Face It Friday: I Didn't Throw In The Towel 7/25/14

Last weekend was FUUUNNNN! I do not regret a single food or drink choice I made.

I celebrated the wife's 34th birthday AND completing my third triathlon. I filled some cravings that I had had for months... and they were delicious.

Now my week starts on Friday as we know. So Friday itself was a 109 pt day. Yup you read that right. We went out to a big dinner and I ate delicious pizza and drank decadent beer. It was great.

Now Saturday and Sunday we were on the go with the race so I didn't track.

I knew I was over, but didn't have the energy to see how over.

But, Monday morning I looked at myself in the mirror and said the only person I am hurting is myself. So I sat down and estimated the best I could.

Yup, three days into my Weight Watchers week and I was -114 pts in the hole.

That was a punch to the gut moment. But I patted myself on the back for owning up to it.

At that moment I decided instead of throwing in the towel and "restarting" on Friday when my WW week would be fresh, I decided to see how much I could earn back through Activity. It was lighting a fire under my training butt.

So I worked and I happily saw the number decrease.

I knew I would never get back into the positive, but I felt okay.

I really didn't care what the scale said this week because I was living on my NSV (Non-Scale Victory) of sticking with my game plan and reaching out to friends for support.

Every day I hit my DPT, filled all of my Good Health Guidelines and was staying well hydrated with H2O. I was feeling GREAT.

So I woke up this morning feeling light and lean, but reminding myself that even if the scale showed a gain I would NOT take away the accomplishments of the week.

I took out the scale, dusted it off, closed my eyes and stepped on.

Down 2.8 lbs!

Woo! Now I do not get into the habit of going into the negative with my points. I've been doing Weight Watchers for almost 5 years and know that weeks will vary because well life happens.

Do I want to keep this pattern of being in the negative going - of course not. But I made it through two tough weeks and still came out on top.

So next time you have one bad meal or day and think you ruined the whole week remember this post, track it and move on.

***

Since June 13, I have successfully shed 16.2 of the 15.8 lbs gained during my temp assignment. Yes that means all the weight plus a little extra is GONE. Yahoo!! What a great feeling getting back to the balance I know that works for me.

Sometimes we need to go through a bumpy road to find the focus again and the reason we started this journey to begin with.

***

This week I will be participating in my own fundraising virtual 5k - F.A.S.T. (Fight Against Stroke Together) 5k/10k - and would love for you to join me. You can click here to find more information about how you can help Fight Stroke AND get a sweet Finisher's Medal.

***

And finally, if you all could take a moment and vote for me I would really appreciate it. There are some sweet prizes on the table and you all know I love my low-fat chocolate milk.

VOTE HERE!

I think you can vote once a day! Thanks!!

***

I hope everyone has an amazing week. I am race free this weekend, but have some social engagements to attend. I will once again track it and own it.

I will keep the following mantra in the back of my mind:

Eat To Live Don't Live To Eat

REVIEW: Apera Bags

What's that smell? Oh no ... that would be me. Ick!

<<Runs to take quick shower>>

Hmmm ... the smell is still there.

What could it be?

<<Looks to the floor>>

Ooohh it's my gym bag.

<<Hides in embarrassment>>

Ew!

Anyone with me on this?

Well after complaining about it the best way I know how - on social media - a company came to my rescue.

Apera Bags

Have you heard of them? Met them at a Race Expo or two?

If you haven't, I'm here to share the love.

I received the Performance Duffel to review (value $124), but as always all thoughts and opinions are my own. Ain't nobody got time for lying! Am I right?

Do you like that I picked the bright fuschia? I used to shy away from color, but now I think the brighter the better.

Of the seven styles of bags Apera offers, I believe the duffel is the roomiest. I figured it would be PERFECT to lug my triathlon gear around. Three sports in one bag.

Like every Apera bag, it includes antimicrobial product protection inside and outside. Ventilated compartments, a water resistant base and wipeable linings keep your bag clean, dry and healthy.

I love having a separate compartment for my sneakers or bike shoes. Don't you hate when dirt from your shoes gets all over the inside of your gym bag?

There is a pocket on both ends of the bag and each can hold a pair of shoes up to men's 11.5. So now I can keep my bike shoes on one side and my sneakers on the other when heading to a BRICK workout or triathlon.

The Duffel is loaded with pockets, which allows for quick and easy access to any of my little accessories that tend to get lost in the bottom of the bag.

