Thursday Tidbits

• I've been trying to order a RoadID ever since I got back from Disney World.  Each time I put in my information to order, I realize I'm missing one more bit of information.  I don't know my blood type.  How is that possible??  I even checked my blood test results from the beginning of the year and nowhere on the sheet does it list my blood type.  I'm going to call the Dr. and see if they have it on file.  Seems the most logical place to check first, right?

• Today was ridiculously chaotic.  My eating was sporadic.  I didn't get any lunch until almost 4.  Then I got a bad stomach ache the rest of the day.  I still forced myself through an hour at the gym.  One mile warm-up and circuit weight training.  I'm looking forward to tonight being a rest day.  I can come home and go right into pajama mode.

• Pajama mode will work perfectly for Scandal viewing party (party of one) tomorrow night.  Have I mentioned how awesome this show is??  Because it's awesome.  And it's just going to get better throughout the rest of the season.  You should really check it out.

• I'm trying to figure out how best to fit in a run on Friday.  I'm not sure I can stand 3 miles on the dreadmill.  But I don't want to run outside in the dark.  Not because it's dark.  And not because it's cold.  I don't want to run outside because it is cold AND dark.  If I can't see then I'm more likely to slip on ice.  I'm clumsy enough as it is.  When does the time change??

WDW Marathon Expo

Before I do my race report, I thought I'd cover the Expo, which we went to first thing Friday morning.  We kind of hit the morning rush.  A lot of people had the same logic we did.... get there and get out so we could spend the rest of day off our feet the best we could.

Our first stop was to pick up our bibs and to test the chip on the bib to make sure they were working.  I was kind of surprised they had the entire area dedicated to bib pick-up.  Disney should have had t-shirt pick-up in the same area to allow for more elbow room at the Expo.

To test the chip was working correctly we simply had to walk over a timing mat and confirm the information that popped up on the screen was correct.  I took a picture, of course!

After getting our bibs we then got in a long line to enter the Expo building.  It was very, VERY busy.  It was hard to enjoy it because it was so packed inside.  Bumping elbows with people the entire time was really annoying.

While paying for extra race gear goodies, I heard over the loud speaker that Joey Fatone was at the run Disney booth, which happened to be directly outside of the Disney Merchandise area.  As we were leaving, we noticed the line was super short.  We waited for less than 5 minutes to meet him and get our pictures taken.  He was super nice!!  Hard to believe that I waited in line for hours to buy tickets to see N'Sync from a half a stadium away and it was running of all things that gave Bryn and I the chance to meet him.

Go Cowboys!

After wandering through the Expo as quick as we could, we headed back to the hotel to kick our feet up and try on all of our new running clothes.

Our hotel had a great pool area and lazy river that surrounded the entire thing.  We purchased some cheap tubes and floated on the lazy river for about an hour.  It was very relaxing!

For dinner we downstairs to one of the hotel restaurants for the special runner's pasta buffet.  For $20 it was all you could eat.  I only ate what you see below.  And lots of water!!  Everything was super delicious and well worth the $20.

After I created my flat running Angeline to make sure I had everything ready to go for our early morning wake-up call.  We were in bed by 8:30.  And with a little bit of tossing and turning, my guess is I was asleep by 9:30ish.  I was definitely more excited than nervous.  I knew I had trained the best that I could and would, at the very least, cross the finish line.

Disney World Photos

After the half marathon, we went to Magic Kingdom to play!  I decided to use my new 50mm lens to try and capture Disney differently than I have on previous visits.  It was a challenge.  And a lot of pictures didn't come out because I was try to rush through taking them so as not to hold people up.  I'll try to share some as the days go by.  And all of you internet trollers out there... remember these photos belong to me.  If you steal them or use them, I will hunt you down and tar and feather you.  Thank you.

And yes, eventually I will get to the race report.

Lifting Heavy Things

Last night was my first night staying after work to use the gym for some circuit training.  The idea is to lift moderately heavy weights without any rest in order to keep the heart rate up.  Supposedly, this is the way to lean muscle not bulky muscle.  Although, for women, it requires a hell of a lot of supplements to get to the bulky stage.

The first thing I did was run a mile on the treadmill.  Thankfully, one mile was a breeze.  Sometimes a mile on the treadmill feels like five on the street.  The gym has a cool barbell rack system that allows you to use free weights without fear of crushing yourself.  It's basically got a built in a safety net.  

Anywho, I started out on the lighter side of things because I haven't lifted weights in a long time.  I did squats, bicep curls, one-legged cable kick backs, bench press, kettleball one-legged dead lift, and butterfly.  I did 10-12 reps per exercise and did 3 sets of two exercises at a time, alternating upper and lower body exercise.  So I did squats, biceps curls, squats, bicep curls, squats, and bicep curls.  That way may my body was never at rest.

I think it went really well.  I really liked doing the leg exercises, which surprised me.  I've always gravitated towards upper body exercises whenever I lifted weights.  I see the value in strengthening my legs now so I'm going to try to be as consistent as possible.  

And the bonus to all of this... one pound of muscle burns 50 calories each day.  Swapping out some fat for muscle means a higher metabolism.  And that means I can't eat more.  Yah!  It's all about eating more.  My love for food is my biggest motivation.  HA!

My Fitness Nutrition Program

Early this week I received my nutrition plan from the fitness team at work.  I figured I would break it down for you all here, not so much because it will help you, but because it will ME keep myself accountable a little bit.  It's what I'm dealing with in life at the moment so it's going to have to be on the blog if you expect to read anything in the mornings.  :-)  Right now it feels like all day I'm trying to focus on what I'm eating, when I'm eating, how much I'm eating.  We're tracking everything through MyFitnessPal, which has a pretty hand app that is making things a little bit easier to track.

Based on my age, weight, height, activity level, etc., I should be consuming between 2000-2300 calories for fat loss.  Fat LOSS.  Apparently my body has been in starvation mode most days when I only consume 1200-1500 calories.  It clings to every calorie I put in it because it never knows when I'm going to force it to run mile upon mile.  So, the first upside to the plan is that I get to eat more.

Eating more healthy food is not as easy as it seems.  My creativity lacks in the meal planning and snack planning department at the moment.  Those calories should break down into 8-10 servings of vegetables per day.  Carbs should range between 200-230 grams per day.  Protein should be 150-175 grams per day to support my muscle and tissue repair from activity.  And the remainder is consumed in fats.

I'm supposed to aim for  a meal/snack every 2-3 hours and drink lots and lots of water.  Some other guidelines...

• Carbs should come from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  Grain garbs should be eaten early in the day.  This would include any "skinny" lattes that I enjoy.
• Keep sugars as minimal as possible.  It's best to keep them under 75 grams a day.  This is proving most challenging considering my maple brown sugar oatmeal for breakfast and an apple puts me at 30 grams.  Most grams of sugar should be coming from fruits to keep my body in burning mode a greater percentage of the day.
• Carbs and fats should be treated like a teeter totter.  If one goes up, the other should go down.
• All dairy should be the low fat or reduced sugar options.
• No alcohol.

I should be eating a normal meal before working out and a normal meal after working out.  I can include my starchy carbs (potatoes, pasta) after working out but in moderation.

The fitness side of things is going to some effort over the next couple of months.  I'm going to work on building lean muscle so that I will burn more fat throughout the day.  I'll still be running just not as much.

Somethings I've learned so far... it's very hard to get that much protein in during the day, even with protein drinks.  Anything you have to unwrap or unseal is going to have a lot of sugar.  For example, Fage Greek Yogurt is GREAT for protein but also holds a lot of sugar.  

It's like trying to build a three legged stool throughout the day.  One leg is going to be short changed and the damn stool will topple over.  I'm starting with small steps hoping to make some changes stick.  The tablespoon of coffee creamer in each cup was KILLING my sugar intake for the day.  So I'm trying alternatives, which at just not cutting it.  Maybe this will get me to give up coffee all together.  Or maybe I just need to find coffee that can stand on its own.

And speaking of food, it's time for breakfast.  And time to get ready for work.

What's Next?

In true The West Wing fanatic fashion... I can relate everything to the show.  Just like President Bartlett, I can't dwell too much on the past or even the present.  In his famous last words (literally), I ask, "What's Next?"

I know I haven't even written out a race report for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon but I'm already looking forward to my next race... the Colorado Half Marathon on May 5th!!  I was signed up for this race last year but couldn't run it because I was on vacation in Disney World.  I'm really excited to run a half marathon so close to home!!  Maybe I'll see some familiar faces along the route!

Ideally, I would love to have a great race and break my half marathon record of 2:40 but I'll be happy just finishing upright.  The first six miles is mostly downhill so that will be a new experience on the legs.  I'm not so sure how to train for that but I'm going to figure out somehow!

I've got my lung capacity and long run mentality mastered.  Now I just need to work on strengthening my legs and maybe increasing my speed.  I'll be starting some circuit training, speed interval training, and cross training to really mix up the next two months before I buckle down and start increasing mileage again.  This training cycle is going to be different.  Hopefully I come out on the other end lighter, faster, and stronger.  And with another medal around my neck!!

It's A Small World

Random Disney story to start the morning.  We were shopping in the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square while at Magic Kingdom and this lady asked if I was from Colorado.  It took me a second to register the fact that I had on my Bolder Boulder shirt.  Anywho, I told her yes.  And then she asked which part and I told her.  And then she wanted to know which part of the town and I told her.  She kept saying "me too" and asking for further clarification.  When general town quadrant didn't suffice, I gave her the nearest main street and again, she said "me too!"  She said "What a small world!"  And maybe it was just my law enforcement brain but I said, "Yeah, that's kind of creepy." As in not kind of creepy but creeeeepppyy.  It wasn't enough for us to live in the same town to make it a small world but it had to be the same one mile stretch of road that made it a small world.

In other Disney news, I managed to upload my pictures over the weekend.  I'll try to get some others posted soon.  I know, I know.  I keep saying that but nothing gets done.  O Ye of Little Faith!  (It's Old English today on Brinkley Miles and Co.)  I did get something done this weekend!  Brent and I took a few photos of ourselves and made/ordered our Save the Dates!!  Huzzah!!  They will be arriving when Brent is gone so guess who gets to send them out ASAP?!  That would be me, your cheery host.

Next weekend we will be searching for men's ties.  And matching color swatches to vests.  Step by little step, it's coming together!!

Anywho, I shall not tarry much longer.  I must leave for work.  Good day!!

Where to begin?

As much as I miss being in Disney World, I'm glad to be home.  I missed my dog, my cat, and Brent.  He conveniently came home a day after I got home.  Yah!  I'm adjusting to my new routine, which now includes getting up at 6 a.m. because of my shift change.  It was kind of nice to be on Florida time when I got back because I've been exhausted by 9 p.m. which helps me get to bed at a decent hour.

I think I'll enjoy the quiet hours of the early morning before work.  Brinkley is extra cuddly and does his best to curl up at or flop directly onto my feet while I'm playing on the computer and drinking coffee.  He's on restricted movement for two to three weeks.  No running and jumping of any kind.  His front leg limp that started before Christmas was still prominent when I returned so I took him to the vet like I told him I would.  She checked him up and down from head to toe and thinks he strained a ligament while playing or possibly over compensating for his weak hind legs.

His hips and rear legs were looking fluid before he got injured.  I hadn't seen him limp or anything at the rear in a long time so I think he strained it playing around.  For now, he gets a little pit of pain killer at night and no crazy playing.  Because the place is so small, he doesn't have to be kenneled to restrict movement.  I'm crossing my fingers he feels better soon!  Spring is coming and I want to get back to walking him daily!

I went for a run on Thursday afternoon to try and shake out my sore legs a little bit.  It was a slow two miles but I pretty good and was amazed by how quickly ONLY two miles went by.  I left my headphones home and managed to zone out to the sound of my own breathing and foot falls.  I should probably do that more often.

I may try going for another run on Sunday.  The weather is going to be so nice that I don't really want to miss out on a Spring like run.  My ultimate goal for the next month or so is to stay at 7 or 8 mile long run endurance level.  I never want to have to build back up from the beginning again.

Remember that nutrition program thing I was telling you about??   Well, I had to start tracking calories yesterday.  I did pretty good but the grams of sugar I overdid thanks to my sandwich bread.  Interesting.  I'll get more direction in the next couple of days.  For now, I'm just trying not to overeat, which it seems like I did everyday in Disney World.  My stomach needs to return to its normal size! HA!

Hopefully tomorrow I will get my photos from the trip uploaded.  And I have to do some Christmas undecorating.  Maybe I should just decorate my tree with Valentine's.

Wish I Was Here...

Adjusting to real life after a Disney vacation is hard. Time moves a little slower. And there is this weird hollow spot inside ...

And no, I'm not being overdramatic.

One more day of work and I'll dive back into the blogging world. I have so much to share!

I did it!

The heat and humidity did me in by mile 9. The last 3.1 miles about killed me!! I'm glad to be done and just hope my body recovers quickly because I'm ready to enjoy the parks!!!

Full race report later!!



Fantastic feeling!!! Never given, always earned!!

