We have officially moved to Back of the Pack Running...please join us there!
Joe
Monday, November 9, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday Weigh In...Final
221.8
I am pretty happy with that. It puts me at 8 lbs. for the month, 1 lb over my goal of 7. It is now an 'off' week...then I am going to go 1 more month...
We had some great runs over last week. I put in a total of 28.3 miles, which I believe is the most I have run in a week. Some Highlights that I will talk about later...
- Adventure run through Cool Springs during lunchtime on Wednesday
- Ran a full 4 miles (no intervals) on Thursday night
- 14 miler through downtown Franklin (un-official Half PR 2:43)
I am pretty happy with that. It puts me at 8 lbs. for the month, 1 lb over my goal of 7. It is now an 'off' week...then I am going to go 1 more month...
We had some great runs over last week. I put in a total of 28.3 miles, which I believe is the most I have run in a week. Some Highlights that I will talk about later...
- Adventure run through Cool Springs during lunchtime on Wednesday
- Ran a full 4 miles (no intervals) on Thursday night
- 14 miler through downtown Franklin (un-official Half PR 2:43)
Friday, October 16, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday Night Run - New Directions
Tonight's run sucked for me. It was a reminder that not every run is "blogworthy" and it really is nothing to fret about. See Gordon's podcast about the "longue duree" of running.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?i=60401947&id=294013320
Not sure if the link will work, but if not, it is episode 31...you can look up "Run to Disney" through iTunes or go straight to Gordon's website. What we have done over the past year is pretty awesome and 25 minutes of a run on a Tuesday night is not going to ruin anything.
The issue today was that I did not eat enough lunch. After 2 miles of a 4 miler, I started to feel pretty queasy. It was a long 2 miles back home, but it goes to show that you need to make sure your body has the fuel it needs to get through those training runs. I have done a pretty good job balancing my diet with my runs, but due to some forgotten lunch items today, I paid for it. So be it, tomorrow is another day and another run.
So, Mom and I are going to start getting serious about our blogging, how serious?
This serious.
In the very near future, I am going to be pulling the blog from blogspot and moving over to wordpress, getting a real domain and Mom and I are going to be blogging several times a week about our runs, our travels over the next year and telling our story from the beginning. You see, we think we are pretty interesting. The 3 of you that read this now already know that, but we want other people to find us interesting too. So, what does that mean to you? Nothing really, but you could help us name the new blog if you want...Ryan suggested "The Runs", which is not that bad because we do talk about poop a lot. If you have any ideas, let us know and look for the changes pretty soon. I want to have the new blog up by the time my "Month of Stupidity" starts.
Month of Stupidity - Joe decides that 2 half marathons in a 3 week period are not enough and plunks another one right in the middle...
Nashville Half - 11/14
Atlanta Half - 11/26
Las Vegas Half 12/6
So, by early December, we should have lots of good stories and pictures to share.
KOKO
Joe
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?i=60401947&id=294013320
Not sure if the link will work, but if not, it is episode 31...you can look up "Run to Disney" through iTunes or go straight to Gordon's website. What we have done over the past year is pretty awesome and 25 minutes of a run on a Tuesday night is not going to ruin anything.
The issue today was that I did not eat enough lunch. After 2 miles of a 4 miler, I started to feel pretty queasy. It was a long 2 miles back home, but it goes to show that you need to make sure your body has the fuel it needs to get through those training runs. I have done a pretty good job balancing my diet with my runs, but due to some forgotten lunch items today, I paid for it. So be it, tomorrow is another day and another run.
So, Mom and I are going to start getting serious about our blogging, how serious?
This serious.
In the very near future, I am going to be pulling the blog from blogspot and moving over to wordpress, getting a real domain and Mom and I are going to be blogging several times a week about our runs, our travels over the next year and telling our story from the beginning. You see, we think we are pretty interesting. The 3 of you that read this now already know that, but we want other people to find us interesting too. So, what does that mean to you? Nothing really, but you could help us name the new blog if you want...Ryan suggested "The Runs", which is not that bad because we do talk about poop a lot. If you have any ideas, let us know and look for the changes pretty soon. I want to have the new blog up by the time my "Month of Stupidity" starts.
Month of Stupidity - Joe decides that 2 half marathons in a 3 week period are not enough and plunks another one right in the middle...
Nashville Half - 11/14
Atlanta Half - 11/26
Las Vegas Half 12/6
So, by early December, we should have lots of good stories and pictures to share.
KOKO
Joe
No Boundaries and the Race for the Cure
So, for the past few months I have been doing a Tuesday night "couch to 5k" run with a group of folks through Fleet Feet. The idea is that they take a group of people, all flavors of runners, from people who have never run before to people like us who run frequently, but want to get a little more out of their run and train them for a specific 5k run. My goal was to make an attempt to run a whole 5k (no intervals). The program was 10 weeks of training that ended with the Race for the Cure. Mom did a similar training in the Spring time for Elie's Run and she got a lot out of it, so Mom and I decided to do this one together. All in all, it was a great experience. We met lots of new people, some of whom we are already planning on running with again, and I feel we really took our running to the next level. The training consisted of starting with a really low interval (I think it was 2:2) and eventually build up to a 4:1 or wherever you could go...I have found myself skipping intervals on my training and recreational runs lately, so I decided that I was going to do my best to run the whole thing without sacrificing time.
Race for the Cure was held in Brentwood this year, a nice change to the madness that was downtown Nashville last year. They set up the Race Village just off one of the main streets in 'downtown' Brentwood. The course was a quick loop through the business parks. It was mostly flat with one hill at the end that we were already accustomed to because we ran it a few weeks ago as a party of our Saturday marathon training. Claire, Mom, Gordon, and myself arrived early so that I could get my chip. Mom decided that she wanted to walk with Claire and Gordon, so she went with them to get breakfast while I went to scope out the village. We took a few pics before we split up.
Mom, Claire, and Myself
After a brisk jog up a hill to get my blood moving, I followed the music to the Race Village. As of that point, there was not a ton of people there...some of the vendors were still putting their booths together. I did not take any pictures of the village, however I did take some of the Start and Finish lines...
Anyhow, I got my bib and chip and ran into Courtney, another one of the No Boundaries runners. We walked through the Village and I attached my tag to my shoe (or did I), apparently I did not do too good of a job because when we found the Fleet Feet tent, I looked down and my DTAG was gone. No worries, I always have my watch. We hung out at the tent until Claire, Mom, and Gordon showed up. At about 15 minutes until gun, we did some warming up a quick jog up and down the street and then into the chute we go.
Claire took this of me while we were waiting...
After what seemed like forever, they started us. They started the timed runners first (us, what???) and then they were going to wait a bit until they released everyone else to give us a little breathing room on the course. The first mile was easy, almost too easy. I looked at my watch and turned to Courtney and asked her "Have you ever run a 10 minute mile before?"...she responded with a "No", I then got to tell her, "Yeah, you have"...I showed her the watch which read 10:12 just after mile 1. We just couldn't slow the pace down. Which in a longer race could hurt us, but since this was just 3 miles, we went with it. At around 1.5 we decided to take a 30 second recovery, then we went right back at it. Our pace bounced between 10 and 11 minute miles. At Mile 2, we were around 21:45, still not too shabby. A super fast 3rd mile would put us under 30... that would have been incredible, but there was that dumb hill. Really the only hill on the course, we walked it... we were so far ahead of our PR's that it was fine. We crested the hill and Courtney told me to go ahead... I felt bad about it, because I am accustomed to running with Mom and we generally do not leave each other behind, but I went ahead...I ran a sub 10 minute pace for the last half mile. Even dipped under 8 for a spell. I finished strong at 33:55, which is a 10:37 pace. I am very happy with this for several reasons.
1. It is a PR, yeah yeah, the last time I ran a 5k was last December and I thought I was going to die afterwards, but a PR is a PR. You can quote me on that.
2. We could have ran the whole thing. No doubt in my mind. I felt fast and I mean cheetah fast.
3. I saw the front of the pack. But not from the sidelines...like, when we finished our first half mile, we still could see ahead where there was no one racing. The person who most likely came in first was still in view...
4. I am going to predict that in the next year, I will run a sub 30 minute 5k...
As long as I have my magic Clark Howard headband, I can do anything. I guess I should wash that thing at some point.
Race for the Cure was held in Brentwood this year, a nice change to the madness that was downtown Nashville last year. They set up the Race Village just off one of the main streets in 'downtown' Brentwood. The course was a quick loop through the business parks. It was mostly flat with one hill at the end that we were already accustomed to because we ran it a few weeks ago as a party of our Saturday marathon training. Claire, Mom, Gordon, and myself arrived early so that I could get my chip. Mom decided that she wanted to walk with Claire and Gordon, so she went with them to get breakfast while I went to scope out the village. We took a few pics before we split up.
Mom, Claire, and Myself
After a brisk jog up a hill to get my blood moving, I followed the music to the Race Village. As of that point, there was not a ton of people there...some of the vendors were still putting their booths together. I did not take any pictures of the village, however I did take some of the Start and Finish lines...
Anyhow, I got my bib and chip and ran into Courtney, another one of the No Boundaries runners. We walked through the Village and I attached my tag to my shoe (or did I), apparently I did not do too good of a job because when we found the Fleet Feet tent, I looked down and my DTAG was gone. No worries, I always have my watch. We hung out at the tent until Claire, Mom, and Gordon showed up. At about 15 minutes until gun, we did some warming up a quick jog up and down the street and then into the chute we go.
