Tinker Bell Half Weekend: part 1

I decided after my twitter poll yesterday and uploading pictures to my computer that my Tinker Bell Half Marathon recap would occur in 2 parts.  I have so many pictures I want to include that one post would be crazy long (heck, this one is long enough!).  I can't believe it's actually been 6 months since I booked this race and that I was in Nevada visiting Kirsten when I did - seems like forever ago.

The weekend started with my flight in to Orange County Friday night after working all day.  I had one of these on the plane to try and relax a bit and sleep, but I was too hyped up.  

Vodka Cranberry? Yes, Please!

The flights were both great, except for the last 30 min heading into Orange County.  Let's just say I have a whole new appreciation for the Santa Ana Winds.  Yikes.

Beki picked me up at what was about 1:30 am my time and we headed to our hotel and crashed.  Well, after chatting and catching up for a bit :)  Still, even though I was completely exhausted, I woke up at 5:30 am (which was 8:30 my time) and couldn't get back to sleep.  I checked the weather and it looked beautiful out.  The winds were still blowing really strong too.

Check out those palm trees!

We finally crawled out of bed and walked to IHOP for breakfast.  Bad, starving blogger I am-I didn't take a picture of my carb and protein loaded breakfast.  After we finished eating, it was off to the Disneyland Hotel for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Expo! 

On our way to the expo - pic from Beki

Beki and I made it into line and even though the line was long, picked up our race packets in no time.  They had a couple cute places to pose for pictures.

I love the limited edition Disney pin and necklace I bought. 

After we got our numbers we headed upstairs into the expo area.  Beki and I were disappointed that the Dooney & Bourke purses were already sold out, but I got some other fun swag. 

We ran into some friends at the expo, too! This is Peter Pan, I mean Carrie from #teamsparkle. (I could have sworn I had pictures of Tiffany and Anna, too, but I guess I don't - bad blogger.)

After hanging out at the expo for a couple hours, we headed over to Disneyland!! (I've been to Walt Disney World in Florida many times, but this was my first trip to California and I couldn't let the opportunity to play at Disneyland and California Adventure pass me by!) The weather was absolutely PERFECT - too hot almost for this Michigan girl (but I wasn't going to complain).

After playing in Disneyland for most of the day, we headed back into Downtown Disney to find some dinner. Sadly, the Italian restaurant had a 1.5 hour wait (note to self-reservations next time) so we settled on burgers and fries as our prerace dinner.  We had park hopper tickets, so Beki and I headed into California Adventure for a little while and took in the sights and a couple rides.

California Screamin' was A.Maze.Balls - only I rode this one.

After our quick trip through California Adventure (which I'd love to visit again sometime) we headed back to the hotel and got our stuff ready for our 3:15 wake-up call.  Lights out by 9:00 pm.

Stay tuned...part 2: Race Day coming later this week!

LLRB 365: 2012 week 4

This was a whirlwind week, especially the last couple days of it (which is why this post didn't get finished until lunchtime today). 

Sunday

1-22-12

Got the toes pretty for the Tinker Bell Half

Monday

1-23-12

Hubs hung up my memory boards

Tuesday

1-24-12

Went to a conference & they had cookies out - for breakfast

Wednesday

1-25-12

Bought some scarves today

Thursday

1-26-12

Almost finished packing!

Friday

1-27-12

This is how I fly

Saturday

1-28-12

Disneyland!!! (more info later when I do my race report) And yes, the sky was THAT blue.

I can't wait to write my Tinker Bell Half Marathon race report.  I have SO MANY fun pictures. 

Reader poll: One giant post or split it into 2 (expo/Disneyland and race)?



Friday Funnies

As I prepare to do one of my least favorite things (fly) to do one of my most favorite things (run an awesome race with girlfriends), I thought I'd leave you with some funny running videos.

My twitter friend @runnerjen521 posted this video yesterday and I thought it was freaking hilarious and so, so true.

If you know me at all, you know I love me some Ryan Reynolds.  Pair him with elite marathoner Ryan Hall and you have a yummy (and funny) Ryan sandwich.  Enjoy.

And now for the serious question: what are your thoughts on a 41 year old woman wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt to fly?

Thankful Thursday: Tinker Bell Half

Today, I'm giving thanks for this ...

which is helping me deal with this ... 

so I can get this ...

on Sunday!

What are YOU thankful for today?

Our @ellasport #giveaway winner! @paulettezf

First of all, I have to say "Thank You" to @ellasport for giving me the opportunity to try their New Power Capris - they were absolutely AWESOME and I'm thinking they are going to play an important roll in my Tinker Bell Half Marathon on Sunday!

Secondly, "Thank You" to everyone who entered this giveaway!  I had over 100 entries and managed to connect with some new bloggers and new tweeter tweeps!  Plus, you all got to connect with @ellasport and check out their site.

Tonight, I plugged all the entries into the Magic Fruit Machine from classtools.net and sent the wheels spinning (if you are a teacher, you REALLY need to check out this tool).

