Listening to your body (and Disney getting more 'real' every day!)

This has been a strange week so far. Monday I had a great Cross Training session with TEAM Fitness. It consisted of an hour working the weight circuit, mixed in with step-ups, lunges, planks, and an 'ab' workout I don't know the name of. The circuit machines worked triceps, biceps, lats, shoulders, chest, with some hamstring and hip work just for fun. It was tough but good!

Then I came home after work to find my Magical Express envelope waiting for me! So excited to see that my Disney transportation documents had arrived, confirming that Disney will pick us and our luggage up from the airport and take us directly to our resort hotel on property. Sweet! We even got special luggage tags so that Disney can get our bags directly from the plane to bring them to the resort.

On Tuesday, I woke up feeling a little nauseous and kinda dizzy so I decided I just needed more sleep. So I did not do my Tuesday EZ Run and slept for 3 more hours. I felt way better the second time I woke up so it was a good choice. While I was at work, I saw a posting from a member of my racing team asking whether Disney had any discounted park tickets available for the Marathon Weekend (I had been searching for something like that and had come up empty). Well someone else on our team had the answer and posted a URL link to a Disney site offering discounts for Marathon Weekend participants. So I used that site and got a great discount! I saved over $100! I actually called Disney World first to make sure this site was legitimate and that the park tickets would be accepted during the weekend, and they said YES! Score!

Today, I woke up very tired so I canceled Cross Training to get more rest. I am thinking that my body is giving me the signal I need to take it easy for a while so I am trying to listen to it. Listening to your body is a learned activity, and it can help you to avoid pushing too much and risk injury. This was a cutback week for me anyways, so at least I am not really missing critical 'foot time'. My LSR this Sunday is only supposed to be 3 miles. Perhaps getting the extra rest this week is a good thing since next week, my training schedule has me running 20 miles (with a 12-mile LSR included).

This afternoon, I got more exciting Disney news! Disney posted the Waiver Form web site on the RunDisney page today! This is an important thing because you need to print out and sign your Waiver Form and bring it to the Expo at WDW in order to get your race packet with your Bib! So I was able to print the forms for me as well as my wife and son (who are walking the 5K race). So now I know my Bib #! It is #36,593 for the Half Marathon and #1820 for the 5K. Knowing my Bib #s just makes this whole experience feel that much more REAL now!!! This is going to happen!! The excitement level just went up two notches!!

Tomorrow I have a Hill Run scheduled. Hopefully, I will feel up to doing that (even though the temperature is expected to be 21 degrees with a wind chill factor even lower than that). The key thing in my mind right now is that I know I am ready for the Half Marathon. So while I want to keep to my training schedule (which is going into Taper Mode after Dec 18th), I also want to make sure that I do not suffer any injuries between now and Race Day at WDW. I have to stay healthy and rested in addition to physically and mentally prepared.

No way am I missing my WDW races after so many months of training and preparation!

Shedding pounds, training, and thinking 'Disney'

Yeah, I have been remiss in keeping the blog updated (is anyone actually reading it?) so I apologize. Life has been keeping me pretty busy, which is a good thing I think. Summer Camp preparations, an awesome Youth Conference in Minnesota, birthdays, work, etc. But through it all, I have been trying to stay consistent with my running and my weight loss. It is a commitment that I am going to maintain!

After running the Rock-n-Roll 5K, I felt really good. I actually went to my TEAM Weight Loss workout the very next day (Monday). I quickly realized my legs were still tired but I had a good workout anyway. Two days later, I finished another TEAM Weight Loss workout and then promptly jumped on a bus headed to Minneapolis for a youth conference called E.Y.E. And I have to say even though my schedule was pretty full from 7AM - 11PM each day, I still managed two morning runs, totaling 6 miles. (I was pretty proud of myself for doing that). The conference was located at Bethel University, a gorgeous campus with bike/run paths through trees and shrubs alongside a lake and everything! A pleasure to run there!

Coming back from the conference, I kept moving. This week, I did two TEAM Weight Loss workouts on Monday and Wednesday morning and a CARA 10K Training run on Wednesday evening. Then on Saturday I did my Long Slow Run with a new friend Mike Rice. We went for 4.4 miles, all but 1.2 miles of it was run at a 11:15 pace. It was 90+ degrees with 95% humidity out there and I felt a little dizzy after 2.25 miles so we walked a mile before running to our finish spot. For my first time running in that kind of weather, I felt pretty good about it. I definitely need to work on my 'run in the heat' strategy (I did not fuel up enough beforehand and I should have brought a sports drink on the run instead of just water). I am told that the most recent issue of Runners World has an article about heat that I need to read.

I weighed in at Weight Watchers that day, right before I ran, and I had lost another 2.6 lbs. That brings my weight loss from the date of the 5K to that moment to 4.2 lbs! I am now at 95lbs total lost! I think my goal of losing 100lbs before my mission trip to Mississippi on July 29th is going to happen! Yes! That will be great because I want to lose 30 more pounds before the Disney Half Marathon in January 2012.

And speaking of Disney, I am getting pretty excited! My sign-up for the Disney 5K and Half are confirmed, and I have placed my reservations for a room at the Pop Century resort. I have hooked up with a running group called WISH (We're Inspired to Stay Healthy) who do a lot of Disney races (my friends Mike and Beth are both members). Not sure yet who is coming with me. Certainly Christi is coming. I think my son is coming too. Cost is a concern, so that might be all (or, it might be just me and Christi). Still figuring that part out. If Ryan goes, I would love for him to run the 5K with me.

I am already trying to read everything I can get my hands on from WISH regarding all the prep work, training, and planning needed to be successful at the Half Marathon distance. Is it weird that I am already looking at suggested packing lists for ideas? It is clear that I have so much more to learn, especially about fueling for distance races/training runs. I am determined to be ready, and to remain healthy and injury-free while doing so. If all goes well, I will end up with two Disney medals in January, and perhaps two more next fall at race(s) at Disneyland.

My gosh, who got me into this whole running thing in the first place?!!! Oh yeah, it was Beth! Hey Beth, this is all your fault! LOL