Weekend Wrap-Up: #FaceItFriday, Tedy's Team 11-Miler & More Snow

Gah!! I was so busy having fun this weekend that I TOTALLY forgot to post about both #FaceItFriday and my Tedy's Team group run. Soooo using today's snow in Boston as an excuse to settle in and catch you all up. Ya know if case you haven't also been following my adventures of Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Well let's start at the beginning.

On a September afternoon in 1982, I was born...

Oh oops not THAT beginning. My bad all. My bad.

***

On Friday I woke early to get myself ready for my weekly weigh-in. I had a great week and hoped the scale reflected that, but I know the scale can be a fickle beast. I stepped on cautiously.

Woah! Down 2 lbs and under goal for the first time in ages. It was my lowest weight on the scale since August 2013. Hollah!

I righted the ship after 2 weeks of small gains. With marathon training tracking keeps me fueled, focused & not giving in to the Rungry Horrors that can attack after a long run or intense cross-training workout!

Also didn't give in to emotional eating this week. I'm asked all the time if I eat my APs (activity points) & you can see I use WPs & APs.

The morning continued with a special delivery: My 2nd Annual Stop Stroke Shuffle 5k medals.

How awesome did they turn out???? They even glow in the dark. Oh snap they do!

After leading my final Weight Watchers meeting of the week and finishing up the WW paperwork, I headed out for my #FridayFive run. I headed to Assembly Row (Somerville) to test out alternative routes for our Happy Soles 5k Run/Walk on the Sunday.

With over 60 inches of snow in the Boston area over the last 30 days, we've had to get creative when it comes to running routes.

Splits: 8:12, 8:10, 8:25, 7:59, 7:55

I slipped and slided my way around the Assembly Row area until I had four possible routes. I celebrated with a delicious Slumbrew Porter Square Porter and some arts and crafts. I had to dress up my koozie.

Further confirmation why the wife is in charge of my running costumes. Oof.

The wife and I had a nice relaxing Friday night watching some Big Bang Theory with my parents. We had some bad news delivered that one of our pups, Laney, will have to go in for surgery March 6 to remove four tumors from her knees. :/ Poor pup.

Saturday means Tedy's Team long run day. On the schedule this week? Another Riverside run. This means we take the T (train) from Kenmore Square to the Riverside stop in Newton and run our butts back to Kenmore. It comes out to just over 10 miles and you get to tackle the entire 3+ mile span that is Heartbreak Hill.

It happened to be a balmy 20 degrees (real feel 12) and the hill was a buzz with runners also training. I love the feeling when out there with hundreds of other folks putting in the work for the Big Show. Plus most of the folks are also charity runners.

I also love seeing the Newton Firehouse, which marks the start of Heartbreak. On this day, two firefighters were out cheering on runners and offering up some much-needed water, Gatorade and snacks! :)

While the true reason for the long runs is to train and prep for the race, I love seeing familiar faces especially when they are my Tedy's Team crew. It is truly the highlight of my week.

Lisa - my triathlon training guru

Margaret - the best cheerleader and water stop volunteer ever!

My thoughts on my 11-miler (I extended it so I could end right in front of Dunkin Donuts): Best run EVER on Heartbreak Hill in the three years of training for the Boston Marathon!! Woo hoo!

After a shower and a foam rolling session, the wife and I opted to go out to lunch. PF Changs won since we had a $50 gift card. We both chose the lunch portion, which really helped with portion control.

I ate my peppers for the first time. Yes yes I am a picky eater who is trying to branch out little by little.

But that fortune?!?! LOVE!

We had a pretty low-key evening as I did some work from home and tried to snuggle the pups as much as possible. Snuggling pups is good for the soul!

Sunday morning called for more puppy snuggling before embarking on a pre-Slumbrew run. With additional snowfall, I needed to get out to make sure at least 1 of my 4 alternative routes would be safe enough for our participants. Thankfully the main roads around the outlets were decent enough that we could do loops around. I let folks choose 1, 2 or 3 loops since each loop was roughly 1 mile.

