Blog Archives

Tuesdays on the Run: Rate your month of running

1/31/2017

Another Tuesday, another Tuesday on the Run hosted by our favorites:
Erika from MCM Mama Runs, Marcia from Marcia's Healthy Slice and Patty from No-Guilt Life.This week's topic is Rate my month of running.

Runs: 8
Missed runs: 7 (2 weekend runs, 1 cancelled half marathon and 3 weekday run)

Overall, I feel it went okay. Having back to back race weekends is always tough to get back into it as there is so much packing and planning that goes into that.

Not running the Wdw half marathon sucked. The marathon was freezing and getting back to LA to lots of rain was not good especially because I got sick twice. The weather has calmed down a lot and I should be able to get my runs in for February.

I did do one nighttime run and realized why I stopped doing them-the streets by me are too dark! They have just lampposts and sometimes it's pitch black. For me, I never felt unsafe but not being able to see the sidewalk doesn't work for me. I will stick with morning runs.

So overall I would give it a C: races went well and I felt good in them. The missed runs during the week aren't good though. I am really going to work on that for February.

How about you? How would you rate your month of running?

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Healthy Living 1/30/17

1/31/2017

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Time for some weekly accountability! I will recapping how I have done on the 4 Well Rules over the last week: Eat Well, Sleep Well, Exercise Well and Be Well New Linkup for Monday! I will linking up with MissSippiPiddlin and HoHo Runs to talk about my week recap! Welcome to the 4 well rules that I try to follow as I go through my week! Let's get to it!

EAT WELL
I was able to get through the week just on leftovers which was awesome. I leave on Wednesday and I'm hoping not to have to buy any food before I go. I'm going to make a soup out of what's in my pantry.
I had way too much gluten in Chicago but it was worth it.
SLEEP WELL
I slept well until the red eye where I only slept 3 hours and made it through the whole day. How crazy! I got back from Chicago yesterday and I'm exhausted. I need to try and sleep as much as possible with my epic trip coming up later this week.

EXERCISE WELL
LAST WEEK:
M- Weights
T-30 min run +weights
W- resistance band training
R-30 min run + weights
F-rest day
S-Christmas run
SU-walking around Disneyland

THIS WEEK:
M-yoga
T-3 miles +Run10 + weights
W- run 10 + Piyo
R-3 miles
F- stretching
S- rest day
S- RNR NOLA half marathon

BE WELL
Chicago was incredible-seeing my old college friends, meeting everyone's significant others and freezing my butt off! Weddings are such special occasions And of course seeing Hamilton again-Wayne Brady is in it and was great!
I need to go finish packing for the Dallas-Houston-NOLA trip that I leave on tomorrow! I am barely recovered from Chicago!
How was your week?

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November 2016 Universal Trip Report

1/27/2017

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NOV 2016 Universal Trip Recap

Checked in to Sapphire Falls
Water taxi-7 minutes
Minions
Gringotts single rider closed-boo!
Breakfast-pasties,hot butterbeer and strongfire
Gringotts
Hogwarts express
Dragon-red then blue (red made me dizzy but blue made me lose feeling in my feet)
Hippogriff
Forbidden journey (miss the 3D but the ride is smoother and dementors are better)
Bathroom and hogs tea
Kong-30 min wait because of truck delay
Spider-Man but single rider was closed
Hulk-mind blowing
Met up with a lizard for lunch
Another hogs tea
Hogwarts express
Mummy
Rip it
ET
Got tacos
MIB
Gringotts x2
Butterbeer ice cream and strong fire
Hogwarts express -10 min turned into 25
Forbidden journey
Hogs tea
Walked over to HULK
HULK x4 including front row-less than 5 min each time
Spider-Man
HULK in front
Walked to USO
Rip it
ET
Hot butterbeer and strongfire and spells (secret one)
Grabbed dinner and World Series
No rum bar and no pool :/

THURSDAY

Diagon and did spells
Breakfast-pasties hot butterbeer and strongfire
Mummy
Rip it
Walked to IOA because Hogwarts express wait was too long (20 min!)
HULK 3x (1 regular and 2x single rider)
Spider-Man
Forbidden journey
Hogs tea
Hogwarts express
Gringotts
Strongfire and hot butterbeer
TACOS
Boat back to the hotel
Peace! 12:33

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Universal Studios Orlando-April 2016

