No Matter How You Slice It, 3:15 is Early!

We set various phone alarms and requested a wake up call for 3:05-3:15 AM. I anticipated being able to wake up due to the excitement of the race. I was more worried about later. We turned off the light at 9:30, but I didn't fall asleep until closer to 10:30.  True to form I woke up at 2:30 AM, I was able to snooze a little bit until the alarms started ringing. Laura jumped out of bed and started getting ready. I was a little slower on the draw, but pulled together my Tiana outfit. I had everything laid out, so it was easy to get ready.  Somehow in the space of 3 feet I lost my hairband. Figured it would show up afterwards, but it never did. :(

Soon we were in line for the bus and ready to go! It was crazy once we got off the bus. People everywhere.

We passed over what felt like a red carpet and between panes of stained glass. I am sure they would have made for cute pictures, but it was DARK and crowded. There were several team tents and a series of tents labeled with letters for post race meet ups. Almost immediately after we went through the reception area they were calling for corrals to line up.

I walked through the tents to the corral line up with Laura and Sandie. Laura was in corral B and Sandie in E, I was alone in F. I walked with Laura for quite awhile and then the road split. I knew I would see them at the finish, but we still had quite a bit of time to wait.

There was lots of time to sit, but it was plenty warm and so much more comfortable then so many races I have been at. There were corrals A-H. A-E were in the first lane of the road and then the 2nd lane held F and beyond. They had big screens playing the live broadcast from the start line. The folks did a great job keeping things upbeat.

I got teary listening to some of the interviews, including one from the woman who crossed the finish line last at the Tinkerbell Half. She was back to run this race and was clearly a little nervous, but confident. We sang the national anthem, and the Fairy Godmother started the celebration.

Each corral received a countdown and fireworks! We left 5-10 minutes after the one prior.

Photo courtesy of Run Disney

About 6:30 my corral was off. More tomorrow.

The Day We Played Like Kids

Saturday we woke up nice and early to head over to the Magic Kingdom.

We arrived just as they were opening the park. It was fun to be there when the doors opened and Sandie caught her first glimpse of her favorite character, Stitch.

We headed right for Space Mountain. Turns out we didn't need to be so concerned. The park was basically empty and we got onto every ride we wanted to ride in 5-10 minutes. I was a whirlwind of roller coasters and a few favorites such as It's a Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean. We tried out the new Ariel ride and visited Buzz Lightyear. In the end we were there for 3.5 hours and had done everything we wanted! Its amazing how fast you can move without kids and lines.

As someone who grew up on Disneyland, it was a little disconcerting to have things in the "wrong" places.

Before we left the park we grabbed lunch in Tomorrowland within view of the castle. I insisted we eat outside in order to grab every minute of the warmth.

We decided to head back to the expo to actually get a chance to check out the vendors. We had fun walking around and checking out the merchandise. I headed over and met the Mother Runners Sarah and Dimity. Super sweet and I am sorry I missed their presentations on the stage. (pictures to come)

Found my name on the wall of runners

I picked up a mother runner shirt "Finishing=Winning" and a pretty necklace. No official merchandise for me though.

We headed back to the hotel to relax before heading down to Downtown Disney. Laura and I hung outside the room after dragging our desk chairs outside. It was nice and peaceful and fun to relax.

We ate at Wolfgang Puck's for dinner and headed home to get our sleep. I laid everything out took a quick shower and we were in bed by 9:30. Our alarms were set for 3:15 - Yikes!

Tomorrow - the big day.

What takes you back to your childhood?

Day 1 - Heading to Disney

Friday I went to boot camp as planned. I knew waking up early to work out would be good for me, but also would help me sleep Friday night. I knew we had an early wake up call on Sunday AM and I don't typically sleep well the night before a race. That made Friday night all that more important.

I headed up to BWI in the morning, tiara packed and ready to go. I managed to get in a work call despite all my excitement and arrived at the airport in perfect timing for my noon flight. Unfortunately, Airtran had other plans and we were delayed. I got some lunch and hung out at the terminal.