DISNEY WORLD!!

We're here!! Bryn, her mom, and I got into Orlando last night. Once we made it to the hotel and stayed out for the rest of the night!! It was so great to see this again...




Seeing this sign NEVER gets old! I'm in Disney World!!!!! We looped around and partially though the EPCOT parking lot looking for hotel - Hilton Bonnet Creek. Once we found it, we made ourselves at home unpacking our bags for the week.

We loved the view, which includes my favorite ride - Tower of Terror!!




We wandered the grounds and checked things out. We even shopped at the Disney Parks store downstairs!!!! I already have a list going in my head. First thing on the "to buy" list was for Mom!! Christmas shopping in January!!! :-)

We ate at the cabana bar/grill down by the pool. I demolished a Cuban pork sandwich and some fries. It absolutely hit the spot!!







We kicked back for a few hours playing on our phones and waiting for last night's episode of Scandal to come on!! I managed to get Bryn addicted to the show before we left so it was nice to have someone to converse with about it! The show was fantastic last night! Fitz lives!! I can't wait for the next episode!!

I slept pretty good. No crazy "I'm late for the race!" dreams!! We got up at 6 this morning to hopefully help us rest easier early tonight.

Seeing this ...




Made my morning!!! GOOD MORNING FROM DISNEY WORLD!!!!

Restless

Race day is nearing!! I'm so excited and can hardly contain myself. I'm feeling great about this race and am ready to be crossing that finish line!!

I've started packing. Over-packing, really. Hard to know what the weather will feel like because it's been so cold here and I bundle up everyday. I'll probably be a sweaty mess.

Mom helped distract me today . We went to David's Bridal for a bit and Sam's Club. What do you think of this dress??


It's definitely pink!!! And definitely not a serious pick! Ha! We'll have more David's Bridal fun on Tuesday.

Ok, I'm back to insomnia land, thinking about the race!! Squee!!

It's a bird...

Mail

Look what I got in the mail yesterday!!

It was a nice treat when checking the mail this morning. 50% off and free shipping - thank you, Barnes and Noble!

Blood draw went fine.  The world is starting feel normal now that I've had my coffee.  The lady who drew my blood was talking about how she hasn't had coffee in over a year.  That's just plain crazy talk!!  

Weird Week

This whole week has been odd.  I'm supposed to get blood drawn in the morning but fasting for 12 hours isn't easy to do when you're starving at every minute of the day.  Holy garbage disposal, Batman!  I've probably gained 10lbs in the past two weeks.  I just finished stuffing myself so I can fast. Maybe I'll feel lighter in the morning???

It's very odd to pass the New Year and not change a thing about my diet.  I technically started a 12 week Sports Nutrition program at work yesterday but because of training and tapering, I was told not change anything or worry about anything until I get back from Florida.  So I feel like I'm in this odd state of limbo.  I want to eat all things under the sun because I'm hungry but I know it's mostly restlessness from little running.

Based on the introduction packet I was provided last night, I'm eating way too may carbohydrates.  When I get back my meals will switch to mostly protein and veggie sources.  This could make breakfast a very odd experiment.  I think it's time I experiment with egg whites and hope for the best.

I'm ready to pack but don't have time during the work week.  I've made a very long mental packing list and shopping list for Sunday.  I can't believe it's almost race day!  This time next week, we'll be in the air on the way to Florida!!  I'm thinking of making my 50mm lens my primary lens during the trip - be forced to take different pictures of my favorite place!  I'm thinking it would be an interesting challenge.

Monday will be busy, busy.  I have a massage scheduled mid-morning (Yah for gift cards!), an echocardiogram scheduled in the afternoon, and Winter volleyball in the evening!

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about the ECG.  It's to check my heart murmor.  I let Google be doctor and that's never a good thing.  It made me think about all of the times my left arm has burned with pain and I've felt tight and sharp pain in my heart.  And then there is all of the light headedness that I get.  I've always told myself they were just random things... but what if they weren't??  What if they are actually related to something amiss with my ticker?

I'm sure I'm fine.  I can run for hours which is not an easy task.  But it's also done slowly and in my comfort zone.  I rarely push myself to the point of gasping for breathe with my heart beating out my chest because doing that hurts so it's not an option.  Slow and steady finishes the race, anything faster and it's no longer feasible.

Anywho, we'll find out what's going sometime Tuesday hopefully.  Brinkley's doing his potty dance so I'm off to take him out.  Night, all.