 6 oz Swedish meatballs with gravy
• 1½ cups mashed potatoes
• 1 cup mixed vegetables
• 1 banana
• 20 oz G2

No breakfast...not good! Still need to work on drinking water! :-/

I CAN run (mostly) a half marathon!

Today I did something that I would have thought a year ago would be impossible. I finished a half marathon length long run/walk...that's 13.1 miles. For someone who has, throughout life, avoided running as much as possible I see this as a great accomplishment. Now, I'm by no means fast. My pace was about 13:30 minutes per mile and it took me 2:59:03 to finish the run. But like the image below says:

I broke with the training schedule which called for a 10 mile run which was supposed to be the longest run during training, but I just needed to know that I could run a half marathon. Now that I've done it, a lot of the anxiety of wondering whether or not I could do it has melted away. I know that if I've done it once, I can do it again and during the race that self talk that "you've done it before!" can really mean something. 

Now that I know that I can do the distance, I counting on two things to make my time faster. First, the fact that I'll be running at an elevation of 147' rather than my normal 4,300'. That elevation change was a big help when I ran my first 10K in Big Sur, California back in October. Secondly, the adrenaline rush of a big race. By no means am I out there to place...lol! That would take a miracle!! :) But even when I volunteered at the Nike Women's Marathon in November, I could feel the adrenaline push...and I wasn't even running. In the majority of my races so far my times have improved into the 11-12 minute mile range (my  normal training is 13-14 minute miles), so I'm hoping that trend will continue.

I think that it'll help that I'll actually be able to look for the husband and a friend from high school (whom I haven't seen since graduation 30 years ago) cheering for me on the course. The fact that I won't be so "alone" in running in that I'll be running with Team in Training and a wonderful group of ladies from the Tinkerbell Half Marathon Facebook page. I may possibly be alone running at times, but that's okay, been there done that as long as I don't give up!

What are my biggest fears between now and the race? Injury. You can bet that I'm going to take care of myself and not push too hard. I'm on the taper end of training so the runs will be getting shorter. I'm going to avoid anything that has triggered pain in the past and I'm going to do my stretches and exercises to keep strong. I'll be damned if I end up not participating due to injury...I'll crawl if I have to!! lol!

So, here's to happy running until and throughout the Tinkerbell HM!! Hoorah!! :D

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 8: 13.3 mile run in 2:59:03

What I Ate Today: 

• 1 slice whole wheat toast with 1 Tbsp Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter
• ½  banana
• 8 oz warm water with 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• ½ pack of Power Bar Energy Gel - Chocolate (YUCK!! Gag me!! Threw it and another unused one away!)
• 1 full Clif Shot Bloks - Tropical Punch (Eh. Too rubbery when it's cold out. Will use only in warm weather from now on.)
• 6 oz water
• 6 oz G2
• 2 fried eggs
• 1 regular sausage patty (Half a monster patty that I burned beyond recognition!)
• 15 pcs Pork & Shrimp Wontons
• 12 oz lowfat chocolate milk
• 1 3/4 cups Texas style beef chili (It's that kind of weather!)
• 2 Tbsps Fiesta blend shredded cheese
• ~1 ½ c Tostitos Scoops
• 24 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 6 chocolate chip cookies

Zumbathon...done!

So, I'm currently sitting here at the 4 Hour Zumbathon that I'm hosting for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. The turnout is smaller than the last one I had in November but any fundraising is good fundraising. So far I've raised a total of $380 for this event. In addition to my virtual run (which raised $510) that brings me to $890, almost half of my goal of $2,000. I'm planning another Zumbathon and 5K Real Life & Virtual Run/Walk for March or April before Relay happens. Hopefully with those events and letter writing I'll be able to reach the $2,000 goal!

Monica Vigil teaching hour 1.

Brooke Hall & Ashley Pyle-Golbaum teaching hour 2.

Brienna Scott teaching hour 3.

Amy Szaloy teaching hour 4.

100 Days Challenge:

• 30+ minutes of Zumba while hosting the 4 Hour Zumbathon.

What I Ate Today:

• 1 slice whole wheat toast with 1 Tbsp Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter
• 12 oz non-fat, lactose free milk
• 8 oz Shrimp scampi
• 2 cups white rice
• 8 oz Gatorade
• 1 3/4 cup Texas style beef chili
• 2 Tbsp Fiesta blend shredded cheese
• 1 small piece of English Toffee (~ 1" x 1")
• ~1 cup Tostitos scoops
• 1/2 navel orange