Pre-Season

Ok so we all know in sports the pre-season does not “count” per se.
However, it is important to get the players in shape and ready to
perform at their very best once the season begins. Although I do not
start officially training for the Disney Princess ½ marathon until
mid-December next Monday marks what I am affectionately referring to
as my “pre-season running schedule”. I am planning to work on my
speed, build my base mileage (increasing the amount of miles I would
run/walk on a typical day), and work on learning a little more about
the Galloway method including which interval might work best for me.
By the time December shows up I want to be an efficient little
training machine. Any suggestions for activities to add to my
“pre-season” training?

Are any of you planning to run the Disney Princess ½ Marathon this year?

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Eye On The Prize

I cannot explain just how exciting and freeing it feels to be nearing
the end of my training. The Wine and Dine ½ Marathon has gone from
being months away, to weeks away, to days away. In just 18 short days
I will be running the new course at Disney!

I am pretty much thrilled to be nearing the end of my training. The
schedule is starting to wear on me, more mentally than anything else,
and my feet are in a perpetual state of blistered and swollen.
However, once that goal is in sight I know I can count on my
excitement and nerves to carry me through. Having just less than three
weeks to go is a kick in the booty if I ever saw one!

There are so many fun and exciting things about running at Disney. I
am really looking forward to the race expo (since I know what I am
looking for this go around).

I am also excited to run the new ½ marathon course through Animal
Kingdom. I have such a strong vision of this in my mind it will be
just what I need to get me to the ½ way mark.

And, of course who wouldn’t be excited about a Wine and Dine party at
Epcott after? Hello fabulous food and wine!

Finally, I just find it cool to be involved in an “inaugural” race.
This is the very first Disney Wine and Dine ½ and the hubs and I get
to be a part of it-pretty awesome.

On a non-race related note I must say how completely excited I am to
be back at Disney during the fall. The hubs and I celebrated our first
Wedding Anniversary at Disney and this gets to be a little romantic
weekend for us, like a do over. 😉

Are you training for the Wine and Dine ½? Are you glad it’s almost here?

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The “Weigh” It Goes

So going to my Weight Watchers meeting I had already mentally prepared for the train wreck on the scale I was sure was coming.  I had been flittering around on my own (off plan) for a month, I had forgotten to eat Saturday, and then had a large meal and cupcakes on Sunday. I was certainly expecting the worst. I am up 0.5 lbs from my last weigh in.
Being prepared for this did not make it suck any less though. On one hand I was excited to learn that when the maintenance phase comes it seems like I will be pretty good at that. On the other hand I feel like I have wasted a month. But, what is done is done. It is now time to move forward with some things.

First, today marked my return to weekly weigh-ins. Every Monday I will be weighing, attending Weight Watchers meetings, and tracking my progress here. I am currently working toward a 35 pound summer loss.Right now that future goal is not looking so bright but I am going to give it my best shot.

Next, today marks day one of my Disney Wine and Dine half marathon training. I am so incredibly excited to be training again. The Disney Princess ½ marathon was a life-changing event for me so I am so excited for this new challenge. I have had a couple of readers ask for my training schedule so they can do some similar workouts. I will be using Monday’s to post the week’s schedule for anyone who would like to join in. I love getting emails/messages from readers so let me know if you are doing the workouts and how they are going for you!

• Week 1: Monday Rest

• Tuesday: Run 2 Miles

• Wednesday: Cross Train (I will be doing a 5 mile bike this week)

• Thursday: Run 2.5 Miles

• Friday: Rest

• Saturday: 3 miles (this is the “long run” day where mileage will get progressively longer as we move forward.

• Sunday: Rest OR Gentle Run/Walk OR Gentle Cross Train (I suggest doing something on this day to stretch out your muscles from Saturday’s run)

Also, I have some long overdue product reviews that will be going up soon (and some fun giveaways). I also hope to try some cool new products during the training process. During my first half marathon I had no idea what I was doing or what I needed to help the running experience along. Now that I have an idea I am excited to share some products with you. My first experiment is going to be a high-density foam roller. I have read they work wonders. We shall see! 🙂

Lastly, the fun changes to the blog are finally in the works and will be up and running by late August! I am so excited for the changes and I can’t wait to share them with you.

So with all of that said here is a super quick rundown of my Monday “Eats”:

Cereal and V8 Fusion

a banana

Left Over Chicken Salad Sammie w lots of tomato

Apple Slices

Broccoli, Spinach, and Mushroom Casserole w/ fresh Corn

This recipe is very simple. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet add olive oil and cook 1 lb of ground beef (lean) or ground turkey, 10 o of frozen spinach (thawed), 10 oz of frozen broccoli (thawed), 1 onion finely diced, 1/2 lb of sliced or diced mushrooms, garlic (to taste), oregano (to taste), salt and pepper. Once this is cooked drain all excess water. Combine this mixture with 1 cup fat free sour cream, 1 can of fat free cream of celery soup and 1/2 cup of DRY uncooked instant brown rice. Add the mixture to a casserole dish, top with 2% motzerella and bake for 20 minutes uncovered. It makes a TON of food and its jam packed with veggies.

Have a Happy And Healthy Monday!

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Simple Wednesday

Since Wednesday is almost over we are officially over the workweek hump. I am fortunate enough to really enjoy my work but I would be lying if I didn’t say that I enjoy my family/friend/me time more. Plus today was pretty dreary in VA which was a let down after to gorgeous weather we have been having.

I started my morning with a V8 fusion, which I love, and an Ezekiel English Muffin with an over easy egg smooshed on it.  I was trying to see if this lone egg would be enough protein to get me through the morning without hunger creeping in too early-It was.

For lunch I had some of the left over balsamic onion pasta. To quote the fabulous Rachael Ray “The longer it sits the better it gets”. If you make sure to stop and drain the pasta when it is very al dente then the flavors merry up nicely the longer they have to bond in the fridge. I also had a banana (not pictured).

Late in the afternoon I had some work stuff to take care of about 45 minutes away from the office. I decided on a quick snack of Organic raisin bran with flax and skim milk. It was really filling.

I was pretty excited to get to the gym today. It was cross training day which I enjoy since it is a good break from my routine. I was extra happy that it was drizzling and gross outside because it made me feel better about not being on the trail. I did 30 minutes of “fatburn” on the stair climber and30 minutes on the elliptical. I am planning another cross train day tomorrow and plan to push myself as hard as I can. It’s been awhile since I have done that and I am curious to see where I am at now in terms of endurance with things other than running.

I got home to find the hubs had brought home dinner tonight (Hooray!) We had some turkey sammies with veggies and baked chips. I love a simple dinner sometimes. No frills.

Tonight I am researching different ½ marathon training plans. We don’t “officially” start to train for the Disney Wine and Dine ½ Marathon until 12 weeks out (so July) but I definitely want to get some stamina built up before the official training begins. Does anyone have a plan or book or website they would recommend for training?

I forgot to mention that I signed up for the Virginia Institute of Autism’s Run For Autism 5k this Saturday in Charlottesville, VA. It starts at 7:45am which is crazy early but my friend Brandi is doing a trail run in FL at the same time so we are going to run together in spirit Saturday morning! Do you prefer to run with a buddy or alone?

I am off for a little bite of my cupcake that I cut into thirds (little bites of heaven) and to do a little TIVO watching while I research some training methods. Is it sad that I still multi-task while Im relaxing? Carrie and Harlow are getting in on the snuggling in action too!

Have a happy and healthy Wednesday friends!

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