Expedition Everest or Monsoon?

We had so much fun during our weekend . The weekend began early on Friday when I drove with all 3 kids to The Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had never stayed at this hotel before and we all were really looking forward to the new experience. We arrived and the “magically” had a room ready for me (score!) and when I got to the room my hubs and kids had a “birthday basket” waiting for me. Lot of CHOCOLATE- yummy! Then Hubs decided to take an earlier flight so our whole schedule was thrown off BUT we adjusted. We went over to the Wild World of Sports to pick up the packet for the Expedition Everest race and I was really looking forward to the expo. I shouldn’t have! It was the absolutely saddest expo that I had ever been to L
We then went to T-rex for lunch which was excellent as usual. Back to the hotel and then off to pick up Dave from the airport. Then we went to Animal Kingdom (which will be a theme on this vacation). We went out for my birthday dinner at Boma which was probably the best meal at Disney that I had ever had. It was seriously that wonderful.
The next day we woke up and went to MGM who had extra magic hours for Ryan to be able to go on Toy Story Mania. We fastpassed it and waited in line so that we would be able to go twice. Then we took the kids over to see JoJo and Goliath. I was extremely sad for this because I took Ashley to see JoJo when she was Lexi’s age. Then we went and picked up Auntie Becky and went to Downtown Disney. Ryan had a great time in the Lego store and we just enjoyed walking around. We decided to spend some time at the pool and rest our legs for the night ahead.
We arrived for Ashley’s race at about 5:45 and her race started at 6:30. We took the pre-pictures and went to the port a potties many times and then it was time for her to go. Because there were obstacles in this race and not just running parents were “encouraged” to run with their kids. SO- Ash and I lined up and off we went. She did great. She ran and then had to climb under a cargo net, go across a balance beam, over a wall, and then had a scavenger hunt in a baby pool. She conquered those obstacles with style and received her medal like the champ she is. Well at this point it was maybe 6:45 and Dave and I were in WAVE 10 to start our race, so we packed our kids off with Auntie Becky back to the hotel and soon we were really glad that we did.
Wave 1 began promptly at 7:30 and every wave after that went off 5 minutes apart. Like I said earlier we were in Wave 10-yes that is right I said TEN! I have no idea how they set up these waves but oh well…moving on. Our wave began at 8:15 and because I was running with Dave and very happy to be doing so, I went at his pace. His pace is fast at the beginning then slowing down, where as my pace is slow at the beginning and progressively getting quicker as the race goes on. So, we took off pretty quick and soon we were passing people that were in Wave 9 (Dave’s goal met) and we continued running through the parking lot for Mile1. Mile 2 went really well. It was the portion of the race that was out and back. People were screaming walkers to left the WHOLE time but we just weaved through when we were going to hit walkers. Dave has nerve damage in 3 of his toes and they were bothering him so we slowed a bit (not a lot) but really we were moving at a 9 minute or so pace. We got to mile 2.5 and the sky opened up and the rain POURED down on us. I do not mean a light sprinkle but a monsoon. We made it to the finish of the the 5k and knew the obstacle course was going to be sloppy. (Remember – I don’t like to be dirty) I sucked it up though and we did the obstacle course pretty quickly. The scavenger hunt was a mess!!! The book they gave us with the clues was completely useless because it fell apart. It was raining so hard there were lakelike puddles in the streets that we had to walk through. We started running again just so that we could finish, get our medals, and go back to the hotel. We did finish and the scavenger hunt wasn’t even checked because (duh) the books fell apart and we couldn’t even write on them but all in all it was a very fun experience.
I have 2 weeks until the Race for the Taste 10K and I am so excited to see what kind of fun that weekend holds.
Tomorrow I have 6-6.5 miles to pump out and I am looking forward to it a lot more than I probably should be.

Happy Running!!

Giving up Diet Coke

Today I am giving up diet coke (not entirely but limited to one per day). No, I am not pregnant again (sniff) but because I signed up for this....

