Five Things to Hate About Marathon Runners, Really?

Another late post today. Yes, I was trying to get in another "break" day but when I came across this article on the Top 5 things to Hate about Marathon Runners" I knew that it was something that I just had to share.


I admit that some of these reasons are kind of funny but obviously the author of the article has no idea what it means to show commitment and have pride for something you are involved in, like marathon training!


                       Take a look for yourself and let us know what you think.



                              Top 5 Things to Hate About Marathon Runners

Here's my take: ( Just my opinion so take it what its worth)

5. I've only tried it twice and had two different results. Clearly its not for everyone.

4. It's not about weight, its about being healthy. I know plenty of "skinny" people who are not "healthy".

3. I laugh at this because I do know a male runner who's shorts just happen to be "short" on him because his legs are so long.  And yea, some male runners might have taken up this sport during mid, but hey it's better than hanging out at the bar, right?

2. I don't go to bars so I can't comment on that one but where ever I am and someone show that much restraint, well kudos to them!

1. I do not drive a Subaru or a Prius but you can bet when I complete my marathon in January that I WILL have a 26.2 sticker on the back of my car.  Lacey spends more time wheeling her luggage around than she does driving so her 26.2 stick is on her roller board!

So what do you think? Are we really a group of people that should be hated?   ~m

A Foot Question, Miserable Walkers, and a Porsche


Hey Gang! Sorry for the late post but remember last Friday when we talked about our blog and we said that we wanted to start taking "break" days? Well today was suppose to be one of those days, but I woke up this morning with a  pain and I wanted to remember to ask you guys about it.

Recently I have been having some pain in my foot/feet ( it happens to both at varying times). It's like a really bad cramp that starts in the arch of my foot. Sometimes it is so bad that I can feel it shooting throughout my whole body.

The funny thing is that it only happens when I am at rest. It is never painful when I am running or walking.  So far the only relief I have found is just standing up on the foot until the pain goes away.

As a Nutrition teacher, I know that potassium helps with muscle cramping. I do certainly eat my share of bananas and potatoes, so I know I am getting at least some potassium that way.

I know another runner ( I don't remember who) asked this question too about the foot cramping up. I just wondered if this happens to anyone else and what you have done about or what it comes from.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In other news, here are just a few things I wanted to share.

1. I did a 4 mile ( out and back) run on the trail this morning ( the rail trail, not the trail on the island).
 When I was getting out of my car there was an older mother and two young boys ( about 7 and 9 maybe) getting out of their car too to walk the trails. I found it odd that the mom was in Khakis, a nice blouse, and shoes that were clearly not made for walking. The boys had khaki shorts on and t-shirt and sneakers.  I took off  for my run before they started to walk, but I did end up passing them on the trail on my way back and boy did they all look miserable. Clearly this walk was not for fun!

As I continued to run I thought to myself " I wonder if this walk is a punishment for the boys". Did  the mom just decided to pull her car over and make them get out and walk?  When I got back to the parking lot, I did notice that their license plate said they were from New York so maybe they just needed to get out and stretch their legs? Whatever the reason, none of them looked like they were having a good time.


2. I saw a 4 door Porsche at the veterinarians office this morning. I know that Porsche makes an SUV, but I never knew they made 4 door sedans. Well, I guess I wouldn't really know that because its not like I am in the market to buy a Porsche ( of any kind).     

~M


Have you ever experienced the foot cramping thing?

Stride Box Goodies!

 This week's Tuesday's on the Run is about speed work.

 Since speed work is something we both have to work on ( and we haven't been), I thought I would mention a few items that can help give us that extra push of speed during our long runs. Sometimes that extra speed comes from the fuel we use.
 
The same week my treadmill was delivered, I received my Stride Box too!

 

Some people may have heard of this, but those of you that have not. It is a monthly subscriptions to all things running. How cool is that? Each month you receive several samples to try out during your runs. With these samples comes a list with the description of each product. 
This month the products included: 
-Champion Naturals     -Bonk Breaker
-Honey Stinger.              -2Toms    -GU    
-Hydration bottle w/ samples

Champion Naturals- "Support performance, sustain energy, and promote recovery with this great tasting intra-workout booster."

Honey Stinger- I have never had one of these but my sister is a fan and I have heard that these are very tasty. The new flavor I got was Gingersnap.

GU - These I use all the time during my long runs. I am so sick of the flavors that I have been using. I'm excited to try this new flavor out- salted watermelon.  Although I would never put salt on my watermelon,  because I think fruit is supposed to be sweet, but the salt I'm sure will be help during the run. This is even the official flavor of the Rock 'n' Roll marathon.

Bonk Breaker- I have never heard of this nutritional bar. But the flavor sure sounds yummy -Blueberry Oat. Consume during long runs or training sessions. This may be a nice substitute for a GU during a run.

2Toms- " A chafing solution in a convenient to use towelette application. Greatly reduces the friction that causes blisters, chafing, and irritation. " Do you remember that 2Toms was one of the prizes for our Scavenger Hunt?

 I am fortunate that I don't have any problems with chafing during my runs. But this sounds like a great product to even take with you, if needed, during your long runs since its only a towelette, rather than the body glide that most of us use before our runs.


 
Hydration bottle- Although my cupboards are full of water bottles, I love the saying on this one "Good Runs Make Better Days". The samples that were in the bottle included: 

Nuun-lemon lime and tri berry(which I have never tried those flavors)

ZYM electrolyte tablet. I have never heard of this one. I am sure this is similar to Nuun but this has 100 mg of caffeine. Although the flavor I got was grape. I hate grape flavored things. It reminds me when I was younger and took Dimeatap when I was sick. Is it just me?

Cocogo- Another form of electrolytes.  This is in a packet rather than a tablet. Ingredients include coconut water a real fruit. Of course one of the flavors is grape. The other one is raspberry-passion.

