A quick recap

Sometimes I just don't get around to writing.  Sometimes I think about it and something else gets in the way.  That has happened a lot since the Marathon...way back in January.  So, let's recap:

1 - I ran a marathon.  I had a great week in Disney.  My brother got married.

2 - I spent 24 school days playing librarian at a pretend job that pretty much got given away right under my nose.  I loved those 24 days.  I worked harder than I have worked in years.  It was amazing.  I pray every day that there is a library job for me in the fall.

3 - I fought another epic IEP battle for Child #2.  I don't want to say that I won, but they agreed to do things my way.

4 - I ran 2 half marathons.  The first was in the Tobacco Road Half in Cary, NC.  It was 7 miles of trail and 6 miles of hills.  I mostly hated it.  Great medal!  Not my favorite race.  The second was the Shamrock Half in Virginia Beach.  It is a race that I swore that I would not run again.  So, I ran with a first time half marathoning friend.  I still don't love that race, but I loved the company and I especially loved the mimosa stop at Mile 5.

5 - Oh, I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon.  It's in October.  I just hope I can beat the bridge.

So now you are all caught up.  Life is calming down a little, so I can get back to my regular posts.  :)

It's Like Riding a Bike

I haven't been a very good partner since the marathon.  I haven't kept my dates.  I have been doing other things.

Here's the thing - time keeps ticking away.  March 15 and the Tobacco Road Half Marathon are coming up quickly, with Shamrock right after.  I'm not ready.  I have never been this unready for a race.

I don't think I am going to be injured, but I am definitely undertrained. 

I've been pretty good about my long runs.  I built up to 10 miles today.  It wasn't pretty.  Things just weren't right.  It happens.

I haven't fueled very well since...well, since Thanksgiving, if we are being honest.  Bad fueling means bad running.  It is as simple as that.  I haven't been hydrating and I haven't been eating clean.  Eat like an athlete, train like an athlete.  I am going to do better with this.

My clothes just were not working.  My bra rubbed my back and now there is a hot spot.  My underwear...well.....

I have misplaced my interval watch, so I had to use my husband's watch.  It beeps for 10 whole seconds every minute.  It wasn't what I was used to.

I slept in a little.  We didn't have any bagels.  I had half of a yucky banana.  I was cold.  It was just not a good day.  

I sound a lot like Alexander.  I might as well move to Australia.  (I bet there are great races there!)

But you know what?  Even with all of the bad, I ran 10 miles today.  I did it at 1:1 intervals.  I had to dodge ice.  I had a stiff headwind on the way home.  I wanted to turn left and go home at 8 miles instead of turning right to add some distance.  

I got it done today.  One mile at a time.  I was tired after the marathon.  I took some time off.  Now I miss training.  I waited a little to long to make this decision and my March races are going to be hard work.  Once March 22 comes and I cross the finish line at my third Shamrock, it's on.  I'm taking on the Warrior Challenge in May (5K, 8K and a half).  I'm going to Disneyland to run the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge (10K and Half).  I'm running the Marine Corps Marathon.  I've got work to do.

Calm Before the Storm

Queen Elsa is mad.  Last week we got 2 inches of ice.  It stuck around for 4 days.  We lost 3 days of school.

This week, we got about an inch of snow.  It closed schools for today.  We are also expecting between 5 and 8 inches of snow for tonight and tomorrow.  Schools are closed for tomorrow already and Friday is not looking good.  

I haven't run outside in almost 2 weeks.  

Luckily, the day warmed up and the snow melted on the roads and the sidewalks.  The cherry on top - my husband came home early. 

Just like that, the forecast changed!

I laced up my shoes, convinced Child #1 to join me for a few miles and headed out.  

Child #1 was a little whiny, so we took a few breaks and had a snowball fight.  When he was chasing me to throw a snowball, he forgot that he was running.

After 2 miles, I dropped him off at home and headed out for 3 miles by myself.  They felt great!  

I am so glad that we headed out for a few miles!!

