Here we are just 6 days into January and lots of people are complaining on social media with “funny” memes about how packed the gym is in January. Yes, they are most definitely correct. The gym will be busier than usual at the beginning of the new year. We’re all making goals and resolutions and just about everyone has some sort of goal to do with their physique. Wether its to lose weight, gain muscle, or tone up, the goal usually leads them to the gym.
But, rather than hating on the new folks, let’s remember what it was like to walk into a gym for the first time. For me, it was terrifying. Walking into that first Body Pump class, I felt everyone was staring at me. I didn’t know what I was doing. I felt frumpy and alone. I didn’t dare make eye contact for fear of being sneered at. I’d like to think that most of these fears were all in my head, but I’ll never know.
What I do know, is that it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t want to be the reason why someone doesn’t reach their fitness goals. Remember, you were once a newbie too. So, rather than complain, why not be welcoming. Why not be the reason someone does reach their fitness goals. Just a little welcoming smile or a few seconds to lend a helping hand could make the difference. That gesture could be what makes someone, who like me was terrified walking in, feel a little bit better about their decision.
If you’re new to a gym, don’t feel bad about it. Own it. Sure, you may not know how to use all the machines, but neither did they when they first started going. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for showing up. Better yet, prove them wrong. Show up again and again and again. Before you know it, you’ll no longer be the newbie and you’ll be the one offering a lending hand or friendly smile.
For those of us who have been going all year let’s try this: See someone who’s looking at a machine with doubt, give them a quick tutorial. The girl next to you at Body Pump looks scared, give her a reassuring smile. Not only will you be helping them, you’ll also feel so much better about yourself 🙂
With just a couple of days left in the year, I thought it would be fun to revisit 2015 today. The year started off rough and we had lots to deal with as it went on with Jason’s injury and following surgeries. There were days that we just could not see the light. But, we aren’t the type to let our lives be dictated by our circumstance. Sure, things were not ideal, but we knew they could be much worse. So, we made the best with what we had. We kept positive and moving forward with our lives.
Even with the ups and downs, we had such a full year. We got to travel to some fun places with our family and Jason and I even got away without the kiddos to San Francisco+Sonoma County. We took the kids camping in Utah for the first time. We spent a super fun weekend with our family in Huntington Beach, CA! The kids and I hiked to the Colorado River. We got to go boating in Lake Mead. I ran my first trail half marathon in Red Rock Canyon and my 3rd Tough Mudder. I won a free registration from Pace Per Mile to Walt Disney World’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon, so we all went to Florida for 8 days! The kiddos ran the Disney Kid 1 mile race. We visited all 4 Disney parks and visited with friends that are like family. I also ran the Disneyland Half Marathon to complete the Coast to Coast Challenge. I ran 3 Spartan races (2 with the hubs) and got my 2nd Trifecta. The kids ran the Spartan Kid race too. Lastly, I won another free registration to the Run Laughlin Half Marathon in December, which turned out to be a great race.
I’m looking forward to starting 2016 with new goals and plans. I’m looking forward to fun adventures with my family and taking on new challenges. But, for now, I’m happy to look back and reflect on all the good things that have taken place and not to dwell on what could have been or feel bad for the huge curve ball life threw our way. Today I choose to be grateful for all the wonderful things and places I’ve been. I’m grateful for my family’s constant support. I’m happy to be where I am in life. It may not be exactly where I want to be, but it is a lot closer than I was before. And for that, I am grateful.
What’s your favorite memory of 2015? Are you looking forward to 2016? What goals do you have for the new year?
I remember my first half marathon 2 years ago when I said, “I’ll never run a full marathon!” My cousin, who is a marathon runner, laughed at me and just said to me, “Never say never.” Well, here I am today announcing I have signed up for the L.A. Marathon on February 14, 2016. Who am I? I may have lost my mind!
