Reindeer Run 5K - Sea World Orlando

My oh my, where has the time gone?! I just realized I never posted a recap of the Reindeer Run 5K I completed with a friend of mine during our December Florida trip. This 5K was my first non-runDisney event in Florida and took place in Sea World! I hadn't been to Sea World since I was a small child, so I was excited to see the park again. Also (bonus), this race was put on by Track Shack....they also happen to be the same people that put on runDisney events!

I also woke up not feeling well - it was probably the chocolate milk shake I had the night before (bad decision). Instead, Melissa and I decided to attempt the run/walk (4:1) method and go from there. If we had to walk, oh well and she offered to walk with me. She definitely didn't have to and I told her that, but she insisted!

Parking was a bit crazy for the event and by the time we found a spot to park, we definitely didn't have time to pick up our packets and bring our shirts back to the car. Instead, we tied them around our waists!

A map of the 5K - split well between the parking lot and the park. (Sound a lot like Epcot 5K's?) :)

Let's do this!

A lot of people came out for this event!

We lined up near the back (or so we thought) because we planned on walking a lot. I couldn't believe the amount of people who filled in behind us!

Fun fact: Carissa, the runDisney race announcer was also on site for this event!

We began our 4:1 attempt and after the first cycle, I just knew my stomach wasn't going to allow me to go any further. Note to self, no milkshakes the night before an event of any kind...especially while pregnant!

I liked that we walked a majority of the remainder of the race because it really gave us a chance to "see" Sea World! It was a pretty neat park and reminded me a lot of the Sea World we visited in San Diego (a lot of the same attractions and rides).

Included in this event were "character" stops - sadly, we missed Shamu. However, we could not pass up the opportunity to say hello to Santa!
 

He reassured us that we made the nice list! :)

I also loved how the park was decorated for Christmas!

I can imagine this is gorgeous at night!

These guys were so cute!

It came to a point that we were taking pictures with everything...and it was rather funny. We definitely didn't care about our time at all!

Some animals were even out for viewing! We saw flamingos and dolphins!

Hi Mr. Snowman!

These guys were crazy and kept us laughing!

The Polar Express!

Finish line!

Yes, our time for this 5K was greater than an hour but we had fun and enjoyed "seeing" Sea World. Had circumstances been different (me not feeling well and pregnant on top of that), we would have taken the event a bit more seriously. My main concern was Baby Seal (not the Sea World animal, my little animal)!

This was a fun event and given the chance, I would love to run it again (and actually run it next time). The park was fun to see, the "character" stops were cute, and the race was really well organized!

Have you ever participated in a theme park race (other than Disney)? What were your thoughts of the event?

My Glucose Test & The Weekend

This past weekend was filled with lots of fun (and some not so fun) moments!

It all began on Saturday and the three hour glucose tolerance test which checks for gestational diabetes during pregnancy. My first test was the 1 hour tolerance test which I barely failed, so I had to return for a three hour test on Saturday morning.
 

This test was fasting (nothing to eat or drink after midnight) and involved drinking a beverage that tasted like a super sweet orange Fanta which included 100 grams of "sugar" in one serving. I added the numbers up and that's like drinking 60 oz of Dr. Pepper in less than 5 minutes...SIXTY ounces!

Mine also involved the following:

• Urine sample prior to drinking the beverage (to check for gluocse in the urine) - mine was negative
• Blood draw prior to drinking the beverage
• Hourly blood draws x 3 hours - taken 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours after drinking the beverage (that's a total of four blood draws)

My husband agreed to accompany me to the test and I'm so glad he did. I read up on this test before taking it and I found a mixed variety of comments out there - some women had no problems with the test at all while others experienced a wide range of side effects. I warned the phlebotomist before I began drinking the beverage that the 1 hour test (50 grams of "sugar") gave me a pretty bad headache. She told me they had a room for me to rest in if I needed it because if I threw up, the test was over and I would have to start from scratch. Umm...no thank you.

Within literally five minutes, this stuff hit me...and by hit me I mean I felt like I had been run over by a truck. I felt dizzy and nauseated and knew I needed to lie down immediately. The ladies at the lab were so kind to me - they brought ice packs to me and checked on me many times.

It took two and a half hours before I felt back to my somewhat normal self. I basically laid in this chair and flipped from side to side until it was time for my next blood draw. Thankfully, everything stayed down and I never threw up. Jason kept trying to bring up lunch ideas and I did NOT want to talk about it - just the thought of food or even orange Fanta made me want to hurl. I even got off of facebook and instagram at one point because all of the pictures of food (that I usually really enjoy looking at) made my nausea worse!

At the end of the three hours, the phlebotomist drew my blood again and checked it on a glucometer. My blood sugar read 86 which I was thankful for. I know that's not an "official" result, but it definitely eased my mind a bit! Now the waiting game begins for my "official" results!

After the test, we drove to a local joint that serves the best po-boy's I've ever eaten (even better than Mother's in New Orleans). I don't eat there often, but I decided I'd been tortured enough and I wanted some GOOD food! It definitely satisfied me! :)

The remainder of our Saturday included a little time with friends (and yummy gumbo for dinner).

The Louisiana Marathon and Half was held on Sunday and I enjoyed following all of the updates before heading off to church. It's amazing how much of a difference a year makes! Last year, I ran my half marathon PR at 1:58 (also my first sub 2 hour half) and this year, I'm on restriction from even walking down the road! (Again, I don't mind as this is just a phase of life that will pass soon...I just found the irony kinda funny!)

In the middle of it all, I also spent some time cuddling with my two sweet girls! This little turkey has been super clingy lately!!

Last but not least, I'm helping host a baby shower for a best friend of mine this weekend. The remainder of my Sunday was spent creating and planning for her shower! I can't wait!!

How was your weekend? Anything exciting happen or take place? Did you run any races? 

Congrats to everyone who took part in the Louisiana Half/Full Marathons, the Houston Half/Full Marathons, the Star Wars races at Disneyland, and any other races I missed!! :) You guys rock!