Mom and Dad just left from being with us for almost 2 weeks. It was so nice to have them here. Fortunately, with my not-so-tight school schedule, I was able to spend a significant portion of their stay with them. We didn't do a lot of sight-seeing; mostly hung out around the house, but we did go to Mesa's Flea Market (a must do when Mom is here) and ate at Rustler's Roost the one evening. Our vacation split into their stay here, so we only got one weekend with them. We made the most of it, and had a really good time.
On November 4th, I ran the Women's Half Marathon here in Phoenix. It was a small race (approximately 2K from what I was told) and the course was decent; not a lot of hills. It was a good race. I would recommend it.
I ended up PR'ing, cutting 5 minutes from my best time. It felt really good to see all my hard work with my training paying off. Matt was there for me, cheering for me at mile 12. It always means a lot to me when he is there showing his support.
On November 11th, Matt and I ran the Walt Disney World Wine & Dine Half in Florida. Way back when, when I planned to run this race, Matt was not running it with me. I thought it was somewhat foolish because he had been running, long distances at that, and I thought it would be a good venue if he wanted to try one for the first time. After I explained to him that people celebrating with the runners would have to pay an additional fee to get into Epcot after the race, and the entrance fee was included with your race registration, he was in (of course!).
Before the race on Saturday night, Matt and I had a mini vacation...as most of you know, Disney is my FAVORITE place on earth. We spent time at Downtown Disney and the resort on Thursday and then Magic Kingdom and Epcot on Friday. I was able to get us tickets to Mickey's Christmas Party on Friday night. For those of you that love Christmas and love Disney, this is a MUST DO. It is an exclusive event; you must buy a separate ticket from the ticket you use during the day, so the park is not crowded and you get on the rides quickly. You get all the cookies and hot cocoa you can fit in your tummy (which it was cold, so the cocoa was needed). The entire park is decorated for Christmas and they blow snow down Mainstreet. They put on a beautiful light and fireworks display (my photo to the left). And to top it off, you get a special Christmas parade. It was truly magical. I cried...of course. I always do!!
We ended up staying at the Disney Caribbean Beach Resort. It was a nice resort, but there are a few things I learned this time that I didn't know from past experiences. The biggest one is to stay closer to the parks. We used to drive, so this wasn't a big deal. Although you can get around by bus, it is sometimes a pain. While we were there, we scoped out a few of the resorts that were right there next to Epcot and MK. When we go next time, which we have decided to go in two years (YAY!), we will stay at The Swan or the Yacht Club if we want to be near Epcot; the Polynesian if we want to be closer to MK. The reason is the small boat at Epcot and the monorail system is just so much easier than the buses. Plus, you can always take the buses if needed, but the boat and the monorail is much easier and faster.
Pre-Race :-)
The race on Saturday night was good. I didn't like how they staged us - at ESPN's World Wide of Sports, in the fields - for almost two hours, but we made the best of it. Hind sight being 20/20, we should have brought blankets and clothes that we could have just ripped off right before the race to keep us warm...because it was COLD!
Matt wasn't fond of the race route, but it was exactly what I expected from a Disney route - lots of turns and small areas for too many people. If your goal is to PR at these races, you must bake in at least 5 minutes. Matt missed his personal goal of 2 hours by 3 minutes. I told him that it was his first race, so it was automatically a PR for him. He is already planning his next race. I am geeked!! As many of you know, once school is done I plan on running a half in every state...looks like I have a running partner now! :-)
I have ran 2 half marathons and got 3 medals in the past two weeks...and my body is now telling me it is not happy. Wednesday during my 5-miler, something tore or fractured in my left foot. I have been waiting to see a doc because I honestly thought it was just torn, and there is really nothing a doc can do for me except tell me to stay off of it (which I am already doing - on crutches right now) and hand me a huge bill. I pushed myself a little too hard, and now my body is telling me it needs to rest. So I will unhappily conform. It does feel much better today than it did when it happened, so I am hopeful that if I baby it, it will work itself out. I am praying. I only have 9 weeks before my full marathon now . I am not giving up..nope; never!
As many of you know, Matt and I have decided to change our diets. We have moved to a completely organic food regimen and are not eating any processed food. With the extra physical activities that we are doing, and the desire to put the best food in our bodies, both of us have agreed to only support our local growers that are cognizant of food quality and the purest of ingredients in their products. We have started to buy from only grass-fed cow/pig/chicken farmers, and we are now signed up for Chow Locally at our local farmer's market. I have also started to prepare all of our food now (even my dressings and mayonnaise) . I was definitely out of my element at first, but I am really enjoying what I am learning and I am continually getting better at it.
I have been making a lot of Paleo meals again which I had gotten away from when I started training, but honestly can say my body is happier without the "carb loading." (Plus, I truly believe all that hype is MENTAL now). Our dinners consist of spaghetti squash, stuffed jalapenos, eggplant, fresh salads with grass-fed steak or chicken, organic cheeses and milks, sauteed kale and swiss chard, and lots of other ingredients that I would have never thought of using before. At this point, Besides my foot problem, which has nothing to do with my food intake, I feel awesome, and Matt feels the same way. He is even making his own tonic water now! We really think seeing current conditions and how many of our friends are getting sick...really sick with debilitating diseases...we have made a very wise decision. I highly recommend considering this for everyone. If you love your body and love your family, you really need to think about what you are putting into it. With the defeat of Prop 37 in California, I have absolutely no confidence that the food industry cares about us or our longevity. I am not going to depend on them to put food on my table (in fact, we have boycotted most of them). We are educated...we can read labels, talk to growers, and make good choices. And I believe in us as a society to take care of one another as well. HELP YOUR LOCAL GROWERS!!! Everyone always makes such a big deal about buying American, well this is as grass roots as it comes! ;-)
On another AMAZING note, I am almost done with school!!! Only one more month now. I am awaiting my confirmation for graduation (which is just a formality), my class ring has been bought, and I am now starting to plan the graduation party. I am super duper excited for this journey to be complete and for everyone to be there with me to celebrate. The whole family is planning a trip to AZ in the spring. I can't wait!
Well, I must be going. Love you all | Livvie
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