2011 Disney Princess Half Marathon Re-Cap

I decided to go ahead and just do the actual Race Re-cap before I went through the entire trip.. I must warn you, if you hate pictures, running, or Disney then you will hate this post.

Disney really does a race right. Except for the fact they start so dang early. The alarm went off at 3:00. I was on a bus by 3:30, and made it to the Media tent- which was awesome. We stayed there for a little bit, and I got to use a line-free bathroom! Win! Snapped a pic of the outfit before hand- had to wear the flash mob gloves and ended up adding a houndstooth ribbon to the pony since Natalie couldn't believe I didn't have anything Bama in my outfit. 

This is the video I took... iMovie was hating me this morning and wouldn't let me add pictures, so there are no pictures.. sorry. Kind of makes it a crappy video. 

Mile Marker 1.. yes, every mile is marked with these.. no I didn't take pictures of every one of them. Just most. 

 The Princes'.. didn't want to wait in that line.

 Running through the toll area of the Magic Kingdom

 The Nascar Experience- didn't stop there either.

 

I'm proud to say, I ran up this hill.. but it was about the only one. 

 Beautiful sunrise!!!! This is also where I tripped up some girl by accident.. sorry lady. Yes, I did hear you complaining about me to your friend. Get over it.

 Ahh... yes! This is was so crowded.. you couldn't even run.

 What up, Buzz???

 Yes, I waited in a long line for Alice.. and I paused my Garmin while I did it.

 

 Also waited in line for Jesse.. and look like I am doing the pee pee dance.

 

 

My Fairy Godmothers.. You better believe I stood in this line!

Golf Course... took this just for Pa Bill!

 I would like to say, that the first half of this race was incredible. I was running, only walking to take a picture or wait in line. Coming through the Magic Kingdom was an amazing feeling to still feel so freaking good. It started to go downhill on the backside of the course. It was crowded and we were down to one lane of runners. It was difficult to pass people and I was pretty much at the mercy of the runner in front of me. My hips started feeling achy and I tried to stop and stretch them, but honestly couldn't figure out a good stretch for them, as they don't normally hurt. 

Fire Fighters... just for me!

Twizzler.. also just for me. It happens to be my favorite candy. 

I feel bad for the randoms in all my mile marker pictures.. but, what are you gonna do?

  

 

 Goofy!

 Not sure if you can see the sea of woman running down the two line. Just glad all those women are behind me!

 Coming up the entrance ramp and the incline and curve really made my knee starting talking to me. It started cramping on the backside, not really hamstring or calf, but somewhere in between, and that minicus area started hurting pretty bad. Like, I was hobbling at points through the race.

Victories within the mile...

 John, Addison and Claire met me before the entrance of Epcot to give me a kiss and it was a great mental boost and what probably helped contribute to me not collapsing.

 As we started out of Epcot, I honestly thought I was going to collapse. That my legs were just going to give out on me and I would end up on the ground. I just hoped that I wouldn't break my phone if it happened. The band singing GaGa didn't help me. Nor did the Gospel Choir, which I was looking forward to. I turned up my music to drown out all sounds and concentrated on the words. I found it very fitting that my last song was "Til I Collapse" by Eminem. As I rounded the last corner and saw the finish line, I gave it everything I had in me. I sprinted. Not a fast paced run. I was hauling a** across the finish line, weaving in and out of people. My chest started hurting but I didn't care, the faster I ran, the sooner I could get to the medical tent. I was so out of it after I crossed the finish line, I almost forget my freaking medal.

Luckily, my MIL snapped some pics of me crossing... I am in some serious freaking pain and I think you can tell. 

 After getting my knees wrapped in ice and telling John I was headed to medical, which I think kind of freaked him out, I headed back to the Media tent... a nice Mimosa was what greeted me. Probably not the best first drink after 13.1 miles, but I definitely thought I deserved it.

 I stopped and chatted with my fellow Princess Media runners, but split so I could head back to the room to lay down and try to rest my body. I was done. I could hardly celebrate with the fam. I was exhausted, mentally and physically.

