Sunday, January 24, 2016

Goofy Challenge Part 1- Half marathon


My very first half marathon was the Tinkerbell Half Marathon at Disneyland in 2013. It was there at the expo that I first heard of the Goofy Challenge- a half marathon on a Saturday, followed by a Marathon on Sunday. At that stage in my life, 13.1 miles sounded daunting enough- how on earth could anyone do 39.3 miles in two days? That was 3 half marathons back to back! I researched it in and was in awe of the amount of people who attempted this feat. After reading more and more about it, the sense of accomplishment people felt, the respect I had for these runners, I became determined- I was going to master this challenge someday.

In April 2015, After losing 60Ibs, I signed for the challenge. At that point, I was excited! I had lost enough weight where the challenge sounded hard, but doable- I had put in a lot of work to lose the pounds I had, and knew with proper training I could do this.

July started the training. The first few weeks were fairly easy, as it was similar to the half marathon training plans I had completed. Then, in October, my brother and I began the back to back trainings- 7 miles Saturday followed by 14 on Sunday, 8 and 17.5, 10 and 20, 11 and 23, 12 and 26. We followed Jeff Galloway's run/walk plan for the challenge (listed on the RunDisney website) and it really paid off! I was mostly injury free and didnt miss a single long run (although a few maintenance runs were missed due to being sick)

As January drew closer, however, I felt my nerves start to set in- had I trained hard enough? What if my legs gave out during the marathon? What if I was injured? I had already completed 14+ half marathons, but it would be my first full marathon, and I wasnt sure what to expect.

Before I knew it, the day of the half marathon was here, and I had to trust that all the training I put in would pay off.  Since my dad and Uncle live about 30 minutes from the park, I skipped the hotel fees and stayed with them. I flew in on a Thursday night and woke up early Friday morning (5am Florida time, 2am back home in California), in hopes that I could fall asleep easy Friday night before the half. It worked like a charm and by 8pm Friday night EST I was out.

The alarm went off at 2:45am. I kept having nightmares of getting swept, so Im not sure how well I slept, but at least my body rested even if my mind wouldnt.  I got dressed, had my bagel, peanut butter and banana, and my dad and uncle dropped me off at the runner drop off area in Epcot. I was relieved that the weather was dry and cool- similar running conditions I had been training under. I mentally crossed my fingers that it would be the same for tomorrow (spoiler: it wasnt, but thats in the next post!).

I warmed up, got into my assigned corral and sat down, focusing on breathing and calming my nerves. Today is just a half marathon I told myself When did you ever think you would say something like that? 13.1 today, that's it. Dont think about tomorrow. You do half marathons all the time. 

Before I knew it, my time to line up at the starting line had arrived.
Here we go! Photo Credit: Run Disney

During miles 1-4; it was pretty empty- very few characters, a lot of road, and the sound of other runners hitting the pavement. I was focused on saving my legs for the next day (run/walk 30 seconds/1 minute) and enjoying the half. I didnt end up bringing my music with me for this race- and I'm glad I didnt- it was nice to not block out the sound of my surroundings, and enjoy the feeling of being a runner.

A little before mile 5, we came across this beautiful sign:

Photo Credit- RunDisney
Mile 5 came quickly, and we were in Magic Kingdom! The Castle is done so beautifully in Disney World, it was gorgeous.
Pretty!

The unfortunate part of this race course is that Disney World property is SO big, you get limited time in the park. We were only in Magic Kingdom for about a mile and then we were back on the road towards Epcot. I continued to feel great, and around mile 10 switched to a 1 minute run/walk. I was ready to be done with 1/3 of the challenge!


Duck face for Donald and a Picture with Goofy!

I crossed the finish line at 3:08, got my awesome Donald Duck medal, and headed to the family reunion area to meet my Dad. It was hard to go so slow for the half (my usual pace puts me just under a 2:45), but I knew Id be grateful for it tomorrow. After shower and food, we took it easy the rest of the day, alternating between stretching, sitting, and standing. I took my dad and Uncle to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we ate dinner and I had my usual pre race meal of a club sandwich and french fries (yum!), then off to bed for day 2 and final day of the challenge: The marathon.




Did you do any of the events at WDW Marathon this year? If so, which ones? What were your thoughts? Comment below! 

Friday, January 15, 2016

Get Up, Get Dressed, and Get Moving!

Working out in the morning can be fun, refreshing, and a great way to start the day

Let's face it- for a lot of us, the idea of an alarm clock going off between the hours of 4 and 6 am for any reason other than work/being sick/Christmas morning sounds more like a nightmare than a doable task. However, working out in the morning provides -a lot- of benefits!


1. More energy throughout the day
2. Less crowded at the gym- dont have to share or wait for weights.
3. No Traffic!
4. Positive, feel good feelings for the whole day
5. Fall asleep faster and sleep easier through the night


As someone who used to hate waking up in the morning (any time before 10am would not have been considered acceptable), I have mastered my own system to waking up at 5, sometimes as early as 430am to get my workout in.


1. Prep the Night Before

This is by far the most important. If you dont do any of other items on the list, make sure you do this one! Mornings in general just go so much smoother when I have everything ready the night before. With my gym and work clothes picked out, everything by the door, coffee preset to brew right before I wake up, the only thinking I have to do is get out of bed. That's it. Everything else is already done for me.

Breakfast smoothies ready for a quick grab and go!


2. Move the alarm clock

This can be across the room or in a totally different room. The key here is to make sure it isnt anywhere you can reach while still being in bed. My alarm clock is my ipad, which is in the living room, conveniently on top of the pre-planned workout clothes. I use my phone too, but as you'll see in the picture below, and I am fond of the snooze button!




3. Aim for at least 6-8 hours of sleep. 
I really like the snooze button, hence the 15 minute alarm intervals

Depending on how much you need. I typically only need between 6 1/2- 7 hours a night, but it takes me awhile to actually fall asleep, so I make sure I'm in bed between 8-830. If it helps, take your electronics out of the room and grab a good book or magazine- knocks me out every time!


4. Set up a rewards system

We all have something we LOVE doing, whether it's gardening, playing on the computer, doing arts and crafts, etc. Find something (whether it be an item or activity) that you find motivating and can withhold until you 'earn' it. For me, it's netflix. I love netflix binging, and have watched waaaaay too much television since the program came into my home. However, on days I dont make it to the gym, I dont watch netflix- TV time is something I have to earn. If I'm int he middle of a good show, I'm always motivated to go to the gym- I want to know what hapapened the next episode! This takes some discipline, but it works!


Netflix binging- my kryptonite 
I should note, however, that it is best not to use food as a reinforcer (e.g. that candy bar that I know looks super delicious and is calling your name in the store aisle). You/ve worked hard to shed those calories at the gym, and dont want to start viewing food as a reward. Pick a hobby, TV show, activity (gotta love those manicures!) to keep you motivated.



5. Grab a Buddy

Accountability is key! If you can, find someone who you can drag out of bed is wiling to get up with you in the morning. Running/working out is always more fun with a friend (or in my case, my brother!). Knowing that he is getting up early to workout and waiting on me always gets me up.


This is what our texts look like the night before/morning of a workout


There you have it- this is what helps me get up in the morning. Ultimately, it's about setting up what works best for you and your family, whether that's working out in the morning, afternoon, or in the evening after work. As long as you're getting up and getting moving, you're already winning!


Whether you are a morning working out or evening work out person, how do you make sure you get to the gym? Answer in the comments below!

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Happy Jars!


 So for a Pinterest project, I've decided to create a "Happy Jar", or the "Ultimate Perspective Jar" or the "Stop-complaining-about-life-and-look-at-all-of-these-amazing-things-that-have-happened-to-you Jar", whichever you prefer.
I cant take credit for this idea, I found it on pinterest, and the blog that it was pinned off of is no longer in existence, so I cannot give them proper credit. But here is how it works:

  • Start the year with an empty jar and fill it with notes about good things that happen. 
  • Then, on New Years Eve, empty it and see what awesome stuff happened that year. 

 How cool is this?! I absolutely love it, and can not wait to start it- I'm going to start off with the new year, although I did a few just to see what it would look like. At the end of 2016, I am going to put all the notes in a scrapbook :)




What a great way to remember all of the incredible things that happen in a year!

I think, as people, we have a tendency to only remember the extremely bad things, or only the extraordinary things. Although I think both things are important to remember, I also feel that there are so many more days in the year with these significant little moments of happiness that should also be reminisced upon. And I'm so glad that this year I'm going to do just that :).  I already have a few things in my jar, and will be changing notepad colors by month (So far, Feb is pink and March is green. I know I know, Im such a sucker for cliches)

Until next time.







Friday, January 1, 2016

I'm back!

Hellooooooo everybody!

so it's been a year. or two (if you were counting). I am back, and with a bang! Worked on a new blog layout all afternoon, and am so pleased with how it has turned out. Clean, simple, calm.  Just how I like it.

So much has changed. I've lost 80+ pounds out of 100 so far, ran my first sub-2:40 half marathon (12 min mile!),  took on a new job I enjoy, moved back to my hometown and become an auntie!

Phew.

I've been busy, to say the least. Up next: update the 'about me' section, and actually start writing in this thing consistently.

Some things to look forward to...

Race Recaps
Weight Loss journey thus far
Favorite Recipes

Stay awesome, y'all!