Fit For A Princess Expo

We made it!

Half marathon swag

Look at all the stuff I bought...eek

Ok, simply stated... it was completely overwhelming but awesome. I knew that it would be huge but I never expected it to be as big as it actually was. I will post a detailed report when I get back to Atlanta.

Leaving... But Not On A Jet Plane

So, I leave first thing in the morning. I can't believe that this day is finally here, it seems almost surreal. I will try to post some things while there but can't make any promises. I will definitely have a weekend and race report when I get back. Now, I am just praying for a safe trip and strong legs.

I'm Too Excited To Sleep

Ok, so I am a dork and I am too excited to sleep. Plus, I am working on the packing list for the trip. I don't think I freaked out this much when I travelled to The House Of Mouse with the family in the summer. I know that I am forgetting something but I am not sure what.

So, give me suggestions. What did you forget or feel was super important to have when you ran your first half?

I Could Just Burst

I know, I've been MIA but I'm so darn pumped about Disney that I can barely function. Is this normal? I've even started organizing the things I'm going to pack everything I won't be needing from now until Friday, and check my list a million times.

My parents get here on Thursday,and they'll keep Bella, that way Patrick gets a weekend off too.  Double score! Bella is super psyched to see Grandma and Grandpa, and I think she's excited because they'll let her run wild.

Alright, I'll post more later after I'm done with my pedicure. Who posts from the nail place?! ...this girl, that's who.

Things I've Learned In The Last 9 Months

Yesterday, I was thinking about all the things I've learned since I started this little running adventure 9 months ago. Some of what I learned was about running, some is about myself.

• Running doesn't suck, shocking I know, but I really did not enjoy it when I started
• I now look forward to my runs, and I get bummed if I have to miss them.
• Running is very much a mental game
• Running hurts sometimes but the feeling of running completely outweighs the pain
• It's cheaper than therapy
• The right shoes make all the difference. 
• Blood = BAD ASS (at least it is in my books) See this post
• Running in rain/sleet etc. = BAD ASS
• I am a sock snob, I found a kind of sock that I like and will not use any other. Thorlo Experia Coolmax socks (I own a lot of these and in a variety of colors)
• Still on the subject of socks, I refuse to wear my white socks to race in. I wore white for the first 5K and I decided that white socks are bad luck for me. I know it's weird but that's just me. I plan on wearing the orchid or turquoise socks for the Princess, in case you were wondering.
• I learned the importance of wicking fabrics. I started out wearing cotton...never again.
• I learned the importance of fuel
• I've learned what bonking is
• I've become close friends with my foam roller
• Learned how to properly tie my shoe laces, sounds simple but there is a wrong way to do this apparently.
• Not every run is a superstar, rockstar run and I have had to learn to deal with that
• I feel pretty bad ass every time we go on a long run
• I learned what glide is, and that it's a wonderful thing.
• The fine people at the Kroger on our running route are very nice and are kind enough to share their restrooms with us on our runs
• I actually like being outside even in the cold, when I started I dreaded going to run outside
• I learned that if you run you are a runner, it was a long time before I felt like a real runner. 
• Slow is the new fast 
• Most importantly, I learned that I am capable of a lot more than I could have ever imagined.

What have you learned since you've started running?

REST?! I Guess I Can Handle That

So, if you read my last post you saw that I have an ear infection and sinusitis. Normally, something like this would not slow me down, but this time I am completely spent. Monday evening, I covered a friend's Zumba class, and afterwards I was completely exhausted more so than I normally would be. When I got home, I was ready for bed. Keep in mind that Patrick and I's 7th anniversary was on Monday, but we were both so done that we were in bed by 9, I think that officially makes us old married people. I took Bella to school Tuesday morning and went home and headed straight to bed, so not my normal MO. I had planned on resting but going back to bed was not what I had planned. I did go to Bosu but I did have a few moments where I felt really dizzy and had to take a minute to gather myself. I took it easy the rest of the day and even skipped Zumba to stay home and rest. Can you believe it?! Me skipping Zumba and resting... what next? I'm hoping to feel well enough to get a run or two in by the end of the week. I can rest if it means that I can run and be well enough for Disney. So, rest and I are about to get reacquainted.

