List #5 Random Thoughts of the Week

I liked Mandi's list of news for the week and I’m going to copy the idea slightly... List #5 Random Thoughts of the week

1. I have no motivation lately. Or I’m suffering from the blah’s... I don’t know if it is post race blues, or this cold (which ended up being bronchitis) which has got me down. Dear Motivation, Where are you? Why did you leave me alone? Please come and find me. Love, Emily
2. There has been several times when I’ve been to the same place they’ve gone to on the Amazing Race. But this last episode in Reims blew it all away. I’ve been there not once, but
   twice!
3. Seriously, what is going on with Lost? They need to start tying up some loose ends.
4. As of now, the Huskies are out of the tournament. Oh well, it was a fun run while it lasted. I heart my Huskies!
5. Duke is still in the tournament (as of right now - they play tonight). And if they win tonight I will be bringing cupcakes in on Monday out of sheer happiness! Plus, who can pass up a cupcake?
6. So, with me not being motivated and mainly staying on my couch I have caught up on a lot of TV.
7. Maybe there is something to this Daylight Savings – it was light yesterday until 7 p.m.
8. It is probably not a good idea to wear white shorts and no underwear to hot yoga. Just saying...
9. Even with the lack of motivation, I am excited to start swim bike run instead of just run. Hopefully training will start sooner rather than later...

Five Senses on Saturday

So, my fives senses are a day late this week but I wanted to make sure I gave props to my co-worker who made yummy corned beef & cabbage for St. Patrick's Day!!

Seeing:
* Lots and lots of basketball! I love March! And I just finished seeing the Huskies advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
* The sun! I think spring is here.
* Very good friends in Houston.

Hearing:
* Bump! As someone backed into me in a parking lot. Fortunately they weren't going very fast and no damage was done. Worst part? I wasn't driving my car. I'm still so sorry Jason!!

Tasting:
* Wow, Jenn (my co-worker) is an amazing cook! I "guilted" her into making us corned beef and cabbage! And it was really good! I didn't mean to guilt her into it - I asked if she was making it again this year and she hadn't planned on it until I asked. I'm glad I asked! :)
* To top off the St. Patrick's Day celebration, we had Irish Mocha cupcakes from New York Cupcakes.

Smelling:
* Not a lot as I caught a cold on my flight home from Houston.

Feeling:
* Relaxed - I originally had a massage scheduled for Thursday but it was cancelled. But then I was able to get in on Saturday at another place. Ahhh... This was my "reward" for doing the half marathon.

Run Like a Princess

Here it is almost 2 weeks later and I'm still basking in the glow of my half marathon!

My partner in crime for this trip was Jessica. We got in late Thursday night and were up Friday morning ready to go to Animal Kingdom where it took Jessica a couple of rides to work up to the yeti, but finally she conquered her fear and after that she was ready to ride again! But it was time to head to the expo where I checked in for the race. And I was tempted by all the neat things to buy and ended up getting a tiara and another baseball hat. More options to wear for the race! We finished up the night at Epcot, as they had extra magic hours.

The next day was Hollywood Studios, where we saw Taylor Swift and her entourage being escorted to the super secret rock star entrance, before finishing up the day at Epcot, this time to see it in the remaining daylight hours. We didn't spend too long at Epcot. Back at the hotel, I put on a fashion show for Jessica so she could help me pick out my race outfit. I was in bed by 9:30 or so, but didn’t sleep all that well because I was worried I wouldn't wake up, even though we had set 4 alarms. Yup, 4 alarms! No way was I traveling all this way to sleep through the race! :)

Alarm #1 woke me up at 2:30 and it was time to start the day. Soon I was bundled up and on my way to the start line. Once the bus dropped us off, it was a decent walk to check in and then another 20 minute walk to the actual start line. Huddled in my corral, I tried to stretch and keep moving, partly to stay warm! It was a chilly morning!!

I was tearing up at the start as the Fairy Godmother counted down the first wave and the fireworks went off. I think the tears were the culmination of all that I had been working for over the past several months. The next two waves took off and then it was my turn! I crossed over the start line, discarded my gloves and sweatshirt and was off! I soon began wishing I hadn’t gotten rid of my gloves so fast as my hands were freezing!!

The first several miles were all about positioning – dodging runners and walkers left and right and trying to find a spot for myself. Sometime after mile 2, I finally settled into a decent pace and had even warmed up!

My original “mini” goal for myself was to run 4 miles before stopping for my first walk break. Somewhere between mile 2 and mile 3 I had to stop because the princes were cheering us on! I snapped a quick photo and continued on my way. I knew I was going to need to stop soon for a bathroom break as well. I kept passing the port-o-potties until I found one that had a short-ish line.

Before you knew it, we were entering the Magic Kingdom and running down Main Street and through Tomorrowland on our way to the castle. There were lots of opportunities for pictures with the characters. I had told myself at the beginning that I could stop for 2 pictures, so make them count. I passed by Cinderella and Prince Charming because they had a huge line and at this point I was still worried about time. I did stop for Princess Tiana & Prince Naveen (from The Princess & the Frog) because they had a short line. Coming through the castle, I saw the professional photographer was taking pictures in front of the castle – there was a long-ish line for that but I stopped anyway. I think by doing that I may have missed my chance for an action shot in front of the castle, but oh well. From there on out, I kept stopping for photos – not for everyone, but for a lot of them. They had people there to take your pictures, and the lines moved fairly quickly. Darn – I should have stopped for Cinderella! Next time!!