 I haven't ever felt like I did Sunday after a race. Like I couldn't have taken another step if my life depended on it. And, I was mad, people. I tried to conserve my energy for the back half of the course so I took it easy in the beginning. Which, hindsight- I would've pushed myself more in the beginning, because my body started falling apart on me on the back half and wouldn't go any faster. I was slightly depressed Sunday afternoon. I couldn't be happy about crossing the finish line. I had to analyze what I did and what I could do to improve it.

Anyway, I am better today. But I am looking at another half at the end of April.. I gotta get a redemption race in! This race just doesn't settle with me and I have got to erase it. It ticks me off to have a horrible second half of a race in a magical place like Disney. I guess I have officially been sucked into competition with myself.

I cannot say enough about how organized and generally awesome Disney is with their races. This is my second one and they really pull out some stops. It didn't hurt to be a part of the Media group and get some special treatment, but I will tell you more about that later-- trust me, you will be jealous!

Disney Trivia- Ray Ray Style

Alright. I am a freak. I freaking love Disney. I am just as excited, if not more to be traveling to Disney today, and as you read this, I am currently en route. So, I thought I would lend you some of my Disney knowledge and tidbits and useless facts. :)

Did you know that Disney World recycles all the human wastes from the hotels and parks? They do! I won't go into the details, but it's used to either water the grass or fertilize the tree farms. If you see a sign that says, "This is not drinking water!"- believe it!

If someone is hurt in the park and needs medical attention, a cast member requests an Alpha Unit.

Did you know that vomit is called a protein spill in Disney?

When they were building the Tower of Terror, it was actually supposed to be much taller, but they would have had to add a blinking light on the top for planes, and Disney thought it would ruin the effect, so they built it under the height requirement.

Walt Disney World covers 47 square miles, which equals the size of two Manhattan Islands. Of the 30,000 acres, only one-fourth has been developed, with the rest designated as wilderness preserve.

WDW staffs more than 54,000 employees. Which makes Disney World Resort, the largest single-site employer in the US.

More than 50 million Cokes are consumed each year at WDW.

The Lost and Found is crazy busy. An average of 100 pairs of sunglasses are turned in every day at the Magic Kingdom alone.

If you wanted to stay in every guest room in every resort currently open at WDW, staying in one room per night, it would take more than 72 years.

Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain move at 26 mph, making the Monorail the fastest ride at Disney, until Test Track was installed at Epcot.

Cinderella's castle is NOT made of stone. It's actually fiberglass.

Children are never lost in Disney. It's the parents who are lost!

For every 3 trees you see in the parks, there is one in a tree farm that is the exact same size in case they need to be replaced over night from a storm or any damage.

Every night, Cast Members spray the sidewalks with 120 degree water to melt away any gum.

Here is my Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella movie knowledge that I figured out by having watched them 100+ times.

Eleanor Audley did the voices for both Maleficent and Lady Tremaine. And Verna Felton did the voices for both the Fairy Godmother and Flora( the red fairy).

Hope y'all enjoyed!

Oh, and if you want to track my race, Click HERE and my name is Rachel McPhillips. They will send you text message updates on my progress.

I would also like to dedicate my race to my Dad.. since he will have to be there in spirit and there is nothing like a congratulatory hug from you Dad after you cross a finish line! 

Road to Recovery and Disney!!

We may have done a TON of this over the past couple of days:

But, we are on the mend. I did get it Friday afternoon/evening. Thankfully the vomiting didn't start until after John got home. You know that feeling that you KNOW you are going to be throwing up your lunch later as you actually eat it? Yeah.. I had that. Good news is, it seems John's mask worked and he hasn't gotten it. The bathrooms and kitchen are disinfected and I have washed more sheets and towels than I care to admit. 

We have also unloaded our piggy banks...

In an effort to teach the girls about saving money, I told Addison that we would empty her piggy bank and she could pick out and buy whatever she wanted to with her money. She was all for it! 

Look at that concentration!! 

In the events of sickness, I missed a 5 mile run and my 10 mile run. Which, I know in the scheme of training, it isn't that big of a deal, but, mentally, I really wanted that 10 mile run. Now my question is, Do I run 5 tomorrow? And maybe 3 Thursday if I can fit it in our Disney schedule?

