Spring Running Plans

Happy first official day of Spring (I think)! The weather here has been kind of crazy with back and forth temps. We've seen highs in the 80's and lows in the 40s, so you just never know what you're going to get!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned my break from running and this crazy slump I've been in lately. Honestly I just seem to lack the motivation to run and I hate to feel this way. Running is something I love so why don't I have the desire to get up and go?

As a way to combat this, I've decided to formulate a spring running plan. Having a race to train for or a "target" has always been a motivation for me so I've decided to go for it! There are several races around here, scheduled over the next few months and I'd like to take advantage of a few.
 

Contraband 5 Miler
This race is one I ran my very first year of running and I've run it several years since. It's held on one of the Saturdays of our local "Pirate Festival" and the course is out and around by the lake. Although it's always super hot, this race is a lot of fun and always brings a good crowd!


Warrior 5K
The high school where I graduated is hosting a 5K in honor of one of its long time teachers (she was one of mine too)...and she is the mom of one of my former classmates. I'm excited about this one as it will be great to see everyone and return to the place where I spent so many years of my life! This is also where my love of running began as I joined the cross country team my junior year!


Holden's Hope Forever 5K
Don't you love 5K's for a cause? Well, this one is to help families who have babies that have spent a lot of time in the NICU as well as families who have experienced the loss of an infant. Although I'm not a NICU or L&D nurse, this one still speaks to my heart.

Orange Theory
Our location is set to open before summer time and I can't wait! This will be a huge motivation for me as well.

I'd love to add maybe one more race and I'm sure I'll find one soon, but these are the three on my radar for now. Having a plan for racing as well as Orange Theory feels so great and gives me the motivation I need to keep moving forward!

What's on your Spring racing schedule?

It's the Tuesdays On The Run Linkup with Erika, Marcia and Patty.

World Series Champions

Source

When you reminisce about your childhood and the way you were raised, there are few things that have remained consistent through time. You could say that family, faith, and some friends have always been there, but as times change and children grow into teenagers and then adults, few hobbies/likes/dislikes stayed constant.
 
As far back as I can remember, baseball has always been a huge part of my family life. From April to October, you could almost always catch an afternoon or evening game on our television. If we weren't watching baseball on TV, we were playing baseball/softball at the ball fields or even better, we were attending a game at the Astrodome or Minute Maid Park.

Those rainbow seats, the giant scoreboard, Orbit running around on the field, Junction Jack, Tal's Hill, the roar of thousands and thousands of Houston fans...there's just not quite anything else like it in the world. 

Throughout my childhood, we took yearly summer vacations to Houston where we would spend a day at Astroworld (rest in peace) followed up with an Astros game the next day.

As a teen, my dad and I formed a bond over our love for this sport. One day, he showed me his box of baseball cards that dated back to the 1960's and I was instantly fascinated. During those teenage years when relationships can be strained between a kid and their parents, my dad and I spent HOURS at local card shops over the weekends, scouring through boxes and boxes of baseball cards. I was determined to find rookie cards of all of my favorite Astros and I almost succeeded. Those cards still remain in a box under my bed to this day and I pull them out on the random occasion to take a walk down memory lane.

It's funny how over time, those moments and memories come and go....even funnier how a smell or sound can bring us right back to that moment and all of those memories come flooding back. Baseball will do that to you. It's a sport where you can experience some really big highs and some really incredible lows. It's an unpredictable game and one that makes you truly believe that anything can happen.

Biggio, Bagwell, the Killer B's - the mid to late 1990's were perhaps one of my favorite times as an Astros fan, as my true love for this organization began to develop. I spent many a night cheering on my favorite boys of summer as they went through division wins to the playoffs, the World Series in 2005, and back to the rebuilding process to start over from scratch again. Watching Craig Biggio receive his Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown New York two summers ago was a pretty special moment, too.

Now that I'm a parent, I want to pass on the tradition of the love for this sport to my son - one that began back with my own grandfather and his son (my dad). I want to tell him stories of how I grew up watching baseball with my dad and how 9 innings of a World Series game on November 1, 2017 was added to the list as one of the best moments of my life.