I didn’t actually take an “official” walk break until around mile 10. Don’t get me wrong – I walked through a couple of water stops and stopped several times for photos, so I did take rests, which is sometimes all I need before I can start running again. After mile 10, it was hard to keep running consistently, especially with climbing up the overpasses but I knew I was close to the end. A big smile was on my face - I was going to make it!

Epcot came into view, along with the mile 12 sign. Just one more mile – piece of cake! I made one more stop for a picture with the mice from Cinderella. And then it was mile 13! Only a little bit left! I would have stopped for one more picture had it been Minnie & Mickey, but I must have just missed them and instead it was Donald & Goofy at the finish – they weren’t worth stopping for being so close to the finish line! And there it was - the finish line! I made it!!

I got my medal, met up with Jessica, and switched my hat for a tiara for pictures! With that taken care of, we climbed on the bus and headed back to the hotel. One of the funnier moments for me was after we got off the bus and you could see all the runners hobbling as they started moving again. It made me feel better that I wasn’t the only one who was stiff and sore.

And just like that it was time to start the day over! I took a shower, got dressed, put my tiara on along with my hot pink compression socks and we were off to the Magic Kingdom! Oh yeah, I was styling – especially with the pink compression socks! ;) And while I was tired and stiff, walking around the park helped loosen me up. At one point I was behind a couple of girls who had also ran and we all groaned as we hit the first stair on our way to Big Thunder.

Monday we woke up early to ride the yeti one more time as Jessica hadn’t gotten to fully enjoy the experience the first time, being worried about the ride. We finished up the day with a trip to Downtown Disney before boarding the plane for home.

My official time – 3:08:23! I don’t know why I feel like I need to justify my time, but for whatever reason I do. Finishing in itself is a great accomplishment! And deep down, I am happy with my time, even if it was over 3 hours.

This was a great race – the entertainment was fantastic, the atmosphere incredible and the volunteers were amazing! And after all my declarations of this being my last half – well, I can definitely see myself doing this race again.

List #4 Why I Will (most likely) Run the Princess Half Marathon Again

So I'm still working on the actual race report, but in the meantime - a list! Leading up to this race I was so sure that this was going to be my last half for long time, if ever. I should know by now that generally when I say never, it pretty much guarantees that I will do it with very few exceptions. One exception would be a full marathon - I feel very confident saying no way will I ever do a full marathon. It is just way too long!! It was somewhere around mile 10 where I thought to myself, I could do this again!! Not necessarily any old half marathon - but specifically the Princess Half. And here are a few reasons why.

1. It takes place at Disney World!
2. I get to run through the castle!
3. Taking pictures with the characters (and I'm so stopping for Cinderella next time)
4. Wearing a tiara
5. Embracing my inner princess!
6. The bling!! (I HEART the medal!!)
7. Running with 13,000+ other Princesses (and a few Princes too)
8. So I can take pictures without my hat on (you'll see what I'm talking about once I get around to uploading my pictures)

Seriously - if you could sign up tomorrow for next year's race, I'd be all over it since I'm still on my post half high!

FINISHER!!!

I did it! I finished the half marathon in 3:08:23. More to come later...

List #3 Things in my carry-on bag

Thanks to Mandi for the great idea of a list of things to pack! So here is a list of common things you can find in my carry-on bag:

1. One set of clothing, including pajamas and shoes. This stems back from when my suitcase was lost and I had to go buy underwear and pajamas. Never again!
2. Plastic bag of my liquids/gels. This includes travel sized toothpaste, shampoo, etc. Really, losing the suitcase has left me with a permanent scar, or made me a better packer!
3. Hairbrush
4. Toothbrush
5. Books
6. Notepad & pen
7. Deck of cards. You never know when you will need to pass the time with a deck of cards.
8. Travel documents. How to get to the hotel, my itinerary, etc.
9. Travel pillow. I forget what flight it was where I finally broke down and got a neck pillow. And let me just say, even if I look silly, it does help!

Ready or Not!

Woohoo!! Tomorrow morning I will be boarding a plane for WDW!! And on Sunday I will be running 13.1 miles. Or you know - running interspersed with walking. Which is a different definition for me than it has been previously – walking interspersed with running.

So let’s see what is on the packing list:

• iPod (complete with half marathon playlist)? Check
• Icy Hot? Check
• Epsom salt? Check
• Running shoes? Check
• Race belt? Check
• Various running outfits? Check
• Compression socks (for after the race)? Check
• Bathing suit (to soak in the pool after the race)? Check
• Tylenol (for before the race)? Check
• Ibuprofen (for after the race)? Check
  

I think I’m ready! Or at least prepared! :) I'm still not exactly sure what I'll be wearing race day. I might be all in black. So much for the pink...

And FYI, while iPods are discouraged, they are not prohibited. So I am not breaking the rules by bringing my iPod, because after all I am a rule follower if nothing else.

My goals for this race? In order of how likely they are to occur:

1. To finish!!
2. To finish in under 3 hours and 30 minutes
3. To finish in under 3 hours (this would be absolutely amazing!! And would probably mean no bathroom or picture stops.)
   

Oh, and a final tally on Operation 5 to 10? I’m down about 4.5 lbs, which isn't bad and hopefully will translate into a few seconds off my normal pace!