Disneyland Part 6: The Parks Through Pictures

While out at Disneyland for the inaugural Star Wars weekend (recaps 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 here), we also made good use of our days enjoying as much as the Disneyland parks - Disneyland and California Adventures - as possible. We opted for the 3-day park hopper pass and found it was great for what we needed. The two parks are right across from each other and can both be reached by the same plaza.

Talk about convenient.

Many folks told me that Disneyland would be more low-key than Disney World and they were right. We didn't need to worry about booking Fast Passes in advance of the trip. There weren't any shuttle busses that needed to be taken.

It was also different having only two parks to make it through rather than four.

Either way I was ready to enjoy and soak in all the Disney magic.

We bought our 3-day park hopper passes through GET Travel and picked them up at the Star Wars Expo. It felt "old school" rocking a paper ticket to enter the park.

Let's start with Disnyeland.

How beautiful?

And there it was... the Castle!

Now it is definitely smaller than Cinderella's at Disney World, but still majestic.

Mandatory post-race Castle Pic! :)

I was excited to finally break out my Alex and Ani Disneyland bracelet!

We found Mickey's Toontown on the Friday morning was the PERFECT time to walk up and easily grab photots with four classic characters!

I heard someone say they could be getting rid of Toontown, but I really liked the feel of it. The little kids we saw were loving it... and I hit the gym while there. ;)

The wife and I had a great time battling against each other at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.

I had my booty handed to me.

OOF!

Our other favorite Tomorrowland ride Star Tours (which we definitely used a Fast Pass for more than once) and meeting Thor in Innoventions! He was great and met with each person in the group and took photos with everyone. The kids were just in awe.

And I impressed him with my bling!

Ohhh and how could I forget Space Mountain. The wife felt that the Space Mountain at Disneyland was wayyy better than the one in Disney World. It definitely went faster and felt more like a roller coaster. The carts also held six people (two in each row) rather than the three solo seats at Disney World. It did, however, lack the games you can play while waiting in line for the ride.

Critter County was under construction while we were there so I didn't get to see that at all.

Oh and if you didn't know Disney is Starbucks country so I had to suck it up and drink that while there.

At least they gave me a Mickey on my cup. ;)

But I was happy with my Disneyland treat on the last day - Mickey Pretzel.

It was delicious, but I'm glad I waited to enjoy it on the last day otherwise I would've had multiple. :P

I also appreciated the variety of characters (in addition to the four staples - Pluto, Minnie, Mickey, Goofy) walking around Disneyland for photo ops: Hook, Fairy Godmother, Peter Pan, Alice, Mary Poppins and Cruella Deville.

Cruella was awesome. The person playing the character was doing a spot on job.

Cruella to me: "I asked for black spots. Not black and blue!"

So fun!!

We had gotten Fast Passes for the 10:45pm show of Fantasmic on our final night... and fell asleep before it happened. :( FAIL! Next time for sure!

***

Downtown Disney

If you had a ticket to the park, you could actually take a monorail from Downtown Disney to Tomorrowland in Disneyland. We did it once just to say we did. Really I felt Disneyland and Downtown Disney were close enough to walk between, but it was nice to have the option - especially for families, sore race participants or disabled patrons.

I really enjoyed the beer choices at UVA Bar and Cafe. It was an open seating area in the middle of Downtown Disney.

I love when places offer flights so I could try multiple local brews.

We made a couple of trips to this spot including once with AJ and Ivie.

Downtown Disney, like in Disney World, offers a lot of general retail stores and restuarants, as well as, some Disney shops. The wife was able to expand her Vinylmation collection at D Street, while I picked up a new Alex and Ani bracelet at World of Disney.

We dined at Naples Ristorante the first night, which was okay, but a little over-priced.

We also ate at two restaurants at the Disneyland Hotel: Goofy's Kitchen (character dining) and Steakhouse 55.