How many Sparkly Soul headbands have you found when finally cleaning out your bag? I think my max was 5 or 6. Ha!

I used the large pocket on the backside to keep my wet bathing suit away from my dry running gear. Such a simple joy.

I started using the pockets on the top to hide my Garmin. I get paranoid that it will turn on while in transit to a race or it will fall out of one of the front pockets while tossing the bag around.

Or goggles and sunglasses.

Plus the shoulder strap is wide and padded making travel less painful on the old shoulder.

You may be wondering if I could use this bag for anything other than the gym. Absolutely.

We took a quick weekend trip to Maine a few weeks back and it was perfect to separate my fun relaxing clothes with my running gear. I mean you know I had to bring sneakers with me. :P

But I think what really puts Apera ahead of their competition would be the antimicrobial product protection.

The material Inside and outside of every Apera bag* is treated with antimicrobial product protection which works continuously, 24/7, to help prevent the growth of bacterial odors on the bag. And because the antimicrobial aspect is built-in during manufacturing, it will last for the useful lifetime of the bag.**

Finally my bag isn't the smelly one in the house. That honor can be returned to my wife's hockey bag. :P

So would I recommend Apera bags to a friend? Absolutely.

Apera is more than a great product they are a great company as well.

Apera’s cause is simple – to inspire all athletes. Apera has created a unique business model that reinforces the social and benevolent components of the Social-Athlete market.

Apera will donate one bag to a Special Olympics athlete for every three bags we sell.

How cool is that?

If you are ready to get your Apera bag act now. They are having a 20% off anniversary sale through July 31: Enter SUMMER2014 at checkout. Check out their website for additional sales.

***

When do you use your Apera bag?

My Latest Boston Area Date Night Find: Legoland Discovery Center

Dinner dates are overdid. Movies can happen any day of the week.

Next time you need to plan a more creative date for your significant other may I suggest...

Legoland Discovery Center Boston

Now technically Legoland is located in Somerville at the new Assembly Row shopping area. This just happens to be across the street from my house. Why yes location is great when picking a date night. ;)

Normally Legoland requires adults to be accompanied by a child to enter the Discovery Center, but this location is now offering an Adult Night once a month.

July 16 marked the second at the Discovery Center Boston location and it worked out perfectly as the wife's birthday is July 18. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried. :)

I jumped at the invite to attend the Adult Night and you can guess it didn't take much convincing of my lego-loving other half.

We got there just after 7 to find quite a line of adults waiting to get in. We weren't the only excited ones.

After snapping a quick picture in front of a green screen, which had a couple options for which Lego background you wanted, we headed up the stairs to the Discovery Center.

I had no idea what to expect, but I figured it would be awesome.

We hit the top of the stairs and were immediately in mini Boston (aka MINILAND) ... made entirely out of Legos.

 

I can't imagine the level of patience this takes to get everything juuuust right.

The lights would rise and dim as the "day" would pass in mini Boston. When the lights went out, fireworks would go off on the walls above the Esplanade.

After taking in mini Boston, it was finally time to explore the rest of Legoland.

The Discovery Center for the most part is a large open space with different pockets of games and rides.

Check out the Master Builder's Office - Tori wanted to break in!

We headed straight to the first ride - Merlin's Apprentice.

They had each adult take their own cart to even out the weight. In order to keep your cart afloat you needed to keep your feet peddling. It was fu to be soaring above the Center seeing all of the people playing and laughing.

We had been there maybe 20 minutes or so, but the wife was itching to play with the Legos so over to the Racers: Build & Test we went.

She was so proud of her Lego car that survived the test track.

While she played with Legos, I took a lap  around to check out the snacks/alcohol situation. :P

I really wanted this to turn real!

The Cafe was offering snacks, as well as beer and wine! Just remember to bring cash folks!

I believe the cash only thing is for Adult Night Only.

With just 5 minutes before the next movie showing in the Lego 4D Cinema, we opted to wait for that before checking any other areas out.

We watched Spellbreaker in the theatre and it was really cute. When snow happened in the movie, they released foam from the ceiling to replicate the snow effect. I love a good 4D movie - it really makes the film come alive. There were three different Lego movies on rotation throughout the night.

But with our two hours going quickly, we wanted to take in as much as we could. So we were off to Kingdom Quest Laser Ride.

