Retirement Hiatus: Tinker Bell Half Marathon Recap

Ohhhhh, hi.

On Sunday, I ran Tink at the Disneyland Resort for the third straight year- I'm a legacy runner, and intend to run this event every year, for ever and ever. And ever. (Even next year, when they move the even to May. Honestly, this is a change I LOVE - people keep yapping about how hooooooootttttttttt it will be, but I feel like they are wrong. Our May mornings are cool and almost always foggy and overcast, and that is my most favorite running weather. And, PS, DID YOU KNOW the last three years, the January date has been HOT in the afternoon?).

Saturday, Becka and I volunteered at the runDisney Kid's Races, along with Sheila. We were lucky enough to get tasked with handing out medals - which was pretty much the funnest thing I've ever done. Do you know that kids are SUPER PSYCHED about getting medals?

Here's another Did You Know - dyk every medal is individually wrapped, and has to be unwrapped by volunteers?

If you've been watching national news lately, you might know that SoCal (and all of California, really) has been experiencing a crazy drought - January is supposed to be our rainiest month of the year, but it's been dry all month. Additionally, last week was HOT HOT HOT, and windy. It was not ideal running weather, which is the excuse I'd like to use for my 0 mileage lately (in reality, that's chalked up to sheer laziness). So I was really excited that the weather race morning looked cool and comfortable - and, if we were really fast, it would stay that way for the duration of the race, thanks to the super duper early start time of 5am.

We actually had some goals going into the race this time....
A Goal: Beat Becka's Baker's Dozen time of 2:48ish
B Goal: Sub-3
C Goal: Disney PR, sub 3:08

As always, we planned to stop for pictures, and always walking aid stations. Because I'm an excellent planner (more accurately, "excellent planner"), I made a point to charge my camera the night before - I carried a dead camera around during some race Disneyland weekend, and didn't want to repeat my mistake, so I made SURE that bish was charged.

Unfortunately for meeeeeeee, it never occurred to me to make sure there was a memory card in the camera. so... oops.

We (deservingly, duh) started in corral A, which I really think made all the difference in the world for us. We went out at a comfortable pace, stopped at about a dozen character pictures, and experienced NONE of the normal bottle necking and frustration we normally find through the parks.

Crazy, right? Who knew that running was the key.

Caption all: WE ARE THE FUNNEST.

Around mile 5, the course leaves the parks, heads through Downtown Disney, and past the Red Hat Ladies, who are SO great. They are for sure my favorite part of this race, they are so energetic and encouraging and loud and FUN.

And then mile 6, you're out in Anaheim, and the course is just the city from there. I don't love the rest of the course, I think it's FINE, but it's certainly not the same as running through Disney World. This year, I would have SWORN the course was changed, because I for real didn't recognize any of it.... but it wasn't changed. It was the same. I have run-nesia.

Anyway. I warned Becka pretty soon after leaving the park that I was not sure I would be able to maintain whatever pace we were at, because I was not feeling great. Nothing felt bad, nothing felt broken, I just know I haven't been putting in the miles, and was preparing us both for the eventual brain breakage.

I kind of implemented the same strategy I used at Holiday Half - just keep running (that isht is trademarked, don't steal it) - and SHOCKINGLY, it worked. Our splits, stolen from Becka:

Official Time - 2:41:23
Official 5k - 38:20
Official 10k - 1:29:27
Official 15k - 2:02:29
Garmin Time - 2:41:23
Garmin Pace - 11:48
Garmin Moving Time - 2:19:58
Garmin Moving Pace - 10:14
Mile 1 - 10:21
Mile 2 - 12:43
Mile 3 - 13:01
Mile 4 - 21:39 (This obviously, was the bulk of the pictures)
Mile 5 - 13:37
Mile 6 - 11:15
Mile 7 - 10:47
Mile 8 - 10:35
Mile 9 - 10:33
Mile 10 - 10:37
Mile 11 - 10:25
Mile 12 - 10:19
Mile 13 - 8:57 (!!?!)
Mile 13.68 - 9:39

Huh! When I realized what our time was coming in as, I was SHOCKED. I didn't wear my Garmin, so I was listening to B call out our pace at the mile markers, but didn't really put it all together. 

we are SHOCKED

 

Soooooo, we killed our goal, and obviously we were the Fastest People Ever, AND now for real I might retire?

