Favorite Little Princess

The race is finally over. I still can't believe I actually did it. Not unusual for me, but there was lots of drama surrounding the whole race. Let me start with the morning of the race.  K1 had a Cross Country meet at 8 am in which we needed to be there at 7 am. It's a tough course with lots of hills, washed out areas, deep sand, and mud puddles. Yuck! By the time her group was up to run, the sun was really shining and baking all the kids. She made the 2 mile mark in under 26 minutes - this is actually good for her this season with her IT band injury - but then she disappeared. Her coach and I kept looking at each other trying to figure out what happened. I feared that she hurt herself again, but right about 40 minutes she appeared. I told her what her time was and she still had about 400 meters to go.  She groaned and said, "Darn. I wanted to get under 40. Oh well." Then she trotted off to the finish line with a smile on her face. Bizarre behavior. She was actua...

After many months of waiting and training, the  runDisney Tower of Terror 10 mile run  is finally here. I've been a knotted mess of anxiety all week. Mostly about my ability to stay awake. K1 has a Cross Country meet tomorrow morning and we have to be there at 7 am. Then we will hop in the car and head to Orlando, check in the hotel, and then shoot over to the Sports Complex to pick up my bib (yes!). Disney's race bibs are almost as cool as the medals. I'm not sure if we will go to a park or just hang at the pool for the rest of the day. My race doesn't start until 10 pm. It's going to be a long day. Sleeping in the middle of the day isn't easy for me, so I'm really anxious over not being rested enough. With my thyroid disorder, taking any type of "stay awake" pills can really set my heart to racing, so that won't work either. I'm still nervous about being able to complete the whole race since I still have not completed a full 10 mil...

I am now seeing why the number of weeks for training should be  appropriate  to the distance one is training for. Not a big deal, since I would be running regardless, but I have noticed my desire to complete my long runs has dwindled. Some of that could be due to weather. We seem to either have extreme heat and humidity or dangerous storms. The days are getting shorter which mean that I have less time in the evenings to run after I finish shuffling kids around to their school related activities.  A little over a week ago, I became a little disheartened when I discovered that there won't be any public viewing areas. This means that unless my family purchases tickets ($42-$52) for the after party, they cannot see me run at any time during the race. My parents were planning on coming down from Georgia, but with that news they cancelled. So, it looks like I'm on my own. The good news is that I got a really good deal on the hotel and it includes a round of Disney Mini...

I can't believe there are only 11 more weeks to go until the runDisney Tower of Terror 10 mile run . I'm feeling more confident in finishing now, but how strong of a finish is still up in the air. The weather in Florida has been hot, humid, and WET. Running in the rain isn't a big deal, but our rain is usually accompanied by lightening. Luckily, this has only meant me missing a few runs or just going out later.  Briefly I have even contemplated joining the gym to use the treadmill, but it hasn't come to that yet. I don't mind the treadmill, but it's not my favorite. It's too easy to quit or get bored. If I force myself away from the house, then I'm forced to find my way back again. I fall for that trick every time. During week 13, I completed a new DR (distance record) of 6.26 miles. Not only did I complete it, but I did it alone. My running partner bailed on me half way through and even though I wanted to quit, I'm proud of myself for finishin...

It's officially summer, but I think the weather showed up to that party a bit early. Every day it just keeps getting hotter and our traditional afternoon shower pattern has arrived. We need the rain, but it can get heavy and be accompanied by lightening. Plus the humidity only increases when the rain hits the hot pavement.  I am now in week 12 of training for the  runDisney   Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler .  I have successfully completed two 5.5 mile runs. Actually, the last one was pretty good. I used the roller before the run, got out 30 minutes earlier (to beat the heat) and felt really good. I wish I could say the same about my 2 mile run earlier this week. Not what I would have expected, but the weather really plays a crucial role in my running. More good news this week. I finally have my thyroid levels under control and I also have brought my cholesterol levels into normal status WITHOUT medication. I was warned that my thyroid disorder coul...

The days are longer and the sun just keeps getting hotter. Luckily, we have had a few days of rain which we desperately need. Even with the increased heat and humidity the training must go on as I am now in week 11 of training for the  runDisney   Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler . A dear friend of mine gave me this little running buddy to keep me going.  It's perfect for my weekend runs which are now up to 5 miles. I just noticed that I'm up to running 10 miles a week. No wonder I'm always hungry. This is the last week of the 5 mile run and then I increase to 5.5 miles.  The small increases are still working for me as well as the run/walk method, especially in the heat.  Next week is my last week running with K1 before she heads to Grandma's for the summer. I'm hoping she will keep up with her running, but I know it's hard not to have a running buddy. I still will have hubby to run with, but K1 runs at my pace which keeps me ...

