All of your Bermuda pictures (both from here and the ones I saw on Insta last week) made me super jealous. Looks and sounds like a great adult spring break trip!
 
All of your Bermuda pictures (both from here and the ones I saw on Insta last week) made me super jealous. Looks and sounds like a great adult spring break trip!

Thank you! It really was so fun and so easy (and so warm!)! I didn’t realize it was so close to the east coast. I flew through JFK, and it was only 1.5 hours.
 
giphy.gif


Trip Planning Interlude: Day 4 - Friday, April 5

My MagicBands shipped yesterday, so wow, this trip is getting super real!

When we were planning the trip, B, P & I had several conversations about how to balance wanting to “go, go, go” in Disney with not totally killing ourselves before the races. B & I did the Princess races a few years ago, and by the time the races started, my feet were shot. I know that’s not totally avoidable, but we are going to attempt to be a little smarter this time.


giphy.gif

With that in mind, here’s our Friday plan!

KmHf1Ia.png
B & P are running the 5k because they are braver than I am, and so my plan for the morning is wake up and get dressed and get out of their hair as early as I can — by heading to the Magic Kingdom, our park for the day!


I think I should be able to get there by rope drop, but I am not going to kill myself to do so. Priorities for the morning will be to wander around and maybe get some character pics, definitely get some coffee. I’m not sure what time they will arrive, but I hope fairly close to RD.

We have a reservation for brunch at The Plaza at 10:15 - I fell in love with the menu a few weeks ago, and I am still quite pleased with all the options. Plus, I’ve wanted to eat there the last few trips, and I haven’t been able to make it happen. All parties involved have early dinners, so this seemed like a reasonable way to start the day - and to be honest, I don’t hate the idea of having a mimosa underneath Cinderella Castle.


Fastpasses for the day are the Mountains - Big Thunder, Space, and Mine Train! We anticipate that the parks will be fairly crowded today, and the SDMT FP is fairly late in our day, so I think we will just try to get on rides that don’t have super long lines/don’t involve us crisscrossing the park like crazy.

um781xA.jpg

A few things I hope to get on: Dumbo, People Mover, Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor, Carousel of Progress (B’s fave), Philharmagic. If it works out, the Muppets Moments in History is one of my favorite things. I’m going in with low expectations and hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Last time I was in the Magic Kingdom, lines were over 100 minutes on everything and the park had to extend hours in the middle of the day to appease people. So I’m just hoping for better than that?

At some point, I imagine I will get a snack - I love Disney popcorn, and I’m intrigued by the waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow. Don’t want to get too full, as I have solo dinner planned at Sana’a!

8nRz33Q.jpg

B&P wanted to do dinner at Ohana, but I’m not that excited about the menu (plus I’m allergic to shrimp and tomatoes, which means I’d be limited in what I could eat), and I have spent far too long wanting the bread service to not do it this trip. After our last FP, I’ll head out of the park to AKL, explore a little bit, then have my (very) early dinner of bread and wine and something else more reasonably healthy.

I hope to be done with dinner around 7, then I’ll get back to the Boardwalk area somehow (right now, thinking about the bus to Hollywood Studios and a walk back to the hotel), and then will be in bed early to get ready for the 10K on Saturday!
 
You've got me itching to be in Magic Kingdom! I want to check out the breakfast menu at the Plaza. That one has never hit my radar before!
 


You've got me itching to be in Magic Kingdom! I want to check out the breakfast menu at the Plaza. That one has never hit my radar before!

I can't remember where I saw that they were doing it, but I'm super excited. My preferred park strategy is to get as much done during the first hour/90 minutes as possible, then have a late breakfast or early lunch. I'm happy that MK has another option now!
 
I can't remember where I saw that they were doing it, but I'm super excited. My preferred park strategy is to get as much done during the first hour/90 minutes as possible, then have a late breakfast or early lunch. I'm happy that MK has another option now!

We really like to leave Magic Kingdom at lunch and venture over to one of the monorail resort restaurants. :love: Grand Floridian Cafe
 
Week 5: The Cold Does Bother Me (Anyway)

frozen-gif-1.gif

I totally overdid it this week - I ended up doing finishing week 4 on Monday, taking Tuesday off, then working out W/T/F/S/S. Too much for this girl, at least right now.

Planned Run 1: 45 minutes
Actual Run 1: 45 minutes (3.1 miles - 14:29 pace)


I planned to run this outside, but it was barely above 20 degrees on Wednesday, and well, I’m a wuss. So, instead I went to the gym on my way home from work, and I hit the treadmill. I did 2 Aaptiv Workouts - Progress to Six and Tread Rock Journey - that got me to 30 minutes, then I finished the last 15 minutes doing my normal intervals.

