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A Formula for Healthy Living

Introduction to Chi Running

3/25/2016

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Back in 2014, Chi Running was introduced to me by a podcast on Abel James' Fat Burning Man Podcast and I decided to order the Chi Running book and the Chi Marathoning Book and they have greatly improved my running technique and my general stress around running. It is making running effortless and makes me crave my runs and my injuries have gone to non-existent. It is the greatest right now. 

WHAT IS CHI RUNNING? (all taken from the Chi Running website)


Since 1999, ChiRunning has helped thousands of runners transform their technique - reducing, preventing and recovering from injuries. Runners of all ages and levels have improved their efficiency and performance, and now find running to be pain-free, easier, and enjoyable. The main principles of ChiRunning include:

  • Relaxation
  • Correct alignment and posture
  • Landing with a midfoot strike
  • Using a "gravity-assisted" forward lean
  • Engaging core strength for propulsion
  • Connecting the mind and body to prevent injury
WHAT MAKES UP CHI RUNNING? 

  1. Flexibility: You need to have it, not only in your muscles, but in your tendons, ligaments, and joints. They all work better when they move with flexibility and any restrictions in your muscles, ligaments, or tendons will limit your range of motion, period. As we get older we tend to become less active. A good axiom that best describes this is: "Use it or lose it." If you don't use your muscles and joints they will begin to stiffen and then, if you still don't do anything, atrophy. Flexibility doesn't just happen, you have to work at it. Even stretching a few minutes a day is enough for most people to maintain a good range of motion and decrease their chances of injury due to muscle pulls.
     
  2. Good posture: Your running technique is totally dependent on your posture. The efficiency of your running technique is directly proportional to the quality of your posture. What is good posture? According to Yoga teachers, along with many other mainstream body movement disciplines, good posture involves having a reasonably straight spine with not too much straightness and not too much bend. The more you slump, the more your body's muscles need to work to hold you upright. Poor posture not only restricts the circulation of blood to your muscles and organs but also inhibits the oxygen supply to your brain.
     
  3. Good leg motion: Having too long of a stride, or "over-striding," is a major cause of both hamstring and knee injuries. This is when you land with your feet in front of you instead of under you. Not bending your knees when you run will create stiffness and poor circulation in your legs. Your knees should be bent at a 90º angle when you are warmed up and running at a good, medium pace.
     
  4. Cadence: Most people have a low cadence, or the number of strides you take per minute. When you run, you want to spend the least amount of time on your legs as possible. The longer you take with each stride, the more time your foot spends on the ground, and the more energy your legs have to expend to support your body weight. Even if it's a split second during each stride, it adds up quickly when you're talking about 1200 steps per mile. Strive to maintain a cadence of 85-90 strides per minute with each leg. Using a metronome is a great way to regulate your cadence - try it and you'll be amazed. It can truly transform your running.
     
  5. Body Sensing: Listening to your body is key to preventing injuries. ChiRunning helps you understand why you're feeling sore, tight, or in pain and teaches you how to solve the problem. 
     
  6. Good mental focus: Making changes takes mental focus. If you want to run faster, farther, and injury-free, you'll need to use your brain to re-educate your body. When you determine the right adjustments to make to your running form, your mind can tell your body what to do until it becomes part of your muscle memory. Not only can this save you some pain (and a few trips to the physical therapist), it can also be meditative to become deeply attuned to your body’s sensations. 
     
  7. Good upper body/lower body coordination: The general rule is that your upper body and lower body should be doing equal amounts of work. For most runners, this 50/50 ratio is tilted one way or the other. When your upper body and lower body are working in unison rather than against each other, it spreads the work of running over the whole body and takes the load off of any single muscle group. It's similar to the principle that work is best done if the responsibility is spread out over many workers. 
     
  8. Good breathing habits: Watch a baby breathing sometime. You won't see his chest rise and fall with each breath. You'll see his abdominal area expand and contract like someone breathing in and out of a balloon. It's called "belly breathing", and it's how we should breathe all the time. When your breath is shallow, you only use the very upper part of your lungs and don't take advantage of your total lung capacity. Oxygen is what your muscles use to convert stored fuels into usable energy, and any reduction in your oxygen uptake will effect your ability to burn glycogen.
     
  9. Proper bend in your knees and elbows: The less you bend your arms and legs, the more work your muscles have to do when you're running. An arm or leg that is bent at the knee or elbow will swing much easier than one that is straight. As you approach your "cruising" speed, your forearms and shins should both be parallel to the ground in mid-swing.
     
  10. Staying relaxed: This includes having a good sense of humor, observing what's going on within you and around you, and responding wisely to those observations. When I'm relaxed I reduce my chances of straining a tight muscle. Tense muscles restrict the range of motion in my arms and legs, making it hard to run faster. A relaxed runner will spend less time recovering from a race than an inefficient runner who is burning more fuel for the same amount of distance.

WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN? 
By learning to adapt your body in new ways, you can learn to move your body to move more effortlessly and also reduce the chance of injury

I have been following this off and on for 2 years so when Danny finally made his way to LA for a clinic, I knew I had to do it!! It was an all-day running clinic where we were grouped with an instructor and 4 other people for the day. We learned the basics and then moved outside to get in some running. I got assistance from Danny himself as well as the other instructors and it was so incredibly helpful! Here were my main takeaways: 

  • The app-chi running has many videos and such built into it for use
  • 3 gears of running: 1st: warmup/easy, 2nd: close to tempo 3rd: speedwork
  • Feet face straigth ahead- easier to say but this was one of the first things I worked on. if youa re moving forward, everything needs to move in the same direction
  • Tripod on foot-metatarsal points and heels. You want to land on the ball of your foot to help with the midfoot strik
  • Form focus-feet/lift from crown/relaxed knees, see shoelaces to align hips- this how your posture should be. I have been working on this so much it has helped my every day posture
  • Dantian is located in the middle of the stomach on your belly button. Can move it around (like tai chi). Move it more forward to go forward. 
  • Relaxed ankle : You want to make sure that you are lifting your ankle limp versus focusing/forcing it up
  • SHORT STRIDE - this is so hard for me because I have long legs. a shorter stride is more economic
  • relaxed shoulders- I keep my stress in my shoulders so I have to focus on relaxing them
  • Arms are in a V- arms stay close to you but arent so close to your body that they are touching 
  • Arms don't cross mid point- as you swing your arms, they dont cross over your body. 
  • Small lean- the more you lean forward, the more gravity will help you move forward
  • Swing left arm the same way as right- this is personal to me-I swing my right arm more which is probably what has caused my shoulder pain in the past
  • Hit the ball of your foot at bottom of the tripod- the tripod from earlier should hit at the same time first, no heel striking
  • Keep hips and legs relaxed- by loosing your body, you can move it more efficently 
  • Pelvic twist to help with hip rotation- this is something I can do! By adding in a pelvic twist, it helps with hip rotation and turning
  • Dantian to pull you forward-  use your Dantian to move you forward (think of it like spidermans web from his arms)
  • BREATHING: 5 (out 2, in 3) in second gear and 3( out 1, in 2) in third gear- this is great. Everyone always says to focus on breathing but this is a techinque so you arent always breathing in and out in the same foot
  • Dantian is the axis of the body-upper half is ahead and legs are behind- its the middle of the body. the upper and lower half are in sync but are doing different things. Your feet should land behind you and your upper body using gravity can pull you ahead
  • Speed comes from strong core and more lean: I have been focusing on my core and will continue. When I want to go faster, I need to just lean more forward (the lean is so hard for me to get!)


This is definitely a work in progress but I got the steps to help me out. I was able to test some of it out the next day at the Coaster Run 10k and I definitely can see how I get better.I did great in the Pacific Half Marathon using the techniques as well!  I am working on relaxing my shoulders, having a midfoot strike by focusing on hitting the ball of my foot, keeping my arm swings level, my pelvic twist/hip rotation and adding in my lean to move forward. A lot to think about but I am focusing on different things on different intervals which helps. 


Anyone else follow Chi Running? 
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Tuesdays on the Run: Running Favorites

11/25/2014

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Walked around after Avengers with them
Another Tuesday, another Tuesday on the Run hosted by our favorites: 
April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Erika from MCM Mama Runs, and Patty from No-Guilt Life.This week's topic for Tuesday's on the Run is Running Favorites. 

One of my new favorites is ProCompression leggings! I bought a pair after seeing them on many bloggers. They are a bit pricey (80 bucks!!) but they have been on sale for 50 bucks which is a pretty good deal. Even better, I had a 40% off with free shipping from Stuftmama so the total came to 32 bucks each with tax! What a bargain!

I ordered a medium after some debate. My thighs are bigger so I knew I would want to size up from a Small. I ordered the black with green piping so I could wear them at Dopey if needed. They came within 5 days. 

I wore them around the wine and dine half and avengers half and slept in them both nights and they were heavenly. They were tight enough to feel the compression but not suffocating. Also, the piping at the top and the bottom is so cute! 

I ordered 2 more pairs (black with Pink and plain black) using HungryRunnerGirl's code. Those also came within 5 days!

I can't recommend them enough! At Rock n roll LA expo, I stopped by the ProCompression booth and I was told they are going to come out with tights by the end of next year or beginning of this year so we will have to wait and see. 

Does anyone else have compression gear that they love? 