Tinker Bell Half Weekend - Kids' Race Recap

RunDisney offers some great stuff.

Somehow, though... somehow, these Kids' Races seemed extra chaotic to me.

Maybe it was the super long line to get in the "super secret special" entrance in Down Town Disney.

Maybe it was shoving a billion small people AND their siblings AND their parents AND their strollers AND their grandparents AND AND AND into a pretty small space.

Maybe it was the 8am start time that was really a 9:15am start time.

I'm not sure.

But, $10 (for Gabby's 200m) and $25 (For #2's mile) included a medal, a shirt, and refreshments at the end. Can't argue that.

I ran with Gab, and #2 was supposed to run with Becka and A. #1 wasn't registered - she was too old for the kids' races, and the 5K was $99 and at 10:30pm - too much on both counts. Buuuut, she didn't want to be left out, so she bandited the course and ran with #2.

Don't worry, she didn't take water or a medal.

Anyway, I won't waste time complaining about the chaos that was the start to everything EXCEPT the mile. I didn't get to see 1 & 2 run, so imagine my enjoyment seeing these pictures on brightroom today....

#2's official time - 8:55.

Gab and I were supposed to run the 400m, but I got tired of waiting, Gab was tired of waiting, and we took off with the 4-6 yr olds in the 200m.

This actually turned out to be better; I'm not sure if Gab would have run through a 400m - her legs were already tired from the 200 (boooo chemo).

Powered by Sparkle.

Disneyland!!

More, really? Yes, really.

She definitely has a favorite parent. One hint: it's not me.

Monorail sighting!!

Walking!!

I have no idea what's happening here.

Or here.

Everybody loves King Arthur's Carousel.

Not Wordless Wednesday

First up, we took the kidlets to Dland a few weekends ago before the Blackout Dates took over...
Baby totally can't get enough of this carousel. It's the first thing she asks for when we go to Dland, and this time was no different. We were waiting in line, and she saw this SPECIFIC horse fly by, and said she wanted THAT one. And chick would not accept any others. Simply refused. So we hunted down this one by RUNNING around the carousel to find it. Success.
#1 was busy doing this while waiting for us. Heaven forbid someone speak to her. (Yeah, 6th graders, where is all that respect you talked about?!)

The castle is still unimpressive. But #2 likes it.

Second, it's been raining here for SEVEN DAYS STRAIGHT. SEVEN. It's very, very wet. And drippy. And, flooded.
This cute little pond is why I picked the apartment we are in today. It was drained yesterday afternoon, and it was barely drizzling when I went to bed last night, but this morning... That's a lotta rain.

Third, Baby had a Holiday Program at her school before she went on break. Any bitching and complaining I might do about my kids, is completely irrelevant when stuff like this happens, when they find me in a crowd... And finally, there's this gem. There truly are no words for this.

In other, non-pictured news, I did decide to back out of the half on Sunday. There's just no way, I'm really just not ready. I did complete 7 miles on Sunday (farthest yet!), but to jump from 7 to 13.1 seems like poor training. What's my goal, with the running, really? It was to kick some ass in the Princess half. Struggling through a half when I'm unprepared isn't going to get me there. I've been following the plan I got from TMB, and it hasn't steered me wrong yet. I'm running pain free for the first time, ever. I'm going to trust that it's the right move, for me.

But, I will be participating in the Operation Jack Satellite Run, and volunteering at the 4.5 mile aid station. Still a medal and a shirt, and some time doing good.

'Tis the season

I love Disney.

I also love a good sale.

Which prompted me to visit Downtown Disney at 5:45am for some ridiculous sale at World of Disney.

Dude. These people are NO JOKE. It's like we're in Soviet Russia and there's a bread line. People have commandeered entire corners of this store to lay out all the crap they've grabbed, so they can sort and decide what they want.