Claire took this of me while we were waiting...
After what seemed like forever, they started us. They started the timed runners first (us, what???) and then they were going to wait a bit until they released everyone else to give us a little breathing room on the course. The first mile was easy, almost too easy. I looked at my watch and turned to Courtney and asked her "Have you ever run a 10 minute mile before?"...she responded with a "No", I then got to tell her, "Yeah, you have"...I showed her the watch which read 10:12 just after mile 1. We just couldn't slow the pace down. Which in a longer race could hurt us, but since this was just 3 miles, we went with it. At around 1.5 we decided to take a 30 second recovery, then we went right back at it. Our pace bounced between 10 and 11 minute miles. At Mile 2, we were around 21:45, still not too shabby. A super fast 3rd mile would put us under 30... that would have been incredible, but there was that dumb hill. Really the only hill on the course, we walked it... we were so far ahead of our PR's that it was fine. We crested the hill and Courtney told me to go ahead... I felt bad about it, because I am accustomed to running with Mom and we generally do not leave each other behind, but I went ahead...I ran a sub 10 minute pace for the last half mile. Even dipped under 8 for a spell. I finished strong at 33:55, which is a 10:37 pace. I am very happy with this for several reasons.
1. It is a PR, yeah yeah, the last time I ran a 5k was last December and I thought I was going to die afterwards, but a PR is a PR. You can quote me on that.
2. We could have ran the whole thing. No doubt in my mind. I felt fast and I mean cheetah fast.
3. I saw the front of the pack. But not from the sidelines...like, when we finished our first half mile, we still could see ahead where there was no one racing. The person who most likely came in first was still in view...
4. I am going to predict that in the next year, I will run a sub 30 minute 5k...
As long as I have my magic Clark Howard headband, I can do anything. I guess I should wash that thing at some point.
Monday Weigh In
224.6...Not bad, I am officially under my goal for the month with a week to go. So, anything lost this week is 'free' weight.
I have not blogged in a week, but I plan to have something up tonight in reference to several good runs this week including a 33:55 finish at the Race for the Cure on Saturday. I will also float a rumor that the blog may be moving.
I have not blogged in a week, but I plan to have something up tonight in reference to several good runs this week including a 33:55 finish at the Race for the Cure on Saturday. I will also float a rumor that the blog may be moving.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Week 2 Weigh In
So, after 2 weeks, I weighed in this morning at 226.8. I was a little dissapointed about it because I previously weighted in at 224.4 last Thursday, BUT it is OK. I am continuing to lose weight and I knew it would slow down at some point...
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Achievement Unlocked
When I am playing my xbox, that phrase is one that I look forward to seeing the most. For those not "in the know", each Xbox 360 game comes equipped with at least 1000 points of 'achievements'. Each achievement is weighted based upon how difficult the achievement is. The sum of all of your achievements make up your gamerscore.
Anyhow, I had the idea this morning that I should set up achievements for my training. If I already had them set up, this morning I would have opened up several of them. I decided that I would run to Publix prior to church to get the newspaper. The run to Publix is about 4.2 miles roundtrip, so it was not as long as I wanted to run this morning, but I did not want to be rushed. The run out to Publix was OK. I found the 3:2 intervals to be a little easy this morning, so I skipped my extra minute of rest to run. After purchasing my paper and also finding out that I did not win the powerball last night, I turned around and made my way back. After a brief stop crossing over Main Street, I started back running...I noticed that I was running at about an 11:30 pace, which is normally pretty fast, but I was not getting winded. I pushed it a bit and got myself in to the 10:15-10:30 range and was very comfortable there. So comfortable, I did not stop. Long story short, I ran the last 2.1 miles straight, with no rest periods. This was the longest distance I have run non stop since I started running earlier in the year.
Achievements Unlocked today
Maintained 10:xx pace for 2 miles
Ran 1 mile, no stops
Ran 2 miles, no stops
Not sure about the point values, but nonetheless, very strong run this morning...
Anyhow, I had the idea this morning that I should set up achievements for my training. If I already had them set up, this morning I would have opened up several of them. I decided that I would run to Publix prior to church to get the newspaper. The run to Publix is about 4.2 miles roundtrip, so it was not as long as I wanted to run this morning, but I did not want to be rushed. The run out to Publix was OK. I found the 3:2 intervals to be a little easy this morning, so I skipped my extra minute of rest to run. After purchasing my paper and also finding out that I did not win the powerball last night, I turned around and made my way back. After a brief stop crossing over Main Street, I started back running...I noticed that I was running at about an 11:30 pace, which is normally pretty fast, but I was not getting winded. I pushed it a bit and got myself in to the 10:15-10:30 range and was very comfortable there. So comfortable, I did not stop. Long story short, I ran the last 2.1 miles straight, with no rest periods. This was the longest distance I have run non stop since I started running earlier in the year.
Achievements Unlocked today
Maintained 10:xx pace for 2 miles
Ran 1 mile, no stops
Ran 2 miles, no stops
Not sure about the point values, but nonetheless, very strong run this morning...
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Walt Disney Parks Blog
Disney Parks started actively blogging earlier in the week, they posted this today and it is pretty freaking cool. Check it out.
Their blog is here and worth following:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/
Their blog is here and worth following:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/
Monday, September 28, 2009
Week 1 Results
I weighed in at 229.8 this morning...I figured that this is going to be a plateau period for me...I am still happy I lost weight...Goal is 225...
Friday, September 25, 2009
Been a great week of running...
So, I have officially scaled back to 3 days of running a week and it seems to be working out really well. Come Saturday, when the long runs happen, I am not overly tired and ready to rock out 12+ miles every week.
So, Tuesday night was my normal "No Boundaries" run with the Fleet Feet crew. We have been working our intervals up every week with the hope of being able to run a high interval at the Race for the Cure here in a few weeks. Currently we are running 4:1's which I can handle on the shorter miles...currently we are running for 60 minutes...the other night, we made it 4.5 miles. We have 2 more nights of this particular workout before the race, so I think we should be around 5.5 before we are done...
Thursday night I was thinking of running with a local group here in Spring Hill, my schedule did not really work out to meet them at 6 at the Hacienda, but I will make it work for next week. This week I decided to just run a quick 3, an out and back from the house, so that I could get back and have dinner ready for when Karen and Bella got back from their girl scouts/swimming lessons/karen's class...it all worked out. I had a great run and only had to cook partially in the rain.
We run 12 tomorrow...a 'recovery' run...I will let you know how it goes!
So, Tuesday night was my normal "No Boundaries" run with the Fleet Feet crew. We have been working our intervals up every week with the hope of being able to run a high interval at the Race for the Cure here in a few weeks. Currently we are running 4:1's which I can handle on the shorter miles...currently we are running for 60 minutes...the other night, we made it 4.5 miles. We have 2 more nights of this particular workout before the race, so I think we should be around 5.5 before we are done...
Thursday night I was thinking of running with a local group here in Spring Hill, my schedule did not really work out to meet them at 6 at the Hacienda, but I will make it work for next week. This week I decided to just run a quick 3, an out and back from the house, so that I could get back and have dinner ready for when Karen and Bella got back from their girl scouts/swimming lessons/karen's class...it all worked out. I had a great run and only had to cook partially in the rain.
We run 12 tomorrow...a 'recovery' run...I will let you know how it goes!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Quick Update and Day One Weigh In
Some information from over the weekend:
1. We ran 14.5 miles on Saturday...it was an awesome run...
2. Sunday is swim day...got my 500 meters in...I am really starting to enjoy this workout...
Also, today officially starts the game again...Todays weigh-in: 231.6. I am looking to lose about another 5-7 lbs during this round...
Will keep you posted.
1. We ran 14.5 miles on Saturday...it was an awesome run...
2. Sunday is swim day...got my 500 meters in...I am really starting to enjoy this workout...
Also, today officially starts the game again...Todays weigh-in: 231.6. I am looking to lose about another 5-7 lbs during this round...
Will keep you posted.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
What a great week....
1. It is an off week on the diet...I mean, the diet has been pretty easy, but it is always cool to be able to eat an extra grape or have a little snack other than the healthy stuff here and there.
2. Marathon Training Started!!!! We did our first 12 miles on Saturday! It was tough, but we made it through! We did 2 times around the "loop" in downtown Brentwood. It was hilly at times, but nothing we were not prepared for. Now, what I was not prepared for is the stomach issues that I started having around mile 10...I need to go back to peanut butter and jellies on long run days. Something that I know that I can digest and not have to poop out while I am out on the course...
3. I did my first "double dip" workout on Tuesday night. Our Marathon training calls for a long run on Saturday and then 2 'shorter' runs during the week. Most weeks I will be doing between 5 - 8 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since I already do my No Boundaries training (5k training for the Race for the Cure), I decided I would get there an hour early and then run 3-4 before my 3-4 that we do with the NOBO group. Both runs went well...the first one was HR while the second one was straight time intervals with the rest of the group. This week was 3.5:1, I ran strong and finished even stronger...
4. The best news of the week? Well, Karen and I are not running alone in Las Vegas in December! My Brother Ryan, who just started running relatively recently decided to take the plunge and run the half with us...Not only that! Mom is making the trip too! It should be TONZ of fun...
2. Marathon Training Started!!!! We did our first 12 miles on Saturday! It was tough, but we made it through! We did 2 times around the "loop" in downtown Brentwood. It was hilly at times, but nothing we were not prepared for. Now, what I was not prepared for is the stomach issues that I started having around mile 10...I need to go back to peanut butter and jellies on long run days. Something that I know that I can digest and not have to poop out while I am out on the course...
