Tagged - Six Random Things

I was pleasantly surprised (well, shocked would be more accurate) when the lovely Alisa tagged me with a Gorgeous Blogger Award.

So now I'm supposed to list six things about me... and these are pretty random...

1) I am still on a running hiatus from the Goofy Challenge (back in January). I expect to get back on track in the summer in time for the Disneyland Half.

2) In the meantime, I am trying to get reacquainted with my gym. It's hard but I did manage to take a couple of classes this morning - Step and Core Fusion. I probably should have been more nervous to take Step since it has been well over a year since I took a class but muscle memory kicked in and I was fine for the most part. It was a little clumsy at first with remembering just the basic warm up moves... basic step, shuffle, stomp, knee curls, corner knee, L-step, etc... but I made sure to position myself close to the teacher so I could follow as easily as possible. It was a pretty good workout for me... my heart rate went sky high during the class, similar to my running levels.

3) I have recently become addicted to word games on my iPhone. It started with Words with Friends, and then while I waited for my friends' plays, I discovered other games I could play solo like Word Warp, Scramble 2, and my new favorite, Word Pops. They frustrate the heck out of me but I keep coming back for more.

4) I'm currently using Anbesol for the first time in my life. I had a filling put in a couple of months ago for what apparently was a very deep cavity. My dentist told me it would be sensitive for the next three months if I drank anything too cold... which it has been but since yesterday, it has just been painful throughout the day without a trigger. It comes and goes but when it's there, it suuuuuucks. I tried painkillers which somewhat helped but I'm hoping this Anbesol provides better relief. So far it's OK... (the numbing sensation is weird!)

5) I'm not a fan of two floor Targets. I know the cart escalator thing is pretty easy to use but I don't like having to bounce between two different floors - especially when different Targets have different floor layouts. For example, greeting cards could be on the 1st floor in one Target but on the second in another. Too confusing! OK, that one was really random... can you guess where I was this morning?

6) Often times when I visit Starbucks (which is at least once a week), I can't resist picking up a packet of those Madeline cookies. I just love those things! They're so light and airy and a perfect compliment to my coffee drink.

OK, that's it... I would tag people but I'm assuming everyone's done this by now. But feel free to tag yourself if you haven't yet! And leave me a note to let me know to look for it :)

Race Report: Cherry Blossom 5K Walk

This past weekend I was in DC and participated in their Cherry Blossom 5K walk with my brother and sister-in-law along with her mom and brother. My sister also traveled to DC with me but decided that the comfy hotel bed was a much more enjoyable option than spectating. Lame-o! (She doesn't read this, so it's OK.)

Now if you a regular reader of this blog (which I doubt since I don't exactly regularly update this), you may recall that I had actually planned to run the 10 miler which is the big event. But as the race got closer, it felt weird to be doing the 10 miler when everyone else in my family was doing the 5K. And it's not like I get to see them that often so it would be cool to actually walk with them, especially since my brother and sister-in-law were there to see me finish the Disney marathon (and thus, the Goofy Challenge) this past January.

And of course, if I'm being really honest, I just didn't want to run 10 miles. Running hasn't exactly been one of my priorities since Goofy.

So really it was a win win! ;)

The Cherry Blossom 10 miler/5K is a really popular event so you have to get in through the lottery. My family and I all registered under the same team name and I was pleasantly surprised that we actually got in since normally I completely fail at race lotteries. (Case in point: I was once again denied an entry for the 2010 NYC marathon, marking my third year in a row. 2011, it is!)

The expo was held at the National Building Museum which as you can see is pretty nice inside. Definitely the fanciest expo location I've been to. The usual suspects were there and I was pretty pleased when I left with only one purchase. A chocolate chip cookie.

The race tee - both the 5K and 10M got the same one.

As I got my race gear all ready the night before, I briefly scanned through the race instructions and had to snicker at this: "Please do not even think of fouling the Washington Monument Grounds or the National Mall." Felt like I was 5 years old being reprimanded by the school teacher. Not that I ever needed to be reprimanded. Well, now that I think about it, there was that one time in first grade when we were all playing on the lawn outside my church and...

*snicker*

Oh, sorry, I digress. Anyway, back to race morning... we headed to the race start which was located right by the Washington Monument. Pretty cool, right?

The 10 mile run started an hour before the 5K so they were just getting started when we arrived (again, another solid reason to switch to the 5K). It was a pretty big race so they started in waves.

My pre-race fuel. No, not the best idea but I always hated when I saw people with their Starbucks when I was getting ready to run a race. So now I could be the annoying one with their tasty coffee treat!

