Turkey Trot Flop

This year my family was going to be out of town for the thanksgiving holiday. My daughter attends college close to my husband’s family and the boys wanted to hunt. Since we only have one reliable vehicle I offered to stay home (didn’t have any vacation days from work). I made the last-minute decision to participate in a race thanksgiving morning. Being a sucker for bling I went with the race that had a medal even though it was a little farther from home.


Since they boys took the reliable vehicle I was left to drive “the truck”. I hate driving the truck. It is old, smelly and prone to having battery issues. On Saturday I tried to move this horrible vehicle into the upper driveway, and it wouldn’t start. For days I begged my husband to charge the battery and drive it before they left.

Thanksgiving morning, I am up early ready for my hour drive to Annapolis. The green hunk of junk that I’m driving seems to be driving okay. The idiot light comes on about 15 minutes from my destination, so I stop for gas. Start to pump the gas and it starts following back out of the car. Weird…maybe I don’t have the nozzle in right. Readjust and try again. Gas still not going in. Must be a trick to putting gas in the truck that I’m not aware of. Call hubby who is sleeping soundly in Pennsylvania with my reliable car. Nope no trick to putting gas in the car. Maybe the clerk can help you. Well…Now I have been pumping gas for many years! I remember when the gas cap was behind the license plate. The clerk walks out to the pump with me and the gas is still not going in. The clerk informs me that “it’s obvious that the tank is full”. I try to explain that there is no way that the tank is full but “it’s obvious that the tank is full”. At this point I am late for my race and smell of gasoline.

I decide to move the truck to the closet shopping center parking lot and contact my friend/race partner. She agrees to come get me. I’m also told that this is karma getting me because I didn’t tell her about the race. If you listen to her story, I called at 4am but it was really 7:45. While waiting for my rescue hubby calls to let me know that the evap vent is either clogged or shifted. He tells me that I should be able to put gas in it, but it will be a slow process. Skip ahead to when my friend arrives, and we get a junk 1-gallon gas can. The gas can must have required a PhD to use. We get enough gas into the truck to drive it to the gas station (we wore most of that gallon).

It takes us 20 minutes to put 20 gallons of gas in the truck. Literally an ounce at a time!


I drove the truck home with my friend following me. The truck seemed to be running okay, so I wave good-bye and drive the last 7 miles home. Well…the truck started to run rough. Make it home and decide that the rest of the day will be spent in my pajamas watching Netflix with the dogs.

Moral of the story…Do not sign up for races until you have talked to your running partner. 

Good news! I was able to pick up my medal so now I can make it a virtual run.

Goat 10k training and Vitrual Across the Bay

October - Got back on the walking train. I decided to use the parking lot at wrestling practice as my track for steady paced walks. Turns out that I had a cheering section. They would goat nuts every time I walked by. On my strength training days, the local roads provided variety. I struggled to find the time to get my workouts in on the weekends. We traveled out of state for wrestling tournaments. The driving, early morning weigh-ins, and waiting for the next match to start made it impossible to get in my activities.

I was finally about to get my medals hung in my office. This year a lot of students have been commenting on "all the marathons" I have done. I do explain that so far, the longest distance is 6.2 miles. The students have helped me stay focused on working towards completing a half-marathon. They are so kind and encouraging. 

November - I knew that the wrestling commitments would slow down until regular season in hopes of getting in a few workouts before my December race (more on that later). Started off the month with a crick on the left side of my neck/shoulder and a sinus infection. This didn’t help my training schedule. I was able to get the weight machine and treadmill into their rightful places now that construction is done. Across the Bay 10k was virtual this year and this allowed me to find out that the closet liquor store is 3.1 miles away. Even though I didn’t do any training there was a great desire to participate in a few races to finish out the year. This desire led me to sign up for the local Jingle Bell Run and the Celtic Solstice 5 miler in December.

Unfortunately, the pain in my neck/shoulder continues and the 1^st round of antibiotics did nothing for the sinus infection. I will participate in my December races without any training. This scares me! Hoping to just cross the finish line.

Where did my summer go?

I can’t believe how quickly the summer has flown by. As always, I think I’m going to get a lot done but it never happens. 

Before summer even started, I was stressed about my daughter’s grades. My ulcer is definitely caused by her procrastination. I proudly cheered her as she walked across the stage; the high school staff raised a glass (which they truly deserved) to no longer receiving my emails.

Adding to the normal end of the school year stress was party preparation and guest arrival. My kitchen renovation project was supposed to wrap up the same week as graduation. Thank goodness I planned and booked another location for the party. It was the perfect party for my bookworm. She is truly blessed to have so many people that support her.

Never one to sit still we packed up the car with a first load of college dorm “musts” and drove to western Pennsylvania. Since grandma has a basement and is close to school we didn’t have to worry about storage. My son had planned to stay with grandma over the summer. His hope was to spend time learning how to track animals in the woods, go fishing and maybe hunt a little. Not sure that it was the summer that he planned but I know that he did his best to help his grandma. 

