Glass Slipper Challenge Complete!

19.3…uhh….22.4…I did it! This past weekend, I ran the Royal Family 5K on Friday, the Enchanted 10K on Saturday, and the Princess Half Marathon on Sunday…and I had a blast doing so!





Up next? A Disney Cruise!



Duffy’s ready, so am I!

I’m out for a few days, hope you all have a great one!



See ya real soon!

Fitness Friday–2/21/14

Happy Friday!  Today, I’m coming to you from the Happiest Place on Earth! We are having a great time and I can’t wait to share my adventures with you once I return home! :0)

Next Race:
-Glass Slipper Challenge, Princess Half Marathon Weekend – February 22 & 23, Walt Disney World

Saturday – 6 mile run (right knee bothered me a bit)
Sunday – Rest Day
Monday – Squats/Lunges/Resistance Bands leg work 
Tuesday – 3 miles
Wednesday – Appt with Orthopedic Massage Therapist who focused on legs/IT Band only; Squats/Lunges/Resistance Bands leg work
Thursday – WDW Travel Day
Friday – Royal Family 5K and Park Time

Tomorrow is the Enchanted 10K, followed by the Princess Half Marathon on Sunday. I can’t wait to wear my costume! :0)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!! What are you plans for the weekend?

On Our Way!

By the time you read this, we will be on our way to Walt Disney World for the Princess Half Marathon Weekend!  Our plane left at 5:45 a.m. which meant an early morning for me – I’m tired already!

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For a complete list of information about the weekend, check out Sarah’s recent blog post (and print your waivers)!

Also, don’t forget about the various meet-ups happening throughout the weekend. You can check those out here.

I hope to see you around! :0) Safe travels!!

Princess Half Marathon Costume–Snow White

Over the past two weeks, my mom and I have worked diligently on my Princess Half Marathon costume and I’m so excited it’s finally complete!

Without further ado, here it is!

Several weeks ago, my mom was gracious enough to accompany me to Hobby Lobby to help me pick out materials.

We decided on red sparkle fabric for a cape and stiff white interfacing for the collar. I also purchased a cheaper white material to cover the interfacing. My mom did the bulk of sewing on the collar and cape so I don’t have any tips or advice there. 

The sleeves were hand stitched by yours truly. Until this point, I didn’t even know I could hand stitch in a moderately straight line. I pretty much surprised myself. Actually, my original intention was to use hot glue and Heat N Bond. I’m really glad I chose needle and thread instead!

The sleeves were made from red and light blue wired ribbon. I also used a yellow non-wired ribbon for the bottom.

For even edges, I folded the ends of the ribbon and hand stitched them onto the sleeves, then trimmed the extra. (Seen Below)

Top/front side of the sleeve

Bottom/underneath the stitch

I added this yellow non-wired ribbon because the wires from the undersides of the red/blue ribbon were poking my arm – the addition of the yellow ribbon solved my problem and was the perfect pop of color! (Don’t laugh at my stitching…it was getting close to midnight and I was starting to see double!)

The sparkle tiara iron-on was purchased at Hobby Lobby and ironed onto the front of my shirt.

Speaking of shirt, I purchased this blue Champion shirt from Academy. It was on sale for $5.95 (because one of the sleeves was coming unraveled). Image my surprise when it rang up at the counter for $2.95. YES, TWO dollars and 95 cents! Can’t beat that!!

The compression sleeves for my legs are made by Zensah.

The bow for my hair is a red sparkle Sweaty Band  and I attached a piece of wired red ribbon to tie in a bow.

My skirt is a Sparkle Skirt in Lemon Crush.

The apple was cut out of felt while following a basic apple pattern found online. Originally, I wanted to carry a real apple. I changed my mind when I realized that would be next to impossible. At first, I was going to try and find a stuffed toy apple, then decided on a felt one that could be pinned onto my skirt.

…and there you have it! The finished product!

I kinda don’t want to take it off. :0)

I can’t go without saying a huge THANK YOU to my mom who helped tremendously in the making of this costume!!

If you’re interested in dressing in costume for your next Disney race but don’t have any ideas, check out this handy guide.

Are you running Princess in costume? Do you even like to run in costume? If you’ve revealed your costume so far, who are you running as?

Princess Week Is Here & Plans!

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It’s crazy for me to think its finally here! In the back of my mind, I keep reminding myself of all I have to accomplish before we leave on Thursday and it almost stresses me out. Thankfully, most of my packing is complete (that’s one less thing to worry about)!