Here's my brother doing some pre-race hip stretches. I told him I'd block out his face before posting. (He doesn't read this either, so this is also OK.) And no, I don't think those are proper workout pants and now I've got the perfect present idea for him for his upcoming birthday!

While waiting for the 5K to start, I watched the kids race which as usual is just the cutest thing in the world! And you can't tell from the pic, but all of their bib numbers had the number "1" on them. LOL!

And now it's our turn - off we go!

Although our course wasn't nearly as scenic as the 10 miler (which includes passing the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the WW2 memorial, the reflecting pond, tidal basin, etc), it was still quite pretty and it was a beautiful day out. Here we are about to cross the Memorial Bridge.

And if you turn around, you see this. You know, the sweep vehicle. Poor thing - followed us for the entire walk waiting for us to finish. My brother cracked me up at the start of the race by saying, "Hope you like the view - of my butt. You're going to be seeing this for awhile."

Here are some of the runners we got to see on their way back.

The finish line in sight!

My finish line photo - happily clutching my baby, aka my iPhone. (As you can see, I wasn't kidding about the sweep vehicle.) My bro is right behind me.

And because I know you're dying for it, here are my race stats:

Official chip time: 1:01:24

Pace: 19:46

Gender place: 1242/1246

Division place: 243/243 (HA!)

All in all, it was a fun morning. My sister-in-law finished the 5K walk almost 20 minutes faster than the Turkey Trot she did last Thanksgiving which is a HUGE achievement and we were all so proud of her. Hopefully, we can do more events like these.

After the race, I was able to briefly catch up with an old college friend, D, who I hadn't seen in years! D ran the 10 miler with her friend and I had originally planned to try to run with them but they did such a great job, I don't think I would have been able to keep up anyway. It was really funny talking about the old days though. D told her friend how I was the one that was pretty much allergic to the gym back in college (only went once and that was just during the orientation tour) and now I'm doing marathons and stuff. We also laughed about how I barely wore makeup then too and now look what I've been doing.

Anyway, I'd definitely recommend this race if you can get in, especially if you're from out of town. It's very scenic and fun seeing all the DC landmarks.

P.S. In case you're curious, yes, I still plan to post race reports from the Goofy Challenge - eventually. ;)

What She Said

Please Run Safely from Marathon Maritza

Be safe out there!

Something to ponder...

How odd that just four weeks ago, the idea of running 13 miles was no big deal.

Huh.

I'm sooooo tired!!!

Do not fret, my pets, I am still working on those Goofy race reports. BUT in the meantime... here's a random topic.

It has now officially been three weeks since the Goofy challenge. From an exercise perspective, I've done NOTHING since then. And to be honest, it's been quite nice. I hope I don't alienate you guys, but I'm just not one of those people that need to run or work out all the time. I'm quite content being a couch potato. I'll be out there again soon enough but for now I'm just enjoying activities other than spending hours pounding the payment.

But here's the thing... lately, I have been soooooo tired. Ridiculously tired. I typically don't nap but there have been times recently when I've desperately wanted one. I'm ashamed to say I missed out on hanging out with friends one evening because I literally slept through it. And I was in a deep sleep, too - when I woke up, I could barely move. I sleep the same hours so what's the deal?

Well my friend pointed out that it's probably because I haven't been working out. And initially I thought that was weird since I know I get tired from working out. But then I read somewhere that you have a better quality of sleep when you exercise, i.e. deeper sleep, etc and that's why you end up being more well-rested.

Which means I better get out there again because Starbucks is just not doing the trick for this sleepy-head.

Anyone else have a similar experience?



P.S. I also suspect some of my sleepiness can be due to excessive cupcake consumption. ;)

Race Report: Goofy Challenge Part 1 - The Expo

OK, for those that don't follow me on Twitter, I successfully survived the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge! It was both an amazing and super fun experience. As well as a freakishly cold one!!!

And I hate to leave you all in suspense, but I'm not going to get to the actual race reports just yet in this post. I'm sorry!

First, I will hit on the expo which I attended Friday morning. It was at Disney's Wide World of Sports and it was huge! I love the Disney expo. When I ran the full in 2008, I wasn't able to spend much time there because my whole family was with me and waiting so I had to speed up the browsing. This time, I checked it out solo so I took my sweet old time.

After I picked up my two race bibs and got the Goofy wristband slapped on my wrist, I hit the expo which was in a different building (different from 2008 when it was all in the same place). I then got a cute little mesh bag filled with my three awesome race shirts. That's right - THREE!!! I love the Goofy Challenge.