If the name doesn't give it away, your goal is to hit as many of the targets with the laser. Normally you can fit four folks in a chariot, but being a date night each couple got their own chariot. Bring on the competition.

My wife is the video gamer so she was slightly miffed in Disney when I kicked her booty on this type of ride. BUT she got her revenge on Kingdom Quest. I just couldn't get in a rhythm.

With time running out, we bypassed the Factory Tour and Model Builder Academy. Now we have something to check out the next time.

We did take a minute to watch folks compete in building the tallest structure while using one arm and not allowing their tower to tip over.

The energy was intense. Folks were taking it VERY seriously.

And just like that it was 9pm and the Adult Night was over. We took our time walking back to the stairs, soaking in the atmosphere and the cool craftsmanship of MINILAND.

We will definitely be checking this adult night out again as we missed some of the fun.

Keep an eye out here for more info on the next Adult Night.

***

So if you have a Lego nut in your life, I highly recommend checking out Legoland Discovery Zone Boston. Hey you can even make a whole date night out of it: American Fresh or Papagayo for dinner, Adult Night then J.P. Lick's for desssert. All in the same complex.

Come on over to Assembly Row and make some memories!

Monday Musings: Tori's Birthday & Iron Girl Triathlon Weekend

The weekend started off just the way I wanted it to ... with a happy result on the scale.

Despite being in the negative with my Weight Watchers Points, I still shed 1.6 lbs. Woo!

Now I have been consistently going to the Friday 8am WW meeting since my temp job ended, but Friday I had to skip. Now know I had a good reason AND I had promised to go on Saturday at 8am instead.

Why did I have to meet my meeting?

For a nice long bike ride with my friend Darcie. I'm so glad Darcie and I could connect for another long bike ride. Since the ride began in the city, I had a lot of clipping practice (clipping my bike shoe in and out of the pedals) as well as biking with traffic (cars, changing lanes, etc). We also tackled some big hills, which at the time I didn't know how handy that would be for later in the weekend.

I am still pretty new to biking outside so I was proud of my improvement ... and fell off the bike for a second time. Again it happened while at a complete stop. The first fall was into mulch and this time into grass. So at least both falls had some cushion. ;)

It's crazy how long a long bik ride takes when you count travel time to the ride start, actual ride time, breaks while riding and then traveling home. I left at 7:15am and returned home just after Noon.

Once the bike ride was out of the way, I could focus on the real highlight of Friday ... the wife's birthday!

She turned 34 on Friday. We started the celebration early with a trip to Legoland Discovery Center Boston (which is actually located at Assembly Row in Somerville) on Wednesday night. There is an adult night once a month and July's ended up during Tori's Birthday week. Hello Birthday Gods! It was a BLAST. I will be sharing more details and pictures of the event in another blog post.

On her birthday itself, we met for a nice dinner at Pizzeria Regina at Station Landing in Medford before she used her new birthday gift cards at the Lego Store.

Not sure her smile could get any wider. And yes I was the mastermind behind the Birthday Message. It is pretty much the peak of my Lego skills.

We headed home after the Lego purchase to share a bottle of our favorite wine - Door County Peninsula Winery Sunset Splash - and watched Spaceballs.

It was a great low-key night.

***

I woke up Saturday and decided to walk to and from the Weight Watchers meeting. It was fun to sit in on a new group, especially since I would be subbing in as Leader for the very group next week. It should definitely be a fun time. Plus, my friend Heather is the Leader so I love checking out her meetings.

After walking home, I made sure to clean my bike up since I would be racking it that day - the day before the race rather than the day of. This would be the first time I would leave Roxie alone at a race set-up so I was nervous. But I knew Iron Girl would have the space secured.

The Iron Girl Webster Sprint Tri that I would be competing in with Got Chocolate Milk was just over an hour away from the Boston area so we started the trek West early. Thank goodness we did as there was bumper-to-bumper traffic all over the Mass Pike. But, my neurotic need to leave the house early paid off as we arrived at the Expo just in time. Phew! The last thing you want to do it be late to an Expo that you are speaking at.

That's right. I had the pleasure of taking part in a Q&A Panel with Chocolate Milk Captain Chrisann Dalton. She is one amazingly energetic, compassionate and fierce human and athlete. She completed Iron Man Kona last year with Hines Ward. Yeah, bad ass lady! :)

Following the panel, which was super fun, we hosted a mile Shake Out run. It was great to see so many ladies coming out to stretch, shake out the nerves and refuel with some low-fat chocolate milk with us.