This week, I’ve been drinking coffee every morning out of my Princess Half Marathon mug from 2012! I might even hold my pinky up like a Princess while doing so…..or maybe I’m just kidding…

Coffee just tastes better from a Disney mug! :0)

This weekend (and last night), my mom and I spent our time putting the finishing touches on my costume for the Half Marathon. I’m so grateful my mom knows how to sew and is willing to help me out with my crazy projects! It all turned out great. I have one final thing to place and it will be complete!

Here’s a piece I made for my costume – I’m just not yet sure where I’m going to put it.

Just one bite, my dear!

Our plans for the weekend include:

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• A stay at this beautiful resort, Port Orleans Riverside. This is also where Jason and I  stayed for our Honeymoon, so it holds a special place in my heart. :0)

Dinner Reservations:

• Ohana
• Garden Grill
• Trail’s End
• Crystal Palace

Our Fast Pass + reservations are complete and we are already checked in to our resort online!  Now I’m praying for a safe trip there and we will be all set!

Oh yes, and one little thing I didn’t mention…

Following the Princess Half Marathon Weekend, we are boarding the Disney Magic for a cruise!

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You can bet I’m going to also run the Castaway Cay 5K, too! I ran it back in 2009 and I’m looking forward to seeing the changes since then (I know there’s been a lot)! 

Disclaimer: I have several people watching my house. So you better watch out if you are thinking of doing something crazy….just sayin.

Here’s a few last minute weekend reminders:

• Princess Half Marathon Meet-ups – Come out and meet up with your favorite runDisney friends! I’m planning on attending the RunnersLove meet-up and crossing my fingers it all works for me to make it there in time!
• Packing: For travel WITH a flight; for travel WITHOUT a flight. There’s also lots of great packing lists online – Google “Race Packing List” and lots of options appear!

Last but not least, if you’re running Princess, I hope you have a wonderful time in the happiest place on earth! See you soon, Princesses! :D

Are you attending any meet-ups this weekend? If so, which ones?

Destination Race Packing List–Involving a Flight

Welcome to Part 2 of my Destination Race Packing series!

To see part 1 (Packing for a non-flight race), click here.



Princess Half Marathon Week is finally here! Registration for this race began (and sold out) last July, so I feel as if it’s been a long time coming.

I treated this past weekend as if we were leaving today (Monday morning). Apart from packing cosmetic items and finishing up my Half Marathon costume, I’m ready to go!

Just three work days remain between me, a mouse, and lots of bling. :0)



Like all my other packing adventures, this one began with a list.

I separated my list into three columns: race items (carry on), paperwork (also belongs in the carry on), and suitcase items.

My carry-on of choice:



Vera Bradley Lap Top Backpack and Disney Dooney (Marathon Weekend) Crossbody

Current TSA regulations allow 1 bag and 1 personal item per passenger. I have used a variety of bags in the past, but I’ve found a backpack to be the easiest and most convenient for me.

What’s in my bag? Well, let’s take a look!



For starters, I always carry-on everything I might need for a race. This includes shoes, costumes/race outfits, GU, my Garmin, etc.

Being that the above items are liquid/gels, I pack them along in my 3-1-1 bag (3 oz or less, 1 clear zip top bag, 1 per person) with my other small cosmetic items.



My 3-1-1 bag (from Thirty One).



Clear Check On Bag:

• GU
• Sunscreen
• BioFreeze

Travel-sized Items (3 oz or less):

• Toothbrush/Toothpaste
• Contact Solution/Case
• Shampoo/Conditioner
• Lotion
• Body Wash
• Extra Contacts
• Body Spray
• Face Wash
• Deodorant
• Makeup does not have to be in a clear bag unless it’s liquid or gel-like :0)
  

Running shoes, race outfits/costumes, and accessories also travel in my carry-on.

• Race Top
• Race Bottom
• Running Shoes
• Headbands/Sweaty Bands
• Socks
• Sports Bra

I keep all of these items together in a gallon sized zip lock bag (for easy storage).

Since it would be unreasonable to bring my entire race bag on this trip with me, I chose items from the bag that I absolutely use (or might use) every time I run.



Race Day Accessories

• Garmin
• Sunglasses
• Headphones (I do not use these during Disney races)
• Body Glide (might have to add this to my clear 3-1-1 zip bag)
• Poncho
• Knee Sleeve/KT Tape

Quite possibly the best piece of carry-on advice I ever received was from my friend Kelli. She suggested that I bring my flat iron along with me in my carry-on (she does this as well). I have crazy, thick, frizzy hair that doesn’t respond well to humidity and this flat iron has been a life saver on more than one occasion!



