Virtual Run Weekend (updated 8/1 8:30pm)

Virtual Run Weekend is here at last and our first report came in via email last night. SGT. Brian sent us word that he'd finished a 4.4 mile jog. Looking forward to hearing reports from everyone.

Participants and Goals

Amanda: Goal 5 Miles. Okay, I just got done. 7.96 miles total...Yep, did a bit more today that I was planning on.Here's the breakdown:.31mi warm up walk5mi @ 13:34 per mi.5mi cool down walk2.16mi walk @ 17:15 per mi(with the dogs)Feel pretty good overall...Wish the speed was a bit better, but it'll improve :)!Good luck to everyone else that still has miles to log!

Byron: Goal 5 Miles. Byron checked in this morning via email and reports Byron 5 miles in 1:26:36 Keep Moving Forward!!! Thanks for the report Byron it great to hear from you!

Bryan: Congrats to everyone for getting out there and shooting for those goals. I got up this morning and did the longest run that I've done in a while. I did about 9 miles in 1 hour 29 minutes. It's been really hard to do long distances in this extremely hot Florida weather lately. And it's not the heat and humidity that bother me so much but the sun beating down on me. The evening runs tend to go much better but I just don't have time to do long evening runs so I try to do my long runs first thing in the morning on the weekend. So there you have it... I hope everyone is doing well with their goals and I can't wait to see you all either in October or January in WDW.

Chris: Goal 10k+. Stroller Boy, checking in. I got out late morning but wasn't planning on doing my virtual run till tomorrow. However, the weather was just too perfect to pass up. 80 degrees, low humidity and a slight breeze, had to take full advantage. In the end, I got in a very hilly 9 mile run at a nice and easy pace for a 1:25:xx total. I tell ya, after running in the insane heat/humidity last week down in WDW, this was just too nice to pass up. I'll try to recap the vacation on the blog soon.Great work out there, looks like everyone is tossing any excuses to the side and getting the job done!

Eric: Goal bike 10k

Jeff W Goal 10k. Awoke Saturday at 6:15 to extream fog making it unsafe to run in my neighborhood. Have help coming at 8am to hang drywall in my basement. Will be evening before I can get out the door. I may run Sunday morning instead. Drying walling ended around 9:15pm. Rather than showering and heading out the door for a run I opted to be in bed early at 10. I set an early alarm and was out the door for a 6am wog the Sunday. Got in my 6 miles and averaged a 13.25 pace.

Jonathan: Goal 5k.From Jonathan. Due to time and location constraints, my virtual run will be tomorrow. :) I'll update y'all when I'm done. ;)We'll hold you to it buddy.

Okie dokie!!!Checking in with a 5k (3.1m) walk in 60:15. Wanted to be under an hour, but these dang hills (I start having to go up a biggun to get out of my condo) are killing my left shin.
But then again - how do you get to Carnegie hall? ;)

Justin: Goal 13.1 Miles. I got mine done! Due to a very busy schedule today, I had to get up at 4:30 in order to get my run finished. I hit the very foggy trail at 5am and ran the first hour in the pitch dark. It started getting light around 6am and remained foggy the entire run. All that, and I still made it into the office on time to start a wonderful Saturday morning at work. Wasn't that fog nuts? If i'd have awoke earlier I would have hit the in town trails.Hold me accountable between this evening anf tomorrow

Lisa: y'all are amazing!!!! trace and i are just about to head out the door... i'm wayyyy back to week 2, day 2 of C25K and trace is restarting day 1 today. enjoying the C25K/Bridge@10K apps by run helper! have a great weekend, y'all! from deep in the heart of texas,

Matt: Goal 10k. Hi guys,My run was not as eventful as the rest of you. My goal was a 10k and I wanted to push it even more my going 8 miles. Well, that didn't happen. I only got 4 miles before the heat got to me and I got sick. It was my fault... I slept in and had plans for last night, so I went out around 3:00 when the temp was 101 and humidity was insane! Yeah... Stupid me!
I am going to try to make things up this evening... LATE this evening. You've all done great!

Mike: F Goal 10k. Mike checking in. 6.2miles(my hill training loop) 1:00:35. And on 3.5hrs. of sleep. Keep moving forward!

Nat: Goal 10k.

Princess Fee: Goal 5 miles. Princess Fee checking in with 5k in 33minutes! Got 5 miles to do tomorrow and wasn't even supposed to run today but the encouraging emails got me out there!!!! Thank you team!