The truth is, I have been itching to run a marathon and I’ve even said my goal was to run one before I turned 40. Now, it looks like I’ll be running it before my 39th birthday. I seriously started talking and looking into running a marathon for 2016 a few months ago. Jason (the hubs) told me to think about it right after I ran my latest half marathon, the Laughlin/Bullhead Half Marathon, earlier this month. Right after I finished that half marathon and I was enjoying the post-race festivities drinking my free beer, we talked about how I felt and what it would mean to run, basically the entire race again. Maybe it was the beer or the adrenalin from having just ran but I said that with a little more training, I think I could do it. Say what? Did I just convince myself and my husband that I could do this?!?
Now it was time to find a race. I was pretty sure I wanted an easy course. As if running 26.2 miles anywhere would be easy, right? I enjoy downhill, so the Mountains2Beach Marathon in May looked like a winner. However, after doing a bit more research, I found out that it’s an official Boston Marathon Qualifier. This meant that most of the runners were seriously fast runners. It also didn’t seem to have the fun party atmosphere I think I need to get me through 26.2 miles. On to the next race! I was interested in the St. George Marathon because it was close to home and it’s also a downhill race. However, the idea of it being a lottery and that I may not get chosen, didn’t appeal to me. Not for my first marathon. Then began the google searches for “best marathons for beginners” and “the most fun marathons”. This is how I came upon the L.A. Marathon. It seemed to have what I was looking for in terms of fun and crowd support. Although, there are some hills throughout the course, the last few miles are downhill and end at the beach. Plus, I’ll be running through all the famous landmarks including, Hollywood Blvd and Rodeo Drive! How cool is that?
I wasn’t too sure I had enough time to train, since it was just about 2 months away. But, I had just ran a half marathon so I felt like I was half way there. I took a look at Hal Higdon’s novice marathon training plan and wouldn’t you know it, if I started training that week, I’d be right on point. It was meant to be ❤ I signed up last week and have officially began my marathon training.
So, who’s done the L.A. Marathon before? Love it or hate it? Best thing about the race? Worst part of the course? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Any experienced marathon runners out there with any tips or suggestions on training? Anything!! Yea, I’m nervous and excited all at the same time! Here’s to starting 2016 with a bang! XO
Just looking at this gives me butterflies in my stomach!!
Woohoo!! I’m so happy to say, I finished my last race of the year strong! Per usual, I was nervous before this race. Again, I didn’t get all my training runs in and I was not feeling too confident about how I’d do. However, I was determined to have a great race, since Disney’s Wine & Dine was such a disappointment with it being cut short and all.
I won the race entry from an instagram giveaway from Clarinda over at Enjoying the Course. This was the inaugural race, so it was a small race in Laughlin, NV. I believe there were a little over 500 runners, including the 5K. I felt the race was well organized and managed. Packet pick-up was quick and easy. The tech shirt that was included in the race swag, was really nice and fit well. I love it when they have both ladies and mens sizes for shirts!
Jason and I left the kiddos with my parents to spend the night (Thanks Mom & Dad!) and we took off Friday afternoon to Laughlin. It’s about 1.5 hr away, not too bad of a drive, just a little boring. This was our first visit to Laughlin. It’s a small town right on the Colorado River and Arizona border. There are a few hotel and casinos along the river and an outlet mall along the main street, which is all we saw. I’m sure there are some nice hiking trails too and of course, in the summer there are lots of water activities on the river.
Our view from the hotel
Once we got to Laughlin, we went straight to race registration at the Colorado Belle Hotel & Casino. The Edgewater Hotel and the Colorado Belle Hotel were both race sponsors so they offered runners a really great (read: Cheap!) hotel rate for either of the two properties. I made the reservation for the Edgewater Hotel. At check-in, we were given a cute welcome gift from the race directors. I thought it was a very nice and personalized gesture 😉 After dinner, it was an early bedtime for us, as we had to be up early for my 7am race start.