Without further ado, I present to you....the @ellasport New Power Capris giveaway winner...

@paulettezf from Just Keep Running!!!

Congratulations, Paulette!!! I know you are going to just LOVE these capris.  I'll be shooting you an email today with the info I need from you.  I'm so happy for you and can't wait to hear what you think about the capris!

And because it's Wednesday check-in day with the Shrinking Jeans Shrink Yo'self in 2012 challenge, I'm down a whopping .4 and will probably gain that back and even more this weekend when I'm in California for the Tinker Bell Half.  I wish I could be going into this weekend in a better place weight-wise, but oh well.

True Confessions: Stress is getting to me

You heard it here first, folks. I'm stressed out and today you get bullet points.

• I leave for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon on Friday night.  This involves planes.  I don't like planes.
• I've been trying to pack for the trip and my favorite shorts don't fit right now so I had a meltdown last night. (I did find 2 pair of fat shorts I can bring, but that didn't make me feel better.)
• I hate packing when I'm only bringing a carry-on because I a) always over pack, and b) can never fit all my liquids into one fraking ziplock bag. 
• I'm out of wine.
• I'm afraid I'll forget something this weekend.
• I still have to focus on work for the next 4 days, but luckily today I'm at a conference so I don't have to think too hard.
• I've been tracking my food and drink and staying in my calorie range but I haven't lost an ounce.  This might be due to the whole being out of wine problem.
• I hurt my shoulder doing all my push ups and the tough mudder workout, just as I was starting to see results.  (Don't worry, on advice of several good friends, I'm taking the week off from serious strength training.)

There you have it.  Confessions a la bullet points.  What do you have to confess this week?  I hope you don't have to confess that you haven't entered my awesome @ellasport workout capri giveaway, because the contest ends tonight & tomorrow I'll announce the winner!!

LLRB 365: 2012 Week 3

It would appear my pictures this week followed a bit of a theme.

Sunday

1-15-12

Pretty snow-covered front lawn and sunrise

Monday

1-16-12

Loved the clouds this morning

Tuesday

1-17-12

The sleet and slush today made walking and driving difficult

Wednesday

1-18-12

2 rounds of Tough Mudder workout left me in a heap on the floor

Thursday

1-19-12

Today I really hated winter - dead battery :(

Friday

1-20-12

I can finally hold myself up to the bar and do a few negative/reverse chin-ups

(or at least I could until this same move jacked my shoulder)

Saturday

1-21-12

Beautiful sunset (and a shot of the planet Venus - if you can see the one bright dot that looks like a star on your screen)

Now, I'm trying to keep my head this week and I'll probably start packing tonight for my trip to California for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon this weekend!

Don't forget, my @ellasport workout capri giveaway ends tomorrow - go enter if you haven't already!



About One Week To Tink!

I can't believe I'm going to be packing my bags and getting on a plane a week from today to run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon!!!!!

My Goal!

My training is about as complete as it's going to get.  This time around, the long runs seemed much easier and we've been blessed with amazing training weather here in Michigan (well, at least until this past week or so when we got completely DUMPED on).  I have an 8 mile run planned for tomorrow that I REALLY hope to do outside.  I want a nice, easy 8 to cap things off, then I just have a couple of short runs next week.  I've also been keeping up with my Tough Mudder workouts.  On Wednesday I doubled it up and plan to do that again tonight.  Someone tell me when my muscles will stop hurting, m'kay?


Tink is my first, real, 'fly away' distance race and I want to make sure I don't forget something.  Here's the start of my race-related packing list - please let me know if I'm forgetting anything.

• plane tickets - duh! (I used to love flying as a kid, now I hate it)
• packet pick-up form
• race-day clothes (Team-Sparkle skirt and wings, running shorts/running capris (not sure which I'll use), "It's not sweat, it's pixie dust" shirt, long sleeve shirt, sports bra, socks, running shoes, hat)
• body glide
• Garmin with charger
• roadID
• fuel belt
• NUUN, gu, sport beans
• K's camera
• iPhone & headphones (probably won't be using these though)

This list does not seem long enough!  What am I missing? GAHHHHHHH

Another Mother Runner

This Thankful Thursday, I'm giving thanks for the amazing world of social media.  I'm making an appearance today over at Another Mother Runner.  Such a cool honor to follow in so many amazing other mother runners' fast footsteps.  Thank you Sarah and Dimity!

PS - don't forget I have that little @ellasport giveaway going on until Tuesday!

Shrink Yo'Self in 2012 Week 3: Warning: F-bombs ahead

I need to preface this post by stating there WILL be profanity.  A lot of it.  So, if you are sensitive to that sort of thing, I suggest you stop reading now. (Yep, Dad, if you are reading today, you might want to stop. Love you!)

Since I've found myself back on the weight loss bandwagon and have joined the latest challenge over at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, Wednesdays have once again become my "weigh-in day".  Now, if you know me at all, you know I'm scale obsessed and can't just weigh in once a week, but that's the subject for another post.  (BUT - I will say I have not been on the scale since Sunday morning.) So, today like the good little doobie I am, I got up, peed (duh), stripped down (double duh), and hopped on this evil little bitch:

FUCK!!!!! I'm up another .4?!?! What the FUCK?!?!

