Crazy Diamond
Rich~Keep up the stretches and cardio work, but be careful! Oh no, sorry to read about DSIL and sore back. Well, you can now encourage each other during the race and hopefully enjoy all a Disney race has to offer, right! It is so frustrating to have made it so close to a special race, then an injury rears it's ugly head and bites us! So many of us have experienced the disappointment and come back the stronger and wiser from it. As Dan stated the other day ... "It is what it is".
My niece and I stayed at Pop Century resort last month. The new Art of Animation Resort across the lake from our resort recently opened -- again huge Disney fiberglass icons everywhere with typical Disney Imagineer's attention to detail to enjoy! Fun and great for us, but probably not for a special anniversary! Back in the 90s when DS1 was prime age for theme parks, we stayed at Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans. We liked both of them for different reasons. We've had lunch/dinner at many of the resorts just to snoop around, and if $$$ were no object ... Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge. Where have you stayed?
Quo Vadis?
Deb - Thanks again for the advice and encouragement. DW and I are big Disney fans. We are Disneyland annual passholders, and we've been to WDW a dozen times over the years. Our favorite resort is the Polynesian, but we have also stayed at the Contemporary, Yacht Club, Port Orleans Riverside, Coronado Springs and Shades of Green. For our 40th next year, we're looking at a split stay between the Boardwalk and Wilderness Lodge. I've not yet seen the Art of Animation resort in person, but from the photos, it looks awesome.
Rich
PRs: 9/1/2012 Disneyland 5K 27:08, 01/06/2013 Resolution 15K 1:30:17, 03/10/2013 San Diego HM 2:18:05, 04/19/2014 ACT! Today 10K 51:54
Hi everyone! Wrote up a long reply on Sunday and clicked post but apparently it didn't since I don't see it!!
We are still in northern AZ, running when I can!! JUST AWESOME beautiful weather and temps!! Occasional rain/thunderstorms but I don't care So I had total miles for the week ending Aug. 9 of 31.2 before I left MN, yay!! So we flew in Aug 10 Saturday, had grandbabies and company visit for the weekend so rested till Monday, ran on the 'flattest' trail I know, 8.1 miles, and Tuesday, 8.3 miles. OMgoodness!! Gasping for air so took 30 seconds walk breaks every 1/2 mile for those two days. Then flew to Denver for my first conference which began Wed. evening, no time at all to run, flew back EARLY Friday morning for 2nd conference in PHX, had to present at both events. DH was at PHX conference only since Wed. Drove home to northern AZ on Saturday, ran 6.3 miles, then ran 5. 5 miles Sunday morning before driving back to PHX to pick up DH's dad. DH and his dad will fly back to MN on Sunday. Ran again yesterday, 7 miles. So 3 days in a row now. Took 1 minute walk breaks after each mile on these runs, LESS gasping for air this time, haha!! Walk breaks helps with acclimating back to the high altitude (at least 7,000 ft), and DRY climate despite the occasional rain shower throughout the day. Yes, some 'humidity' but it's not worth complaining about, haha!! NO FLYING PESTS!! Yippee!! I sure miss my trails here! Ran on different ones each time. Planning on running later today unless it rains and/or waiting if meeting with colleagues will happen. Time crunch on my part as I will be down in PHX on Friday for a meeting, then flying back to MN on Saturday. Did you see what the temps in the MIDWEST lately??!?!??
Rich: glad you're recovery smartly, and impressed you're running hills already. Run/walk/run at your upcoming HM may be the way to go with DW. There are other HMs and I know you rather heal than take chances, good for you!
Deb: oh my!! You have been busy! Happy you have been getting in some runs as well.
Art: temps are scorchers in the 'valley' ........ glad I'm not running in them. Stay cool!