1/26/2017

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WEDNESDAY

Got to check in at 630 and got a room upgrade at Cabana Bay
Got situated and freshened up- and headed out
Headed out at 730, got there at 750 (they opened at 745)
Got to Diagon Alley right at 8
Got on the ride immediately and was the only one! seriously-I was the first of the day and the only one in my entire car. an amazing experience
Rode again because why not?!!?
Waited For the Angry fire as it was 8:10 and I had been on the ride and already done spells
Grabbed a drink because its 5 oclock somewhere
English breakfast- gross! I was so bummed. the kids breakfast at USHollywood is amazing. this was expensive and nasty. never again
Hogsmeade via Hogwarts Express at 8:30
Dragon challenge x2 (cut through not working) so I had to do the queue two times!
Forbidden journey-waited almost 15 min (got on with the same people I started with). I am not sure why the Single rider line was so long
Hogs tea because it's the best
Hogwarts express-headed back to UO
et-30 minutes. No idea how this happened but I only waited 5 minutes outside. I didn't mind because I got the smell!
Tacos -20 min. No joke-why all the crowds?!?!
MIB-walk on with single rider
tried to Do gringotts single rider-too long (stopped in the bank room!)
Butterbeer ice cream -because a snack is always neeed
back to the hotel to nap-I was exhausted and could barely see straight
Took the shuttle back (very quick)and knocked out for 2.5 hours. I had set an alarm for an hour but I failed
Woke up and headed out at 5pm. I felt refreshed
Got to the park and tried to suess landing but it was all broken! NO IDEA HOW THAT IS POSSIBLE
Did Spider-Man with no wait and walked through Jurassic park
Rode forbidden journey with little wait
Had dinner at 3 broomsticks-shepherds pie and pumpkin fizz. It was great but had mushrooms. The salad was lackluster. I tried a rumchata/fire whisky and it was tasty
Headed to Hogwarts express because I wanted to ride Gringotts
Gringotts twice with no wait
Started raining so I did MIB as it was dizzling
poured as I got out of MIB (like I got soaked through the poncho) so decided to do ET
it slowed down so I headed to Mel's diner to get a snack-chili cheese fries
Waited 15 min for the spectacular and watched it. It was okay-I did enjoy the film clips. (I have seen it since and really like it. Because of weather it was cut short but I did not know that)
Walked back to the hotel in the rain as I figured the bus would be a mess and I was already wet.
No grabbing a drink or pool for me with the thunderstorms :( I did not want to risk going out and I was pretty far from the main buiding.
Was wide awake and had a hard time falling asleep because of my nap. I laid in bed and watched Property Brothers.

THURSDAY

Mallory landed at 4, got to the hotel around 5:45. Slept until 7
Got dressed and checked out and walked to the park and met up with Chris
Walked straight back to Gringotts at 8 AM
Did some spells around Diagon Alley
Grabbed a drink and snack (Angryfire and pasties. the same guy from yesterday was there and he remembered me)
Hogwarts express with no wait
Forbidden journey-so interesting to do this a few days after Hollywood opened
Dragon challenge-walk through open in between the red and blue
Hogs tea and strong fire for all
Hogwarts express back to universal
Mummy-walked on with single rider
Rip rock it-convinced them to go on Rip It and we got to go through the Express entrance
Lunch at Leaky cauldron-I had bangers and mash and fishy gill water and butterbeer potted cream. So yummy!
Headed back to the hotel and over to WDW to check in, expo, and Epcot. We stayed longer than we thought we would but had such a good time!

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Universal Studios Orlando-Feb 2016

1/26/2017

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Crazy uber-basically it took me almost 30 mintues to gets picked up because it was trying to take him along the monorai track? No idea but definitely not his fault

Rip it-5 minute wait
Mummy- no wait because of single rider
Gringotts x2-no wait because of single rider
Angry fire-my favorite drink. and they also didnt have hot butterbeer
Hogwarts express-less than 5 min wait
Dragon challenge-blue then red-walk on and path was open!
Crazy lockers-the lockers were insane and it took me 10 minutes to get my stuff out
Forbidden journey-no wait because of single rider
Captain-walking to get on Spider-man, Captain America was out so I waited. and i loved it and he LET ME HOLD HIS SHIELD!
Spider-Man-walk on with single rider
Pics with suess characters-i loved they were all out!
Cold butterbeer, water and Angryfire-wanted a drink for Hogwarts express so I double fisted
Hogwarts express-headed back to US for lunch
Lunch-tacos-my favorite
MIB-walked on to MIB with singler rider
butterbeer ice cream-since i still couldnt get hot, I decided to have another yummy snack!
Out :( -that was it! it was a quick day (9:30-3) but I got everything done with almost no wait!

