Princess Weekend Day 3...10k

Saturday Feb. 22nd was the start of the races for our group.  I'm going to be honest.  I was worried about having the stamina and strength to finish the 10K Saturday and the Half Sunday to complete the Glass Slipper Challenge.

But I decided to bury the fear, and go for it.

Saturday morning, we woke early.  If I remember right, it was like 3am.  I had to calculate pumping time into the equation.

Once we were dressed and ready, we went down to the lobby of our hotel to catch the bus.  Everything went so smoothly!  I heard horror stories of previous years, but I have nothing but positive to say.  We weren't late, we got on the first bus that swung by to pick us up.  But I think some of the smoothness is because of the location of our hotel on the bus route.

You see, our bus filled completely with all the runners from our hotel.  So when we drove by the stop at the next hotel, there was no room for any of them in their long line.  But I'm sure another bus came along eventually....

Once we arrived at the bus drop off, we had a little walk to head over to the starting line.  I snapped a quick picture, and the excitement was everywhere!

I'm a huge people watcher, so I enjoyed walking through the crowd.  There were so many costumes!  And some were so random...

(Yes, you are in fact looking at a PURSE!)

(How could anyone run in that!?)

One of my favorite costumes at the 10k was an older couple (probably in their mid 60's) dressed as Prince Charming and Cinderella.  I loved them not for who they were dressed as (there were TONS of Cinderella costumes and Prince Charming costumes), but I loved them because they were so excited to get into the race...giddy, like 15 year olds!  They were holding hands as they walked to their corral.  I regret not snapping a picture...it was adorable!

Because we were early to the race, we had time to party it up and dance away.  The MC was great, full of energy, and got us warmed up!

As the race start time got closer, we decided to hit the bathroom one more time.  Only, we waited in line FOREVER!  My advice:  don't use the bathrooms closest to the corrals.  They were so much more crowded that others in the area.  :)

As they announced for everyone to make their way to their corrals, the excitement was buzzing!  If you haven't run a Disney race before, then let me explain the corrals just a little bit.  There are so many runners, SO MANY, and because of that there are delayed start times to try and help with the bottle-necking.  The corral you are placed in is based on your registration.  They ask you to submit proof-of-time from other races (10k or above).  This gives them an idea of where you might finish.  

With Disney, the big talk is about the Mickey carts and balloon ladies.  Because you run through parks, they require you to maintain a 16 min/mile pace or you get swept.  To measure this, they place pacers in the very last corral.  And the balloon ladies are the very last people out of that last corral.  They literally carry balloons and stay at that 16 min pace.  Anyone who falls behind them risks being picked up and swept.  

I wasn't worried at all, even with the lack of training.  You see, because of previous times submitted from earlier races we had a very good corral.  (And lots of buffer room.)  We decided that because we had a half to run the next day, we were going to not push the 10k.  We were just wanting to finish.  

As we went through the course, we mainly walked.  We would jog if we needed to pass someone.  But mostly, we walked.  

We probably would have stopped for pictures with characters.....if there had been any we really wanted.  I was kind of disappointed with the lack of "main" characters placed in the 10k.  We mostly saw the "side-kicks."  Like the cards from Alice in Wonderland.  The one place we did stop to get a pictures was for the Genie and Lumiere.  They were giant!  And you can't see it from the picture below, but they had real people hooked up to them...operating them and talking.  It was probably my favorite character spot (in both races).

When all was said and done, we crossed the finish line and felt great!  The medal was big and beautiful.  It was a fun race, and Disney did a great job with all their aid stations.  The best part...by finishing, it set us up to be part of the inaugural Glass Slipper Challenge finishers the next day.  (more on that tomorrow...)

The rest of the day we spent at parks.  From riding Toy Story, to Tower of Terror, we tried to do it all.