And I know everyone has been waiting for the outfit reveal....

I am still a little undecided on the tall socks.. I like them, but I didn't get a chance to run in them, so I am not sure how they will do. I have a sparkly silver sweaty band--it reminds me of Cinderella! 

If you see me on the course.. Say Hello! Or ya know, drag me across the finish line. 

Home Invasion

We have a home invasion, people. Just in case you don't follow on the Twitter.. the stomach bug has infiltrated our house. Claire woke with it yesterday and threw up in my bed. I thought it was a fluke. But then, she threw up in the living room. I went into her room to find her bed covered in throw up. Why hadn't the Hubs or the 4 year old mentioned that as I snoozed to the new Disney Junior? So, I pulled off her sheets and washed them. She wanted some juice so I gave it to her. Then she had diarrhea. So I changed her and her outfit. Not 3 minutes later, she threw up all that juice in the hallway floor and the slipped and fell in it. DRAMA. A 2 year old vomiting is straight up drama, y'all. They don't know it's coming. You don't know it's coming. So all you can do is hope it will come out of your Pottery Barn rug. 

I called the dr. They called me back an hour and half later. Told me to watch for signs on dehydration, try to keep fluids down her, and that we were all going to get it. Awesome.

My sis had some phenergan gel from when they had it(yes, I know you aren't supposed to share drugs, but we are a medical family and my pharmacist AKA step dad told me to do it.) so we got that in Claire. Put clean sheets on her bed. Made her drink some gatorade. Then.. you guessed it. She threw up in her bed. John- who is wearing a mask inside the house at all times and eating meals on the back deck- gave her a bath, I stripped her bed again and washed the sheets again.. put down some ghetto bedding and let her go back to sleep. 

I think she threw up at least 12 times. I gave her a last dose of the phenergan gel, gave her a little gatorade, waited to see if she would throw that up and then put her to bed. She woke about 15 minutes later vomiting in her bed. 

John had gone to his parents house as to not catch it and little Addison is who helped me get things cleaned up. 

Claire ended up in my bed at 2:30 this morning and Addison in there at 5:45. 

I slowly introduced fluids to her and she seemed fine with it. Until she got into Addison's goldfish crackers. She threw up and then passed out standing up at the ottoman. 

Then, at lunchtime today, Addison started with it. And I am not feeling so hot now, so I am praying we get over this before we leave Wednesday. 

I am guessing there isn't a 10 mile run in my weekend plans anymore. 

I also don't know if this makes sense. I apologize if it doesn't. 

Help! I've fallen under a pile of fabric!

If you have been wondering where I am...



I am knee deep in a pile of fabric making a couple of outfits for our trip to Disney world for the girls. It only took me an entire evening and most of an afternoon and another trip to Hobby Lobby to make this.. Now. Just gotta make Addisons.. good thing I figured out how to ruffle on my machine!

I'll be back soon with more training( I know y'all are ready for this race to be done with) and some gymnastics stories.

Training this week..

This weeks training has really stepped it up for me. Sunday was my "first" long distance run of 7 miles. I really needed to do around 8 or 9, but was afraid of injuring myself. I was excited and nervous to find out what I was capable of physically and mentally. The first 2 1/2 miles were pure torture. The thoughts of "why was I doing this to myself?" and "How did I expect to run 13.1 miles in a few weeks, if this was so dang hard?" were creeping in. And then? Around mile 3.. my body started to cool itself off. And I started to get those endorphins pumping and I was feeling good. Now, don't get me wrong, I did stop and walk some, normally just long enough to get a drink of water and catch my breath a little bit. That 7.17 miles? It took me an hour and a half. It equals out to about a 12:30 pace. Which, for those of you who aren't runners.. that's not very fast. John kind of made fun of it and I told him to go run 7 miles. I iced and stretched because I knew I would be sore and contemplated how easy or hard it would be for me to walk the next day. 