The race was across the street from the hotel, so we just walked to the start line. I met up with 2 other runners I knew from a facebook running group and we took a quick photo before heading to the start line. It was a chilly morning, but I chose to run without a jacket, as I figured it would warm up as I started running. I’m glad I didn’t take the jacked, the weather temps were perfect. It was a bit windy for most of the race, but nothing too crazy. Once the race started, I was prepared for the big hill they warned us about at packet pickup. They weren’t joking, it was a steady uphill climb for the first 2 miles or so. But, what comes up must come down and that downhill felt great. I made up for the slow pace and took off. I was really enjoying the run and the view of the dam and mountains when we were directed left for the trail portion of the race. I enjoy trail running, so it was a nice change of pace. I’m assuming it was added to get the full 13.1. The trail section, was an out and back. I don’t particularly like, out and backs, but I knew it was not going to be for the entire race, so it wasn’t too bad. The trail was soft sand/gravel, so going uphill on that felt like forever! Once we were out of the desert trail, it was back to road running and another steady and steep uphill to cross the dam into Arizona. I took a quick break to stop and take a photo of the view at this point 😉
Thanks Emily for the photo! I sure was happy to be running down this trail!
When we got to our turn-around, I spotted Jason! We hadn’t planned a meeting spot along the course, so it was a very welcomed surprise! He ran along side me for a bit, then took off to meet me at the finish line. It was a quick run down the dam until it evened out at the river. It was nice running on the paved trail that went along the river. The views were a nice distraction from my aching feet. Once I crossed a bridge, it was a nice downhill run to the main street, where the end was so close! I hadn’t really been paying too much attention to my pace, but when I saw the clock at the finish, I gave it my all to barely come in under 2:30. My official time was 2:28. I was so happy with my time! I’m no speed lightning, but that course was pretty brutal and I was sure I was going to end up with a time of 2:45 or so. It had more ups and downs than I was expecting, but it kept it interesting and the downhill runs were my favorite.
I saw Jason soon after crossing the finish line and I even met Clarinda, whom I’d won the race from! YAY for meeting new runner friends 🙂 We got a free beer and a nice post-race snack tray, with a bagel, banana, orange slices, and granola bar. All and all, I really enjoyed this race. It had a little bit for everyone. Some trails, some challenging uphills, followed by fun downhills, pretty scenery, and a great atmosphere for a small grass-roots race. The race directors did a great job and I’m sure this will turn into an even more awesome race in the years to come!
Showing off my swag!!
So, how is your year coming to an end? Any fun races? Are you making plans for next year already? I know I am!
Our last day at Disney World was at my favorite park, Epcot! The World Showcase is really my favorite because I love to travel and I remember being 10 years old on our first visit to Epcot and imagining I was really traveling to those countries. Heck, I still like to pretend we’re in the real countries 😉
We arrived at 9am to Epcot and the kids were anxious to get on a ride. I tried explaining that Epcot didn’t have the kind of rides found at Magic Kingdom so they wouldn’t be disappointed. However, they were just as excited to ride Spaceship Earth as they were to ride Space Mountain! After Spaceship Earth we let the kids play around with some of the hands-on exhibits before heading to the Mission Space ride where afterwards the kids also enjoyed the hands-on exhibits and games as we exited the ride.
We purchased the kids each a kit (map & stickers) for a new game that was debuting for the Food and Wine festival called, Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak. It was basically a scavenger hunt to find a Remy statue at each country then placing the corresponding sticker on the map to represent that location. At the end, you redeem your map for your choice of Remy pin. They were excited to get started and we were excited to get started at the Food & Wine Festival! The plan was to do the 1st half of the World Showcase countries and visit the Food & Wine Festival kiosks as we went, then ride the ferry from Germany back to Future World to use our fast passes for Soaring and Turtle Talk with Crush, and FastTrack. Afterwards, we’d go back and work our way around the other half of the countries, have dinner at Chefs De France, and finish the night watching Illuminations.