So fun to hang out in the rockers at BWI

I was bummed out about the delay, not just because I wanted to be someplace warm, but because we had a tight schedule to get to the hotel, the expo and then the Pasta in the Park dinner. Once the plane arrived, we loaded up quickly and were on our way.

Finally made it to Orlando. Mickey is ready to give me a high five. 

I ended up landing within minutes of Laura, my running buddy from Ohio. We found the Magic Express and made our way to the Pop Century hotel.

We had fun with all the cool things they had at the hotel representing the various decades. We were in the 70's building, which was perfect as we both have great memories of the toys. The hotel was really cute and we had a room at the end of a hall, which looked over a very pretty lake. So peaceful and it was WARM.

The first thing I did was change out of the long pants I had on. We gathered up Sandie, who had flown in from CA on Thursday and headed to the expo.

I was a little worried as I had been reading poor reviews of the expo on facebook during the afternoon. In the end the I thought it was pretty typical of an expo. The bib pick up was easy peasy and the tshirts as well. The rows of vendors were fairly packed and we only had 30 minutes before the expo closed. Plus we had a date with dinner, so only a quick run through was in the cards. Laura and I had bought tickets for the Pasta in the Park party. Sandie had hooked up with a runner in St. Louis who had an extra ticket. The runner was delayed due to the snow in the Midwest, but had the ticket transferred and waiting for Sandie at will call. Not the last time the weather would play a part in the weekend!

We headed to Epcot after a lot of walking, both to the buses and then to get into the park.

We arrived about 7:30 and there was plenty of food to go around. It was pretty typical hotel pasta, tasted fine after a long day of traveling, but nothing too exciting. The DJ had the dance floor going and there were lots of kids there with their running moms.

After dinner and a glass of wine, I caught sight of some princesses. We headed over and got pictures with Tiana and Aurora.

Then we headed outside for the Illumination show. It was ok. I would have preferred to walk around and see what Epcot had to offer, since I have never been there. After the show, we headed back to the hotel. We had plans for Magic Kingdom on Saturday, so wanted to get our sleep on.

Come back to hear more about our weekend and the race!

Back to Reality

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I promise. Getting back to being a mom and worker bee today.

Just a few pictures and I will be writing full recap posts in the coming days!

Shopping and Bib Pickup

Fun in the Sun - It was so warm!

And we are off!

The reward at the end. Isn't it pretty? 

Run Up to Disney

So the three of us were chatting on FB today and getting our plans for the Princess Half all ironed out. Sandie is leaving from CA tomorrow and Laura and I head down from our respective cities on Friday.

Here are some of the stats for the race.

More than 26,000 mostly women runners – nearly 20,000 more than the inaugural year in 2009 - are set to run the 5th anniversary Disney’s Princess Half Marathon on Sunday. The 13.1-mile course starts just outside Epcot and takes runners through the Magic Kingdom and Cinderella Castle before finishing back at Epcot. All runDisney races typically feature colorful runner costumes, Disney entertainment and characters. Runners completing the half marathon will receive a commemorative 5th anniversary tiara medal.

Isn't she pretty? 

Race Facts:

• More than 26,000 runners in the half; 8,000 in the 5K and 1,700 in Kids Races; many from throughout Central Florida
• The half marathon includes more than 24,500 female runners and 1,700 male runners
• Runners represent all 50 states and 32 countries
• Youngest participants are 14; the oldest woman is 78
• 324 runners have run all 5 races ("Prefect Princesses" according to the FB page)

Its going to be very busy there! 

I ran two miles today in my bra and shirt I will be wearing on Sunday and planning my packing list in my head. I wanted to go three miles, but pickup duty called. Considering how yucky I felt last night, I consider today a major victory. Now if I could only keep these sweets out of my hands. I am going to gain that two pounds back in 24 hours if I don't watch it! I think perhaps a bag of popcorn is called for while I catch up on my water. 

Tomorrow is the big Pinewood Derby, so I am going to have to put my 24-7 racing brain on hold for a little bit and be the mom/race manager's wife. 