Heart To Heart 5K Race Report

*Warning- Picture heavy post*

This was a super cool race because it supports Bella's school and it's the school's biggest fundraiser. To add to the wonderful day, my dear friend Lisa was racing with us for the first time. I don't get to see Lisa often, so I was beyond jazzed to be able to do this with her. Then to top it off, Bella was set to run the 1 Mile Fun Run with Karen's incredible daughter. This was Bella's first race, and I think she's hooked.

Bella was pumped and ready to go! 

Crossing the finish line

She was so proud of herself

Posing with her finisher ribbon

Bella "trained" for this race running laps around the kitchen and at the childcare at the gym. On race day, Bella confided in me that she hoped her training paid off, it was the cutest thing ever. After the race, she was beyond proud of herself. Then later, she told me that she had to train harder for the next race. Have I mentioned that I love that kid?

Looking so sexy before the race LOL

My dear friend Lisa and I (our first time racing together)

We were ready to go

I had hoped that this race would be a PR for me, but then again, I hope that every race is a PR. We walked to the start, had our traditional inappropriate banter, and then we were off. There were four of us running together, so we set ourselves up two by two so we didn't hog the whole path. As soon as we started moving, I had to pee, let me tell you that I had even hit the bathroom before we started because of this... what a mess. By the time I hit mile 1, the trouble really started setting in. I was so stuffed up and couldn't blow it out (thank heavens for my trusty hanky that Karen bought me). I slowed the pace and tried to get myself together. Karen and Lisa were having a great race and they went ahead, which is cool because I can finish the race on my own. Goes back to what Shannon had said to me about running for no one but myself. Somewhere between miles 2 and 3, I got dizzy, really dizzy, and it scared me a little because at this point I was on my own. I diverted from the 5/1 plan so that I could try to get a handle on myself. Then, I had some negative thoughts creep up, not good. So, I am having a little mental battle with myself, and I was feeling like crud, not a good combination. Closer to the end of the race, the principal of the school caught up to me, we walked and chatted for a while, it was very pleasant. Then, we came up on the finish, so I ran, and I saw Bella standing near the finish cheering me on so I grabbed her hand and she ran with me across the finish. I finished in 45:11, not a PR but it doesn't matter. The overall morning was fun even if I didn't feel my best. 

Ran across the finish with Bella who
was waiting near the finish line.

Looking like total rockstars!! Might have missed our
true calling...

After the finish. Our hair looked frightful, it seemed
to have a life of it's own.

Then came the best part of the morning... we went to IHOP. Guess what I got for breakfast... PANCAKES! YUM! Plus, the balloon lady was there so we got a few balloons. Check out the awesomeness.

Lisa got this awesome turtle bracelet

Bella borrowed Emma's tiara and got some
cool butterfly wings.

I borrowed the tiara so I could practice for Disney.

FYI- I went to the doctor and it turns out I have sinusitis and an ear infection. Thank goodness he was on board for treating it aggressively (not my normally what I would do), but I have to be better for Disney. 

Quick Note About My Weight Loss

If you look on the links at the top there is one where I track my weight loss. If you look it hasn't been updated in over a month. In January, I decided that I was going to hide the scale until after the half because I didn't need that dictating my mood and giving me something else to stress over. I will start posting my weight again the first Saturday in March. I suspect that I have not lost weight, and possibly packed on a few pounds in the last month or so but it's really not that big of a deal because that is not my focus right now.

Fierce Friday

This was about as fierce I could get tonight

A Few Fierce Things

• My new cut and color. Will post a good picture of it this weekend.
• The new Lady Gaga song "Born This Way
• My Asic Tri-Noosa 6 shoes... they make me happy (not great for running, but AWESOME for Zumba an Groove)
• Bella's excitement about her one mile race at her school
• Bella's excitement about starting running club at school on Monday.
• My Zumba class

Well, That Was Harder Than I Thought It Would Be.

