Day After

I went to bed last night at 10 PM and woke up today at 9:45 AM. Needless to say, I was sleepy. I felt great when I woke up. My leg pain is minimal, but my right knee is bothered. Not hurting, just a little bothered. I picked up a Arctic Ease wrap sample at the Expo and am trying it out! It claims to provide comfortable and soothing relief, and to apply the cryotherapy wraps during the first 48 to 72 hours of injury to reduce pain and swelling and to speed healing. It sure feels great right now on my knee!

I am taking a full rest day today! I am doing laundry, cleaning, and organizing. I am going to go to Yoga tomorrow at LA Fitness,  I printed out a free pass for the day. I think Yoga tomorrow is just what I will need! 

Guess what I did today? I SIGNED UP FOR ANOTHER HALF MARATHON!

That's right! Today was the deadline to sign up for the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago half marathon, before the price raises to $25. Also, I found a coupon code online to save an additional $10, the code is SDSURVEY10. My dad is signed up for this, and it's on his Birthday- so I am excited! Also, I still am considering a full marathon. I will either do the San Diego or the Detroit one. I would love to do San Diego because a few of my friends are running it, however the plane prices are really expensive now and I am not sure if I will be able to afford San Diego in June, as well as California in April. 

I am so happy I decided to stay in Orlando another week. The first week FLEW by! I would be so sad if I was leaving today. I haven't even made it to Disney World yet (except for running through). 

What are your favorite ways to relax after a long distance run?

The Princess Run!

I can honestly say this has been one of the BEST weekends of my life. Maybe with the least amount of sleep in my life as well. After skydiving, I came home and tried to go to sleep immediately to get a full 6-7 hours of sleep before the Princess run. This did not happen. Oh no, instead I didn't fall asleep at all. Not even for a SECOND- I tossed and turned but couldn't get flipping backwards out of the plane and the anticipation of the Princess run out of my head.

At 2 AM I realized that my alarm was going off at 3 AM, therefore there was really no point in even trying anymore but instead woke up and had a english muffin with almond butter and a water with sustain in it. At 3 AM I started getting my "Princess" gear ready. Before I knew it, it was 3:45 AM which was the deadline for us to leave the house to head to Epcot. 

We got to Epcot and somehow managed to hit minimal traffic. We got there, parked and made our ways to the corrals. It was crowded, but a fun walk because everyone was dressed up in their Princess gear!

I dropped of my friend Natalie to her corral and made my way to A. Since I was by myself I managed to maneuver myself to the front, to get a few pictures of me by the START sign. It didn't seem like we were in the corrals very long, because I was so excited! The fairy god mother came onto the stage, said a few words (my ipod was already on) and FIREWORKS went off for us to start! I was so excited I SPRINTED! I don't know how fast I was going, but apparently it was my fastest mile yet! I tried NOT to look at my watch, but just enjoy the experience.

Since I seriously trained for this half, I didn't take any pictures along the way. I really wanted to see what my personal best time could be, just by running it. The race was incredible, there were sections of Disney characters all along the race cheering you on. The most memorable part of the race, was entering the Magic Kingdom to Cinderella's castle. The music I grew up to was playing, and it was still dark so the castle was glistening! When I approached it I felt myself get choked up a little bit and almost cry. It was such a mix of emotions, I really can't explain why I felt this way, but I'm pretty sure it's something I will remember the rest of my life. The miles went by pretty quick, and I just concentrated on everything going on. I talked to myself a lot, and felt no pain the entire run. Now... Did I make it under two hours? YES! I did. My Nikeplus watch is OFF! I have been OVER training. Just by a little bit, but I'm not complaining, when it said I still had about .30 miles left, it was wrong- there was the finish line, RIGHT in front of me! My official time was:

 1:49:27

My sister e-mailed me and said my time was 1:50:30 and I was confused because I was right at the start line and crossed it right when the fireworks went off, also I remember seeing the 1:49 on the clock and sprinting at the end to make the 1:50 mark. Later on when I checked the website again, they corrected it and put my time up! I had a Cliff Gel pack before the race and two during. I don't know if it was these, because it didn't happen last time I had them during my 12 mile training, but I spent the remainder of the day feeling quite ill in my stomach and thought it had something to do with these. Next time I'm trying the shot blocks! I must have been a sleepy big ball of emotion today, but after I went to the water table and chugged a water, walked around a little and really took in what was going on, I felt again like I was going to cry.