Have you tried Stride Box? What other subscription boxes have you tried? -L


                                         
 
 

How to Fight Those Cravings



It's no secret that I have a major sweet tooth. In fact, I think it is worse now than when I was a kid. In fact, I just made a chocolate Whoopie Pie Cake this weekend!


Okay, So I admit I only make cakes for a special occasion ( which honestly are few and far between).  As much as I would have loved to try everything in that picture above, I do control my urges because I know that I am not getting any healthy nutrients from cookies and cakes.  But boy are they SO tempting when I walk down those isles at the store.

So after my shopping trip last week ( where I did not buy any cookies or brownies), I was still craving the urge for something chocolaty, so what did I do? I went for a run.

When I came home, I was starving and was ready for dinner but then Scott came home shortly after me and decided that he wanted to go for a run too.  I wanted to go back out with him so while he got ready I decided to bust open the box of Vega Sport Bars that I was sent to review.  We try to keep things real and honest here on the blog, so I will disclose this: I was a little hesitant to try these bars only for one reason, they are plant based and the last plant based product I tried had a very "earthy" taste to it but never the less I agreed to test them out.



The flavor I was sent to taste was Chocolate Coconut Almond. It certainly sounded like something I would enjoy.  When I bit in to it I was pleasantly surprised. I thought maybe it would be a dry tasting bar, but it was just the opposite.  It was very moist and it literally tasted like a piece of chocolate cake. I'm actually craving one right now but I like to save them for when I run.

The bars I was sent were the Energy Sport bars that sustain energy. Like I mentioned above, they are plant based. They are also Gluten Free and non GMO.  The Chocolate Coconut Almond bar not only tasted great, but was the perfect snack for in between my two runs that day.   Something else I really liked about these bars is that I could pronounce every single ingredient on the label and I actually knew what it was. Maybe I could make these in my own kitchen? But I won't.


The bars are 230 calories each but they really sustained my energy through my second run of the day.  These Vega Sport bars also come in the Apple Cherry flavor as well. Actually Vega has a whole line of products for Preparing, Sustaining, and Recovering.

I don't like to eat energy bars just for snacks. I use them during my runs or as a treat afterwards ( for recovery).  Because these bars have such a great chocolaty flavor, it gives me more of an incentive to go run ( because I really want to eat one of these bars).  They definitely satisfy my craving for chocolate cakes and cookies. Who ever developed the flavor of this product is a genius! 

Vega Chocolate Coconut Almond bar, check it out. You wont be disappointed ( if you like chocolate of course). I'm curious to hear how the Apple Cherry ones taste.   ~M

*I received a complimentary box of Vega Sport bars at no cost to me for review purposes but all opinions are my own and you know that if I didn't like them I would say so!

The Blogging Process and What is Your Social Media Personality?

Good Morning Friends! Are you glad it is Friday? As always, we are linking up with the Friday 5 and the theme this week is "Goals".  I love that the bloggers that participate in the Friday link up are so varied and that everyone has a different take on the same topic.

We are going to talk about how we are able to maintain the goals of our blog while answering a few questions about our blogging process.

Earlier this week we were nominated by our friend Sara who blogs at Life Between the Miles ( isn't that a great title?) to answer some "behind the scene's" blogging questions about our blog and our writing process.

And here they are:

1) What are you working on?
 
We are currently working on trying to find a balance. We started off blogging only 3 days a week (M-W-F).  We have become so enthusiastic about our blog that more and more days have crept in. Some say that you should only blog when you have something worth while to say, of course every blogger thinks they have something worth while to say, right? So when the day comes that you think that we are just blogging about nonsense, please tell us (except for Thursday's. We like to have our  random "Thursday Thoughts" posts every once in a while)!   Some days we just need a break though so we are trying to throw those "break" days in every once in a while.
 
 
 
2) How does your work differ from others of it's type/genre?
   
As you know, there are two of us who work on this blog opposed to just one writer.  That sometimes makes it unique because our experiences are doubled. Between the both of us we are never lacking in content, that's for sure. We always feel like we have something to say. We always have someone to throw ideas off of. Each of us have our own opinions and our own unique voice.  By now, I think our readers can tell who writes which posts even if we forget to sign our initials at the end.
 
3) Why do you write what you do?
 
 Everything we write we try to keep in alignment with what our blog is about. Sometimes this can be a struggle because we are not JUST a running blog, We are not JUST a travel and Disney blog. We have never made overnight oats and we are not on a vegan or on a Paleo diet, so are we allowed to call ourselves "Healthy Living" bloggers?  The line is so blurred?  But what we do know is that we love activity of all kinds. And that's mainly what our blog is about, staying active. And the "Fairytales" part, well that just refers to our stories and everything we love, our dogs, our traveling, our running, and yes even Disney!
 
4) How does your process work?
 
 We both contribute content to our blog. We write about things as they happen or when we get an idea. We generally have a few posts waiting in our queue to go live. Some do, some never do. Some we actually forget about.  And then of course there are always those last minute ideas that we write the night before. If you're a blogger, you've had those right?

5)   We would love to hear about ALL of your blogging styles, especially if you share your blog with another blogger. We are suppose to nominate 3 other bloggers to answer these same questions in a post. We nominated  Amy from Mom's Magical Miles, April from Run the great Wide Somewhere, and Lauren from Lauren's Glass Slipper.  (this was so hard because there were like 15 more bloggers that we are interested in hearing about their writing process)
 

 
 
Lastly, if you are not a blogger, you can take this quiz : What is your Social Media Personality?
 
( if you are a blogger you can take the quiz too)
 
 
If you are a blogger can you briefly answer any of the above questions?  If your not a blogger, what was your Social Media Personality?
 
~M and L
 
 
                                                 

Frozen Characters Visit Disney Cruise Lines!


Yes, you heard that right. The characters from the hit film Frozen are now going to be cruising on the Disney Cruise Lines this summer!

Princess Anna and Queen Elsa will be making appearances on  the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, and the Disney Fantasy!

Sadly they will only be on those cruises that are 7 nights or longer. But hey, who wouldn't want to go on a 7 night cruise, right?