One more thing I want to comment on was the weather...I was SO grateful for the weather we had.  The humidity was minimal compared to what I expected!  And during the race (and even at the parks) it was over-cast and manageable.  We even got a little rain Saturday afternoon....although the rain did bring a little more humidity than I liked.  (But at least it wasn't during the run!)

Disney Princess Weekend Day 2

This is the second post in my Disney Race Re-cap...check out the first HERE

On Friday (Feb 21st) we decided to hit the park.  We spent the day in the Magical Kingdom.  Before we left for Florida, we decided it would be fun to play matchy-matchy and order matching 'Party like a Princess' shirts.  It was fun, and all over the park we were referred to as Princesses.  We each brought tiaras and also wore those.  I'm not typically the tiara kind of girl, but I HAD to do it...it was Princess Weekend after all!

This was my first time to any of the Disney World properties so I wasn't sure what to expect.  Our hotel provided us a boat shuttle to the entrance which was fun.

Once we got in the park, I felt right at home.  I was surprised at how similar the Magic Kingdom was to Disneyland!

We started the day off with the mandatory tourist photo...

Most of the morning, we spent in lines for character photos.  From Alice, to Mary Poppins, to Merida...we cheesed it up with them all!

While planning this trip, we each had some mandatory must-do items.  One of the things we hoped for was to try the new Be Our Guest restaurant.  Only, the are reservation only for dinner...and usually book out MONTHS in advance!  However, here's a TIP:  Lunch is open for all, you just have to wait in line.  We waited maybe 45 minutes?  Would I do it again?  ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY!

Let me preface this by saying I am a HUGE, HUGE, HUUUUUUGE Beauty and the Beast fan!  It is my all time favorite Disney movie.  But even if I wasn't, I still think the wait was worth it.  You eat dinner inside the Beast's castle and it is magical.  And the food was DELICIOUS.

This is outside the entrance with the gargoyle's....

Here are some different views from inside the restaurant.  At lunch you are able to pick your own seat in one of 3 rooms, all are equally fantastic!  This was the room we ate lunch in:

The west wing room is decorated just as the movie...the Beast has torn the room up, and this is where the enchanted flower and mirror are.

As far as food goes:  my advice is ORDER DESSERT!

I got the fancy lemon cupcake and I was in heaven!

On the way out of the castle, after your dining experience is over, there is a place to stop and get the perfect picture!

All in all, lunch was amazing!  And if you can't get dinner reservations, make it a point to get in line quickly for lunch!

The rest of the day was spent riding rides, and enjoying the park!

We probably would have stayed a little longer, but I had issues.  You see, I am nursing little Madison.  But since she was left at home, I was pumping...or trying to pump.  Only, I have an electric pump.  So it wasn't like I could just whip it out and pump where ever.  After many, many hours I was really hurting and my sweet friends were kind enough to head back and let me pump even though it cut our day a little short.  When we got back to the hotel, I did a little researching.  Turns out, Disney is AWESOME.  They have baby centers in each of their parks.  I had NO IDEA!  I've been to Disneyland too many times to count, and I have NEVER known about this.  I've taken babies, and toddlers...and WISHED I would have known about this.  So....let me clue you in on a HUGE secret:

At every Disney park they have this baby center.  In it, there are TV's playing cartoons.  There are baby changing tables. There are high chairs.  They sell baby food and formula and diapers and wipes!  They also sell baby clothes...just in case there is an accident.  They have quiet, private rooms with rocking chairs where you can even nurse!  (or pump in my case)

I was AMAZED!  After I learned this, I brought my pump with me each day and pumped in their mother's rooms, saving a TON of time (and pain).  Seriously, check them out on your next Disney trip!

All in all, the Magic Kingdom was indeed MAGICAL.  Have I mentioned, I LOVE Disney!

That evening (after I was done pumping in the hotel room because I had yet to know about the cool baby centers), we headed to Epcot.  We picked a country to eat in and wandered around.  It was a great day!  That night, we tried to get to sleep early as the 10k race was the next morning and we needed to be up and awake by 3:30am (1:30am Utah time)....more on that day coming tomorrow, check back!