3. I did my first "double dip" workout on Tuesday night. Our Marathon training calls for a long run on Saturday and then 2 'shorter' runs during the week. Most weeks I will be doing between 5 - 8 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since I already do my No Boundaries training (5k training for the Race for the Cure), I decided I would get there an hour early and then run 3-4 before my 3-4 that we do with the NOBO group. Both runs went well...the first one was HR while the second one was straight time intervals with the rest of the group. This week was 3.5:1, I ran strong and finished even stronger...
4. The best news of the week? Well, Karen and I are not running alone in Las Vegas in December! My Brother Ryan, who just started running relatively recently decided to take the plunge and run the half with us...Not only that! Mom is making the trip too! It should be TONZ of fun...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
"Final" Weigh In
234.2
So, during this last month, I lost 13.8 pounds...I lost 2 inches around my waist and went from an xxl shirt to an xl...good progress so far...
So, during this last month, I lost 13.8 pounds...I lost 2 inches around my waist and went from an xxl shirt to an xl...good progress so far...
Friday, September 11, 2009
Marathon Training Eve
So, we "officially" start marathon training in the morning with a 12.05 mile run from the Fleet Feet store in Brentwood. I am a little nervous, but also very excited. There are no major expectations for the full marathon except to have fun...since it will be at Disney. The good news is that I will be putting in the miles to be totally ready for the Vegas run in December...
After tomorrows run, we will see how many training runs I will be doing during the week. It is definitely going to be at least 2, but no more than 3...we will see.
More info tomorrow...
After tomorrows run, we will see how many training runs I will be doing during the week. It is definitely going to be at least 2, but no more than 3...we will see.
More info tomorrow...
Monday, September 7, 2009
Franklin Classic
It was an early start for me, I woke up around 5:45 this morning to go through my normal morning routine. Had to have breakfast, had to take a quick shower to wake myself up. Had about 2 sips of coffee...then by 6:30 I was on my way in to downtown Franklin for the race. The 5k started at 7:00 AM while the 10k started at 7:30 AM, I had plenty of time. I found a nice spot on top of the parking deck and made my way down to the square to see what it was like. There was a ton of folks, at the time, mostly 5k-ers trying to get their chips on their shoes and get down to the starting line...
I walked around for a bit, took a few pictures...here is the end of the 5k-ers starting.
I also walked down to the finish line and took a few pictures there...
After that, I had to take a picture of the Fleet Feet tent...I seriously love these people...they are totally supportive and really care about what we do. Of course, they were mostly overly concerned where Mom was (LA, visiting Ryan)...
Anyway, I put my camera away and spent about 20 minutes stretching out...ate a banana...then went over to my corral...10 minutes and above. I can handle that. I started out kind of shaky...not sure why, but I gather it was nerves. This was the first time I had raced without Mom or Karen. Once I got in my rhythm, I was good to go. The first 2 miles were fairly flat and the weather was awesome...had to be just below 70...I zoomed through the first few miles at about a 12 minute pace. For some reason, I thought I could keep that up for the whole thing...which was wrong because just after mile 2, the hills started. Nothing terrible, just not flat...the rolling hills went from about mile 2 - 4.5...I adjusted well and ran most of it...
I did not pay too much attention to intervals, I set my watch for 4:2, but probably only run/walked 3 full intervals...instead of the run/walk for 4:2, I was more around a 5:1 or 5.5:.5...by the time I hit mile 5, I realized I had not broken an hour yet. It was around 58 minutes...I was on a walk break at the time, well not anymore. At that point, I had 24 minutes to run 1 mile to get my PR. This was exactly what I wanted...and I still had enough energy in the tank to really get rolling in the final sprint. I made it down to Main Street and from about 5.7, I could see the finish line. For the last half mile, I put everything I had out there...running at an 8 minute mile pace, dipping into 7 minute range (which I have never done, I do not think)...I finished strong at 1:10:19...my PR by 12 minuted. Another good race. Of course, I still think it is the headband...
I got it at the Peachtree, where this pic was taken...I wore it for 2 races after that one and PR'ed at both...We will see what happens at the Race for the Cure next month...
I walked around for a bit, took a few pictures...here is the end of the 5k-ers starting.
I also walked down to the finish line and took a few pictures there...
After that, I had to take a picture of the Fleet Feet tent...I seriously love these people...they are totally supportive and really care about what we do. Of course, they were mostly overly concerned where Mom was (LA, visiting Ryan)...
Anyway, I put my camera away and spent about 20 minutes stretching out...ate a banana...then went over to my corral...10 minutes and above. I can handle that. I started out kind of shaky...not sure why, but I gather it was nerves. This was the first time I had raced without Mom or Karen. Once I got in my rhythm, I was good to go. The first 2 miles were fairly flat and the weather was awesome...had to be just below 70...I zoomed through the first few miles at about a 12 minute pace. For some reason, I thought I could keep that up for the whole thing...which was wrong because just after mile 2, the hills started. Nothing terrible, just not flat...the rolling hills went from about mile 2 - 4.5...I adjusted well and ran most of it...
I did not pay too much attention to intervals, I set my watch for 4:2, but probably only run/walked 3 full intervals...instead of the run/walk for 4:2, I was more around a 5:1 or 5.5:.5...by the time I hit mile 5, I realized I had not broken an hour yet. It was around 58 minutes...I was on a walk break at the time, well not anymore. At that point, I had 24 minutes to run 1 mile to get my PR. This was exactly what I wanted...and I still had enough energy in the tank to really get rolling in the final sprint. I made it down to Main Street and from about 5.7, I could see the finish line. For the last half mile, I put everything I had out there...running at an 8 minute mile pace, dipping into 7 minute range (which I have never done, I do not think)...I finished strong at 1:10:19...my PR by 12 minuted. Another good race. Of course, I still think it is the headband...
I got it at the Peachtree, where this pic was taken...I wore it for 2 races after that one and PR'ed at both...We will see what happens at the Race for the Cure next month...
Weigh In...Last week of the diet...238.0
This morning, I weighed in at 238.0...which is great...my goal was 235 for the 4 week period, so I am getting pretty close. We have to power through this week, then we have a "week off"...Now, what I plan on doing is eating as I have been during the day, but at night, if I feel like have mashed potatoes or mac n cheese, I will do it. After the week is up, we make the next push to lost about 10 more pounds. I would LOVE to be around 220 - 225 by the time we are running in Las Vegas...
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Franklin Classic 10k Pre-show
So, I signed up for the 10k yesterday and immediately felt that it was a mistake. Do I really need to run this? It's only a 10k.
Well, that passed, I am back into competition mode. 1 Hour 22 minutes is the time to beat. I think I can do it. The debate right now is should I run heart rate OR 4:2 intervals? I think with 4:2 intervals I should be able to beat the time pretty easily...heart rate, not sure...
I have my bib pinned to my shirt, clothes out, ready to rock...I decided to wear my Fleet Feet colors since they are a major sponsor of the race...
The review will come tomorrow, I will be carrying my camera, so I will try to take some good pictures...
Also, this week is the "last week" of the game diet...so far, great results. I am going to make a big push this week to finish under 235. We will take one week off, then go on another 1 month push before the holidays and the winter races. My goal is to be sub 225 before the Las Vegas race on December 6.
Well, that passed, I am back into competition mode. 1 Hour 22 minutes is the time to beat. I think I can do it. The debate right now is should I run heart rate OR 4:2 intervals? I think with 4:2 intervals I should be able to beat the time pretty easily...heart rate, not sure...
I have my bib pinned to my shirt, clothes out, ready to rock...I decided to wear my Fleet Feet colors since they are a major sponsor of the race...
The review will come tomorrow, I will be carrying my camera, so I will try to take some good pictures...
Also, this week is the "last week" of the game diet...so far, great results. I am going to make a big push this week to finish under 235. We will take one week off, then go on another 1 month push before the holidays and the winter races. My goal is to be sub 225 before the Las Vegas race on December 6.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Great Runs this Week...
So, after Monday's great lunchtime run, my next scheduled run was Tuesday night for my normal "No Boundaries" run. It is a timed run, 50 minutes, with a 5 minute run at the beginning and 5 minutes at the end of just walking. The trick is they change the time intervals every week, so you progressively are running further every time you go out. Mom and I are still working on our heart rate training, so we have been ignoring the intervals. I find my heart rate spikes a lot more on NOBO nights. I think it is because I have to go a lot slower than most of them and it irritates me because I know I am just as fast if not faster than 75 % of the people out there. My endurance is better too. Anyhow, I stuck with it Tuesday night until about mile 3.3...then I ran at a pretty fast pace for me (Sub 11 minute miles) for the rest of the run until. Finished about 4 miles in 56 minutes. Not too shabby.
Thursday, I decided to run at the greenway across from the office. I LOVE the River Park at Concord, but it does take 15 minutes to get there. When I run during lunch, that pretty much holds me to 5k. I walked from the office until I was close to the greenway, about 3-4 minutes, then started running 3:2's...I figured I would knock out 3ish miles and be done. Well, it turns out that the greenway is small, but it is a nice little loop with a half mile out and back across the street from it. I ran the loop twice and the out and back twice and found that with the walk to and from the greenway, it put me around 4.4 miles...I ran a little extra and broke 5 miles in just over an hour. Very Nice...great route. Will probably use it for my lunchtime runs from here out...