I honestly never ever thought I would see the day when the Astros would win the World Series. Not at all because I didn't believe in them, but because luck never seemed to be on their side.

The. World. Series. Y'all. Somehow it still hasn't fully sunk it.

I finally understand how Saints fans felt back in 2010...and Cubbies fans felt last year. When your team, a team you've been following most of your life is able to accomplish what seems to be a near impossible feat, it's one of the most incredible feelings in the world. I'm pretty sure I'm still walking on cloud 9.

Thank you, Astros. Thank you for allowing the heart of a young girl and her dad form a bond over the love of a team and a sport. Thank you for showing people everywhere that anything is possible if you believe. Thank you for giving hope to the city of Houston after such devastation. Thank you for a lifetime of precious memories. You will never know how much it truly means to me.

Spring Training at ESPN Wide World of Sports

Did you know that among Walt Disney World's multitude of activities, you can also attend a Major League Baseball Spring Training Game during the early spring months? 

I'm a huge baseball fan (if you haven't already figured that out), I live within driving distance of Houston, Texas, and I have followed the Astros my entire life. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the Braves would be hosting the Astros at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on the Sunday of the Princess Half Marathon! Say what?! 

It was pretty much a no-brainer - we didn't even think twice before we purchased tickets!

Sunday's game was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and we arrived a few minutes early to take pictures and enjoy the stadium.

Let's go Astros! :)

Of course we had to have a picture with the Mickey statue. I remembered the Braves Mickey being there but I guess they moved him or repainted him.

Fun fact: The Astros Mickey still remains at Minute Maid Park in Houston! These Mickey Statues were a gift to all of the Major League Baseball Teams when the All-Star game was hosted at the LA Angels Stadium back in 2010!

This was also my first time to ever attend a Spring Training game! I learned a neat fact - the 15 MLB teams that are hosted in Florida are a part of the "Grapefruit League" and the 15 MLB teams that are hosted in Arizona are a part of the "Cactus League"!

 

Jeff Galloway threw out the first pitch for the game along with his friend, Donald Duck! 

Great job, Jeff!

Our seats were located behind home plate. Ticket prices for this game were comparable to the price I would pay to see a game back in Houston....although in Houston, we don't have to deal with the scorching sun. :)

I LOVED the little between inning side shows and videos that would play on the big screen, some even included Disney elements! The atmosphere here was so laid back...I seriously loved it! Baseball and Disney...nothing better in my book!

(As you can see in the photo above, lawn seating was also available for the game.)

Another fun fact: One of the current Braves (Jace Peterson) is from my home town, grew up in my church, and even attended the same small private school I graduated from!

...and we had a chance to see him play! How fun is that?! Small World!

My child (who is a boy) might have even gone home from our church nursery one Sunday with Jace's little girl's bow. Whoops.

Anyway, back to the game...

After sitting in the crazy sun for a little while, we realized that part of the first base line seats were shaded and they were mostly empty. Even though I was lathering on the sunscreen, I still worried about my son's skin, so we moved to the 1st base seats. Honestly, I actually preferred these seats more and felt as if I could see the game better from there.

 

The Astros ended up winning the game which made our little group very happy!  I also loved wearing my Princess Half Marathon medal to the ball park! Princesses were everywhere!

As I mentioned earlier, I loved having the opportunity to watch a Spring Training game and really hope I have the chance to visit again in the future!

If you're staying on Disney property and wondering how to get to ESPN, there IS a way! It might take you a bit longer, but it's definitely doable! 

Buses travel from Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, and the All Star Resorts every half hour.

So, if you're at a park, you would take a bus to one of these resorts, then from the resort to ESPN.

If you're at a resort that's not listed on these signs, you would take a bus from your resort to a park, then take a bus from that park to one of the resorts listed, then take a bus from that resort to ESPN.

...or you could just call a taxi, Uber, or Lyft...whatever works! :)

Have you ever visited ESPN Wide World of Sports for anything other than a runDisney event/Expo?