Although, technically, we did stick to that plan we had a major scare when visiting our first kiosk of the Food & Wine Festival. I was excited to visit the champagne kiosk and was ready to enjoy a glass of fancy bubbly. We ordered Diego a yummy chocolate dessert and Elysse some chocolate truffles. I asked if they had nuts, since she is allergic to all tree nuts and peanuts and was told by the Disney cast member that the truffles were prepackaged and did not have nuts, although they could not account for cross-contamination in the factory. Now, here’s where the problem began. I should have checked the packaging before giving her the chocolates. I feel terrible for trusting the young cast member. Regardless of how sure she sounded, it was my responsibility as her parent to ensure there were no nuts before handing it to her. The instant she took a bite, she said she was full, mind you, she is never full where there is chocolate involved! She never said how it made her feel and we assumed she was just being fussy. With the heat and humidity, we knew the chocolate would melt immediately and Jason just told her to eat the chocolate, it was small, and we’d save the other half. I noticed she was not acting right and finally it started to dawn on me that there may have been nuts in the chocolate. Sure enough, the second ingredient were hazelnuts. We were right next to a store and I ran in asking if they had benadryl, which they did not but I was told to go to First Aid. By this point, she threw it all up and was complaining her throat was hurting. We ran to First Aid, which was not far from where we were. They gave her the benadryl and at that point, I knew she’d be ok. I asked if she wanted to go back to the hotel, but she didn’t want to leave, so we waited it out until she was finally feeling a well enough to continue our day. Of course, she refused to eat much the rest of the day and was kinda blah. We tried to make the best of it and she was such a trooper!
We really did learn our lesson and will definitely be more prepared next time. We’d never had any issues while traveling before and she hadn’t had an allergic reaction for years, so we we’ve been pretty relaxed about her allergies. But, this was definitely a wake up call for us. We already have a much better plan in place for traveling.
Although we had this very scary incident happen, we were fortunate it wasn’t any worse and she was ok. We did the best we could to enjoy the rest of our time at Epcot. We had an amazing 3 days of non-stop Disney World theme park fun. I think our kids were just the right ages (7 & 10) for enjoying everything the parks have to offer! I’m so glad we were able to go on this trip for them and experience a different kind of vacation! I’m ready for another adventure with my crazies! Where shall we go to next?
Our day at Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios was a ton of fun and exhausting. You can catch up HERE and even read a few tips to start planning your vacation to Disney World. Next up is the Magic Kingdom. This is the park that mostly resembles the original Disneyland theme park and although they do share some of the same classic rides, such as It’s a Small World, Space Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean, Magic Kingdom is way bigger and you seriously would need 2-3 days to see and do it all! Unfortunately, we only had one day to tour Magic Kingdom. We chose to go on a Tuesday, where the park was scheduled to close early due to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party scheduled from 8pm-midnight. We were hoping this would mean less crowds and shorter lines, since there were not going to be any fireworks either. Plus, Jason and I figured it would be ok to end the day at 7pm and not push the kids too much more into exhaustion 😉 The park was crowded of course, but it wasn’t cramped and the wait times for most rides were moderate to short. Although it wasn’t a very long day, we were able to see and do just about everything we wanted to. I’d asked my kids if they wanted to meet any of the characters or princesses and they said no. They both preferred to ride the rides! YAY for me! This of course, saved us a ton of time. The only character they wanted to meet was Mickey Mouse and only because before we left, my dad had told them he wanted to see a picture of them with Mickey Mouse!