Disney Princess Weekend Part 1

February 20th, I flew out in the morning to arrive in Orlando, FL that afternoon.  We were lucky, and the 3 of us flying in all arrived within 15 minutes of each other.  Our friend, Jenn, lives in Orlando and was able to come pick us all up...and arrange awesome accommodations on site at Disney for us! It was so convenient to have someone familiar with the area chauffeuring us around.

After we arrived, we went straight to the expo and packet pickup.   (5pm-ish, Thursday)

This was my first Disney race, and I didn't know what to expect.  There were, of course, many places for great photo ops...

(from left to right:  Windee, Jenn, me, Marcee)

As we walked toward the expo entrance, I loved that Disney didn't hold back!  We were welcomed with the red carpet rolled out...

It was very royal-like, and what girl doesn't like the extra special treatment?  Inside, there were many, MANY vendors!  Run Disney was there, and we got to meet the fabulous Jeff Galloway.

If you haven't heard of his training, I highly recommend you look into it!  He is an Olympic runner who recommends doing a run/walk ratio during races to avoid injury and produce incredible times.  I'm currently using this mentality to train for the races I have upcoming this year (more on that later).

We had a great time wandering through all the booths, my only regret:  I didn't buy what I wanted from the Run Disney booth on this day.  I figured I would come back Friday or Saturday to "make up my mind" about what I wanted.  By the time we came back, everything I wanted was sold out.  I read from other bloggers that things sold out by early Friday.  So my best advice:  get there early and buy, buy, buy.  Anything you want from Run Disney, buy!  Because if you don't, it will be gone!

We finished walking the expo, enjoying all there was to see...and mostly, enjoying finally meeting each other IN PERSON!  

We stayed at the Dolphin hotel (or was it the Swan?)  I still can't remember...they are both right by each other.  I loved the location!  That night we walked to dinner and enjoyed the boardwalk.  It was a great kick-off to a fabulous weekend!

Check back for Day 2 recap...

Catching up!

So much has happened since I last blogged.  And usually a blogging hiatus has meant that I've been slacking.  This time, it's quite opposite!

In the last month, I've been busting my butt to stay consistent in my training and honestly...I'm feeling great!  The scale hasn't been as rewarding as I hoped, but I'm feeling good and I know the results will start trickling in.

So, I'm going to back up over the next few posts and take you back to some amazing memories I'd like to document!

Remember, back in February, I took a much needed and deserved girls trip?!

So I met this group of friends online...weird, right?  We all were part of a FB group of a blogger that I won't mention because she's not worth your time.  But there was a decent sized group that ventured off into another FB group.  Soon, I began connecting with these 4 girls in particular.  We began chatting EVERY DAY.  I feel like I've known them forever.  They have been by my side through good times and through really difficult times.  I love them.  And a lot of people think it's strange that we met online, but I think it was fate.  :)

So over a year ago we started talking about the idea of meeting up to do a run....not just any run, but a PRINCESS RUN!  When the Princess Half Marathon opened up, we all jumped on it and got in.  We started making plans (and secretly prayed that none of us were serial killers).

Fast forward to February of this year...

Plane tickets were booked, babysitting figured out, and training had been almost nonexistent.  Honestly, even the lack of training couldn't keep me down...I was SO EXCITED!!!!

Over the next few posts, I'll go over what I loved about running Disney and what I learned from that weekend!  So stay tuned...

In the mean time, just know I've been pushing hard this month to BE CONSISTENT.  It has been a LONG time since I was consistent with my exercise (like when I got pregnant with Madison).  This month I wanted to prove (mostly to myself) that I could follow through again.  I wanted to not just be a person who SAID I was going to do something, but be a person who DID it.