I'm guessing this is what Walmart is like on Black Friday, but with fewer mullets.

I might be scarred. This isn't really magical.



UPDATE: after moving about 10 feet in the checkout line in 40 minutes, and having at least another hour to go, I quit. I'm not as hardcore as I thought, apparently.

"All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own"

My Sister gave me this award... which involves me telling you all (that sounds so dramatic, doesn't it?!) 10 things that make me happy.

This is a toughie.

LOTS of things make me happy.

I'll try to contain myself.

1. Coffee. Or Chai. Soy, with no water. Mmmmmm.
2. Seasons... I love them all. Every time the season shifts, I start waxing philosophical about how utterly magical the "new" season is. The truth is, I love all of them, and the subtle shifts that I see in SoCal make me happy.
3. The people in my life. Family, friends, coworkers alike. I dig 'em all.
4. Driving with the windows down and loud music playing.
5. Hiking.
6. The Mall. I heart all of it... MAC, Macys, Nordstroms, Bloomies, shoes, Starbucks, Disney Store, Gap.....
7. The beach. Specifically, the SoCal beaches. The sand is different, the water is cold, the sun is bright, Catalina in the distance, tidepools, seals...
8. Tissues with lotion.
9. Cooking.
10. Disney!

Ta da! 10 things that make me happy.

Passing this along to.... Snork, as well as Stacy at Moderate Means.

"A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else."

I had a pretty simple goal to Suck Less this year. I mean, really, it's not that hard to do, right? Just do ONE teeny thing better, and you've already accomplished it!

I've been pretty bummy lately... March was The Month of Sucking More. Gym was a fail, work was pretty sucky, frugality was non-existent. It was a pretty rough time, overall. I mean, Cruising with Snork was awesome, but the rest of the month? Suck.

So, right now, I'm going to to focus on what hasn't sucked this month. Focus on the little things, and eventually, they add up, right?

Awesome recent events, things, thoughts, etc:

REI dividends went out last week, along with the member 20% off coupon.... which equals new hiking shoes for me! Woot!They're actually trail running shoes, because I have this idea that I might... run? On trails? Laughable, I realize, but it could happen.
But they're pretty rad. I think. I haven't tried them out yet, 'cause I just got them yesterday, but I wore them to work today (yes, they looked at me funny), and I think we have a winner!

We went to Disneyland a few weekends ago, and it.was.packed. We did hit up King Arthur's Carousel, which Baby is a big fan of....
She suddenly decided - despite dozens of previous rides - that she's terrified of Pirates of the Caribbean.... Sigh. She'll have to just suffer, 'cause I heart that one. She'll get over it, right?

I mentioned before that I found this super rad farmers market, really close to my house, with all types of locally grown goodies... such as these blue pumpkins.
I have no clue what they taste like, if they're worth trying, but I love finding fun, new produce, particularly if it's a fun color... like blue.

I finally got some decent hiking in last weekend. The H and I hit the Laurel Canyon trail at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. It isn't my most favorite trail ever, but it's close, and parking is $3 (vs. $15 at Crystal Cove - which IS my fave). The good news is, it's wildflower season, so even this mediocre hike was saved by... POPPIES!!
I cannot express, in words, how much I adore poppies. For no real reason, really, but they look so fresh, and happy, all floating about colorful-like.

I also found these super pretty things, which are apparently called Lupines? Thanks, random hiking dude.
I'm trying to get out to Joshua Tree this weekend, so hopefully the flowers will still be in bloom, and my shoes will be awesome!

My friend Squirrel has booked a trip for Weekend of Awesome Part 2 in May... I couldn't be more psyched about that!

I actually made my lunch at work, even though I really, REALLY wanted to buy something warm and toasty off of the lunch truck today. Instead, I chowed down on some salad and half a turkey sandwich on wheat. Downside to this, is after tomorrow my heavenly goat cheese will be gone. Upside, it gives me a reason to hit the farmers market this weekend.

