The Tiana/slave Leia matchup takes time but I'm really happy with how it turned out. 

• Basically I bought a Slave Leia costume and ripped it apart. 
• I took the seams out of the top and stitched fabric underneath it to be the green. 
• I then unstitched the gold pieces on the bottom. 
• I then sewed two panels of the same green fabric from the top to be the front and back of the skirt
• I bought green shorts from Amazon that served as the base and I stitched the fabric to the shorts and then the gold pieces on top. 
• I added the frog from an old costume 
• I bought a princess tiana crown and also wore the brown head pieces
• The chain around my neck and piece on my arm were the last touches
• I also added the magnolia as well.
• and how can I forget the green ProCompression, green Saucony's, and green magicband? 

Not don't let the smiles fool you, this costume was TOUGH to run in and was covered in sweat. I have scars where my costume would rub and I promise my buttcheeks were hanging out for some of it. I did however love being part of a big costume group-so much fun making our costumes together! 

This was another easy one to put together from the Star Wars: Dark Side 5k

• I ordered the Stormtrooper top from Poprageous 
• I already the white sparkle athletic skirt
• I had the WeRunSocial ProCompression white and black socks
• I made the belt with the help of Mallory- used white sparkle fabric and cut out silver squares. I then added velcro on the back and pinned it
• I bought my sunglasses from the kids section at Disney store-I had a hat but it was WAY too warm for a winter hat

This outfit also was great to run in-it kept be from getting too hot and I will definitely be wearing it again! 

This costume also came together easy for the Star Wars: Dark Side 5k! 

• I had a black workout shirt (I use the black glass slipper challenge shirt)
• I bought a black sparkle athletic skirt and hat
• I also bought a black cape and a black hat just in case from sparkle athletic skirt
• I wore black ProCompression and black skechers
• I bought a red light saber on Force Friday from Target. It was collapsable so it would fit in my suitcase and so I could easily run with it
• I also bought a kids bike vest on Force Friday that I pinned to the sides
• I wanted the mickey/vader ears but they dont make them anymore!!! waaaah! 

This costume was great! I will definitely be using it again! and even better-both procompression and rundisney used my instagram photo! 

​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!

Sorry I have been so MIA! I had all these great posts lined up and then nothing. I was having issues uploading posts (the wifi wasn't fast enough in the hotel to load and then when I tried to load them from my phone, it disappear!). and of course once I got back, work and school were crazy. I have been trying to adjust to everything but it has been rough! Anyways I am back at it now and with tink 2 weeks ago and a lot of dark side to catch up on, let's get to it! 

EAT WELL
Getting back on track was a bit rough! I didn't get to the grocery store until Saturday but now I have food and a plan for this week and also for when I get back. I have to be very careful about my food as I will be out of town a lot in May and I don't want to waste food. 
SLEEP WELL
I averaged about 8 hours of sleep after Star Wars. I had such a hard time sleeping while there and have finally gotten back to feeling normal. 
I need to shoot for 8 hours as I will be in Texas all weekend for my uncles wedding! With school wrapping up it will be a bit hectic but I think I can do it. 
EXERCISE WELL
2 weeks ago:

• Monday: yoga abs 
• Tuesday: 3 miles + weights 
• Wednesday: universal Studios 
• Thursday: Universal Studios/Expo/Epcot 
• Friday: Star Wars 5k/Magic Kingdom 
• Saturday: Star Wars 10k/Animal Kingdom/Disney Springs/Hollywood Studios
• Sunday: Stars Wars Half marathon/Hollywood Studios 

Last week:

• Monday: Epcot/Animal Kingdom/Magic Kingdom
• Tuesday: Hollywood Studios/Epcot/travel home
• Wednesday: Rest Day
• Thursday: 2 miles-legs felt like lead :/ +weights
• Friday: rest day 
• Saturday: 5 miles-they were pretty slow but I needed it to get my legs ready to move again
• Sunday: Rest Day because of school work

This week:

• Monday: short weight workout
• Tuesday: 3 miles + weights 
• Wednesday: Running strength abs 
• Thursday: 3 miles 
• Friday: rest day as I will be heading to my uncle's wedding
• Saturday: workout if the hotel has a gym
• Sunday: 5 miles

BE WELL
It is about to get crazy with some traveling: this weekend in texas, next weekend in Anaheim and then Orlando, then a week at home, then NYC, then Arizona, then San Diego. I am excited but also am worried about school work. i was on campus yesterday from 9am-7:30pm doing work and actually feel like I am in a good place but I still have a bit to go! 
and even crazier-the semester ends this week! wow-this school year has flown by!

How was your week? 


​

On Sunday, April 3rd we stopped by the opening weekend of Food and Wine at DCA. It had started as west coast food and wine in 2005 and was suspended in 2010 as construction wrapped on Buena Vista st and Carsland. I have written enough about my love for Food and Wine so I was pumped to see this version. 

There are 7 booths (FESTIVAL MARKETPLACES) with food and matched wine pairings. The booths were on the walkway from Carthay circle down towards Little Mermaid. We were able to do them all in one day. 

Here is what I tried at each booth:
LA Style: pork belly taco, syrah
Vineyard: chardonnay flight
Wine Country: waygu beef
Viva Fresca: nothing-we actually skipped this one because they were out of everything
Gold Rush: whoopie pie, viognier
Brewhouse: skipped this one as I dont drink beer
The Farm: a bit of the beer tenderloin, thai veggie curry, lemon macaron, gewurztraminer
By the Bay: White Cheddar Ale soup, coconut tapioca, Veitliner

A few thoughts: 

• I did not like was that the allergies were not on the menu so I had to try and figure out what I could have. 
• Aall of the food is brought in (unlike in Florida where it is cooked there) so every booth was constantly running out of items and sauces as they waited for refills. I also think this makes it difficult for modifications as all of it is pre-made. 
• The CMs were still training as they often did not know what they had at the booth (asking if the wine was white or red, etc). 
• The portions were small for the price-overall I didn't think it was as good of a value of as the Epcot food 
• The wine was pretty expensive. They advertised 6-9 dollar pours so I was shocked when I got up there they asked if I wanted 3oz  or 5oz and the advertised price was the 3oz. The 5 oz pour was double the price. 
• People in DCA don't know how lines work-there is tape all over the ground and people were not following it and the lines were a mess 
• The food and wine system-order at the kiosk, take your receipt to the wine side and then food. People were super confused! 
• AP lanyard-they offered a lanyard with 6 food items for 45 bucks which was an awful deal as most things were 6-8. They however have since lowered the price to 39 bucks (and if you bought it, you can get a refund!) 

Positives:

• I love trying different things!
• It brings a high energy to the park
• The AP center is definitely nice to have especially the charging stations 

​
Favorite things: 

• FOOD: the Waygu beef and Meyer lemon macaron
• WINE: they were all just okay for me. I enjoyed them but nothing I am dying to have again (unlike the Tempranillo I had in Carlsbad that I bought a bottle of immediately)

Final thoughts:
I'm glad to see food and wine back and hope it continues to grow and adapt to feedback. I don't plan on heading back this month-I feel I did everything. I think what it is missing is a feel signature dishes that has people wanting to come back like Food and Wine: Epcot has. 


Anyone else do Food and Wine: DCA?

The afternoon tea at Disneyland takes places in Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland hotel on the weekends from 12-3. I was able to snag a last minute reservation for Mallory's birthday which made it even more fun!

We arrived about 15 min early and were seated right on time for our reservation. They had 3 tea packages you could choose from with a wide variety of teas. Since I'm gluten free, they were able to accommodate me very easily. 

