January Timed Mile

I did a times mile today just to see where I was. 

Boom! I was pretty surprised by myself. I maintained about a 10:15 pace for half of it and then cranked it up to 9:45. I am hoping to add half a mile at this pace every week. But I want to do a timed mile once a month to see where I am.

Who knows maybe I will drop more than an hour off my marathon time by next year!

Redemption

After a disapointing showing at the 2013 marathon, I was more determined to make this my redemption year. See last year I attempted the goofy challenge (half on Saturday, full on Sunday). I did everything wrong and got swept at mile 14 of the full. They gave me a medal but it does not hang with my others, it's sits in a box to remind me not to give up.

So in May my sister and I starting talking about doing the marathon again and I enlisted her to help make me a training plan. 

Training began in September and I tried to keep to it but by November I started slacking. Luckily my running friends rallied behind me and kept me motivated. With training complete I headed to Orlando this past weekend and finished with no pain might I add, almost an hour faster than in 2012.

Ok I lied about the pain, I did get some chaffing from my tank top and skirt but it isn't bad and I was able to do the parks the next day. 

I will be posting a recap in another post because it deserves that. This was the best experience I could have asked for and I will never forget it. I mean I put three hours of work into a playlist I barely listened too and I did math while running to keep on pace! 

WDW Minnie Mouse 10k

Well my first Disney race of 2014 is under my belt. I am happy it was the inaugur(u)al Minnie Mouse 10k (spelling is in honor of our bibs misspelling). I got on the first bus at Old Key West and started tweeting my friends in anticipation of seeing everyone! 

We got to Epcot just after 4 and I had to book it to meet up with my #TeamRunDisney group. Something new is a security check before you enter the area. They check every bag including hydration and running belts. Don't worry the lines move fast and hopefully that trend will continue.

Once I met up with our group it was time to head to our Corral. Four of us headed to E and planned to take it slow. Two are doing the Dopey Challenge (four races four days) and I didn't want to push myself and be tired for my marathon.

My only complaint is that they had five corrals for 10,000 people and each start was 10 minutes apart. This was a long time to stand around for us in E and made the course congested for the first two miles.

Once we started, our group weaves in and out and tried to stay around a 13:30 pace. The first three miles are on the highway and there wasn't much entertainment, just one character stop, some music and video screen.

By mile 4 we were in Epcot and the characters were a plenty and the vibe was fun. We entered the world showcase and then left to go do a lap around the boardwalk. Mile 5 took us back into the park and the ending which didn't have many spectators.

We finished roughly around 1:25 with a 13:25 pace. Overall it was a fun race and flat course but it was very humid which made parts slippery. I would definitely encourage people to try this race out or sign up your tween kids who think the 5k is to easy. 

Week 1 Check In

I made great effort to be active 30 minutes a day everyday and I failed on day seven. It was my own fault. I knew I needed to run in morning but I put it off to get extra sleep and then when night came I had to pack for my marathon and pick up a roommate from the airport. I had my heart on streaking the month (complete a mile a day) for the month. I have accepted my miss and made sure I got up this morning and completed my mile before I went to work since I am flying to Orlando tonight. So longest streak so far - 6 days Current streak - 1 day Wish me luck! I will post once I am in Orlando and pick up my bib and such from Walt Disney World. Also I am working on a recap for my first race of 2014 - New Years Race Half Marathon! Till Then e

New Year means New Goals

As I reflect upon 2013 I realize I did a lot. I quit my secure job to chase a dream and moved to the Los Angeles area. I got more involved with my sorority(chi omega) and fraternity(delta sigma pi). I went to movie premieres: Scary Movie 5, Star Trek, The Butler to name a few. I got to work on some great movies and music videos. I got a steady job at an animation company. And I decided to take control I my health. I started jogging more and joined local running clubs: Pasadena Pacers, Run with Us, A Runners Circle. And that led to me losing twenty pounds and participating in seven half marathons with a new PR of 2:39:49. I have made lots of new friends and reconnected with old.

So looking to 2014 I kept things simple. 

1) Be active for 30 mins a day: I'm trying to streak for 2014, meaning run at least a mile a day.

2) Get my half marathon time to under 2:15 by September

3) Be more social. I tend to stay in a lot and I want to change that. So I will host a wine night, go to dive bars, and try to go on at least five dates.

4) Let the little stuff go. I tend to have OCD living with others because I am particular about stuff. I want to be better at not being annoyed all the time.

5) Further my career. If I'm going to win an Oscar I need to step it up.

Join me on my journey and hopefully I have some fun stories to share! 

E