Rae: Goal 10k.

Richard: I think I forgot to say what I was doing so here it is....I did a 40 mile bike ride in 2.5 hours on Saturday and 7.2 mile run Sunday (including some warmup and cooldown walking) in 1:13:08.Good work everyone!

SGT. Brian:: Goal 6 Miles. From Brian: It is already Saturday in this wonderful land of Oz. I woke up this morning and with some friends I did my run. I was planning on 6 miles, but my buddies were only willing to do 2, and I had a time restraint. So I ended up with a 4.4 mile meander with a time of 36:17. Not my best time, but I am happy to have done it. I hope everyone enjoys their run.

Trace: Hi all you Team Voicers! I sure needed this email from Deb! I have not ran or watched what I have eaten the past year. I have gained 50 pounds and not happy! Today started, "back to being me run!". I completed week 1 day 1 Couch to 5k. Wish me luck! I have a Disney Wedding to get in shape for!

Theresa: Goal 5k.

WDWDeb: Goal 5k. All done with my 5K, and it was good to get out again. I haven't run in two weeks, so I'm starting over again. But STARTING is the most important thing we can do!
I did 3.1 miles in 54 minutes. Sounds crazy, but I was just happy it was under an hour!!
Congrats to all the finishers -- and get out there tomorrow if you haven't run yet -- you'll be glad you did!

Food 101

From Runner's World :

BALANCING ACT

Whatever time of day you run, you have 60 minutes after your workout to properly refuel. Here's how to take it all in.

By Scott Douglas

From the August 2004 issue of Runner's World

If you're like a lot of runners, your postworkout routine goes something like this: Stretch, drink water, shower, and get on with your day. Food? That can wait until you're hungry, right?

Not if you want to feel your best on your next run. When you run, you burn mostly glycogen, a fuel stored in your muscles. Your mission right after a run, therefore, is to eat, even if you don't feel hungry. And fast. No matter what time of day you run, the enzymes that are responsible for making glycogen are most active immediately postworkout-leaving you a 60-minute window in which those highly stimulated enzymes are at maximum capacity to produce glycogen.

"After exercise, especially following intensive or prolonged bouts, the body is primed to reload muscle glycogen," says Suzanne Girard Eberle, M.S., R.D., author of Endurance Sports Nutrition. Wait more than an hour to refuel, and your body's ability to make glycogen out of what you consume drops by an astounding 66 percent. And the longer you wait, the more likely you are to feel sluggish.

"Everything runners do is about how well we recover," says Lisa Dorfman, M.S., R.D., a sports nutritionist and marathoner. "That's when the gains from training come."

In that crucial first hour, shoot to consume 300 to 400 calories-ideally containing three grams of carbs to every one gram of protein. Your body's already primed to make glycogen out of simple carbs, and a little protein helps repair muscle-tissue microdamage. Of course, what you'll feel like eating (or drinking, or not) after a 7 a.m. run will probably differ from what you'll want after a run in the noon heat or between work and dinner. Here's how to maximize the refueling window, whatever time of day you run.

Early Risers

Byrne Decker, a 2:22 marathoner and law partner in Maine, runs early in the morning near his office and then eats back at his desk. "Breakfast is usually yogurt, cereal, and fruit," he says. Many breakfast foods have the perfect postrun carb-protein mix. "Cereal with skim milk is a great recovery meal," Dorfman says. Choose a cereal with a few grams of protein. If you have time to cook, Dorfman recommends egg whites on toast. If you eat on the road to work, choose easily transported foods, like energy bars or a bagel with cheese.

The Lunch Shift

You've spent your lunch break running. Now you have to eat, but you're on the clock. Use the office refrigerator and microwave for tasty leftovers with the right nutritional balance (a small serving of pasta with red sauce, a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread). Of course, if high noon means high temps, the heat might have zapped your appetite. "Drink your carbohydrates and protein," says Girard Eberle. "Flavored milk, fruit smoothie, meal-replacement beverage, or postworkout sports drink."

After Office Hours

If you can't sit down to your evening meal within an hour of your run, graze on raw veggies, crackers, bread, and a little cheese to tide you over healthily until your fully restorative dinner. You'll want more of a glycogen-reloading plan if you run from the office and still have a long commute in front of you. Joe LeMay, who lives in Danbury, Connecticut, trained for his 2:13 marathon PR with evening runs from his office. He always had portable snacks on hand (apples, bananas, bagels) for the 45-minute drive home and was especially careful to rehydrate en route. "This would be the perfect scenario for a sports drink," says Dorfman. "Then you have dinner."