Goofy's Kitchen was also pricey ($100 for the pair), but I know character dining is usually more expensive -especially for dinner. If we had a morning free, I would've opted for a character breakfast (also cheaper). But it was fun!

We were DEFINITELY not fancy enough to be at Steakhouse 55 and due to budgeting probably not go back there again. The meal for the two of us was around $150 - and neither of us got desserts (1 drink, 1 entree and 1 side each).

***

California Adventure

I would compare California Adventure to Hollywood Studios in Disney World. Especially since it had some of the same rides.

Now I will give The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in Disneyland a better scream maker than the one in Disney World. It had more drops and felt like a longer ride than in Florida. Once in the "elevator," they didn't drive you through the building like in Florida so they made up for that with more drops.

"Less build up and more thrill" - the wife

It was awesome and worth a Fast Pass.

There was a whole Frozen Fun zone, which was interesting. We saw an adult DJ party one night and it just left me confused. Haha. Apparently I'm not one to mosh or rock out while at Disney. :P

"A bug's land" offered a lot of cute rides mainly geared towards kids, but that didn't stop us from testing them out.

Cars Land offered our favorite ride of California Adventures - Radiator Springs Racers. We didn't have time to wait in the line (45 min) or get a Fast Pass so we opted for the Single Riders line and lucked out. We ended up waiting maybe 5-7 minutes and were scooted right up to the front. I am not one to have to be next to the wife on the ride especially if it cuts wait time and it was worth it. Totally awesome ride. Think Test Track but 1000 times better.

We also hit up Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, which looked sweet and innocent, but definitely whips you around.

And then there was Paradise Pier.

That Ferris Wheel. While I heard the Ferris Wheel - or Fun Wheel as it was called - was a quick ride (about 2 minutes to make a rotation), I also heard it was sort of scary as the cars move while the wheel turns. Ummm no thanks. I passed. But it was pretty to look at.

World of Color was also down while we were there. :(

The wife is a roller coaster junkee so she talked me into going on California Screamin' and oh boy did I scream. To make it up to me we then waited in line for Toy Story Midway Mania (which didn't offer Fast Passes - boo!)

And after searching the parks for two days, we FINALLY spotted Donald Duck on the final day at Paradise Pier! YAY! Donald is the wife's favorite character!! :)

I did enjoy that California Adventures offered some yummy adult beverages. :)

We took a moment to enjoy some of the Pixar Play Parade from the comfort of the Sonoma Terrace.

(First set of Parade pics from one of the four times we caught the Parade)

I also enjoyed my other Disney treat at California Adventure - Disney Ice Cream.

Also delicious, but not as good in my mind as the pretzel. But again glad I saved it until the last day.

***

We did find that with the park hopper pass we could have Fast Passes in both parks in the same day. That was AWESOME and wicked helpful.

Ohhh and I had the pleasure of meeting blog readers Casey and Leah while entering California Adventure one day! It was a cool treat. :)

***

Which park do you prefer: Disneyland or California Adventure?

Disneyland Part 5: #RebelTweetup

Do you love the Twitter? Do you have people you feel more connected to online than in your real life?

Do you wish you could meet them in real life?

Yes to all three for me...

... and that is how the #RebelTweetup was born!

Whenever I head to an out of town racecation I try to set up a meetup or tweetup or run-ins with folks I have been chatting with online. It is awesome to chat with folks in 140 characters or through Facebook.

But sometimes I would like to hear what their voice really sounds like. Ya know? Or see a picture bigger than a teeny tiny avatar!

So when the wife and I decided to head to Disneyland for the inaugural Star Wars race weekend, I enlisted my good buddy Linzie of Sharp Endurance to co-host a tweetup with me!

That's my Boo! :)

And if getting your Twitter friends from all over the country - AND CANADA - isn't enough... we handed out prizes! Oh yeah, that's right!

Big thanks to ShowerPill, SparklySoul Headbands, Zensah, Orange Mud, and Pro Compression for offering up some sweet sweet prizes to our participants.