Chargers

• Phone
• Garmin
• Race Camera

(My other chargers are packed into my suitcase.)



Somehow, I fit all of these items into my carry-on (with room to spare)!

Last but not least, I also like to carry an empty water bottle with me through security (to fill after I pass through security).

For this trip, I’m also bringing along a suitcase (to check). This suitcase will have my non-racing items, day clothing, and other essential items.



My mini-travel-sized foam roller will be placed in my suitcase, only because I can’t fit it in my carry-on. Along with my foam roller, I’m also packing my compression tights for post-race recovery.



Any additional advice? What essential items do you carry-on when flying?

Week In Review–2/14

This week has been a busy one, filled with a wedding, catching up on sleep, meetings, and after work dinners. Despite my lack of running this week, I still made time to cross train. I even added an exercise back into my leg routine that I think will help my IT Band(s) even more. This weekend, I plan on running with my running group (not sure how far yet, this will be a test on my knee) and I will just go from there. I am pretty confident all will be fine, I just don’t want to push my luck after the marathon and so close to the Princess Half (Glass Slipper Challenge).

Here’s how my week looked!

It began with a wedding, where I was the coordinator. What an adrenaline rush, I tell ya! Thankfully, the wedding started right on time! Whew.

Last night, my husband and I celebrated Valentines Day! We ate dinner at a local fine dining restaurant (we only go on special occasions) and it was delicious! I had the Roasted Duck and Jason had Steak/Lobster. We also shared a dessert of Bananas Foster Sauce drizzled over ice cream. Y’all. This stuff is GOOD. Reminds me of Ohana…and speaking of Ohana, guess what? This time next week I’ll be in Disney World, enjoying a dinner at my favorite Disney restaurant! Wahoo!

This week, my mom and I also began working on my costume for the Princess Half. Late to the party, I know. Whoops. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out!!

Funny story. On Monday, I checked twitter as I was leaving work and this countdown photo from runDisney popped up in my twitter timeline. I thought it was a cute picture but I didn’t really pay much attention to it. I favorited it, retweeted it, and went on my merry little way. Not long after, I received a tweet from Pam saying “Isn’t that you?” I quickly did a double take and sure enough, it WAS me!

This photo was taken at the 2012 Princess Half. I could not believe it!

Last but not least, Happy Valentines Day!! This Valentine is especially for my fellow NSYNC nerds! :D  Have a wonderful day!!

How are you celebrating Valentines Day?

Vlog: 2014 Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon

On February 2nd, I crossed the finish line of my 5th Full Marathon, the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon.

I documented this marathon through both photo and video. Today, I’m sharing a Vlog of the fun times we had running the streets of New Orleans. Come along and share in our adventures!

Care to see the rest of my weekend adventures? Click on the links below:

• Expo Recap
• Expo/NOLA Vlog
• Rock N Roll Official Website

What’s your typical post-race meal like?

Marathon Blues

Throughout the week following the Rock N Roll New Orleans Marathon, a million thoughts ran through my mind. (No pun intended!)

Monday morning, I was so stiff I could hardly walk. I hurt from head to toe – my shoulders were incredibly sore (I must have run most of the race tense), my lower back hurt, my hips, my quads, my calves….I was a mess. Thankfully, my orthopedic massage therapist was able to fit me in for a massage (not a “feel good” massage, either).

On Tuesday, I felt the same way – still incredibly sore. Midway through the day, another feeling hit me – a feeling of disappointment, and sadness. Not only did I not reach my goal for this race, my body hurt like I had run as if my life depended on it. Why didn’t I PR? Even just by a few seconds? This disappointment rang deep. I reminded myself over and over again that the weather played a huge factor and it just wasn’t a good race day. Every time I moved, I was reminded of my “near miss”. I was grumpy and on the verge of tears most of the afternoon, not myself at all. I tried to remember that everyone has an “off” race and that’s OK! It’s life – it gives and it takes…you have to learn to roll with the punches…

Don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of fun running this race with Nicole. I enjoyed the experience and the sights of New Orleans – I just didn’t run as well as I had hoped.

I felt much better on Wednesday because I was finally able to walk normal again. The “Marathon Blues Funk” followed me through most of the week and I began to feel better as each day passed. Thankfully, thoughts of the upcoming Princess Half Marathon lifted my spirits. I was glad to have something to look forward to, that helped a LOT. Besides, I ran 26.2 miles for the FIFTH time! That’s nothing to be disappointed about, it’s a great accomplishment, one to be proud of.