My son, being the inquisitive boy that he is, had been asking how they figured out the wait times for the rides. Jason explained they handed out these red cards to a random person in line. Once they have the card, it starts to count how long the person is waiting until the person gets to the station, hands the card to a cast member for them to put it a machine that then tells them the length of their wait time and then this considered the wait time at the front of the ride. You can imagine how excited he was (he’s 10) when he got the red card while waiting in line for the Jungle Cruise Ride. You can also imagine how upset he was when we all realized he forgot to give the card to the cast member before getting on the ride! OOPS…
Remember, the My Disney Experience app I mentioned was so helpful in my last blog post? Yup, it has the hours of the parks for each day, so be sure to check it out while planning your trip so you know what day for each park will work better for your family. Another thing we found helpful, was to stop and eat a good meal for either lunch or dinner inside the park. I made reservations for a different restaurant in each park (except Hollywood Studios) and it worked out great. It gave us time to chill out and relax. At Magic Kingdom we ate a late lunch at The Plaza Restaurant. It’s a small restaurant tucked in a corner of Main Street that offers sandwiches, salads, wraps, etc. The quick service restaurants inside the parks can get super busy and hectic during peak hours, and I am not one for crowds or stressing out. I remember too many trips to Disney World walking or standing around with a tray of food waiting for a table to be unoccupied, only to lose it to a kid who’s family was in line ordering and he was sent to save the table. For my sanity, I chose to splurge a little more on our meals and it worked out really well for us. There was no stress during lunch/dinner and it was a nice reset before going back out into the park.
We spent our time waiting in line playing either Rock, Paper, Scissors or this slap game. It helped the time go by and even got other families to play too! What can I say, we were trend setters! LOL
Now, on to the fun stuff! Magic Kingdom was a fully packed day! Since I knew the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train always had the longest wait times and I wasn’t able to secure a FastPass+, we headed over there as soon as the park opened. The line was still 60 minutes long. This was the longest line we waited in, so in retrospect, it wasn’t too bad at all. I tried to plan our day as efficiently as possible and making our way around the park’s 6 themed lands. We spent the most time in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, since these had the most rides. Of course, we had to get our Dole Whip floats at Adventureland and ride the Jungle Cruise. Those cheezy jokes get me every time 😉 Our last ride of the night, was Peter Pan’s Flight. This ride had the 2nd longest wait times of the day and I honestly was going to skip it. However, right at 6:45pm, the wait time was about 30 minutes and we figured, why not! After the ride, we headed for a gift shop on Main Street to grab the kids their souvenirs from the Magic Kingdom before making our way to the monorail. At this point, Elysse could barely stand up, she was so tired! Somehow, she made it to our car but was asleep before we got to the restaurant for dinner and seriously slept through dinner! I felt terrible she didn’t eat, but I figured she needed her rest!
A selfie with Mickey, because why not. I love this kid!
Ended the day with a little snow 😉
So far, we had 2 really great days at Disney World. The kids behaved pretty good and we didn’t have any major meltdowns or too much attitude from them. Sure, they whined a little here and there, but seriously it was all going much better than I had anticipated. Our last park to visit was Epcot. I’d saved the best for last, as this is my favorite park and I was so ready to head back to the Food & Wine Festival! I’ll be sharing our mishaps and adventures from Epcot on Monday, so be sure to come back then! For now, enjoy the long weekend with family and friends!
After a few days visiting friends and running the Wine & Dine Half Marathon on Saturday, we were ready to hit the theme parks on Monday. 4 Parks in 3 Days. Pretty ambitious plans but I’d planned it all a few weeks in advance and I felt confident we could do it without going crazy! I kept the plans pretty realistic, knowing we couldn’t do every single thing offered at each park. I was able to get FastPasses for pretty much all the rides we wanted, except for the new Seven Dwarfs roller coaster at Magic Kingdom. I also wasn’t able to get reservations for either the Bippity Boppity Boutique or Cinderella’s Royal Table. These reservations must be made many months in advance and I was clueless to the whole Disney thing! Oops! A friend told me about WDW Prep School and thanks to that site, I was able to get some great itineraries for the parks, as well as tons of info on what to expect in regards to crowds, best places to eat, best time for rides, etc. I highly recommend it. I also recommend downloading the Disney World app. It has everything from park hours, wait times, to dining reservations and FastPass+. You can literally plan your entire trip using this app!
Even Domo couldn’t help getting into the Disney spirit! Family Selfie as we walked into the park! Let the fun begin!!