This is kind of what I had going on in my closet.

So, I cleaned out my closet. All the old clothes that have not fit in months are officially out of my closet, and it's sad to see how little I have left in there. So, I thought it would be this easy thing to just clear the old stuff out of there but it was tough and it was surprisingly emotional. I guess it was the statement of "Im not going back there" that really made it surprisingly difficult. When it was all said and done I filled 4 garbage bags with clothes headed to the women's shelter. I did keep a couple of things... the first pair of pants I wore to the gym, and the outfit in this picture....

I plan on taking a picture of myself wearing the outfit once I reach my goal. Should make for a heck of a picture.

In other news, I had my final long run before the half today. We started with this awesome attitude and we were ready for a kick ass long run. We started out well, but fizzled by the time we hit the 5 mile mark. We were mentally there, our fuel and hydration was there, but we were both exhausted and more so than what you would expect. We eeked out another two miles, and decided when we hit 7 that we would walk that last mile back to the cars. This was not one of our most bad ass moments. That being said, not every run can be this awesome bad ass rockstar run, and we understand that. We got some miles in, and we have a race at Bella's elementary school on Saturday. Maybe there will be some redemption there. We'll see.

Last but not least... just had to share that I am picking up another Zumba class on Wednesday evenings. WOOHOOO!!!!! Plus, I am getting my hair done tomorrow... double plus!

New Additions To The Playlist

Before I let you all in on what I added to the running playlist. I will report that I got in a short run yesterday and another one today. My schedule has been insane this week so, trying to fit the runs in anywhere I can. I feel ready for Disney...slow but ready. I even bought myself this awesome bracelet today at Charming Charlie's that says "fearless". I am going to be fearless from here on out. I also taught a Zumba class tonight which was just incredible. LOVE TEACHING! Love spreading the Zumba love with everyone.

I added a few new tunes to the running playlist. Can you believe that it was sadly lacking in Britney?! Who does that?! Apparently, this girl... I know, what a disappointment. So, I added copious amounts of Ms. Spears' music, and I felt like it still needed a little something. So, I added some songs...

• "You Make The Rain Fall" by Kevin Rudolf feat. Flo Rida
• "Revolver" by Madonna
• "Danza Kuduro" by Don Omar feat. Lucenzo (I use this song in my Zumba class)
• "Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor) by Pitbull feat. T-Pain
• "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake (don't judge, it's catchy)

Won A Book

So, I entered to win an autographed copy of Run To Overcome and I won a copy. How cool is that?! Just thought that I would share the link with you guys. http://www.runtoovercome.com/index.php/sweepstakes There are daily winners and monthly grand prize winners.

Once I get it and read it, I will definitely post a review.

Monday's post.. only a day late

Just overlook the fact that I look like a hobo... I don't know why the hobo look hasn't caught on.

The Bad & The Bad Ass

Before I get to my post, go to this blog and make a donation here. 

At least the view from yesterday's run was pretty....

So, I went for a little run by myself yesterday afternoon before picking Bella up from school. Karen is on a set working on a commercial, oh the life of a super cool make up artist. Great for her, sucky for my running situation. Anyways, I sucked it up, got myself dressed and headed out. First and foremost, let me just say that I had some issues with the running skirt/capri combo from runningskirts.com. My particular issue with this outfit is that I am still too big to rock this look, it'll be a little while before I can fit into it properly. Bummer because the skirt/capri combo is cute, and the capris under the skirt were super comfy.  So, walking at first was fine, but as soon as I started running, the skirt started riding up and it wasn't pretty. Had I not had the capris underneath, I would have given the others on the paths a free show, Momma has bills to pay, I can't be showing it all for free. Then, to add to the suck fest that was Wednesday's run, I had to pee the entire time, and I had gone to the bathroom right before I ran... WTF?!  Of course, there had to be more, I was having some knee pain and some calf discomfort. I know the knee pain is due to the arthritis, so that wasn't a surprise, just an annoyance and a reminder of the permanent damage I have done to my joints with the extra weight.