I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. Many of these women were coming out for their first triathlon and hearing the excitement in their voices got me even MORE pumped up for the following day.

Once the Shake Out run was over, it was time to quickly rack my bike at the race site, which was less than a mile from the Expo, before making the trek back home.

I wish we could've stayed out in Webster, but we needed to take care of the pups. So our afternoon/evening was light with a quick lunch at a mall's food court (salad wrap from D'Angelos for me) and some wheat pasta/sauce for dinner.

At the Expo we learned that the water would be too warm to wear our wetsuits. I slightly freaked out as I hadn't raced in just my tri kit yet, but I was ready to give it a whirl. But first I needed to get more comfortable in it. So yes I put it on and wore it around the house for awhile. Just to get the feel.

It was hard to NOT be self-conscious in it as it is designed to be fitted, but I was trying to push those negative thoughts out of my head.

With a glass of red wine, my Zensah compression shorts and socks on, and some Netflix, I spent Saturday night relaxing and making sure I turned in early because...

***

... the alarm went off Sunday morning at 4am. Yes folks you read that right. The race began at 7am and we had about an hour drive ahead of us. So out the door by 4:45 was the game plan. Since it was so early in the morning, we thankfully hit little to no traffic and pulled into the parking lot at 5:52. Woo! We hopped on the shuttle and made our way to the Start area so I could get my stuff set up in transition.

I will share more details about the race itself in a separate recap post, but here are some pics to enjoy in the meantime.

The race was a great experience. There are plenty of things I need to improve on, but I am taking away how strong I felt, how much fun I had high-fiving and cheering on the other ladies during the race and the amazing feeling I had crossing that Finish Line.

After the race, we had to walk my bike the mile back to the car, which was a nice little cool down. But, when I got to the car it was only about 10:30am. Ha! I really thought it was 2pm by then. I guess that is what happens when one gets up at 4am.

We hit a Dunkins before getting back on the high way home.

How did the rest of Sunday go?

Lazy. 100% lazy.

I wore compression. I snuggled puppies. I lounged. I stretched. I watched Netflix. I celebrated with a delicious beer. I read comments from other Iron Girl Finishers. I smiled.

And it was awesome!!

***

Every Monday I say how I wish the weekends were longer, but it is true. The adventures are amazing and I wouldn't change anything I need to go through to make them happen.

So now I turn back to my training plan and write out the next week. No racing this week so all practice all the time.

***

How did you celebrate your weekend?

Face It Friday: In The Negative & I Still Lost 7/18/14

My Weight Watchers week begins on Friday. By Sunday I was deeply in the negative. You may ask how? I was so active that weekend.

Well I was out-of-town visiting a friend and stupidly bought a bag of Baked Cheetos, which I proceeded to eat during the two days in the car. That bag rang me 24 PPV alone.

Additionally, I enjoyed some delicious beer and birthday cake/ice cream for my niece.

Now I can admit I didn't track Saturday or Sunday. I knew it was bad and didn't want to see how negative it was.

Then I looked in the mirror and told myself what I told my members: "Even if you don't write it down, the Points still count."

So I dragged out my iPhone from next to me ;) and did my best at estimating. On Monday morning, I was -28 PPV. Yeah that meant I used all 49 WPs and any APs I had earned. Ouch!

But seeing the number made me get up and move more.

I didn't care if I made it back to the positive I just wanted to lower that negative number as best I could.

And you know what happened?

I LOST 1.6 lbs!!

Woo! I really focused on sticking to my DPT (Daily Points Target) and Good Health Guidelines during the week days.

Plus, I made the rule when I refocused on June 13 to keep alcoholic beverages to the weekend ... aka DrinkEnd! :) There are obvious special exceptions like the race on July 3rd. But it has helped me to enjoy them more when I do have them.

Now I wasn't perfect during the week. I had a mini chip binge on Wednesday night - to the tune of 11 pts. But I tracked it and moved on. I also know it happened because I stayed up too late watching TV so I could pinpoint the issue.

I had no idea what the scale would do this morning, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Tracking really does work. Instead of just throwing my hands up on Monday and saying well this week is a bust. Tracking allowed me to refocus and come up with a new plan for Monday-Thursday.

So when you hear yourself say:

I don't even WANT to know how many Points that was!