Night Moves

Finding good recovery-window foods after late-night running will involve some experimentation. "Try a carbohydrate-rich drink," Girard Eberle suggests. "Or eat half of your dinner before and the other half after." Anne Woodman, a 20-mile-a-week nighttime runner in Morrisville, North Carolina, has learned that a half to one cup of cereal does the job of restocking her muscles without interfering with her sleep. "The key is to end up not starving at dinnertime or after the run," says Eberle. "This will easily lead to overeating."

A word from the Professor

Oh hello there. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Ludwig Von Drake. I have given Jeff the day off, because I wanted to chat with you about something you might find interesting. Have you ever thought about how weight loss can help reduce stress on your joints? What? You haven’t? Oh my my my my even the loss of a single pound can make a big difference. Especially when it come to your feet.



When you run your body weight determines the amount of force being transferred into your feet. Forces of 2 to 3 times you body weight will impact your joints with every footfall. So let’s split the difference, call it 2.5 pounds and have some fun with math shall we? Here are our friends Jeff, Jonathan, and Bryan.



Now this post is a reedit of a Tundra post which originally ran in May of 2008. So I’m just going to use Jeff for todays example. I’m leaving this picture in because hey its always great to see old friends.

Now back to the topic at hand. A few weeks ago Jeff stepped on the scale and discovered that since running Disney last year he had gained 17 pounds. The very thought was depressing at first, made even more so when he looked back on that 2008 post when he was down to 200lbs. Stepping on the scale a few weeks ago he was heavier than he had even been. As Jeff began jogging again he could not help but think about the difficult road ahead. But rather than wallow in despair he's been trying to focus his mind on reaching small goals and looking for every little victory. One of the victories he enjoys is monitoring his heel strike numbers. So here’s where Jeff started and where he was as of last Friday.

252lbs x 2.5 = 630lbs of heel strike force
246lbs x 2.5 = 615lbs

That 6 pound loss is made sweeter when you think about 15 less lbs of force jamming back up from your feet and into your shins and knees.

Jeff's weight last January…

235lbs x 2.5 = 587.5lbs

His weight in the past few years…

190lbs x 2.5 = 475lbs

Logically on the flip side Jeff gained 62 pounds and 155 pounds of heel strike force since his best weight. The good news is that Jeff is currently working on reclaiming his previous stats but remember, these numbers can add up or drop fast. Just think about how much easier runs will become if your willing to keep an eye on the scale and doing something about it.

So get out there and make good choices today.

Money And Calories

From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Friday, July 16, 2010

An Easy Way to Save Money and Calories

Are you having trouble staying within your budget, both for dollars and for calories? Then ask yourself: How many times a week do you eat at restaurants and fast-food joints? If you're serious about losing weight, you need to keep dining out to a minimum.

The simple truth is, when you don't make a dish yourself, you really can't know what's in it or where the ingredients come from. You can ask all the right questions about whether the chef uses organics; you can speak up and ask to have your food grilled instead of fried; and so on. But unless you're in the kitchen with the chef, you can't know whether the quality of the ingredients is good or whether they're being prepared in healthy ways. Restaurants are businesses, and they are out to make money — many of them use the cheapest ingredients possible, like trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, nonorganic meats and vegetables...the list goes on!

By cutting back on eating out, you'll save a fortune — money you can spend on healthy groceries! Plus, you can guarantee that everything you're putting into your mouth is fresh and healthful. And you can control your portion sizes.

Of course, you can't always make your own food or control your environment. I do still eat out, but for no more than five meals a week, and when I do, I order white fish or wild-caught salmon, healthy whole grains such as brown rice, and plenty of vegetables. Your options may not always be perfect, but it's still up to you to make smart choices.

Possible Sponsor

Tomorrow we are going to my local Running store. They are having this Doctor listed here do a Q and A for free. We are going and ask questions. I am going to see if they let me record it on my Tweet mic and then I will post it. This is also about Ktape. Ktape you will be hearing about more in the Team Voice future. Follow the link here to learn more about Ktape.

This Saturday at
Runner's Depot - Ft. Lauderdale

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Stop by anytime between 12:00 - 4:00pm

DR. KEVIN M. CHRISTIE
2240 SW 71 Terrace
Davie FL 33317
Telephone: 954-856-1399

Learn the benefits and applications of KT Tape for treating and preventing common sports injuries. Kinesiology taping provides support to strained muscles and/or tendons to help aid in their recovery. Let Dr. Christie demonstrate this technique for you and show you how to apply it yourself.

This one is for the Ladies of Team Voice.


From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Five Tips for Taming PMS

Here's a statement I don't think too many women will disagree with: Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is a little slice of hell on earth. In the five to seven days before their period, up to 75 percent of women experience at least one unpleasant symptom in the constellation that PMS can cause — from the stereotypical cramps and moodiness to insomnia, fatigue, and nausea. One in 20 women experience premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a serious and often disabling condition that can cause persistent depression, marked anger or irritability, and severe aches and pains.

The good news is that there are ways to tame PMS naturally. Try these five tips:

Exercise! You may not want to, but get in your workout anyway. The endorphin rush will help relieve cramps and raise your levels of serotonin, a mood-lifting neurotransmitter.

Get some R&R. Adequate sleep and less stress will put you in a better hormonal position to handle the physiological imbalance that PMS brings.

Cut out most alcohol, caffeine, and salt. Alcohol can exacerbate feelings of depression, so steer clear. Reducing caffeine may minimize breast tenderness and irritability, and cutting salt can reduce bloat.

Minimize simple sugars. Ideally, you're doing this all the time, but it's especially important before your period. Simple sugars may increase inflammation, making cramps feel worse. Eating regular meals and snacks with fiber and protein will help keep your blood sugar stable, which is a lot better for those raw nerves than blood-sugar swings.

Consider supplements. Calcium may reduce symptoms of PMS, so shoot for at least 1,200 mg a day. Magnesium is also helpful, as are B complex vitamins. To reduce the inflammation of cramps and breast tenderness, try a primrose-oil supplement; it's a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory that may work in ways similar to ibuprofen.

From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Friday, July 09, 2010

Exercise: Good for the Body, Good for the Mind

It may come as a surprise to you that I don't love to exercise. Sometimes I actually hate it. But I do it anyway, because the rewards far outweigh whatever discomfort I feel during a workout. Regular exercise leads to better health, more energy, a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, and a longer life. But it isn't just the physical benefits of exercise that push me — it's what it does for my mental health.

The mental-health benefits start right after you exercise. Have you ever noticed how good you feel when you complete a workout? That you feel relaxed, or even euphoric? That mood lift, often called "runner's high," comes courtesy of natural morphine-like chemicals called endorphins. Exercise floods the brain with endorphins, which help to relieve pain, enhance your mood, and relieve stress.

But the feel-good effects don't stop after the endorphin rush subsides. Over time, exercise provides a major boost to your confidence. As you start working out and getting stronger, your sense of strength in other aspects of your life will naturally flourish as well. To put it another way, if you can survive my workouts, you can do anything — and when you feel that sense of empowerment, nothing will be able to stand between you and the life you want to live.

For Those Who Do Triathlons

Summer 2010 Digital Edition of USA Triathlon Life now Available Cover features NFL star and duathlete Dhani Jones Dear USA Triathlon Annual Member, The Summer 2010 issue of USA Triathlon Life is here! You can view the digital edition by clicking the link below. Summer 2010 USA Triathlon Life You'll need to enter the following information to access this exclusive USAT member benefit: Username: usatriathlon Password: usatlifesummer2010 If you are a current USA Triathlon member, you'll still receive your printed copy in your mailbox within the next couple weeks. In our effort to be environmentally responsible, and at the urging of our membership, we'd like to offer you the opportunity to opt out of receiving the printed version. To opt out of the printed version and only receive the digital version, please follow these instructions and contact membership@usatriathlon.org if you have any problems: 1. Log in to your membership account at http://www.usatriathlon.org/login.html 2. Click the profile tab 3. Click edit profile 4. Click contact 5. Check the box marked "I do NOT want to receive a printed copy of USA Triathlon Life" in the Mailing List section. Thanks for fueling the multisport lifestyle, USA Triathlon Marketing & Communications communications@usatriathlon.org

Audio Post

Greeting everyone. I'm tying to work on posting audio announcements to the blog. I have run into issues with finding a site where I can host my audio files and simply post a streaming link here. So until I can figure that out, I am uploading audio to Chirbit and posting the link in the upper right hand column. Give it a listen and leave your comments. If you have ideas on how I can get the audio I produce to play here without leaving the page please email me with your ideas. The other site I tried for hosting was google groups and it did not work well at all.