Monday? I felt great. My hamstrings were a little sore, but not bad, more along of the lines of I had just used them a little extra. I went to the Chiro so he could adjust my hips and my knee( MOM DON'T COMMENT ON THAT!)  that made me feel wonderful! John and I discussed how many miles I should do on Tuesday and he said 7. He told me that running 3 miles wasn't going to help me at all. I needed to step up my running game. Go big or go home. 

I don't get this inspirational talks from Philly too often and it was much appreciated. Normally, I get the same amount of enthusiasm from him no matter if I ran 7 miles, cooked a delicious dinner or washed his dirty underwear. "That's great, Dear." is about all I get on an everyday basis. 

So, I got up Tuesday and was going to run 7 miles.. only, the muscles around my knee were a little tender from getting adjusted. I decided to put off my run until the afternoon and see how I felt. The soreness went away by mid morning. I hopped on that treadmill and started to run and.. my legs felt like lead pipes. Like I  had lead instead of muscle and fat under my skin. 

So, I told myself to run 5, and get it over with. I pushed myself speed wise to try to loosen up the muscles but they wouldn't budge. 

They were destined to feel like sacks of sand. I entered in my stats into DailyMile when I got home and holy smokes... my 5.02 miles in 1 hour averaged me an 11:57 pace. 

WHAT? How did that happen? How was my lead-leg run a faster pace than my 7 mile run? 

Yesterday was another off day.. my plan is to run no less than 5 miles every time I run, which is about every other day, and then have my long runs on the weekends. 

Today was another 5 on the board. In case you didn't know, it snowed AGAIN here in the South and schools were delayed. I parked my car and when I opened my door I noticed that my running boards were iced over and I didn't want to bust on them so I just hopped down onto the ground. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that the ground was iced over and well and the second my feet hit, they came out from under mean and I completely busted in the parking lot. I sat there stunned.. I didn't even know I was falling and then my bootay was crazy cold from the ice. I sat there and contemplated crying in the parking lot, but then thought better of it since I had fallen and I didn't want anyone to make fun of me. My pride was hurt worse than my tailbone. But my tailbone is pretty dang sore now. 

Anyway, I ran my 5 miles, hamstrings are still a little sore, I guess from the increased distance. I ran 5.17 miles in 60 minutes.. which averages an 11:36 pace. Watch out, Ryan Hall! That's almost an entire minute off my average time! 

I kind of want to run tomorrow, but need to do my long run on Saturday... is that a smart or stupid idea?

Things I've learned this week:

-My body is a LOT more ready than I realized for this race

-I should've stepped up my distances a long time ago, because the first 2 1/2 miles of any run are pure torture. No wonder I haven't been wanting to run when I have only been doing 3 miles!

-My body is not getting as hot anymore as quickly. Which makes for shorter walking water breaks

-My appetite has greatly increased with my mileage.. I was hoping to burn some fat, but the scale keeps creeping up. Not cool, scale, not cool. 

Anyway.. Should I run tomorrow or not? 

Is it warm yet?

"I think it's getting warm outside." Addison says to me every morning. No baby, it's 30 degrees outside. "I think it's getting warm enough for us to go play outside." Even if it was warm enough for us to go play, you and your sister would fight over the same piece of sidewalk chalk. 

I long for the days of a bigger backyard where we can have an awesome swing set in the backyard. One where all the neighborhood kids will want to come play on. 

CSN Stores has hundreds of swing sets for any budget and they offer free shipping. How awesome is that? 

I could spend days looking around their site. 

One day.. we will have the awesome swing set in the backyard. 

My Perfect Saturday...

One day last week John called me at home. "Hey, Greg McElroy is signing autographs at Cummings Sporting Goods on Saturday. You want to go?" As if he even had to ask. He should know by now that I would be all about it. 

Since I have a minor crush on Greg McElroy. 

And when I say minor, I really mean, It may sort of, kind of, rival the Tom Brady obsession of 2007. 

It didn't start out that way but he sealed the deal in the 2009 SEC Championship game when he played a little hopscotch with the sidelines to get a 1st down. 

I found the clip on YouTube... it's around the 2:20 mark in the video. I love the agility. And the leg kick. 

I won't be offended if you don't watch this video.. it's highlights of us dominating the Gators.