Ann and Elsa will be available for meet and greets at certain times during the cruise. I wonder if they will have different cruise attire?

If you are not able to get to the Frozen event at Hollywood Studios, this would make a great alternative!

Who's planning a Disney Cruise?

My new place and a treadmill for it!

For those of you that don't know, I recently moved to the Philadelphia area. (Anyone live close?)  Such a big change from Virginia Beach. Although there are many things I will miss about living at the oceanfront, there are other things that I am excited about. In Virginia I lived in a small condo. Now in Philadelphia, I moved to a three bedroom house with a den. I knew this would be a perfect space for a gym. I already have an exercise bike, but I knew I wanted to get a treadmill for training for my upcoming marathons, especially since it will be much cooler here in the winter. Even now, it's been so hot to get runs completed outside if you're not up first thing in the morning.



                                        This is my new workout space all put together.



                                                   I've already started to hang some of my race medals!

I've done a little bit of research on some treadmills,  but when it came down to it, I knew I didn't need anything too fancy with bells and whistles. Just the basics, and one with an incline adjustment. (I had got one years ago, but had left it at my parent's house). I decided to get the Gold's Gym 420. The reviews that I read all said it was great for the price. That works for me! Anxiously awaiting my treadmill to come, I was like a little kid on Christmas morning:) It finally arrived right on schedule. Some of the reviews I read said that their delivery man even put it together for them. But unfortunately,  I had no such luck. The assembly wasn't too hard though, but you definitely need 2 people to put it together. Good thing I had some help. 

There are so many mixed feelings on treadmill training. Of course there is nothing like a great run outdoors, but that's not always an option.  For me, I'd rather use my treadmill and do my workout, then not do anything at all. Now there are no excuses for not getting my runs in! I have used it a few times since I got it and it does the job! I didn't think it was too loud while I was running. My only complaint ( which is just me being picky and I knew this when I bought it) is the display screen is small and it doesn't light up so it's not as easy to read while you're running. Which is not that big of a deal because I am watching my Sex and the City anyways and the time flies by.  ~L

How do u feel about treadmills?  Do you have one that you train on?  Do you live in the Philly area?

Beach to Bell and a Race Discount for You and a Partner too!

Besides Disney races, the Rock n Roll Series races are probably our favorite! We've participated in the Rock n Roll VA Beach for the last several years and although its very hot, we enjoy it!

We were debating if we wanted to do VA Beach again this year or if we wanted to try RnR Philly instead.   As we were in the process of debating this, RnR and Competitor announced the Beach to Bell Challenge.
 
 
 
Run VA Beach on Aug 31 and then run Philly on September 21 and you will receive the additional 3rd medal shown above.   Since I decided to finally register for VA Beach last week,  I'm actually considering doing this challenge. 
 
Since I will already be running 2 RnR races this year ( VA Beach and Vegas), I will already be earning the Rock Encore Medal. If I throw Philly into the mix then I will earn the Triple Crown!
 
                                                 
                                                                       Source
 
New this year at VA Beach is the Mile on the Beach Fun Run which will result in an additional 2 medals. One for the mile run and then one for completing the both the half marathon and the mile ( the re-mix medal).
 
 
 
If you are interested in running either the VA Beach Half Marathon or RNR Philly, use our Discount Code: GAZETTE1  for $10 off (code expires 9/14)
 
Now, I have convinced my sister that she has to run VA Beach but unfortunately the half marathon does not fit into her training schedule.  She would love to run the second half of the half marathon relay ( she ran the first half last year), if she can find a partner.  DO YOU KNOW ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO RUN THE RELAY WITH HER?  
 
(Psss, If you've always wanted to run RNR VA Beach, this may be your time. We heard a rumor that this may be the last year for this event)
 
Are you doing any RnR races this year? Will you be at either VA Beach or Philly?   ~L
 

Tips For Staying Fit While On Vacation




Today's Tuesdays on the Run theme is Staying Fit While on Vacation.

For some of us, that's never a problem ( especially if you are traveling for a race-cation), but we have a few people in our family that take the word "vacation" to mean that they just want to relax and be pampered. I on the other hand always want to be on the go!

Regardless of your vacation style, here are a few tips to help you maintain your fit and healthy lifestyle while away from home.



1.  If you have the option, walk to wear you need to be instead of driving or taking public transportation. Walking from place to place is one of my favorite things to do while on vacation. I feel like you really get to see more of the city ( or where ever you are at) when you are on foot. Plus it saves you the cab fare ( or bus or subway).

2. Once you get to your hotel/resort, take the stairs instead of the elevator. This holds true on a cruise ship as well. Skip the elevators and find the stairs.

3. Participate in at least once endurance activity or an activity to get your heart rate up.  Rent bikes, play volleyball, tennis or go for a jog.

4. Eat your biggest meals at earlier in the day. Most people have their largest meal in the evening, don't do this. Spring for the breakfast buffet and then decrease your food intake as the day goes on. I you are not a breakfast person, then have a big lunch. Having more calories earlier in the day allows you to burn more calories throughout the day.

5.  ( This kind of goes along with #4) Have desserts earlier in the day, not in the evening. Of course if we are trying to stay healthy, I would suggest skipping dessert all together, but hey, you're on vacation and you'll want to splurge.  if that's the case, order the dessert after your lunch, not dinner.

6. Make sure to stay hydrate. Drink lots of water. And since we trying to stay fit and healthy, limit alcoholic beverages.

7. Pack a few healthy snacks. packing nuts, granola bars, fruit bites and other healthy treats allows you to have a healthier alternative once a craving hits. This might prevent you from buying an order of fries from a boardwalk vendor or randomly thinking you need to grab a quick slice of pizza to hold you over till dinner.


What's your best Stay Fit Tip when you are away from home?

When You Need to Clean Your Fitness Gear and a GIVEAWAY






Everyone knows that One Mr. Clean Magic Eraser can help you clean about ONE MILLION tough jobs around the house, but what about the stuff that you take outside of the house? For me, that's the stuff that really gets dirty.

