How It All Began

January 8, 2012 by

 

Funny story before I tell my story. Last night, my husband asked me if I planned on doing more vlogs for my blog. I told him of course, and told him about a couple of the ideas I had for some fun ones. I then told him about the post I was going to publish for Sunday (today, the one you are currently reading.) I thought since the buzz this weekend is the Disney marathon, I would take a trip down memory lane and tell the story of how the WDW marathon weekend will forever hold a special place in my heart, because that’s where my running journey began.

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He asked if I had told the story before and I said that yes, I think I had in parts, but that you get new readers all the time so it’s always fun to tell an important story like that again. So I turn on my computer yesterday, save the pictures into a folder from my race recaps that I want to use, and go read some blogs before I write my post, and lo and behold, Karen had the exact same idea! Great minds think alike I tell ya. Be sure to go check out her story, as it is very very similar to mine. Smile

Let’s rewind to January of 2009, shall we?

I had been a part of a message board for Disney brides and honeymooners for a few years. Several of us had gotten very close, and decided to have a “meet up” in WDW. A couple of the girls were running the marathon, so we thought it would be a great weekend to go. Karen and I had never met, but our plan was for her to drive to my parents house, fly to WDW with me, share a room with me, hang out for the weekend, then fly home. I must say, I was a bit nervous having never actually met the girl!

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Our first picture together. Oh how there would be many, many more in the following years!

This was also the first weekend I met Jen and Crystal, both also a part of the message board. How could I have known some awesome lasting friendships would come of this?

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One of the most fun weekends of my life. These people are a blast.

The morning of the actual marathon, Karen and I staked out a spot in front of Hollywood studios to watch the race…no particular reason for this spot. Keep in mind I was NOT a runner at this point! We waited for our friends to pass. The place we were standing was around mile 24. We somehow missed Jen and Jeff, but managed to catch Crystal! As all of the people passed by, and as I watched everyone cheering them on, all of the sudden I got really really emotional. I thought of the hard work and dedication these people had put into their training for this race. I didn’t know them, but I was so proud of them as they all passed me by. I cheered my little heart out, and decided I COULD do this, I HAD to do this! Fortunately, Karen had the same thought as me, and we vowed we would be back to run.

Fast forward to January 2010.

Bobby, myself, my mom, and sister drove to WDW for marathon weekend. 17957_532225199888_61700476_31352426_8226839_n

Jen, Bobby, me, and my sister outside the race expo

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Dinner at Narcoossees

We had trained for this race, our very first half. Our goal was to finish in one piece and to have fun. If you are familiar with marathon weekend, you know this was the year of the freeze and the sleet. Yes. It sleeting during the half, and neither Bobby or I had the proper cold weather gear. Thankfully Jen had a bit to spare for me!

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We did make it in one piece, and it felt so good to cross that finish line! We did it, we were officially half marathoners!

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But we had not yet reached our goal. What? That’s right. My goal was the Disney full marathon.

Fast Forward to January 2011.

It was a tough training cycle. I was struggling with an IT band injury, and Bobby and I were not even living together (he took a new job and I lived with my parents while our house was being built, and he lived in our new town with his employer.) It was tough training basically on my own, I was under a lot of emotional stress. But, we made it to Disney! Karen ran the full with Bobby and I, and it will forever be one of the best memories of my life. We had SO MUCH FUN with the race, stopping and taking pictures with every character, goofing off and enjoying the race.

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I remember very distinctly when Karen and I ran by our inspiration curve outside of Hollywood studios. I got really choked up remembering where it all began two years prior. I could not believe I was about to accomplish my goal, and finish the race.

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“inspiration curve”

Crossing the finish line was amazing, we finally did it. Two years later, we accomplished what we had set out to do, and it felt wonderful.

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Fast forward to January 2012.

Yup. sitting on my couch. Smile I didn’t make it to marathon weekend this year, because Karen, myself, and my mom are running the Princess half in February! Oh, and I have my sights set on just ooonnneee more teeny tiny Disney goal.

Goofy 2013, I’m coming for you!