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So much good in these leggings
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After wine and dine
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FRIDAY FIVE: FITNESS TUNES

10/17/2014

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Picture courtesy of Cynthia from yousignedupforwhat.com
Hi all:Greetings from Texas!! Sorry I have been MIA-my home Internet has been wonky and then my work internet has been wonky as well! I will post a few more times today to make up to it and then get on a regular schedule next week:I promise! 

Thanks to our amazing hostesses: the DC Trifecta Bloggers (Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Mar from Mar on the Run, and Cynthia from You Signed Up For What?!) for hosting the Linkup. Our theme this week is Fitness Tunes! 

I just bought a few new songs so I wanted to share with you my 5 new favorite running tunes! I listen to a TON of EDM (Electronic Dance Music) while running as I have found the beats coordinate well with my speed. 

1. Find You (ft. Miriam Bryant)-Zedd
I love this song! 

2. A Sky Full of Stars- Coldplay
I did not like it at first but now I love it! 

3. Dirty Vibe (Explicit-NSFW)-Skillrex
Skillrex is one of my favorite DJs and it is off his new album Recess. I really like how fast the beat is-great for running! 

4. Break Free (ft. Zedd)-Ariana Grande
I think this tune is so catchy and so much fun. The beat is by Zedd! 

5. Shave it Up-Zedd
I have been on this song for awhile. I love how much energy it gives me. 


What are some of your favorite workout tunes? 
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HEALTHY LIVING 9/22/2014

9/24/2014

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So my phone app has decided to freak out so sorry this is a few days late. On top of that, my phone is how I put my pictures up! So hopefully it will be fixed by next week

EAT WELL

LAST WEEK: I was pretty good with my eating this week. I had a few more sweets than I would have liked but that’s okay. I ate some really great food and am happy with my choices.  Also, my mini carb loading adventure was a success (smoothie, sweet potato fries, pasta, etc) and I definitely think it helped fuel me for my race yesterday!

THIS WEEK:

Hopefully it will be okay. I plan on making tacos on Thursday for the Premiere of Grey's, Scandal and How to get away with murder. Other than that, I am trying to get back on track. I feel very bloated and blah. Hopefully by the end of the week I will feel better. 

My other goal is to not grocery shop as much for the next few weeks. I am making a dent in the food in my freezer but not much. I want to try and get as many meals as possible from food I already have.

SLEEP WELL:

LAST WEEK: After a few days of 105, I was very worried about my sleep but I ended up averaging about 7 hours a night. Not back to my full 8 but much better than I have been. I had a semi-relaxing evening on Saturday, my first one in a long time, and I think it helped me wind down before going to bed early for my race.  

THIS WEEK: I want to try and get as close to 8 hours of sleep as I can. The weather finally cooling down should help a lot. I also need to work on figuring out a plan for what to do after class. I get home by 10:30 but I always want to relax a bit and that usually has me getting into bed around 1130/12 which is way too late for me. I am going to try and see what I can do after class, maybe watch a tv show while stretching, so I am productive but not overly stimulated. I also need to find some quick snacks-fruit maybe?

EXERCISE WELL

LAST WEEK:

MON: Piyo Core
TUES: 5k in about 32 minutes-including my fastest mile at 9:26!
WEDS: Piyo Drench. Very long and very hard-I will not be doing that one very often as I was insanely sore for days
THURS: rest day because of my stupid iphone ugh
FRI: 5k in 33 minutes (I went slower to test out 3 min run/30 sec walk intervals)
SAT: Rest Day before the race-lots of stretching and foam rolling
SUN: Dodger 5k in 29:50!!!! 

THIS WEEK:

MON: Rest Day!
TUES: 5k easy pace for recovery
WEDS: PiYo
THURS: 5k
FRI: 4-5 miles
SAT: 10-12 miles before USC vs OSU football game
SUN: Rest Day!

BE WELL

LAST WEEK:
  • I finally got an office at my new job! I can’t wait to decorate it and buy furniture (I will of course post things along the way!) The Katy Perry concert was epic-seriously the most fun I have had in a long time. It is always good to have a Girls Night! 
  • I turned in my first graded assignment for school
  • Also go in another Disneyland day and finally got my sister’s birthday presents!  She turned 7 on Saturday! 

THIS WEEK:
  • Drake/Lil Wayne concert today!! I am excited for the concert but not for the logistics of getting to and from the venue but we will have fun nonetheless
  • USC football! I finally get to work a home game this season and also see a lot of friends-should be a blast (even though night games can be rough)
  • Sunday, Sept 28th I HAVE NOTHING PLANNED! And I plan on keeping it that way-even though I may head over to Ikea in the early morning for food and looking at furniture before I commit to buy. A day to get ahead on work and also just sit and chill. I can’t remember the last time I had one-maybe July? 

So for you, how was your week?