Mr. Clean sent me a generous supply of Magic Erasers to test and see how well they cleaned my fitness gear.  Since I do a lot of trail running and running through the woods, I figured my shoes would be the most dirty piece of gear I have.  I went through my shoe pile to see which ones were the filthiest!   I found a pair of New Balance that I use to wear on the trails and then retired them to being my yard work and grass mowing shoes!


Sadly enough, I admit that the grass stains are not new. I can't tell you how long it has been since I cleaned these shoes (Its' okay though because I don't wear them in public), yet with one swipe of the Magic Eraser, they are looking pretty good, wouldn't ya say?  Maybe I will start wearing these shoes in public again!


The Magic Eraser also works well for cleaning these other fitness essentials.

*My Garmin- I often wear it while doing yard work or mowing grass ( so I know how far I've gone) and some how that gets grass stained too but the Magic Eraser easily cleans it up.

* My Yoga Mat- I often take my mat outside to do my stretches.

*Stretch bands, jump ropes, yoga blocks, massage sticks, and of course other sports equipment as well. Scott likes that the Magic Erasers keep his golf clubs looking shiny!


* The Magic Eraser isn't just good for getting the outsides of your shoes clean.  I have found that running on the treadmill can sometimes leave black marks on the soles of your shoes.  If you don't clean those black marks off, you can end up dragging them through your house on your shoes. I've left black streaks on my tile before because of this.  Those black streaks can easily be removed with a Magic Eraser of course, but I'd rather avoid it to begin with so I'll just wipe  the bottom of my shoes off with a Magic Eraser when I'm done on the treadmill!

* And for all the Triathletes and bikers out there, I'm sure you want your bike looking good. I saw this tweet the other day and thought it was cute.


After I was done cleaning my fitness gear, I used some of the Magic Erasers around the house. I have 2 dogs so I am always cleaning up my floors. To make matters worse, all my appliances and kitchen cabinetry are white.  Fingerprints? You bet.  I also discovered the Magic Erasers are perfect for cleaning my porch railing and siding.  Just an all around great product wouldn't you say?

Do you want to win your own Mr. Clean Magic Eraser gift Pack?



Tell us in the comments what you have at your house that REALLY needs a good cleaning?

This review was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Mr. Clean. I was provided the featured product free of charge to facilitate my review and compensation, but all opinions are 100% mine.



This review was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Mr. Clean. I was provided the featured product free of charge to facilitate my review and compensation, but all opinions are 100% mine.

A Peek in Our Week: New stuff I've tried and a Giveaway WINNER!

This week didn't seem to be as humid as last week. Although it made for some perfect morning runs, I missed the fact that it was already scorching hot when I would get up at 6:15. It almost felt like there was a chill in the air this week. ( but of course ' m over sensitive to that).

Here are some highlights from the week!


I got every one of my "Goofy" training sessions in! -M

I finally got that massage. The massage Therapist was blind but she was EXCELLENT! She only charges $50 for a full hour. What a bargain! I will be sure to make another appointment to return before TOT weekend. -M

I received a cool RnR VA Beach T-shirt from a contest I won with Pam and Christine from We Run Disney! -M

We registered for the Glass Slipper Challenge -Both

I Finally got a long-ish run in outside! -L

I FINALLY saw the movie Frozen! -L


Here are some new things I've tried this week.


 These are yogurt covered granola balls from Rickland Orchards.  I just noticed right now as I am typing this that the bag says they are Strawberry. I honestly did not taste any Strawberry flavor, but they were good.  At first I was hesitant about spending $5 on them, but the bag was pretty big and they lasted a while.
 
 
I always buy Vanilla Almond milk.  I've never had the Coconut kind before.  Even though this is the Almond Coconut blend, I wasn't sure what to expect.  This taste much better than Coconut water, but not something that I would enjoy just in a glass. It was great on cereal and it was absolutely FABULOUS in the banana and blueberry smoothies I made. I may keep some of this on hand just for smoothie making. I'm thinking my next one might be banana, pineapple, and coconut milk!

And our Winner for the Runner's Gazette Subscription is:

We hope everyone had a great weekend!

What are you looking forward to this week?

Are the Disney Princess Races the Right Races for You?


This weeks theme for the Friday five is "Friday Favorites".  So of course we will talk about our favorite race which is the Disney Princess weekend of races!  However, we know that not all our runner friends like Disney and some of them wouldn't be caught dead at a Disney race, and that's okay, to each his own. But something that we find to be very odd are some of the negative feelings about Disney races that other runners have expressed, runners that have never experienced a Disney race before.  Some have confessed that they will not "Drink the Kool Aid" that is Run Disney!

If you've come and run a Disney race and you find that it's not your thing, it's okay but please don't bash a Disney race before you've tried it.

Here are some of the common comments we've seen mentioned about Disney races and our responses to them.


1. It's Way too Expensive: Yes, Disney races are very expensive. If you are use to only running local road races, you may loose your breath for a moment when you see the cost of the 10K or Half Marathon. My first race ever was a Disney 5K at $50. I had no idea that local 5K's were only $25, so therefore I had nothing to compare it to at the time and by golly I thought that $50 was a bargain for being able to run around Epcot when the park was closed. I also received a Disney T-shirt (which saved me $29.95, if I would have bought a souvenir shirt at the gift shop anyway).   Add to this race registration fee, your transportation, hotel stay, park tickets, food, and don't think you'll get through that expo without a new t-shirt, sweaty band, or race magnet, and you could end up spending 2 months worth of mortgages in one weekend.  The costs for everything that encompasses this weekend seems to increase from year to year. Do we complain about the cost? Yes. Do we keep going back? Yes. So I guess in essence you could say that we are contributing to the problem. If people are willing to pay, Disney will keep charging and charging.  We are just Disney fans at heart and we know that the joy we get from being there always gives back two fold to what we pay!