We <3 ShowerPills!

For those that don't know here is how a tweetup works (at least in my world):

Step One: Pick a sweet location

Thanks Trader Sam's (located at Disneyland Hotel)!

Step Two: Invite everyone you know and love on the Twitterverse

My heart was so happy!

Step Three: Periodically throughout the established tweetup event time, tweet out how folks can win the prizes. We had folks find Linzie or I to show off the tweet or answer the tweeted question to win the prize.

Step Four: Take ALL the selfies!!!!

^^Feel free to click on the person's name below to follow them on Twitter!

Erika = @SuperErizzle

Julie = @AngryJulie

Amber = @EpicBeerGirl

Carlee = @CarleeMcDot

Alicia = @Alicia_Orozco

 

Kathy = @kathy03csi

Gillian = @FindingMyWeigh (Yay Canada in the house!)

Victoria = @Vfreile

Step Five: Sit back and feel your heart fill with love and your smile grow from overwhelming happiness!

***

This was two hours of awesome conversation, hugs, smiles, laughs, beer and Run Disney chatter!

Thank you to all that took time out of their vacation or Saturday to come hang with Linzie and I. We appreciate it more than you know!

***

Have you ever attended a tweetup?

Just 11 spots left in 2nd Annual Stop Stroke Shuffle 5k (Virtual & In-Person)

The 2nd Annual Stop Stroke Shuffle In Person and Virtual has just 11 spots remaining!!! Have you grabbed yours yet???

For those that don't know, I am running the 2015 Boston Marathon with Tedy's Team to raise awareness and fight Stroke! This will be my third-consecutive Boston Marathon with Tedy's Team and I run in honor of my grandparents, my father-in-law and all those affected by Stroke.

If you are in the Boston area, please think about coming down to run/walk/bike the 5k with me in person on February 15 at Noon.

We will be hosting the event out of Slumbrew's American Fresh Brewhouse at Assembly Row (in Somerville). American Fresh is a heated tent with ample free parking and access to the Assembly Stop on the Orange line.

We will have bibs, medals and water on hand. There will be beer available for purchase!

^^ Strollers welcome, but unfortunately pups need to stay home this time.

**PLEASE NOTE: this will not be a chip-timed race**

Register HERE for in person OR virtual option!

If you are NOT in the Boston or unable to join us on February 15, please consider running/walking/biking the charity 5k virtually.

A virtual run-walk means you do the 5k (3.1 mile) “race” at your leisure anytime in the month of February! Map out your own route, get your own friends together or jump on the old trusty treadmill. Your call.

This “race” is one to anyone all over the world.

I will provide a race bib that you can print out and fix to your shirt (if you want)!!

Register HERE for in person OR virtual option!

***

The Finisher's Medal is going to GLOW IN THE DARK this year!! Yay! Well okay the outer ring of the medal plus the 2015 portion will glow. But still awesome. I love it.

The $26.20 registration fee is a donation to Tedy's Team!

Register HERE for in person OR virtual option!

Face It Friday: No Weigh In, Blizzard 2015 & An Honest Tracker 1/30/15

Today I took a No-Weigh In. The wife started feeling woozy and sick yesterday so take a wild guess who started feeling those symptoms next. So last night I took some Nyquil PM and turned my alarm off. Taking care of us is more important than the scale. So I am okay with the choice.

Now this past week was not one of my finest weeks food wise. Not the reason I took the NWI. The number on the scale is just that a number.

I made the conscious choice to bring tempting snacks into the house when I knew I would be stuck in the house due to Blizzard 2015. Now I did do about 3+ hours of shoveling on Tuesday (day of the storm) AND went outside for a 4.5 mile run.

Bravo to me for getting out and getting active despite multiple excuses I could've used.

Next Blizzard I will keep the tempting chippy type snacks out of the house and move the healthy stuff (that I did have in the house) to the FRONT of the fridge and cabinets!