 Sorry Sonja. 

I was just a little giddy.. and Claire was so over it. 

But finally... YAY!

He signed a ball for Addison.. she was so embarrassed and shy. In the car, she had asked me if he would have his helmet on and I told her no. I told him this story and Addison elbowed me in the side when I said it. I'm scared of her teenage years. 

The crowd of peeps waiting... It wrapped around to the end of the shopping center and pretty much stayed that way. Poor guy was there 4 1/2 hours signing autographs and taking pictures. 

I can't say enough about the character that I saw from this guy. He made sure everyone got a picture and an autograph. He treated everyone like they were the only person in line and that there wasn't a line out the door. He even had a great answer to the little kid who had on an Auburn hat and told him he liked Auburn more. "Well, you've still got a few more years to change your mind!" Great answer! 

I honestly felt like a giddy school girl. I couldn't even look him in the eye. Not that he was eye level. Because dude is TALL. And all muscle. 

Now, for my picture. I had been joking that I wanted to get my picture taken with Greg and the girls since he looks like he could be the father of the redheads more than John could. Only if they didn't act JUST like John... people might start to question it. Funny enough... we can't get a good family picture of the girls looking at the camera, but the one with Greg McElroy could be a freakin' Christmas card... which, it totally might be. Could you blame me? 

Seriously. He even gets the squinty eye when he smiles. Just like me! *sigh* 

Let's keep in mind, that I am 5'4 and had on about 4 inch heels. Like I said.. TALL. 

I realize most people won't get this, but this guy is already a legend in Alabama Football. He is an incredible public speaker and most importantly, he seems to "get" Alabama Football. I wish him many years as a Pro quarterback and hope he can be the 14th quarterback to wear #12 and win a Super Bowl.

 Let's just get drafted to a good team, Mmmkay? 

Now if I could just get him to tweet me back and possibly wish me good luck on my half marathon and a Happy Birthday come April?? Is that too much to ask? 

More Ramblings.. You Know You Love Them!

I came across a blog a few weeks ago that I fell in love with- Running off the Reese's. I'm not sure how she got into my head to write down the thoughts that go through there, but she did. Her pictures with the thought bubbles make my day. She had a post on self image that really got me to thinkin'. You can read it here.
Since I have lost about 13 pounds on WW- I have since quit doing it, I just didn't want to pay for it and I have about 7 lbs to go before "goal weight". Honestly, I could be happy where I am, but I want to reach that goal because I don't like failure.
I am a LOT happier without those 13 lbs than I was with them. Maybe happiness shouldn't be tied to a number on the scale, but mine is, sort of. That number on the scale determines if my jeans will have a muffin top or be a little loose. And you would be lying to yourself if you didn't peacock around if your once too tight jeans became loose.

I feel better about myself when my clothes fit better and my tummy is flatter. I also feel great about myself when I can have the self control to not eat that piece of cake or stuff my face with M&M's. 

Self control is not my thing. I just don't have any. It's not easy for me to leave food on my plate or not have a glass of wine, when I want one. This lack of self control can be like a child stomping it's foot saying, "I want that toy!!" in the toy aisle of Target. At some point you have to say to yourself, "It's time to be a grown up." And part of being a grown up is thinking enough about yourself to say, "I can't afford that right now" or "I don't need a piece of cheesecake." Should you always deprive yourself? No. That's how you end up eating an entire box of zebra cakes or going on an outlandish shopping spree. 

I can think back to a year and a half ago, when I started running. I had a muffin top over my tempos and wore baggy t-shirts to conceal it. Sure, I had just had a baby, but I didn't care. I started running so I could have runner's legs, and be all sleek and runner like. In my mind, I would look like Skinny Runner

All awesome legs and tan body and stylish running outfits..( not sure where I thought I was getting that tan, but oh well.) I honestly thought that I would look like this after training for ONE 5K. Go ahead, I'll pause while you laugh at me. 

Done? Okay good. 