Back to the Way it Was

Let's see - where were we? Ah yes, good bootcamp work out. We stretched quite a bit, which was just what I needed. She keeps telling us to stretch at home and I am getting better at making the time. I did some rolling on Monday and it felt good. I know stretching is super important, one because I feel better when I do it, but also because we have back problems in my family tree. Thanks Dad! He has a set of stretches he does regularly so his back is nice to him. Hubby needs to take a page from that book as well. It makes me feel old when he is hobbling around because he has tweaked his back. I am not doing all this working out, just to feel old!

Excitement about Disney is growing! Chatted with my Ohio running buddy and my yet to be new friend. We are all in the same sorority (different schools), but I haven't met the woman coming in from CA yet. I am certain we will be fast friends on our little weekend adventure. Just another reason why this weekend is already scoring high points in my book. What isn't scoring such high points? This annoying cold I have contracted. I have this symptom where when I get sick my eyes water. There is nothing like sitting and having your nosing running like a faucet and eyes looking like you just broke up with your boyfriend of 5 years. That was pretty much the second half of the day. I didn't want to take sudefed because anything after 2pm would keep me up way too late. (plus with no caffeine base since I have dropped diet coke - who knows what would happen!) and it was too early for a nighttime medicine. Laura's foot and my head still have lots of time to recover, so its not world ending. Annoying for sure though!

Despite my cold I managed to make a great dinner! Fish and edamana salad. I am totally not that fancy but a few months ago I went to a school fundraiser at one of those make it ahead places.

We had a fun girls night out and I ended up taking a deal where I got several sides. To be honest, this is where the money was worth it for me. The main meals were good, but the sides rocked the house. We had an exotic grain mix with roasted veggies to die for. I almost ran over and picked more up for Thanksgiving dinner.

this looked much prettier in the bowl I made it in for dinner. 

This salad was the beans (is that what they are? legumes?), cranberries, feta and walnuts with a little dressing. I never would have bought these ingredients at the store, but it exposed my husband and I to another healthy choice. I am sure my son would have eaten it as well, but I made mixed veggies for Miss Picky and gave some to him as well. I am kind of glad, because now there is more for me!

In other news, dropped two pounds as predicted. I am back to where I was in January when the holiday bloat started to dissipate  The question is will I keep losing this week. I think so, as I have workouts planned, my appetite has returned to normal and there will be a lot of walking and little/no alcohol this weekend with the race. Perfect conditions to have my body keep going in the right direction. My goal is to lose 6 lbs this year, so slow and steady wins this race.

Why Am I so Mean?

You might think it was my kids that accused me of that. But no, its me. I have been disrespecting myself this past week or so. I am just eating beyond belief and can't seem to stop the snacks. A few candy corns here, a few chocolate peanuts there. And the Girl Scout cookies haven't even hit the house in earnest yet! Usually when we have treats in the house I can take my small taste right before I go to bed and be satisfied because I am upstairs with my teeth brushed in no time.

I have the usual monthly ups and downs, but this month it started way to early and hasn't abated. I could blame the long runs I have had for my upcoming half. The truth is I haven't been thinking ahead and preparing my kitchen and my head to use good food.

I am super lucky in that my husband does the meal planning and grocery shopping for the house. I very much appreciate this effort because the weeks I have to plan, I struggle to come up with meals! We have lots of cookbooks in the house and, of course, some favorites, but it is hard to do week after week.

What I need to do is figure out by Saturday night what I want him to bring home. We always have bananas and apples in the house. I take blueberries in my lunch. I find that roasting a spaghetti squash or having some extra veggies available allows me to beef up my dinner plate without increasing my calorie intake.

My self control has been low lately (since the end of the dietbet....hrm) and the scale has told the tale for sure. I need to get myself back under control and finding some yummy goodies to fill my stomach. This time of year is always a little hard. The fall veggies are getting a little boring, but the summer bounty of fruit hasn't arrived yet. That isn't an excuse, it is just a call for me to focus.

Based on my cycle and the fact that I will be going to FL (and away from the snacks!), I am sure I will lose some weight this week. What I need to do is take that edge and keep after it.

I am watching the Biggest Loser as I write this and love the Body Peace Pledge. Think I could use these reminders on a daily basis!!