Have you ever experienced a case of the “Marathon Blues”? I hadn’t since my very first Marathon. I remember the feeling well because I compared it to my wedding. I planned…and planned…and planned a bit more for my wedding for an entire year. As my wedding day arrived, I enjoyed each and every moment….but then the celebration was over in what felt like a matter of minutes. After returning from our honeymoon, I had nothing left to plan. I was happy to be a newlywed, but the day I had been looking forward to for an entire year was behind us.

I felt the same way after the Disney Marathon, my first Full. I trained for an entire year and within a matter of hours, it was over. I remember feeling excited and accomplished, followed days later by a sense of sadness.

What did I do to fight the blues? I planned another Marathon for the following year!

Even though I didn’t exactly train for an entire year for this year’s Rock N Roll New Orleans Marathon, I still felt those similar feelings – I didn’t reach my goal and my race was over. Could I make the decision to sign up for another Full? Sure I could. Am I going to? Not right now. My IT Band worries me and it needs a bit of rest.  Instead of sulking, I’m going to keep on keeping on. I have Disney’s Glass Slipper Challenge (the Enchanted 10K followed by the Princess Half Marathon) to look forward to in a few weeks…and the Cinderella 5K thrown in there, too!

Besides, who knows what next year has in store! I’m going to meet it with my head held high and a smile on my face….I’m ready, bring it!! :D

Have you ever experienced the Marathon Blues? What did you do to shake them?

2014 Rock N Roll New Orleans Marathon Recap

If you missed my Rock N Roll New Orleans Expo Recap, click below:

• Expo Recap
• Expo/NOLA Vlog
• Rock N Roll Official Website

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On race morning, I began my usual morning routine – breakfast, tea, getting dressed, checking the weather…

As the weather app updated on my screen, I breathed a sigh of agitation. Already I knew it didn’t look good – they were calling for a high between 60-70 degrees, 96% humidity, and a 50% chance of rain. Also, it was incredibly foggy outside.

What do you do on days like that but put your best food forward and continue on?

So, that’s what I did. After a quick outfit change (from capri tights to a running skirt), I met Nicole and Francine in the lobby of my hotel to begin our short walk to the start line.

While they met up with their running group, Jason and I took a few pictures. I have to brag on my husband for a moment here – he is such a good sport. The night before the race, he walked to Walgreens to get Tylenol and safety pins for me…then the morning of the race, he walked back to our hotel to get a set of headphones for me. Not to mention the fact that he was up with us at the start line before the race even began.

Yes, he’s amazing. Ok…back to the race! :0)

We decided to take a port-a-potty stop before the race and had to RUN back to our corrals to make it in time for the start…we might have been at the potties when the wheelchair start began…whoops.

We made it anyway!

Unlike last year, Louisiana Running Company was hosting pace groups for the race. (Last year, there were NO pace groups to be seen!)

Nicole and I decided ahead of time to follow the 4:30 pace group and stick with them as long as possible.

We quickly discovered that following a pace group wasn’t in the cards for us that day. It was too hard to follow them with so many people around and the effort was zapping our energy too fast. We decided to say goodbye to the pace team around mile 2.5 and we watched as the the balloons slowly disappear out of sight.

Never fear, though – we were still having a great time! Nicole was fun to run with and it was her first marathon, I enjoyed experiencing it with her!

As we bobbed and weaved through the crowds, we continued our journey through the streets of downtown New Orleans.

This stretch seemed to go on forever, although it was only 4 and a half miles in length. When we finally reached the turn around point, we were both relieved!

As we neared the French Quarter, the fog grew thicker and the air a little cooler. It was the strangest thing, it literally felt as if we walked through a wall and into a room filled with cool misty air! I know the temperature dropped several degrees. A friend of mine said someone shouted “It’s the Voodoo Apocalypse”!  Hah!

All joking aside, Nicole and I commented how sad we were for people ran this race from out of town – especially those who were there to see the sights. The fog was preventing all of that!

We passed Jackson Square around mile 9 and a half, but where’s St. Louis Cathedral?!

Mid-race beignets, anyone?

I find it amusing that the course passes a cemetery around Mile 12…

We reached mile 12 and I stopped for my usual 12 mile sign picture. Nicole asked why the tradition and I honestly didn’t know how to answer her – it’s just something I’ve done at every Half/Full I’ve run!

Also, I was shocked that we had reached Mile 12 already! Even though we had been running for 2+ hours, the miles seemed as if they had flown by!

The full marathon course split from the half marathon not long after mile 12 and we couldn’t resist a silly picture! Which way should we go?