(Note: I really like Aaptiv because I like someone telling me how to do things, and I just checked, I have 10 guest passes for people for a free month membership - let me know if you want one!)

Crosstrain 1: 45 minute Flywheel Class (15.7 miles total)

I signed up for this a while ago, and forgot about it until after the cancellation window had passed. Looking back, I shouldn’t have done it because my legs were so tired afterwards, but at the time it was fun. I love spin for cross training!

Planned Run 2: 45 minutes
Actual Run 2: 20 minutes (1.5 miles - 14:18 pace)


I overslept and this was all I could get in before the workday started. Better than nothing?

Planned Run 3/Simulation 3: 4 - 5 miles (60 minutes)
Actual Run 3/Simulation 3: 1:01:02, 4 miles, 15:15 average pace (14:06, 14:39, 16:36, 15:41)


Mile 3 has a massive hill in it (8% grade), so I basically powerwalked up that, but other than that, did my normal intervals. This went well, and it was actually pretty nice outside! I feel very comfortable in the 4-5 mile range, which makes me think that my next training plan should lead up to a 10k? (@DopeyBadger, I may have identified one in September to focus on after the Star Wars race).


Planned Run 4/Simulation 3: 7.5 - 8.5 miles (120 minutes)
Actual Run 4/Simulation 3: 2 hours, 7.63 miles, 15:44 average pace (15:07, 14:44, 14:55, 15:16, 16:13, 16:57, 16:32, 16:20)


I’ll just let my Strava recap speak for itself.

IMG_2527.jpeg
Sidenote: be my friend on Strava? Pls and thank you!

I am proud of myself for not cutting it short and for actual getting in a fair amount of distance; also, the average pace is still below the Disney cut off (barely), and it includes 842 feet of elevation gain. Could be way worse? That’s what I’m telling myself at least.

This week should be a little bit lighter, and I’m already planning on making my “cross training” this week be yoga or Barre classes because I desperately need to stretch more. I’m having a fair amount of hip and sciatic pain, and I know that’s because I’m not stretching the way that I should. Ugh, who said running was an easy and cheap sport? ;)
 


I feel very comfortable in the 4-5 mile range, which makes me think that my next training plan should lead up to a 10k? (@DopeyBadger, I may have identified one in September to focus on after the Star Wars race).

Sounds like a plan!

I think you are being too hard on yourself. Look at the GAP (grade adjusted pacing) for these two runs.

Planned Run 3/Simulation 3: 4 - 5 miles (60 minutes)
Actual Run 3/Simulation 3: 1:01:02, 4 miles, 15:15 average pace (14:06, 14:39, 16:36, 15:41)


Mile 3 has a massive hill in it (8% grade), so I basically powerwalked up that, but other than that, did my normal intervals.

Screen Shot 2019-03-12 at 10.23.57 AM.png

So mile 3 had the massive elevation gain (128 ft net gain), but as you can see from the GAP you actually ran it really really well. That pace of 14:36 lines up quite well with mile 1 and 2. Not something you could see in the moment during the run, but post-run shows you handled it appropriately given the elevation gain.

Planned Run 4/Simulation 3: 7.5 - 8.5 miles (120 minutes)
Actual Run 4/Simulation 3: 2 hours, 7.63 miles, 15:44 average pace (15:07, 14:44, 14:55, 15:16, 16:13, 16:57, 16:32, 16:20)

Screen Shot 2019-03-12 at 10.23.33 AM.png

Same here. The paces on the surface would show a fairly large fade. But I'd say it was more a matter of mile 2 and 3 being a little bit too fast, than 4/5/6/7 being too slow. Looks actually fairly even across the board to me when using GAP. So while it may have felt like a struggle bus, from a pace perspective you were very close to even.

Did either of these runs mentally feel tough when you felt like you were putting in a decent effort and yet the splits were coming back slower and slower? Because it looks like it was all a matter of the terrain more than anything else from my perspective (the HR was fairly even across the board matching the GAP fluctuations).

I'd look at these two runs and be super proud. In the moment they might have felt deflating, but the elevation changes were no joke and post-run data says you ran these quite well.
 
Thank you for all of your thoughts - I really appreciate it!

Sounds like a plan!

I have a few loose ideas, but I am ready to get back to it (provided I survive the challenge in a few weeks)! Right now, I am confident in my assertion that a 10k is my sweet spot.