I can't even explain how happy I was when my friend Natalie called to try to find me. She did AWESOME today, and I was so excited to see her. When I saw her I ran to her, gave her a big hug and was so happy to hear how much she loved the run as well. The first thing she said to me was "We are doing this every year" and she also had goosebumps at Cinderella'a castle! 

I had so much fun today. I was sad my sister and dad weren't here to share in the excitement, because I knew they would really love it as well. I have been overwhelmed with all of my friends and families e-mails, texts, and facebook messages congratulating me about the race. I really appreciate my dear friend Hannah for all of her support over the last few weeks, she has been my "fairy godmother" during this process answering my insane questions and pushing me all the way!

Today I really feel a sense of accomplishment. 

I am so tired right now, I haven't slept. I will recap more of the race as soon as I get a good nights sleep. I dropped off Natalie at the airport tonight to drive to Ft. Lauderdale to visit her family, and as for me- I am turning my phone on silent, not setting a alarm, and waking up when I'm finished sleeping! A yoga class or massage sound pretty amazing for tomorrow, as well as cleaning up and doing some laundry. I am SO happy I decided to extend my Orlando trip from one week to two and a half. I would be so sad if I was leaving tomorrow! I still have so much to look forward to, and I can't wait! I never really considered myself an "athlete" before, but today I can say I do!

OH, one more fun fact. 13,091 people ran the race today. My place? 289! 289 out of 13,091 people who crossed the finish line. Meaning, I was faster than 12,802 of the runners. Now, let's be serious. Who can say they went skydiving and ran a half marathon in a span of 24 hours? I guess I can! 

I would recommend the Disney Princess Marathon to ANYONE!

Here are a few more pictures from my actual camera. Most of the pictures on this site are from my blackberry, but here are some from my small canon!

Skydive Saturday

Today was one of those days that you know you will remember the rest of your life. I went skydiving for the second time. This time was in Orlando at "Skydive Space Center" and we had views of Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. I wasn't nervous at all, but we had to wait 4 hours to get on the plane. It was amazing, the first time I went in Thailand I was preoccupied by the video and camera, trying to make sure I smiled. Also she said a flip wouldn't make the video as close up so I wanted to do it again. So today I did, and the guy flipped me out backwards this time and did flips! We were up 15,000 feet.

Waiting the 4 hours... My friend braided my hair!

I did my 20 minute run today and ran 2.08 miles. 

I woke up at 9:15 AM to run. I had a few drinks last night, so actually going was a accomplishment! Tonight I just prepared everything for tomorrow! Take a look!

I would love to post more, but I am really going to bed now at 8:34 PM. We are waking up at 3 AM for the race, so goodnight! I am so excited! Wish me luck!

Princess Expo and Lululemon Princess Party!

I woke up this morning with the anticipation of my Princess Expo. My friend had to work until 1:15 PM on her laptop, and the hours leading up until we could leave felt like forever. I went on a walk (4.21 miles), made breakfast/ snack/ and lunch for my friend while she worked, cleaned up, and searched for local gyms to get a trial membership to do yoga next week after the run. For snack I made "grown up" ants on a log. I used almond butter and granola on top- they were a hit!

I wish everyday was a Princess Expo! I am so excited, I am wearing my shirt. Seriously, I came home and put it on immediately. Isn't it the best Princess shirt in the world?

I was so excited to go to the lululemon outlet, but I was a little disappointed. I have found better sales at the regular store! They didn't have any jackets except heavy ones, and barely any pants- the only pants were still in the $80 range. It was fun to be there though, all the girl had Princess crowns on for the party. I immediately walked in and asked if I was one of the first 50 to get a tinsel, I wasn't even sure what that was, but I was. I now have a red sparkly thing in my hair like the Maloof lady on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The picture looks like she is checking me for lice, but she is really adding Princess bling.They had Mix protein smoothies (very sweet, but good... probably too much sugar to be healthy) to try and a station to make signs for your Princess runners, unfortunately I can't hold my own sign. I did buy a top though, for $40ish which isn't bad but not great. I liked it though, and will probably wear it skydiving tomorrow! 

We had to hurry through the expo so my friend could get back to work. I wish we could have explored longer, but I go tto do everything we went for. We got our bibs, shirts, tracking, and goal bracelets. I have never used these, so I am excited! 

Soon the race will be here. The whole reason I started this blog! I do have a few goals for after the blog. I really need to incorporate strength training, continue yoga, and eat healthier. I was really hoping to lose a few more lbs from the training, which didn't happen. I know I am disciplined since I followed my schedule, so I need to expand beyond running (even though this is a running blog) to reach those goals. I have a few more pictures of the Expo on my camera I will add. I am going to rest up a bit, we are headed out tonight. What a fun weekend ahead, skydiving tomorrow and RACE DAY Sunday!