In my opinion, this split is the best and worst thing about this course. It’s the best thing because if you are having a bad race and decide to split off at the half mark, you can; and it’s the worst thing because the full marathon course takes you right near the finish line at City Park, then leads you out an additional several miles away from the park before bringing you back.

After splitting from the half marathoners, this course thins out considerably (YAY)!

Favorite sign of the day, hands down! It was Superbowl Sunday, after all!

Along the 2nd half of the course, the bands and crowd support were considerably less noticeable. These guys were my favorite water stop of the day, though! They gave us bananas and SUPER water…definitely a boost when we needed it!

The back part of this course is also the hilliest part of the race. Thankfully, this band was a the top of one of the worst hills! Loved their pick-me-up!

The foggy, nasty weather also ruined this beautiful view of the river. Oh well.

I’m not sure why I was still smiling here – I think it was because I thought I still had a chance to PR. This was also around the time my feet began to hurt, bad. I felt at this point the way I usually feel at the very end of a marathon. I knew I still had several miles to go – I began a mental check of what went wrong. That’s when I realized the streets – they were slick the ENTIRE way through this race. My body was working overtime because I was pushing myself AND running on wet streets.

I also stopped around this point for a GU and to apply a little biofreeze on my knees.

Somewhere along this route, we spotted our friend (and Nicole’s coach), Stephen. He had ridden his bike out to Lakeshore Drive to cheer runners on. I can’t tell you how much of a pick-me-up he was!! I was very grateful to see a familiar face!

The turnaround point for the Full is halfway up a bridge. What is that all about? Notice the timing mat at the turn around – meant to ensure that runners make their way up the entire length up the bridge. Not cool.

I can’t tell you how glad I was to be on the last stretch of this race. My knees were really bothering me by this point. (My left knee was hurting more than my right – which is the original knee that gave me all of the IT Band pain in the first place – you know, the rehab knee. Lovely.)

I continued trudging on while applying biofreeze sample packs to both knees every 4 miles or so.

The photographer caught us walking up an incline!

I don’t have many pictures from the last few miles of this race. I lost Nicole for a while but could see her in front of me if I looked hard enough.

At that point, I put my headphones in and began listening to my running playlist on my iPhone. The first set of songs to play were from the Frozen soundtrack. I had to laugh at the irony – just three days before this race, the streets of New Orleans and most of the southern part of Louisiana were frozen over – and here I was, running in 96% humidity with temps in the 70’s. This race was honestly one of the most miserable races I’ve ever run (weather wise). Don’t get me wrong, I love this race…the weather was kicking my butt!

We reached City Park and I caught back up to Nicole and tried to push it to the end. As I neared the finish line I realized that I wasn’t going to PR, so I paused and waited on Nicole to catch back up to me. I wanted to be with her as she crossed the finish line and became a marathoner for the first time!

My friend Katie came out to spectate and even made a SIGN for me! I was so excited to see her (hence the grin on my face)!

All smiles – I see the finish line!

Nicole and I crossed the finish line at 4 hours and 48 minutes.

I was exhausted, thrilled, and disappointed (in myself and the conditions) all at the same time. What a rush of emotion!

We snapped this picture and as I turned around, I saw something I’ve never seen before at a race….

…a finish line marriage proposal! How exciting!!

After saying goodbye to Nicole, I set out to find Jason and Katie. She made the “arms” sign for Jason and I about died from laughter when I saw it! He’s a big jokester and that was the perfect sign for him. Good call, Katie!!

Marathon #5 and my 5th Rock N Roll New Orleans race in the books!

I truly do love this race and hope to continue running it for years to come!

We didn’t hang around the finish line festival long, but we did make our way to the Merchandise tent to check out their finishers shirts. I never knew about these special (for purchase) shirts until last year. This year’s shirt was adorable, so I bought it! :0) (It’s a few pictures down…)

On our way out, I spotted my Goofy/Dumbo buddy Scott! He ran a PR in the marathon that day and was also a 5th year veteran!

We chatted with Scott for a few, then boarded a bus to take us back to the downtown area.

After a shower and a little relaxation at Katie’s house, we grabbed lunch at ACME followed by dessert at Café Du Monde.

Check out my awesome finisher’s shirt (that’s a pink fleur de lis on the front)!

Even though this race didn’t go as planned, there’s nothing I could have done about the weather. I have never hurt as bad as I did after this race and I attribute it to the slick streets and horrible weather – just an overall “off” day.

Do I plan on running this race again in the future? Absolutely. This is a beautiful course and Rock N Roll puts on a great event.

Stay tuned for a follow up post with final thoughts of this race. :0)

Have you ever participated in a Rock N Roll event? If so, what’s your favorite?