For the last month, I have slowly been building my mileage and increasing my times.  I have been running Monday's for 30 min, Wednesday's for 30 min, and Saturday's for mileage.  I also add in a walk on Thursday's.  As of today, I've logged 30.8 miles for the month.  That may not seem like a lot to some, but for me...it shows I've been consistently following my training plan!

I'm so excited to share with you some upcoming events...but first I want to spend the next few posts reliving an amazing girls weekend with some great friends!

Day of Gratitude

Sometimes the hard things in life can get you down.  At least, they can get me down!  Because most of you know my full story, I won't get into the hard things I've faced.  But I will say that as much as I've moved forward from everything that happened to me, each year as March 3rd comes around I feel anxiety.  Each year on this day, I hope to sleep past it...or that it would magically fall off the calendar.  Some years I've cried and cried through the day.  Others, I've been strong.  Throughout the year I don't really allow myself to go back to what happened to me all those years ago, however March 3rd is the one day I have allowed it.  

Each year it is different.  But most years it's been a hard day.

I've decided this year it was time to make a change.  This year I needed to do better.  So today, March 3rd is considered my own personal Gratitude Day!  And rather than feeling sorry for what happened to me, I'm going to be grateful that I am alive.

You see there was a time, all those years ago, that I didn't want to be alive anymore.  I didn't think I deserved to be happy, or to live.  Thankfully, I've worked through a lot of that.  Because now I look at my life and I tear up.

I am so blessed.

My house might be a mess, and there might not be food in my cupboards or fridge, and laundry might be stacked higher than high.

But I am blessed!

I have 4 beautiful children who love me.  I have an incredibly supportive husband who has stood by me through all the ugly times.  I have an incredible extended family who I love dearly.  And I have been blessed with the most incredible friends in this life!

13 years ago, I never thought I would be this blessed.

So today, I am focusing on how much this life has given me!  I am focusing on how strong my body is, both physically and mentally.  I am focusing on being a fighter.

I am grateful for today.  Yes, today....March the 3rd!

I run for the bling!

So today I went out for a run.  Shocking, right?

I decided that I still have plenty of time to make this MY year.  The year of Alisha.  The year of health!

So while I was running, I committed to a challenge.  Last year (when I was pregnant) I had friends who did 13 races in '13.  I wanted to do it too...but clearly didn't.

So I'm doing 14 in '14.  I realize I'm a month and a half behind right now.  But I'm GOING to do this. The races can be anything 5k or above.  Some will be virtual ones, but all will include a medal.

Yes, I run for the bling!

I'll be picking up my first BLING Saturday of this week as I fly out to Florida to participate in the Disney Princess Weekend with 3 great and amazing friends!  (Don't worry, we will do a full recap of the weekend for you!)

I'm also registered for a few other races now, and have others on my "to register" list.  Keep track of my progress, ask me about it!  Join me in it!!  And if you know of any awesome races, let me know...

Consequences or rewards?

What motivates you? 

There have been lots of studies done about how successful rewards are compared to negative consequences. Time and time again, the most motivating is the threat of a negative consequence.

I'm here to agree!

I've been in contests (and am current in one) to win prize money. And sure that's exciting. But I can shrug it off because it doesn't hurt me.

A negative consequence, however, is a lot more motivating.

There is and app some friends told me about long ago, it used to be called "Gym Pact." It peaked my curiosity. Basically you wager on yourself each week. You decide how many days you will work out and then place a monetary number on the pact. (For instance: I will work out 3 days/week, any day I miss I pay $10.)

At the end of the week, if you hit all your days they pay you with the money others lost when they missed days.

I knew there was something smart about this, but never joined because I didn't have a gym membership.

About 3 weeks ago I was told by 3 of my friends that the app is now "Pact" because they have expanded and are working with other fitness platforms (like Fitbit.)

I knew I wanted in!

I joined. The first week small, wanting to test the waters. I committed to 3 days of 10k steps at $5 per missed day. It hit all of my days and made 0.87.