So How Many Times Have We ALL Done This??

So how many times have we all done this??

Ask Jillian Michaels

Okay to Skip Meals?

Q: I'm trying to learn to listen to my body and eat only when I am hungry, and sometimes I just don't really want anything to eat. Is it okay to skip meals or to eat fewer than the recommended calories?

A:

You should NOT skip meals. There are so many adverse effects to skipping meals. Not only does it slow your metabolism but it can also lead to overeating, because when you do eat, you're overly hungry.

As for cutting your calories below your recommended allowance, remember this golden rule: Never allow your daily calorie allowance to fall below 1,200 if you are a woman and 1,500 if you are a man. Falling below these daily allowances can do real damage to your metabolism and result in excessive loss of lean muscle tissue. When you dramatically reduce your calories on a consistent basis, it can slow your metabolism or trigger a plateau. Consistent exercise — plus the occasional high-calorie day — will help ward off a plateau.

Team Tweet

Listen to my audio tweet. http://tmic.fm/rjjw8lrw2ra
It's a few days old but do you think?? Make small announcements, updates on RTD, and TEam Voice related stuff.

Input... thanks!

Team Voice Member Of the Month July 2010

Team Voice!! Here is your Team Voice Member of the Month. Before you getting reading, I want to apologize that blogger will not let me upload the Team Voice member photo. I will try to edit it in later.

We have a mileage challenge for the Month of July. 150 miles this month. There is a catch.... I do not want you to count your cross training miles. Continue to count them for your Run to Disney mileage but for the challenge do not count them. I do have a prize for the person who can log the most mileage. I will announce what it is at a later date.

On to your Member of the Month.....

Hi Fellow Team Voice Members! I was honored to be asked to be the Team Voice Member of the Month for July 2010, so here’s a little bit (okay, maybe a lot) more about me.

I’m 36 years old, not married and a total Disney Fan. I was born and raised in Washington State, but I’ve lived in Arizona for the last 17 years (wow, how time flies) so I’ve almost spent equal amounts of time in each state. I have three dogs – Ralph a 17 year old Shih-Tzu/Terrier mix, Belle and Jasmine sisters that are lab mixes just over 4 years old and Howdy a 24 year old Quaker Parakeet. I love to read – I’ll read just about anything that catches my eye.

I’ve been going to Disneyland since I was six months old. One of my first rides was Pirates of the Caribbean and I was told that my heart was racing during those drops! My family used to visit Disneyland as often as we could and since money was always tight we drove from Washington State quite a few times during my childhood to save money. In 1991 I had my first opportunity to visit Walt Disney world with my brother and sister-in-law. We stayed off site in Kissimmee and it was a great trip – I fell in love with Epcot during this trip. My next trip to WDW wouldn’t happen again until 1998 – just a short five weeks after my brother passed away. My sister-in-law and I took her son, and our other nephew and niece and we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. This wasn’t the easiest trip to be on as we were all still grieving, but it was good to be in a place where my brother was so happy. My parents had never been to WDW, so in 2000 I took my parents, my youngest nephew and my niece and we stayed at the Polynesian. It truly was a magical trip – to get to return the magic that my parents had always given me was an awesome feeling. I was lucky enough to get to take my parents on one more trip to WDW with my youngest nephew in 2002. Three weeks after we returned my Dad passed away. In 2003 I was sent to the UK for work and I took my Mom with me and we spent two days at Disneyland Paris – it was a whirlwind trip and we didn’t get to do everything we wanted to, but we still had some great memories. Three weeks later my Mom passed away. We were planning a trip to WDW in 2004 that trip I cancelled as I wasn’t sure the Disney parks were ever going to be the same for me again. In 2005 I decided that I just couldn’t stay away from the Disney parks – I have so many good memories of these trips that I couldn’t let the joy of the parks go. This is when I planned my first solo trip to WDW – it was rough at times. There were a lot of good memories that can overtake you at times and then there are the new experiences that you don’t have your loved ones to share with you, but at the end of the trip, I realized that I had a great time and that there is still fun to be had at Disney Parks, even by yourself!