That leaves us until this morning...I had planned to do 5 or 6...but Bella had a sleepover last night and the children were not very agreeable as far as when they needed to go to bed. LSS, it was about 2:00 AM before we got to sleep...I got out on the road around 7:30ish...ran a quick 5k, then came back. Karen was not up yet, but she was going to be soon and I did not want her to be alone for too long. Like I said, it was a long night. I do not foreshadow any Bella sleepovers any time soon. Karen said, at least until next summer...
I got SOME miles in and that is what counts. I am going to the Y today to sign up for the Franklin 10K, that should be fun...then the our big fall training push starts next weekend. Starting with 12 miles from the Fleet Feet Store. We are technically training for the Disney Full Marathon, although we are going to be running the Las Vegas Half before then...when we run Disney, we are running to finish, to enjoy the atmosphere...times do not matter...well, they do not right now. We will see what happens once the winter comes along...
Will blog again Monday afternoon to let you know what happens at the race...
Thursday, I decided to run at the greenway across from the office. I LOVE the River Park at Concord, but it does take 15 minutes to get there. When I run during lunch, that pretty much holds me to 5k. I walked from the office until I was close to the greenway, about 3-4 minutes, then started running 3:2's...I figured I would knock out 3ish miles and be done. Well, it turns out that the greenway is small, but it is a nice little loop with a half mile out and back across the street from it. I ran the loop twice and the out and back twice and found that with the walk to and from the greenway, it put me around 4.4 miles...I ran a little extra and broke 5 miles in just over an hour. Very Nice...great route. Will probably use it for my lunchtime runs from here out...
That leaves us until this morning...I had planned to do 5 or 6...but Bella had a sleepover last night and the children were not very agreeable as far as when they needed to go to bed. LSS, it was about 2:00 AM before we got to sleep...I got out on the road around 7:30ish...ran a quick 5k, then came back. Karen was not up yet, but she was going to be soon and I did not want her to be alone for too long. Like I said, it was a long night. I do not foreshadow any Bella sleepovers any time soon. Karen said, at least until next summer...
I got SOME miles in and that is what counts. I am going to the Y today to sign up for the Franklin 10K, that should be fun...then the our big fall training push starts next weekend. Starting with 12 miles from the Fleet Feet Store. We are technically training for the Disney Full Marathon, although we are going to be running the Las Vegas Half before then...when we run Disney, we are running to finish, to enjoy the atmosphere...times do not matter...well, they do not right now. We will see what happens once the winter comes along...
Will blog again Monday afternoon to let you know what happens at the race...
Monday, August 31, 2009
Awesome run today...
I feel like I am getting the hang of this heart rate training...both Matt and Mom were correct, once I got some decent weather, it seemed so much easier. I was able to stay in my zone for 80% of my run. Which was awesome. I ended up doing 4.1, I normally do 3.1, but I felt so good I had to keep going. If it was not a work day, I would have gone even further.
It honestly was a run that reminded me how much I enjoy running. When we started this last year, I honestly believed that this would be a year that I would dedicate to 1 race (Disney Full), but at this point I can not picture my life without running. I may not be the best at it, or the fastest, but I love it, and as my brother is finding out...I want everyone to love it too...or at least try. Hell, if I can do this, anyone can.
It honestly was a run that reminded me how much I enjoy running. When we started this last year, I honestly believed that this would be a year that I would dedicate to 1 race (Disney Full), but at this point I can not picture my life without running. I may not be the best at it, or the fastest, but I love it, and as my brother is finding out...I want everyone to love it too...or at least try. Hell, if I can do this, anyone can.
Day 15 Weigh In
241.8
I did not lose as much this week...we did go a little crazy on Saturday with eating popcorn at the movies and I probably could have exercised a little more self control at our dinner off Saturday night at Chili's...
I still am sitting at about 7 lbs for the 3 weeks we have done this...that is still pretty good.
I am excited about my runs this week, the weather is supposed to be very mild...I do not think we are going to be breaking 80 today.
I did not lose as much this week...we did go a little crazy on Saturday with eating popcorn at the movies and I probably could have exercised a little more self control at our dinner off Saturday night at Chili's...
I still am sitting at about 7 lbs for the 3 weeks we have done this...that is still pretty good.
I am excited about my runs this week, the weather is supposed to be very mild...I do not think we are going to be breaking 80 today.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Great Long Run Yesterday...
I was without my Garmin (Karen was running with it), so we went on Mom's heart rate and ended up doing a very comfortable 9.5 miles. We stopped frequently to stretch, plus a nice stop at the Kroger to refill water, go to the potty, etc...I really like that we are getting to the point where a close to 10 mile run can be uneventful. It was more humid than it has been, but we are looking forward to some cooler weather. Yes, it screws up the end of our pool season, but I have heard that heart rate is easier to do when you are no gasping for air with all of the humidity.
That is all I have to report at this point...I may do a short run later tonight and tomorrow I will blog my week 3 weigh in...not really to happy about that because I somehow gained 3 lb's yesterday...
That is all I have to report at this point...I may do a short run later tonight and tomorrow I will blog my week 3 weigh in...not really to happy about that because I somehow gained 3 lb's yesterday...
Friday, August 28, 2009
Been a bit...
So, I have had 2 good weeks of runs...I feel pretty confident that I can get 4 runs in a week, plus a swim or two...
Over the past week, Mom and I have been doing our long runs in Spring Hill which is different than normal. We normally like to go up to the River Park in Brentwood, but it has been a bit easier to run close to home. We found a pretty good route that has some hills and also passes to restrooms, so we have been running that...
During the week, I have been running 3ish miles at the River Park...I am comfortable running there...if I forget the Garmin, I know my distance so I know where to turn around...
On to the Heart Rate training...it is going well...Mom and I ran 8.4 miles last week using HR instead of intervals...we were slow, but we could have gone on for at least another mile or two. This is going to be really helpful for the marathon...right now, I feel confident that I can run a half and know that around mile 10, I still have enough in the tank that I can open my speed up at the end if I need to...for the full, it will prety much be about survival. As long as I can keep running even at a slow pace, I can stay ahead of the sweepers...
Nothing else really new to blog...I have been reading this book...
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Fat-Triathlete-Athletic-Dreams/dp/1569244677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251512244&sr=8-1
I am about 70% through it...it is more or less a beginners guide to triathlons told by a "normal" athlete...someone who started running to lose weight...starting at 269 pounds and graduated to tri's...which I think is going to be next years project...we will see...
Over the past week, Mom and I have been doing our long runs in Spring Hill which is different than normal. We normally like to go up to the River Park in Brentwood, but it has been a bit easier to run close to home. We found a pretty good route that has some hills and also passes to restrooms, so we have been running that...
During the week, I have been running 3ish miles at the River Park...I am comfortable running there...if I forget the Garmin, I know my distance so I know where to turn around...
On to the Heart Rate training...it is going well...Mom and I ran 8.4 miles last week using HR instead of intervals...we were slow, but we could have gone on for at least another mile or two. This is going to be really helpful for the marathon...right now, I feel confident that I can run a half and know that around mile 10, I still have enough in the tank that I can open my speed up at the end if I need to...for the full, it will prety much be about survival. As long as I can keep running even at a slow pace, I can stay ahead of the sweepers...
Nothing else really new to blog...I have been reading this book...
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Fat-Triathlete-Athletic-Dreams/dp/1569244677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251512244&sr=8-1
I am about 70% through it...it is more or less a beginners guide to triathlons told by a "normal" athlete...someone who started running to lose weight...starting at 269 pounds and graduated to tri's...which I think is going to be next years project...we will see...
Monday, August 24, 2009
Day 8 Weigh In
243.2
I am pretty happy with that...I got a little nervous after our "off" days but everything seemed to work out. The diet is pretty easy to keep up with and I can eat pretty much everything that I like (except cookies)...
I had a couple of great runs that I will blog about later, plus added swimming into my rotation so, it was a pretty busy week as far as exercise is concerned. I really feel like I am getting the hang of the heart rate monitor...it is still slowing me down, but I am slowly getting to the point where I can run for longer periods of time...Look for the run post tonight...
I am pretty happy with that...I got a little nervous after our "off" days but everything seemed to work out. The diet is pretty easy to keep up with and I can eat pretty much everything that I like (except cookies)...
I had a couple of great runs that I will blog about later, plus added swimming into my rotation so, it was a pretty busy week as far as exercise is concerned. I really feel like I am getting the hang of the heart rate monitor...it is still slowing me down, but I am slowly getting to the point where I can run for longer periods of time...Look for the run post tonight...
Monday, August 17, 2009
Day one Weigh in...
248.0
So far so good. I do not have any lofty goals as far as weight loss is concerned, but I figured I would throw the number up there weekly...
On day 1, I figure the most difficult thing for today is to stay away from the cookies here at work...other than that, I am ready for my lunchtime workout...which will be a bit slower than normal due to I am still a little sore from the spin class...
So far so good. I do not have any lofty goals as far as weight loss is concerned, but I figured I would throw the number up there weekly...
On day 1, I figure the most difficult thing for today is to stay away from the cookies here at work...other than that, I am ready for my lunchtime workout...which will be a bit slower than normal due to I am still a little sore from the spin class...
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Spin Class...
So, I attended "spin" class with Karen this afternoon, it didn't suck...however it is not something that I will do regularly. It was a great workout, I definitely worked up a sweat, but any XT I am going to be doing is going to be moderate and at my own pace. It was really amazing watching Karen and the rest of the class "sprint" up the "hills" and whatnot, but I have been injury free since February and I want to keep it that way...any cycling I do, will be on a real bike through the neighborhoods.