Now, the more days you commit to and the more money you wager the more you get paid out!

The next week I wagered $10 per day @4 days. I did this for the next 2 weeks and was successful. I've now earned a total of 3.31 in those 3 weeks.

Is this big money? No! But it's not the reward that's motivating! It's knowing they will charge my credit card if I don't hit all my days!!

This week, I upped the limit and am doing 4 days @ $20. (And go figure, we have been sick so now I have 4 days left in the week....and I have to hit 10k each day.)

I can tell you, for a fact, there are days I wouldn't have hit my steps goal if I didn't have this hanging above me!

Check it out, it's definitely motivating. And the small amount of pay is kind of fun too.

(In no way was I approached to write this post. This is my own opinion based on my own experience. "Pact" does not even know I exist other than the fact that I'm a customer working hard not to get charged...)

Clean it up

***Before I get any nasty emails, just know...these thoughts are mine, and mine alone.  Take them with a grain of salt...

In the last year I've watched the fitness buzz words change.  I've seen words like "clean eating" and "paleo."  I've heard about products to aid in getting healthier like "shakeology" and "advocare."  

Now I'm not knocking any of these things.  I'm sure they work.  I've seen results people post.  I hear people talk about eating quinoa (what IS quinoa?!).  I've been asked if I want to buy the cleanses and the shakes.

While it all sounds tempting to jump on the latest fitness buzz....my answer is no.  No, thank you.

Clean eating is fantastic, and amazing, and great for the body.  But asking me to jump on board something like that is like asking Walt Disney to walk away from Disneyland and close the doors.  

It just ain't gonna happen.

While I would love to get on here and tell the world that I cooked lettuce wrapped ____ with a side of freshly picked _____ ....the truth is, I'm just trying to be strong enough to say no to Wendy's that just opened down the street from me.

You see, jumping in 500% is great for some, but for me...I can't tackle that when I'm still fighting the urge to eat out.  Because of that, MY version of clean eating consists of eating at home.  It doesn't have to be clean...in fact, it can even be processed and cooked in a microwave.  It's called baby steps! And there is a progression to getting healthier.  You take one step, and when that becomes mastered, you take another.  

Am I saying that I will never try quinoa, or a paleo based diet?  No.  I don't know what the future holds.  

All I'm saying is that for me, and my lifestyle, I'm not prepared to get hung up on the fact that I allow myself or my children processed food.  Our baby step is that we are eating at home more.  I am planning meals, and actually MAKING them!  That is a ton healthier than the fast food we've been used to.

So if you're like me, and you get overwhelmed with all the buzz words of the health industry right now....take a breath!  This can be done without being a "clean eater" or without eating only organic fruit.  And this can be done without adding any cleanses or shakes.  I've done it before, and I'm doing it now.  It comes down to making smarter choices.  For instance:  gee, I'd like to eat ice cream...but I know I can't trust myself with the scooping from the carton.  So, the choice of buying pre-packaged Smart Ones desserts works for me.  It cures the sweet tooth, but doesn't allow me to dive in head first uncontrollably.  

Figure out what works for YOU!  Make the baby steps, it's those steps that add up...

Big Thanks!

Yesterday ended up being one of THOSE days.  It wasn't good.  I barely did anything.  But I made a promise to someone that today would be different...and I hit the ground running this morning!

When I started this blog, I did it to encourage and empower people to become a better self.  I did it to show anyone interested that getting healthy is not only attainable, but also to give real life results as I progressed.  I have received many emails and messages along the way, thanking me for my honesty...telling me I inspire them.

It is always so flattering to know that somewhere, someone believes they can do it just by seeing me face things here.  In fact, it's probably the main reason I blog.  And it's the one reason I keep at this journey.  Because EVERY BODY deserves to love themselves...every single person!

As you read in my last post, in 2013 I took some pretty large steps backward.  I didn't intend to, but here I am at what feels like the starting gate AGAIN.