Disney Princess Half Marathon

I have been debating it for a while and I officially signed up. I am super excited to begin training for it soon. I mean I have the 5k there this weekend and the 10K there in October so I figured why not do my next distance there as well right?
Speaking of races, I just mentioned the Expedition Everest 5k. I am looking forward to it for a couple reasons. First because it is a team event and my team the CRAZY KYLES- consists of me and hubs. We have never really ran together because we alternate who watches the kids. My SIL is coming to watch them while we do the race. Also because it is my last race being 30. My bday is monday and the dreaded 30th year went by so fast. 31 Here I come and you better watch out :)
Then we only have 2 weeks until the 10K which i am super excited for because I get to do it with M :)

Do you look forward to races because of who is doing them with you??
Wish me luck!

Happy Running!!

I ran what?!?

So, I haven't posted -not because I haven't been running but because I am SO STINKIN' BUSY!!!
My hubs is a fireman and he works shifts. They are always the same, one day on two off and we have lived by this schedule for almost 7 years now. Because of his schedule he is able to take some side jobs from his mothers company. So he is in Chicago for a few days and his traveling makes my training a little trickier than usual. Since I knew that he was going to be out of town and evening running not possible, and since I convinced M to do the Disney 10K with me in 17 days, we decided to do an evening run before hubs left.
Usually M and I have a pretty solid morning schedule. We do Tuesday and Thursday mornings and we have been doing it consistently for 3 weeks. I have stated before that I like schedules and I don't like deviating from them but I knew if I was going to run 5 miles (farthest I have ever gone) then I would need to do it without pushing the dreaded jogging stroller. Hubs agreed to watch the kids and we decided to run about 7ish.
So, M shows up around 7:15 and we take off. Let me reiterate that I love M. We have a lot in common, our husbands are extremely alike (and great friends), we both have multiple (in her case 4) children, and I could go on but this post is about the run :)
We started and got through Mile 1. I don't know about anyone else but if I can get through Mile1 I honestly could probably conquer a marathon but Mile 1 is always my biggest obstacle. We made the turn and I felt pretty good. I was running at my normal pace and we were chatting and the next thing I knew a FROG jumped out at me.
( * I DO NOT LIKE FROGS*)
Well I screamed like, well a girl, and we kept running. When we got to 2.5 and turned around I still felt really good. WE talked about doing the half marathon at Disney (which is a whole other post in itself) and before I knew it we were back at the bridge where the same stupid frog jumped out at me again. (I KID YOU NOT- and I did scream again!)
We got to the light and made the turn towards home for the last mile. I just kept thinking that I couldn't believe that we were going to have run 5 miles. We turned down my street (now I live on a lake and there is a loop around it that is .5 miles) got closer to my house and we both we feeling pretty good still. She looked at me ( another reason why I love her) and said let's go around the lake. Which we did and at the end we ran 5.5 miles. Today I am still floating on that accomplishment and I am seriously considering the half in March.
It was a good run but I know that is mainly because I made the decision to enjoy it instead of dreading it and I had the confidence that we could do it and do it strong.

I also know that the 10K better be ready for us :)

Happy Running!

Better late than never

The topic at The Runner's Lounge "Take it and Run Thursday":You get to run the last six miles of your next marathon with 6 different people. They can be dead or alive; famous or not famous. Who are these people and why did you pick them? Furthermore, why did you pick them for the specific mile you did? Remember, you get an extra .2 miles with runner #6.
Here goes!

I have thought long and hard about who i would like to run with. I have chosen people then realised I had way too many people that I thought would be cool to run with and get to know. But my list goes a little bit like this...

Mile 20-21 I would run with Becky, my sis in law. She is a runner and is training for her first Marathon at Disney in January. Becky has been working so hard. She has lost 50 or some odd pounds (sorry I don't remember how much) and she is going back to school to get her Masters in Guidance Counseling. She is dedicated to doing her best and that is a trait that I admire greatly in her. I also think it would be fun to just enjoy running the beginning of the end with her.

Mile 21-22 I would want to run this mile with Bart Yasso. I have just finished his book My Life on the Run and it was such a great book. He is seriously one of the craziest people that I have read about to date but he always gave running his best and he ALWAYS continued loving it and getting others to love it too. He dedicated his life to running and it saved him, like it saved me. I would have him tell me a few of his rougher stories to get me through and knowing him, he would ran fast and make me run fast too.