2. I'm Not Prancing Around the Park in a Tutu and Tiara: Please know that it's not dumb to dress up at a Disney race and wearing a tutu does not make you any less of a runner.  Dressing up at a Disney race is not required but it certainly adds to the fun.  I love  coming up with ideas and preparing outfits for Disney races. Truth be told, I think about that most of the year.

3. The Course is Way too Crowded: It IS crowded! To help control the masses of runners, Disney will corral you based on your expected finish time. Last year I believe the corrals ranged from "A" through "P". My sister Lacey was in corral "A" and didn't experience much crowding at all. In fact, she said there were no lines for any of the characters when she passed through. I, on the other hand was in corral "D".  My corral was moving at a pretty good pace until we hit Magic Kingdom.  After we exited Magic Kingdom ( about mile 6), things really started to bottle neck for a little while. After that, I never really thought that I didn't have enough personal space to run.

4. Disney is Not a Course to PR at: Well, this one could go either way.  Of course you want to enjoy the race and have fun, get a picture or two but PRing is not out of the question. We know plenty of people who PRed and a few who won age group awards.  This course is mostly flat so if you want to try to PR for this race, go for it!

5. Disney Races aren't for Serious Runners: Just because the race is at Disney doesn't make the distance you are running any less. 13.1 miles is still 13.1 whether you are running a Rock N Roll series race or you are running a Disney race.  It's true that Disney races are great for first timers because of the fun atmosphere, the distractions along the course, and the generous time limits, but all this is great for advance runners as well.

We will be embarking on our 5th year of Disney Princess races. If you'd like to see pictures or read recaps of the last 4 years, you can see them HERE.

Have you ever ended up enjoying a race that others talked negatively about?

*Don't forget about the GIVEAWAY that is going on. It ends this weekend.

             

Are the Disney Princess Races the Fairest of them All?

So today our Thursday Thoughts are all about the Princess Races that we patiently waited to register for!

1. Since we've been reading blogs, there have been countless ones written on how to register for these coveted Disney races. Have your Active.com account ready, know your shirt size, have your proof of time ready, etc, etc.  We've had all this ready since the day after we came back from PHM this past February (because we knew we wanted to go back and run again).  Did this help our registration process go easier? NO

2. I think everyone who tried to register on Tuesday would agree that there was definitely something wrong with the Active.com site.  I am not exaggerating when I say my sister and I (both at separate computers) filled out the race registration at least a dozen times before it went through) Of course when 25,000 plus people are on a website all at once, there are bound to be problems. I am the least computer savvy person when it comes to computer programming but wouldn't you think that a site that invites SO much traffic would have their crap together and make sure it can support the traffic properly?  Again, I don't even know if this is possible, but its a thought. 

3.  I feel awful for the runners who wanted to sign up for this race but couldn't due to a lack of not being quick enough on the computer or basically just because the site had given them so many problems and they just couldn't get through in time.  We were on the registration site at exactly noon and it took us an hour and 20 minutes before we were registered.  When we were done, the GSC was 95% full! I couldn't believe it!

(I did hear through the grapevine that since there was such a problem on the Active.com site that some runners were double and triple registered. Once that gets taken care of, it might open up some more spots. I don't know if this is factual info or not. It might just be a way for people to still believe in the Disney magic and have some hope. Either way, keep your eyes out on the Run Disney site and other social media venues!)

4. We signed up for the WDW Marathon and Tower of Terror Races earlier this year and had no problems. I do believe this Princess Race is the most popular!

So is there a better solution to all this Princess pandemonium?  ( I was thinking about this on my run yesterday).


*Register by last name:  If your last name begins with A-M you register from noon till 3pm. ( only so many spots would be allotted for these folks).  Then runners with the last name N-Z would register from 3:30 -6:30pm. The same amount of spots would be allotted to them too.

Of course this like any other solution could cause some drama. For example, My sister has a last name that begins with a "B", so she would register early. I would have to wait till round 2.   If she got in and I didn't, that would turn our girls trip into a solo trip for her. Which to be honest, could have happened this week anyway.

*Take turns: Now this one is really a long shot, but instead of letting the same people register year after year, what if Disney said you can't do the same race 2 years in a row?  Meaning if you did PHM or GSC last year, you would have to sit it out this year and let others participate.  If this meant that other runners who have been dying to run this race and could not get in would be allowed to have their chance at running, I would gladly give up my spot!  This would just give me more incentive to try a different Disney race I hadn't run yet.

I suppose this would cause a ruckus no doubt and we would have people signing up under different names. Of course you would have to show ID to pick up your race stuff, but still I wouldn't see runners appreciating this new rule!



So, congrats to all of you who survived the first step of Princess pandemonium, registration.
Now the next step is getting through the expo! (that's a whole other post)

Do you think there are any other solutions to this problem, or is it what it is?

Visitng Negril, Jamaica

 
 
 
Jamaica has to be one of my favorite places to travel. The past several times I stayed right in Montego Bay. It is probably the easiest because it is only a mile away from the airport. This time I decided to visit the other side of the Island, Negril. This is considered part of the 7 mile beach. Although the beach was beautiful, it took over an hour to get there with the bus transfer.

After arriving at the Sandals Negril, we got checked in and headed to the swim up bar. There was definitely a lot of lounging around with fun tropical drinks during the time there. But that's what you have to do when your on vacation right?
 
Even though there was a lot of relaxation. I did manage to make it to the gym twice while I was there. It was a nice gym with plenty of cardio equipment and weights. I'd get up and go to the gym for at least a half hour before breakfast. There was actually a lot of people working out during this time. I guess just because you are on vacation that's no excuse to not workout!

 
 
After breakfast I wanted to try some activities before relaxing at the pool. Since it was an all inclusive resort there was no reason not to. First was kayaking. I've done this before but it is always fun and a great upper body workout. While I was kayaking I saw one of the boats pulling inter tubes that look like a blast. I knew that was the next activity I wanted to try. It was so much fun! It was even much faster than expected.