I am very coddled having someone to run with even on the treadmill. I had a huge hit reality when I went out on my own yesterday. I think that mentally, it put me in a bad head space and I didn't put on my big girl panties like I should have. Even my music made me mad, and I was being a huge baby. I finished my 3 miles and stomped off to my car and sulked. I thought that going to Zumba in the afternoon would help me shake it off, but all it did was make me extra tired and slightly irritable.

Today on the other hand was going to be my redemption run and was it ever. After Groove, I went and changed out of my stinky Groove stuff, put on all my running gear and headed over to the lake. As I was leaving the gym, it was sprinkling but nothing that was going to keep me from the redemption run. The sprinkles turned into full on rain. I started out, my music was right, I felt great, and I was determined to get in 4 miles by myself. I tried to stick to the 4:1 interval plan but that part didn't work out exactly as planned, I walked a little more than I would have liked. I am motoring along and at about 1.75 miles into the run, it hit me that I was already doing so much better than yesterday. Then that rain turned into sleet, by the time I hit mile two, it really started coming down and I started feeling pretty BAD ASS! I was smiling to myself the whole time. The only issue with my bad ass moment was the slick conditions it caused on parts of the paths, but I managed. By mile three, I just felt such a sense of accomplishment even though the Garmin was reminding me that I was SLOW. I passed a doggy show down, and some guy who may or may not have been a crackhead (don't see too many of those in Peachtree City), just to keep things interesting. By the time I got back to the car I was so happy. I was buzzing because I finished, and finished the run on my own, and because I ran in the rain and sleet. This one is going down in the Book of Bad Assery!

Weekend of AWESOME

Front of my new shirt... I LOVE IT!

This is the back of the shirt.

I woke up Saturday morning ready for Karen and I's long run. I was ready, we had a plan, and I had a super awesome shirt to wear (see the pic above). I started getting ready, and Footloose was on... which obviously was a sign that it was going to be a good run LOL. I had my regular oatmeal with almond butter, and some coffee (this would later turn out to be a mistake... the coffee, not the oatmeal). I listened to "River Deep, Mountain High" on my way to the lake, to get myself pumped up. I was ready to go, well, mostly. Karen and I had to pack our new FuelBelts with the water bottles and our fuel for the run, which took us a little while because we had to make sure everything was just right, we were determined to have an incredible run. Once we were squared away, we were off, we stuck to 4:1 intervals which really is great for us. This was also our first run in our new shoes, not the smartest idea we've ever had, but they were going to have to be broken in eventually...right? The fuelbelt was wonderful other than the fact that I could not fit my phone in the little pouch, so I had to wear the spibelt as well. I have to have my phone with me in case of emergencies and because my head my spin off if I don't have it with me, yup, I'm a phone junkie. We started strong, and we were really good about keeping a fairly even pace throughout the whole run. There is something to be said for sticking to the plan. There were a few points where I got in my head a little and when I told Karen I needed to get out of my head, she suggested we talk it out. Thank goodness we did because it was the push I needed to get through it. One of the few issues that we had during the run was that even with the fuelbelts we still needed more water. We stopped to fill them up at a grocery store on the route twice but I think that we both need to add an extra bottle to those bad boys. Another is issue was not physical but mentally pushing through the last mile, we were ready to be done with it, but we pushed and finished the entire 11 miles. It was BAD ASS!!

On the way home something very interesting happened. It finally hit me, that we are actually going to finish this. I guess that before this, I thought that I would finish but on Saturday it became very real. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face, and when I got home, Patrick was outside holding two fingers up for 11. It was super sweet, and he went on and on about how proud he was of us. So, there it is in writing, there is no option but to finish this thing.

Needless to say, I rode the high from the run for the rest of the day. I thought I was pretty bad ass, and went to Groove launch Saturday evening. Now, that may have been overkill, but we all know that's how I roll. It was a ton of fun, and Karen brought me a gift too. She found these little mouse ears with a tiara at Claire's, so we have our ears and tiara for the half.

Sunday was spent with the family, and of course I hit the gym as well. Just a pleasant day!

All around a weekend of AWESOME!!!