That pace of 14:36 lines up quite well with mile 1 and 2. Not something you could see in the moment during the run, but post-run shows you handled it appropriately given the elevation gain.

I always forget about GAP - thank you for reminding me! I'm actually pretty happy with this one, considering that I definitely turned off the tabata trainer and just trucked it up the hill. According to Strava, Saturday was actually a PR on the Connecticut Avenue Climb (374 ft/30% grade in 0.2 miles), so I'm not mad about that one at all. I'm really not mad at anything about Saturday.

Did either of these runs mentally feel tough when you felt like you were putting in a decent effort and yet the splits were coming back slower and slower? Because it looks like it was all a matter of the terrain more than anything else from my perspective (the HR was fairly even across the board matching the GAP fluctuations).

I think the difference between Saturday and Sunday is that I just gave up mentally on Sunday about 4 miles in. Saturday was a good run, paces were on, and I felt great at the end of it. Sunday, I just gave up - I went from my normal intervals, to slightly more stretched out intervals, to just walking. Yes, I finished the distance on Sunday, and my pace wasn't that far off, I'm just concerned that I couldn't pull it together in my brain.
 
I think the difference between Saturday and Sunday is that I just gave up mentally on Sunday about 4 miles in. Saturday was a good run, paces were on, and I felt great at the end of it. Sunday, I just gave up - I went from my normal intervals, to slightly more stretched out intervals, to just walking. Yes, I finished the distance on Sunday, and my pace wasn't that far off, I'm just concerned that I couldn't pull it together in my brain.

It happens to everyone along the way. The key is trying to learn from it as best you can. Figure out what the triggers were for the mental give-up and see if those can be avoided on future training runs/races.
 
It happens to everyone along the way. The key is trying to learn from it as best you can. Figure out what the triggers were for the mental give-up and see if those can be avoided on future training runs/races.

Yup - I've been thinking about it, and I think it was cumulative fatigue, combined with a not great breakfast (a small slice of leftover pizza, coffee, and water is not adequate fuel) and not sleeping more than 6 hours. All things that should be an easy fix before the next long run this weekend!
 
Trip Planning Interlude - Day 5, Saturday, April 6

I think I mentioned this in an earlier post, but B & I did the Princess Half a few years ago, and we are trying to be smarter in 2019 than we were in 2015.

In 2015, we only had a few days at Disney, and all of our park days were pre-race. Dumb, dumb, first timer mistakes. I did the 5k on Friday followed by Magic Kingdom, then we did both Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios on Saturday, and then the Half on Sunday (followed by Epcot and Drinking around the World). Uffda - just typing that makes me really tired.

IMG_0799.jpeg
Look how young and cute we were!

One of B’s conditions was that we take Saturday easy, and I was more than happy to agree, especially as we are doing the challenge. Why am I telling you all of this? Because Saturday is going to be not super full of fun details.

We’ll start the morning by running a quick 6.2 miles around the parks (I hope more than one park, at least!). I’m sure I’ll have more of a race plan as we get closer to it, but right now it’s “don’t die.” I’m excited to end by Epcot because then we are at least pretty close to the hotel. I guess we’ll still have to take a bus back to the hotel? I don’t really want to waste a park day ticket on just cutting through to get to the IG. Things to think about.

First official plan of the day is a reservation at 10:05 AM for Bon Voyage Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno. The menu looks delicious, I love the characters that are there, and it’s on the Boardwalk. Done and done.

Our next plan is dinner at Mario and Enzo at 5 PM - this will be our second time in Disney Springs this trip, so I imagine this will be a quick in and out for dinner. I’ve looked at the menu and I’m not sure what I’ll order, but I’m sure I will be able to find something appropriately carb-full and tomato-less. If not, there’s always the pizza window at the Boardwalk.

IMG_0783.jpeg
Carbloading with the best beer out there.

In between, I foresee a fair amount of pool time (with lots of sunscreen because I’m super pale) and lazing about. Probably a pool beer because I’m all for carb loading like a Kenyan. Trying to keep off the feet as much as possible before the Half the next day. I feel like I’ll be tempted to nap, but I think that would be bad since I want to get to bed early for the race the next morning. We will see!

IMG_0793.jpeg
Obviously this is from last time, but I was looking for "interesting pictures."
 
Trip Planning Interlude - Day 6, Sunday, April 7

HALF MARATHON DAY!!


giphy.mp4

Here it is! The reason for the trip! Definitely not just going there to eat and drink with friends.