Tomorrow, Karen and I start the big diet. One of the big concerns of this diet was one of the "rules" is no soda...meaning no diet coke...on a bet, I started a week early. So, as of tomorrow, I will be off the diet coke for a full week...so far, it has been pretty easy...I wake up with a small headache, lack of caffeine I guess, but that is easily remedied with my morning coffee. Other than that, there is really nothing special about the diet...eating the right carbs, lean meats, etc...no fries, no pizza...smaller meals, but more of them. It last 4 weeks, we will see what happens...
I am going to do my best to run during lunch tomorrow. I decided than instead of being out late 2 nights in a row, I would try to run during lunch on Mondays...the temperature difference between 11 and 5:30 has been minimal lately...
Also, I booked the Disney trip for January, I already had our hotel booked (Pop Century), but I had not made the decision on how many days of tickets we would need...just a quick call to Disney reservations and all of that was fixed. I love talking to those people...they really know what they are doing...
Have a good week...
Tomorrow, Karen and I start the big diet. One of the big concerns of this diet was one of the "rules" is no soda...meaning no diet coke...on a bet, I started a week early. So, as of tomorrow, I will be off the diet coke for a full week...so far, it has been pretty easy...I wake up with a small headache, lack of caffeine I guess, but that is easily remedied with my morning coffee. Other than that, there is really nothing special about the diet...eating the right carbs, lean meats, etc...no fries, no pizza...smaller meals, but more of them. It last 4 weeks, we will see what happens...
I am going to do my best to run during lunch tomorrow. I decided than instead of being out late 2 nights in a row, I would try to run during lunch on Mondays...the temperature difference between 11 and 5:30 has been minimal lately...
Also, I booked the Disney trip for January, I already had our hotel booked (Pop Century), but I had not made the decision on how many days of tickets we would need...just a quick call to Disney reservations and all of that was fixed. I love talking to those people...they really know what they are doing...
Have a good week...
Yesterday's Run, etc
Due to some scheduling conflicts, Mom and I ended up running around the neighborhood instead of going to the River Park...as with our last few runs, I am still doing heart rate training which is getting better, but still a bit frustrating. We initially planned to run 5-6 miles, a quick out a back through the next subdivision over, but changed our minds once we got out there and decided to go a bit further...
We ended up doing about 7.3, which was great, but it was a slow go. I understand that in the long run, the HR training is going to be good for me, but right now, it is a bit frustrating. Having to stop or slow down considerably to stay in my zone is a bit annoying. We ended up having a 15 minute pace for our 7, which is fine (albeit, very very slow)...when we finished, I was not tired at all. Sort of felt like I had not worked out at all, but I know that this has worked for Mom, Byron, and Lou...so, I will keep it up. I imagine, it will work great during Marathon training.
Speaking of which, after the run, Bella and I went into Brentwood to sign up for the Fleet Feet Marathon Training...we got Karen and I signed up, we are good to go to start on 9/12! We also visited the Halcyon Bike shop, a local outfit that sells and refurbishes old bikes. It was a great visit, they seem like really nice people...although I did not see anything I liked yesterday, I will definitely be back. I am definitely interested in getting a bicycle so that I can do some cross training...
Today, I am going to attend a spin class with Karen, we will see how that goes...
We ended up doing about 7.3, which was great, but it was a slow go. I understand that in the long run, the HR training is going to be good for me, but right now, it is a bit frustrating. Having to stop or slow down considerably to stay in my zone is a bit annoying. We ended up having a 15 minute pace for our 7, which is fine (albeit, very very slow)...when we finished, I was not tired at all. Sort of felt like I had not worked out at all, but I know that this has worked for Mom, Byron, and Lou...so, I will keep it up. I imagine, it will work great during Marathon training.
Speaking of which, after the run, Bella and I went into Brentwood to sign up for the Fleet Feet Marathon Training...we got Karen and I signed up, we are good to go to start on 9/12! We also visited the Halcyon Bike shop, a local outfit that sells and refurbishes old bikes. It was a great visit, they seem like really nice people...although I did not see anything I liked yesterday, I will definitely be back. I am definitely interested in getting a bicycle so that I can do some cross training...
Today, I am going to attend a spin class with Karen, we will see how that goes...
Friday, August 14, 2009
In Training...
So, we have a lot going on training wise right now...
Monday - Tin Roof 2 Fun run - this is a 3.5 - 5 mile run every Monday night from the Tin Roof 2 in Cool Springs...It is right up the street from work, so it is easy to get to for me. I am considering making it my normal Monday run due to its "ease of use"...I do not have to plan a course...just show up and run...
Tuesday - Mom and I are running with the "No Boundaries" group which is a couch to 5k program training for the Race for the Cure, organized by Fleet Feet...Here is another 3-5 miler that is every week. We ran 3.76 the other night so I imagine once we pick the pace up and I get in better gear with my Heart Rate training, then we will be running closer to 4.5 or 5...
Wednesday - Rest or swimming...we will see, I am trying to get myself up earlier enough to swim laps in the morning...
Thursday - Starting next week, Thursday will be an 'easy run'...at most 3 miles...just to keep warm and keep my miles up...
Friday - more XT - when I can find a decent used bike, I will probably take it out with the girls around the neighborhood or something.
Saturday - Long Run day - starting September 12th, full marathon training starts with Fleet Feet, we will run at the very least 12 miles every Saturday...it is going to be tough, but we are ready. We are starting our mileage increases this weekend so that when we get to 9/12, we will be ready to rock...
Sunday - Rest
Then we get to start over...It is going to be an exciting fall between training for Las Vegas (half), then Disney 6 weeks after that.
Goals for the Fall:
1. Heart Rate Training - be able to keep my heart rate within my zone and be able to recover quickly...or quicker than I can now...I think that when the cool air gets here, we will be good to go...
2. At least 20 miles a week starting in September...
3. Beat 2:50 in Las Vegas...I know the course already...by then I should be in a great shape...
4. Eat right...Karen and I are starting the game on diet this week, we will see how that goes...I have already lost 3 lbs this week by drinking water instead of Diet Coke...
That is all for now...tomorrow morning there will be a 6-7 miler at the river park, visit to Fleet Feet, then a visit to Halycon Bikes in Nashville to see if they have anything good...
Monday - Tin Roof 2 Fun run - this is a 3.5 - 5 mile run every Monday night from the Tin Roof 2 in Cool Springs...It is right up the street from work, so it is easy to get to for me. I am considering making it my normal Monday run due to its "ease of use"...I do not have to plan a course...just show up and run...
Tuesday - Mom and I are running with the "No Boundaries" group which is a couch to 5k program training for the Race for the Cure, organized by Fleet Feet...Here is another 3-5 miler that is every week. We ran 3.76 the other night so I imagine once we pick the pace up and I get in better gear with my Heart Rate training, then we will be running closer to 4.5 or 5...
Wednesday - Rest or swimming...we will see, I am trying to get myself up earlier enough to swim laps in the morning...
Thursday - Starting next week, Thursday will be an 'easy run'...at most 3 miles...just to keep warm and keep my miles up...
Friday - more XT - when I can find a decent used bike, I will probably take it out with the girls around the neighborhood or something.
Saturday - Long Run day - starting September 12th, full marathon training starts with Fleet Feet, we will run at the very least 12 miles every Saturday...it is going to be tough, but we are ready. We are starting our mileage increases this weekend so that when we get to 9/12, we will be ready to rock...
Sunday - Rest
Then we get to start over...It is going to be an exciting fall between training for Las Vegas (half), then Disney 6 weeks after that.
Goals for the Fall:
1. Heart Rate Training - be able to keep my heart rate within my zone and be able to recover quickly...or quicker than I can now...I think that when the cool air gets here, we will be good to go...
2. At least 20 miles a week starting in September...
3. Beat 2:50 in Las Vegas...I know the course already...by then I should be in a great shape...
4. Eat right...Karen and I are starting the game on diet this week, we will see how that goes...I have already lost 3 lbs this week by drinking water instead of Diet Coke...
That is all for now...tomorrow morning there will be a 6-7 miler at the river park, visit to Fleet Feet, then a visit to Halycon Bikes in Nashville to see if they have anything good...
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Short stop at the homestead...
After getting home and spending a week or so doing laundry and putting out fires at work, it was time to pack back up and head to Chicago for the Chicago Rock and Roll Half Marathon...
Our goal was simple, beat our time from the Country Music Marathon. For most of us, not Karen, our goal was pretty easy. Mom walked a good portion of the CMM due to an injury...and I bonked around mile 8 due to the heat, both of us finished on the bad side of 3:00:00...Karen, on the other hand, finished with a respectable 2:55.
The flight out was uneventful and short...we got to Midway to our Shuttle in no time...after a short ride into town, we made it to the Hotel Burnham, our home for the next few days. I have always been intrigued by the Kimpton Hotels, ever since Samantha Brown did a bit on the Hotel Monaco which seemed like such a nice hotel, I have always wanted to stay at one. Long story short, I loved this hotel, the building was 113 years old, stood across the street from the old Marshall Fields building, and at one point Al Capone's dentist was on the 8th floor. Pretty cool stuff. Anyway, we got to the hotel, stored our bags because the room was not ready yet, and then caught a cab to the Expo...
