Lessons Learned From My 1st Half Marathon

1. Princesses come in all shapes, sizes, and apparently genders.

2. Biofreeze rocks...except when it wears off during the 13th mile.

3. If you go to the men's restroom, expect men to be in there.

4. Gu really doesn't taste good, and could upset your stomach.

5. Waiting in line for a port-a-potty can be frustrating and suspenseful, especially if your stomach is upset from the Gu.

6. Even if you can't feel your feet you can still run on them.

7. Even in "the happiest place on earth" hills SUCK!

8. I can't wait to do it again next year! Whose with me? Feb. 24 - 26!

Here are a few highlights from the race. It was one of the best moments of my life and I can't wait to do it again.

Me and Cinderella's Footmen

The Expo

A sea of princesses, just minutes before the race.

Fireworks went off for each wave of runners.

Since we started in different waves the clocks are not accurate with my time. I was sooooo much faster than that.

(Could you read the sarcasm dripping off that statement?)

Just finished running through the castle!

And a HUGE thanks to Amy. I would not have even attempted this is she hadn't brought it up and I wouldn't have made it through the race if she hadn't done it with me! I would share pics of us together but she has them all! :)

I Have Already Won The Race

There is a lot that goes into running a school that really sucks sometimes. But today was awesome. Today i was reminded about why i went into education. My staff has known about the 1/2 marathon for a while now and they knew I was leaving early to catch my plane...cut to 10 minutes before I had to leave.

My secretary came in to my office and handed me a tiara and a wand and asked me to come with her. I stepped out into the hallway and there they all were! The kids were lined up in the hallways with banners cheering me on. So I ran my own mini marathon today through a building lined with 650 kiddos that mean the world to me. Regardless of how this race turns out, I will carry that memory with me forever.

I can't wait to get back to school to read all the cards they made.

Revealing My Inner Princess

I've always known I was destined to be a princess...just didn't realize I would have to run 13.1 miles to do it. :)

I have been up since 4 am. Just can't sleep. I am a combination of excited and nervous.

Excited because I am about to complete my goal. I fly out to Orlando after work today. I have been working towards this since September. It will feel soooo good to complete something. To take this feeling of accomplishment with me and use it to push me towards another goal. (No idea what it will be!)

Nervous because I don't think I am 100%. This week was supposed to be a low key week with regards to working out. Just three sessions Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Well I only did Tuesday's workout. As I had been increasing my mileage, I was getting increasing pain in one of my knees. (I fell a few years ago and tore my ACL...never had surgery, only pt) So I decided just to rest this week and let it try to heal enough for me to be able to complete the 1/2. Now, my hip is starting to hurt. I think I may be overcompensating for my knee. And it makes me nervous.

So nervous in fact that around 4:30 am, you could have found me in front of my house in running shoes and pjs running up and down the side walk to test out my hip. (I have never claimed mental stability.)

It seems ok when I run, but still hurts when I turn and pivot and stuff. You know, normal everyday activities. :( So send good vibes my way. I will be finishing this race. I just hope I don't do any additional damage along the way.

I will try to send updates along the way...and I will face the reality of what has been going on with the scale when I get back.

Have a wonderful Friday everyone! Go out and move!

And if you happen to be at Di$ney this weekend, I will be the girl wearing this shirt!

Hospitals, Fills, & Princesses

Hello all! I have been crazy busy and my blog has been neglected. Not a lot of commenting on other blogs either but I am working on it! So here's what has been going on bullet style.

• Hospital - On Monday my dad had back surgery, which was planned, but due to his limitations (he has parkinson- plus), he did not get to come home with us on Tuesday like we were told. In fact it looks like we will have to move him to a rehab facility for a few days. But at least it won't be for a month like the last time he had surgery. However it was unexpected and I am always surprised at how it never gets easier to go through surgery with him. This is like his 7th or 8th hospital stay in the last 3 years so we are definitely old pros. I am spending my early mornings (6:00 - 9:00) and afternoon/evenings at the hospital, and when I am not at the hospital I am at work so needless to say, I am worn out.
• Fills - I am FINALLY getting another fill today! I am sad to say that I will probably have a gain on the scale from the last time I was at the dr. It has been really hard. The stress of my dad's surgery hasn't helped either. I have been trying to do the pre-op diet with Amy and did really well Monday, Tuesday and yesterday during the day. But last night after we realized we were going to have to move dad to the rehab facility, I had a mini binge. But I am over it, and I am moving forward with my new kick in the pants pre-op diet. 
• Princesses - I am getting excited about the 1/2 marathon coming up! Despite everything I have kept up with my training schedule, so I am very proud of myself for that. I have one more long run/walk which will take place on Sunday. Please pray that I can do it! 10 miles is a LONG way! I hope that my dad is home before I leave for the race. I know that either way, this is something that he would want me to do so I will not miss it but it would be easier to be gone if I know he is home. 

I am getting very excited about Chicago in September. I was wondering after I finished my 1/2 marathon what my next goal was going to be. Now I will need to be skinny for Chicago! I can't wait!

Waving the White Flag

This is really hard. I miss my restriction. When I went through bandster hell (the first time) I think fear was a huge motivator for me. My band was new, I was afraid that I would hurt something, and this kept my eating in check. I lost a little and maintained but I didn't gain.

Now, being back in this place, with no restriction, and knowing what I know, I do not have the healthy fear that I did before. It is really really hard. Plus I think that I have entered a plateau stage in my weight loss which doesn't do anything good for me mentally.

I am still working out. I am sticking to my training schedule, but I am failing miserably at food quantity. I still eat small meals but I am having more of them. I probably eat every 2 hours. I have a week and a half left until I get another fill and I am already tired of trying to "diet."

...and I am tired of beating myself up.

It is funny when the band is working, I feel like I have conquered my eating demons. I am surprised at how quickly I could revert to my old ways. I struggle every. single. day.

OK...moving on. Because I like to post pictures....here's some of the birds we were feeding during the week of ice and snow we had here in Texas.

Ice Hell

So we now have our third day off from school because of ice and cold temperatures....and my third day of being stuck in a house full of food with NO restriction. Luckily on Tuesday I got up like I normally do and got my run in at the gym before the roads became too icy to drive. Yesterday I ventured out to the gym and though they were open, none of the equipment was available because of the rolling blackouts so I couldn't run yesterday.

I am really trying to watch my eating but boredom is really starting to kick in. The laundry is done, the bathrooms are clean, the beds are all made, the dishes are all done, I have read a whole book and am really trying not to eat the whole house. Now luckily I don't have any sweets in the house but I have been eating too many calories, and calories are calories regardless of whether or not it all comes from Greek yogurt or not.

I am going to see if my dr is in today and if they have had any cancellations due to the weather. Maybe something good will come from this crazy ice storm.

Stay warm everyone!