I had a horrendous week keeping my emotional eating and poor snack choices in check BUT I weighed/measured it all and honestly tracked. Why lie to my tracker? It only hurts me.

Since my tracker is never failure and only FEEDBACK, I have a new plan for this week. My week restarts on Friday!

I did a lot of good stuff this week that I will celebrate:

^ 10 straight days of tracking, 100% on activelink (10 APs) and at least 10k steps on my Fitbit ^ 16 consecutive days of drinking at least 100oz of water ^ Extended my running streak to 97-straight days ^ Successfully practiced self-forgiveness

I also had a sweet Non-Scale Victory (NSV) at an Athleta event on Newbury Street. Oh hey size Medium pants! Yes I had to buy both pairs because well they were Medium AND I was getting 30% off. ;)

***

Are you tracking honestly?

Disneyland Part 1: LA Sun & Star Wars Expo Fun

Who can complain when they are fleeing 20 degree weather in Boston for 70 degree weather in Los Angeles? Don't worry - it's not this girl!

The wife and I were psyched to be heading to Disneyland for the first time for the inaugural Star Wars race weekend (January 15-19).

Thankfully my mom was able to drop us off at Logan Airport to save time and money right off the top of the trip. Woo!

We took a direct American Airlines flight to LA. While a direct flight is nice, it is tough to be trapped on a plane for six hours. I tried to get up and walk as much as possible, but I still felt pain in my back.

Once landed at LAX, we took the Super Shuttle to our hotel (Alpine Inn) down in Anaheim. Now I can definitely tell you the Super Shuttle is NOTHING compared to the Magical Express. Haha. If you didn't guess that already. :P

The Super Shuttle roundtrip for both the wife & I came to $76 - the most cost-effective way we found to take the hour trek from LA to Anaheim.

We were the final couple to be dropped off and I was ITCHING to get out and walk!!

Hello palm trees!

We made a quick pit stop in the room to drop our stuff and make sure we had our Run Disney race waivers... and then we were off!!

I was on East Coast time and ready to eat my arm off. Yes I didn't bring enough snacks. #RookieMistake

As we took the first right around our block, BAM! There were the Disneyland hotels. I knew we were close, but didn't know it was THAT close. Score!

This would definitely come in handy on race days!

As we continued past the hotels making our way to Downtown Disney I spotted my first race sign.

Oohhh I was getting sooo excited.

After geeking out it was time to grab a quick sandwich and beer at La Brea Bakery. I highly recommend the BLT - delish. It was humorous I went all that way for a local beer and ended up drinking a Sam Adams (out of Boston) Rebel IPA. I thought the Rebel in the name at least went with the weekend's theme.

Now it was at the airport on this day that the black eye from a previous fall started showing its true colors - if you will. Dammit! The black and white filter on Instagram hid it nicely though. :)

Once we were properly fed and hydrated, it was time to make our way to the Expo.

But first we were stopped by AJ and Ivie and got to chat with them. We had only met online previously so it was nice to finally put a "bigger than your IG pic" face to a name.

I loooove a good Expo and was excited to hopefully spot some more familiar faces.

The Expo was held at the Disneyland Hotel. If we head back to Disneyland, I would love to spend a night there. It looked amazing.

We made our way straight to bib pick-up before doing to the merch/expo area. I had heard there was plenty of official merch there so I didn't feel we had to rush.

During bib pick-up I was able to meet a blog reader Liz and her husband. Liz's husband was in my corral and bought tickets from the same travel group so it was like I was following them around the bib pick-up area. Ummm hi! ;)

Once bibs were secured for both the wife and I, we headed to merch!

BUT first we got to walk through a very cool red black carpet welcome.

So cool and different.

The Star Wars weekend would be the first race in our quest for our first Coast To Coast medal.

We will collect the C2C medal during Run Disney's Princess weekend in Disney World in February. Woo!