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FRIDAY FIVE LINKUP: FAVORITE THINGS

9/18/2014

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Hi all! Linkup Friday!! Thanks to our amazing hostesses: the DC Trifecta Bloggers (Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Mar from Mar on the Run, and Cynthia from You Signed Up For What?!). 

This week the topic is Favorite Things. Since there are very few things I am enjoying about the "Fall" starting (7 days of consecutive days over 100 degrees will do that to you) I have decided to discuss the 5 things I am looking forward to with my race this weekend: Dodger Foundation Inaugural 5k

Even though I have run approximately: 
5 10ks
10 Half Marathons
1 Full Marathon

I have never run a 5k! I am very excited to have this be my first 5k. I will talk about what I am most excited about and then my goals for the race

1. It's an Inaugural Race
Hopefully this is a positive and not a hot mess but I am excited to do something that no one else has ever done. 

2. There is a lot of excitement around baseball right now
The Dodgers and Angels are both rocking it so So Cal is very excited. I think it will bring a good atmosphere to the race. 

3. Carb-loading
I am excited-I eat pretty low carb in real life so anytime I can eat more carbs, I get excited. I want to make sure I have proper glycogen stores to be able to do well. 

4. To push my limits
I have been working on speed and PiYo and other strength activities. I am ready to see what my body can do especially since it is finally a bit cooler for the first time this month. Also, I will be running this race without knowing anyone-I have not done this since the Disneyland 10k so I am excited for the experience.

5. Logistics
It's a 5k so it will be over fast and it will be a 15 minute drive to and from my house WITH free parking! This may become my favorite local race. Also, now I will have a Dodgers shirt to wear to games!

GOALS
A-sub-30 minutes
This is the dream and for this to happen a lot of things will have to fall in place, mostly good weather. I know I will get there eventually but I want to get as close to it as I can now. 
B-sub 32 minutes
I ran a PR of 5k in about 32 minutes on Tuesday. I think with the energy of the race and a few good nights sleep I hope I can hit this goal
C- sub 34:30 minutes
This is where my range for 5k has been lately so I am hoping to at least be able to hit this. 
D-sub 36 minutes
I just want to be under 12:00 mile. There may be a narrow course, there may be issues (it is a first year after all) but I am confident I can do this

Make sure to follow me on Twitter as I will be posting after the race. and look for a recap in the early part of next week!

What are your plans for the weekend? Are you running a race? 
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HEALTHY TRAVELING: DENVER OVERVIEW

9/18/2014

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Denver was awesome and I had a great time at the Conference. I will write more about the food (such a good gluten free city!!) later as well as my presentations but I wanted to go over the fun things I did.

State capitol-I love Capitols so I knew I had to go to this one. I went and took a selfie on the 13th step as it is exactly 5,280 (1 mile) above Sea Level. Another cool thing-you can enter the capitol and tour it for free! It was so gorgeous inside and I would have loved to take an organized tour but did not have time.

Molly brown’s house-I have always liked Molly Brown so I was excited to go to her house. Karen and I toured it and it was SO AWESOME. Molly Brown was a great activist and her home was gorgeous. Highly recommend it to everyone.

Red rock amphitheater- I love watching Extreme Weight Loss with Chris and Heidi Powell and they always take the contestants there and it looks so gorgeous and it was! We did a nice hike around the red rocks and then went to the amphitheater which is just mindblowing. Also mindblowing, watching all of the people work out and do crazy things. We were both winded from doing the stairs up so I can’t imagine doing a full workout there.

16th street mall- so many great restaurants and bars. I was surprised that many places closed around 10PM, which was much different than Nashville last year. I would recommend doing some Yelp reviews as there are a lot of chains but all of the food I had was great. Also, so interesting because much of the food was cheap and good. Also, almost every place sold alcohol-a very chill vibe in a chill city.

Coors Field- I remember when the Rockies were expanded and I love going to baseball stadiums. I was very impressed with this one! We were seated right below the Rooftop which was essentially chill areas and many bars. We all had a great time. Afterwards, we went to Howl at the Moon and partied the night away!

Traveling to Denver? Here are some tips I wish I had known before going there

Tips:

  • Airport is far-Just so you know, it is about 45-60 minutes WITHOUT TRAFFIC to get to Downtown. I am so glad I knew that as it helped booking my flights. 
  • Drink water-I have never been so dehydrated in my life. I was chugging water and I always felt dehydrated. I thought I was dehydrated after running, nope
  • Altitude issues-dehydration, trouble sleeping, hard to breathe-yup, I had all of them. I thought all the hype about altitude was bs, I was sorely wrong. 
  • Working out is difficult-I was so excited for a 57 degree run until I got outside and could barely breathe. Training in altitude is hard so make sure to be aware of that and cut yourself a break. 
  • Alcohol will hit you differently-I was a bit concerned as I feeling the effects after 2 glasses of wine, which is not normal for me. You know how when you drink on a plane, it hits you faster-yup, same thing. Just keep that in mind. 
  • Compression clothes are your friend-I always wear them on planes and I wore them every night to bed. It helped a lot with any swelling. 
  • Green chile-it seems to be there signature food. Try it often as every type of green chile I had was very different. 