We chose the second package, The Platinum (65 dollars): 

• Sparkling Wine
• Scones- came with Devonshire cream, blueberry preserves and lemon curd
• Salad- with green goddess salad
• Tea sandwiches- tomato/mozzarella, cucumber/watercress, salmon, and egg salad
• Dessert-mine was mostly macaroons
• Tea- I had the Eros tea (mandarin orange, vanilla with Ceylon)
• Farewell Truffle- amazing chocolates!

The service was nice and also a good pace. They brought the tea, the salad and champagne, and then the scones and sandwiches, and then wrapped up with dessert and got our truffles to go. All of mine were gluten free and amazing.

Overall, we LOVED tea and I'm hoping they continue this. 


Has anyone else tried the afternoon tea at Disneyland? 

​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 What I would tell myself if I was just starting to run. 

I have written about this before briefly about what I would like new runners to know before running. 

• 1. What is your goal?
• Do you want to do a 5k? 10k? Half? Full? Start here and work it all out
• 2. Training Plan
• How will you reach this goal? 
• 3. Gear
• What shoes will you wear? How about clothes? What about compression socks? Rollers? And let's not forget timers and/or watches?
• 4. Form
• From the beginning, you have to emphasize proper running form to prevent injuries. 
• 5. Nutrition
• Carbohydrates (in all forms) will be crucial for this along with protein, fats, and of course water. Let's not forget lessening processed foods. 
• 6. Sleep
• How much sleep does your body need? How much are you getting? How is it effecting your runs? 
• 7. Time to Run
• What time works for you-morning, afternoon, night? Don't forget about time of year and temperature? 
• 8. Fuel
• How are you fueling pre-race and mid race so you don't bonk/hit a wall? How do you fuel after? 
• 9. Race Day
• What does it take to have a successful race day? 
• 10. The future
• Where do you want to go with this? Set a goal? Set a PR? Try something else? How does this fit in for you? 
  

I didn't know or do many of these things when I started running and as I've written about my first race in Disneyland in 2010, it was not pretty haha. 
What would I tell myself almost exactly 6 years since I signed up for my first race ever on the day I fly to WDW to run my 40th-42nd Disney race and earn my 55th-60th medals? 
YOU CAN DO IT.
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF  
PUSH YOUR LIMITS
RUNNING WILL BECOME A PASSION
You may not have been the athletic growing up but you can do it. You can train and do hard things. You will do Dopey Rebel, you can run and PR at a World Major. It'll take time but you will do it all. Just remember to stay positive and get those workouts and it will be okay. 
Looking back on my journey, it really is crazy how far I've come and not to mention, all of the races I've been lucky to run and all of the friends I've made song the way. I'm so pumped for this weekend (it's rare I get to do a brand new race) and can't wait to see everyone! 


​What would you tell yourself? 

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
Eating was great-I was able to clean out the fridge and not waste too much food before leaving to Florida tomorrow. 
This week my meals are basically planned out already and I'm excited! I was able to time it right so I can bring lunch and dinner to work and not stress about what to eat. 

SLEEP WELL
I averaged about 8 hours of sleep but still have been tired-I think its from waking up and not regulating my body temp right. We bought a fan for our bedroom so I hope it helps! 

EXERCISE WELL
Last week: 
Monday: Yoga recovery 
Tuesday: 2 miles (bad shoes and had to walk it back) + weights 
Wednesday: Running strength abs 
Thursday: 3 miles 
Friday: rest day 
Saturday: Santa Anita 5k
Sunday: yoga recovery/Harry potter! 


This week:
Monday: yoga abs 
Tuesday: 3 miles + weights 
Wednesday: universal Studios 
Thursday: Universal Studios/Expo/Epcot 
Friday: Star Wars 5k/Magic Kingdom 
Saturday: Star Wars 10k/Animal Kingdom/Disney Springs/Hollywood Studios
Sunday: Stars Wars Half marathon/Hollywood Studios 


BE WELL
​The dissertation is coming along nicely! I had a meeting today and it looks like I'm ahead of the game and will actually be able to take a break from dissertation writing until I'm on the plane home-how awesome!But I will still need to do grading but hopefully it'll go quickly! 
Harry Potter was amazing-full recap coming soon! It was hard for my brain to wrap up around that I was wizarding world by in LA. 
And I'm PUMPED for Star Wars:dark side this week! I think this race is going to be SO FUN and I'm excited for my costumes. 
I pre wrote some posts so you'll still hear from me while I'm gone! 


