I'm Melting! MELTING! Oh, What A World!

Ok, so I didn't melt but I felt like I was going to melt when I was out running yesterday morning with my new friend Pam from Moms Run This Town. What?! You're a mom and haven't check out Moms Run This Town? Go, check it out, there might be a chapter in your area, if not, why not start one? OK, back to the run, we got an hour in. With the heat and then the fact that I had to team teach a Zumba class that evening, an hour in that humidity was all I could handle. I do have to say that I really appreciated having someone there to keep me accountable and even more to have someone to chat with. I would have taken myself back to the couch after dropping B off at lacrosse camp instead of running, but I had someone waiting for me. The very best thing of all was having someone who could quite easily run much, much faster slow down and "run" at my snail's pace, it meant the world to me.

Hello, is it me you're looking for?

I know, I've been MIA for a very long time. I haven't fallen down a well, disappeared into thin air or had a terrible accident while riding my unicorn. I'm just kidding, I don't have a unicorn... it's against the law.

So, life has been interesting around here and I have failed to update the blog here, but it's time to have some accountability in my life. The weight has yo-yoed and it's not healthy, I have been working hard to get the weight under control and finish out the weight loss because I really want the skin removal surgery, plus I just want to be in a place where I am working on maintaining the weight. I am still running, it hadn't been going well up until recently. I had been putting some unrealistic expectations on myself and setting myself up for disappointment. Somewhere along the way I had forgotten to celebrate what I have already accomplished. Also, and this is kind of HUGE, I am about to give up some of my Zumba classes, I am keeping two classes at one gym. This was not an easy decision to come to because I love teaching Zumba so much and I love my students but I have to take care of myself. My body needs a break and I need to focus on my weight loss which has been hard since I have been teaching so much, this is especially important because I signed up for the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa. Yup, a full marathon... I have lost my mind.

I'll be around more and if I'm not, please feel free to give me a swift kick in the butt either here, or on twitter @LucyATL or shoot me an email at runchunky@gmail.com.

Tonight, It All Clicked Again

So, I decided to head to the gym this evening to hit up Group Ride (a cycling class) and during class it all clicked again. What clicked, you ask. What clicked was the feeling that I had when I was killing it with the weight loss. I couldn't have asked for a better feeling! I have been spinning my wheels in the weight loss department for the last year, the weight goes up, it goes down and I've been unhappy. I worked too hard to screw this up, I am strong, and I know what I have to do to get the job done. Tonight, I felt like I finally got some traction, let's get this weight off and turn on 110% BEAST MODE.

LET'S GO!!!

2012 Disney's Half Marathon Weekend and Race Report

Ok, here we go. It's going to be a long one, so, get a snack, settle in. I once again drove down to Orlando with K. Along the way, we stopped in Tifton, GA to have breakfast with one of my dearest friends... Lisa! It was such a treat because I so rarely get to see her because she's so busy with work and school. 

We were having a great time on the drive down there, and even making great time. Once we crossed into Florida, we were bombarded with signs for stores selling oranges and one even advertised having a giant alligator. We stopped to see said stuffed gator, and I have to say, they may have lied about the size of their gator. Is that a common thing in Florida?

We managed to make it to Orlando, found our sad little hotel and headed to the expo. This year, the number pick up was in a tent across from the Jostens Center, and we then had to head inside to pick up our shirts... REALLY?! I mean c'mon, I like the fact that pick up was in a separate place but t-shirt pickup couldn't be in the same place? Oh we didn't even get an even bag like last year, just a plastic runDisney bag, I felt slightly robbed. Also, there wasn't any swag, there was a virtual race bag, but it was lack luster at best. I pay a lot of money, throw something fun in there for me....pretty please, I love swag.

Here's my expo swag, I kept it pretty low key compared to K who did some serious shopping.

Saturday morning, we hit Downtown Disney and like a big dork, I was mesmerized by all the stuff outside of the lego store. I love legos and so does B.

K and I also did a little exploring outside of the touristy part of Orlando, and hit up a local running store called Track Shack. Saucony was there with their trailer full of shoes to try out, and I might have found a new love... the Hurricane 14 shoes. They felt like a little slice of heaven on my feet, I am going to look into getting a pair to put into rotation. I was supposed to meet up with some people from a Facebook running group, but when it came time to get ready, I had to make the executive decision to stay in that night. I won't get into the details here but it was just for the best. I did manage a trip to the store to buy myself a beer (to calm some of the nerves), some sour gummies (because I love gummies), and a powerade.

Then came race morning, believe it or not I had a half decent night's sleep. K and I got ready and headed to Epcot bright and early. She and I parted ways after we got there because she had purchased the Race Retreat package and I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much money on it, and the weather was wonderful, so there wasn't a huge need for it anyways. I headed over to the dj booth, and got my groove on. I was dancing with some people from the massage team and some other random princesses. I even got on the tv screens, I'm sure because I was droppin' it like it was hot! LOL I even got to meet up with an FB running friend who is just an amazing woman, she had some clothes for me because she has lost an incredible amount of weight. It was wonderful to meet her even briefly because she's just such an inspiration.

This fabulous Drag Queen was there for the festivities.

I was texting back and forth with my friend Danielle, because I wanted to catch a picture of us before the race, and we ended up chatting on our walk from the little athlete's village are to the corrals. Somewhere in the conversation, Danielle decided to drop back so she could run the race with me. I know it's selfish but it totally made me day.

You can just see bits of my tutu, which didn't stay on me long.