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2016 Santa Monica-Venice Christmas Recap

1/25/2017

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I ran my final race of 2016 this weekend. It's so crazy that my 2016 race schedule is done! But let's get to the recap

The Santa Monica-Venice run is a race I ran for the first time in 2011 and I have only missed it once since then because of work. It used to be my favorite local race-flat and fast and good for a PR. Last year they changed the course and it was crowded and I missed a PR by less than 30 seconds. I was apprehensive about the race this year but signed up because it was 35 bucks for a 10k.

Well imagine my surprise when I read final race instructions and saw they had split the races with the 5k at 730 and 10k at 830! I was already worried as it was predicted to be quick warm. I knew a PR would be hard to come by.

Last year parking was a hot mess so we optioned to Uber. We used a real restroom and then went to register for next years race. This all took longer than planned and I didn't get time to do a warmup which as I learned at wine and dine, is crucial for me.

We headed to the race start and there are no corrals and just a mob of people. They started us as a large group. It should be no surprise that it was a bob and weave and a mess. We headed to the streets and then down to the boardwalk before doing three out and backs to finish at the boardwalk.

Don't be fooled by Hollywood-the Venice boardwalk is nasty and gross. Running at 830 meant more people were out so it was narrow. So narrow I got sandwiched between two strollers for almost half a mile. And remember how the 5k stared at 730? Well we ran by the finisher Festival and the finish line and start line are over one mile apart so many of the 5kers were walking back. Yup there is also one main way to walk back so they also were heading back as we were heading down. Basically a cluster.

Add in the fact my left shin was not having any of it, I was so over this race by mile 1.5. I just stayed steady and tried to not weave too much and just do the best I could. I almost tripped in pot holes and fell a few times. There was one DJ on the course and no spectators and nothing to look at.

As for water stops, there was one at the exit of the finisher area and it was a cluster-people I talked to after did not even seen it. There was also one around mile 4. I would have liked one more water stop. Luckily the weather was okay and cloudy but I still chugged a full bottle of water as I finished.

MILE SPLITS: 10:42/10:53/10:32/11:03/10:42/10:20/9:01 (.27 miles)

I was not happy how this race was at all. My goal was sub 1 hour and I was over a minute slower per mile. Some of it was the course crowding and some was my body. I knew better than to skip a warmup and it causes my shins to be unhappy. So unhappy they didn't loosen up until the last mile which didn't help at all either. After really processing and thinking about it, I just think this is not the time for PRs. I am stressed to the brim with dissertation and work and life. That stress is definitely spilling over into my running. As I am wrapping this up, I am hoping my stress levels will decrease.

At the end, they just had water, chocolate milk and a banana. I was ready to head out and get over the bad race experience.

Will I run this again? Well I already signed up for the 5k next year haha. It's the morning of Devin and Brian's wedding and we are going to dress up and have fun before needing to get ready. after that-I am not sure. I don't like the changes they made to the course and the late start time and the mass start. I will have to wait and see.

Have you ever run a crappy race?

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TotR: Race Price Point

1/23/2017

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Inaugural Disneyland Paris 5k and Inaugural Disneyland Paris Half Marathon -I did that and am signed up to do it again but this time the 5k, 10k and half (international challenge medal here I come!)

Just back from Marathon weekend and Light side, signed up for all 3 races at Wine and Dine, and then pre-signed up for Dopey 2018 + race retreat? You hear those tears-that is my credit card crying in the corner.

but for real, the disney races are expensive but I love them. I love the actual race experience, seeing my friends and just having fun. Since I spend a pretty penny on those races means I am pretty picky about my local races.

Local races in LA, can get very expensive. Half marathons often cost 80-130 dollars (which when comparing to rundisney isn't too bad). I am always willing to try local races and good ones (Santa Anita Derby 5k, Angels 5k, Great Race in Agoura Hills just to name a few) stick around year after year. Local races for me are about flat and fast courses to PR on so I can use those times for rundisney races. I look for races that are reasonably priced with a nice shirt, medal and a good course. I have no problem not doing races that dont' meet that such as the 80s run. a 50+ dollar 10k where I have to pay to park that starts late and is just 2 laps around the Rose Bowl with almost no entertainment? I do that for free all the time-no thank you (even though I do like my Back to the Future medal).

As I have gotten faster, rundisney races have gotten even more fun. My goal is to always stop for every picture so I can feel I really get my money's worth. As I have written about before, then latter half of 2016 was not the year or time for PRs, I am hoping 2017 will change that as I am ready to get some new PRs!

What is your price point for races?

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Healthy Living 1/23/17

1/23/2017

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Time for some weekly accountability! I will recapping how I have done on the 4 Well Rules over the last week: Eat Well, Sleep Well, Exercise Well and Be Well New Linkup for Monday! I will linking up with MissSippiPiddlin and HoHo Runs to talk about my week recap! Welcome to the 4 well rules that I try to follow as I go through my week! Let's get to it!