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

Saturday was a BEAUTIFUL day to run.  It was in the 50s, slight breeze, but nothing too bad.  Saturday was also chock full of things going on, so I didn't get to run.

Instead, I ran on Sunday....when it was 24 degrees.  Yep, 24 degrees.  I really, really thought about skipping my run.  I really, really thought about staying warm in my house. Then I remembered that I am running a half marathon in a month.  Then I remembered that I am running another one the week later.  Then I remembered that my running has been sporadic at best since the Marathon.  So, I sucked it up and got dressed.

The wind chill on this 24 degree day brought the real feel temperature to a balmy 17.  (Hey it was up from the -2 of the early morning!!)  I threw on my compression sleeves, my running tights, a skirt, 3 shirts (two had thumb holes, which I used), a pair of gloves, and my hat.  Looking back, I needed another layer on my legs, but overall, I was perfectly dressed to take on 24 degrees with 25 mile an hour winds.

Now, you may be wondering why on earth I walked out of my door.  One of the races that I am running is the Shamrock Half Marathon.  (Yeah, I know....I said that it wasn't my favorite and I wasn't planning to run it again.  One of my friends decided to make it her 1st half and I am going to pace her to keep her company.)  It is ALWAYS windy at Shamrock.  It is entirely possible that it could and exact copy of this weekend for Shamrock.  If you don't train in it, you can't race in it.

I set out for my 8 miles into a pretty stiff headwind.  I reminded myself that it would be a tailwind at the end.  I started out with :90/:30 intervals.  After about a mile or so, the wind was winning the battle and I was getting tired.  So I switched over to 1/1 intervals to get through the miles.  The wind was biting and the cold was taking my breath away, but the run was feeling pretty good.

Even at 1/1 intervals, I was running at a pretty decent pace.  I haven't seen paces like that since I started marathon training.  I mean, it was distantly related to my goal race pace.  I still have some work today, but I was back in the ball park.  That was very exciting!!

As I turned back into the neighborhood for my last mile, I started running back into the headwind and my body started to get cold.  My legs tightened up and I really didn't want to run any more.  It was ugly, but I finished that last mile.  


While I love me some cold weather running, I like living in the South because winter is not normally this bitterly cold.  Thanks for the arctic, Elsa, but you can turn it off and let it get a little warmer!

Putt Putt and Dole Whips - A Goofy Adventure Day 3 (after the race)

After the half on Saturday, I got some food, took my ice bath, and got a shower.  Then I had to entertain my children for the afternoon.  We had planned to play mini golf one of the days of the weekend, so we headed to Fantasia Mini Golf.  The wait for the Garden course was almost 2 hours, so we made a reservation and went to do some exploring.   

We drove the streets of the half marathon course, which ended up near the Polynesian Village Resort.  Do you know what we can get 
at the Polynesian Village Resort?

DOLE WHIP FLOATS!!

After our little treat, it was just about our tee time, so we made our way back to the golf course.  There isn't much to comment on the golf course.  It was typical Disney magic!  The course was hard, but luckily, we don't play for keeps.  Here are the pictures from our fun-filled afternoon.

Sorcerer Mickey greeted us at the entrance

All of the holes were introduced in rhyme and held a clue to how to beat the hole.

Music notes all the way around the whole. 

The steps on the left played tones as the ball bounced down!!

They tried to get the ball into the mushroom that pops up for at least 10 minutes.

Have you ever seen putt putt water that clean??

This was on the wall of the cave.  So cool!

The statue played a snippet of the symphony when the ball came near.

Can't play putt putt without a selfie.

Russ forgot that you don't stick your hand in the water in Florida. 

The elephant had a little surprise.  Watch the video......

The buckets dropped water.  Luckily, everyone stayed dry.

Lots of people missed the hole.....

Pretty cool finish

We play a lot of putt putt...like every single day on our beach vacations.  Normally we feel rushed from behind or we sit and wait for the people in front of us.  Not so at Disney.  Even with the course pretty crowded, we never felt pressure to hurry up or slow down.  We might have to play putt putt at Disney again next time!