I'm (officially) a Pretty Princess

:-)

Sunday was the half marathon in Disney. Best.experience.ever!!

We "hydrated" until 11pm. Woke up at 2:30am to put on our costumes and Jen's dad came to pick us up (the cab company I called was COMPLETELY bizarre and I didn't really believe he was going to get us!) We got to the race around 3:30 and had to walk about a mile to the start line. We waited in the corral (we started in G) for about an hour and a half. We got our fireworks and were off! Jen and I stayed together for about a mile and a half, then we split up (she was planning to walk, I was planning to run). And I DID. I ran/walked (1.5 miles running, 2 min walking). Basically I walked almost none of it :-) I cried when I saw my kids at 4.5 miles, I teared up when when I saw a woman with a poster that said "Hey total stranger, I'm so proud of you!" I teared up when I ran through the castle and when I passed a gospel choir at mile 12. I SPRINTED the last mile (and .1) and UGLY-cried at the finish line. I was shaking and cold... but it was the best experience EVER.

4:30am - Getting ready to start walking to the start line.


Running through the castle (I was a MESS in tears!!)  (and YES, those are herald trumpeters on the balcony for when you ran through the castle :-))


After the race


My splits were:

5K point in 0:41:50.
Pace: 13:28 min/Mile.

10K point in 1:23:38.
Pace: 13:28 min/Mile.

15K point in 2:05:14.
Pace: 13:26 min/Mile.

Finish point in 2:53:27.
Pace: 13:14 min/Mile.

OMGWTHBBQ!!!

DISNEY PRINCESS HALF MARATHON IN 4 DAYS!!!!!

People, I'm going to be a half marathon runner in FOUR days!!  I am beyond thrilled!

My time splits will be posted on Twitter, if you don't follow me, you should :-) I'm not promising to break any speed records - I never have and probably never will - but I WILL FINISH. The MEDAL WILL BE MINE!

Stats update

This time next week, I will be (hopefully) sleeping in anticipation of our 3:30am cab ride to the start of the Disney Princess Half Marathon.

I wanted to update my stats before I leave. I had another "ah-ha" moment tonight. I was looking at my first weight loss journey picture and compared it, side by side, to the one I took yesterday.  I guess living in my body day to day I just don't realize how much weight I've lost, but there it is in black and white (ok, it's in tan & blue, sorry the colors are so weird, my phone and the lights in our bathroom don't play nice!)

 

 So there you have it. Four months of weight loss.  Here are my current measurements: 

And in one year, I have lost 31lbs. 

My goal is to lose 7-12 more pounds, then I will go into maintenance mode in Weight Watchers. 

Current goal: Make it to Disney without injuring myself :-) If you know me, you know I'm clumsy. I will be walking slower, paying closer attention and wearing steel toed boots this week. :-) 

Pardon the sap.

You'll have to excuse me while I get sappy here in this post.

Two weeks from tonight, I will be a half marathon finisher. I know this isn't a huge accomplishment for a lot of people but I'm NOT one of those people.  Two years ago, I swore up and down I would only run if someone was chasing me with a knife. Look at me now!

*bring on the sap* 

I want to THANK YOU. I don't think I would be able to make it through if I didn't know there were people CHEERING for me!  I often think of the comments that I've gotten, both here and on FB, private boards and other places, while I'm running.  To know that people are looking at my accomplishments (however small) and maybe being inspired - AWESOME. YOU keep me going.

I saw at the Y today on a treadmill since it's toooooo cold for a long run outside (and I needed the childcare! :-)).  My goal was 5 miles. Around 4.25-4.5 miles, I started running out of steam. Until I looked up and saw the Disney commercial. I could hear in the back of my mind "It's gonna be a good life!" and I saw the fireworks over the castle -- TWO WEEKS I will be running towards that castle! I finished strong and wound up running 5.25 miles in 60 minutes, a pace of 11:26 min/mile!!!!  Seriously!? I'm getting faster, I'm getting stronger and I'm starting to LIKE running!! (Shut the front door, right?!)

Anyhow, I know there are going to be some pretty nasty pictures of me after the race because I can already tell I'm going to be completely overcome with emotions.  I get choked up thinking about the enormity of what will happen in the next two weeks. I'm excited to see people after the race as a "half marathon runner". I'm a runner.

So THANK you. Thank you for the motivational words, the encouragement and the support.

*end of sap*

Minor Setback!

Sunday I achieved my longest run - EVER - in my life!  I ran 12 miles!  I was shocked as I heard RunKeeper telling me my pace every half mile - up through mile 9, my pace was under 12:10/mile! Considering I don't usually finish a long run with a pace under 13:30, 12 ANYTHING was a surprise!  It was definitely a good run.  I felt good throughout and finished the 12 in 2hrs, 29 minutes. I used a Honey Stinger gel before I started (it's the "natural" choice, although their products still have evaporated cane juice, which is essentially white sugar) then used their chews during my run. They were tasty, but kind of sticky....  they won't be my supplement of choice during the race. I will probably stick with Sport Beans.

 So here's my setback - I came home from my run, soaked in Epsom salt, then ... sat down.  For the rest of hte day.

Monday, the back of my knee (not the back of my kneecap, but actually the back of my leg) is sore. It's not a constant hurt, only when I flex in a certain way...  But enough so that I don't want to risk running on it.

Today I did a 1000m swim and soaked in the hot tub (WHY haven't I done that before?!) hoping to ease the pain.

So any suggestions?  I've been using a heating pad, Aleve and resting it.

It's Official!!

I'm bib number 13843, OFFICIALLY A PRINCESS!!! 

Holy Cow!

 

So this morning I got up and went to the Y, even though I didn't want to go.  I ran 2.45 miles in 30 min, nothing stellar, but I did it.  But before I went upstairs to run, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. And couldn't believe it was me! I haven't been this light since 2005, people! This is HUGE! 

Anyhow, just had to flaunt the picture a little. It's the first time I've looked at myself and thought "Wow, you actually look GOOD!"  That's a big step for me! I have a hard time admitting that I'm actually doing a GOOD JOB and making a difference in my life, both with physical activity and with my eating habits.  It's a hard place to be to feel the same in my skin as when I was heavy. I don't feel like anything has changed, even though the numbers on the scale tell me different - and none of my old pants fit either!