In case this wasn’t enough fun for you and you want MORE, you can read the individual race recaps for the Disney half and full marathons that I ran, as well as this year’s Disney Wine and Dine race and Halloween 5k:

Disney Half Marathon 2010

Disney marathon weekend expo 2010

Disney Full Marathon 2011 part one and part two

Disney Halloween 5k 2011

Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon

QOTD: Can you remember back to what inspired you to start running or become healthy? What did it for you?

Filed Under: Disney, fitness, Race Recaps, running, Uncategorized Tagged: , , , , ,

RWS Features #6

January 7, 2012 by

 

Good morning! Thanks you all so much for the sweet anniversary wishes. We had a low key evening together. I am missing being in WDW. We were there in 2007 for our honeymoon, then again in 2009, 10, and 11 for WDW marathon weekend. If you are running this weekend GOOD LUCK and have fun! In case you didn’t know, WDW marathon weekend is how my whole running journey started! I will share my story tomorrow so you can see how it all got started!

Also, yesterday I had the privilege of having a blogger meet up, but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out who it was with!

Today I want to share with you another of my RWS features. We all love finding new (to us) blogs to add to our readers, and who knows, a new friendship may blossom! So, today, I am featuring Rebecca! She blogs at Nourish on, and here is her story:

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1)  How/Why did you start blogging? In December 2008, I published my first post on a blog I called “Pressing On”. My original intent was to have a place to connect with out-of-state friends and share pictures and newsy updates. But blogging quickly became much more than that — it became an outlet for my writing itch and a place to share and process the life lessons I’d been learning. In June 2010 I launched a healthy living page, “Nourishing Bites” because as a Dietetics student passionate about nutrition and fitness, I wanted to have a place to share recipes, race recaps, and fitness goals.

2) Sum up your blog in a couple sentences: Nourishing Bites is my journey from a chubby little girl, to battling an eating disorder in high school, to now seeking to have a balanced and healthy relationship with food. I love experimenting in the kitchen, creating nutritious foods that make me feel strong and alive. I’m pressing on to a well-nourished mind, body, and soul…one bite at a time!

3) What do you wish to accomplish/achieve by blogging? My highest goal in blogging is to show people how living healthfully is achievable, delicious, and fun! I hope that through my personal adventures in running, cooking, and college life, I can help others know that they are so much more than a number on a scale and that food can be enjoyed and not feared.

4) What is your biggest healthy living accomplishment? My biggest healthy living accomplishment was the half-marathon I ran in September 2011. It was something I never thought possible and crossing that finish line was one of the best moments of my life. I can’t wait to run another!

Thanks so much girl! Be sure to follow her on Twitter and go say hello on her blog! Let’s all encourage each other!

QOTD: What is one healthy food you used to dislike but now eat/like?

Filed Under: fitness, running, Uncategorized Tagged: , ,

Back to My Roots: Tips for Beginners

January 5, 2012 by

 

So, some of you may have seen this post on Twitter yesterday.

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Sigh. I was so ready for a nice, relaxing massage, and instead I spent an hour talking to someone who obviously knew NOTHING about running, but asking me a million questions. Was I annoyed? Heck yes! I paid money to relax! Not explain what a GPS watch is to you!

When I got home, I started doing some thinking. Was it wrong and very annoying what she did? Of course, BUT, at the same time, here was someone obviously very wowed by my running knowledge, eagerly wanting more info and tips. She actually jokingly (I think!) asked me to be her running coach. She also told me she would hate to see me kick someone as she was rubbing my calves. Is it weird that I took this as a major compliment by the way?

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Anyway, here I was thinking “how can she not know what a Garmin watch is?” and “is she seriously asking me how I am supposed to know how far I have run “are there like, marks in the road that tell you?” As I began to feel slightly proud and cocky, I was immediately put in my place when I remembered that there was once a time when I didn’t know the answers to those questions.

How silly of me to assume that everyone knows how to get rid of a side cramp, and how you know what kind of shoes you need. To the “normal” world, these are not common knowledge issues. I do so much reading and research every day, it has become so easy for me to forget that everyone has to start from somewhere, and learn as they go.

So, I have decided to go “back to my roots” shall we say, and go over some things I wish I knew in the beginning but didn’t know.