That is it for now? Have you ever visited Denver before? 
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inside of the Capitol-so gorgeous!
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molly brown's house
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HEALTHY LIVING 9/8/2014 AND 9/15/2014

9/15/2014

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So sorry I did not recap this last week but here we go for this week!


EAT WELL

9/1/2014: so much food! I will be writing reviews of a few restaurants in Denver but thought it would be a good idea to write about what I ate each day.
MON: leftover food for all meals (got rid of a lot of leftovers)
TUES: egg scramble, coffee on the plane, blueberries and grapefruit on the plane, great soup and salad, enchiladas and beans and rice and margaritas
WEDS: Einstein bagels (I got to use my free bday coupon!), another great soup and salad, bison burger
THURS: fruit and a pastry (boo no gluten free pastry), chicken, broccolini, and salad, frito pie and green chili
FRI: fruit, stuffed bell pepper, amazing burger and fries at the rocky game
SAT: not much :/ I was very hungover but eventually got Sierra Mist and a burrito bowl and felt much better
SUN: eggs, coffee and an apple, a great sandwich and chips, yogurt and my leftover burrito bowl


9/8/2014: Having food when I got back was great but I also had to do some crazy grocery shopping!
I was able to get a crock pot meal done (which also was my lunch for most days) and get good groceries. I feel like I am finally back in my normal routine. I ate a lot of snack food (Disneyland bbq and snacks, burgers at the game party, nachos and pizza at the pool party) so my stomach has been a bit wonky but I feel I have handled it well since then. 

THIS WEEK: Stay on track. There is food in the crockpot already at home for dinner. I am going to try not to go grocery shopping this week so I can hit up the farmer's market on Thursday as well as use more food from my pantry. My secondary goal this week is to organize my pantry a bit better. I started throwing things out there were old so I am hoping to finish it all by the end of the week. 

SLEEP WELL

9/1: WOW-I really burnt the candles at both ends. I will write more about Denver and all I did (and how I felt) soon but I was really lacking sleep. Most nights I slept 6-7 hours from going out so late at night. However, I would not trade it for anything, as I loved how much fun I had. 
9/8: just HORRIBLE! ugh. between my busy schedule and the heat, I never made it over 7 hours of sleep. I am hoping that this week will be better but the heat is staying around until at least Thursday :( I think I have worked out a schedule for my life so let's hope that it works this week! 

THIS WEEK: going to really work on trying to get as close to 8 hours as possible. I will need to get in bed early since it is so hot, I waste so much time tossing and turning. Last night was the first night I woke up not exhausted in about 2 weeks. let's hope it can continue! 

EXERCISE WELL

9/1:
MON: Rest Day!
TUES: walking around Denver
WEDS: 2.5 miles (10:48 pace) ALTITUDE IS NO JOKE
THURS: rest day but walked around Denver
FRI: rest day again but walked around Denver and went out dancing
SAT: rest day for real but I still hit my 5+ miles walking around
SUN: Hiking at red rock ampitheatre and more walking. I hit 13,000 steps!


9/8: 
MON: Rest Day! so tired from traveling
TUES: 2.2 miles. still exhausted
WEDS: PiYo Strength Intervals
THURS: none :( my house was a disaster so I decided to clean instead
FRI:  walking around Disneyland for the start of Halloween! 12.14 miles
SAT: PiYo Upper Body
SUN: tried for 10, but ended up doing 5.3 miles. it was just too hot! 

THIS WEEK:
MON: PiYo Core
TUES: 3 miles
WEDS: PiYo Drench
THURS: 3 miles
FRI:  PiYo Buns
SAT: Rest Day
SUN: Dodger 5k-so excited for this race! I will write more about it later in the week

BE WELL

LAST WEEK:
The conference was awesome. I promise I will blog about my presentations soon. I had a great time in Denver and can’t wait to go back!

9/8: so much with everything but the highlight was my weekend. DL on Friday, game watching party on sautrday and pool party on Sunday. it was great to see so many friends and I had such a good time. sadly, that means my paper did not get finished! I will finish it today though

THIS WEEK:
I need to really work on getting a schedule down for work, school, blog, etc. I have an idea this week so let's see if I can execute it! 
I am looking forward to the Katy Perry concert on Friday!! 
Dodger5k on Sunday

So for you, how was your week?

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Bad sleep :(
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Great time in Denver!
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Halloween time!!
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Crappy run (ignore the crazy face!) at least I got to try out my new shirt and sparkle skirt!
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2014 disneyland half recap

9/10/2014

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2014 Dumbo Double Dare Recap:

CARBLOADING
EXPO
10K
LILO COSTUME
HALF
DUMBO COSTUME
FINAL THOUGHTS

Here is the big race of the weekend!

We got up at 3:30 am and were out of the door by 4:05. We were tight from the day before so had to add in time to roll. We went to meet up with some more teamrundisney peeps and then headed to the start.

We took a pic with the Green Army Men with Erica and Greg, got some more pictures, checked our bags, potty break and headed to the corrals. Having the Green Army Men out was GREAT as that was one less stop we had to make on the course.

Well this is where it was a bit of a mess. They were more organized than last year (much larger) but you had to cross in front of the corrals to get to corral H so it soon turned very ugly. Also, for some reason, there were spectators waiting on the path, further making it congested. 

While waiting for the start, we played a game of rating costumes. We rated them on how cute they were but also how practical as it was going to get very hot, very quickly. I was feeling pretty well and just ready to get going.

So it finally was start time and they released A and B together, then C and D together. It was very strange-why not just make them one large corral? Then E and F went and finally it was corral G’s turn. This is where it was a HOT MESS. Remember the pathway? Well they never could get it blocked off so even though we went to the corral early and were in the front. By the time the barriers were moved, TONS of people hopped in (including some from corral H) and we were about 600 people back. Sorry yall, but that was not cool. I got there early because I wanted to be towards the front and now people just hop in front of me? Along with people from corral H (that went from a 2:30-3:15 finish time?). Disney has GOT to fix the corral situation.

We decided to just make the best of it and with the course starting on a downhill, it spread out quickly. We stuck with out 2:15 run/:30 sec walk intervals and decided to take it easy to conserve energy and then could speed up after we left Angels stadium if we felt like it.

Before long, we were backstage. Yay for the park miles! We had a goal of finding a rundisney photographer and trying to get on their facebook. As we entered DCA we decided to get a pic with Storytellers and guess what? WE GOT ON FACEBOOK! Woo-hoo! So much fun!

We had a great time taking pics and there were definitely more characters out then at the Disneyland 10k the day before. As we entered Disneyland, it was nice to have cheersquad out (however it was still not as many spectators that are our on Main St at Magic Kingdom) and saw Donald and the 3 cabalerellos out. Of course as we soon as we got in line, the 3 left and it was just Donald but we wanted the pic anyway. We eventually looped through and decided to use the bathrooms at Pinocchio Village Haus, which was very uncrowded, then took a pic by the Dumbo ride of course!

As we looped through the castle to Tomorrowland and over to Small World, we saw the best character stop-DR FACILIER from Princess and the frog. We had to stop and it was not too long of a line. His hands were epic as was his costume. I was so happy we had a good character stop. Cruella de vil was also there and she was mortified I would ever dress as an elephant because how could she make a coat out of an elephant?

Soon after, we were headed to Toontown and out of the streets. This is where we went to work. As this was my 4th time running this course (which is INSANE to think about), I knew this course very well. We were able to maneuver pretty well and tried to keep the maneuvering but it was a bit to have to weave in and out of people but we were able to try and spread out.

We saw a few bands and dance groups and then saw the mile (or maybe more) of the old cars. It was a great way to pass the time and I was feeling great too.

Before we knew it, we were to Honda Center (love the Batmobile and Lightning McQueen car), and on to the Santa Ana River Trail. This trail has definitely gotten better as some of it was paved but it still pretty narrow. It was nice to see the new Anaheim train station being built-it is going to be beautiful when it is in done.

Soon after, we hit mile 9 and the start of the boy scouts and the Clif area and Angels stadium. Seriously, this race is worth the crowd support of Angels stadium-seeing all the Boy and Girl Scouts always brings tears to my eyes and gives me chills. It is such a good boost.

After leaving the stadium, we saw a few bands and then it was only 10 miles until we were done.

Did I mention the 501st had out stormtroopers? SO AWESOME! We were heading back stage and I started to get a bit emotionally. It has been a hot and rough summer with training and the last month has been a very trying time in my life. I don’t talk about it much but it has been very hectic and busy with work and school. There were so many days I would wake up, be mentally exhausted, go out for a run that was hot and blah and really disappointed and doubting myself. The devil will always try to bring you down and I am so happy, I let those bad thoughts get out of my head. I can do 10k+half, I can do Dopey, I can do 5k+10k+half-no matter what my mind may feel sometime.

Before we knew it, we were on our way to the finish. We continued to do strong intervals and were both so happy to be done. DONE! Our finish time was 3:04:32 (14:05 pace) which is my second fastest time at a Disney half! (Still 13 minutes off my PR in 2010 as that weather was much better). Our running time according to my garmin was 2:42: 20 (12:22 pace) which is not bad considering the weather and humidity. I really wanted to go under 3 hours however with the heat and humidity, I think we did it really well not pushing it too hard. We were actually doing faster intervals than the day before.

Got medals, got food, relaxed and headed back to the hotel. We decided this time to just walk the way we needed to and it was a much shorter walk back. The greatest thing did happen though, we had to cross back over the course and it was so much fun to be able to cheer on people as they came through especially so close to the finish. So great! J

We headed back to the hotel to pack, roll, stretch and shower and get to Goofy’s Kitchen for brunch. We had an amazing brunch but the characters were really slow. We saw Rafiki, Alice, Captain Hook, Pluto, Dale and Goofy. We missed Chip (we think) and Jasmine as they were really slow.

The amount of food we ate was so much but it was so good. Our legs were a bit tight so we decided to go to Disneyland

Afterwards, I got gas and went to Rafa’s to relax and then to Ralph’s aunts house for a BBQ. I was exhausted and probably should have skipped the BBQ as I didn’t get home until 11 PM. Monday was a great day as I had a ton of errands to do, readings to do and so much packing and laundry. I definitely learned my lesson for next year-after Dumbo, I need to go home and do laundry and homework so I can pack for my Conference (yes, the conference next year is the same time frame).

If you want to see more pics of the course (I didn’t take too many!) visit Greg’s blog and Patty’s blog. All my pics turned out blurry-oops.

Overall, I feel I had a good race. I was rested but I would love for next year to spend less time in the parks and more time relaxing so that I can feel even better.

What were your thoughts on the 2014 DL half?

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Very similar pic ended up on the rundisney facebook
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Angels stadium
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Goofys kitchen celebration
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TUESDAYS ON THE RUN: FALL PLANS

9/9/2014

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TUESDAYS ON THE RUN: Fall plans

Hi all! Were back for another Tuesdays on the Run! Another Tuesday, another Tuesday on the Run hosted by our favorites: 
April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Erika from MCM Mama Runs, and Patty from No-Guilt Life.

This week’s topic is Fall runs. As it is September, Halloween has started at WDW and will start this week at Disneyland, it is almost fall!

Here in LA, we have had an unusual warm and humid summer. I am hoping that means we will have a nice fall (usually it is the opposite) but only time will tell.

I have quite a few races on my Fall calendar. I will consider races from September to December as Fall as winter officially starts end of December.

FALL RACES:
  • 9/21- Dodger 5k
  • 10/26-LA Rock n Roll Half
  • 11/08-Wine and Dine Half
  • 11/16-Avengers Half
  • 11/27-turkey tory (5k +10k)—still need to register. Hoping for a discount code. 
  • 12/07-Santa Monica 10k Christmas Run

As I wrote in an old post about training, I am hoping to be able to build up my mileage for Dopey while sticking with other races. This will be a very trying time for me to fit in travel, work, school, college football, Disney trips, and running but I am up to the challenge. I think the runs will help keep me organized, but that also means I will need to have many early nights on weekends. Maybe I can reserve the nights before long runs as days to do school work/reading?? I can definitely give it a shot in the next few weeks.

So the plan is pretty simple-stick with my 2 5ks a week and add in longer runs on weekends. I was worried about how I would feel after Dumbo, but I am doing great. I took most of the week off running but was still active in Denver so I am hoping the altitude will help.

Here is a written breakdown of my runs:
  • 9/13- 10 miles. I want to get back into it
  • 9/21- Dodger 5k-I would love to try and really race this but it will depend on weather and humidity. My 2 options right now I am debating is gunning for as close to 30:00 as I can get or running a straight 5k in a race. We will have to just wait and see but I want to run this hard. 
  • 9/28- 10-13 miles
  • 10/4- 6 miles
  • 10/11- 15 miles. I want to try and run this at night to simulate wine and dine but we will have to work out logistics. 
  • 10/18- 6-8 miles
  • 10/26-LA rock n Roll. This race is crucial for me. I am going to train hard to do well at this one. I ran a sub 2:20 in training in July and I know I am capable of better in a race (especially with proper rest days as that was after a 3.1 and 6.2). My goal for this race is 2:14. Why 2:14? Well for Disney races, under 2:15 is a separate corral and I want to move up another corral. Right now, with my current 10k PR of 1:02:46, I am slotted to finish halves in 2:18. I really think I can do this as the course is very familiar to me. 
  • 11/1- 6-8 miles
  • 11/8-wine and dine half. I am a bit nervous about running at night but I think I can do it. I want to take great pics and be able to conserve my energy so I can last the whole after party (I think coffee and food will pay a big role in that). 
  • 11/16-avengers half. I am a bit nervous about back to back races (with a WDW trip and a crazy work schedule in the middle) and it is also Ralph’s first half. I think it will be important to take this one slow (probably shorten my interval) and make sure not to injure myself
  • 11/23- 6-8 miles
  • 11/29-this will be my first Dopey simulation. I will do 3 miles, 5 miles, 10 miles, 23 miles (the 10 miles will be the 5k+10k at the turkey trot). I am hoping to take the 10 miles easy to save energy for the 23 miler the next day
  • 12/06-Santa Monica 10k. This is a great flat course so I am hoping to try and PR here but it will depend on how the races go the week before
  • 12/14- 6-8 miles
  • 12/21-final dopey! Great way to officially end Fall. 3 + 6+ 12 +26. I need to plan this out as logistics will be a hot mess. I am thinking of doing the 3 miles and 6 miles around my house, 12 miles at the rose bowl and 26 miles at the beach. The beach is great as there is water and bathrooms but I need to figure out how to have powerade. 

What are your runs for the Fall? What is your plan? 

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2014 DISNEYLAND 10K RECAP

9/8/2014

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2014 Dumbo Double Dare Recap:
CARBLOADING
EXPO
LILO COSTUME
HALF
FINAL THOUGHTS
The 2014 Disneyland 10k was Lilo and Stitch themed. Many costumes were Hawaiian, Lilo or Dtitch which I loved. I went as Lilo (coming soon: how to make Lilo costume!) and loved it.

We got up at 3:30 am and were ready and out of the door by 4. We went to the teamrundisney meetup and got to meet some great fellow bloggers. I love meetups and it is great to meet people in person!

We took pics and then checked our bags and made it to the corrals around 5:00. We made our way to the front and just chatted with people and got ready.

We were corral C so we had 2 short waits until we took off. I thought it was a bit strange that there were more Dumbos than just 10ks (6000 vs 4000).

We took off and decided to do intervals of 2:15/:30 to conserve energy. It was a bit cooler than it has been but also very humid. Since the first mile is pretty straight, it was a great way to spread out.

Since I drank a lot of water and tea before the race, I had to pee so bad. We stopped at the first port-a-potty at the convention center and I immediately felt better. This is where the course narrows and it was a lot of walking, which is fine, but I could tell other people were annoyed by it.

I will do a shoutout to all of the great costumes we saw on course. People are really stepping up their costume game and it was a great distraction while running!

Before we knew it, we were at a water stop and backstage!! We ran through Carsland, Paradise Pier, Buena Vista St, over to Disneyland, Main St, tomorrowland, fantasyland, toontown, frontierland, adventureland and backstage to Downtown Disney. The support in Downtown Disney was the best! I love the end of the course. 

We finished in 1:29:45 (14:26 pace) and A NEW DISNEY 10K PR FOR ME (by 4 secs haha). Considering I stopped for more pics this race than the one at Princess and it was hot and humid, I consider it a success. 1:30 was my goal so I met that! It was about 3 minutes faster than the year before. 

Our running time was 1:18:20 (12:34 pace), which is great considering the crowds and level of humidity. 
I decided to run with both my Garmin (using it for running time-pausing when we stopped) and my ipod (really time, never paused).

The one downside of the course was a lack of characters. We took a lot of pictures (in carsland, world of color, castle, main st, etc) but the only Disney characters out were chip and dale as robbers and elvis stitch. The lines were CRAZY so we did not stop. I knew they want to have things in theme but a bit more would have been nice.  

We ate (so hungry-turns out we were lacking salt!) and wanted to go back to the hotel. It was insane trying to get through Downtown Disney and took forever and didn’t get back to our room until an hour after we finished. We showered and stretched and headed for coffee at Starbucks, breakfast at Flo’s and back to the Expo to shop and go to the screening room. After that, back to the park to ride Radiator Springs as well as get dinner. Back to the room to relax and got in bed around 8 and was asleep by 830.

This is the first time I have not taken a nap after running. It seems that not napping is becoming common. I like it as then I am sleep very early the day after running.

Next time we would bring a bag for costumes and head straight to the park for brunch, then go to the hotel to shower and get ready, then Expo. We walked a lot and it would save us miles on our legs.

Overall, it was a great race. Weather was better than it had been the week leading up to the race, but once the sun came out, it was very hot. The lack of characters was sad as was the leaving after the race. This is still my favorite course of all the Disney races I have run (4 miles of park time!)

For more pictures of the race course, visit my friend Greg's blog. He writes the best recap posts! 



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Front of the corral!
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World of color
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All done!
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Celebratory PSL!
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    A late 20-something navigating the world trying to stay sane with Chi Running, Primal Eating and Healthy Living!

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    PR's
    5k-:28:03 (Santa Anita Derby 5k-4/16)
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