I was planning my next trip to WDW for 2007. Sometime at the end of 2007 I decided that I really wanted to go to WDW and I didn’t want to be overweight for a change. See, I’ve struggled with weight my entire life. I had lost a lot of weight back when I was 21, but that only lasted a year or so before I gained it all back. I really wanted to lose weight, so January 2007 I started my next weight loss journey. I started off monitoring my food intake and slowly adding Pilates to my day. Then I started walking my two dogs (puppies at the time) – it was rough to start we barely went half a mile. I kept this up and before long we were walking a mile or two, the weight was finally starting to come off. By March, walking was becoming almost boring. I started adding short little running sections to our walks – the girls loved this and would want to keep running. You have to understand that I’ve never been a runner – I never took gym in school, I was on the track team (shot put and discus), but I never ran, not even the warm up laps. I was never athletic and I’ve never been coordinated, I was self conscious and failure was not something I took well. The fact that I was running even short little stretches was amazing to me. I bought a pedometer and before I knew it we were running a quarter of a mile, then half a mile, then a mile. I had no idea how fast I was running or how far I could really go, but the weight kept coming off and I was controlling my eating and I was feeling really good. I gained a new sense of self, a new confidence I’d never had before.

I took that trip to WDW in 2007 at my lowest weight and best shape I’d probably ever been in. I did a ton of new experiences and I discovered that “the world” is a different place when you’re not self conscious of your weight. It was a great trip and when I got home I knew I had to keep running – not because of my weight any more, but because I had discovered I loved it. I joined some friends at work to walk a couple of 5K cancer walks and I kept wondering if I would like running a 5K, if I could run a 5K…Finally, I signed up for and ran my very first 5K just a couple of weeks after I returned from that vacation and I was hooked! I didn’t run the full 5K, but I still finished in about 36 minutes and I felt so good to be a part of something like this. I met new people and was able to talk to them – I listened and learned and grew as a person because of this new experience.

I continued to do more and more 5K’s, and that’s when I came across Minnie’s Marathon Weekend and the 15K. I was scared to death to run 15K – that’s so far, I may not make it. I signed up anyway. I started training and I showed up for my first endurance event. I ran the entire race, I had a fabulous time and I wanted more. During this event they announced the first Princess Marathon and I signed up immediately – what have I done? When I got back home, I signed up for the Disneyland Half Marathon. I started to struggle again with my weight, but I kept running…I ran that Disneyland Half Marathon and suffered pretty much the whole way, but getting that medal was worth every painful step. Yeah, it’s official – I’m nuts, a gluten for punishment and totally addicted to these races. The Princess Half Marathon was a better experience physically and I loved the entire experience again.

I found podcasts and I had been listening to AATM since the first show. I enjoyed the banter, the subjects, the guests, etc…Jonathan’s story inspired me and I knew where he was coming from as I’d been there myself. I was so proud of him when he finished that first half marathon. I’m a pretty shy person and it’s not easy for me to reach out, but I sent an email to Bryan and asked to become an AllAboutTheMouseketeer and mentioned the new blog I created. Rae left me a comment on my blog and I knew then that I wanted to become a Team Voice Member. I had never been a part of something like this before – I’ve done this on my own this whole time. I knew I could use some encouragement and hopefully, I could provide some encouragement to others. I’m happy to say that I’ve gotten a lot more out of it than that!

It’s been a very interesting experience for me to be a Team Voice Member….I’ve followed everyone’s blogs and tried to get to know them through the internet. When the 2010 WDW Marathon Weekend came around I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I wanted to meet my internet buddies and would just have to see how it went. I couldn’t have had a better time. This was a solo trip unlike any other I’ve taken. It was so great to hang out with people that got Disney and were there to participate in the same race I was. Jeff W. helped get me through the coldest, toughest half marathon I had ever participated in. We followed Rae and Eric as they finished their first full marathon – encouraging other runner’s out there doing the same thing. It was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to meet up with my teammates again!

There’s no point in denying that I’ve gained all my weight back and I struggle with it every day. I don’t like the mirror right now and I mentally beat myself up for not doing a better job on the diet, but through all this, one thing hasn’t changed – I’m still running. I still love running. I hope that never changes because it’s great to be able to travel to my favorite places on earth and be a part of a big group of people with the same loves!

Now what are you waiting for – go out and get some mileage in…You don’t have to be an uber athlete to do this, take it one step at a time!

I’ve gone full nuts and signed up for the Dopey Challenge and you can follow my progress on my blog at wdwalone.blogspot.com.