First, we got a navy blue long sleeve tech shirt for the Goofy Challenge - the 5 is because it's the 5th anniversary of the race.



And then we also got two long sleeve white tech shirts - one for the full (with Mickey) and one for the half (with Donald). Notice how they list the parks from the respective courses on the sleeves of the shirts.



I really love these shirts and I think they fit better than my 2008 shirt (which ran a little big).

Now time for shopping!



I already had an idea of things I wanted to pick up based on tweets I had seen from other Goofy runners. I first hit the "official race merchandise" section and although there were lots of cute stuff, I didn't really see anything that I loved. (And when a T-shirt is $35, I better love it, you know?) I was hoping to get a track jacket like the one I got in 2008, but guess what? They were already sold out of all of their track jackets! Keep in mind, the expo opened Thursday afternoon and ended Saturday evening. And they were already sold out of merchandise by Friday morning? Poor planning, Disney. But that's OK, I probably didn't need the jacket since I hardly wear my 2008 one. And hello, I just got three awesome race shirts! So I didn't really feel a need to add more to my collection, especially since I was running out of room to store all my running gear at home, anyway.

But I still felt a need to get at least one additional souvenir, so I settled on a Goofy race hat which I am proudly modeling here (taken after the races were run, of course!)



Next, I bought some yurbuds - definitely because I heard about them on Twitter. These things are great. I am constantly having problems with keeping my earbuds in and even experimented with different styles but they would always slip out. Well I got "fitted" for a pair of these while at the expo and they felt nice and snug. A little pricey at $20 but hey since they work, I can't complain.



I also heard about my next purchase on Twitter - the iFitness belt. I didn't really need this product as I already have a running belt to hold crap but this one had more bells and whistles so I figured why not! The iFitness guy said the one I bought was brand new which must be the case because I can't seem to find it on their website. It's like a super version of their neoprene mini-sport belt but this one comes with six external slots on the elastic band for gels (three on each side) and little lace lock thingies to hold your race bib. I got this for $28.



My final expo purchase is something I've always eyed at expos - The Stick! I never felt the need for one since I've got my trusty foam roller at home. However, that thing is not exactly travel-friendly. (Although, believe it or not, I did pack it in my suitcase for the 2007 Chicago marathon!) And since I wanted to make sure I was in tip top shape for the marathon, I got the stick to help work/stretch my leg muscles after the half-marathon. I think this one was around $35.



And as long as I'm discussing running products, there is one other thing I purchased right before I left for Disney. I decided to get a new hydration belt. I had been using the Fuel Belt Helium 4 which hold two bottles in front and two in the back. Well, I never wear bottles in the front because I feel like my arm always bump into them plus I don't like carrying that much liquid on me. I decided to just get a new fuel belt that only has bottle holders in the back so I got the Nathan Speed 2 belt.



I'm so glad I got this as I like it a lot better!

OK, that's it for the product reviews... up next is the WDW Half Marathon race report!

2010 Race Targets

OK, so now it's time to talk about my 2010 race targets.

January 9-10th: Goofy Race and a Half Challenge
A half and a full in one weekend? In freezing cold temps? (again) Sounds fun to me! No, seriously, I'm actually looking forward to heading to Florida this weekend for the ultimate running challenge!

April 11th: Cherry Blossom 10 miler (DC)
I've always heard great things about this race. It's tough to get in but luckily I got selected in the lottery (a first!) What's even more special is that my brother and sister-in-law are walking the 5K that day as well.

September 5th: Disneyland Half
I ran this in 2008 and it's fun but really the only reason I'm running it this year is to get the Coast-to-Coast medal which you get for running both the WDW full and Disneyland half the same year.

October 17th: Nike Women's Half Marathon (if I get in)
It's tradition for me now and I really love the course. Also a lottery but as long as I continue running with the Nike Club Run SF, I should be able to earn a spot.

November 7th: NYC Marathon (if I get in)
Right now, this is the only other marathon I want to run! I would love to run NYC :) I've been entering the lottery for awhile so if it doesn't happen this year, I should be locked in for 2011.

Finally, some kind of biking event - I've been neglecting Gigi for too long. Maybe a century??? That would be something new for me!

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I'm sure I will squeeze in other races here and there but for now, this is all I have planned for now. Wow, I just realized most of these are destination races. Yay for my pocketbook! :)

Let me know if you have any of these on your race calendar!