Of course, through all this the washer machine stopped working. Nothing like spending a hot summer day at the laundromat. 


In August I decided that a quick trip to Florida was needed. I just had to take my niece and nephews to get their wands from Ollivanders Wand Shop. My daughter and I hopped in the car 12 hours and later we were in Florida. We had a wonderful time with the family at Universal Studios. 

I was able to get in a few races. We got together on June 17^th to participate in the Chase the Moon Challenge. I also completed the runDisney virtual races

Virtual races - to run or not to run

I have signed up again this year to participate in the runDisney virtual run series. Overall I am not a huge fan of virtual races but I am a sucker for all things Disney. After my ALIF surgery I used the runDisney virtual races to get back into moving. Now I earn them to remind myself how far I have come. These will also be my only runDisney events until October 2020. The pocketbook can only handle one trip to the WDW a year.

I have no idea what to do about the Across the Bay virtual race. This is my FAVORITE race and has become a huge part of the healing process. I had set my running goal based on this race so now I don't know what to do. The medal is great but earning it won't be the same.

What do you think?

Truly disappointed

This week I found out that my favorite 10k was going to be virtual this year.

2019 Across the Bay 10K Virtual Run

** Due to mandatory maintenance on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the 2019 Across the Bay 10K will be a Virtual Run.**

I was going to focus my training on improving my time on this race. Not sure what I'm going to do.

Took a long break

I have done very little over the last 2 months. After Princess weekend I stopped doing everything related to my health and fitness. I set my goals but quickly starting making excuses and poor choices. Work, school, children, husband and construction have been by go to excuses. 

April 23rd I went dress shopping for my daughter's graduation. We were able to find a few options for dresses but I know that I feel better in them if I lost 10 pounds. Now I have something on my calendar to keep me motivated. 

I pulled up my goals from my last post and took some time to reflect. Looks like it's time for some new goals.

May goals

1. Purchase a new gallon water jug. Tomorrow my jug will arrive.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H56HMB1/ref=twister_B07MW3182N

2. Decrease my calorie intake to 1200 by logging into My Fitness Pal daily.

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/

3. Weekly attend 3 session of aquatic exercise. 

My son has taken on the job of holding me accountable with the new goals. Let's kiss these old goals good-bye and start fresh tomorrow.

***I have been logging my daily calories and attending class since April 23rd

April goals

1. Weekly meal planning
2. Weekly breakfast meal prep

March goals

1. Log all food and drink into my fitness pal
2. Decrease soda intake - currently drinking up to 120 fluid ounces of Diet Dr. Pepper a day
3. Increase water intake
4. Eat something for breakfast every day - important since I'm now taking morning medications

Celebration!

What's a runDisney weekend without a little fun?

There was some character spotting.

 Family time!

Time with friends!

Favorite attractions!

Late nights!

 Thrill rides!

runDisney Princess Half-Marathon weekend was amazing. Thank you to everyone that supported me on reaching this goal.

What's next?

Now that the runDisney Princess Half weekend is over it is time adjust my S.M.A.R.T. goal. 

I have not picked a runDisney race to train for yet. Right now I'm going to focus on the Across the Bay 10k that will take place in November. While working towards my running goals I also need to incorporate strength training, stretching and diet modification. 

S.M.A.R.T. goal.

S. - Specific - Decrease my running pace

M. - Measurable (Motivating) - I want to decreased my time from 17:43 min/mile to 16:00 min/mile
A. – Achievable (Ambitious) - Decreasing my time by 1:43 seems ambitious
R. - Realistic - Going to add strength training and stretching into my training
T. – Time based - November for the Across the Bay 10k

Strength training and stretching

The local pool is offering some classes that I am interested in taking. The classes do not start until April but I'm hoping that I can attend a few classes before then. Since we are still in the middle on construction the home gym has been taken over but I'm hoping to squeak out a spot to start using my Beach Body subscription as well. 

Stretch and Strength LOW INTENSITY - This warm-water, low-impact class will build strength, balance and flexibility as it works your entire body. In our state-of-the-art warm-water pool you will stretch and strengthen your body using various water fitness equipment and body weight exercises designed to increase your core stability, gain a better range of motion and improve your overall strength.

Barre and Balance LOW INTENSITY - This ballet-inspired class is held in the warm water and teaches participants to perform rhythmic movements that sculpt, lengthen and tone. Ballet-based moves are synced with pool-power exercises that improve range of motion, muscular symmetry and balance. No ballet/dance background required.

Diet modification

Let me start by saying I hate cooking but I love food. Also I have taken college level courses on nutrition but still get overwhelmed. There are areas that I need to improve on so that is were I'll start. Again all of this would be easier if my kitchen wasn't currently stripped to the studs. 