GPS Watch/Garmin: These handy watches are amazing and it is my favorite piece of gear. They work via satellite and track your distance, pace, time, elevation, etc. Then you can plug it up to your computer and download your info to have for a training log, comparisons, etc. There are also phone apps for this purpose as well.

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(wearing my Garmin)

GU/Chomps: When I first started running I had no need for this as I was just running 3-4 miles at a time. When I got up to six miles I realized I needed to start using something for fuel. I was scared to try GU, the consistency seemed nasty, but now they are my BFF and I love trying the different flavors. I can’t do the chomps (if I can help it) because they get stuck in my teeth. The GU is easy to “suck down” when I see a water stop up ahead.

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How to start training: If you are starting from scratch, I highly recommend the couch to 5k program. I have not done it myself but know people who have been very successful with it. We all start from somewhere, even if it’s your couch. YOU CAN DO THIS!

Sweat Wicking: You don’t want to run in cotton! It gets very heavy when you sweat and doesn’t feel good. Invest in some dri fit/sweat wicking workout clothes that wick moisture away from your body. I of course recommend running skirts for workout gear!

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Log your workouts: It can be dailymile.com., or writing workouts in a journal, but keep track of what you do, and how you felt. That way you can look back to see how far you have come, what conditions you run best in, time of day, etc.

Body Glide: go buy some. You will thank me later when you don’t have burns and rashes all over and your friends do.

Walk Breaks: are perfectly normal. I hate that there is a stigma that if you walk during a run or a race you aren’t really a runner. I have done some experiments, and I actually race FASTER when I take a 20 second walk break every 7  minutes or so after I hit mile 8 of a half marathon. True story. Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed if you need to walk every now and then.

Rest: Being too ambitious in the beginning can get you burnt out or injured. Your body NEEDS rest days to recover and rebuild to make you stronger. Don’t forget to cross train as well. Build strength all over, and not just from running.

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These are by NO MEANS all the tips there are, these are just a few off the top of my head I wish I had know starting out (and some my masseuse asked me!) As always, if you have ANY specific questions, please feel free to comment here or e mail me at runningwithsass@gmail.com. I love hearing from readers!

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Also wanted to add…I ran my FIST MILE since Thanksgiving Day today! It felt good! I took it slow, but ran the whole thing. I’m coming back! YAY!

QOTD: What is a running tip you wish you knew when you first started?

-Also of interest: This post I wrote on beginner running injuries.

Filed Under: fitness, running, Running Skirts, tips, Uncategorized Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Target Pants Review

February 21, 2010 by

So I bought some of the target running pants, and I thought I would take the time to give a little review on the product. First, when i heard the C9 brand was coming out with extended sizes I was stoked! regular pants are too short, and forget putting the in the dryer! The “long” size said on the tag: “for women 5’9″ and taller.” Well, I am 5’9″ so I thought they would fit perfect, and even if they were a SMIDGE too long, I could put them in the dryer.

Well, I bought said pants, and they are SO LONG! Like, almost cover my entire foot wrapped underneath my heel! Seriously? I am 5’9″ and these are ridiculously long! You would have to be about 6’2″ to fit in these! I would think more women are 5’9″ or 5’10” and not 6’2″!!! I was a little bummed about it, but I stuck them in the dryer this morning so hopefully they will shorten up.

They are SUPER comfy, and fit is good other than the length. I got the mediums and felt great in them on my run yesterday (other than the fact that I had to ROLL UP THE BOTTOMS!) I guess that’s how short people feel when wearing regular pants?

Anyway, HERE is the link to the pants. Maybe if you are not abnormally tall/short the regular length will be perfect for you! These pants have some great potential at a great price!

On another note, went to wal mart today and got some spinach, at some point I will be trying a green monster! I am nervous!!
May do some strength training today, we will see!

Filed Under: fashion, fitness, Uncategorized Tagged: , ,

runDisney Half Marathon 2010

January 12, 2010 by

So here is my race recap for my very first half marathon! It was QUITE the experience!

We got to Disneyworld Thursday afternoon, checked into the Polynesian and Friday me, my husband bobby and best friend Jen went to the disney expo! I was so excited to buy stuff, and meet the running skirts girls!

we picked up our race packets, shirts, and goodie bags, it was all very smooth. then we shopped!