Run to your computer, phone or Pocket Guide and look it up or guesstimate. Putting something in the tracker is better than nothing.

***

Since June 13, I have successfully shed 13.4 of the 15.8 lbs gained during my temp assignment. Yahoo!! What a great feeling getting back to the balance I know that works for me.

***

I had to skip my meeting this morning because I went on my longest bike ride to date, BUT I will be attending the 8am meeting tomorrow to make up for it. :)

The bike ride was exhilarating as I pushed new paces, rocked some hills and even managed to fall of the bike for the second time while stopped. Ha.

***

Have you ever ended up in the negative during a Weight Watchers week? How did the scale treat ya?

Replacing "Before & After" with "Then & Now"

Transformation Tuesday is a big craze where folks share their Before and After photos for weight loss, fitness accomplishments, etc.

Before and After photos have been around for ages. We all know what they are I assume.

This was in September 2011 and should've been titled Before and During

I couldn't wait to share my own Before and After photos once I hit Goal with Weight Watchers. I would finally reach my after and blast those comparison pictures wherever I could.

The dreaded Before. I look back on those before pictures with disgust at how big I got. I can remember how pained I was. Smiles forced.

Being able to post that hatred next to a beaming After photo pushed me through tough patches both mentally and physically.

But as I reached that forsaken After in January 2012, it didn't feel as euphoric as I wanted.

I was ready for more. The After wasn't truly the end... to me at least.

New Afters were swirling through my head:

* Run a sub 4-hour marathon

* Try a triathlon

* Tackle my fear of obstacle races

* Improve my pace

* Run farther

* Race around the world ... okay that is more race in places around the world ;) I'm not that much of a distance runner yet

How could I use the phrase "Before and After" when I wanted to
stop hating my Before and what I defined as "After" kept changing?

For months this little thought has been growing and cultivating in the back of my mind. What could I use instead? Sharing my story helps keep me motivated, while inspiring others to chase their dreams. But I can't handle the Before and After title.

Here's my idea:

Let's replace Before and After with Then and Now.

Then and Now offers a more open-ended comparison between two different phases in my life. It takes any negative connotation I may imply by shunning the Before and celebrating the After. I can continue to work to love the former me even when comparing it to the current me, which I am still working to embrace - faults and all.

Then and Now allows me to spread my wings and continue pushing my own envelope and expanding that comfort zone.

Will you join me in the movement? Let's celebrate the Then and Now!

RACE RECAP: 2014 Old Port Half Marathon

FUN RUN with the BFF = 2014 Old Port Half Marathon

Buoys as division prizes ... so cool!

I was pumped when my BFF Sarah's dad bought her an entry into the Old Port Half for her bday present. Since Sarah and her family live in Portland, we would be making it a little weekend trip.

First stop on Saturday, June 12 was the Expo. The Expo may've been small, but it would outside on a pier with beer for purchase and live music. Hey-o!

I want to thank Old Port Half Race Director Erik Boucher for having me at the race. I do want to share that I was given complimentary race entry and swag, but all of my thoughts are honest and 100% mine!

After a quick Expo trip, we had a lovely afternoon birthday BBQ for my niece Joanna's 2nd birthday.

Since we had a 5am wake-up call, we all turned in early.

After some grumbling after the early wake-up call, I dragged myself off the guest futon and happily got ready for the race. I brought some instant oatmeal to have prior to the race. It is nice to have a kitchen at your disposal when prepping for a race while on the road. Plus, Sarah lives pretty close to downtown so we didn't have to leave the house until just after 6am.

There was ample parking available around the city. Okay, we just parked in any lot we found and hoped for the best. ;) We asked a cop to double check that we were okay and he basically said we are parking at our own risk. Eh, we took the chance.

We immediately headed to the lengthy port-o-potty lines. While in line, I brought up the article from the Boston Globe where Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray shared his race pet peeves. One included folks forming one line to cover multiple port-o-potties rather than one line per port-o-potty. Shortly after I brought this up in a line that seemed to be growing rather than moving, someone made an announcement over the loudspeaker to form one line per port-o-potty. Hallelujah! The lines immediately started moving more.

Wife & I proud to #SportTheFort for Slumbrew!

But we were already cutting it close to the race start. We had about 15 minutes before the Start and still had to drop my bag at the Blue Trailer Mobile Lockers. Thankfully Molly was running a smooth ship and the line moved swiftly. I got my key, locked up my gear and Sarah and I headed to the Start corral.