I knew that it would be easy to group Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios together from the years I’d lived in Central Florida and visited the parks. We got to Animal Kingdom right as it was opening and went straight to Kilimanjaro Safari. I asked the kids if they wanted to see a show and they said no, they only wanted to ride the rides! So after riding Expedition Everest, we had an early lunch at Yak & Yeti. I was able to make a reservation, so the wait was minimal. The food was tasty and the cold beer totally hit the spot! Next was, Kali River Rapids, Dinosaur, and TriceraTop Spin before making our way to Hollywood Studios.
At Hollywood Studios, we split up and the boys went to the Light! Camera! Action! Stunt Show, while Elysse and I went to the the Frozen Sing-Along. We met up afterwards and headed to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Elysse had been dying to ride this one and it did not disappoint! She loved it and even got a Tower of Terror sweatshirt as her souvenir. So,while Diego and I rode Rock N Roller Coaster, her and Jason got on Tower of Terror again. Luck for Diego, we did the parent swap and he got to ride the Rock N Roller Coaster again with Jason. Last on the list of rides was Star Tours. We’re all Star Wars fans, so this was one we were all looking forward to riding. It was extra special when Diego got chosen as the ‘rebel spy’ during the ride and his photo was on the screen in front of us. It really made his day! Honestly, I think it really made his whole trip! Of course, like all the rides, you are lead into the gift shop as you exit the ride and we saw a t-shirt that said “I am the Rebel Spy”. Yup, that was his souvenir from that park! We ended the night with the the Fantasmic! Show. We were pretty exhausted and I think the kids were asleep before we made it to our hotel room!
Next up: Magic Kingdom! Come back to read all about our time there and get some ideas for planning your own trip 🙂
I’ve been thinking a lot about this post and how to approach it. I’ll just come out and say it, “I didn’t enjoy the Wine & Dine Half Marathon.” But, there were a lot of factors that went into it, so read on and you’ll see why it just wasn’t the race for me.
Just like the Disneyland Half, packet pickup was easy and very well organized. It was the same setup, grab your bib first then go to the expo to pick up your shirt. I really like the shirt. It’s a long sleeve dry wicking shirt. The expo was fine and my daughter and I picked up some matching running skirts 😉
I loved that the kids got to run their 1 mile races on Saturday morning. It was hot and muggy, but my kiddos gave it their all and I am so proud of them!
Now, on to the half marathon. I will admit that my head was not in it from the start. I stretched myself too thin and was running super late to dinner and then to get on the bus at Epcot. This was definitely not the way I wanted to start the race. I was so stressed out & exhausted by the time I got to Epcot to catch one of the busses transporting runners to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, where the race was starting! I took the time on the bus to try to relax and get my mind back in the race and try to sum up some excitement from the other runners. Honestly, the late start time really made it rough for me.
The bus arrived to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at about 9pm. Once off the bus, I went straight to the porta-potty line. I noticed there were no runners in their corrals yet, but didn’t think much of it. I figured we’d all make our way soon. After about 10 minutes in line, it was my turn! YAY! As I came out though, I noticed the huge crowd of runners walking in the opposite direction from the corrals. Now, I was super confused! I asked what was going on and was told we were being evacuated indoors due to lightning in the area. Seriously!?! I gotta give it to us runners, there was no pushing or shoving. Everyone walked orderly towards either the HP Field House or Champion Stadium. I ended up at Champion Stadium, found a place to sit, and listened to runners predictions. Some said we wouldn’t run until at least midnight, others were certain the race would be canceled, while others felt we’d run at some point but the course would be shortened. This clearly did not help me get out of my running funk. I began to feel really down and was sure I’d start crying if they canceled the race. I worked so hard to get us to Florida so I could run this race and get my coast to coast medal!