Once inside we made our way to pick up our shirts. I would be walking away with 4 thanks to the 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Rebel Challenge. :) The Men's Medium however were too big so I went to exchange. They didn't have any Men's Small so I had to go to the scary side of trying on the more fitting women's shirt. Somehow I fit into the Women's Medium! Ahhh hello Non-Scale Victory! :)

Then it was time for the official merch area and found out that the Inaugural 19.3 Star Wars jacket I spotted someone wearing at Downtown Disney sold out first. Gahhhh of course. Oh well that's okay. I got myself an "I Did It!" shirt and a magnet. The wife got herself a Star Wars weekend sweatshirt. I'm glad they didn't have more I was interested in since I had spent too much money on Dopey Challenge gear last year. ;)

There are a few booths I will stop by at every Expo. First one? Sparkly Soul headbands of course.

I was eager to check out the Star Wars specific "May The Sparkle Be With You" headband, but they hadn't arrived yet. Oof! That was okay. I was happy to pick one up the following day when they arrived. The Expo was smaller than the one at Disney World so it would be easy to pop back over.

I also stopped by the Sparkle Athletic booth, but didn't spot Kelly to say hi. So I was off to KT Tape to pick up the Minnie Mouse tape that you can only get at a Run Disney expo. Priorities, right? :)

After stopping by some other booths, it was time to hit up the Run Disney Instagram booth to get our photo on!

I had to pick the dark side since the wife would pick the light side!

Yes the black eye also led to me picking the dark side.

As we were heading out of the Expo, I heard a familiar voice over the Expo speakers and saw the amazing Carissa in front of me. Carissa is an awesome blogger and Run Disney announcer. It is always a pleasure to see her and her little baby bump.

She even let me pretend to be a Run Disney announcer. Of course the volume was off. :P

I was channeling my past career as a journalist. Do I look like I am listening?

It was finally time to head back to the hotel and come up with our game plan for the following day's 5k race.

Oh but first a photo!

Thankfully there was a CVS on the way back to the hotel so we could get a 24-pack of bottled water for the hotel room. Hydration being my #1 concern with the adjustment from Boston winter to LA winter.

But the warmth was also going to play a part in my running so I wanted to get out and do a quick run before we headed to dinner.

It was amazing to run in a tank top. While the pace looked normal for me, I was dripping in sweat. Hello heat.

After freshening up and laying out my costume for the following morning, it was time to make our way back to Downtown Disney where we had a reservation at Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria.

I had the individual pizza with Red Wine while the wife opted for ravioli with Sangria. She loved her dish, while I was okay with mine. It just didn't hit the spot for me. The meal seemed a bit overpriced for what I had.

It was super easy to land a reservation at the Disneyland establishments on the Disney Experience app within a week of the race. We were a little behind schedule. Oops!

Don't worry everyone all of our Disney World dinners were booked awhile back. ;)

Since we didn't have a park pass for that night, we opted to head back to the hotel and crash early. I was totally on East Coast time.

Plus, I needed to make sure we knew exactly where to go for the next morning's 5k. The wife wasn't running in the 5k, but was going to come watch since the race started at 5:30am - which would be 8:30am East Coast time. :)

***

Next up: Star Wars 5k!

Dani Dishes: Life Update Plus Disneyland Fun

On this episode of #DaniDishes, it is time to catch up on the last two weeks of life including a black eye, weight management milestone and running at Disneyland! Also looking to sign up for the virtual OR in person 5k to benefit Tedy's Team and the American Stroke Association? Do so here!!

Face It Friday: A Manageable Gain, Disneyland & Tracking

Now when we last met on January 9th I had gotten myself back down to goal. Like goal on the nose - right at 155.

I was elated.

2014 was a horrible year for me weight wise so I am happy to be starting 2015 in a better frame of mind and a better number on the scale.

I was unable to weigh in last week because 1) I slept through my alarm to weigh in Wednesday morning and 2) I was out of town at Disneyland on Thursday/Friday. I felt okay with having the week off from the scale.

BUT that didn't mean I gave up tracking.