The expo was fantastic. Most of the same players from the CMM expo was there...we got to see Kara Goucher get interviewed, eat lots of samples...make a few souvenir purchases and meet up with Lou and Byron, our running mates from Fleet Feet Nashville...of course, I also had to take pictures at the Disney booth...
and also the medals...
We finished up and went back to the hotel...our rooms were ready, so we went ahead up...it was a smallish room, about what you would expect at a boutique hotel in a 113 year old building...but, it was really comfy. Perfect for us...Karen especially liked the Aveda soaps and shampoos...the view was amazing. We had a full view of Macy's, the Joffrey ballet (at night, we could see the classes going on) and the Chicago Theatre...
I took lots of other pictures at the hotel, check out my flickr page if you want to see more...
After the hotel, we were hungry, really starving actually...we hadn't had time to eat lunch and the maple clif bars really didn't act as the lunch we wanted...so we hit Pizano's around the corner for pizza...we were seated immediately and ordered our pizzas...
It was delicious...and we knew that we wanted to try to be somewhat good on Saturday as far as eating goes, we we wanted to get the deep dish pizza out of the way. After our dinner/lunch, we went back to the hotel to settle down...
Saturday, we woke up early and walked around town a bit to see how far the starting line was for the hotel. Good news, we were about 3/4 mile from the starting line and about a mile from the finish line. A decent warm up and cool down from both lines. We met Mom and Gordon at Potbelly for sandwiches, it was awesome. After that, we went down towards the Magnificent Mile...Guess what, we found the Disney Store!!!
So, we walked up and down the mile and then took a water taxi to the Navy Pier. At the navy pier, they had plenty of souvenir shops, a ferris wheel, some other assorted Carnival rides, several restaurants...and unfortunately rain. We messed around there for a bit and then took a taxi back to the hotel. Now, Karen had wanted to see the Harpo Studios and visit the Oprah store, so we dropped Gordon off at the hotel and then took a taxi to Oprah's block. We took some pictures outside the studios, then went over to the Oprah store. Now, the Oprah store has pretty much what you would think. A whole bunch of crap with an 'O' on it...I walked around the store took some pictures, and while Karen was trying on an 'Oprah' fleece...I was asked to stop taking pictures. Now, normally, I am pretty compliant, but I could not wrap my brain around why this would be. It is a tourist trap...of course, it made me take more pictures...
So, by looking at the picture, you are an accessory to the crime...we decided to walk back to the hotel...it was about 2 miles...we walked by the Sears tower and took some pictures, then went back to the hotel to change for dinner. For our pre-race meal, we opted to go back to Pizano's to carb up. It was a nice meal, then back to the room to be in bed by 8:00, we had a 5:00 wake up call and had to get our gear ready...
We all got a good night's rest and then went down to our corral...before getting there, we noticed a lot of the sponsors had set up tents and were giving away lots of fun stuff...fruit, bottles of water...it was a nice touch. We found our corral and our running group easily!
What was great about this race is that the corrals were sent quickly...like every 1-2 minutes quickly...before we knew it, we were up front!
The race itself was great. The course was flat and fast as promised, the only issue was that we had to go through a few tunnels at the beginning that threw everyone's Garmins off. It also could have been the tall buildings, but everyone's distance was about a mile off. Mine righted itself at some point, or at least came close to righting itself. The course took us north through Millenium Park and into the city, by the Magnificent Mile, by our hotel, and then south to and out and back by the Mccormick Expo center, soldier field, and then the back portion was right next to the lake...it was pretty awesome...
As we crossed the finish line, we were IMMEDIATELY met with cold towels and COLD water...snacks, and of course, our medal...then exited towards the same tents that we saw earlier...we drank our water, I grabbed a muscle milk and then we headed back to the hotel...
It was a great trip and race and wouldn't hesitate to go back next year.
Next up...Vegas.
I have us booked for 2 nights at the Luxor for the Las Vegas Half Marathon in December...We also start our Marathon training for Disney on Sept. 12...so we should have plenty to blog on running wise soon!
Our goal was simple, beat our time from the Country Music Marathon. For most of us, not Karen, our goal was pretty easy. Mom walked a good portion of the CMM due to an injury...and I bonked around mile 8 due to the heat, both of us finished on the bad side of 3:00:00...Karen, on the other hand, finished with a respectable 2:55.
The flight out was uneventful and short...we got to Midway to our Shuttle in no time...after a short ride into town, we made it to the Hotel Burnham, our home for the next few days. I have always been intrigued by the Kimpton Hotels, ever since Samantha Brown did a bit on the Hotel Monaco which seemed like such a nice hotel, I have always wanted to stay at one. Long story short, I loved this hotel, the building was 113 years old, stood across the street from the old Marshall Fields building, and at one point Al Capone's dentist was on the 8th floor. Pretty cool stuff. Anyway, we got to the hotel, stored our bags because the room was not ready yet, and then caught a cab to the Expo...
The expo was fantastic. Most of the same players from the CMM expo was there...we got to see Kara Goucher get interviewed, eat lots of samples...make a few souvenir purchases and meet up with Lou and Byron, our running mates from Fleet Feet Nashville...of course, I also had to take pictures at the Disney booth...
and also the medals...
We finished up and went back to the hotel...our rooms were ready, so we went ahead up...it was a smallish room, about what you would expect at a boutique hotel in a 113 year old building...but, it was really comfy. Perfect for us...Karen especially liked the Aveda soaps and shampoos...the view was amazing. We had a full view of Macy's, the Joffrey ballet (at night, we could see the classes going on) and the Chicago Theatre...
I took lots of other pictures at the hotel, check out my flickr page if you want to see more...
After the hotel, we were hungry, really starving actually...we hadn't had time to eat lunch and the maple clif bars really didn't act as the lunch we wanted...so we hit Pizano's around the corner for pizza...we were seated immediately and ordered our pizzas...
It was delicious...and we knew that we wanted to try to be somewhat good on Saturday as far as eating goes, we we wanted to get the deep dish pizza out of the way. After our dinner/lunch, we went back to the hotel to settle down...
Saturday, we woke up early and walked around town a bit to see how far the starting line was for the hotel. Good news, we were about 3/4 mile from the starting line and about a mile from the finish line. A decent warm up and cool down from both lines. We met Mom and Gordon at Potbelly for sandwiches, it was awesome. After that, we went down towards the Magnificent Mile...Guess what, we found the Disney Store!!!
So, we walked up and down the mile and then took a water taxi to the Navy Pier. At the navy pier, they had plenty of souvenir shops, a ferris wheel, some other assorted Carnival rides, several restaurants...and unfortunately rain. We messed around there for a bit and then took a taxi back to the hotel. Now, Karen had wanted to see the Harpo Studios and visit the Oprah store, so we dropped Gordon off at the hotel and then took a taxi to Oprah's block. We took some pictures outside the studios, then went over to the Oprah store. Now, the Oprah store has pretty much what you would think. A whole bunch of crap with an 'O' on it...I walked around the store took some pictures, and while Karen was trying on an 'Oprah' fleece...I was asked to stop taking pictures. Now, normally, I am pretty compliant, but I could not wrap my brain around why this would be. It is a tourist trap...of course, it made me take more pictures...
So, by looking at the picture, you are an accessory to the crime...we decided to walk back to the hotel...it was about 2 miles...we walked by the Sears tower and took some pictures, then went back to the hotel to change for dinner. For our pre-race meal, we opted to go back to Pizano's to carb up. It was a nice meal, then back to the room to be in bed by 8:00, we had a 5:00 wake up call and had to get our gear ready...
We all got a good night's rest and then went down to our corral...before getting there, we noticed a lot of the sponsors had set up tents and were giving away lots of fun stuff...fruit, bottles of water...it was a nice touch. We found our corral and our running group easily!
What was great about this race is that the corrals were sent quickly...like every 1-2 minutes quickly...before we knew it, we were up front!
The race itself was great. The course was flat and fast as promised, the only issue was that we had to go through a few tunnels at the beginning that threw everyone's Garmins off. It also could have been the tall buildings, but everyone's distance was about a mile off. Mine righted itself at some point, or at least came close to righting itself. The course took us north through Millenium Park and into the city, by the Magnificent Mile, by our hotel, and then south to and out and back by the Mccormick Expo center, soldier field, and then the back portion was right next to the lake...it was pretty awesome...
As we crossed the finish line, we were IMMEDIATELY met with cold towels and COLD water...snacks, and of course, our medal...then exited towards the same tents that we saw earlier...we drank our water, I grabbed a muscle milk and then we headed back to the hotel...
It was a great trip and race and wouldn't hesitate to go back next year.
Next up...Vegas.
I have us booked for 2 nights at the Luxor for the Las Vegas Half Marathon in December...We also start our Marathon training for Disney on Sept. 12...so we should have plenty to blog on running wise soon!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Disneyland Part 3!!! Possibly the Final Chapter
So, after a speedy runthrough of Disneyland, we headed across the way to California Adventure...during my research, it CA Adventure seemed to house "the best of the rest" from the rest of the WDW parks...but of course, before we can leave Disneyland, we HAD to get stuck behind a parade. Now, I am not going to totally hate on parades. The Main Street Electrical Parade is one of my very fondest memories of WDW from when I was little. I can remember on our first trip pestering Mom and Dad to buy the 45 of the music...yes, it was a 45 rpm record, not a cd or cassette, and my brother and I wore it down when we got home. Anyhow, we got stuck being the Celebrations parade, it was alright, but when we have 1 day to cruise through 2 parks with 2 kids...they are more annoying than anything.
