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!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

EAT WELL
I was able to cook all week: creamy pumpkin chicken chili, pork loin and pasta! I have a ton of leftovers and will be saving that for when I return. It has been so great to get back to cooking!

SLEEP WELL
I have been sleeping okay. I am definitely not sleep deprived anymore as I waking up before my alarm almost every day. I am hoping to get enough sleep on Monday so my redeye wont be too bad. I think I will be running on excitement!

EXERCISE WELL
M-rest day/clean the house day
T-3 miles 
W-unexpected rest day
R-3 miles 
F-stretching
S- 5 miles 
S-20 miles (!!)

M-rest day
T-3 miles 
W-walking around Universal
R-walking around Universal/Epcot
F-Wine and Dine 5k
S-Wine and Dine 10k
S-Wine and Dine Half

BE WELL
I am heading to Orlando and so excited! It's been 6 months and I have been missing it. I excited to do all the new stuff at Universal (Hulk, Kong, plastic APs, HOT BUTTERBEER!!) and also head to Food and Wine and eat my way around the world. and since I am going to run, I am so pumped for new races and the best after party! 

what are you up to this week? 

I have been selected to be a Jeff Galloway blogger and could not be more excited for the opportunity. Incase you aren't familiar with him, he is AMAZING, a former Olympian and the official rundisney training consultant and probably one of the most down to earth people you could ever meet. 
Here are past tips: here, here , here ,  here, here, here, here, and here.

Fast Lane 101
Neighborhood tracks are the most convenient place to run for most.  Whether you're taking your first steps or wanting to improve your time, it's easy to check your pace by timing each lap. Because I've spoken to many runners who mistakenly feel that they are not fast enough to run at the local oval, here are a few simple guidelines: 

• What is the distance of a lap?  Standard distance is 400 meters (@ .25 mile).
• In which direction should I run?   In most cases, run counterclockwise.  A few tracks alternate direction from day to day,  so follow the direction of the other runners.
• What lane should I use when running slow or walking?  The inside 3 lanes are reserved for faster runners and those doing speed workouts.  Most runners should use the 2 outside lanes.
• How do I pass slower runners? Assuming a normal, counterclockwise pattern, move to the right to pass, with a smile.
• Is it OK for kids to ride bikes and skate on the track? This is not a good idea.  Try to find another place near the track for these activities.
• Do I have to pay to use a track?  Most tracks are free, but the hours of use may be restricted by the school.
• Can I run on the track with an iPod? This is up to you but be aware of your surroundings and possible threats or faster runners coming up behind you.  Keep one ear uncovered.
• Do I need special shoes?  No—you can use the same shoe for road, track or fitness trail—unless you are a competitor doing very fast speedwork.
• Are there any times that I should not use the track?  If there is a track meet or organized track practice by the local team, find another running area.  Some track teams allow recreational runners to use the outside lane during their workouts.  

 
Say What?
Repeats—These are the fast segments during a speed workout.  Each repeat (usually about 3-5% of the distance of the goal event) is run slightly faster than goal race pace, followed by a rest interval of  walking or slow jogging.  Through a series of workouts, the number of repetitions gradually increases. 
 
The Fix
I always lose count of how many times I’ve run around the track! How can I keep track of it better?  Office supply stores sell “counters” that keep track of the number of laps as you click each time you finish a lap.  Another method: time yourself for the first 2 laps, for two laps in the middle and 2 laps at the end.  Compute an average of the lap times.  You can compute the number of laps by dividing the total time run by the average time per lap.
 
The Excuse
There are lots of fast-looking people at my track; I’m scared I’ll get in their way.  The inside lanes are for faster runners.  If you run in the outside lane, you will not get in their way.
 
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to complete the First Annual Double G! 

The first 400 participants who register for the Double G will receive a JG-branded puffer vest! If you are one of the lucky 400, you will be able to pick up your vest at the Expo.

The Double G includes:

• Barb’s 5K (Saturday, December 10, 2016)
• JG 13.1 (Sunday, December 11, 2016)
• 3rd medal for completing both races

* The Double G is only for those who participate in the actual races in Atlanta. It does not apply to the virtual option.

Register at jeffgalloway131.com/onlineregistration/#.V-mcO_ArKUk

Hi all! Linkup Friday!! As the Friday Five was disbanded, Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness have picked up with the Friday Five 2.0!

I leave for Florida on Tuesday and I can't wait to return to my favorite time of year to visit WDW. One of the reasons for this that it is the Food and Wine festival as well as the start of Christmas! Here are the five things I'm most looking forward to about Wine and Dine weekend:

1. Holiday 5k- this was one of my favorite races last year and I'm excited to do it again and run in Animal Kingdom
2. Wine and dine half-I never got a good experience from splash n dash 2014 and half of the half 2015 so I'm interested to see how this stacks up 
3. Pumpkin spice macaron ice cream sandwich-my favorite snack is back! I think I may buy two at once 
4. Cheddar cheese soup-I love this soup in Canada and I love that it's a small sample 
5. AP glass-once you visit Epcot 3 times, you can go and get your AP glass! I have one from last year and it's so cute. I'm excited to get another one this year

And of course all of the friends I will see along the way! I will be at Universal on Weds and then over to WDW to run the 5k on Friday, 10k on Saturday and Half marathon on Sunday.

​Anyone else have race plans coming up? 

Well it had to happen-a craptastic race where it was a mess from the beginning. Lots of factors went into this:

1. Less than stellar training through the summer 
2. Not a lot of running since Dumbo between prepping for Europe, being in Europe and the jet lag when I returned 
3. Outpatient procedure on Monday coupled with getting an IUD 
4. Recovering from surgery and no running/working out for the week 

I've been feeling blah while recovering. I'm hoping by wine and dine that I'll feel better and more like myself. 

But let's get to the race! It was in Surf City USA aka Huntington Beach. They have a 10 miler, 10k and 5k option that started at various times. There was a bit of confusion as the website said race day pickup but an email sent Friday said Saturday only. I emailed and they said race day was still an option but to get there early. It started at 6am so we decide we needed to get there at 6 as my race started at 7. 

I went to Mallorys on Saturday evening and we made chili and drank wine while watching a ridiculous documentary on teen films. We then did some KT tape application and headed to bed around 9:30. We got up at 4, fixed the Keurig and got ready and headed out at 4:50. Sadly there were not many good pump up jams in the morning but we got down there with no traffic and got an awesome parking spot about 10 spots back from the expo. 

Bib pickup was easy as we're the shirts. However the shirts were all way too small. I'm usually a small and got a medium and it is almost too small. Most people had to go up 2 sizes which is a lot! We walked around the expo and then headed back to the car to get ready. We used real restrooms and walked around a bit more and Mallory went back to the car to nap before the 10k and I went to do bag check and my warmup. 

I wanted to get in a 10 min warmup as I hadn't run in over a week. I wanted to get the kinks out. I did a few different intervals, used the restroom and walked it back to the start line and hopped right in. The race was a good size and easy to navigate. As I hopped into the corral and set up my iPod, I realized my playlist I fixed was not on there-it didn't sync!  Ugh it was one of those days for sure. 

Oh costume! As it was halloween themed, I dressed up as Sally from nightmare before christmas! black top, sparkle athletic Sally skirt, blue socks to represent her legs and a red hat to represent her hair. I also drew on stitches :) 
​
National anthem and then it was go time. My goal was to start in front of the 10 min pacers and stick around 10:00-10:10 and then speed it up to sub 10 in the last 4 or so miles. 
Mile splits: 9:53/10:18/10:14/10:32/10:31/10:40/10:49/11:23/10:41/10:40/final .3-8:55

Well you can see I started well and then the wheels came off. I was starting to cramp and just felt sluggish. I wasn't tired, my legs werent tired, that was it! 

It was much more humid than expected and I was sweating a ton which wasn't helping. I really worried that I would do be able to finish. As I struggled through my interval and got slower and slower, I switch my interval to 1 min run/:30 sec walk and I felt better. I knew my goal time was gone but I knew I would be able to finish. 

We had 3 water stops about 1.5 miles apart and then went over 2 miles and I could feel the difference. After that I drank 1 cup of electrolyte (I don't remember the name but it tasted like liquid Smarties which I couldn't determine if that was good or bad), 1.5 cups of water and poured the rest on my head. 

So the course was decently flat went down 5 miles and looped back. On the way back we met up with the 10k peeps finishing and then the 5k peeps. It was a bit crowded about the last mile but it was manageable. Up until that point, the crowds were super manageable. 

The one downside of this race was that the course was long! When we joined the 10k, the mile marker for mile 8 and mile 4 were the same which isn't possible. And it kept happening when the 5k joined (mile 6 of the 10k and mile 3 of the 5k can't be at the same point with an identical start and finish line). I knew the course would be long so my goal was to get about 1:45 on my watch and my guess of the course being .3 long. I was right! 
Final watch- 1:47:59 (10:32)

As I crossed the finish line, it started raining! Really crazy day I'm telling you. I drank a full bottle of water (I was definitely dehydrated) and had a banana and felt much better. I found Mallory (who rocked her race!) and we went to freshen up, change clothes and head to Disneyland to celebrate at Cove Bar! So much fun even as afterwards we saw the preview for Moana (who creepily looks a lot like me when she puts her hair in a bun) and Dr Strange (which I still don't exactly understand). 

Even though my race sucked, i did the best I could. I definitely think having out patient surgery the week before a race was not my best idea! It was a good amount of time for me to reflect on my life and I recommitted to my fitness (as I wrote here!) and do see things hopefully getting better from here. I also thought about how 2-3 years ago, a 10:30 pace would have been a dream and now it is a long-run/disappoint. That is definitely progress!

would I do this race again? I think so! I did like it minus the long course. 

Have you ever run a 10 miler before?

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 Race redos!

For all races I try and have these things on point for race week:

• Hydrate all week
• Carb load strong aiming for 300g of carbs for at least 1-2 days before the race
• Sleep at least 8 hours a night
• Time to stretch and relax at home

I dont have the best luck with weather and even though there are a list a races I wish I could do again, I don't feel too bad about it. There is one race I wish I could do again even though it went pretty well and that is the New York City Marathon (read my recap here!). Looking back, I wish I had flown in a day earlier, walked and was a bit less active and had carbloaded more. I never felt terrible running but did feel tired which I did not like. I think flying in and landing on a Thursday would be another day of jet lag and potential sleep I could deal with. I also was very active with long walks with friends and I don't think that was the best thing I needed. I was a bit of a hot mess when I was done and I do think these small things would have made a difference. But I guess it all went okay as I PRed and then went on to do Wine and Dine 5k, Wine and Dine Half, Captain America 10, Avengers half, Blacklight Run 5k and 2015 LA Turkey Trot  (5k +10k) where I PRed. 

what race would you like to do over? 

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
Much better this week! I was able to eat a lot of leftovers and went shopping yesterday (never again!) and got food for until I leave for Florida. I made creamy pumpkin chicken chili and it was good! I will be having It at lunch all week. 

SLEEP WELL
I have not been sleeping the 9 hours I did the week before but I am still pretty close to 8 hours which is great. One of my big thing for the week is to try and not fall asleep on the couch. I hate waking up in the middle of the night and moving to bed. 

EXERCISE WELL
Much better! :)
LAST WEEK:
M-Yoga 
T-3 miles recovery 
W-Piyo upper body
R-3 miles 
F- running strength weights 
S- 5 miles with a magic mile 
S-Rest day/yoga 

THIS WEEK: 
M-rest day/clean the house day
T-3 miles 
W-running strength weights
R-3 miles 
F-yoga core
S- 5 miles 
S-20 miles (!!)

BE WELL
Well this was one of the busiest weekends ever! I went to a Pantages season ticket holder open house which was incredible! They had free food and drinks and staff around to tell you about the theatre. and I have a picture of me on stage! Then Saturday I did a Disneyland afternoon and then went down to Long Beach for a friends bday. I then went back to Disneyland on Sunday for one last Halloween trip and ended up with car issues! I called AAA and they came and replaced my battery and then I ran a ton of errands (mostly wrapping up costumes and buying food!) and then went to watch Little Shop of Horrors with Devin and Brian. So busy but so much fun! Is this what my weekends will be like when I am not in school anymore?!!? I hope so !
This week is all about prepping for my Wine and Dine trip next week and Avengers the weekend after! 


How was your week? 

The big race is here! ​

We got up at 4:50, got ready and headed to have a quick breakfast and then over to the race start. We used the Porto after the misadventures the day before and then huddled in a Mylar blanket to stay warm as it was surprisingly chilly. We started in B and they announced there would be 34 waves for 4 corrals so I was curious how this would work. The race announcers were the same as the day before and kept us entertained while we waited. The race ended up starting about 10 minutes late because of race course clearance. With the smoke start again, I'm not sure when the race actually started but we crossed the start line at 7:20.

We started the same as yesterday but headed to Walt Disney studios immediately and went backstage. We got to run through the Motors Action and Studio Tour which was cool as I had not seen those yet. As we headed into the park we saw Captain America but his line was closed already as he was about to leave. Spider-Man was right next to him and had no line but only a selfie allowed. It was really annoying to have character handlers there but not take it pictures. So everyone was taking pics for each other so it actually slowed the whole photo process down. And not every character had a photopass person either (luckily Spiderman did!).

We then ran through Pixar and stopped for a picture with Mr and Mrs Incredible before heading over to Disneyland. ​

As we continued to Fantasyland and there was Cinderella and Prince Charming and PRINCE ADAM AND BELLE. I freaked as Beast is my favorite prince and he was in human form! HE LEFT 4 parties before us and I was gutted! So sad. ​

and then a run through castle! 

We did another bathroom break as we were worried we wouldn't have another chance before leaving the park. As we continued through Frontierland, we stopped for an awesome picture with the Sultan, jasmine and Jafar. ​

​Our final character stop was Baloo and Louie as we exited the park. 

I heard the Up characters were out but we didn't see them! And from other pictures I've seen, the Cheshire Cat, mad hater, March hare and other amazing characters were out too! INSANE!
​
I had talked to a few people that were worried that the race would be boring outside the park but it was far from it. The countryside as you can imagine was beautiful! We went out and back from Val d'europe which is the neighboring town and made a lovely loop around a lake. We passed castles with signs (I remember one involved Louis Braille doing something there). We went by open fields, forests, corn fields and more and it was amazing. They even had bands and acts out for entertainment including cheerleaders by the lake. There were a good number of spectators in the town and lots of French people screaming ALLEZ (which means let's go!) ​

Instead of a clif shot station, they had 3 food stops with apples slices, granola bars, and cereal bars. I ate apple slices not because I needed the fuel but because I was hungry!  Hydration stops had water and Powerade. We made two Porto stops and saw the most interesting thing. They had a place for guys to pee that wasn't in a stall. It looked like a hand washing station with holes in it. Guys could go up and use it and walk away. It made the Porto lines shorter but still took a while as there weren't many Portos available. ​

As we made our way back to DLP, we saw the parking sign that looked a lot like the TTC/MK sign st WDW which was cool. Next we ran through a few of the hotels. First up was Santa Fe that had a Cars theme. Then we went through Cheyenne that had an old western town feel that was awesome! We kept going around the lake and passed New York, Sequoia Lodge, Newport and ran through the Disney village. There were lots of spectators which was great! ​

As the Friday Five was disbanded last week, Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness have picked up with the Friday Five 2.0!

As I wrote about this week, I have been on the struggle bus for awhile with my fitness. I am finally feeling back on track and feeling good! Here are 5 things that have gone well this week: 

1. Working Out Every Day 
I have gotten in every workout this week and it really has made a difference in my energy level. It definitely is hard and I am not where I want to be. 

2. Bringing back the weight training
I have done three weight training sessions this week. My arms are a bit sore and I am taking it pretty easy but I am just excited to start feeling strong. 

3. Meals
I was able to eat mostly leftovers this week and not be eating out as much which is always a plus. 

4. Stretching and rolling
I have been able to use my BFF after every run even if it just for 2-3 minutes. It really does make a difference. I have also been using my lacrosse ball in my office as my left foot is still feeling a bit wonky. 

5. Sleeping
My sleep has stayed pretty strong. I am sadly very tired around 9:30 and now I am just embracing it. I start my routine then and just head to bed. 

So hopefully this will stay put as I prepare to start packing and prepping for wine and dine and then Avengers the weekend after!

​How is your fitness journey coming along lately? 

We were up at 4:50 and had wardrobe malfunctions with costumes that had to be dealt with. This caused us to head out late to breakfast but it was still open at 6 when we got there. The pre race breakfast was amazing! Bananas, apple, cereal, tea, coffee, juice, applesauce and yogurt. Having bottles of water would have been the only thing to take it from an A to a A+++. 

We headed out and the walk wasn't too bad. About 10 minutes over to the event arena (including going through security) where we checked our bag and headed to the pre race area. There was not much there but 2 photo background opps and a long line for Portopotties. We split into corrals (I was in A and everyone else started in C). The sign said portopotty in the corrals but I did not find them. There were a few tucked behind a wall and I asked multiple volunteers and they all said to keep walking forward. It may have been a language barrier and I did not want to disobey/be that American. When I got in the corrals, there was random tape volunteers were holding up and told us to stop. Turns out they were splitting us into waves which was new. I ended up making friends with a CM that works at Cosmic Rays, met ladies from LA as well and saw a few people I know. 
​
The race announcers spoke in both English and French which was interesting. They had high energy and actually weren't annoying. No stupid skits, just chatting and it helped pass the time. No French national anthem and I was a bit bummed as I really like the French one. They announced the start of the race and shot off fireworks about 2 min before the wheelchairs so I have no pics of the fireworks. For each group, they launched smoke which was new (see above). ​

I stopped for a castle pic, Cruella who screamed out puppies and Jafar. ​

We continued to Discoveryland (their Tomorrowland) and saw a gorgeous sunrise. ​

Around the corner we hit the 1km which was welcomed but I thought it was a mile and was very confused. I stopped for Chewbacca and R2D2. ​

Izzy did very well but got tired towards the end so we slowed down and just chatted. The course exited and went backstage before finishing with a weird loop. Basically you saw the finish line but then looped around. ​

The kids race is just adorable. We Could see the 200 across the lake then watched the 400. All the races went off in waves. 
At the end we were able to see the start of the 1k and Sophie, a young girl with cerebral palsy with braces that walked the 1k with her dad! Turns out her parents are in one of the Disney groups I am in and I loved learning about her stories! ​Someone gave her their 5k medal :) 

Izzy ran as Rapunzel for her 400 m and look at her go! She was one of the only in costume :) And as you can tell below, she was just a tad in love with this one as she wore it around the park all day! 

After the kids race we went to breakfast and fell in love-coffee, tea, juice, breads-croissant, chocolate croissant, rolls, butter, jam, cream cheese, ham, cheese, yogurt, applesauce. We were stuffed and knew we wouldn't need to eat a proper lunch with an early dinner. I will do a separate post on touring Disneyland Paris. 

Overall, it was a fabulous race and considering that it was inaugural made it even better! I would hands down recommend this race to anybody. Most of it was in the park and the 14+ character stops and other stops was incredible and well worth the money paid. ​

Anyone else run the Disneyland Paris 5k? Would you run it? 

 Belles and her beast! Let's look at them individually. 

PEASANT BELLE: 

• white shirt
• blue tank top
• blue bottoms (I used Sparkle Athletic)
• ​chef apron turned backwards
• blue ribbon for her hair
• blue ProCompression sock

CLASSIC BELLE:

• yellow top
• yellow skirt (Sparkle Athletic)
• for the shoulders, yellow ribbons adjusted with safety pins
• headband was bought from Sparkly Soul

BEAST:

• blue shirt
• chest area made with yellow and white felt
• yellow ribbon around the sides and bottom
• black bottoms with yellow stripe down side
• a rose for Belle :)