I was so proud to see 12 folks - half new - brave the weather for a fun morning run. Oh and belgian waffles and beer! Mmm...

While I wanted to stay and play with everyone all day, adult duties were calling. We had to head to the grocery store to make sure we had enough healthy food in the house for the impending 10-24 inches of snow. Ummm yay?

After tackling the grocery store, putting food away, cleaning the house, starting some laundry and knocking out 1.5 mile walk on the treadmill, it was time to call it a night... but not before I shared this awesome news!

Ahhh all official! Yay! Wicked pumped to be running my 3rd Boston Marathon with Tedy's Team in 2015.

My three-year fundraising total has combined to raise $21,528 to #FightStroke! Absolutely amazing and inspiring!! :)

***

Wow! I look back at that weekend and saw DAMN I am one lucky person to have such motivating people in my life.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

#MotivationMonday: Succeeding After Struggling

For those that don't know, I have lost 80 pounds (60+ with Weight Watchers).

I hit goal with WW in January 2012 and successfully kept the weight off for about 2 years.

Until...

(Left pic) In June 2014 I faced the scale after a bad winter/Spring and saw 178.6! I had hidden away from the scale and lied to myself about the weight gain. But at that moment I reclaimed my mojo and got back to basics. So while I trained for my first Half Ironman I lost weight. I tracked, attended my weekly Weight Watchers mtg, focused on portions and fueling my body.

(Right pic) January 2015 and back at goal (155). I'm in a much better space mentally and still tracking, watching portions and refueling my body while I train for the Boston Marathon.

Many said they didn't notice my 23 pound weight gain, but I did. I felt it as I trained and completed two marathons in a week in April 2014. I felt it as my tracker sat empty. I felt like a fraud to my WW members. I felt it in my soul.

While I never wanted to have a gain of that magnitude after hitting goal, I'm glad I did as it made me a stronger and more resolved in my journey to maintain my weight loss.

Now I can say I am back to being a person who shed 80-pounds.

Can I say with 100% certainty that this won't happen again? No! But I am in a better place to recognize the warning signs of struggle, depression and general BLAH feelings that lead me to emotionally eat.

So if you have had a backslide, you are not alone. Start with one small change to help right the ship.

*RECAP* The "Moderately Challenging" Boston Prep 16-Miler

You know a race is going to kick your butt when it is humorously called "moderately challenging."

The Great Derry Track Club (New Hampshire) has put on the Boston Prep 16-Miler for the past 20 years.

My friend and Tedy's Team teammate Page brought the race up to me late in 2014 as a great "confidence boosting run" in prep for Boston.

Read as: It is wicked hilly. You will hate me while it is happening, but will feel better about yourself and Heartbreak Hill afterwards.

Spoiler Alert: She was 100% right!

Since I am a race pusher ;) I convinced my friend Lori to also sign up for the race. Lori is running her first Boston Marathon so I thought this would be a great race for her too. It would be her longest distance to date. Might as well go big, right? :P

I made sure to get the knees ready for a tough run with my trusty KT Tape!

Page, Lori and I took the drive from Boston to Derry, NH to tackle the hills. It was great to have some built-in support.

We easily parked at a local school and took the quick 2-minute walk to race HQ - aka West Running Brook Middle School.

The gym was a buzz with excitement, while my stomach was a buzz with nerves.

Now I know that I can stop running and walk at any point in a race, but for some reason I was freakin' out on this particular morning. I think I had built the challenge up in my head that I was psyching myself out.

I tried to distract myself by chatting with Lynn the race director and meeting some new friends. Okay "meeting new friends" isn't the right term. I basically went over and talked to two people that I had recognized from a handful of previous races I had done in the NH/Maine area over the last few months. Not sure where my confidence came from to go introduce myself, but I had to do it. I had seen them so many times I felt like I knew them. Sooo thanks Beth for at least not calling me a creeper to my face. ;)

We opted to toss our sweet swag - long-sleeved tech t-shirt and fleece neck warmer - in the car before heading to the Start. The Start was actually around the corner from the school on Humphrey Street. You could totally tell the folks that drove up from Boston since we all oohhed and ahhhed over the horse next to the Start. Oh city folk.

The field had 350 runners, which seemed to be smaller than year's past, but we did have poor weather that weekend so a lower turnout was expected.

Lori, Page and I were as ready as we could be for the run. There was a group of runners near us proclaiming loudly about how charity runners don't believe in Boston. As three charity runners, we scowled at him, but didn't let him steal our thunder.

The race had a small horn to signify the Start and we were off. We wished Lori a good run and Page and I headed off. I love finding someone that I can easily run with. Page is exactly that way. We fall into an easy rhythm and don't have to worry about pace. Especially on this day. It wasn't a race, but a really hilly training run. ;)

If you are going to have a tough training run, it's awesome when it is scenic... and New Hampshire does NOT disappoint.

Mile 1: 9:47 Mile 2: 8:32

While enjoying a few rolling hills in New Hampshire, we ran into our friend Julia!

She is prepping for the LA Marathon, which goes down March 15.

Mile 3: 8:35 Mile 4: 8:32

The roads were open to the traffic and with a recent snowfall the roads were tight. I can tell you there were quite a few cars taking the turns waaayyy too fast for the conditions and the amount of runners on the road. You would think with this being the 20th time this race was put on that the residents would be used to it. I guess not everyone was.

At least the hills were always visible so you could mentally prep for the next while coming off the current one. ;)

As much as I mention how almost every race in New England is compiled of "rolling hills," they create some glorious views.

Mile 5: 9:06 Mile 6: 8:39

I was really encouraged with how strong I was feeling on the run. The hills weren't putting up as much of a fight as I expected. Well I was being cautious since the rumor was the worst hill was near the end.

Prior to the race, my goal was to not walk up any of the hills. I didn't care how slow I jogged/ran up the hill I wanted to keep running/jogging. It was a much-needed pact with myself since many folks around us started walking. When I see others walking there is something in my brain saying that it's okay for me to do that too - even if I don't want to or feel amazing.

So this picture captures how awesome I felt after each hill was conquered. Grrrrr-eat!!

Mile 7: 9:48 Mile 8: 8:42

After we reached the halfway mark, I wanted to tell myself it was all downhill from there... but I'd be lying to myself. Oh I crack me up. :P

I couldn't believe we were halfway through the race already. It hadn't felt like 8 miles had come and gone. That is a good thing, right? It must mean all this training is paying off.

Mile 9: 8:46

Just after the Mile 9 water stop, we took a second to stretch, re-tie the shoes and have snack break (GU for Page and KIND bar for me). It was a nice little break before the rougher part of the course started.

Mile 10: 10:26

During the run, we started chatting with a local woman, who kindly let me know the worst inclines would be during Miles 10 and 12-13. Oh joy! I kind of liked living in the world of the unknowing and just waiting to see when the worst would hit.

But I was mentally prepped.

Page opted to listen to music during this stretch as her way to "get pumped." I opted to quietly curse while plugging along. I thought of good things like beer and my amazing Stroke Heroes to try and make the hill a little less daunting.

In reality? It was tough. I kept repeating: "Just F&*#kin' Move Forward." I am not one to wax poetically during a run so I kept it simple. :P

Plus the sun was shining and I was healthy. I really couldn't complain.

Mile 11: 8:55

Mile 12: 10:36 Mile 13: 10:25

Hellz yeah!! I did it! I was wicked proud of myself for tackling and owning Warner Hill Road. I may or may not have done a fist pump when I finally reached the top. :)

My left hamstring was sore, but no sorer than any other run I have done since injuring it in May. I do believe the strength training is finally working it's magic.