I'm going to post out here, for the world (or, like, all 10 of you reading this, including my sister) to see.... tomorrow, I am Gymming with Snork.... Thursday too. But Friday, and any other day that I can't (kidlet issues), I will pack my gym stuff, and ACTUALLY use it during my lunch hour. It's a radical idea, I know, but it could just work. I mean, that 5K isn't gonna run itself, right?!

Suck less, Heather. Suck.Less.

“Joy is not in things; it is in us”

Cheesy, I know. But. Sometimes it helps to be reminded.

We found out last weekend (while I was cruising) that The H's job is being eliminated, sometime between May and July. The good news is, he'd be eligible for unemployment (woohoo?).

So, my frugality stint that had been sort of a game for me previously, is back with a vengence today. I'm eating a super awesome turkey sandwich on wheat, no mayo. If I'd packed smarter, I'd have had lettuce and goat cheese on it, but I forgot both at home. Sigh.

Cable is still gone, so nothing has changed there, except I realized I don't miss it, and all of my panicking when we dropped it was for naught!

In recent awesome news...

I discovered the most awesome farmers market near UCI. It had a great variety of organic/non-organic produce - most of it grown locally. Some of the smaller vendors seemed like they do grow organically, just haven't been certified. There was a chick selling fresh garlic and herb goat cheese... which was pretty heavenly. Fresh baguettes, grass-fed beef... all pretty great.

And then there was this beauty.

Quite honestly, the hats were weird, but not anything too exciting... and then I saw The Face. And I had to have a picture to share. And dude... the chick running the booth?! You would have thought I whipped out a crochet hook and started dismantling her hats right there, with the fit she threw about me taking that picture. Honestly, had she just been like, "Hey, could you not?"... this picture would have been deleted. However, she was a bitch, and now, this picture graces everything I can think of to post it on.

Cruising last weekend was super awesome, and Snork was heaps of fun. Plus, she brought the rum, so... Kisses! Someday I'll post pics.

I took kidlets to Dland Sunday and renewed my annual pass. For just $18 a month, I can enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth every day, excpet black out dates! Woot!

It's springtime in SoCal, which means it's wildflower season! I haven't gotten to get much hiking in lately, since it was raining, and raining, and then cruising, etc. We did hit Caspers Wilderness park this past weekend, and I think we're doing Crystal Cove next weekend, so I'm pretty psyched. Baby was NOT a good hiker at Caspers, though, so we may have to stay away from the Wilderness Park until she learns that she cannot, in fact, run ahead in a park with mountain lions. I know, I'm a mean mommy.

Sprouts has berries on sale this week... Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries... all for $1.49 a container! Sweet! I'm eating blueberries currently like my life depends on it.

I have kind of sucked at gym going. Which is exponentially suckier, considering the amount of food consumed over Cruise weekend. Tomorrow, though. Tomorrow. That gym is my bitch.

"In our rich consumers' civilization we spin cocoons around ourselves and get possessed by our possessions."

There's a dirty, dirty rumor going around that I have will-power of steel. What, with my frugalness and such.

Let me put those rumors to rest.... here's a list of far from frugal things that I can't give up...

1. The iPhone. I heart my phone. It's expensive, even after switching to a lesser plan... Around $150/month for two lines. We kept our number from Florida for our families, so it's still a local number for them. I use the map constantly. The apps... ohmygod the apps. I can check class times at the gym, movie times, restaurant recs, AIM, Facebook, weather, lolcats, Epic Fail, Pandora, IMDB, my white noise for sleeping, FML, Craigslist!!! So much... and the pictures. Lord. Granted, the camera really could suck less (no flash? Really, Apple?!), but when it works, it's a great shot.

2. Disneyland. We have annual passes for the kidlets and myself. Mine I paid for up front, and.... actually is coming up for renewal soon (note to self). But for the girls, we just did the monthly payment option for SoCal residents... Comes to $20, and we go probably once a month. We loved Disney World in FL, and while this is a distant, distant runner up in the awesomeness race, it's a great way to kill a day.

3. Starbucks. I have cut back, from a bazillion trips a week, to just once or twice. But it makes me sad.

4. Perfume. I love love love Michael Kors, and just dropped $70 on some (even after my $25 gift card). But, in just 2 business days, I'll smell oh so pretty. (I mean, I smell fine right now, but. This stuff is pure magic.)

5. Internet. We could have dropped the internet when we dropped the cable... our neighbor has unsecured network, apparently. But... I'm not an interwebs stealer.

6. Going out to eat. I love it. LOVE it. If I could swing it, I'd eat out all day, every day. Sadly, neither my wallet nor my waistline would appreciate it. So... we still do this, once or twice every few weeks. The H prefers to keep it down to once a month. I think Sunday breakfast out is heaven on earth. We compromise and head out about once every 2 weeks. Sigh.

So. That's it. My deep, dark, non-frugal secrets.

Now, if I wanted to, I *could* cut those things out but.... why? Why would I? I mean, I could if I NEEDED to... I have and I would again. But I'd be pretty pissy about them ;)

And in full disclosure... I don't do this out of some sense of nobility, or responsibility, or anything else good. If I had my way, I would own heaps of stuff. HEAPS. I would do LOTS of things, and stay in pretty, shiny places. This is done out of necessity. It's a necessity I've come to terms with, despite my protests.

So... it's not MY ideal situation. I recognize that I have more than enough to survive, and I'm pretty lucky in that respect. I also recognize how shallow and... well, elitest I could be. I'm not even entirely sure I don't WANT to be shallow and elitest.. I kinda think it might be fun. But that's not where I am... THIS is where I am.

And if THIS means that I have 3 great kids, and cars that run comfortably to get me to a job I like, and a home to live in that is SAFE, and food to eat at the end of the day... I'm gonna make the best of THIS.

“There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience. And then there is California.”

Awesome thing #2: So Cal

Heaps of my FB friends are melting down because - gasp! - it's cold right now. In all fairness... -19 degrees?! Seriously?! No thanks. 73 and sunny? Yes, please!

I currently live in Southern California, and LOVE it.

Yeah, we have traffic, Hollywood, smog, taxes like no OTHER.... but you know what we also have??

The most beautiful beaches. We spent Christmas Day on the beach, sipping Starbucks Hot Chocolate (or Caramel Brulee, if you're the mommy), jumping in waves, chasing crabs, and digging giant sand holes to... break ankles, or something.

Sunny, clear skies 330 days of the year*. When we DO have rain, it's pretty relentless for a few days, but then? It.is.glorious. The sun reappears, the smog is cleared out, and we can see the beautiful, snowy mountains hanging out to the north.

Lovely, snow-capped mountains that... y'know, should I lose my mind and WANT to be in the snow, I can within hours. I live in OC, so it's about a 2 hour trip, but it certainly beats the hell out of needing to own and USE an ICE SCRAPER!

A plethora of ethnically diverse areas, including the most AWESOMEST DutchIndo store that I love shopping at. My grandparents were Dutch-Indonesian, and I love scoping out all the goodies they used to bring home after trips to Holland. Spekkoek - while I *could* make it - why would I when I can run up there and pick some up!?

Super great hiking spots. I took up hiking when I moved here, because... I had six months alone, and no kidlets, so... this killed time. In the process, it gave me killer calves! Win!

Disneyland! So, it's certainly no Disney World, but... it'll do.

Super fresh produce, super cheap. I have this grand idea - and I try REALLY hard at it, honestly! - that we will become locavores. I love fresh produce, and it's SO affordable here. Pink Lady apples? 49 cents a pound. Tangerines so fresh they have bright green leaves still!? I think I will!

The super awesome thing is, my kids love SoCal as much as I do... which I was kind of concerned with when I moved them here. But, they've adapted amazingly well, made friends, and dig it as much as I do. They were kinda bummed that we couldn't make it to their cousin's birthday party in Florida, but they're totally psyched to show them how great it is here when they come visit.

*I have no idea if that's an accurate number. I made it up. It sounds about right though.