By the way - still no soda since October! That is a habit I feel I can honestly say I have kicked.

What have your struggles been lately? How do you stop where you are and change the direction?

President's Day Weekend

This was a weekend of getting things done.

 

We had a long list of errands to run on Saturday and got most of them done while DD was at Daisies. I stopped by Pacers to check on my new shoes, but they weren't in yet. Boo. Saturday night we had a fire and played cards. It was a great family night!
Sunday I had 8 on the docket and DD had a birthday party in Manassas at 10:30 AM. So I set my alarm and got my run on. I broke it into 2 mile increments, allowing myself a water, potty break every 2 miles. That's not what I do in a race, but hey, it works for me. First half hour I listened to an AMR podcast on being injured (thankfully I am not). Then some music and the last hour was HGTV. While is run is the only time I HGTV, and I love that there are no commercial breaks between shows. They want to keep you hooked and it helps me keep running past the hour.

Just for grins, I ran in my tutu. I wanted to make sure it wasn't going to get caught in between my legs while I ran. It was great! I hardly knew it was there. No outside run this weekend (the wind was biting), so the neighbors weren't left wondering what in the world I was doing. :)

While DD was at her party (in the middle of nowhere VA, BTW), I used my Yelp app and found a salon. They weren't open when I got there, but were soon after. I thought about doing green in honor of Tiana, but decided at the last minute purple was more what I was feeling. Its a Mardi Gras color, right?

Thursday is the big Pinewood Derby, so we went to get the cars preweighed. I am so happy we have been with such an open pack. They have siblings participate in everything. DD doesn't understand that this is all going to come to an end once my son bridges over in a few weeks.

But for now we are set for Thursday and a good time will be had by all. Sund ay night we went out for dinner and my poor eating continued. Actually it wasn't my eating, I had a salad with Salmon and the dressing on the side. The calamari and wine weren't such good choices though.

Sunday night/Monday morning was brutal. My daughter came into bed about 5 am with a continuous cough. I had lots of stressful thoughts running though my head and couldn't get back to sleep. I finally migrated to her bed and was then woken up by my son 3-4 times throughout the morning. Ouch. I finally got up at 9 AM and shortly after breakfast started work on my son's room. I haven't done a toy clean out in maybe 18 months and it was showing. The great thing was that this time, I pretty much just managed the recycling and trash bags and he did the work. I was very proud of him.

Once he was done, it was clear DD was in the middle of the same process in her room. (I think we know who follows who's tendency here - my husband throws nothing away) So I helped her finish. Not a bad morning's work!

I worked on getting my duck's in a row for Disney and then decided to get in 3 miles. I plan to go to bootcamp tomorrow, run Wednesday or Thursday (3 miles again), bootcamp Thurs/Friday. With traveling I am giving myself a little wiggle room, but boot camp Tuesday/Friday is definite.

My buddy in crime wrote that her foot was hurting her yesterday. She has been running outside in Columbus and did 14 on Saturday. I am hoping she listens to her body this week and not the schedule, so she can run her race on Sunday.

I will admit I spent some time on the Green Bay Marathon site today. Just looking around. The half is sold out and the marathon is at 70%. I priced some plane tickets as well. Nothing has been set though. Perhaps after my race on Sunday I will have the guts to sign up. Prices go up again March 1st, so it would be good to  get in or out, whatever my decision will be.

Did you enjoy the holiday? What does your plan look like this week?

I can't wait to show you all the Disney excitement next week!

Happy Day!

Slept in today - was a good choice since the car was iced over when I left the house at 7:45! 

Tonight I squeezed in 4 miles before and after TKD drop off. Then I took a shower because I love my Husband. :) 

Dinner was supposed to be steak, but turns out we didn't defrost it. So it was a random assortment of breakfast foods. 

Now for some wine and time to get off the computer. 

Hope everyone had a great day!

What Doesn't Kill You.....