I sent Tori ahead so she could be in place and get settled before the race started. Since Sarah and I were doing it for fun, I wasn't worried about getting to the right corral.

I will commend Old Port for trying to keep a lane free to the right side of the Start Corral for folks to shimmy up to their correct pace group.

Oh when we came to the back of the Corral, we spotted additional port-o-potties. Would've been helpful to know about those earlier. :P

We did our best to sashay our way up to the 8:30-ish corral, but we got stopped around the 9 min/mile pace corral.

While in line, we went over our game plan again of having fun, taking pictures and keeping the run around a 9 min/mile pace. Our only time goal was to finish in sub-2. The rest of the goals were for fun. ;)

The Start corral was full of spectators and the folks running the 5k option which would be kicking off at 7:30. They were actually taking a shuttle to their Start Line. Cool idea.

The race started out on the main street of Commercial Street. With parts of the street still open to traffic, we were actually running in a roped off area in the middle of the street. It was a narrow shoot so there wasn't a whole lot of bobbing/weaving we could do without possibly rolling an ankle on the old streets. We did the best we could, but again didn't want to waste energy as there was a large hill happening around Mile 3.

Mile 1: 8:52 Mile 2: 8:05

Can you tell we got into a better groove around Mile 2? ;)

After Mile 2, the ever-loving hill began. It weaved, it climbed and it just kept going.

Mile 3: 9:05

I know the hill takes a little more toll on the injured left hammy so I made sure to stay smart and strong. I slowed it down and didn't get antsy when folks passed me. I had to run my own race.

Just after hitting the 5k mark, we saw race volunteers waving frantically and yelling "You are going the wrong way!"

Ummm what? Apparently the folks in front of us were being led in the wrong direction.

We were among the first 15 people to be directed the correct way on the course. As we turned right and had the cool feeling of being in the "front of the pack" on the race, we grumbled that those folks probably wouldn't have to run all 13.1 miles. In reality, I would've been angry if my race wasn't accurately 13.1.

***

Before I continue with the race recap, I want to share what race director Erik posted on the mix-up.

Thank you Erik for being honest and owning up to the mistake.

***

We celebrated being on the correct course with a downhill. :)

During the downhill, I was trying to fix my bun when I lost the hair elastic. Ahhh! Sparkly Soul headband to the rescue. Phew. I was about to start asking surrounding runners for help.

Mile 4: 8:47

Once the hill ended, we took a sharp left and returned to Commercial St. We were heading back towards the Start Area before heading out on the second loop of the race.

I was getting a ton of cheers for my gun metal Sparkle Athletic skirt. The girls around me were jealous of my cheers. I explained to them how awesome the Sparkle Athletic skirts are. It is an instant crowd pleaser.

Mile 5: 8:33

As we passed the Start area, we waved to the car that was still there (woo!) and headed up yet another hill. Sarah had told me that the hill at Mile 3 and an incline at Mile 11 would be it.

Well apparently she thought the course would be down by the water during Mile 6 rather than taking the hill side. Oh joy! ;) I tried to just put my head down and barrel up the hill.

Luckily the hill began by passing the Shipyard Brewery so I just kept thinking about the Shipyard beer we would enjoy at the end of the race.

Mile 6: 8:57

Best friends can be in sync about many things including bathroom breaks. Since we weren't trying to PR, we took a much-needed port-o-potty break during Mile 6. One great way to celebrate climbing to the top of the hill. ;)

Everything was better after the bathroom break.

Beautiful, right?

My Garmin was pretty spot on the whole race so I made sure we took a mid-run selfie at the halfway mark.

We didn't even plan to have such similar outfits, but it worked for us. ;)

My left hamstring was feeling a little tight, but nothing that I haven't gotten used to since the pain started in May. (Yes I am working on the problem ;))

Mile 7: 9:40 (bathroom break can really slow the pace :P)

During Mile 7, we took a left turn onto the running/bike trail that surrounds Back Cove. We would be spending the next 3-ish miles running along this lovely spot of Portland.

Somehow turned on the black-white filter on my phone

This is definitely the top running in Portland as we had a ton of folks out for a fun Saturday morning run pass us while we were running.

Mile 8: 8:42

I want to commend the race for having 10 water stops throughout the course, including a handful of misting tents.