I pretty much headed straight to the running skirts booth and the twins were SO SWEET! I enjoyed getting to chat with them and hope to see them at the Mardi Gras Rock n roll 1/2!!

we wandered around a bit and bought some more stuff and then headed out

me and Bobby in front of the expo

we ate a HUGE dinner and attempted to go to bed early..but it just didn’t happen. we woke up at 3 AM on RACE MORNING!!!! it was SO COLD. I think it was record breaking temps in Orlando, or close to it. Of course, on the day of the race, OF COURSE!

Since I live in Mississippi, I don’t own a lot, well, any “cold weather running clothes” Luckily, Jen let me borrow a pair of pants to wear under my skirt and a long sleeved wicking shirt to wear as a layer. I also bought a nylon long sleeved shirt from the running skirts girls and then wore a plain black sweatshirt on top to toss in case I got hot. I also wore a hat, gloves, and hot hands!

we got ready, I had some juice with protien powder, and half a cliff bar and we headed to the monorail!
we got to the race, checked our bags, went potty for the first time, and then huddled with about 100 strangers to stay warm. As we were standing there, we realized it was sleeting!!! You have GOT to be kidding me!

We walked about a mile to the corrals in the sleet/freezing rain and visited porta potties for 2nd time and then said goodbye to Jen and her husband, as they are bestial and were in Coral A/B

here is me and Bobby FREEZING!!

we got into our corral which was the 2nd to last one, and waited…and waited…I felt like us slow runners were being punished for being slow b/c we didn’t cross the start till over 30 minutes after teh first runners did!

here is the stage that was at the front

we were off! in the freezing cold! About mile 2 or 3, it started freezing rain. IN case you have never run in freezing rain, it pelts you in the face and feels like hundreds of tiny needles stabbing you. Not the most plesant in the dark at 6 am.
we kept running, and about mile 5 I took a GU. we ran into the Magic Kingdom at this point and I was so excited. This was my absolute FAVORITE part. For a dsiney lover, being able to run down main street with people cheering for you as you head towards the castle was just awesome.

by this time, it started raining, a lot. we just kept on going. at about mine 9, Bobby’s knee started hurting him so we had to slow down some. we only stopped the whole time to get water, and once when Bobby had to use the restroom. I was SO shocked I was able to run the whole way! I believe my hip was so frozen solid I couldn’t feel any pain.

We stopped and got more GU at mile 9 ish, and this is about where we passed my mom and sister who started up about 5 minutes ahead of us.

We kept going, and Bobby kept having to walk and wanted me to go on without him but for our first 1/2 I really wanted to cross the finish with him, so I stopped and jogged slow with him. We kept encouraging each other to keep going, the last 2 miles were tough. It was getting colder, we were soaked, and I couldn’t feel my feet.

We made it into epcot, and only had 1/2 mile to go. Bobby almost couldn’t finish, but I kept encouragining him telling him 3 tenths, 2 tenths, etc. (garmin came in handy) and then we saw the mile 13 sign and the finish line!

I felt the tears well up and I fought back tears as we got to the finish line. we held hands the last stretch and crossed together, arms in the air in triumph. I was so happy, but also so glad it was over. It was so hard! we got our medals and then we were SO COLD becuase our bodies cooled down.
everyone else got food and pics taken adn we left! The mile walk to the monorail was the most miserable mile of my life. I was so cold, shivering uncontrolably. then we had to get OFF the monorail and walk back to the room. we showered and got in bed and slept!
We woke up so sore becuase we were too cold to stretch after the race. I am finally feeling better now!

my time was 2:44 according to garmin, 2:45 according to disney. pretty close I think. I was shooting for 2:30, and if it weren’t for the conditions and having to slow down for Bobby i think I could have done it! I will find out in February for the mardi gras rock n roll half!
here is our picture.

I truly loved this race even though it was so miserable. I HIGHLY reccommend this race, especially if you LOVE Disney like I do! I am toying around the idea of doing the full next year…thoughts?!?

Filed Under: fitness, Race Recaps, runDisney, running, Running Skirts Tagged: