Disney Princess

Well, my friends.... it has certainly been awhile, hasn't it?

So much has happened in the past few months- I did a lot of training and feel I am becoming a MUCH stronger runner. Multiple times I managed to run 3 miles without having to stop and walk- that's a major achievement!

As you may or may not have known- a few weeks ago, I took an 11 day vacation to Orlando. My boyfriend and I spent two days at Disney's All Star Music resort, then hopped on the Disney Dream cruise ship for 5 days! It was amazing! I was still in training for the Disny Princess Half marathon so the first thing I did was check out the spa area where the fitness center was. I was super excited to do a run on the treadmills overlooking the ocean. But, when I went the next day all the treadmills were taken! So, I went to my back up plan which was the out door running deck on level 4 of the ship. It's 2.5 laps for one mile- so I did 5 quick laps and called it a day. I enjoyed the rest of the cruise- the relaxation, the Aqua duck water coaster, Castaway Cay island, Pirate night and fireworks! If you ever get the chance, I definitely recommend a Disney cruise- they're phenomenal (even if you don't have kids)!

After we returned from the cruise, we headed to Disney's Caribbean Beach resort. Absolutely stunning resort (plus a pirate themed pool)! I did my last run before the race at the resort. The humidity knocked me for a loop and slowed me down, but I powered through it. I have to say, that was my only issue with my training for this race. I did my runs in the New England winter, mostly cold days and lots of trips to the gym to go on the treadmill because of the 3.5 feet of snow and ice outside. My body wasn't truly ready for the Florida humidity. Live and learn though, right?

On race day, we got up at 2:30am to catch the shuttle to the race area. I made my boyfriend go with me even though he wasn't running- he did cheer me on throughout the course though. The race officially started at 5:30am and my corral took off at 6:27am. By mile 1, I was already a disgusting sweaty mess, but I kept up with my 3 minutes of running, 1 minute of walking ratios. Soon, the miles were flying by and I was having fun looking at everyone's costumes (some pieces of which littered the race course).

I have to say, Disney definitely is the best race I have ever done. They had water and Powerade at every mile marker. And every few miles they had medic tents with gallon pump bottles of BioFreeze. My legs held up pretty well, I only stopped around mile 10 to slather some BioFreeze onto my calves. I managed to keep trotting along, all the way across the finish line! My official time was 3:34:45. Not as good as I had hoped, but I finished and that was my main goal. If I do do another Disney race, I will try and start one corral up from where I was. I was having difficulty doing my jogging portions every now and again because I had to continuously weave in and out of all the walkers. Don't get me wrong, I definitely had many times when I walked, but I made sure I went to one edge or the other of the course. I was slightly disappointed about being able to run through the castle. I was really looking forward to doing that but once I hit the back of the castle, I came to a dead stop because there were SO many people going through the castle at the same time (a total of 26,000 runners!). We kind of herded our way through and then once we got past the castle a bit I was able to run again.

All in all, it was the BEST race ever! The 13.1 miles went by pretty fast compared to my last half marathon. Perhaps I was in a better mindset because I stuck with my training and felt stronger overall? Maybe it was just being swept up in the Disney magic? I don't know but I loved it!

My boyfriend and I after the race with some pretty sweet Disney bling!

There is another part to this story though! It turns out that my Princess medal is not the only shiny and sparkly thing I came home with! While on the cruise, my boyfriend proposed to me (on the grand staircase, in front of tons of people!) and I, happily, said yes!

 February 18, 2013

We haven't set a date yet. In fact, we are planning on at least a 2 year engagement in order to save up money. In lieu of all of this amazingness, I have decided to step up my healthy eating and living. I have come SO far in my weight loss, but I still have a ways to go in order to be where I want to be. I am challenging myself to lose another 50 pounds in the next two years so I am ready for my wedding and honeymoon (I would really like to be able to wear a bikini and not feel self conscious on my honeymoon). My goal is to get back into blogging. I am starting off slow, because it is the most hectic time of the year at work, and aiming to post twice a week. I still plan on running 2 times a week, and am going to add in 3 times a week of 30 Day Shred. I am begging you to please keep me honest with this. I often get overwhelmed by work and life in general, but this is a totally do-able weekly goal! I may just need a kick in the pants every now and again!

What do you say? Who has their kicking boots on?

For the First Time...

I felt like a real runner today.

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I was at the gym doing a 10k run for my current training. I ran the first 1.3 miles straight through, then walked for 3 minutes/ran 7 minutes for 90 minutes. I was pouring sweat, settling into a nice pace, pumping my arms when I needed an extra boost, and running through every excuse I had to stop or cut my run periods short. This chick managed to do 6.22 miles in those 90 minutes! Woohoo!!

I NEVER would have thought I could do that. EVER. And for the granted it's only about half of what I need to run for my half marathon, but the pacing felt good and I felt strong. It's the first time I've done a run and not been panicked about the possiblity of being swept off of the Disney Princess course.

I was, at one point, a week behind on my training, but now I am only 2 days behind. Thursday I am doing a short run of 3.1 miles and then over the weekend I am doing an 8 mile run. Once those are done, I will be back on track.

How is everyone else's training going? I stop by and read blogs when I have a free moment, I just don't always have enough time to actually sit down and write out a blog post of my own. Maybe once the holidays are done? Who knows, right?

Anyway, in other awesome news, I bought a pair of size 16 jeans at Marshall's the other day and I didn't muffin top over them! Plus, the size 16 jeans I bought at Old Navy on Black Friday are too big on me. I'm excited because while the number on the scale isn't going down, it is staying steady but my clothes are getting a little bit bigger on me. It makes me feel good. It makes me want to stick with my training because if I do, I might be able to squeeze into a 14 by the time I go down to Disney in February.

Here's a comparison just for fun, so you can see what I sometimes have a hard time seeing:

Myself and my friend Joe in fall of 2010 before I started running. Size 22

My boyfriend and I this past fall- after 2 years of running for me. Size 16

Here's hoping I can keep whittling myself away!

It Begins Again

This week marks the start of my new training program for the Disney Princess Half in February.

I took the training program straight from the runDisney site, so it is designed by Jeff Galloway and has my goal set as "finishing in the upright position". That's a pretty good goal, right? I'm aiming to do 13min/miles for the race, but I know I need to work up to that. I'm going to do my first run tomorrow of 30-45minutes. I plan on running the first 5 minutes straight through, then alternating walking and running every 1 minute thereafter. Considering I am meeting my friend at the gym in the morning for this run, it's going to be interesting to do on the treadmill. We will see how it goes, I suppose.

I feel so out of sorts after taking the week off from the race. Maybe it's the excitement of starting a new training plan, but I felt anxious to run all week long last week. Which is kind of funny considering during my last training there were times you couldn't have paid me to go out and do my runs because I was so exhausted. But, this IS a brand new start for a brand new race and I intend to do my very best, if not for myself, then at least so I don't get swept off the track! Seriously, I'm terrified of being swept! I think if I did, it would break my heart!

But, I'm not going to focus on that- I'm going to focus on my training plan and taking it one day at a time.
Here is a snap shot of the first few weeks:

Doesn't seem too bad, does it? I don't think so!

Well, that is it for now- I hope everyone has a great week!

Getting In My Own Way

I had a revelation while running this morning.

I've heard that happens sometimes, but I usualy have such a hard time focusing on just one thought in my head as I run, that I've never experienced it before today. I was struggling through a short 3 mile run- pounding headache, upset stomach, tired legs and back- it was awful. And all I kept thinking to myself was, "I suck at this.", "I can't keep a pace and I can't run more than a mile before I have to stop.", "Why am I trying to run a half marathon? I'm never going to be ready." It was like this the ENTIRE run. Just one negative, berating thought after the other. I finished my run and moped back up the hill to my house, kicking myself all the way for not having done better.

And, that's when I realized why my training has been SO horrible this year. I've lost the joy of running. I am the reason I haven't been running- not work, or family, or weather- just me. I've been so critical and harsh on myself that I just can't enjoy my runs anymore. I mean, Wowsers! Talk about a negative rainstorm on my running parade!

If we look back at my runs this year; the ones where I went out with no mile or time goal were my best runs. Why? Because I just let myself run and enjoy it. I wasn't focusing on time, or pace, or ratios, or anything else. I just popped in my Yurbuds and ran for the sole purpose of running. On my shorter runs, where I was trying to make myself go faster or farther, I self-sabotaged. I became so focused on making myself run and run and run, all while being negative about it, that I got in my own way and created a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I have to try and break myself of this habit. (Especially before my half marathon in 30+ days.) I need to relax and find my joy factor again, otherwise I'm going to self-sabotage myself during the big race and I definitely don't want that! How can I do this though? How can I go out and just enjoy my runs again when all I can think about is how unprepared I feel for the upcoming race? It sucks. On one hand, I know that my finishing time doesn't matter, just the fact that I finish. But, on the other hand, I'm so competitive with myself that I'm going to be so distraught if I don't meet or beat my finish time from last year.

If I can just get myself to stop obsessing and stressing, I might be able to meet my finish time from last year. But, honestly, I just want to be able to go out there and run and have fun and enjoy the race. I don't want to have to worry about time and pace and all that stuff. So, the big question is- how do I make all the noise in my head stop? (Besides turning my music up louder.) I wasn't planning on running tomorrow morning, but I think I may go out for a short run, with no watch on, and just run. It's finally started to get cool out in the morning, I even had to run with a jacket on this morning, and I love this kind of weather, so why not go out and enjoy it, right? However, I'm still open to suggestions on how to combat that big-mouthed, negative voice in my head.

Plateau Busted!

It's time to CELEBRATE!!

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I have FINALLY broken through my weight-loss plateau! That's right ladies and gents, I'm officially back to 205. This is the weight I was when I ran my half marathon last year! Woohoo! I still have 2 months until my next half marathon, so I'm hoping that as I continue with my training, I will drop those last remaining 5lbs (plus one or two more). That will put me under 200lbs for the first time in about 10 years. Crazy!!! I'm so excited and proud! As you all know, I had just about given up because I had been stuck at 210 for so long- but thanks to everyone's support and motivation, I managed to keep muddling through and it paid off. So, THANK YOU!

On another celebratory note, I decide to follow some of Kara's advice the other day and went out for a run. There was no mileage goal in mind, no set time limit- I just went out to run and see how far I managed to go. I did set my watch timer, but only so I could log my run. I started the stop watch and then put it in my SpiBelt so I wouldn't be tempted to check it. I maintained a steady pace for most of my run, extending or shortening my route as I felt. When I finally hit my street again (I did and out and back loop), I stopped my watch to see that I had been going for 1:20:07. Not too bad for "just going for a run"! I went inside and logged into my DailyMile account to put in my route. Turns out I did 6miles! 6 miles in 1:20:07?! Holy crap crackers, Batman!! Apparently, I need to run without my watch more often. I think I get so stuck in trying to beat my time and speed up my pace that I actually slow myself down by psyching myself out. Anyone else ever feel like this?

Anyway, it's a great feeling knowing that I'm back on track with losing weight and that I had such an awesome long run. Gives me motivation to keep going! Did anyone else have any amazing achievements this past week?!

Thank You, Kara Goucher

I ran yesterday. And, boy, did it feel nice. I went out and did a nice, easy run of 2 miles. Took a slow pace for most of it. The only exceptions were when I pushed my pace up the two hills on my route, and then when I sprinted the ends of each mile. I was pouring sweat when I was done, but it felt great! And, I finished under 30minutes. Woohoo!

I've been lacking motivation again lately (surprised? I didn't think so.) It's so hard for me to get back into a routine when work is killing all of my energy. I work with kids all day, every day. I love it, but it is EXHAUSTING. Being high-energy all the time is great- it's almost like a workout in itself, but by the time I get home, I want to curl up in bed and just sleep. It's also hard to wake myself up early to try and run, but this is nothing new. I'm just not a morning person and I'm okay with that.

I was talking with my boyfriend the other night about how I feel I have been slacking WAY too much for my upcoming race in October and how I'm considering not doing it and just using the extra time to prep for the Disney Princess race in February. I hate that I even thought that- it makes me feel like such a quitter. Ugh! Anyway, my boyfriend told me not to give up just yet. He said to wipe the slate clean, get back on the wagon, and see how I do over the next few weeks. If, by the time I hit September, I'm not feeling ready, then to wait till February. But, if I work through my road blocks and get back in the game, he would be there to cheer me on (for both races).

So, I pulled out a book I had almost forgotten I'd bought- Kara Goucher's Book: Running for Women.

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I cracked it open and started reading. I eventually got to the pages where she talks about her set backs and how she sometimes has periods where she has a hard time doing her trainings. Then, she put in a great list of suggestions to help make training a little less cumbersome. One thing she suggested was to change wording- instead of saying "I'm going to do 4 run days this week,", change it to "I'm giving myself 3 rest days this week,". She said it's almost like reverse psychology. I'm going to start trying that possibly. If not aloud, then at least in my own head.

Another thing she suggested was mixing up your training a bit (especially when you find it hard to stick to a particular schedule). For instance, I know I have to do 3 runs and a cross training/walking day. However, instead of making it every Tuesday is a short run, every Thursday is a tempo, etc, to try and mix it up as it fits into my week. That way you don't stress as much or get so down on yourself if something unexpected happens on Tuesday and you can't make a run.

One last thing she advises is to give yourself a break! (Seriously!) If you are scheduled to do an 8 mile run, but you feel you can't do it- just go out for a one mile run. First off, one mile is better than no miles, and , secondly, once you are out and running the chances are you will start to feel better and extend your run a bit on your own.

I've only read like 5 chapters in the book, but it made me feel so much better about my training road blocks. Just knowing that Kara Goucher hits some hurdles herself makes me feel that what I'm going through is perfectly normal. And that's comforting. It makes me think that maybe I can get back on the bandwagon and do ING Hartford in October afterall. 

Pride and Running

I am kind of proud of me, if I do say so myself. 

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And I do.

I had a very long day running programs with all ages of kids today and it was gross outside. I mean, sticky, hot, walking through a wet blanket, gross. I got home and sat down on the couch, knowing that that was the wrong thing to do because I had to get in a run today. I sat there for an hour, talking with my mom while my brother made dinner, then I got off my butt and went to the gym. (Considering how hot it was, I decided a treadmill run would be best for my sanity.) I didn't want to go, but I made myself do it anyway. Hooray for NOT giving into temptation and getting my butt in gear.

The gym was pretty packed, but I managed to snag a treadmill and started my 3.1 mile run. Instead of doing just 30min. like I have scheduled on my training plan, I decided to sneak in the Firecracker Virtual 5k I had to do. Needless to say, I finished in 46:03. Not too bad. I was hoping to stay with a 15min/mile, but considering how tired I was, anything under 47min was okay by me.

My plan of action for this week is a 30min run on Wednesday and then doing my 8miles on Friday before work or Saturday early morning (depending upon weather and such). That will put me at about 13.1 miles total for this week. I gave myself a goal of 50 miles and then I would treat myself to a massage. As of right now, I am 19miles away from that. By the end of this week, I will be 9miles away!

Also, I haven't officially registered yet (I will when I get my next paycheck), however-  

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I will be doing the Princess Half in Feb 2013!!. 

My boyfriend and I put deposits down on a Disney cruise for Feb. 17-21st and the race is on Feb. 24th, so we are going to stay at the Disney Caribbean resort after we get off the ship until it's time for me to race. I'm SUPER excited! I can't wait! Only about 214 days until I get to sail away! WOOHOO!!

 Anyone have any fun runs coming up?

6 Miles and a Happy 4th!

First off- Happy belated 4th of July everyone!

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I hope y'all had a safe and fantastic Independence day- I know I did! I got to spend my day at Mohegan Sun Casino. They have an amazing fireworks show at the end of the night, and wouldn't you know it but my boyfriend was on the pyro team! Woot! Anywho, we got to the casino around 1:30 and the fireworks didn't go off until a little after 9pm, so while he was working away and playing with explosives, I did laps around the casino, gambled a little, did some shopping, and then headed to the garage roof party to wait for the show. I walked around for about 6 hours! Holy crap crackers!

In other news, I've been keeping up with my training as much as humanly possible with my new summer hours. Today I was hoping to do a 6.5mile run, but I only managed 6 miles before I had to shower and head out for work. On the up side, I did those 6 miles in 1:29:50! Just under one and a half hours! HOORAY!! I'm kind of proud of myself, if I'm going to be honest. I was really feeling tired during mile three, but I managed to continue to push myself. I played around alot with my intervals. I mostly stuck to run 3, walk 1.5. But sometimes I would switch to sprint 2, walk 3 just to give it a little extra oompf.

My legs and back are already starting to feel a little sore, but I'm planning on going in my pool today after I get out of work at 12:30. Hopefully, the weightlessness and the refreshing coolness of the water will help relax my muscles while keeping them active. My next run I'm moving to Monday morning because Tuesday I will be very busy with work. It's only a 2 mile run so it shouldn't be too bad at all.

One thing I'm trying to do for myself this summer is to make sure that I have at least 5 out of the 7 days where I have done some sort of exercise- Whether it's a short swim, a run, a walk, Just Dance on the Wii, or even cleaning- I'm trying to fit something in. I've been stuck at 209-210lbs for the past 3 weeks and it is killing me! So, not only am I trying to increase my calorie burns, I've decreased my daily caloric intake. normally I stick around the 1770 range, I've dropped myself down to 1600 calories a day (this is not taking exercise into considerationg- with more calories burned, I can add on more calories to replenish my system). I'm also trying to more diligent about increasing my daily water intake. I keep a water bottle with me wherever I go, I just have to remember to keep drinking it throughout the day. Ugh!

I would like to be under 200lbs by the time October hits. Not only because that is when I have my half marathon, but also because I will be going on vacation to Las Vegas! I feel that this is a very do-able goal- I just need to stay motivated. Sometimes I get into these funks where I practically convince myself that I will never get through this plateau and under 200. Any advice on how to break that habit?

http://pumpkintoprincess.blogspot.com/2012/07/firecracker-5k-to-benefit-leukemia-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PumpkinToPrincess+%28Pumpkin+to+Princess%29 posted an awesome motivational status on facebook the other day and it really applied to me:  "The BEST muscle to work for weight loss?? Your brain. Change the way you think about food and exercise and it's affect on your health & you WILL change your body." I love that! Also, while I'm talking about Amy- check out her blog and register for her Firecracker 5k Virtual Race to benefit the LLS. You get an awesome engraved finisher medal too! Great stuff!

Anyone have any fun and exciting plans coming up for the summer?

The HeadDesk Dance

I am so tired I can hardly see straight.

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Yesterday I worked from 11am until 3am this morning. Oy.

First, I worked until 8 with my Girl Scouts, then I went into the store where I keep a part time job and did floor set from 9pm until almost 3am (today starts our big sale).

I count the floorset as my crosstraining for this week. 5 hours of lifting, unpacking, repacking, restocking heavy boxes of lotions/sprays/soaps/shower gels/candles/etc, definitely counts as weight-lifting and cardio. At least I feel just as sore as I would had I done 5 hours of cross training at the gym.

Speaking of the gym- I was supposed to go this morning at 5:45am, but for some odd reason, I slept through my alarm. I feel horrible because I was supposed to meet a friend there, but she forgave me for not showing up. So, instead of only getting 2 and a half hours of sleep, I managed to get about 5- yay! Needless to say, I'm running on empty today. I have another crazy long and busy day tomorrow, so I'm going to make my way through work and then probably head to bed early. We will see how this day plays out.

Before I *head-desk* myself, let me also toss in that I did my 4 mile run on sunday. It was the hottest day of the week (of course), but I still managed to do 4 miles in a little over 55 minutes. I'm still incredibly shocked by that and I don't know how accurate it is, but according to DailyMile and my watch, that's what I did. So, WOOHOO!

If The Running Shoe Fits....

I did it again!

It was a struggle this morning, but I made it out to run.

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(So maybe I didn't run 22 miles, but this is still about the same train of thought I had going on- except I focused more on wanting banana peanut butter frozen greek yogurt tonight)

Today was another fantastic run for me. 2 miles in 28:06. Not too shabby.

I'm beginning to see that my short runs are getting a little faster, as I'm able to maintain around a 14:00-14:30min/mile pace more often than not. I'm hoping this means my endurance for longer runs will get better also. I will find out on Sunday when I do my 4 mile run. Wish me luck!

Alas, there were no horn honks or random strangers cheering me on this time out, but it's okay. I still feel it was a very good run. I always feel so accomplished after I run- love it!

Oh! I have a fun story for you and want to know y'alls thoughts on this-

 I was talking with one of my cast mates last night and he asked if I would ever run a full marathon. I chuckled and said, "Most likely not." When he questioned why, I replied, "I have difficulty with 13.1, I can't even begin to imagine doing 26.2." He gave me a small smile, mulling over my answer, before responding with, "Yea, but I bet you thought you could never do 13.1 either, and here you are planning to do at least 2 other half marathons." I was silent. I, honestly, had never thought about that. 26.2 miles just seems like such an intimidating number to me. But, then again, when I started training for my first 5k, so did 13.1miles. I swore up and down I would never run a half marathon- and now, not only have I already done 1, I'm planning to do 2 others. The more I thought about it, the more the idea of running a full marathon intrigued me. I think I may do it (which if anyone knows me, you know this is a HUGE thing for me to say). If I do decide to train and run a full marathon, it will not be this year as I'm already commited to my Hartford half training again, but I may do it next year. Perhaps in February 2013 I will run the Princess Half and then start training for the ING Full Marathon in October 2013.

I'm not fully committed to the idea yet, but it is something I'm keeping in the back of my mind.



Honk If You're a Runner!

Alright folks, today marks the start of Week 2 in my Half Marathon training.

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I was scheduled to do a 30minute run, and I did. I actually ran a little further than 30 minutes- mostly because when I started out on my run, I decide I was going to do a different route. Instead of just shooting for a 2 mile/30 minute run, I opted to do 2.3 miles. The whole run actually took 33:10, which is pretty awesome if you ask me. I hit the 2 mile mark exactly at 30minutes. Woot woot!

As I was running today, I had numerous vehicles honk and wave as they drove by. It was kind of flattering and super supportive! My favorite was the truck that drove past, just as I hit the end of my run and started to walk. The man slowed down a bit, stuck his head out the window and yelled, "Don't give up honey! You can do it!" I waved and smiled, and debated if I should respond, but I was too busy catching my breath.
If I do run into that guy another day, I will be sure to let him know that I didn't give up and I definitely don't intend on doing so. EVER.

My run was pretty nice- cool weather, new path, kept a faster pace for a longer amount of time, felt good for the first 20 minutes before I started to feel myself slowing down. The only concern I had was as I was around 25minutes, my abs on my left side started to feel like they were pinching. Maybe it was from trying to make sure I continued to hold myself upright? I don't know. It didn't hurt or anything, just felt weird.

Anyway, sorry it's such a short update! I've got a very busy week ahead of me- lots of work and rehearsals till late because I open a new show this weekend. YAY!!

Wordless Wednesday Motivation

Take that Inner Doubter!