SLEEP WELL
Remember my cold that came back? Well it helped with sleeping as I averaged almost 8.5 hours of sleep for the week! woo-hoo! Now the rain that turned into hail definitely woke me up multiple times. I am going to head to bed early to see if I can wake up and feel rested.
I am heading to Chicago on Friday on a red eye so I am hoping to not be too jet lagged and be able to adjust quickly.

EAT WELL
I was able to make food at the beginning of the week that lasted the whole week. Teaching on Wednesday nights has thrown a wrench in my food plans. It seems to work best when I cook on both Sunday and Monday and then can alternate all week. I will finish all my food in my fridge and then have to make food for Monday-wednesday next week.

EXERCISE WELL
Monday-Saturday: REST DAYS. It did not start out that way (the cold did it too me) but I am glad I did!
Sunday: 5.5 miles in the rain plus Run10 arms

THIS WEEK:
Monday: Running Strength Core
Tuesday: 3 miles +Run10
Wednesday: PiYo +8 min abs +Run 10
Thursday: 3 miles +Run10
Friday: walking around Chicago
Saturday: 30 min elliptical and weights at the hotel
Sunday: rest day

BE WELL
Just waiting on dissertation corrections which is very nerve-wrecking! I have a meeting on Wednesday and hopefully it is going well.
I am heading to Chicago this weekend for the wedding of one of my best friends from college. It will be a quick trip but also so nice to see all of my old friends reunited. After that, I will be home for a few days and then heading over to a Houston-Dallas-New Orleans blow out!

I am recovering nicely from the Marathon/Light Side double. I think a week of rest was much needed and I am ready to start tackling these workouts again! I have definitely lost strength and am looking to gain it back!

How was your week?

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I'm a #teamnuun ambassador!

1/16/2017

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Exciting news over here: I am a 2017 #teamnuun ambassador! I am so grateful for this opportunity and can't wait to see what it entails for the year. I have been using nuun (pronounced noon) exclusively as pre- and post-race hydration for over a year. I love how easy it is easy to carry in the tube and the taste it has. I credit my Long Beach Marathon in 2015 when I ran it after getting in a car accident and in 90 degree heat to going as well as it did (5:18 which was my old marathon PR) because they had nuun on the course.

I will keep updating everyone on discounts and giveaways so stay tuned!

have you ever used nuun before?

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Healthy Living 1/16/17

1/16/2017

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HI all!
This will be a quick check-in as I haven't done any this whole year-crazy!

SLEEP WELL
I have been sleeping great. I am still not completely adjusted after Marathon weekend so I am going to bed early and sleeping as long as I want. My cold/sore throat I caught is coming back so I am trying to nurse that as well as I can.

EAT WELL
I did an awesome job prepping before Winter Break and freezing food so I would not have to eat out every meal between Marathon weekend and Light Side. I spent more at trader joes than I expected but I ate pretty well. I got up this morning and went grocery shopping and got some good food and was able to food prep for the week! :)

EXERCISE WELL

full recaps are coming I promise! I am going to do them slightly differently but all of the information and pictures will be there.
I did not run the 20th anniversary half as it was cancelled.
I ran a freezing cold marathon and had a great time.
I did not run again as the weather here has been crazy (lots of rain during the week) and couple that with the first week of classes and I just did not have time
I ran the Star Wars Light Side 10k and half marathon and had a fabulous time.
I am going to get back on the fitness train tomorrow-goal is to run 3 miles, do a new 10 minute running workout, and pick up some weights as well. I am going to really focus on my workouts and weight training to see if I can get my running times back where I would like them

BE WELL
well things are pretty dang awesome around here!

Rough draft of my dissertation has been turned into my chair and I get my feedback this week
USC won the Rose Bowl in epic fashion and I was there to see it in person
The marathon was incredible with all of the photostops
I loved my Rey costume for the half marathon
I saw Amelie on closing night and hearing Phillipa Soo sing in person literally was one of the best things ever
My christmas tree is still up as I have barely been home. I was supposed to take it down today but as I stare at it, I still have not done it.
I am about to go on a traveling binge again
in 2 weeks I will be in Chicago for a wedding of my best friend from college and get to reunite with my other besties
in 3 weeks, I will go to Dallas to surprise my siblings for their third birthday, fly down to Houston to see my dad and go to the Super Bowl fan experience and then fly to New Orleans for Devin's 30th bday/cancer free celebration and run RnRNOLA on Super Bowl Sunday
in 42 days, I will be back in WDW for the Princess Half marathon

so now to get back on the blogging train since dissertation is almost completed!

how has your month been so far?