Just when I start thinking that I can actually do this race, something happens that reminds me how terrified I am of this. First, runDisney posted the map of the race on Facebook. You should have seen my jaw drop to the floor. Then, for Mother's Day, the fam and I went Animal Kingdom for the day. As we were riding Expedition Everest for the third time, I looked out past the property and saw the Tower of Terror in the distance. The very, very, far distance. Why does driving in a car make 10 miles seem like such a short way?           I am now in week 7 of training for the  runDisney   Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler . There are still 19 weeks left to get ready, but with the summer heat upon us I am really getting nervous. Do you think they would let me do this as a relay race? Probably not, but you had better believe that I'm thinking of it!    I'm stepping up to 4.5 miles this weekend. Almost half-way there! The...

The summer in Florida is already in full swing. Somehow the state misunderstood the whole "Spring Forward" thing and decided to "spring" ahead to summer instead of just increasing the hour on the clock. Alas, the training must go on as I am now in week 6 of training for the  runDisney   Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler . What this does mean, however, is that now I need to be more careful about monitoring my heart rate, keeping hydrated, and remembering to wear sunscreen. Read more about summer hydration here . Even though I didn't post last week about my progress, I really was still training. I'm actually very impressed that between the crafting, weather, and other work duties that I was able to keep up with it.  I'm now up to 4 miles on my weekend long run. During the week I still try to get 2.5 miles in, but since I run in the evenings  that isn't always possible with the heat. Typically, I still get 2 miles in, so I'm good...

It's hard to believe that I'm already four weeks into training for the  runDisney   Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler .  I had a really good week.  The weather was perfect for running.  The Tampa area experienced a little cold front which brought in cooler temps and lower humidity.  Plus allergies were better. I don't think I really ran 4.17 miles; my GPS was off a bit.  I think it was closer to 4 miles.  Either way, I met my goals for the week, so I'm super happy.  One more week of 3.5 miles for the long run and then I go up to 4 miles for "real".   One thing I have noticed is my increased appetite. It seems like I'm hungry all the time.  I'm hoping that running more is kicking my metabolism in gear since it is all but dead from my radioactive iodine treatment on my thyroid.   No races scheduled at this time.  There are quite a few coming up in the fall that I want to do, but the weather here in the s...

Yes, it is week 3 of my   runDisney   Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler   training. Things are moving right along. I ran three days this week for a total of 7.65 miles, just shy of my 8 mile goal. It was pretty warm  (89 degrees)  Tuesday when I ran, so I decided to cut it a little short. I'm still pleased with my progress. This coming week I'm set up to run two days of 2.5 miles each and one day of 3.5 miles. I think I'm up for it. Now for the good stuff. This past Saturday was our LEGOLAND 5k race. Can I just tell you, this was the best 5k race we have ever done. We had gone to Cypress Gardens before it was turned into LEGOLAND, so we were really excited to go through the park.     It was the first time that I went over 40 minutes on a 5k (41.something) but I've never finished a race feeling so good before. We must have stopped half a dozen times to snap a picture.   K2 found this guy sleeping on the job just inside the gate of the cas...

So it's week two of my training for the   runDisney   Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler . It's been a good week because I now think I can do this. Next week I probably won't be saying that. I'm still full of questions, fears, and anxiety, but it's more controllable this week.   I was only able to run two days since last Thursday's post . Last week I ran for a total of 7.31 miles in three days. This week I ran two days for 6.81 miles. Sometimes life just gets messy busy. I'll do better this week. Saturday, the "fam" and I are going to the Orlando area to run the Winterhaven Citrus Classic 5k  at Legoland . We are excited to run through the park and check out all the Lego decor. Fun, huh? After searching lots of training plans, I think I finally came up with one for me - with some moderation. I actually have 26 weeks to train and most programs are for 13 weeks. I'm ok with this. The extra time is just what I need. I still may adjust as I ...

It's been one week since I signed up for the runDisney   Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler .  I'm still not sure if I really have my head wrapped around this one, but I did start training - sort of.  I've been looking into training apps since I think they really helped me prepare for a 5k when I first started running.  Trouble is, I'm cheap frugal.  I have no problem paying for an app, but I like to be able to try it out first.   Of course, nothing is made for 10 miles, so I've been looking at the half-marathon apps.  Nothing has impressed me so far.  I did download the Map My Run training app .  The problem is that this app doesn't allow you to make any input, such as miles or custom training.  It's fine for tracking, but not really for training.  I guess I'll keep looking. So what have I done?  Well, I have increased my distance.  The week before last I ran a total of 3 days for 5.80 miles. Last week I ran the...