Mile 22-23 I would have to run with my girls M and T. They are the best buds I could have ever asked for. I say- hey lets do a 4 mile race and they say ok. I say lets do a 10K in 3 weeks and they say ok. They say lets do a half marathon and I say ok and that is how our relationship works. We all have small children, husbands, and other interests but when we are on the road we are just women who like to run. We talk, make fun of others outfits, discuss major things in our lives but we also run and we enjoy doing it together.

Mile 23-24 I would love to do this mile with Hal Higdon. He is revered among runners and his training plans are used by just about everyone. He is also in his 80's and if I can't gain some knowledge from running with him then I have no chance :) He makes it so easy to believe that you can run a marathon no matter where you are at in your fitness and I think I would need that about now.

Mile 24-25 I would save this mile before my last to do with my Hubby and kids. I would enjoy running knowing that I was almost finished and that their support had gotten me there. You might be asking why I wouldn't run the last mile with them and that would be because I would want for them to be standing there behind the finish cheering me on.

Mile 25-26.2 I would run this last mile with Lance Armstrong. This one is personal to me because I look at him at the poster boy for cancer. I would want to finish this marathon but I would want to do that in support of a cause and the Armstrong Foundation is one that I believe in. It is a horrible disease and it isn't a guarantee who gets it and who doesn't but it is how you deal with it and HE BEAT IT DOWN HARD. I would want to run with him and it would be like running for all of the people who couldn't get out there and do it themselves.

Well that is it for my 6 runners. How about yours?

Happy Running!

4 Mile Recap

First let me say that I am so thankful for M- for being by buddy and running with me-she did awesome :)

So, I decided last week that I would sign up for the Fit2Run 4 mile race. What I didn't really consider was the fact that it was a cross country race in a golf course, which meant hills, bridges, things that I typically do not have to run over here in Florida.

Anywhoo- woke up the kids and got out of the house. Arrived at the University Park Golf Course and met up with Dave to hand off the kids. (here I made a HUGE mistake which I will talk about later) and met up with M too.

We walked over to the start where people were running BEFORE the race (not something I really was into but to each his own). We got our chips, visited the porta potties, and were ready to run at 7:30.

Did I mention that the starting line was up a hill? So we had to run up the hill to even start. I also have to say that I never have run in grass, mostly because of getting dirty. So, we took off and we stayed consistent. We started passing the crazy starters about mile 1.5. At that point I knew that we weren't going to be last (which was M's fear). Throughout the race I kept marveling at how nice out it was. We usually run between 9:30 and 10:30 so running at 7:30 with the sun barely up was wonderful. Plus we were running under trees and cart paths, it was so nice. Around Mile 3 we passed the 8 year old boy (another of M's goals-ha), he was doing great and I did feel a little bad passing him but we were running a consistent pace and we weren't going to slow down now. The last mile was on the road and I loved that seeing as that is what I usually run on. We turned the corner and there was the finish. Of course we had to kick it up for the finish. Afterward both M and I felt really good. It was a lot of fun AND I convinced her to sign up for the 10K with me in 3 weeks at Disney. It will be so much fun to do it with her and laugh at how far we have come :)

BUT.....that isn't all.

I said goodbye to M and went to get in my car to drive home. I asked Dave, "Where are my keys?" To which he responded -I don't know. Well, I figured I hardly ever remember to lock my doors so we should be ok. We pulled the door- LOCKED! Then I looked in the drivers seat and there where my keys. Still thinking there was no problem, I asked Dave for his keys with the spare. I don't have one was his response.

So... Dave had to drive home with the big kids and Lexi and I waited 40 minutes for them to get home, get the spare key, and drive back.

It actually wasn't that bad. It was such a nice morning, plus I had just run in a race (which i was so thankful for). I felt really stupid for locking the keys in the car but I chalked it up to excitement.

Next weekend we head to Disney for Expedition Everest. We were supposed to do that one last year but I was preggo with Lexi and couldn't participate. I am supper excited to do a race with Dave and spend some time with the family.

Happy Running :)

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