I am so fucking pissed right now that I can't even see straight.  I don't fucking get it.  Seriously.  I'm sitting at my desk trying to get my composure because I have students coming to see me in 15 minutes, but I needed to get this post written.  If you read my post yesterday, you know that I've totally stepped up my running again, added strength training, lowered my daily calories, and I'm tracking my food (granted, I only started tracking on Saturday, but still, I'm doing it).  In the 3 weeks of this challenge, I've managed to have a net gain of .6 pounds.  You're probably sitting there thinking, "What's the big deal? It's only 1/2 a pound."  The problem is, it's 1/2 a pound on top of the 10 I've gained since October.  Since Christmas I've gained 5.  My clothes don't fucking fit right.  Today, I'm wearing an outfit for the first time that I got for Christmas.  It's Banana Republic, so I have a HUGE problem with my very expensive pants feeling tight on my thighs. 



From this angle, I don't think I look that bad, but looking in the mirror this morning after my shower, all I wanted to do was cry.  I hate the way I look right now.  That 10 pounds on my barely 5'3" frame is A LOT of fucking weight.  I know I'm never going to have 6-pack abs or skinny legs.  I know I'm always going to have bingo wings.  It's not genetically possible for me to look like a fucking supermodel, and frankly, there's too much skin left over from carrying twins and losing over 50 pounds 8 years ago to even come close.  Unless some sugar daddy is going to come along and pay for a shit-load of cosmetic surgery, it ain't gonna happen.

What I'd like is to just fucking feel comfortable in my own skin.  To at least tolerate what I see in the mirror.  To feel cute and sexy.  Is that really too much to fucking ask?

"You Know What To Do. So do it."

My dear friend, Kirsten, is very wise.  She knows I'm not happy with the number I've been seeing on the scale lately.  Her reply? "Stupid numbers" and "You know what to do. So do it." 

She's absolutely right.  First off, the number is just a number.  True, it needs to be a smaller number than it is right now or I'm going to need to buy new pants, but it IS just a number.  I've also lost this weight before and I know how to do it.  The problem?  I don't think the running is going to work this time.  This is what I did on Saturday. 

I spent just over 2 hours running on the treadmill and was blessed with my highest weight in well over a year the next day.  Now, I know some of that is water from sore muscles, and I ate a lot of salty foods to try and combat the severe dehydration I ended up with from sweating inside on the treadmill, but still.  NOT HAPPY.

Like she said, I need to "keep my body guessing".  This is where cross training and strength training comes in.  I've also been more lax with my diet and that needs to stop. Period.  How am I fixing this?  By tracking my food again using the Livestrong Daily Plate app. I've also bumped my daily calories down a bit.  No one freak or tell me that isn't enough to eat. On days I run more than 3 miles, I eat back the majority of calories I burn.  Figuring the right number of calories while training for half and full marathons is not an easy task. 

I've also been going through the Tough Mudder strength workout 2-3 times per week (on days I don't run) and the One Hundred Push Ups app 3 times a week (on running days usually).  The Tough Mudder workout kicks my ass and right now and I'm only completing the circuit once.  Hopefully in the next couple weeks, I'll be able to go through it twice.  I need to modify many of the moves (hello, I can't do a pull up yet or a decent "real" pushup) but I'm seeing progress.  Welcome to the gun show :) Total dork.

Seeing the hint of some baby biceps and triceps this week definitely made me happy and clearly more than a little goofy.  Being able to hold myself up to the chin up bar and do some better negative pull ups (where you lower yourself down vs trying to pull yourself up) is definitely showing progress.

So, while the scale isn't exactly cooperating with me, I'm changing behaviors that will HOPEFULLY net some nice results in the end.  That is my confession this week.  What's yours?  What are do doing to change behaviors that are negatively impacting where YOU want to be?

PS - You only have a week left to enter my contest to win an awesome pair of workout capris from ellasport.  Better GO ENTER!

LLRB 365: 2012 Week 2

This week Michigan proved the adage, "if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it'll change."  We started the week with 50 degree temps and ended with a blizzard and a snow day.

Sunday

1-8-12

Braved the crowds at Costco on a Sunday. Insanity.

Monday

1-9-12

Some days I really love my job.

Tuesday

1-10-12

An awesome 6 mile run - in capris - in January.

Wednesday

1-11-12

Self-medicating for a sore foot.

Thursday

1-12-12

Instead of running, I signed up for the 5/3 River Bank Run 25k!

Friday

1-13-12

Winter finally decided to arrive on Friday the 13th - and we got a snow day!

Saturday

1-14-12

Due to said snowstorm, and my extreme wimpiness, I set a new treadmill PR today.

Overall, I'd say it was a pretty good week. 

In case you haven't already entered, go here to enter to win an awesome pair of workout capris from ellasport! Contest ends Jan 24th - but don't wait, enter NOW!