Vegetarian Day 2: Not a success.

Like I mentioned yesterday, I don't really know if this is a good time to change my diet- 3 days before my big race. I will try again after Sunday, but last night I went out to dinner with my friends parents to Tony Roma's and was pretty hungry by the time we got there at 8 PM. I ended up getting a "caprese" pasta dish with chicken. It looked really interesting to me, and I wanted to stay away from the burgers! I barely touched the chicken by the time I finished the pasta though, but I brought the grilled chicken home and figured I could have chicken for lunch instead of a protein smoothie.

I woke up today with the sun SHINING! I have set my alarm for 8 AM every morning since I have been here. At home, there is no way I would be waking up early if I didn't have to- but it's different when the sun is shining! Why sleep when I can play in the sun! And that is exactly what I did.

I ran 2.52 miles at 22 minutes 05 seconds. My pace was 8:45. 

The pace was exactly what I want my race pace to be. The race is 13.1 miles and this was only 2.52! I am definitely going to take tomorrow as a "rest" day. I have a lot of activities to do tomorrow!

For lunch I made the leftover chicken in a wrap with spinach and cheese. I also cut a small tomato and added a little salt, pepper, basil and balsamic. I LOVE tomatoes! They are by far one of my favorite foods in the WORLD!

I am going to dinner with my friend tonight for his Birthday. I made him a Birthday brownie cake, and decorated it with pink!

I went to the pool after cleaning up today. I just got home and had a few of the most amazing almonds I have ever eaten- Blue Diamond Wasabi & Soy Sauce. I have always heard what a great snack almonds are, but have never been a HUGE fan. I think this flavor may have changed my mind! Hopefully it is still as beneficial as the plain almond.

Tomorrow is the Princess Expo! Not only that, there is a event at the Lululemon outlet for the runners! I am going to go to the Expo and lululemon. Here are some of the details on the invite on facebook- and look a crown on the logo!

More Info

In the spirit of the 2011 Disney Princess Marathon, we here at the lululemon athletica Orlando Outlet want to give all of our guests the opportunity to feel like a princess and all of our runners out there the opportunity to celebrate with us as they prepare to take on the race. In addition to all of your favorite lululemon gear, there will be tons of surprises in store, including the following:

*Christine from Baldwin Park will... be providing the first 50 guests, starting at 2:00, with a complimentary hair tinsel strand because, well, every princess deserves to shine. Tinsel strands are limited to one per guest.

*Mix1 will be providing complimentary protein shakes, while supplies last, from both their performance and lean performance line to support our runners in being their absolute best.

*We will have an in-store “Creation Station” where you will find all the tools you need to create a special sign to cheer on your loved ones participating in the race. 

Stop by any time between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm this Friday, February 25th to experience the fun. We look forward to celebrating with you!

I am so excited! I will let you know how it goes. I have to get ready for dinner tonight, AND I am going outside to see if I can see a shuttle launch at 4:50 PM. Normal afternoon!

"Me" time.

Why does everyone think it is so weird I am here by myself right now? EVERYONE is asking me "Are you bored?" "your by yourself?" and is SHOCKED. This is exactly what I wanted! I love "me" time! I had a great day today, and it was all in the company of myself and Scampy the baby doggie I am watching. He seems a little down so I have tried to spend some more time with him, just petting him and talking to him (quite a bit). Everyone HAS to talk to their dogs, I have never had a puppy but I tell Scampy everything! Maybe my "me" time is getting to me...

Look at his cute bandana!

That was a confusing paragraph. Anyways- today was wonderful! I decided to make breakfast before my workout, since I knew I was only walking and not running. I made a whole wheat english muffin with almond butter, flax seeds and strawberries and blueberries on top. It was amazing!

 I woke up and went on a 8 mile walk/ run. I only had "20" minutes on my chart, but I wanted to explore my area, and what better way to do it than on foot? I actually used my friends house as a marker and put that in the gps in my phone and made my way there. I took a picture of his house and texted it to him (he is at work) and he just replied "creepy, yes that is my house". I ran back home and logged it!

I walked/ ran 8.11 miles in 1:58:15. 

I was quite hungry when I got back, and made a protein smoothie! I usually only drink the 2 scoops of my protein with water, but I added milk today and ice, a few strawberries, blueberries, flax seeds and a little bit of almond butter. It was yummy!

 I spent another glorious sunny day at the pool. I haven't "laid out" in a long time. In Thailand I was very serious about my sunscreen since I knew how hot the sun is there. I really want a tan right now though! I still wore SPF and enjoyed being in the sun and having a day of doing NOTHING!

 I have been trying to read the labels to watch my "sugar intake". I have a few family members who have been losing weight with the "belly fat cure" diet. Basically you get 15 grams of sugar a day, and something with carbohydrates. I am not seriously doing it right now because I am running, and need the carbs, but it is amazing to look at some of the sugar grams in things like a glass of orange juice! I am just trying to "cut back" my sugar and see what happens.

Also, I have decided to try a few days without meat. Yesterday was my first meatless day- and I am trying again today. I have toyed with the idea of being a vegetarian, I think this would be a great opportunity to try... A few days? A week? Again, I don't want to change my diet drastically right now since I am running my half marathon Sunday and possibly training for the San Diego full marathon in a few months, but these are just things I am considering.

CALIFORNIA! April 15-22

I have the traveling bug. It's true! I do! I am currently in Orlando, Florida for 18 days and I just booked my spring break to California to visit a few of my best friends! My one friend Kendall is coming from Boston for the weekend and I will stay in Hermosa/ San Diego during my week long stay. I can't wait to reunite the four of us. We haven't all been together since they visited me in Bangkok, Thailand a few years ago.

85 and SUNNY!

Today was fabulous! I got in last night, and was greeted by my friends adorable parents. I got to the house I am staying at where I am housesitting and dog sitting, and everything was labeled. My friends are the cutest, I actually had Disney dollars on my bed with a note that read "Best of luck with the marathon. Please get yourself something very "Princess-y" to celebrate!" I will just have to do that! There were also the cutest little Disney characters. I am going to put them on my Birthday cake this year!

The best part about today? RUNNING OUTSIDE! I was so excited. I ran my 30 minute run at a comfortable pace.

I ran 32 minutes 59 seconds, 3.54 miles

It's written differently today because my chart said "30 minutes" instead of how many miles it gave me a time. Tomorrow I have a 20 minute run. I laid by the pool today and was going to read my new Malcolm Gladwell book "What the Dog Saw" but I kept falling asleep! I have read all of his other books, Blink, Outliers, The Tipping Point, and have enjoyed them all. 

I love the nice weather. I am in a great mood. I went to Publix tonight to stock up on some healthy treats for the next few weeks. I am excited to try some of the things I bought that I have been seeing in blogs such as flax seeds and almond butter.

I am going to sleep extra early tonight so I can wake up earlier to run, it gets hot pretty early! I am not complaining though! 

What a wonderful morning!

YAY! I did my last 3 mile RACE PACE today before my big run. And I really pushed myself the last mile! I ran at 7.5 for two miles and 8.0 on the last one. I went to breakfast with my mom and dad this morning and has two pancakes with blueberry compote and coffee! The sweet breakfast must have helped me because I was full of energy, and excited because my dad I decided to go to Yoga immediately after my run.

I ran 3 miles in 24 minutes and 2 seconds with a race pace of 7'59! My last mile was ran in 7.03!

I can honestly say something I never thought possible. I think I'm in love with Yoga. I have always wanted to like it, but never really has. I thought Yoga was the new "trendy" thing, but never really understood it. I have taken three classes at Yoga Shelter and it's totally changed my view on yoga. The stretching was exactly what I needed after a quick 3 mile run and perfect to do before I have to sit on a flight!

For lunch I had my favorite new creation but I did 1/2 of each and added strawberries. I love it!

Last night I wanted to check if there was a lululemon in Orlando and to my surprise, there is a OUTLET! There are only 3 outlets in the world, and one of them is in Orlando. I definitely over packed, I have two suitcases to check in and a carry on and a purse. I tried to go through my suitcase and take out clothes, in hopes the outlet won't dissapoint. I am headed to the airport in a few minutes! I am hoping I get bumped to the later flight for a $400 voucher. Then I will immediately book my spring break to California! Either way, I'm excited to get there! Orlando here I come!

I might be the only girl who can chip a "no chip" gel manicure!

Today was my "rest" day, but I actually really wanted to go to Yoga. I woke up at 7:55 AM excited to go to Yoga!  I started the morning with my favorite 1/4 combination of flax cereal, greek yogurt and blueberries. I put it in a little cup and it looked like a parfait! The class today was called "fusion" it was basically the slow flow with a few "extra twists and turns". I liked it, however I think the instructor makes the world of difference for the energy in the class, and I definitely liked last weeks class better. The instructor today was talking a lot about "expectations" however, and it made me think- what is the difference between a expectation and a goal?