That evening we went to a Seafood Restaurant on the beach. How cool is that? Watching the sunset while enjoying a lovely dinner.

The next day I woke up and went to the gym again before enjoy a great breakfast buffet. I kayaked once again. Afterwards we went out on the glass bottom boat hoping to see some colorful coral and fish. Unfortunately, there wasn't any of that. It was still neat seeing a bunch of different fish and being out in the middle of the ocean during this time. Then it was time for the pool. After the afternoon in the sun, I enjoyed a lovely massage at the spa.

While we were there we went to a Japanese Restaurant around a Hibachi grill. I'm sure most people have been to one of these before, however this restaurant allowed you to try everything on the menu. It was all so delicious.

Each night after dinner there was always a show or some entertainment going on. Unfortunately, I would get up so early to work out and spend the day at the pool enjoying cocktails in the sun, that I was exhausted after dinner and never got to enjoy that experience, maybe next time.
 


Negril was beautiful with a great beach. That's what draws people to this particular one. However, we always find ourselves at the pool anyways. In my opinion I think the Sandals Montego Bay resort is just as nice. In additions to being close to the airport, it is even close to two other resorts that the van will take you to enjoy other restaurants. 

Have you ever been to Jamaica? Where at and what did you think? -L

Course Maps ( and corral placement) for Princess Half Marathon Weekend of Races

Since so many runners were asking about the course maps  and about where the water stations where and what not, we thought we would post a copy of what the route was last year. The routes will be the same again this year and the water stations will most likely be at the same locations.

These images were taken from the 2014 program.

The first map is for the Enchanted 10K.



Half Marathon Route Map

" 9 beverage stations will be set up along the course, offering both Dasani Water and PowerAde. Clif products will be distributed at mile 8.7"


Corral Map

Those runners who are staying at Port Orleans, Key West, or Saratoga Springs will find that it is easier to walk across the highway to get to their corrals, BUT DON'T DO THAT.  Two years ago our bus was one of the later buses and some anxious runners wanted to get dropped off at the intersection  ( because it was right in front of the corrals) instead of riding the bus to the parking lot. I can't believe the bus driver left them off there. You can no longer do that! You will have to ride the bus to the parking lot and yes, it is a LONG walk from the parking lot to the corral, but it is enjoyable!

Here is a map of the staging area. This is where the bus will drop you off at.



Princess Half Marathon Weekend Resort Pricing




If you are interested in visiting Disney for the Princess Half Marathon Weekend in February, you'll need to book your room in a hurry (especially if you want to stay somewhere specific) because your favorite resort just might sell out.

As some of you know, I am an official Disney Travel Planner. I am not trying to sell you anything here, but I thought I would put this list of room rates out here for this weekend.

Note that these are the official Disney prices as of Jul 15, 2014 and do not include park tickets. These prices certainly may change between now and February. If you do happen to book and a lower price is available, we can certainly change it for you so you pay the lower price.

All quotes are for stays from Thursday Feb 19 through Monday February 23 and are based on 2 adults ( and up to 2 children). Additional adults may be added for a reasonable fee.

Also, these  prices are all for standard rooms ( except for the Contemporary).  

 ( while availability lasts)

Value Resorts

Art of Animation = $767

Pop Century = $737

All Stars ( Movie, Music, or Sports) = $683

Moderate Resorts
Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter  = $1049

Caribbean Beach  =$1049

Coronado Springs =$1074

Deluxe Resorts

Beach Club or Yacht Club =$2397

Boardwalk =$2492

Animal Kingdom =$2006

Polynesian Resort=$2789

Contemporary Resort=$3016 (Bay lake View)

Grand Floridian=$3169


*Of course all prices can be adjusted to reflect only the days you want to stay.



For a little inspiration, check out our video from the Princess Half Marathon weekend of races.

                                             Our Video

Our Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend Video



The theme for Tuesdays on the Run this week was My First Race.

My first race was actually Disney's Royal Family 5K back in 2011. This was the race that made me fall in love with the Run Disney events. Since then, the two of us have run 15 Disney races and we have several more on our schedule for this year and next.

In honor of today being registration day for the Glass Slipper Challenge, we thought we would share a brief video we put together of the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend of events from this past year.

Please keep in mind, we ran 22.4 miles over the course of this weekend. We were sweaty, we hurt(some of us), and we don't look pretty!  No judgment please! But over all, it was a fabulous weekend and maybe this video will inspire some of you to participate sometime.







                       
 
Will you be signing up for any of the races during Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend?

Thoughts from a Marathoner in Training

I've been pretty proud of myself  with how my "Goofy" Challenge training has been going. The plan I am following calls for runs on Tuesdays, Thursday, and Saturdays. I've modified it for Monday's, Wednesdays, and Fridays ( and will use Saturdays as my extra day just in case I can't make a run during the week). I'm sure glad that I had the extra day last week because after being violently ill on Friday, I missed my run and moved it to Saturday morning.

So Saturday Morning I was up and at the Island Trail by 6:15 am. Here are my random thought as I ran.


* I've been experimenting with different types of running shoes lately. Today I'm gonna use my old favorites. We'll see how they still work for me.

*Yay! It looks as if all the debris and fallen tress have been cleaned up from the storm!

*Gee, it's really early. I wonder if it's safe to be running these trails by myself. I hope there isn't anyone hiding behind these trees.

*I wonder why some of these trees are roped off around them? Maybe they are ones they plan on cutting down?

*Hmm, I wonder if my mom and I will run RnR Vegas together at the same pace or if we will do our own thing.

*I know I already paid for the RnR Half Marathon, but maybe I'll just go down to the quarter marathon and run that with my dad.

*No, I' think I'll continue with the RnR Half and run with my mom. I think she'll wait for me and run at my pace.