While out on the trail along the Cove, the sun really starting beat down on us. There wasn't a ton of shade available so we made sure to take in water and gatorade whenever available.

Mile 9: 9:03

I've been focusing on walking through the water stops during my races. I've heard taking that 10-15 seconds is wicked helpful for the legs during a race.

Sarah and I were having a good time catching up and planning for her and her daughter to come see my Half Ironman in September. :)

Mile 10: 9:20

During the Mile 10 water stop, I had to peel off my KT Tape as it was rolling off. I rarely have that happen, but I guess I was sweating that much?

Mile 11 took place over Tukey's Bridge. It was an incline, but not nearly as steep as the previous two hills.

Mile 11: 9:20

Once over the bridge, we took a right on Sewage Plant Rd. You can only imagine what kind of facility is on that street and the smell that it let out. Gross! If nothing else, that smell made us run faster.

After a quick turn around point, we headed straight down Eastern Prom trail to the Finish.

We just kept saying "Beer! Beer! Beer!"

Not sure the people around us were as excited as we were. ;)

Mile 12: 8:55

The final mile offered a beatiful view of a dog park as well as some little up and down inclines. Thanks Portland. How sweet of you!

Mile 13: 8:28

The last mile gave us time to decide what we would do when we hit the Finish Line - holding hands and doing the SNL Superstar move it is!

Finish Time: 1:57:44 (8:58 min/mile pace)

Success! Half Marathon #19 was in the books!

We had a great time and felt awesome at the Finish.

We scooped up our medals and headed for the food. I got a nice bottle of free water, a KIND bar and a hot piece of pizza from Portland Pie Company. I applaud Portland Pie for offering a Gluten-Free option for Finishers. They also had cookies and swedish fish for refuel.

We recovered our stuff from Blue Trailer lockers before stalking the Shipyard Beer Garden.

Each Finisher was given two complimentary Shipyard beers. Since the line was ridiculously long that wrapped around the Beer Garden, we grabbed both of our beers at once to be safe.

I felt bad that they ran out of Blueberry beer before my wife finished. :/ It is her favorite.

Sarah and I settled in to stretch and enjoy our beverages, while we waited for Tori to finish and her husband to meet up with us.

The weather was great to sit out and enjoy the 90s cover band. I'm not sure if the band was amazing or if they were just playing every song we love. I think a little of both. :)

We finally met up with Sarah's husband Brandon and Joanna when we found out that babies weren't allowed in the Beer Garden ... but dogs were. Didn't make sense to us. But we found a barricade so we could still hang out with them while we enjoyed our beer.

Joanna was rocking Sarah's medal. While chatting, Joanna decided to break into the beer garden - a gutsy 2 year old - to start double fisting.

Down that water baby!

She is a rebel with a cause. To distract her from the doggies in the beer garden, Brandon and Joanna went to cheer Tori into the Finish! She did awesome finishing in 3:00:11. Amazing job. I was so proud of her especially since I know she hadn't been training for the hills.

We enjoyed some more pizza, while Tori had her celebratory beer.

It is hilarious that we were calling it a day shortly after 11am. We needed some low-fat chocolate milk and Dunkin Donuts coffee.

BYOCM - Bring Your Own Chocolate Milk

Overall, the race was amazing. I had a blast with my BFF and fellow very supported throughout the race. Besides the snafu with misdirection and not alerting folks earlier about the additional port-o-potties, Erik and crew did a great job.

Special thanks to all the volunteers and police officers out on the course.

Plus, it was one sweet sweet medal.

***

Did you run the Old Port Half or 5k?

I'm IN for the #GlassSlipperChallenge!

Wahoo!

The Coast 2 Coast Medal will be mine in 2015!

***

That's right folks.Thanks to my lovely wife I am registered for the Princess 5k and Glass Slipper Challenge during Princess Weekend at Disney World February 19-22, 2015!

I am beyond excited! The Glass Slipper Challenge first occurred earlier this year so we will be part of the 2nd time. :) Oh yes I meant to write "we." The wife signed up for the Glass Slipper Challenge too. :)

The Princess 5k takes place Friday, February 19, while the Enchanted 10k is February 20 and the Princess Half is on Sunday, February 21.

It will be a blast experiencing a new race weekend at Disney. The only race weekend we have taken part in is the Marathon Weekend in 2013 and 2014.