After Yoga I came home, showered and picked up my mom to meet my sister at Brio for lunch. I had green tea and the beef capriccio appetizer as a meal! My girlfriends all order this as our meal and waiters and waitresses always comment how funny that is. 

After lunch my mom and I went to get manicures and pedicures at a place in Partridge Creek called "The Nail Longue".  My girlfriends always go here to get this gel manicure that supposedly is IMPOSSIBLE to chip. It also claims to last 3 weeks. Well nothing is impossible, especially for me. I managed to chip my thumb by accidentally touching it before she was even finished. I didn't know how it would turn out when it dried but there is definitely a little hole chip on my thumb. I can NEVER seem to walk out with a perfect manicure! Why is this so difficult for me! We will see how long this lasts on me. I went with a summery pink color for the 80 degree weather I will be encountering in Florida. 

The snow is coming down pretty hard right now. It was sunny and beautiful last week, and I thought spring was in the air. I was wrong, but that is Michigan weather! Tomorrow I have a 3 mile run at race pace, and after that my training schedule just has a few "20 minute" and "30 minute" runs here and there! After tomorrow I have officially completed the assigned runs on my training schedule. I have a few more errands and things to pack before tomorrow, but in 24 hours I will be at the airport! 

Packing!

Today was a very productive and fun Saturday. Rojo last night was really fun! I started with a Margarita, our table shared a guacamole for an appetizer and my mom and I shared the chicken and steak fajitas. It just opened last Wednesday so the restaurant was crowded, we waited for our table and it took us a good thirty minutes to get our food, but we had great company so it didn't matter. I would definitely go back, although I don't know if I would go for a full Mexican meal. The Guacamole appetizer was very unique, they made it right in front of you, and you watched someone slice the avocados, tomatoes, and everything needed to make it right in front of your table. The food was good, but I think it was a little expensive for traditional Mexican food. I can see my friends going there to the deck in the summer for margaritas and appetizers, but I don't know if I would go back for a sit down dinner! 

Pomegranate Margarita 

Corzo Silver tequila, pomegranate juice, fresh lime juice, agave nectar and garnished with an orange.

Fresh Guacamole 8.99  

Prepared tableside, with avocado, onion, tomato, cilantro and fresh squeezed lime. Served with crisp corn tortillas. Dressing-up the guacamole:

Steak and Chicken Fajitas 15.99  

Marinated grilled tender steak andchicken breast.

 I fell asleep last night at 11 PM, I couldn't even keep my eyes open. I woke up right away at 7:30 AM and contemplated going directly to the gym, but just loved not having to wake up so I didn't. I stayed in bed until about 9 AM then got up and got ready for my easy 2.5 mile run. The sun was shining today, even though it was still pretty cold, it just feels different when the sun is out!

I ran 2.5 miles in 24:45 pace 9'52. 

I am VERY dedicated to following my schedule EXACTLY. If it tells me to run at a easy pace, I do it. If it tells me to run 8 miles, I do it! Looking at the two months I can't believe how close it is to the half. I skipped about a week of runs when I was sick, but I didn't skip any long runs- I made up for it. I really can't believe how the time has flown! Although I didn't lose the weight I was hoping to while training, I am definitely stronger. I am a stronger runner, I have a stronger mindset on goals, and have already achieved so much completing a 12 mile run without walking one bit of it. If you would have told my cross country high school self I would be running 13 miles in a few weeks I would have laughed at you.

I was supposed to go to Thai On Main in Royal Oak for lunch today. I was so excited for their drunken noodles! I met a friend from Chicago who was in town and my other friend who is running the race with me. It was closed! I was disappointed but we ended up at Little Tree for sushi and my favorite Philippine fried rice. It had marinated beef, sticky rice, seaweed salad and two eggs on top.

After lunch I went to REI to purchase a few more Cliff Energy Gel Shots and Cliff Shot Bloks. I bought Mocha and Chocolate Cherry. I bought the Blocks in Tropical Punch. They are so squishy! I also bough TYR Soft Silicone Ear Plugs.  I have never tried this brand, but these are my favorite kind of ear plugs when they mold to your ears. I really started to enjoy swimming laps in Thailand, where the weather was over 100 degrees and it wasn't possible to run outside with the heat, pollution and traffic. I swim in the summers at my local park, and I love it! I know there is a pool where I am staying in Florida, but I don't know if I will be able to do laps yet.

Now it's time to pack! How cute is the Thai red bull shirt? I bought these in Bangkok for my guy friends and family. I am bringing one to my friend whose Birthday we will be celebrating in Orlando!

Happy weekend!