Makes you stronger. Or so the song says. I was happy to have Kelly (Clarkson that is) along for the ride on my run this afternoon. I had taken a rest day on Monday and only did boot camp yesterday, so it had to get done. Work was hopping, but I headed down to the treadmill. (A nice cold rain had started in DC) 2 miles done. Not too bad. I had to stop for a pitstop and to answer a work email. Big mistake, sitting down. But I posted on FB that I was moving and then I HAD to do it. 2 more miles on my docket. So I cranked Kelly, kicked the mill up one tick faster then before and got it done. 1.5 miles faster then my usual 4.7. May be time to click the mill up a little faster at the end of my runs. That was how I increased my speed the last 2 times. My goal this time is consistency  I don't think I was doing myself any favors by cranking up the pace then walking. Back and Forth. I still need to work on running the whole distance, whatever that distance may be. I can see doing more interval work once I am a little stronger.

The last mile or so I got to thinking. I really am stronger. Take a minute and think about when you started your athletic adventure - whatever that may be.



Can you remember how it felt? Can you close your eyes and feel the heavy breathing and the beating of your heart. The desire to be able to complete the move, reach the milestone, be strong? Do you give yourself credit for how far you have come?

For me it was July when I ran my first 5k without walking at all. I have no problem with walking, it has been the activity that has gotten me this far. However, my goal is to be stronger and one of the things that I measure that against is the distance I can run without stopping to walk. The fact that I can now run 2 miles or more without stopping is a big leap for me. Even a bigger leap from when I started the couch to 5k program.  Sometimes when I don't want to run or workout, I think about how much easier it is now. What am I complaining about? I can run 4 miles under an hour now and go about my day. That used to be a major effort.

So think about your journey and be thankful for all the time you have given yourself and your body. It is worth it and you have become stronger. Happy Valentine's Day to you!



What best describes your journey? What is your strong?

I think I Lost My Wagon

Not only do I feel like I have fallen off the wagon, but I can't even see it. It isn't all that bad, I assure you, but it FEELS that way. Some days that is enough.

Monday was a rest day - that 11 miles from Sunday did me in. I was ok with that, and I had a great reason for not getting my sweat on in the evening. My baby brother was in town! He lives all the way on the west coast and he had a meeting locally. While he comes east on a semi regular basis - every 6 months or so - sometimes I have to twist my schedule into knots to see him. This time he showed up at the house, shared dinner with the family, we had some adult chat time after the kids went to bed and then I took him to his hotel. Easy and relaxed. Just the kind of visit I enjoy!

I went to bed too late and knew I had to get to bootcamp. WHY can't I go to bed earlier? It is a real issue for me. I made it and we did circuits. Ouch. I was feeling very weak in general. I was supposed to run tonight as well, but with an event at school, I ended up on the couch with Obama on TV and my computer on my lap.

I think perhaps I am resisting. Resisting what? Well last night I spent a few minutes working out what I might need to do to train for a marathon. I know, really? After that 11 miler, it was just pure crazy talk. In January, on a day I had a great run apparently - I mentioned to my MIL that I was considering registering for the Green Bay Marathon. I could tackle anything, and why not that?! My hubby grew up in GB and the race runs through Lambeau Field for goodness sake. On the more important side, it is FLAT and with a very generous time limit. I think the folks at the water stations just break out the beer while they are cheering on the turtles like me. :) Anyways, I decided now that Disney is near and the Cellcom page is hyping weekend runs, I should figure out what I really needed to do. It is ugly. All of April has long runs of 4-5 hours each. I just don't know. The half just filled up yesterday, so I can't even play that for the family trip. I think traveling to GB for a 5k would be a little much.

So back to Disney - the task at hand. I have 2 weeks of training left and need to be on it. Finish strong. I want to be able to enjoy the race knowing I did what I needed to and just have fun!

How do you decide to take on challenges like a marathon?

Perhaps I Have Gone Too Far?

Friday afternoon/evening was spent at school. They had a great play presented by the aftercare class.

Then chess club. An hour of chaos. I was ready for wine and bad food by the time I got home. Ended up clean out the frig to feed everyone. I had pizza and wine. :)

Saturday was time to sleep in and I headed over to Pacers. My new Omnis were suffering from some bad stitching. They had others in my size, but they were RED. Oh no. My dream of having a perfect outfit - including the shoes - was flashing before my eyes. Before I could even think, I asked if I could get green. How silly! But it was fate, remember? Colleen was so patient and there were plenty in my size online. So they were ordered and should be here by next Friday. One week before the race, but I should be ok.