***

On June 10th, the wife and I signed up for the Run Disney Rebel Challenge. Annnddd I may have fallen on the keyboard a second time and added the 5k to the mix as well.

For those that don't know, the Rebel Challenge is happening in Disneyland January 15-18 and is a Star Wars themed race weekend.

The inaugural Rebel Challenge is a 10k on the Saturday and Half Marathon on the Sunday. The 5k which I will also be doing will be Friday morning. So I am a marathon short of the Dopey Challenge. ;)

I am wicked excited. This will be our first trip to Disneyland. My wife is a HUGE Star Wars fan so it was an easy thing to get her to sign up for.

***

Since the trigger is pulled the only thing left to worry about are the 6 costumes - my favorite part of the Disney races.

Here are the four costumes I used during the Dopey Challenge in January.

***

Now I will have two coasts, six races, six costumes and nine medals!!

Are you signed up for the Disney Princess Weekend too?

Dani Dishes 7-14-14

On this episode of #DaniDishes, I'm showing off my latest bling, talking about the pre-race jitters and dealing with the constant struggle with comparing myself to others!

My Fourth Of July Weekend

Hurricane Arthur rolled into town during the Fourth of July weekend here in Boston, which altered the non-existent plans I had for the weekend. Ha! This year the wife and I had zero invites for BBQs. Not sure if I need to take that personally or count it as a blessing.

For my little ego, I will go with the latter. ;)

The weekend started Thursday with the Finish At the 50 10k.

While the race wasn't what I expected, I still love starting a long weekend off with a run.

***

On July 4th itself, I met my friend Darcie for a long bike ride outside. It was my first 30+ mile bike ride and we had the pleasure of experiencing sun, cold and rain while out on the bike. But I made it through...

... even when we had to carry our bikes over trees that were down on the path.

The rest of the day was spent snuggling in bed with the wife and pups. It was raining, thundering and blistering outside so it was great to hide away inside catching up on Netflix. I needed a serious chill day and it was perfect.

***

Saturday proved to be a nicer day so the wife and I took the dogs for a little walk so that we could get coffee.

After attempting to tire the dogs out, the wife and I piled into the car and headed to Ogunquit for the day. It is one of our favorite places in Maine. Plus, it is a decent 80-90 min ride from Boston, which is doable for a day trip.

Once we parked the car, it was time to get some steps in before lunch.

Marginal Way spans about a mile from Ogunquit Beach to Perkins Cove and is a great way to see the ocean.

Plus it helps to work up an appetite. Even though I ate my grapes while on the walk, I was ready for pizza.

Every trip to Ogunquit includes a trip to Corner Stone Pizza, our favorite restaurant in town.

I mean YUMMM!!

And yes I tracked every single delicious bite of pizza and sangria. :)

Following lunch, we popped down to Ogunquit Beach to walk along the ocean. I mean is there anything better than walking along the ocean, hand-in-hand with the person you love?

The beach was full of families, friends playing games and of course the occasional seagull eating a dead fish. The wife attempted to skip rocks, while I opted to just dip my toes in the ocean.

Looking at the water made us wish we were there for a full vacation, but I will take an afternoon whenever I can.

When I arrived home from a perfect New England Saturday, I was met with a great gift from my cousin Jen - a wine glass asking me to be one of her bridesmaids. :)

Jen on the left & me on the right

How creative? But, she forgot to include the wine. Silly girl.

***

All weekend I was looking forward to Sunday.

"But Dani, why? Sunday just means Monday is the next day?"

I know I know. On this Sunday however, I would be running with my girl Sarah from Mom Running On Empty and her husband Rob. I picked them up from their hotel at 7:15am and we headed to the Charles River for a fun 10-mile run.

Thankfully I know the Charles River pretty well from endless training runs so I mapped out a two loop run so we could stash water at my car for a mid-run pitstop.

Oh hey, mid-run selfie masters

It was a great way to catch up with out-of-town friends and took care of the indulging I had done the day before. :)

I <3 balance!

The rest of Sunday was designated for meal prep, blog catch up and prepping the launch of the F.A.S.T. virtual 5k and 10k.

The F.A.S.T. virtual 5k and 10k is taking place July 27-August 3 to benefit Tedy's Team and the American Stroke Association.

If you want more info on the virtual race, please read more here.

***

All in all it was one amazing long weekend with my wife and friends. :)

How was your Fourth of July weekend?