This year I got to be up close to the starting line when our corral went out, and even managed a picture of the Fairy Godmother, who did a much better job of sending us out this year.

The first half of the race went by pretty fast, we chatted. We were snapping pictures with our phones, and stopped for a few pictures inside the Magic Kingdom.

Even though I'm looking down and doing something funny with my hands, this is
one of my favorite pictures.

Then it happened, because of all of our stops the dreaded balloon girls caught up to us as we were leaving the Magic Kingdom. No, we weren't swept, but those chicks sure were bossy. I know that they were trying to be helpful but fear of being swept that always haunts me didn't let the rational part of my brain work.  The intervals went out the window, I was feeling sore, and then when it started to drizzle, I fell apart. I was a wreck and had it not been for Danielle who pulled me, I am not sure I would have been able to make it. That being said, it was still a fantastic time, especially getting to spend it with a dear friend. Oh did I mention that we ran into a dude that was bedazzled?! Yup, he was totally bedazzled, from his face to his chest, down his legs and even his running shoes were bedazzled. To make the whole thing better, he was wearing a tutu, and had his hair up in spikes... it was AWESOME!  Once we hit mile 10 or 11 (can't quite remember), Danielle reminded me that Bella and my parents would be at the finish waiting for me, and that was all I needed. Every time that I started to want to quit,  I remembered Bella, I wanted her to see me finish strong. This time when we approached EPCOT, I managed to not have a panic attack....SCORE!! Although, I did manage to cry like a baby when we got to the gospel choir, and the tears flowed as we neared the finish. Not even sure why. Danielle again, got me to get it together, so we danced a little, high fived and jogged it across the finish. I would have loved a sprint across the finish but I just didn't have it in me. The lovely volunteer handing out medals was in tears, so that just set me off crying again. I was a mess to say the least. Half marathon #5 was DONE! Guess who missed it?! Yup, Bella and my parents were stuck on the bus on their resort to Epcot, so I didn't get to see them until after I had settled down. 

Second half marathon together

#5 for me! 

After the race, K and I headed back to the hotel, got cleaned up, packed up the car and met Bella and my parents. We had a little lunch and I got to see my family for a little while before we headed back home. All in all, a pretty wonderful race weekend. Can't wait until next year, it'll be the fifth anniversary of the race and one of my dearest friends is considering as her first half marathon. 

Princess Half Marathon Road Trip Starts In The Morning

Heading to Orlando in the morning for my second go around at the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I'm so excited, and I plan on having the very best time. Here we go....

Was That A Cupcake?

Tonight, I had a speedwork session on the schedule. Earlier in the day Wifey from Run Wifey Run posted this on Facebook. 

Photo Source

When I saw it, it hit home, then the Coach mentioned it as well. She brought up a good point about it too, I have sometimes run with a physical person whom we'll refer to as Doubt. I decided that because I had a speedwork session on the schedule, I would take that quote and write it on my arm. So, during the run I had something to look at to keep me going strong when I really just wanted to slow down. It worked like a charm, it was great to have something that was visible to help keep me focused.

While I was on the treadmill, I was delirious because I looked over to the treadmill beside me just to peek at what they were watching, and I could have sworn I saw a cupcake on the screen. That being said, it took me a second to realize that no, it wasn't a cupcake on the screen, it was something different all together. After that, all I could think about were cupcakes. Yup, I had cupcakes on the brain and it wasn't pretty because I would have cut someone for a delicious cupcake at that moment. I obviously have a twisted obsession with those delicious little pastries that are a little bit of heaven. After the Princess, I am definitely going to have a cupcake.

Coming Out Of Hiding

Slowly, but surely I am coming out of bloggy hiding. I had big plans for the blog in 2012, then when everything went down with Patrick, things got hectic around here... I know what you're thinking... lame excuse Lucy.

Anyways, let me get you updated on the goings on with me. When I came home from my trip to Toronto for New Years I got on the scale for the first time in a while and imagine my surprise when I saw that I had gained 20 pounds... yup, 20. NOT GOOD AT ALL. Seeing that number, then the subsequent events with Patrick sent me into BEAST MODE. There was NO reason that I should have gained that weight, there is no reason that I am not closer to my goal weight by now. I have managed to lose a few pounds and I am back on track and in FULL BEAST MODE. I'm keeping up with my weight training, running, cross training and teaching my Zumba classes.

Photo Source

So, when I was in Toronto, I was given an awesome gift. I was given the entry fee for the Disney Princess Half Marathon, so I could an experience the magic all over again. So, the countdown to my road trip down to Orlando is on! I am excited for the race, it'll be half marathon #5 and I plan on enjoying this race as much as humanly possible. I am traveling down there with K but I will be running alone because K runs much faster than me and she has someone running her pace that will be down there. I get an awesome bonus, my parents are taking B to Disney World that weekend and will be at the finish line to watch me earn my tiara bling. I think it's important for B to see not just me finish but other finishers as well.

So, I've been logging a lot of miles by myself, and I have figured out a few things. First of all, if I am on the treadmill, I need to be watching a movie. So I have a few movies that have come with a digital copy, and I load the movies onto the ipod and I've watched the same few movies over and over but it works for me. Also, I found some great music mixes on Rock My Run, if you haven't had a chance to check them out, they are definitely worth looking into. I'm always looking for new music inspiration.

Anyways, I am back on track, back into the blogging world. I missed some race reports so what I think I am going to do is make one big post with the missing race reports pics at least.