We escaped DL, and made it to the area between DL and CA...I really enjoyed CA as a park. It was really pretty and I think they were pretty creative of how they connected the lands...my memory is kind of fading, so I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, but we went over to TOT so that Ry and Amanda could ride. I felt like I had the kids talked into it, but they decided it was not for them, so I took them over to do something else...here are a couple of TOT pics...
The girls in front of the sign...looking scared.
While the others rode TOT, I wanted to go ride the Monsters, Inc dark ride. I loved Monsters, Inc...I thought it was a great film and I think they did a great job with the attraction...and, of course, theming the trash cans. I love this about DL and WDW, if you go through my flickr pages, I try to take pictures of the themed garbage cans...
Here's a Monstropolis can...
Anyhow, we get to Monsters, Inc...down...yep, the ride is down. Luckily, a few doors down, I see a Mickey fountain, and right behind it MuppetVision! We all loved Muppet Vision AND there was no line, which means extra AC for us...After MuppetVision, once we left the MuppetVision theatre, they opened Monsters, Inc...once again, no line. Awesome.
You can see the entrance to Monsters Inc to the right in this picture...
The ride pretty much follows the movie, the end of the attraction takes place in the giant room with all of the doors which was very cool...as an added bonus, they have an "interactive" Roz at the end of the ride that makes comments to the riders...Claire loved that she "hit" on me...she noticed I was alone, and told me that she was going to be hiding in my closet that night...
We re-grouped with the others and passed Soarin' and the Grizzly River Run...actually we literally passed on Soarin', we love the attraction, but with the wait time being so long, we decided we would catch that next time in WDW...Claire really wanted to hit Grizzly River Run, unfortunately no one else wanted to get wet, so we skipped it for now, but would double back and ride it later (just Claire and I)...we headed toward the midway area so that we can ride Toy Story Midway Mania. On the way, we got to see the area where they are putting the Little Mermaid attraction....
Of course, before we could get across to TSMM, we got caught behind a...PARADE...it was the Pixar parade, and believe it or not, it was pretty cool...
As we crossed across the bridge, we found the beer place!!! Now, I rarely feel the need for a beer, but it was one of those times...Ry and I had a beer, while Karen and Amanda drank a margarita. Claire and Bella sat quietly while we had our adult time...after our timeout, we walked towards TSMM...as it turns out, Karen and Amanda went and rode California Scream'n while Ryan and I took the girls to TSMM. On the way, I took this picture of where the World of color is going...
Toy Story was great...we all enjoyed the ride, as always...it pretty much rode the same way the WDW ride did...
Once we were done there, we re-grouped (for the moment) to see what was next. Karen, Ry, Amanda, and Bella went to ride the ferris wheel, while Claire and I ran over to Grizzly River. It was the longest line we would wait on all day (45 minutes) and it was well worth it. While we were in line, Claire explained to me that she liked these sorts of rides because you always make new friends...sure enough by the time we got off, we had a nice conversation with another Dad who had his daughter and son with him...of COURSE, Claire had an "I told you so" waiting for when we got off...
The others saw us on the ride and waited for us on the exit...the girls were hungry for a snack, so Karen took them to eat something and then Ry, Amanda and myself went to TOT so that I can see how the DL version compared. It was much shorter, the car never leaves the shaft, but the thrill is definitely still there. That ride is a classic to me and the fact that we had a creepy as hell cast member seat us, that adds to the attraction a ton...
Me and Bro in line for TOT
After TOT, it was decision making time...we were hungry, it was getting dark, we had a limited amount of time left...Ryan and Amanda decided to call it a night. The rest of us hurried back in to the DL to catch the fireworks...normally, I can take or leave fireworks, but Disney does it right. Starting with Tink, the fireworks themselves...the addition of Dumbo (which was incredible to see, it was the topic of the "how did they do that" conversation for the rest of the trip)...and it was a bit of a disappointment for me. I can not take good pictures of fireworks, so I have none.
To wrap your brain around it, here is someone else's brief video of Dumbo...
After the fireworks, we hit up Autotopia, which was awesome. The track seemed much longer than WDW and I do not remember an off-road portion...I may have imagined the off-road bit, at that point I was prett punch drunk. We ended the night at It's a Small World...
I still am a sucker for this ride. Before we got there, I was not sure where I stood on the additions of the new characters from the Disney movies. Some worked, and seemed to blend in with their home countries and some looked like they were just shoved in there...like Ariel. It was pretty blatant. About the best picture I took from the inside was of Woody and Jessie...
At this point, we were cashed...it was time to make our way back to Hollywood...some final thoughts...
--Disneyland and California Adventures in 1 day is a tall order...I wished we had an extra day to hit everything...
--It is impossible not to drink in the history of the place right when you enter...
--Even tho some of the rides are shorter, they do make up for it with the theming, the architecture, etc...the houses that hold POTC and HM were just awesome to look at...
--Churros are incredible...
--I would love to get back once Little Mermaid is done and the World of Color is ready...
--Even though we probably won't get back for a proper DL visit, it would be hard to not sneak a day in...and then complain about not having enough time...
--It makes me miss Disney World and be terribly jealous of guys like Lou Mongello
Well, that is it...next post should be the review of the Chicago Half Marathon...and then the official unveiling of our race before the Disney Marathon and then my tentative running schedule for marathon training...
We escaped DL, and made it to the area between DL and CA...I really enjoyed CA as a park. It was really pretty and I think they were pretty creative of how they connected the lands...my memory is kind of fading, so I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, but we went over to TOT so that Ry and Amanda could ride. I felt like I had the kids talked into it, but they decided it was not for them, so I took them over to do something else...here are a couple of TOT pics...
The girls in front of the sign...looking scared.
While the others rode TOT, I wanted to go ride the Monsters, Inc dark ride. I loved Monsters, Inc...I thought it was a great film and I think they did a great job with the attraction...and, of course, theming the trash cans. I love this about DL and WDW, if you go through my flickr pages, I try to take pictures of the themed garbage cans...
Here's a Monstropolis can...
Anyhow, we get to Monsters, Inc...down...yep, the ride is down. Luckily, a few doors down, I see a Mickey fountain, and right behind it MuppetVision! We all loved Muppet Vision AND there was no line, which means extra AC for us...After MuppetVision, once we left the MuppetVision theatre, they opened Monsters, Inc...once again, no line. Awesome.
You can see the entrance to Monsters Inc to the right in this picture...
The ride pretty much follows the movie, the end of the attraction takes place in the giant room with all of the doors which was very cool...as an added bonus, they have an "interactive" Roz at the end of the ride that makes comments to the riders...Claire loved that she "hit" on me...she noticed I was alone, and told me that she was going to be hiding in my closet that night...
We re-grouped with the others and passed Soarin' and the Grizzly River Run...actually we literally passed on Soarin', we love the attraction, but with the wait time being so long, we decided we would catch that next time in WDW...Claire really wanted to hit Grizzly River Run, unfortunately no one else wanted to get wet, so we skipped it for now, but would double back and ride it later (just Claire and I)...we headed toward the midway area so that we can ride Toy Story Midway Mania. On the way, we got to see the area where they are putting the Little Mermaid attraction....
Of course, before we could get across to TSMM, we got caught behind a...PARADE...it was the Pixar parade, and believe it or not, it was pretty cool...
As we crossed across the bridge, we found the beer place!!! Now, I rarely feel the need for a beer, but it was one of those times...Ry and I had a beer, while Karen and Amanda drank a margarita. Claire and Bella sat quietly while we had our adult time...after our timeout, we walked towards TSMM...as it turns out, Karen and Amanda went and rode California Scream'n while Ryan and I took the girls to TSMM. On the way, I took this picture of where the World of color is going...
Toy Story was great...we all enjoyed the ride, as always...it pretty much rode the same way the WDW ride did...
Once we were done there, we re-grouped (for the moment) to see what was next. Karen, Ry, Amanda, and Bella went to ride the ferris wheel, while Claire and I ran over to Grizzly River. It was the longest line we would wait on all day (45 minutes) and it was well worth it. While we were in line, Claire explained to me that she liked these sorts of rides because you always make new friends...sure enough by the time we got off, we had a nice conversation with another Dad who had his daughter and son with him...of COURSE, Claire had an "I told you so" waiting for when we got off...
The others saw us on the ride and waited for us on the exit...the girls were hungry for a snack, so Karen took them to eat something and then Ry, Amanda and myself went to TOT so that I can see how the DL version compared. It was much shorter, the car never leaves the shaft, but the thrill is definitely still there. That ride is a classic to me and the fact that we had a creepy as hell cast member seat us, that adds to the attraction a ton...
Me and Bro in line for TOT
After TOT, it was decision making time...we were hungry, it was getting dark, we had a limited amount of time left...Ryan and Amanda decided to call it a night. The rest of us hurried back in to the DL to catch the fireworks...normally, I can take or leave fireworks, but Disney does it right. Starting with Tink, the fireworks themselves...the addition of Dumbo (which was incredible to see, it was the topic of the "how did they do that" conversation for the rest of the trip)...and it was a bit of a disappointment for me. I can not take good pictures of fireworks, so I have none.
To wrap your brain around it, here is someone else's brief video of Dumbo...
After the fireworks, we hit up Autotopia, which was awesome. The track seemed much longer than WDW and I do not remember an off-road portion...I may have imagined the off-road bit, at that point I was prett punch drunk. We ended the night at It's a Small World...