*It's so early I can hear the bullfrogs. Hmmm, I must tell my parents that I hear bullfrogs. They were talking about getting some frogs for down at their pond.  ( Not as if they are going to come down and take these Frogs at the Island..lol)

*Okay, time to run off the island. I'm approaching a hill to get up over the bridge. Okay, what was it that Pam from WE RUN DISNEY said about approaching hills? Take larger strides? Was that right? Well, I'll try that.

*That hill felt good, now I'm on the bridge and my pace is really picking up. I like the song that is playing on my I-pod now ( Story of my Life).

*I'm not a fan of running over bridges. I hope my visor doesn't fly off.

*I'm running through town now. I wonder if that new bakery is open yet? (Not that I would stop in, just curious). It's not?

*I'm running through a little park in town. What nice benches and a gazebo. Looks like a nice place to relax but I wouldn't even want to sit on these benches. The benches sure do need power washed.   Hmm, I wonder who I could call about that? The Town Council? The Mayor?

*I see another runner coming the opposite direction. LOVE her shoes. They are Saucony.  She has such long hair and its not tied up or in a hat or anything. How can she run with all that hair?

*Time to turn around and head back over to the island.

* I notice my 5K time stinks. But then I remember that I am training for a longer distance and not to worry about that time.

*Wow! It's the squirrel without a tail again! ( Last fall I saw a random squirrel tail laying along this road. The next day, I saw a squirrel without a tail...coincidence?) Now today ( several months later, I see the tail-less squirrel). Could it be the same one?  What is the life span of a squirrel anyway? This one is one lucky squirrel.

* I see an old fashion truck with a beautiful Golden Retriever riding in the back. I wave to it! 

* I wonder about what my plan should be for the Tower of Terror Ten Miler coming up this fall.

* Oh, another walk interval is coming up. Darn, that means that I will be on a run interval when it is time to run up on the bridge.

*Okay, I'm up on the bridge. An Entenmann's Doughnut truck passes me. Yuck! I don't like doughnuts anyway, but the thought of them this early in the morning,,,double yuck!

*As I leave the bridge and descend back on to the island, I notice that I only have a half mile to go. My Garmin should be beeping soon for my next walk interval, but I am going to ignore it and run the rest of the way instead.

*my phone beeps. I got a text. It's either my mom or my friend that I texted good luck to earlier this morning ( because she was running her first 5K this morning). I don't look at it though. I need to finish my run!

* I finish! Although I always say that I just want to run and not worry about my time, I still have that "time" in my head that I want to beat. I did it!


Forgetting that it wasn't even 7 am, and that everything is still covered with dew, I sat down on a bench and got my shorts all wet. I rested a bit and then went over to the play area to do my stretches.

Wow. I feel like I accomplished so much already!

What are some random things you think about during your runs?

A Peek in our Week and some new things I've tried.

Hi guys! Instead of doing a day by day account of what we've done last week ( because we always end up forgetting what we've done by the end of the week), we'll just try to do some Highlight and lowlights. So here goes.........

HIGHLIGHTS and LOWLIGHTS

1. I worked A LOT last week. -L

2. On my days off I watched a few 3D movies on my new Ultra 4K Smart TV (It's better than going to the movies) -L

3. Our Power was out for a whole day. -L

4. My BF lives in Nashville but she is coming to MD for a work conference so I will be able to visit her there today! -M



1. Goofy training went very well for me. I'm proud of all the early mornings I've been getting up for my runs! -M

2.  I was violently ill on Thursday evening into Friday. You may have noticed that I didn't read any of your blogs on Thursday or Friday (sorry). It was my turn to blog about the Friday 5 last week and I didn't even get that done either. -M

3. I missed my Friday morning run ( but I made up for it on Saturday). I also had to cancel my massage appointment. The one I've been waiting to do for months!  I was sick and I wasn't well hydrated. I called to reschedule and the lady understood. She said that if I wasn't hydrated that it would be a miserable experience. -M

4. My new goal this week is to drink one bottle of water every hour!  This will be tough because I barely drink one bottle of water a day.-M

5. Some new things I've tried last week:

These oat juices by Sneaky Petes.  I've tried the Peach, Grape, Apple, and Raspberry ( not pictures).
They are hard to describe, but they are a very smooth drink.  A little thicker than juice. Almost like the consistency of skim milk maybe. At only 40 calories each they are very tasty and definitely quenched my thirst on these hot days we've been having!
 
 A few weeks ago I've discovered the Belvita soft baked chewy cookie bars. I've always been a fan of the original Belvita  biscuits so I thought I'd give these a try. I've been getting the Mixed berry and have been buying them by the box. They are perfect for a quick breakfast before a run.

 
I decided to buy a Plantain at the store this week and then got online to see how to prepare it.  I pan fried it and then sprinkled cinnamon and powdered sugar on it. I wasn't a big fan of it. I think I need to prepare it a different way. Actually the ones that were more crispy were better tasting. Maybe the key is to cook them until you think they are almost burnt?

Have you tried anything new this week?
Do you eat Plantains? How do you prepare them?

New Races Announced


It's no secret that we love J &A races!  Between the 2 of us we've completed the Crawlin Crab, the Wicked, The Surfin Santa, the Virginia is for Lovers 14K and the big one, The Shamrock Marathon!

Not only do we like the fact that we can run along the Virginia Beach Ocean Front ( for most of the races), but the after parties are always fabulous!

Now J&A just announced the newest edition to their race line up this fall. It's the Blue Moon Harbor Lights Half Marathon, 5K, and Final Mile!

This one won't be taking place in Virginia Beach though, it will be in Norfolk!   It will be part of the kick off for the 6 week holiday event! The festivities will start on November 21 and run through the 23. There will be a Sports and Fitness expo at the Half Moon Cruise and Celebration Center on Friday and Saturday.  The 5K and Final Mile will take place on Saturday, followed by the half Marathon and Post Race Celebration on Sunday!

Right now there is an introductory price for the Half Marathon of only $60 and $25 for the 5K and $15 for the Final Mile.

Half Marathon and 5K participants will get tech t-shirts (and some other cool swag I'm sure)!