So, I’m sure I’ll wake up early, have my standard pre-long run breakfast (Nuun, Coffee, Cinnamon Raisin Bagel and a banana), and head to the corrals. All three of us are in the last one because we are challenge runners and no one had a good POT…so let’s hope race day adrenaline kicks in and I don’t get swept.

We’ll run, it will be great. I don’t really love a ton of Star Wars characters (blasphemous, I know), so I am hoping that will help me stay ahead of the balloon ladies. Finish, take a medal shot, get some champagne, celebrate! WOOO!

IMG_0821.jpeg


But the day doesn’t end there! We will all scamper back to the Boardwalk, shower and get our fanciest duds on (and most comfortable shoes) because we are headed to the California Grill for brunch! This was my number 1 want for the trip — after reading allll the reviews, how could I pass it up? Anyway, I am so so so excited for this, and I feel like I will totally make up that half-marathon caloric burn.

YUQMW7V.gif

Serious question: how many mimosas is too many mimosas?


2gbjxquv5il11.gif


We have some MK fast passes for late afternoon - all slow rides - my thought was that would be best post limitless mimosas.

3:15 - 4:15: Haunted Mansion
5:00 - 6:00: Jungle Cruise
6:05 - 7:05: Peter Pan’s Flight


Following those rides and whatever else appeals, we will head back to the Boardwalk and crash, I’m sure. No dinner plans that night because I felt like we would all just want to sleep, but there are a few pizzas that appeal at the Boardwalk Bakery, and I have never met a chicken finger that I don’t like. More likely? Room snacks and a 8 PM bedtime.

Races are over, so what’s next? A day in Hollywood!
 
So, I'm starting a TR - link here - if you'd like to hear about my worst race performance ever...

(How's that for a teaser?!)

Will be back later today with some updates on what's up on deck for me :)
 
#SpringintoHealth
hi friends! back to life, back to reality? now that vacation is over, and I have had some time to think about it, I wanted to lay out some of my goals for the next six weeks, and then think about running goals for the rest of the year.
giphy.gif

To be quite honest, I'm feeling less than motivated to run right now. My last few weeks of training for the half marathon were...spotty...at best due to some frantic work deadlines, bad weather, and minor but annoying injuries. As a result, and something you can read about when I eventually write about it (BLATANT TR PLUG), the 10k was fine but the Half was a slog. It wasn't helped by the fact that it was a heat warning and that I was knocked down on the race course by some rude dude, but I also just wasn't feeling totally prepared and my mental game fell apart. Oh well, I did finish!

All that to say, I need to take a break from running for a minute and get my head back in the right space.


giphy.gif

Before I left for Disney, the BF and I had a discussion about getting our act in gear before summer, with consistent exercise and better eating - we had been eating too much ice cream and take out (and likely drinking too many Bud Lights #basic) and not enough vegetables. Hence, #springintohealth. He's mostly focused on food and exercise, but I'm considering this more holistic - I want to spend more time outside, more time walking my dog, more time in the sunshine, more time doing "self care." So, we are going to try and be better through Memorial Day, and hopefully those healthy habits will carry over throughout the summer!

One of my favorite forms of cross training is spin classes, done mostly at the Flywheel studio near my apartment. While I was in Disney and feeling bad about myself (fitness-wise), I got an email advertising a 6-week program called FlyRx -- it's two spin classes and two HIIT workouts a week, and I impulsively signed up while Drinking around the World. I'm hoping this not only improves my health but gets me excited to run again. I plan on still running 30 minutes a few times a week, but I'm not going to push it if it turns out to be too much.

Quite annoyingly, BF ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in DC while I was gone (without specific training), and he was able to finish in 1:42 and change - that's a 10 minute mile. No, I'm not at all frustrated that he was able to just go out and do it. Luckily, he's on board with the six week plan, and he's even the one that came up with the cheesy name. He really wants to improve his running, so I think we are going to do a 10k together (well, not together, but ride together to get to the race) at the end of the summer, and that will be my next goal race. I have a choice of two - one at the end of September, one at the end of October - I just need to figure out which one is best!

giphy.gif


So, TL;DR:
  • Trying to clean up my diet, cook more/takeout less, and drink fewer adult beverages during the workweek
  • Going to do this Flywheel Challenge and then re-start training (hopefully with some assistance from @DopeyBadger?)
  • Take advantage of all the things that make me happy about this time of year: outside time, long dog walks, hiking in the DC area
  • Be happy? I feel like that's always a good goal!
giphy.gif
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top