Yup, that's right! I ran my first half marathon AND finished! Over labor day weekend, Dearest and I headed down to LA to put our endurance skills to the test. What had been an idea over Christmas dinner turned into a commitment back in the spring and just over a week ago, turned into a reality. Along with three of our cousins, we ran the 13.1 mile Disneyland half marathon as first time racers.
We left the hotel at 4:30am, runners bibs pinned to our shirts, ipods charged, and fitness packs stuffed to the brim with fuel for the run. It didn't quite set in until we got to the race start and saw the thousands of other runners. As we made our way through the crowds, I saw a guy with bib #11 and squealed to Dearest, "Look! It's #11!" Random, I know, but seeing as how the numbers are determined by expected finish time and we were in the 12,000s, #11 was a hero in my eyes.
The sun began to rise as we headed off. If there's one think Disney knows how to do well, it's entertainment. Mickey and Minnie were there to send us off at the start line with music blaring the the energy pumping. As the last corral (G), we started about 35 minutes after the first corral left. Dearest made the mental note, so we'd be able to track our progress at each mile marker.
At mile 1, the adrenaline was still flowing.
The course took us through Disneyland and California Adventure, with a little "behind the scenes" running as well.
We then headed out to the streets of Anaheim. This is probably where I got worn out the most. The sun was beating down on us and the water stations seemed too far apart.
Angels Stadium was a good pick me up. It was definitely exciting to see crowds of people cheering you on. I confess I'm not much of a baseball fan, but it was pretty cool to run on the field.
Back to Disneyland we went. During our training, we never made it more than 8 miles, so hitting that 10 mile marker was an accomplishment in itself. But as we got around mile 11 or so, I wasn't sure I'd finish. It was so great to have Dearest running with me. He says we motivated each other, but I know it was a lot of him encouraging me to keep up with him.
At mile 13, we made our last final push to the finish line- of which I do not have a picture. What can you expect? After running for 13 miles, I wasn't about to waste anytime getting past that finish line so I could rest my weary legs. I am pleased to say, as I crossed the finish (at 2hrs 48 mins), I high-fived Mickey. :)
I am also pleased to say, all 5 of us finished! Kudos to my cousins for finishing! Extra kudos to my cousin who, despite having a baby not too long ago and not being able to train as much as the rest of us, still finished!
Finishing the race has given me a sense of accomplishment and a healthy new lifestyle. I'm cashing in on my reward of a new wardrobe and we're gearing up to head back to the gym. My next goal is the Coast-to-Coast medal that Disney offers. If you run at least a 1/2 in both Disney World and Disneyland in the same calendar year, you get a special medal... Ok, so I'm really after the bling. But I suspect it'll have to wait until we can make it out to Florida.
In the mean time, Dearest and I are planning to do the 1/2 again next year with the goal of finishing under 2hrs 30 mins. Notes for next time: wear a hat and don't let Dearest drink tons of water an hr before the race. I'm blame his pee break for costing us at least a couple minutes. ;)
I have never been an athlete; I struggled to complete the required mile of running in middle school, I took swimming to fulfill my P.E. class in high school, and my idea of joining a sport was Dragon Boat. So why, you may ask, am I going to run (and actually be excited for it!) a half marathon in 42 days?
Truthfully, I don't really know myself. I'm sure the fact that the 13.1 mile race is held at Disneyland is a good chunk of the reason. But what I do know is that I've never been more fit in my life... and it's awesome! Dearest and I run about every other night to train, which can be exhausting towards the end, but the motivation of flat abs keeps me going. That and Lady Gaga. She may be odd, but her music is great running music.
We have just 42 days to squeeze in the last of our training before we embark on the race. I'm getting nervous since we've yet to go on a significantly long run. At our current pace for 3.5 miles, we'd finish in 2hrs 30mins, but I'm not sure we'd be able to maintain that pace over 13 miles... Definitely don't want to get picked up by the slow bus. :/ Here's to hoping the atmosphere (Disneyland/California Adventure and the Angel's stadium) will help me get this:
Oooo... Shiny. ;)
In an odd and very unexpected twist of fate, Dearest and I have decided not to move. Mostly due to finances and a lot to do with how much we love our apartment and the location, we've decided to simply tell people we're not moving "because of Verve." And for those of you who know what Verve is, I can hear you laughing. And for those of you who don't.... it's only the best coffee in the world! Okay, okay, I jest. We only know for sure that it's the best in the states. Yes, we've taste tested both east and west. Hawaii was lacking, New York came close, but no cigar. But back to the subject, we've decided to stay. Whether it's a good move, only time will tell. C'est la vie.
In other news, we both turned 24 (GASP!) and sailed right on to our 1st anniversary! We commemorated the occasion by going to none other than Disneyland. Something simple and easy, which was a far cry from what we were doing a year ago. Hitting that one year mark made me think about the one question I get asked the most: "What's married life like?" (Bet you were thinking it was going to be "when are you having kids?" huh? That's question #2.)
Married life... is well, the same as it was before. And that's exactly what we wanted it to be. Marriage doesn't change the relationship or bond we had before, it may enhance it and make it stronger, but it certainly shouldn't change things drastically. At the root of it, it's still the same two people in the same relationship.
Like they say... when it rains, it pours. And when time flies, it REALLY flies! Dearest and I are about a month and a half away from moving, which is exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time. It's been a headache to even find apartments that work for us and even harder to look at them since it's more than a hop, skip and jump away. We're looking at a few places this weekend, so here's to hoping that we'll find something without having to see 16 places like last time.
We're also coming up on our first anniversary! I'm so amazed that it's been almost a year since we got married. We don't have any plans to celebrate (yet!), but I'm pretty sure that it'll involve packing or unpacking boxes. :)
Cake pops.
The new rage in the baking world (and I sense bridal industry will follow very quickly). Cake pops, bite-size pieces of cake covered in chocolate, can be shaped into different forms (cupcakes, hearts, etc) and decorated to fit a variety of themes (football, holidays). Extraordinarily cute, they are irresistible. But...
I have a love/hate relationship with cake pops. And right now, the hate is winning.
I've made cupcakes and cakes out the wazoo, but cake pops are a totally different monster. I love cupcakes, as long as they aren't overtly sweet and sugary. I go light on frosting, but cake pops require that frosting is mixed in BEFORE it's dipped in chocolate. You can practically feel the sugar rush right now! So, minus one to the cake pops because I won't eat them. Though my waistline thinks this is a good thing.
The next downside is the fact that they're covered in chocolate. I hate melting chocolate. Loathe it, really. And all because I suck at it. I can make buttercream frosting from scratch, cover a cake in an awesome homemade fondant, pipe a grass field in frosting, but when it comes to melted chocolate, I run for the hills. I can never get the consistency quite right and it's just so hard to work with. Any advice would be greatly welcomed!
I gave in again and took another shot at making cake pops. This time they turned out better (the cake balls came out much cuter, like little truffles), but I think I'll stick with cakes and cupcakes.
A good change, that is! After months and months of waiting to hear back from the school Dearest applied to as a transfer student (and yes, he did only apply to one school, but we'll let that one slide...), we finally heard back! And even though his major is highly impacted, he got in! So in just a few months sometime during the summer, we'll be moving north to be near his school. Unfortunately for me, that means I get to make the dreadful commute to work. :/ Who knows? It might be more incentive for me to push for a promotion/transfer.
We're both ecstatic about moving! It'll be sad to leave our perfect little apartment (and the beach only 4 houses away), but we both crave the city life again. It still bothers me that the IHOP closes at 9pm. The move puts us closer to our old friends, so expect to have more game nights!
All in all, I'm excited- change is good!