We had plans for a charity event on Saturday night. A chili cookoff and bingo night. We had a great time, and I had lots of chili, wine and dessert. Seeing an eating trend here?

Sunday was long run day. I had made plans earlier in the week to meet 2 mother runners at a local running trail to put in our mileage. I was scheduled for 11, but we weren't going to meet until 1 pm. It was hard to wait so long, and I wasn't sure what to eat. I ended up having cereal for breakfast and then a bagel with peanut butter for lunch.

I look like a total giant here! 

I met Elaine and Rebecca right on time. We headed out on the CCT ( a new part this week) and turned around at 5.5 miles. All of the sudden my knee had this sharp pain. This was not good - not good at all. I walked for a little and it slowly went away. I don't want to be injured this close to the Princess run! Well, ever, but let's be realistic. We went several miles past the point I have been on the trail, so it was neat to see the other areas. Lots of bikers out as well. The temp was perfect for a long sleeve shirt and jacket. I got this hot pink number at Costco. It has 3 zip pockets, which I was loving.
In the end, I was able to finish pretty strong and hit 100 miles for the year. Cool milestone. I currently have on my new Procompression socks. My leg are feeling much better then they were a few hours ago.

I ran in the shorts I bought to go under my tutu and it felt good. I also sewed my snaps onto my tutu coverup/skirt. I am done and ready for Disney.

I have seen some of the costumes others are making online and it is going to be so fun to see everyone's creativity. It took me 3 tries to get the snaps right, so hopefully all will be well on race day.

Have a great week everyone!

Using the Internet for Motivation

So I talked about how I entered a Dietbet for a little push during the end of holiday food frenzy. While I wouldn't do that particular thing again - there are lots of ways to use the Internet to keep your motivation high.

One example is the Virtual 5 by 5th run series hosted by MommyRunFast



Essentially you are challenged to run a 5k or 5 miles in the first 5 days of the month. I thought, no problem. I run all the time! So for January I ran on new years eve - and it was 4 miles - doesn't count. (You all know how I like to be exact.) Facebook was full of folks posting their first day of the new year workouts and runs. So I got it together and hopped on the treadmill about 3 in the afternoon. Of course, I was on vacation, so I had all sorts of time.

This morning I get the reminder email from Laura - don't forget to add your time to the google spreadsheet! Hrm, I only had 1 run so far this month! My 3 mile run from yesterday was rescheduled to today due to my impromptu rest day on Monday. So I decided to ramp up my speed and see how it went. I did the whole 5k on 4.7, which is about a 12:45 minute mile. (I run so much faster - for a turtle- on "dry land" - but that is a topic for another time.) I clocked in at 39:28 and felt great. I played the mental game of just pushing myself just a little longer, just one more lap, just 3 more minutes. Other then 1 bathroom break, I didn't walk once. That was a cool 3 minutes faster then my treadmill time on the first of January - so I will take it!

I see this challenge as a way to keep exercise present in my thoughts and have a community that is out doing similar things. While it isn't as fun as meeting a group out for a run, I did compete against myself, push a little harder and came out victorious.

How is my resolution going?

I am feeling pretty good about that too!

How do you use technology or the Internet to motivate yourself?

Owls vs Early Birds

I got up for boot camp today. I still feel like it is a victory each time I get there! We start at 6 am and I am like a sheep, once I am there I just follow.

I am a night owl. Pure and simple. I have dedicated myself to this boot camp because I know it is good for me. I have made great strides with my walking/jogging/running progression. However, I know there is more to being a fit and healthy woman. I need to increase my stamina and strength. Not only does it give me a better overall workout, but it also gives me a social outlet. These ladies have been together for several years and it is a comfortable safe space.

So what is my problem? While I seem to have tackled the getting up early to work out piece of things, I still haven't given up my owl ways. I still go to bed late and don't feel ready for sleep until I have read for a few minutes. I can barely get through one article now, but I still love to read and it is the only time I get (take) to.