March goals

1. Log all food and drink into my fitness pal
2. Decrease soda intake - currently drinking up to 120 fluid ounces of Diet Dr. Pepper a day
3. Increase water intake
4. Eat something for breakfast every day - important since I'm now taking morning medications

April goals

1. Weekly meal planning
2. Weekly breakfast meal prep

Races

January - 
February - runDisney Princess 5k and 10k

March - 

April - 

May - 

June - runDisney Marvel virtual 5k

July - runDisney Marvel virtual 5k
August - runDisney Marvel virtual 5k
September - 
October - 
November - Across the Bay 10k
December - Jingle Bell Run 5k

2019 Princess Weekend - 10k

This is the smile of someone who got a great corral placement. 

Do you see all of those people behind me?

When I woke up that morning I was shocked to see my friend dressed and ready to go. She was in so much pain for the 5k that we were not sure if she would make the 10k at all. My cheerleader, on the other hand, had no desire to get out of bed. 

 It was a beautiful February morning in Florida. There was a crisp wind that made standing in the corrals enjoyable. Before the start of the race we talked about the possibility of splitting up. My friend knew that she would be going slower so she waved good-bye quickly. I was lucky enough to have my little sister with me on this race. She promised that she would make sure that I finished this year. 

Remember that nice, cool morning I was talking about...it didn't last long.

It felt like there was a wall of humidity at the start line. My calves started cramping shortly after we started which really slowed me down. I felt bad because my sister wanted to go. She said that she was sticking with me. 

As we approached mile 2 I started to panic a little. The memories of balloon ladies and sweeper buses overwhelmed me for a moment. I looked behind, took a deep breath and kept moving. 

I told my sister at mile 3 that she was good to go. I knew that I would make it to the finish line. She said that she wanted to make sure that I made it into the parks. As we walked past the "parade bus" I informed them that they weren't getting me this year. My sister laughed and explained that she had no idea about sweeper buses or balloon ladies until I mentioned them. She had never noticed the buses until I pointed them out on the course. 

Once we entered Epcot I thanked my sister and sent her ahead. I was able to stop for a quick moment to take a selfie just outside of Mexico. Even though thousands of people were behind I didn't want to stop for long. I knew that there wouldn't be any stopping for characters during the race but it was fun seeing them along the route but the lines were crazy long. 

I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. When I reached mile 4 my husband texted to see how it was going. I was proud to report that there would not be a sweeper bus finish this year. 

I love/hate how I look in race pictures.

I started to get emotional at mile 6. I had set a goal to participate in Princess 10k many years ago. Nothing was going to stop me from finishing.

This year the tears were for joy. I had done it.

I texted my friend after the race and she was waiting for me. She wanted to go as far as she could but would be thrilled making it to mile 2. She made it to mile 3! It was her decision to board the sweeper bus because she wanted to enjoy the parks with us. 

With snacks boxes in hand we made our way back to the resort. I finally get a text message from my cheerleader. She was finally up and where should she meet us. We told her that she should have balloons, a banner and the ice pack ready when we walked in the door. She giggled but had the ice packs wrapped in towels for us. 

My wonderful girl helped me bandage up my blistered toes. I didn't care because I had finished. 

When my friends daughter arrived she made sure we had a hot breakfast. I couldn't resist making Mickey. 

2019 Princess Weekend - 5k

We had a super early wake up call for the 5k. I was grouchy and had a low tolerance for people. My back was hurting and it was causing me to be anxious about finishing the 10k. I wanted this race to be over. After the race I was grateful for black shorts.

We moved very slow.

I wanted to conserve energy for the 10k but the slow pace was killing me. My friends back was really bothering her. At times she leaned on my daughter and me just to take a few steps. Thank goodness my daughter was there with her big smile and support.

She literally sang Disney songs, LOUDLY, throughout the entire 5k.

I had to remind myself regularly that I was there to support a friend and get her over the finish line. Tomorrow I was asking someone to go at my pace to get me across.

We continued to move forward one step at a time when I noticed that there were medics on bicycles behind us. Talking with them I realized that we were the back of the pack. They let us know that as long as we keep moving we will cross the finish line.

That's when Disney magic happened. There was another group of ladies that had someone struggling. We started talking about simple things but it was enough distraction that everyone kept moving forward. There were golf carts biting at our ankles but we didn't care. Now this group of ladies who had just met created an amazing support system. 

We rounded the corner with the finish line in sight. It was decided that everyone should link arms and cross together. We couldn't have done it without each other.

Looking back I wish I would have relaxed and enjoyed the moment. I'm proud of everyone that was able to get up, put on their running shoes and do their best. 

Congratulations!

We did spend a little time in Animal Kingdom before heading back. 

Tomorrow is my big race!