Kimproving

I’m sooooo excited about this race! Billed as “the only space themed race on the planet” it’s guaranteed to be a blast! I was debating on running the full, but I’ve already decided to make the Disney Marathon in January my first :)

Another reason why I’m stoked about this race is because I get to dress up! I really wanted to dress up as Vector for the Tower of Terror 10 miler, but since he isn’t Disney, I decided to go as something Star Wars related instead. So now I’m totally going to dress as Vector for the Space Coast race. For anyone who doesn’t know, Vector is a villain in Despicable Me who wants to steal the moon to become the greatest villain in the world. Kind of perfect, huh? And plus we kind of look alike:

“Vector! That’s me, because I commit crimes with both direction and magnituide. Oh yeah!”

So nerdy, I love it. 

Anyways, check out the Space Coast marathon and 1/2 marathon here

http://www.spacecoastmarathon.com/

I’ve been on this HUGE smoothie kick lately. I’ve made them everyday for like the past month. While I mix it up daily, this has been the one I make more than most. You can vary it up depending on what you’re in the mood for. I love frozen fruit by the way. You don’t need to add ice to your smoothie, and you don’t have to worry about your fruit going bad before you have the chance to use it!

Berry Green Monster

• Handful of baby spinach 
• 1 cup of frozen mixed berries
• 2 tablespoons flax seed
• 1/2 cup of fat-free plain greek yogurt (I leave this out sometimes if I drink one before a run, dairy doesn’t sit well with me)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup green tea
• 1 tablespoon of local honey

Blend it up, add a straw and you’re ready to go! Also if you want to avoid the sugar that goes along with orange juice, you can just add 1 cup of green tea instead. It’s yummy, I promise!

I know I’m a little late writing about this, but give me a break! I’ve been a busy girl lately. I hate to say this, but I wasn’t impressed with Princess weekend. I really hate starting this post out like that, but I have to get it out of the way. I’ll start from the beginning…

Whitney and I decided to get to the expo as early Friday as we possibly could (to fight the crowds that would come later in the day but also to check out any merchandise that might sell out kind of quickly). We arrived at the expo and headed straight to packet pickup. I was so bummed that our “goody” bag only had the Princess tech tshirt and the weekend guide. No food samples, no coupons for vendors, or future races…NOTHING! The Halloween 5k bag was way better! But I got over my disappointment when I saw this:

They didn’t have any cool photo opportunities during WDW Marathon Weekend so I thought that was pretty sweet. After getting our bags, we walked around the expo. I was pretty shocked at the lack of vendors. Don’t get me wrong, the vendors that were there were awesome (RawThreads, SparkleSkirts, etc) but it was just lacking. Although, they did put a bar at the expo, which was the perfect chance for me to spend $16 on two glasses of Champagne for Whitney and I while we browsed. I had no idea what I wanted to wear for the race, but I knew I wanted it to be girly. When I went to the SparkleSkirt booth, I fell in love with the pink Minnie skirt they had. I loved it even more when the guy told me it was the last one and almost died and went to heaven when the owner told me only 6 had been made. Running in couture, love it! After the expo, Whitney and I completed our outfits by spending the next 5 hours or so shopping at the outlets near Disney, the Florida Mall (which was chaos because of All-Star weekend), and of course my favorite, Target. In the end this is how my outfit came together

Can I just say I felt so legit running in Under Armor underwear and compression bottoms? :)

On Saturday, we woke up for another early day. We checked into our hotel and headed to Downtown Disney for more shopping and dinner. T-Rex Cafe has the best chicken tortellini I’ve ever had. Whitney got the mushroom ravioli which was also amazing. I highly recommend going there for a carb load!

On a side note, our table was next to these triceratops. Half way through dinner a family was walking by our table to get to theirs and a little boy in their group said “those dinosaurs are my favorites” pointing over to us, which made me respond “thanks, but we’re not that old, geesh” followed by lots of giggles. 

After dinner we took some pictures and then headed back to the hotel

I definitely learned from my mistakes in January. We had an early dinner, around 4, and we were showered and in bed by 7. Also, I had everything laid out and ready to go before bed so I could literally be ready in 5 minutes. I was so concerned with making sure I packed all the stuff I needed I forgot to pack PJs!Thankfully I packed an extra shirt. 

I don’t know if it was from nerves or what, but I probably only slept a total of 2 hours that night. 2AM came way too fast. It took us a while to get moving but we were out the door a little after 3.

Pretty cute, huh?

Whitney went as Rapunzel. I did her hair and it turned out to be so fabulous

Traffic getting to EPCOT wasn’t so bad so we had plenty of time to see the sights, take pictures, and use the bathroom. I have to admit, the pre-race entertainment was pretty fun. We danced for a while and I was peeing every 20 minutes (I think I might have over-hydrated a little much). 