SR runs no less than 10 miles a day. EVERY DAY. And I thought I would look like her after a month. A year later, I can now see some awesome definition in my thighs and calves, but it's also covered in a layer of flab that isn't easy to get off. I noticed this week as I was walking into the gym that hey, my legs actually don't look THAT bad. I can definitely see improvement. And so what if that makes me happy? If it gives me some pep in step, then I am all for it. 

I got this shirt last year as a gift, and when I tried it on, it looked terrible. Muffin top everywhere and tight in all the WRONG places. I wouldn't even wear it around the house. But I tried it on this morning, and look... 

Barely a pouch. I would totally wear this out in public.. or ya know, to the gym. So, maybe it didn't happen in a month. It took a lot of sacrifice and hard work, to get the weight (and fat) off. Sure it would have been easier to not wrangle the kids to the gym. Sure I could have let the mommy guilt take over about half my day being spent getting kids ready for the gym, being at the gym, and then showering after the gym. But I can't let that get in the way of something that makes me feel good about myself. 

The number on the scale makes feel better when I put on my clothes, when I am lounging around the house, and makes feel just a little bit sexier for my husband. 

Sure I eat what I want to, but sometimes, I do have to sacrifice something to make sure that number doesn't go up. I don't think that's a bad thing. 

Sacrificing a piece of cheesecake to make me feel better about myself is a LOT better than eating it and then feeling bad about myself. Like, I said, I don't do well with failure. I do a happy dance with every pound lost on the scale. Because, for me, weight will always be an uphill battle.

 Running and working out and being healthy makes me happy, and at the end of the day "Happy Wife equals Happy Life."Or "If Mama Ain't Happy Ain't Nobody Happy." Right??

New Chapters

Since life isn't stagnant, things are always changing. I had a tough time deciding if I was going to blog about this, because let's face it, finances are in that category with religion and politics. You just don't talk about them. The past couple of months we have been trying to get serious about our budget. 

At the beginning of January, Claire started Pre-School. I felt like I left a little piece of my heart there when I drove off. Both of my girls were there two days a week. What was I going to do with my time? Sure, I had some projects that needed my attention, but that took care of the first few weeks.. but then what? After we wrote that astronomical check for that first month, I came home and cried. Why was I sending my babies to Pre-School? I don't work outside of the home. Sure, I need a break. But was that break worth having someone else teach my children so I could read a book or blog? 

THEN, we got snowed in for a week. And I actually enjoyed spending time with them. Sure I got a little stir crazy not being able to leave the house and my eyes may have crossed a time or two at all of the questions that Addison asks.. which most of my answers now follow with a "Why?" but I know she is just curious and I'm trying everyday to make me have a little more patience with her. 

It was then that I decided that there was no need to fork out $400 a month for PreSchool when they were fine at home and I honestly didn't think Claire was ready. Addison was also starting to say things like, "But I don't want to go to school today! I want to stay at home with you and Claire!" 

At one point, it was necessary for her to go to PreSchool-- I was working and it  was getting harder to constantly ask grandparents to watch them. They do have their own lives after all, and it doesn't include being my full time nanny. 

But the fact of the matter is, we have 3 Grandmothers that are at home and that would love to get to watch both girls for a few hours every week, if I need a break. 

So I called John, and said "I think we should pull the girls out of preschool." I felt like a horrible parent. Why can't I just give something up so my children don't have to suffer?  Wasn't there somewhere else to make up the $400? Nope. it's $400 and not $50. That's a lot of money out of your monthly budget. 

After I told Addison she would be staying at home with me, she jumped up and down exclaiming, "YAY! YAY! YAY!" And I knew right then, that my little girl needed to be at home with me. She needs her mommy, even if she is too much like me in the stubborn department to ask for some snuggle time. 

This is their first week at home. And it's been amazing. The girls are playing well together. We are finally getting good use out of that expensive gym membership, since Claire will go to the nursery with Addison there. Without her, it was out of the question. 

So, you should expect more pictures of this:

and this: 

and this:

 maybe not this, though: 

Anyway.. we are kind of being Dave Ramsey about it, even though John hates Dave Ramsey, but I guess it could have a twist of J.Money- Budgets Are Sexy- I mean, who doesn't want financial advice from a guy with a mohawk who is super rad and has awesome dance moves?