I'm not going to lie when we hit the half marathon mark I wanted to be done. Haha. I was ready to be in post-race mode. But Page and I agreed it was a good chance to get in a nice 3-mile recovery run. ;)

Page was having some side stitch and hamstring issues of her own so we opted for a little run/walk during the next 2 miles to stretch it out. She told me to go ahead. Ummm gurl I wasn't winning the race NOR would I leave her after rocking 14 miles together. I don't play that way. She was stuck with me.

Mile 14: 9:07 Mile 15: 9:27

I started talking about my possible Run Disney Princess weekend costumes to try and distract her from the pain. And you know what? It worked for almost 3/4 of a mile before she realized I was distracting her. Go me!

She was ready to finish strong and we did. We hustled our way up that final incline to the Finish!

Mile 16: 8:39

There wasn't a huge crowd at the Finish, but the announcer did announce our names and where we were from when we crossed. Yay! I liked the personal touch.

The official time would be slower than my Garmin as the race was a GUN time not a Chip time.

In my mind I am taking the Garmin time as official since it did take us at least 30+ seconds to actually cross the Start line.

Once over the Finish Line, we shot right in to the School cafeteria to get food. The race offered Domino's Pizza, sandwich wraps, Dunkin Donuts munchkins, bananas, chili and soup. Lots of food. Sadly no beer, but I didn't expect it in a middle school. The only thing that looked mildly appealing was the pizza and we both went for that before taking some laps around the cafeteria to keep the legs moving.

We decided to walk to the car to get Lori's clothes so she could change before the ride back. Man the little incline back from the parking lot felt a lot worse post-run. :P

Lori did an awesome job coming in right around 2 hours and 51 minutes. I was so proud of her.

We watched a little of the awards ceremony before making our way back home to get a celebratory beer at Slumbrew! :)

***

Overall, the race had a great fun local feel and it was cool to chat with a bunch of other runners training for the same race. Many around us were also charity runners so it was great swapping fundraising ideas and tips.

I was also happy to hear race proceeds benefited the Greater Derry Track Club Kids Summer Fun Run Program.

I do wish the roads were a little more closed or additional precautions were taken to ensure runner safety. I know it is par for the course in smaller local races, but there were some occasions where the cars were a little too close for comfort. Thankfully cops and volunteers were stationed at major intersections and turns.

I was surprised to not see any EMTs on bikes. Now I don't know if they were in any of the cars passing us or not, but I didn't notice any medical personnel along the course.

There were four water stops and 2 GU spots during the 16-mile course, which felt like enough on that day.

***

So the big question is: would I recommend this race to someone else running Boston? AB-so-lutely!! It really was the confidence booster that Page claimed it would be. So yes if you are ever training for Boston, I highly recommend signing up for this run AND supporting a local running club. Just be sure to bring your phone with you!!

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 4: Star Wars Half Marathon

It was finally time for the third and final installment of the Run Disney Star Wars race weekend - the Star Wars Half Marathon. If you are looking to catch up, here are the first three recaps: LA Sun & Expo Fun, 5k and 10k.

All caught up?

Yes?

Are you sure?

I can wait.

Nevermind. I can't! :P

Once again the race was set to start at 5:30am so the alarm trilled off at 4am for a third-straight morning. Thank goodness that 4am felt like 7am to these East Coasters. :P

I went through the normal routine: scroll through social media, drink some water, eat part of my KIND bar, put costume on and take pre-race photo.

The black eye worked the best with the Vader costume in my opinion. So I was freaking out about this costume because guess who left their black tank top at home? Oh yes this girl. So the black tank top I have on in this photo was bought for $10 at the ABC mart around the corner from our hotel the previous afternoon. It is actually inside out as the other side said "California" in block letters.

I know I know. No new gear on race day, but this was life or death. Well not really life or death, but a necessity. I was just hoping it would work. *Fingers Crossed*

We left the hotel at 4:45am, I dropped the nervous wife off at Corral E and made my way up to Corral A. I actually ran into a friend who was ALSO dressed as Vader. Why hello photo op! ;)

She went off to Corral B and I continued the trek to Corral A. So much space in between each corral. :P

I shimmied my way up to the Start Announcer area again and hung out waiting for the fun to start.

Carissa and Rudy apparently had enough of the costumes by the time the Half rolled around. ;)

It took some energy to drown out the people around me trying to one up each other with their finishing times. I'm not a fan of braggy people. Can't we all just celebrate being healthy enough to be participating?

I was trying to stay in a fully positive, I am lucky to be here frame of mind. I know everyone races for different reasons so I wanted to wish them well, but they were being a little pushy with trying to get up to the very front of the Start Line. So I focused on taking pictures. :)

And before I knew it... it was time to tackle the final adventure!

Here's the course for the Star Wars Half.

The plan for the race? Stop for all the character pics. I figured they would mostly be inside the parks (and that is what others alluded to) then I would be able to just kind of run once out in the streets.

The race opened the same way as the other two: with a nice incline up a ramp.

Mile 1: 8:45

It was dark out, but I was still super impressed by some of the costumes folks put together for the race. I also realized a lot of folks in the first corral were looking to really race the Half and possibly PR. Now I hoped that would lead to shorter character pic lines.

I would be proven very very wrong. :P

Since running in the road in the dark isn't all that exciting I am lacking pics from the first couple of miles.

Mile 2: 8:53

I try to take pics of every mile marker to remind me which characters/parks I was at when.

Here was my first instance of running past a photo op and having to back track to it. I didn't notice you could take a Castle pic so I snapped my Mile 2 photo than ran back to the Castle.

Good thing I don't mind extra running. ;)

Not sure where the official photo is (didn't see it online), but here is the iPhone version. I was starting to test out ways to hold the Cape to show off it's awesomeness.

As we came up to the first character stop - Luke and Leia - the line looked short. Until I went to turn into it and realized it was already twisting and turning - like a ride. Ooohhh k. This is how the morning would go. I'm ready for it.

Yes this was worth the wait. Also do you like my "I'm trying to look serious" face?

As we passed my the carousel in Fantasyland, I spotted a few Storm Troopers. You weren't supposed to stop and take photos, but I couldn't pass up a selfie moment with my guys.

Then I spotted a guy running in a FULL Chewie costume. I tried to take a mid-run selfie with him, but then I liked the blurriness of this action photo too much to shoot another.

And just after taking this photo, the next character op - Chewie! :)

While heading from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland, we had another opportunity to take a Castle pic. Which do you like better?

Yeah I'm going with #1 as well. :P Haha.

Just after we entered Tomorrowland, there he was and there the line was. Vader and his crew was set up in front of Star Tours and I entered the longest character line I have ever seen during a Run Disney race. This would be awhile. I started chatting with the folks near me, cheering on my fellow runners and texting with friends while we waited. I would wait as long as I needed.

It was worth it! Vader met Vader. :)

As we headed out of Disneyland, I stopped to take one last iconic photo. I do wish Marathon Foto was there since my phone didn't offer enough light to capture the awesomeness.

We said adios to Disneyland and made our way to California Adventure.

Mile 3: 36:22 (oh yeah baby - you are reading that correctly)

5k Split: 1:00:43

Made sure to say hi to the Jedis before snapping a selfie with my two favorite Storm Trooper Tinks!

While waiting in line for the Gamorean Guard photo, I was chatting with one of the cast members who actually remembered me from the previous day. He had taken my photo at another stop during the 10k. I'm guessing the black eye made me memorable.

The sun was starting to come up now and I was able to snap a pic while waiting in line for a pic with the Storm Troopers. Doesn't this look like it could be a backdrop on a set? Like Disneyland painted it?

I also thought it was time to grab a selfie with the folks kicking some booty!

Mess with me... mess with my troopers.

Thankfully all the stopping and standing around hadn't gotten to my legs yet. I made sure to continue to move and stretch while in all of the photo lines. Especially since I had a lot of miles left.

I mean how can I get angry at getting up at 4am to run when this view is part of the course?

Hello from Paradise Pier!

I mean hello.

It was at this moment that I ran into Ivie, AJ and Kara. This was a great chance to finally meet Kara in real life! We have been twitter friends, but missed connecting earlier in the weekend. She is a fellow AOII (Alpha Omicron Pi) and an all-around amazing person.

Photo swiped from Kara who may have swiped from Ivie.

My name is Dani and I am unable to look normal in a photo!

After chatting with them, we remembered we were in the middle of a race and should probably keep moving. Love seeing friends. I get sidetracked. So off we went. :)

Another stop for Jedis before...

Mile 4: 23:29

Now I knew our park time would be coming to a close soon so I tried to soak up as much Disneyland magic before heading to the streets of Anaheim.

Thankfully we had Cars Land up next.

Just before we exited the park, I saw one of the best signs so far.

It made me think of my wife and wonder how she was doing. Her legs were tired pre-race, but I hoped she would be able to dig deep and finish the Rebel Challenge.

It was finally time to hit the streets of Anaheim. I had no idea what to expect from this point on. I knew the course would be flat the rest of the way so I was appreciative of that.

While running down Harbor Boulevard, you could see the leaders making their way back towards Disneyland and the Finish. I love out and back courses like that. I was cheering loudly for them as they effortlessly (at least it looked that way) ran towards their medals. :)

Mile 5: 10:26

The first band looked awesome.

They were lively, energetic and playing some great tunes.

They also happened to have a bathroom. So I took the opportunity to stop, drop and port-o-potty!

<<Patting self on back>> perfect decision

Mile 6: 11:58

With a little spring in my step, I soldiered on.

10k Split: 1:46:02

The road was nice and wide so I spent some time bobbing and weaving through the crowd to find a nice hole where I could get into a nice running rhythm. I had spent so much time in line I was now way back in the crowds, which was fun to see everyone costumes. :)

The energy along the street was contagious.

I just wanted to jump in and attempt my own flag flying... but opted not to since these girls were rocking it!

Mile 7: 9:01

Ahhh how could the race be over halfway over. But I was having too much fun out there for it to end.

Apparently I was having so much fun that I forgot to take a pic of the Mile 8 marker. Whhaa?? How do you all know I saw it and passed it if I didn't take a pic. <>

The Mile 8 area also doubled as a water stop/Clif Gu stop. Don't worry I have pics of that.

Remember to hydrate folks!

Mile 8: 8:38

Now I had heard a rumor from past Avengers half participants that there may be some Cosplayers would be out during Mile 9. I was ready and freakin' impressed. Their costumes were ah-may-zing. They were happily taking photos with everyone.

It was a great photo opp especially for those folks that didn't have the luxury or didn't want to wait for pics inside the parks.

Additionally during Mile 9, I got to meet Elvis,

Trying to make an Uh Huh face

take candy from strangers,

and take a selfie with my friend Chris!

Also! How awesome are these signs?

Mile 9: 11:49

15k Split: 2:22:46

How could there only be 4 miles left in the fun?

We made our way through the residential neighborhoods and had some great spectators out on Chapman Avenue.

Mile 10: 14:23

**Note since I had gone back and forth in previous miles, my Garmin was ahead of the mile markers. Hi tangents! Therefore my Garmin had the character stops also on my Mile 10. Does that make sense? It will make more sense when I show my actual mileage at the end. :)

It was inspiring seeing how many folks out on the course were completing their Coast 2 Coast already! There were a number of folks that had their Dopey Challenge bibs from the previous week on their backs. Absolutely amazing and motivating.

I had to kick it up a notch.

My legs were feeling great. I was pleased I wore my Zensah compression sleeves for the race. They really kept my legs feeling fresh.

The high school and college cheerleaders and bands were doing an amazing job. Big ups to them for staying so positive and energetic for as long as they were out there!

Sometimes I think spectating can be harder than running.

Mile 11: 8:32

Oh a third Chewie to take a picture with during the same race? Yes please.

Mile 12: 9:04

And here we were. The final mile of the weekend.

I wasn't ready for the fun to be over.

Just before turning from Katelaa to Disneyland Drive and the Finish Area, I spotted a few folks and donuts I needed to take pics with.

I regret not eating a donut at the time. Thanks Sparkle Athletic for fueling the participants!!

Mile 13: 8:04

With being that close to the Finish, I was focusing on making a cool Finish Line photo and not snapping the Mile 13 marker. I had my cape flowing behind me ready to get that awesome photo when...

... I spotted Darth Goofy and lost my shit! :P I had to scramble to get my phone out and the photog caught this lovely pic. Oof!

... I had to snap a selfie with him right before the Finish Line.

And his hand is on my shoulder since that is apparently not allowed and he was guiding me towards the Finish. ;) It was worth it.

Even if this is the Finish photo I ended up with.

Finish Time: 2:55:11 Clock Time: 2:55:17

So again I started 6 seconds after the clock started. Cool!

Now you can see why my Garmin numbers were off of official Mile Markers as I added in about 0.6 miles of fun! :)

Yay the bling!

Oh and the Rebel Challenge medal. Just gorgeous.

I grabbed my water, snack box, banana and headed to the Party Area. But it wasn't my final destination.

Our plan was I would finish the race, head to Disneyland, grab us Fantasmic Fast Passes for later that night and then come back to see Tori finish her race.

Well I got to Disneyland 10 minutes before it opened so I spent the time explaining to folks coming up to me why I was dressed as Darth Vader, why I was wearing a bib and why I had medals. :)

Then found out the Fast Passes we wanted weren't available yet.

Sooo I grabbed a Castle selfie, got coffee and made my way back to the Finish Line.

Tori was texting me that she was hurting and getting close to the Finish Line. So I hustled myself back just in time to see her cross! Ahhh I was so proud. I was crying for her.

We went right to First Aid to get her some ice before heading back to our hotel to clean up before Park time.

***

Overall the race for me was amazing. It was worth the wait in lines even though it was pretty much the same characters all three days. I DO wish they had Disney characters dressed up as Star Wars characters along the course.

The Cosplayers during Mile 9 more than made up for a lack of characters at the beginning of the race. This was also a great opportunity for people to snap photos that didn't have the luxury of waiting earlier in the race due to time restraints for Finishing.

The water stops were plentiful and full of energy. The streets of Anaheim were alive and not boring as I had anticipated.

The bling was out of this world.

Do I wish there was more time spent in the parks? Of course. But Disneyland doesn't have as much park space to work with as Disney World.

I loved that you could easily walk to the corrals without having to take shuttles.

I was disappointed with lack of useable action shots from the Marathon Foto folks. Hence most of my pics in the recap were selfies outside of character stops.

I wish the Finishers' snack box had more edible treats. Of everything in there I only found the tortilla chips appealing.

The course was mainly flat outside of some inclines at the beginning.

***

Next up? #RebelTweetup.

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 2: Star Wars 5k

Oh I don't have to wake up at 2:30am. Oh I don't have to take a shuttle from my hotel to the Race Area.

Oh I don't have to walk a mile from the Pre-Race Party Area to the Start Area.

Folks - I am NOT in Disney World anymore! :)

Now I love all of the things I listed above as they are part of the Run Disney experience. BUT I can say it was sort of sweet to sleep in until 4am for the 5:30am 5k Start.

Once I was up, had some water, made sure I had everything for my costume and of course took a pre-race pic!

Ewok

We headed out at 4:45am to walk to the Start area... which was less than 1/2 a mile from our hotel (Alpine Inn).

I was lucky enough to be in Corral A so I headed to the front. I cannot tell you how exciting and an honor it is to be up in that Corral. I know I work hard at other races to be able to thoroughly enjoy the Run Disney experience.

Marathon Foto was out in full effect and since I buy the photos I make sure to pause for every photog. ;)

Since I was in my corral by 5am I was able to work my way up to the Start platform where Carissa and Rudy would be announcing from.

While Carissa and Rudy entertained the crowd and honored the sponsors, they were joined by two adorable droids.

Selfie Time!

Hi Guys!!

To entertain the corral before we went off, the race played on the scrolling text that happens at the beginning of the Star Wars movie.

It may be hard to read from my pics.

Now the Star Wars 5k is an untimed race that weaves through the parks.

I brought my Garmin with me just because I was interested in how long it would take including any character stops I did.

Oh and I forgot my goal for the weekend - like Dopey Challenge - was to stop at every character stop I saw. Time or pace mean nothing to me at Disney since I do have the pleasure of starting in the first corral. I have more time to work with.

I was so swept up in the pre-race entertainment that all of a sudden Rudy was counting us down... and we were off.

Ahhh yay! I love the start of any race, but especially Run Disney with the confetti. I want to start every training run with confetti. :P

Again this was my first time at Disneyland so the course and parks would all be new to me.

I saw the Rebels and had to stop - of course. They didn't have an official MarathonFoto photog, but there was a Disney cast member to take photos. I appreciate that Disney does have cast members at each official stop to take photos for participants with their personal phone or camera.

Since it is so early and dark my photos aren't always the greatest, but I like having something to post instead of waiting for official photos to upload.

Mile 1: 7:59

Even though the Castle is smaller than in Disney World, it is still an amazing sight.

With fewer people running the 5k, which means fewer people in each corral - I felt as if I was running through the parks alone. I mean it was truly magical.

Then I saw him... Chewie!

My Phone

Official Photo

Yeah worth the $$.

Vader and the Storm Troopers

My Phone

Official Photo

As we ran down Main Street in Disneyland, I couldn't help but smile.

We headed down Main Street and out of the Disneyland.

One last photo in front of Disneyland.

Once out of the park, we made our way to California Adventures via a backlot street.

Mile 2: 9:20

After Mile 2, we made our way into California Adventures via "A Bug's Land" then on to Cars Land.

Even in the dark, Cars Land is an amazing sight.

Since we were running out of miles, we made our way through the entrance of California Adventures towards Downtown Disney.

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But first - more rebels.

Even though the race was wicked early, there was great crowd support through Downtown Disney.

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I actually had to ask a couple of folks to scooch over so I could take a pic of the Mile 3 marker. ;)

Mile 3: 8:45

I get wicked sad at the end of any race because the fun is over, but especially Disney races. I reminded myself I did have 19.3 more miles of fun ahead of me. ;)

Since I was still pretty much alone, I pretended as if I won the 5k when I was coming down the Finish chute. Carissa even announced my name. :)

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A girl can pretend right?

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And just like that the Star Wars 5k was over!

I know my distances are always longer than the race advertises since I go back and forth getting character photos, etc.

Time to collect my first piece of hardware of the weekend. Now the 5k is pegged as a Family Run by Disney so you are given a plastic medallion over a real medal. I am cool with that, but some others aren't.

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After collecting my medallion, water, banana and snack box, I scooted through what would be the Finish party Area!

Not so bumpin' after the 5k. :P

I headed to the Downtown Disney area (less than 1/4 a mile from the Finish) to meet Tori and grab some much-needed coffee.

Unfortunately no Dunkin Donuts in Anaheim, so I had to celebrate with Starbucks.

I know I know <<tiny violin>>

With coffee in hand, we headed back to the hotel - all the while cheering on everyone else finishing up the 5k - to prepare for the day ahead... the Parks!

***

Overall the 5k was a great race. A little dark in some places so I did use the flashlight app on my phone a couple of times, but it was a ton of fun as always!

Pretty flat besides some inclines due to on ramps at the beginning.

I would definitely do it again!

***

Next up: Star Wars 10k!

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!