How was your week? 

One of my favorite races from last year is here again! I'm excited for a great race and also going back for the Derby later that day with my hat! It is supposed to rain all weekend (boo!) but I will definitely make the best of it and still try and do well. 

New PR- sub 28:08 (9:03 pace) 
After missing my PR by 3 seconds last weekend, I'm ready for a PR! 

New course PR- sub 29:51 
I ran this race last year without stopping and want to really push the pace with intervals. 

Finish!
It may rain on Saturday so this race could be super wet and difficult but then I'll make sure just to stay safe and finish. No need to get injured a week before dark side 


My plan is to do a solid 10-15 min warmup and use the Porto before hopping in the 8-9 min corral at the back. My goal is to try 1:30/:30 intervals (which I think was my biggest mistake for Carlsbad last weekend). 


Anyone else planning to run this weekend?  
​

Click here for the Expo and 1-mile recap from the day before. 

So the All-Day 20k is you get to run 4 5ks. I signed up originally because it sounded fun then once Stat Wars: Dark Side was announced, it was the perfect taper race for me. I also thought it would be a great race in working on pacing and patience and try and negative split. 
​
I got up at 5:55 and got ready and forced myself to eat. I basically bounded as Ariel: I wore a Raw Thread Ariel bow shirt, Pro Compression socks, red sparkle athletic hat, sparkle skirt shorts and a tutu I wore for Ariel.

I was definitely full from the day before and just had half my bagel and banana. I grabbed coffee from the lobby and started the long 2 block walk to the start hehe. The all day 20k tent was 2 more blocks and I made it there quickly. I hopped in the long Porto line (5 stalls is not enough for 400 people) and finished eating and getting ready and then checked my bag before heading to the start. 

A few things-regular 5k people didn't have bag check and the security was having to turn people away from our area which was not good. People were really upset and everyone was confused as there was a gear check tag on the bib! 

​Off to the start of the race!

5k 1-Masters men (40+)
When we got in the corral, I soon realized this would be a bit of a mess. There was no regulation of bibs and really no way to know when to race. All of the 5k bibs were the same color and when you checked in, they didn't tell you much. So while I thought it would just be Masters Men and the 400 al day 20k, it was not. People of all ages including children were there. I knew I would have to be careful and not get boxed in or get in the way. The poor guy at the back was trying to remind people what race it was but it was super loud (we couldn't hear the national anthem start) and no one was paying attention anyway. 

My plan was to use this first race as a warmup so I knew I wanted to start slow and see how it goes. I did no warm up, minus the walking around, which was dumb as my legs were tight when I started. 

 Every race followed the same path: down State St, took a left on Carlsbad Blvd for an out and back passed where we started and turned around to head to Carlsbad Village Blvd towards the finish. 

The weather was crazy. It was foggy and humid (about 90%) and we would run for a bit and be in sun and then be in clouds. Finally at the end, clouds/fog seemed to have burned off. 

I used 1:30/:30 and it was too much starting off so I decide just to walk more and take it easy. It was going to warm up quickly and I wanted to save energy. The run was just okay. 

TIME: 35:05 (both watch and official!) in 3.16
SPLITS: 11:03/11:33/11:06/8:41 pace (final .16)

Afterwards we got pushed along to the finish and I grabbed a water and Gatorade made my way back to the All Day 20k area which was about 3 blocks. It was super easy to get back. 

I guess I was dehydrated as I drank the whole bottle of water on the walk and half the Gatorade. The humidity hit me harder than I thought! I used the portopotty and had about 5 min to walk to the start again. 