What is absolutely amazing and beautiful about the starting line this time is that I have the support and encouragement of others I've inspired in the past, checking in with me DAILY to get my fire lit.  I had no idea that I'd even need the encouragement again, but I guess what goes around...comes around.

I've been communicating back and forth with a few readers.  Some are dear friends that I have met along this journey, others are old friends I went to high school with, and others have been complete strangers!  I want to thank each person who has reached out to me!  I am so touched by the genuine response from all of you!  It isn't easy publicly announcing the need to start over again.  But the love I've felt has been amazing!

Each person who has reached out has had the same message for me:  Don't Quit!  I've been told  that because I inspired THEM in the past to get healthy, they were now making it their mission to help ME along the journey this time around!

You guys!!!  You have no idea how much it has meant!  I started this blog to encourage others, and in doing so...you have no idea how much you lift me up!  I feel like I get so much more out of this blog than any of you do....THANK YOU!!!

The reason I share this is to encourage anyone out there reading this to team up with me!  There is power in numbers, there is power in support!  Don't do this alone!  Join me.  Whatever you are trying to change, whatever you are trying to do....let's do it, NOW.  TODAY!  In 2014!!  WE will come out on top!!!

Twists and Turns

Sometimes, people think you have things all figured out.

Here's a secret:  they don't.  No one has everything all figured out.

You see, this journey we are on…the progress we are making, it's a continual thing.  There are ups and downs along the road.  Trust me, I know!

So lets address the elephant in the room.  Since Thanksgiving I have done VERY LITTLE.  (And very little would be a generous statement.)

I'm not going to lie.  I've been in a funk.  And if I'm being completely honest, I've been in a funk for a long while.

Many of you know that our little Madison was a surprise.  A very unexpected surprise.  I had a hard time getting excited.  (Judge away.)  When she was born, I was worried I wouldn't connect with her because I was pretty bitter about getting pregnant right when I was at the peak of my health (yes, totally self-centered feelings, but my feelings none-the-less.).

I can tell you that I have ABSOLUTELY fallen in love with that little girl!  She was meant to be with our family!

I hoped once she was born, I'd bounce right back into everything.  But, I didn't.
I hoped once she was born, I'd get re-energized about my health.  But, I haven't.

I struggled with moving away from the place I called home, I struggled with finding new friends.  I struggled with feeling alone.  I am still struggling with some postpartum depression.  And how did I combat those struggles?  Food.  And it hasn't helped that the holidays came with DELICIOUS treats.

The last few months have been hard.  There have been many days full of tears.  There have been moments when I stayed in bed all day because it was too taxing to simply get dressed…let alone go work out.

There have also been times I've tried.  I've tried to force myself to do better.  And when I've forced myself to get moving, or even get out of the house, I do feel better.  But it's been hard.  And I'm here, sharing it because I need out.  I feel like I've been in a fog…or rather, drowning under water.  That I can look up and see the surface.  And I know I need to kick my legs and swim to get there, so I don't drown…only that would take effort, and I've simply not had any.  I'm tired of it.  I need to break through the surface.

There are many who are too ashamed to share what I've just shared.  In fact, I've been embarrassed about it myself.  I felt I should have been stronger.  I wanted to be stronger.  I wanted to show my journey of 'wins' and felt dumb that I couldn't pull myself together.  But here's what it comes down to, I'm in a battle with my body (mentally and physically) and I'm going to win.  Maybe I won't win everyday, but in the end…I'm going to come out on top.

So here I am.  Asking for a little compassion…not from my readers.  You readers have always been SO compassionate.  I'm asking for compassion from myself.  I'm telling myself that it is okay to have fallen down.  And it's okay to have to start over.  And more importantly, it's okay to be honest about where I am at so I can get the support I need.

Here's to focusing on health for 2014, and the hard journey that I have ahead…