Well, to make a long story short, the race directors gave us the all clear to run a modified course and by 11pm, we were back outside and to our corrals. They cut 6 miles from the race and what should have been a half marathon became a 10K. There were lots of disappointed runners, but Disney did what they had to do. Obviously, not everyone would be happy with any decision. By cutting the course, we were still able to run and get our medals, including my Coast to Coast medal, and still have enough time for the after-party at Epcot.
Although I was disappointed I didn’t get to run my full 13.1 miles, I think it was for the best. Not just for our safety, but my heart wasn’t into it at all by this point. I just wanted the run to be over and done with. It makes me sad to admit this, since I was so excited about this race a few months ago. I tried to run fast, but the heat and humidity made it difficult. I didn’t stop greet characters or take photos on the course. It was dark and hot, and did I mention, I wanted it to be done.
I didn’t particularly love the course and I don’t think the added 6 miles of Animal Kingdom and Osceola Parkway would have changed my mind. Due to the regular late start time of 10pm, the race didn’t have much in terms of spectators or entertainment. There were some bands on the course and everyone loved running through the Osborn Lights, but that was basically it. We ran through a lot of the back lots of Hollywood Studios and not much through Epcot, where we finished. I enjoyed running on the Disney Boardwalk, but would have enjoyed it much more during the day!
The changing area and line for the beer/wine that was included were orderly and organized. The volunteers rocked! The after-party was ok once we made our way to the World Showcase. It was crowded and there were long lines for some of the kiosks, but nothing that wasn’t expected. I enjoyed being able to have some alone time with the hubby at the Food & Wine festival and we even got to ride a few of the rides before the party was over. I can’t believe we made it till 4am, but I guess only running 7 miles instead of 13.1, gave me the energy to stay up all night!
This is what happens when you give someone your camera, blurry photo! LOL
Will I do another Disney race? Probably not. I most definitely will not do the Wine & Dine Half Marathon again. I’m not the biggest Disney fan (don’t hate!). I’m happy I got to experience 2 runDisney races and I really did love the Disneyland Half. I’m grateful I was able to travel for this race and that my kiddos were able to experience all four Walt Disney World theme parks. I’ll be blogging about our days visiting the theme parks throughout the next few days, so come back and check it out 😉
Have you ever ran a Disney race? Love it or hate it? Did you run the Wine & Dine this year? I’d love to hear what you thought! Leave a comment below. XO
I was feeling pretty crappy on Tuesday and the hubs brought home these flowers for me to make me feel better. It didn’t really fix my bad mood then. I didn’t even say thank you. But 2 days later, as I’m sitting at the table planning my day and sipping my coffee, I see them. Like, I really see these roses. I see them for what they represent. I see them and my heart is full.
These little roses were the kindest of gestures from the hubs. These roses were his way of saying to me that he’s sorry I was having such a bad day and he loved me even in my worst of days. I didn’t see it then, but I see it now. Like lots of guys, he isn’t much of a let’s-talk-about-our-feelings kind of person. And, like lots of us ladies, it bothered me a lot when he didn’t want to have huge conversations about our relationship and feelings. Sure, I wish he was more communicative but I’m learning to understand him more and more. I’m learning to accept him for who he is. To accept his love unconditionally, as he gives it. I’m learning not to read too much into things and take them for face value.
For example, if he asks what he can do to help around the house, just give him a task or list and accept that he really does want to help. There’s no need for snarky remarks, like “Cant’ you see what needs to be done?” OR “Why do you think I need help? You don’t think I can handle it?” The truth is, yea, he probably can’t see the mess in front of him. He can tell I’m stressed and could use the help. But, in that simple question, “What can I help you with?” is just a husband who loves his wife and wants to help. Like, honestly help. He may not be able to offer help in the most eloquent of ways, but isn’t the fact that he wants to help enough? It used to not be for me, but I am learning to accept it.
So, ladies, I know I am not alone. All you wives and moms reading this, take note. The next time your husband brings you flowers, say thank you. When he offers to help you around the house, take him up on it. Don’t get offended. Being in a relationship is all about balance and learning to love each other as you are.
