2 days after the Disney Princess Half Marathon

What an amazing experience. The morning started at 2:30am. Yes, that early! We woke up, got ready, packed up our car and were off to the race. A DJ, lights and over 20,000 of our closest friends were there to join our group. Everyone waiting for that same moment when we are in our corral and it's finally time to get this marathon on the way! One by one, each corral was told to go with a round of fireworks and cheer. We were in corral F so it took quite while but when it was our turn, I remember thinking of all the runs it took to get me here and right when I crossed that start line, I felt gratitude that I could be here and that I had made it all the way here and felt great about it. The race began, we took off and you have to give credit to Disney for making it a show along the way. Plenty of places to take picstures although the lines were so long that I decided to keep going. There were 3 of us together then 2 then my friend stepped away for a second to grab water and she didn't tell me and so I had kept going. When I looked back, she was nowhere in sight and I decided to keep going and to keep going strong.

I went into my own thoughts and took in every single second, character, view and kept going. I crossed the finish line 2 hours, 31 minutes and 26 seconds after having started. When I saw the finish line I remember thinking, "I DID IT". And I had done it, I had finished what I had started many months ago and I felt great! Just one problem, I want to do it again...

My friend and I left the race in such elation and then the hunger set in! I checked my heart monitor and realized that I had burned over 2,000 calories. So here's a picture showing you how real princesses eat.

Cracker Barrel - CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN, YEAH

I used to wonder why people got so addicted to running and now I am one of them but now I know the answer. It's the power of knowing you can do this, it's the glory of crossing that finish line and getting your medal, it's the satisfaction of setting out to do something that not everyone does, it's the getting healthy and noticing that you not only look fit but you feel fit, the energy, the high, the physical health, and the fun. All these things lead to my running addiction. Next stop, Key Biscayne Half Marathon in April. I'm ready. Bring it!

2 days left till the Disney Princess Half Marathon

It's Friday before the race and I got my butt on the scale today and low and behold, I cleared the 150's. It's 149.50 but it is a huge goal that I wanted to get to before going off to complete my first half marathon. I am stoked and happy. 10 more lbs to get to my goal weight. FINALLY!

On another note, we (one of my best friends and I) leave tomorrow morning at 7am to begin our journey towards our first half marathon. Some of the group that has been training together left today. I can not believe the day is here and I can't wait to soak it all up. Today I rest and tomorrow as well and it is NOT easy to not do any exercise after doing so much. I feel restless and anxious. Perhaps that will help me run better on Sunday!  

5 days away from the Disney Princess Half Marathon

Tapering SUCKS! 5 days until my first half marathon and I'm supposed to taper (run a lot less) the last 2 weeks going into a race. As hard as it was to get used to running a lot, it's even harder to get used to running less. I find myself anxious and wanting to put on my shoes and go for a long run but I can't, not until Sunday! UGHHHHH Tapering helps with not having tired legs and with giving you that extra rest right before a long race so you can go harder and faster. In the meantime, you have to deal with your body being restless and having a lot of extra energy due to the cutback of exercising. 

Since I have this extra time and energy, I thought myself brave this morning and dug into my old clothes to find that I could almost fit into my pre-baby jeans. WHAT?!?! Can it be?! I'm about one inch away from closing those suckers and about 10 lbs away from pre-baby weight. So close, so close... 

That being said, I don't think I've ever been as completely physically fit as I am these days. Funny looking back, to think of where I was a year ago... Thank you running!

Sub 30 5K

My neighborhood had their yearly 5K this morning. I was 14 seconds over a sub 30 5K the last time I ran a 5K race. For those that don't know, it means you run 3.1 miles (5K) in less than 30 minutes. That was my goal this morning as I ran over to the clubhouse where the race starts. I did an easy slow jog on the way there to get warmed up. I focused and envisioned myself going steady and just a bit faster than I did last time. I wanted to finally do that 5K in under 30 minutes. I was surrounded by high school kids that were trying to run this 5K in under 20 minutes. Ah, youth, what beauty! They took off at a full sprint and I could barely see them when I rounded the corner. That was okay, I took off at my goal pace. I was doing great when some man stopped right in front of me to tie his show. The word IDIOT almost left my lips but I was too worried about crashing into him and I jumped to my left thinking I wouldn't make it and would stumble over him. I did make it. The adrenalin rush was convenient. When I hit two miles, the timing clock said 18min 59sec. I was under 30 minutes if I kept going steady. I was going to do it if I could just keep it up for about 9 more minutes. 540 seconds of exertion. I told myself "You got this, don't stop, don't give up, you got this!!!"

29 minutes and 28 seconds after I took my first step, my feet crossed the finish line. I did it. Sub 30 5K, CHECK! Off my list. Next goal, Disney Princess Half Marathon - 8 days away!

 

9 days to go!

The day can not get here fast enough! I find myself thinking about the race all day long. I'm registered for a 5K tomorrow in which I will try to go under 30:00. I was so close the last time. That would be 2 major accomplishments hit in the same week. How cool would this be? What started less than a year ago has led me here. It's been hard work but it has been worth it. Worth every second, every mile, every huff and puff of pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I earned these accomplishments and they are all mine. It's nice to have things that are about you and for you. I have learned that this past year. It makes me an even better mother, wife, daughter, friend and so many other roles we women take on. This alone time lets me give more of myself to others when they need me because I feel that I didn't ignore myself. I am balanced and at peace.

I am also ready to kick some marathon ASS! But that has to wait a few more days!

10 days to go!

I woke up today and thought, only 10 days left and I will be racing in my first half marathon. The word "excited" doesn't quite cover it all...

How about excited, anxious, nervous, happy, elated, stoked, hyper, pumped, and my favorite word, the one I trained for... I am READY!

4 weeks to go!

Our run today was for 11 miles and we completed it at a 12:23min/mile pace. My mentality has changed. I've gone from being happy with anything I could do to tracking mileage, distance and speed. I've changed. 10 miles no longer seems like a "long run". It's a good run and it's not intimidating anymore. It's funny how you can change your perception with some hard work. I look back at some of my earlier posts and I smile when I see how worried I was about this half marathon. Did I really believe I might not be able to do it and the answer is yes, I really did. Just a few months later, I know I can do it and I'm toying around with the idea of completing a full marathon... Yeah, you read correctly, a full marathon, 26.2 miles. But first I have a date at Disney in 4 weeks!