Half Marathon Training 2012 has Officially BEGUN!

Started off on Sunday with a nice 25 minute run (since I knew beforehand that I wouldn't be able to do it today). Up next, a 30minute run tomorrow.

BRING IT ON!

Happy Valentine's Day!

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How did YOU celebrate your Valentine's day?

Personally, I celebrated Valentine's Day on Saturday as both my boyfriend and I had to work late tonight. It was very nice on Saturday though! We had a nice dinner and exchanged gifts. I got him a Build-A-Bear puppy (since I couldn't afford to get him a real puppy like he wants) and he got me some gorgeous earrings. (Seriously, he spoils me like you wouldn't believe!)

In any case, I decided that since I wasn't going out to dinner or anything after work tonight (like most everyone else was), that I would go to the gym and get in a short run. The gym was practically deserted and I had my pick of treadmills. I hopped on one and got to it! I felt good for the first 15minutes but then I started getting a wicked cramp in my right side abdomen. I slowed down my pace but the cramp wouldn't let up. Eventually, it got to the point where it was uncomfortable to breathe because when I tried to expand my torso it was super tight. I slowed to a walk for a bit, but to no avail. I ended up doing 1.83 miles in 25 minutes. Not my best time, but not my worst either (and definitely not too bad considering the monster cramping in my abs).  

Anyone know a good stretch for the abdomen? 

Or what may have caused the cramping? 

I'm excited because only 11 pounds to go before I'm under my first goal weight of 2012! HOORAY!!
On the agenda for tomorrow I have a 2 mile run and a Zumba class. Just need to make sure I can drag myself out of bed in the morning again. But, I keep repeating my mantra to myself -Little black dress, Little black dress (my boyfriend says it to me as motivation also). 

Oh! As a side note- I'm still doing gluten free! YAY! I'm kind of surprised I've lasted so long. I just feel so much better not eating gluten. Less bloating and, definitely, much less lethargy after I finish a meal.

 It's a great feeling!

Enthralled

I've decided that this week, I'm going to post about my emotions leading up to my first half.

I can assure you that various emotions are making their way through me right now, but I'm going to try and isolate one per day and see how they change as the half gets closer. (Don't worry, it's not going to be a complete vocabulary lesson- there's some actual substance to my posts, I promise!)

The first emotion I choose to acknowledge is: 

Enthral [en-thrawl]:  verb (used with object) 1. to captivate or charm.

Similar words: absorb, charm, enchant, engage, enslave, fascinate, hook, intrigue, preoccupy, spellbind

I am indeed enthralled, captivated, fascinated, intrigued and preoccupied by this race. And, as we can all well see from my blog, I'm completely absorbed with it also. I've been prepping and training for this race since the beginning of the year- it has literally taken over my life (which is awesome because when things are difficult for me to do, I usually end up giving up). I've worked very hard on increasing my endurance and making sure that I'm not going to completely maim or kill myself when I do walk/run the 13.1 miles. At looking at my Dailymile, I've run 232.14 miles since January 1st of this year. Considering I've NEVER run before in my life, I find that to be a stupendous achievement (and testament to how enthralled I actually have become with this sport). I've also worked hard on learning to enjoy my running. Yes, the distance will be long and the route will be grueling, but as long as I have some awesome music on and keep myself in a positive mindset, I know I can totally rock this race!

I've even become somewhat preoccupied with what I'm going to wear on race day. Taking it a little bit further, setting up a plan on what to eat/drink before I go, what time to wake up that morning so I can be warmed up when I get to the race, making sure I have everything I'm going to need for post-run recovery (protein, electrolytes, ice, an ambulance, margarita in an IV) has taken over a large portion of my waking thoughts.  But, none of this is in a bad way- I'm not resentful of these thoughts, they actually make me excitement level kick up a notch.

So, the first of my many emotions is a positive, energetic emotion. That's always nice to see, right? Let's hope it continues on that way. 

What are some emotions you felt/do feel leading up to a big race?