I still am a sucker for this ride. Before we got there, I was not sure where I stood on the additions of the new characters from the Disney movies. Some worked, and seemed to blend in with their home countries and some looked like they were just shoved in there...like Ariel. It was pretty blatant. About the best picture I took from the inside was of Woody and Jessie...
At this point, we were cashed...it was time to make our way back to Hollywood...some final thoughts...
--Disneyland and California Adventures in 1 day is a tall order...I wished we had an extra day to hit everything...
--It is impossible not to drink in the history of the place right when you enter...
--Even tho some of the rides are shorter, they do make up for it with the theming, the architecture, etc...the houses that hold POTC and HM were just awesome to look at...
--Churros are incredible...
--I would love to get back once Little Mermaid is done and the World of Color is ready...
--Even though we probably won't get back for a proper DL visit, it would be hard to not sneak a day in...and then complain about not having enough time...
--It makes me miss Disney World and be terribly jealous of guys like Lou Mongello
Well, that is it...next post should be the review of the Chicago Half Marathon...and then the official unveiling of our race before the Disney Marathon and then my tentative running schedule for marathon training...
Disneyland Part 2: The most awesome Splash Mountain picture ever...
Seriously, we could not do any better...of course, Ryan and I are mugging for the camera and the girls are the definition of extreme fright...once we got of Splash Mountain, we had some decisions to make, we wanted to make sure that we hit everything we wanted to at Disneyland while still leaving time for all the cool stuff at California Adventure. Next stop, one of my personal favorites, the Haunted Mansion...
Claire has always been sort of indifferent towards this one...she loves hearing "Grim Grinning Ghosts", but she is not a huge fan of the darkness of the ride...OF COURSE, it stopped during the initial ascent...she was not terribly pleased, but as I told both children, I do not ask for much...just a visit to HM, POTC, and IASW...after that, we headed towards POTC. Rats, it was down...unfortunately for us, it was up and down most of the day, we did get in line later in the day, but it went down while we were waiting.
Due to the time crunch, we had to press on. I guess I will hit up POTC at WDW in January...Next up, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh...I always have enjoyed this ride (even if it did replace Mr. Toad)...was pretty much the same ride as at WDW with 1 small difference...the cars...
After Pooh, we took a look through New Orleans Square...found the Club 33 door!!
Soldiering on, we made it to the Jungle Cruise...I love everything about this ride, always have...the corny jokes, the "animals", the back of the waterfall...The interactivity of the ride keeps it fresh for me.
From here we chose to split up, I took the kids to get a snack, while Ry, Amanda, and Karen went to ride Indiana Jones...while the kids enjoyed their pretzels we hung out and enjoyed the scenery. Up until that point, we had not waited more than 20 minutes for anything...it was nice...Once Karen was back from the ride, I rushed over to the single rider line to give it a shot. It was a pretty good ride, same concept as Dinosaur at AK. It seemed like the timing was off, we never got to see the boulder and I think we missed a bit of the "choose your adventure" bit at the beginning...over all, I did not enjoy it as much as Dinosaur...
Before heading to CA Adventure, we wanted to run through Tomorrowland real quick. The girls wanted to ride the Astro Orbiter, while Ryan and I wanted to chill out for a second and get a drink...
We ended our first round of Disneyland with another couple of favorites, Buzz Lightyear and Space Mountain...both rides seemed very similar to their WDW counterparts although Space Mountain was a lot smoother and seemed faster.
and me, I was a Level 4 - Space Scout...yes, it was because the ride stopped while I was able to continue to shoot at things, but nonetheless, I was happy with my score...
Next up...Ca Adventures...Back to Disneyland for Fireworks,Tink and Dumbo...
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Long Overdue Disneyland Recap Part 1
So, as most of you know, we spent a week on the west coast...spending the first few days in California to visit my brother Ryan and my sister-in-law Amanda, then driving from LA to Las Vegas to visit my Dad. All-in-all, it was a great trip, you should have already seen the pictures I put up a few weeks ago. I wanted to focus on the Disneyland portion, long story short, I thought it was great. Obviously, it is much smaller than WDW, but they packed a lot into that area...
We parked in the Mickey and Friends parking deck...which was well signed...
As I look at the pictures now, it should have been easy to remember where we were, but since we got there at closet to opening and left at closing...I am surprised we made it back to Hollywood in 1 piece. After leaving the parking deck and taking a short tram ride to the ticketing area, we were ready to make our decisions. Ryan and Amanda were going to be making the purchases due to they are CA residents and get the CA discount. The question was how we get in the both parks (Disneyland and California Adventure) for the cheapest amount of money...we made our purchases...2 park hoppers for the kids, and a separate CA Adventure ticket for Karen and I...wasn't the cheapest, but they would not let us upgrade our free tickets that Amanda got us...we still saved close to $150 rack...which is always nice...
Once in the park, we got to take in Main Street...THE Main Street, the one that Walt walked up and down regularly. I normally take pictures of the Main Street windows...and I am pretty sure I did, but as a I roll back through my photos, I am not seeing any of them, I guess they will show, anyhow...after picking up a coffee for Aunt Amanda, and some breakfast for the girls, we were off to see the castle. Before hitting the castle, we took several pictures of the Partners statue...
Then the castle...
After we took all of that in, it was time for some rides...we started with the Matterhorn, mainly because we were not sure we would be able to talk the girls into it later. After they saw a few cars come out and heard the screams, they had some big eyeballs...but I calmed them down with stories of the basketball court inside the mountain and whatnot...
Well, we got in our course, Claire opted to ride with Amanda, while Karen and Bella rode together...Ryan and I took our own cars. The minute we started the ascent, which was in the dark, I thought holy crap, the girls are going to be so pissed. For me, it was a great ride, kind of jerky, but it is an old coaster...it is to be expected. After Matterhorn, we pow-wowed to decide what we wanted to make sure we got to...BTMR, of course, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, POTC, all had to be done...I am also a sucker for the dark rides...One of the things that I wanted to get to was all of the Fantasyland dark rides that they do not have at WDW, Pinochio, Alice in Wonderland to name a few...unfortunately, due to time, we were not able to get on those...this is the closest I was able to get to AIW...
From there, we decided to get fast passes for Splash Mountain and then go get in the standby line for BTMR. BTMR and Splash MTN are the girls favorites from WDW, so we were very excited about both of them. One thing we noticed about the rides at DL vs. WDW was they were much shorter (not less fun, of course!!), but just shorter due to the space they have in the park. BTMR went fast meaning it was a shorter ride and much faster than its WDW counterpart. I am accustomed to taking pictures and video while riding the WDW version, but I was not able to do that this time. Here is a picture of BTMR, along with #1 Dad, didn't tell you there was celebrity sightings, did I?
This is all I have right now...Part 2 will come tomorrow, starting with Splash Mountain...
We parked in the Mickey and Friends parking deck...which was well signed...
As I look at the pictures now, it should have been easy to remember where we were, but since we got there at closet to opening and left at closing...I am surprised we made it back to Hollywood in 1 piece. After leaving the parking deck and taking a short tram ride to the ticketing area, we were ready to make our decisions. Ryan and Amanda were going to be making the purchases due to they are CA residents and get the CA discount. The question was how we get in the both parks (Disneyland and California Adventure) for the cheapest amount of money...we made our purchases...2 park hoppers for the kids, and a separate CA Adventure ticket for Karen and I...wasn't the cheapest, but they would not let us upgrade our free tickets that Amanda got us...we still saved close to $150 rack...which is always nice...
Once in the park, we got to take in Main Street...THE Main Street, the one that Walt walked up and down regularly. I normally take pictures of the Main Street windows...and I am pretty sure I did, but as a I roll back through my photos, I am not seeing any of them, I guess they will show, anyhow...after picking up a coffee for Aunt Amanda, and some breakfast for the girls, we were off to see the castle. Before hitting the castle, we took several pictures of the Partners statue...
Then the castle...
After we took all of that in, it was time for some rides...we started with the Matterhorn, mainly because we were not sure we would be able to talk the girls into it later. After they saw a few cars come out and heard the screams, they had some big eyeballs...but I calmed them down with stories of the basketball court inside the mountain and whatnot...
Well, we got in our course, Claire opted to ride with Amanda, while Karen and Bella rode together...Ryan and I took our own cars. The minute we started the ascent, which was in the dark, I thought holy crap, the girls are going to be so pissed. For me, it was a great ride, kind of jerky, but it is an old coaster...it is to be expected. After Matterhorn, we pow-wowed to decide what we wanted to make sure we got to...BTMR, of course, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, POTC, all had to be done...I am also a sucker for the dark rides...One of the things that I wanted to get to was all of the Fantasyland dark rides that they do not have at WDW, Pinochio, Alice in Wonderland to name a few...unfortunately, due to time, we were not able to get on those...this is the closest I was able to get to AIW...
From there, we decided to get fast passes for Splash Mountain and then go get in the standby line for BTMR. BTMR and Splash MTN are the girls favorites from WDW, so we were very excited about both of them. One thing we noticed about the rides at DL vs. WDW was they were much shorter (not less fun, of course!!), but just shorter due to the space they have in the park. BTMR went fast meaning it was a shorter ride and much faster than its WDW counterpart. I am accustomed to taking pictures and video while riding the WDW version, but I was not able to do that this time. Here is a picture of BTMR, along with #1 Dad, didn't tell you there was celebrity sightings, did I?
This is all I have right now...Part 2 will come tomorrow, starting with Splash Mountain...
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