I made a deal with myself. I would NOT make myself track during our 5 days away at Disneyland IF I tracked every Bite, Lick and Taste up to that point... which I did. I tracked for 69-straight days before the trip.

When we left for Disneyland, I told myself I could enjoy whatever I wanted while there as long as I got RIGHT back on track as soon as I got home.

You know what? It worked!

I enjoyed a Mickey pretzel and a Mickey ice cream, as well as other indulgences... guilt free! I did make sure to wait and enjoy the pretzel and ice cream on the FINAL day of the trip as to not tempt myself to have them everyday. It worked like a charm!

We arrived home Monday night after having an absolutely amazing time. I earned 90 APs and tracked over 125k+ steps on my Fitbit. So yeah there was some moving involved while away.

Costumes from the Run Disney Star Wars 5k, 10k and Half!

But when I woke up Tuesday morning I got right back to business. Was the day perfect - not at all, but I wrote it all down. And it really felt great to be back to my normal routine.

So I stepped on the scale Friday fearing what the number would say.

155.6 - a 0.6 lb gain! Oh hellz yeah that is a manageable gain. I was thrilled. Cuhlearly being on track surrounding those 5 off-plan days and moving non-stop helped keep the scale in check.

Now can a belated gain show up next week, absolutely! The scale forgets it should be it's lightest on weigh-in day. There are also times when an off week can show up two weeks down the road. The scale is a fickle beast that only shows us one side of the journey.

I am prouder of the fact that I got on the scale despite the fear of the number. I could've hidden away, but what's the point. The number is going to be the same whether I step on the scale now or not. (Have I always lived by the mantra - no - but I'm working on it!)

The scale is always Feedback never Failure!!

The best part was going to Disneyland feeling fit and fabulous. I felt comfortable in my costumes and walking around the parks - something missing from my trip to Disney World last year.

I want to hold on to that awesome feeling as I continue to train for the Boston Marathon AND prepare for our trip to Disney World next month.

We are heading to Disney World February 19-24 for the Run Disney Princess weekend races (5k, 10k and Half). I made another pledge with myself: If I track every day between now and Feb 19, I will allow myself to enjoy Disney World tracking free. I feel again this is a good tactic for me and one that allows me to indulge guilt-free.

***

Does this mean there is no mental tracking going on? Oh definitely not. I have been doing WW long enough that I still have a tally in my head even when not putting it in the tracker.

When we got to the airport, I went to the "healthy snacks" wall at Hudson News and picked up Chex Mix and some Trail Mix. Yes I know I could've gotten grapes and yogurt, but I didn't want those and I hadn't had Chex Mix in months.

Again I said I wouldn't track, but for my own knowledge I needed to know the points. Why? So that the next time I tried to buy them I would know how much it would cost me.

Because once you look up the points of something - you never UNknow it! Am I right?

The bag of Chex Mix from Hudson News cost me 23 points. OUCH! Worth it in that moment? Yes!

The bag of Trail Mix from the "healthy eats wall?" Entire bag 28 points. My wife and I split it so 14 pts each. Worth it? Nope! But I live and learn. Now I know for my next trip to scan these items before buying - even if I am not tracking. Scan them because knowledge is power people!

***

So there are my life lessons of the last two weeks. I made some great choices. I made some not great choices. BUT I owned every choice I made, practiced self-forgiveness, re-found some confidence that was missing and got right back to business when "vacation mode" was over.

***

How do you handle your vacations when it comes to tracking/healthy choices?

The 2nd Annual Stop Stroke Shuffle 5k - In Person & Virtual

The 2nd Annual Stop Stroke Shuffle In Person and Virtual 5k registration is OPEN!!!

For those that don't know, I am running the 2015 Boston Marathon with Tedy's Team to raise awareness and fight Stroke! This will be my third-consecutive Boston Marathon with Tedy's Team and I run in honor of my grandparents, my father-in-law and all those affected by Stroke.

If you are in the Boston area, please think about coming down to run/walk/bike the 5k with me in person on February 15 at Noon.

We will be hosting the event out of Slumbrew's American Fresh Brewhouse at Assembly Row (in Somerville). American Fresh is a heated tent with ample free parking and access to the Assembly Stop on the Orange line.

We will have bibs, medals and water on hand. There will be beer available for purchase!

^^ Strollers welcome, but unfortunately pups need to stay home this time.

**PLEASE NOTE: this will not be a chip-timed race**

Register HERE for in person OR virtual option!

If you are NOT in the Boston or unable to join us on February 15, please consider running/walking/biking the charity 5k virtually.

A virtual run-walk means you do the 5k (3.1 mile) “race” at your leisure anytime in the month of February! Map out your own route, get your own friends together or jump on the old trusty treadmill. Your call.

This “race” is one to anyone all over the world.

I will provide a race bib that you can print out and fix to your shirt (if you want)!!

Register HERE for in person OR virtual option!

***

The $26.20 registration fee is a donation to Tedy's Team!

^^ Race bib and Finisher's Medal are still be designed. Thank you for your patience on that.

Register HERE for in person OR virtual option!

Dani Dishes: I Think About Food Constantly

On this episode of #DaniDishes, I'm sharing how I constantly think about food and asking you for your thoughts and advice!  

My Game Plan For Tackling This:

1) Eat On A Schedule

2) Try To Keep Busy/Distracted

3) Plan Indulgences To Avoid Worrying/Dreading Them Thus Enjoying Them Guilt Free

Tedy's Team Group Run: 1st Riverside Run (1/10/15)

This run would be mine! That's right. Despite seeing a real feel of -4 for this morning's group run with Tedy's Team I was excited for it.

Today (January 10) is my three-year anniversary of hitting goal with Weight Watchers (60+ lbs shed through WW and 80 overall). So there was a little extra pep in my step.

My usual running mates weren't going to make it due to injury and sickness so I know this would be more a of a solo run. I opted to leave the music at home since I'm now so used to running without it (thanks triathlon training).

The wife dropped me off at 7:50am and thankfully I had enough time to get some foam rolling in before we departed.

Today would be our first Riverside run of the season. A Riverside run means we take the green line of the MBTA (train) from Kenmore Square to the end of the D Line (Riverside stop). Once at Riverside, we run the 10.6 or so miles back to Kenmore. Why do this? Because we get to run on the actual Boston Marathon course and get some much-needed practice on Heartbreak Hill.

For those that don't know Heartbreak Hill is about three miles of rolling hills that hit you at Mile 17 of the marathon. So the hills themselves aren't horrendous, but when your legs already have 17 miles on them - they seem enormous! ;)

When we departed the train at Riverside (after a 30 or so minute ride - worst part of the experience), I bee-lined it for the bathroom (shocker I know) and had to take a picture of this awesome sign. :O)

After retying my shoes and locating satellites, it was time to get this run in motion.

Thankfully I've now done this run enough times that I actually know where I'm going. Tiny win! It takes just two rights and one left until you are officially on the marathon course. Oh the memories. Every time I step on that course I am transported back to race day for both 2013 and 2014.

Mile 1: 8:27 Mile 2: 8:42

Then THE right happens... on to Comm Ave and the start of Heartbreak Hill. I was all ready to snap a pic of the iconic Newton Firehouse, which is kind of the welcome committee to Heartbreak, but my phone decided to say this.

Apparently the iPhone is too lazy to have a "too hot" and "too cold" message so it gives the same one either way. Because as I mentioned earlier Real Feel was -4, which doesn't scream warm to me. How about you?

Mile 3: 8:35

Just before hitting Mile 4, I saw the familiar faces of our Tedy's Team water stop! YAY!

I look forward to these social stops WAAAYY too much! haha

Teammate Patricia and I

And I know you were all waiting for the obligatory: Margaret and Dani pic! :)

So apparently I was out there to run not gab! Huh. Who knew? So I hit Start on the Garmin and continued on OWNING Heartbreak. ;)

I was feeling really good. I don't know why, but I felt strong and in the zone.

I didn't look at my watch at all for pace, but instead focused on how I was feeling.

Mile 4: 8:07

Just before Mile 5, my phone decided it was "cool enough" to work again. Bring on the selfies!

And now I could show the slushy snow covering the ground adding a little cross training to today's run.

Mile 5: 8:38

Now as I mentioned Heartbreak is actually 3 miles worth of rolling hills with the biggest and baddest at the end... of course!

Here is where I mentally have to prep myself. There could be some swearing going on, there could be some internal high fives and there could be some promises of beer to myself if I make it up and over.

Hey! Whatever it takes right?

While running up this final leg of Heartbreak, I saw the kids of Dreamfar out there putting in some serious work.

Dreamfar High School Marathon (DHSM) is New England’s first high school marathon training program.  We are a Greater Boston-based program that teaches high school students that anything is possible, even completing a marathon.  With hard work, perseverance and guidance from dedicated mentors, our runners realize their potential as they train for the Cox Providence Marathon.

This lit another fire under my booty and I gave the hill everything I had.

This is why when taking mid-run selfies you take mulitple. They aren't all winners. :P

The final push was tough, but felt better than I expected. Not sure what was different about today's run than runs past, but I went with it.

Mile 6: 8:46

The amazing sight when coming off of the final Heartbreak Hill push is BC.

During the marathon there is a huge blow up arch that says:

From Boston 2014

A magical sight during the race.

With the major hills being over, the run continued to familiar ground: Beacon St through Brookline and back to Kenmore Square.

Mile 7: 8:17

The great thing about all the charity runners out on the course together is the sense of community. Folks stop at each other's water stops. There are tons of smiles, high fives and of course runner nods. :)

Our final water stop of the day was 7.6 miles in.

John was ready for us with water and gatorade. I enjoyed my mini luna bar before heading out to finish this thang. Am I cool enough to pull off thang? I don't think so. Doing it anyway.

I bobbed and weaved my way through the downtown Brookline as folks were out for brunch, etc. I tried to stay in the bike lane to avoid as much congestion as possible.

Mile 8: 8:28 Mile 9: 8:06

The only downfalls to running downtown are the people and the stoplights. Nothing like getting in a running groove and hitting every single red light. I was on that path this morning.

As I made my way down Beacon, I could see the final incline between me and coffee.

I've mentioned before this incline is just before the Mile 25 marker for the marathon so on it's own not that bad - at the point of the race it is? Killer.

As I looked ahead all I could see of the Citgo sign was GO... and GO I did.

I was going for 10.9 miles to make my 2015 year to date total a nice round 53.

Mile 10: 8:11

So I took an extra long route to Dunkin, which left me at 10.9 miles exactly.

I felt great at the end of the run. Could I have run 15.3 more? Not at that same pace, but I could've kept going.

I know I need to slow my long runs down as they should be slower than projected marathon pace, but today I let my body guide the pace and it felt okay the entire run.

I can tell being back at my goal weight is helping my pace and my overall feeling while running. Keeping excess weight off my back keeps that and my knees feeling better.

I opted to grab a coffee and wait for my wife at Dunkin. Of course I did some stretching while I waited.

Now I will miss the team's 12-14 mile run next weekend as I will be taking on 22.4 miles (5k-10k-Half) at Disneyland. I will miss the group, but I will be happy with the weather, costumes and character stops! :)

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Week 5 Workouts:

Sunday, January 4: 5k run Monday, January 5: 4-mile run Tuesday, January 6: Hill Repeats (2.8 miles) & 45-min Spin class (Turnstyle) Wednesday, January 7: 4-mile run & 2.5-mile walk Thursday, January 8: 5k run Friday, January 9: 5-mile run Saturday, January 10: 10.9-mile run

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