The result - I am tired! Getting good sleep is important for weight loss - but more importantly sanity!

Any hints on how better to balance my me time at night and my workout time in the morning?

A blast from the past

Today started with a family snuggle in bed. I was feeling just a tiny bit guilty for not going to boot camp, but it was totally worth it to get snuggle time from my almost 11 year old. (literally 24 hours until he is 11!) We always used to snuggle, but my boy has gotten too big for us. :( What a great way to start the day!!

Work day was successful for the most part. Can't ask for more then that.

Rest of the day - REST! Letting that 11 miles sink in. Back to the grind tomorrow.

Later.

A Weekend of Building Blocks

I went to bed on Friday knowing I was beat. Just mentally and physically exhausted. The local Moms Run This Town group was planning a run around Burke Lake and several folks needed to go the same distance as me. (10 miles) I knew as soon as my head hit the pillow that I wasn't going to make it. I will be honest and  admit that the crazy cold weather had something to do with it too. I am not yet outfitted to run in the cold and if you told me I would be out in 32 degrees, I would have laughed. Facebook has evidence that these ladies are heartier then I and about 14 showed up to run in the 14 degree weather!

Oh and while we are being honest - my eating has SUCKED the past few days. I really need to get back to consistent meals made up of good stuff. I have had more pizza this week then in the last 2 months! Moving on, just wanted to be transparent. :)

I put my focus towards the Birthday Bonanza for Boy Wonder. Saturday was his lego/robot party at a local place and I had a cake to make. I have turned out some crazy cakes for this boy - Rock climbers, Angry birds, but I didn't kick into creative gear with this cake until Friday afternoon about 3 pm. The local cake store saved me with a chocolate mold for bricks.

Fun was had by all and Mom was able to wrap up the day with a star next to her name. I found out later my mother in law was telling my son how lucky he is to have a mom that makes cakes for his birthday and he informed her this one was just a rectangle, so not complicated at all. Ha!

Once I collapsed, I focused on my run. I was daunted by the mileage and really didn't want to do it on the treadmill. That is a long time (about 2.5 hours) and the reality is, it is just asking for kid drama while I am trying to keep moving. However, the trails are much more sparsely populated this time of year. Then a posting from another mother asking if folks were interested in a run - and not at the crack of dawn! Double yea! So I met several runners at the famed Vienna Caboose for a run.

Courtesy of Kelli Wright

Turtles like me never know if there is going to be someone at my pace. People say they are slow, but they often aren't. Sure enough after our introductions and photo the group was off and it quickly was one other mom and I. She had 11 on the books, so I knew at least we were in for the long haul. I could tell she was a strong runner - meaning she doesn't just stop and walk every time the going gets a little tough.

We started up the WO&D towards Reston and after a few miles met the others coming back. One mom that lived in the area peeled off and offered to show us some trails to keep things a little more exciting. The W0&D is essentially a highway for runners, walkers, bikers and horses - complete with a bright yellow strip down the center. So off we went.

This picture was better before she ducked behind the tree.

It was a really nice portion of the CCT and Kelli kept up a good pace and conversation to keep us going. She clearly could have blown us out of the water, so it was so nice to have her lead us. It got me thinking that I can see the value of training with a pace group. They push you to stay steady and keep moving! My running schedule is too all over the place at the moment, but let's face it, I continue to redefine what I think makes sense on this little adventure of mine!

Rebecca on the stepping stones

Kelli led us through the beautiful woods, off the trail into a neighborhood with some nice hills. I totally walked them knowing we still had miles to go. She peeled off at her house and we easily found the WO&D again. The snow started coming down a little harder and I certainly felt like it was getting colder. Some of my accessories like gloves came back out. We walked some, but over all I was so happy to have finished 11 miles in just over 2 hours, 30 minutes. I suck at pausing runkeeper, so that includes most of our breaks.

I was hurting the rest of the day, luckily I just needed to pull out the leftovers from the party to head to my friends house for the first half of the Super Bowl. They are currently making a real game of it as we speak and then I need to head to bed.

So what have you done that you never thought you would? How have you redefined what you consider crazy?