5k 2-Masters women (40+)
Race 2! We all ended up in the back with even more of a hodge podge of people, especially people that weren't Masters. I moved up as much as I could and waited for the start. 

Well it was beyond a cluster. Basically some people walked, some ran, some were 5 across. Just a disaster. I tried my best to get through but didn't want to waste energy. Once we turned left, I stayed right and was able to maneuver pretty well. 
This race was definitely more crowded than the first but I switched my interval to 1:30/:30 and settled in to a nice pace. 
One good thing about running the same course over and over, you learn all the little things and definitely learn the elevation. You think for being called the fastest 5k in the world, it would be flat but it's not. It has these small rolling hills, you can't really notice them by looking but you do notice that your body is slowing and it made me feel like I was going crazy. 

TIME: 32:56 (official-watch was 32:35 +20 sec from switching intervals) in 3.12
SPLITS: 11:00 + 20 sec/10:32/10:01/8:43 pace (final .12)

Back to the start I went with the smallest gap before the races. I drank more water, put on more sunscreen and went potty once more. The national anthem started and I had to jog to get to the start line. I snuck in towards the front to be paced better. 


5k 3- 30-39
As we started many of the all day 20k people were still heading to the start. I decided to push the pace a bit on this one. It had a good amount of people but since i started towards the front, it opened up quicker. 

One thing I haven't mentioned was the water stop. Right after the first turn around, about halfway, was a tiny water stop. They gave us bathroom cups of water. It would have been nice to have another one as it was humid. 

TIME: 31:29
SPLITS: 9:49/10:16/10:11/8:01 pace (final .15 mile)


Headed back to the start, taking a fuel on the way with water, for of the last time! 

5k 4- 29 and under 
I put on more sunscreen, used the porto just incase, had a bit of water and gatorade and went back to the start. I made it as the National Anthem was wrapping up. 

I decided to stick to my 1:15/:30 intervals and just run a bit more. I was with worried 1:30would leave me a bit tired. 

I was going for a PR sub 28:08. I was sick of just missing PRs (which I have done the last 2 times I've had a time goal) so I wanted to do well. My goal was to finish around a 9 min/mile pace. As we started, it was definitely more humid and warmer than before but I figured with the fuel I took as soon as I finished the prior 5k, I would be good. 

Basically, I kept steady while pushing the pace. I was tired but knew I could hold on. The hills were definitely more noticeable this time as I tried to keep to intervals. 

As we turned the final corner I knew I would be close and kicked it into gear with all I had. I knew I would be over distance but decided to just kick. 

And I missed! 28:11. UGH. 
TIME: 28:11 in 3.15
SPLITS: 9:11/9:08/8:52/6:34 pace (final .15 mile)

Looking back I know I could have made up 4 seconds. I should have taken the ending closer than I did. I should have ran with a water bottle to not have to stop at all. I should have just set my interval to 1:30 and held on. I should have taken fuel in the middle. But what can I do now? Nothing. I was so mad though!

Since it was finally my age group, I got the 5k medal, stopped over to get my pint glass for doing the 1-miler the day before and got my 20k medal back at the tent. 
​
I sat down for a second and did a baby wipe cleanse, took some pics, and took off my shoes before heading back to the hotel. I had snacks, showered,packed and rolled. I packed up the car, and headed back to the start to watch the Elites run which is just incredible. After I got coffee and started the long drive to Disneyland thanks to multiple accidents on the 5. I met up with the crew to do DCA Food and wine. By the time I left, I was tired and made it home, unpacked and passed out at 9:45. 


Overall I loved Carlsbad. I had a great race getaway and really enjoyed the races. The 1-mile was awesome and the 5k was fun. I think the all day 20k was a great running experience. Would I do it again? Hell yeah!! Would I do it again next year? Probably not as I have the great race 10k that Saturday and I want to really be able to enjoy that race. 
I think knowing how this race is-no information at the start, confused volunteers, no bib enforcement-I would be ready for it this time. 


Did you run this weekend? When is the last time you raced a 5k?