Something that I’ve heard a lot of people complain about was once you line up in the corrals, you no longer had access to a bathroom. I hated that. By the time it was time to take off, I almost couldn’t hold it in! Thankfully port-o-potties were nearby but after waiting in line to use them, I was almost swept! That would have been awful :/

The character stops along the way were pretty cool. I loved the “villains” stop the most, but the lines were so long that there was no way I could stand and wait around

One of my favorite stops was the “prince charmings”. They had a group of guys dressed up and singing cheesy lounge songs. If you stopped to get your picture with one of them they would propose with a glass slipper and say cheesy things like “I love that you run, so I can catch you” stuff like that. Obviously I was eating it up with a spoon

Can someone tell me where I can get one of these, pleaseeee?!

Other character were out and about: minnie, goofy, the disney heroes, chip and dale (yay!) pirates, lilo and sitch, the princesses, it was nice…but they didn’t have the “rare” characters like they had during Marathon weekend (Scrooge McDuck and Launchpad McQuack come to mind). 

During the last mile or so, specifically at the last water stop, I was trying to get around everyone who was stopping for water when I heard this girl literally sobbing. I stopped and looked behind me and my heart broke! She was probably around 15 or 16 and was just so tired that I’m sure she would have given up if it wasn’t for her friend encouraging her. I stopped running and started walking with them for a little bit. I just kept telling her she was too far to give up and that she was literally so close. Since it was the same course as it was in January, I told her what was left and how quickly it was going to go by. By the time I left them, she had stopped crying and I had tears welling up. I’ve had that feeling she’s had and I know how terrible it is. I stood around the finish line for a bit to see if I could see them finish, but there were too many people. I don’t think I’ll ever forget her though. Stuff like that is really special to me, I guess I’m just sappy like that. 

Once the race was over, it was rainy and cold, and they didn’t have any blankets! In order to get one, you had to get a massage. That was kind of annoying because in January they had plenty for everyone, and the weather was so much better then! After a few pictures and my post race Champagne we were on our way home. Overall I did enjoy it, but I doubt I’d do it again. I just wasn’t as impressed as I was with past races. I feel terrible saying that, but from what I’ve heard a lot of people have similar complaints. I definitely am looking forward to other Disney races, including the Tower of Terror 10 miler and the Wine and Dine half marathon. I’m also 99% positive that I’m going to be running the full marathon (my first!!) during the 2013 Marathon Weekend.

If you ran the Princess Half Marathon this year, how did you feel about it? Am I just way off base thinking it was kind of a letdown or do you agree?

…I’ll be at the Princess Half Marathon Expo! Oh my gosh am I so freaking excited!?! I’ve been waiting for this race since summer and I can’t believe it’s here…time really does go by so fast sometimes. I’m really really REALLY looking forward to the expo! If anyone who’s reading this is going, please make sure to check out RawThreads. It’s training wear that is made out of bamboo and organic cotton, while still keeping the moisture away! I met the owner’s friend at work the other day and after she showed me the site I’ve been obsessed! The stuff is really cute y’all!

you can check it out here: http://rawthreads.org/ or you can just check them out at the expo!

I’m still deciding on what to wear! I’ve lost 15 pounds since the last half marathon so going all out at the expo makes me feel less guilty (my reward for being AWESOME!) I’m going shopping this week (downtown Disney and the outlets around Orlando—-don’t go there on Sundays—I made that mistake yesterday and almost didn’t make it to work!) I’ll round out my shopping at the expo. 

EEEEEKKK!!!! I seriously can’t believe I’m running my second half marathon in 2 months. Who would’ve thought! :)

A little list of reasons why I love to run! In no particular order of course…

1. The medals

2. The swag

3. Runner’s High

4. How toned my legs have gotten :)

5. Being around other runners who won’t judge me for running off to pee in the bushes or blowing my nose in my shirt

6. Running accessories! 

7. Being able to encourage other people to run. I’m the definition of “If I can do it anyone can!”

8. That amazing feeling I get after finishing a race :)

9. The dreamy boys in their little shorty-shorts *sigh*

10. A good excuse to not go out without feeling lame..”sorry guys, long run tomorrow…”

I did this as a part of the runchat challenge. It was fun to actually sit down and write out why I love to run so much! I wish I could get everyone I know to start running. The feeling you get after working so hard and achieving your goal is so amazing! 

…Starts March 3rd at Disney’s Wide World of Sports! I’m so excited! I’ve been a Braves fan since I was 12 and love going to the spring training games! No matter where you sit, the field is so close, and the lawn area is super nice! Just bring a blanket and a few friends and you’re all set! I have my jersey dry cleaned and ready to go. I think one of my favorite parts about sporting events is the bond you form with the people sitting around you (especially if they’re rooting for the home team). I remember few years ago, my dad came in town for a couple spring training games and our seats were near the suites. After the 5th or 6th inning (I can’t remember for spring training games) they stop selling beer, but of course the people in the suites, for the most part, still have beer on hand. After the beer was cut off, the guys in the suite (who were in town for a real estate convention) starting passing out beers to those who wanted them, along with their business cards. 

You’re more likely to catch a foul ball or two (and maybe even a homer) during a spring training game. And if you get there early enough, you can probably get a few autographs. Since it’s just spring training, the players seem more relaxed and willing to hang out for a while. 

Spring training runs from March 3 through April 2, with tickets ranging in price from $17-$35. I’m hoping to catch as many games as I possibly can, hopefully I’ll see you there! GO BRAVES!