To learn more, go to Harborlightshalf.com


So who's in? Will you want to run this race? Have you've run any of the J &A Races before?

Is Everyone Okay?


Hey guys! Sorry for the late post today but we had a storm come through yesterday evening and we were without power all night ( and an Internet connection).
I'm assuming the storm was part of hurricane Arthur, but it really came on fast! I know some people may have more damage then us, but it was pretty scary in our neighborhood. We had shutters that flew off of our house and one of them hit Scott's  new truck. I felt so bad for him because he hasn't even had the truck for 6 days and already it is damaged:(

I'd been really good about my Goofy training so far. Monday I was up and out on the trail by 6:15 am. (it was 6:12 am to be exact)! I NEVER have been up to run that early ( unless it was an organized race). I did the recommended 4 miles and all was good. Yesterday was a rest day and I needed it because my leg muscles were still sore/tight. Not because of the run the day before, but just because they have been for a while now.

Today was suppose to be another 4 miles. I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. My Labrador Baylee jumped up and stuck her head on the pillow with me. ( Yes, you can judge me now or judge me later, I DO let my dog on the bed). Maybe she was still frightened from the storm.  A little after 7 am, I got myself ready to go do that run. I was anxious to see what my trail looked like after the storm.
This is what I found......

Fortunately I was able to run around most of the debris. There were trees uprooted and blocking other trails as well, but I don't normally run on those trails anyway, so it didn't effect my run today.

 After a few laps I started to get tired of running around the trees so one time I just hopped through them.

 Yikes! Doesn't this look dangerous?

When I was approaching mile 3 I noticed my Garmin had stopped. I was so mad! With all the dodging of tree limbs and debris I knew my pace was suffering anyway, but I still like to know what I did. Fortunately I already have this trail mapped out as to how far each loop is, so I just continued until I knew I finished 4 miles.

 
Has a summer storm rolled through your neck of the woods yet?
 Do you let you dog on your bed?
 
That's it for today folks ~M

Lorna Jane Active Wear: What's in my box?

 

I'm so glad that this week's theme for Tuesdays on the Run is Clothing! This is giving me the push I need to get my Fashion Column wrote for this week. ( If you didn't know, I write a Fashion Column called "Fashionably Fit" for my real job).

I've been wanting to write about Loran Jane Active wear for a while now.   I had never heard of the name Lorna Jane before I started blogging. ( Isn't it amazing the stuff you discover when you hangout on social media?).

Last month I was sent a few pieces of this line to try. Here is what was in my box.




                                                                     Dash Excel Tank

This was probably my favorite piece that I received. It's a slim fitting tank ( color is Shocking Pink). It is made from the LJ Excel mesh fabric that wicks away moisture and is quick drying and breathable. It's a T-back. When I wore this I layered it over a sports bra.  It has a reflective logo on it and on the back waist line it has a hidden pocket! It's a zipper pocket so you can be sure that your items stay nice and secure. It's a very generous size too. I can fit my phone in there. This tank is perfect for summer running! Even though it says it is a slim fitting tank, I still felt that it was kind of loose around the belly area ( which  I liked) There is nothing worse than having all your clothes sticking to you after a hot run!



                                                                                   Pammy Bra

The next item I got was the Pammy Sports bra in black. I believe it also comes in white.  I received this bra the same week I had just bought a new sports bra of my own and received the one from Victoria's Secret for their campaign. But hey, it's always nice to have some extra!  I wasn't crazy about this item at first because  I generally favor the bras that have the hook and eye closures in the back ( this did not). It was a pull over the head kind. These particular bras are not sized by chest size, they are sized XXS thru XL.  I was given a size smaller than what I probably would have picked out on my own because it was very snug.  Another thing I wasn't crazy about was the removable padded cups. I know you can take this out when you wash them, but I rarely remember and then it becomes a twisted mess inside there ( you know what I mean?). One of the pluses to this bra was that it had adjustable straps AND you could criss cross them if you wanted to or wear them the traditional way.

The Verdict: I ended up REALLY liking this piece. I've run in it several times and it is SO comfortable. Even though I thought it was a bit tight at first, it did the job and there was no chaffing! And those removable pads, well lets just say that YES, I forgot to remove them before washing this item, MACHINE WASHING none the less ( you can gasp now)! And guess what? This is the first sports bra that I've owned where the padding stayed in place. It did not crinkle, it did not move!  Now this is quality folks!


These next two items aren't exactly Summer items so I have not run in them yet, but I can tell I am going to love them and get good use out of them.

                                                         Maxed Out Hooded Zip Through
This is the softest hoodie I have ever felt. It is made from the LJ Exel moisture wicking, quick drying breathable material. It reminds me of the white zip up I got this year at the Disney Princess Half Marathon but like 10 times softer!  This has a LOT of storage space in it!  (Isn't it funny that runners look for clothing with "storage space"...haha)


                                                               Don't Wait 3/4 Tights

The last item I was sent were the 3/4 Don't Wait Tights. You can't tell from the picture, but the stripes on the tights match the color of the hoodie.  These are compression of course and I found that a lot of the tights in the Lorna Jane line come in 3/4 ( which would be like capris), and 7/8 ( which might be more like cropped ( a  bit longer than capri length). Although I haven't found much "Storage Space" in these, they are very well made and I think they will be great for Fall and Spring running.  They have the safety reflectors on them too.


The Lorna Jane line comes in a lot of fun colors but I think the best part of it is the quality. I'm pretty sure you would say the quality of clothing would rival some of the best women's workout wear such as Athleta, Nike, and Lululemon.

I think the pink excel tank is probably my favorite piece for the summer!
Not a great picture, but you can see that I am wearing the Lorna Jane excel tank on the Fitness Trail at Seven Springs Resort last month!


What is your favorite piece of running/fitness apparel this summer?


   Don't forget to enter our GIVEAWAY going on and also the  Chocolate Milk Contest!

                              
 


*I was sent this active wear from Lorna Jane Active at no cost to me. The review and opinions are all my own.