Here I am, a little over a week after Tough Mudder and the scars are healing, bruises are starting to fade, and my face has already peeled from being sunburned. I guess you could say, recovery is going great 🙂
Tough Mudder was my first OCR (obstacle course race) in 2013 and it will always have a special place in my muddy heart! There was no Team Tough Cookies this year and neither Jason nor my sister could come to cheer me on because they both had to work that day. I jokingly told Jason, you know you’ve done too many races when no one comes to cheer you on 😦 But, it seriously turned out to be a great race and I had a blast! I teamed up with Britt, who I met at boot camp. This was her first Tough Mudder and she was really excited about it and had trained hard for it. Come Saturday morning, we were ready to take on the course and just have a good time. When we got to the race, we met up with my pal, Eve, and she ended up running the course with us too! Our other friend, Kelly, was there supporting another team but she cheered us on too and took photos for us along the course, which was a really nice surprise.
Here we are ready to get started!
Tough Mudder promised there would be mud in Las Vegas and they did not disappoint. There was tons of mud! It was that creamy, soft mud that looks like pudding or frosting! At least, that’s what it LOOKS like, but don’t be fooled because once you’re all up in it, it does NOT smell or taste like chocolate frosting at all! Take my word for it 😉
It took us about 3 hours to complete the 10 miles and 20 obstacles. We were in the 3rd group to go out so the course wasn’t crowded and we didn’t have any real bottlenecking at the obstacles which was great! My teammates and I were determined to try every obstacle and we all gave it our best. I failed at only 2 obstacles, the Funky Monkey and King of Swingers. Honestly, those are 2 I didn’t really try. I knew I wouldn’t make it far on the monkey bars, I mean, someone had to give me a boost up just to reach the first bar! I felt bad for not trying and seriously was ready to do my 30 penalty burpees, then remembered this was Tough Mudder not Spartan Race, so I moved on. For King of the Swingers, I actually did climb up to the platform but I just couldn’t get over my fear of heights this time. There was no one there to push me over the edge, so once Britt jumped I just climbed back down in shame 😦 Maybe next year….
Most of the obstacles had been redesigned and were a lot harder than previous years. It took me 3 or 4 tries to run up Everest 2.0 with its higher, curved edge, but I was not going to give up! It felt so awesome when I ran up and finally made it on my last try! I think having to slide into Arctic Enema 2.0 made it easier to just get it done and over with but it felt colder to me than the previous years. Maybe they had recently added more ice? I don’t know, but it took me a long time to get my toes to move again…YIKES!
So, as a Legionnaire, meaning I’ve done another Tough Mudder before, I didn’t have to do Electroshock Therapy again. But, like I said, this was Britt’s first Tough Mudder and I didn’t want her to have to go through that alone. So, I sucked it up and we went through it together. It was just as awful as I remembered from 2 years ago. The pain is real. I’d say it is maybe similar to being shocked with an electric socket or like when you rub your feet on carpet then have to touch a metal door knob, but times 1000! The shock goes through your entire body and just knocks you down and paralyzes you for a few seconds. It doesn’t last long, but just seeing those wires hanging in front of you and knowing what’s coming really did paralyze me out of fear!
But, the feeling of accomplishment after you conquer those obstacles is indescribable and it makes you forget the pain or at least makes the pain worth it in the end! Tough Mudder is all about team work. Their obstacles are designed to be tackled together and I’m so grateful to my teammates, Britt & Eve, for their help getting though some of those obstacles. Thanks for the boosts up those Berlin Walls, the pushes over that crazy mystery obstacle with it’s revolving cubes, and thanks for all the encouragement throughout the course! I’m so proud to have you ladies as teammates and friends. Ya’ll rock! XO
Have you ran a Tough Mudder before or another obstacle course race? Love it? Hate it? Tell me all about it in the comments below! I love to hear other people’s stories! XO
It's a Messy Life 