Dan: What a wonderful ceremony, wishing them many blissful years!! I'm glad you and the family returned safely. I had to laugh about your reference to 'spicy' food in relation to the blandness of the midwest food, that's my sentiment! haha!! I'm from New Mexico originally, land of red/green chili so I LOVE spicy food thus Indian food is such a treat for me. 'New Mexican' food is not the same as 'Mexican' food so I have to take/ship back red chili to the midwest where even black pepper is 'too hot' for them, haha!! I love reading about the cultural differences in regard to weddings especially. We have friends whose children married into the Indian culture. Is your DD staying in India? Thank you for sharing your experience.
justrundan
AZ- re: spicy food- I love the peppers I grow in my garden, definitely not hot ones. When in high school I worked on a dairy farm and in the summer would sometimes have breakfast with the old farmer and his wife, before we went back out for more work. Never any pepper on the table; when I asked, he said it was bad for your health! LOL.
I'm horrible at posting pics on here; if any of you want to see pics of the wedding, or of India, I have an album for each on my FAcebook page, you should be able to see it without having to friend me. Dan Sessler, Baraboo, WI should find it.
shut off my alarm @ 4:50 this morning and rolled over, so I didn't get 6 in a row like I'd hoped. Wednesdays are always an off day, so I'll be back at it Thursday if all goes well
Run strong friends.
Dan
Hi friends. Slow 4 mi today, hopefully quicker 5 tomorrow when it's supposed to be cooler. Plan to head north to Boulder Junction WI on my motorcycle for an overnight trip and visit friends who are starting a new craft beer pub/restaurant there this summer. Have a great weekend, and good luck to anyone racing.
Dan~Great work getting in those miles! Safe travels to Boulder Junction, autumn colors will probably be showing up on the leaves in the tops of the trees as they were in Peninsula. Enjoy(in moderation ) the craft beer tasting!
AZ~Yes, temps have been all over the place lately. Mid-westerners always say .. if you aren't fond of the weather right now, wait 15 minutes!
Rich~The "Finding Nemo" pool at Art of Animation is amazing! If I were 3 years old, I would never leave it to do anything else!!
Running very, very easy and low miles this week. Severe thunderstorms moved through the area yesterday. So moved my workout to newly surfaced running track at the indoor skating center for a cushioned ride. It was like running on a cloud! Mild pain behind my right knee continues. Looking back at my running log, the pain appeared right before all the traveling and craziness in July. I guess my daily stretching and strengthening took a back seat to all the time constraints and preparations. How could I've let it happen!!! Faithfully doing all my exercises every evening and foam rolling after each run ... but the damage is done. Decided to volunteer at the HM tomorrow instead of running it. I'm disappointing and probably being too cautious, but I'm looking ahead and wanting to be healthy and ready for the 50-mile team relay the end of October.
Great racing to anyone running events this weekend. Run strong friends!
Hi everyone! So this week: ran Sunday, Monday, rested Tuesday, ran Wed, and Thursday, rest today. So far, about 30 miles, yippee!!
I was sooo looking forward to meeting up with my fellow trail divas on our weekly Thursday evening runs despite the impending thunderstorm. Cool temps and cool breeze made for an ideal running night!! We ran on the Tunnel Springs Trail, a first for me from this trailhead although I have met up with it from the other side. The website is below if you want to check it out. And I'm not on facebook but it's under the Flagstaff Trail Divas if you're interested. After running through the tunnel under the railroad tracks, we begin a steady climb of almost a MILE!! I made it all the way up!! I couldn't believe I was actually 'LEADING' the group!! These meet up runs are at least 4 miles, and some runners will run more if they want, and we are usually at different trails each time. I love it!! And I miss it!! After reaching 2 miles, I ran another 1/2 mile with one other runner who is new to running, in her twenties, and training for a 10k, then a half. It was wonderful to just talk about running with someone but she told me to 'run faster if you want, I know my way back.' I did but kept an eye out for her until I caught up with the rest of the runners on the way back. It was all downhill from there, and finished 5.2 miles in less than an hour! While waiting for the rest of the runners, it begin to rain. By the time every runner was accounted for, it was pouring and thunder everywhere, it was awesome!!!
http://flagstaff.az.gov/index.aspx?NID=1814mr
Should be back in the muggy and hot MN climate tomorrow evening, boo hoo!!
Quick 5 this morning, then on the BMW for a great ride north, 220 miles to Boulder Jct. Had lunch with my friend who is starting the restaurant/craft beer pub here. He had me try a "walleye flight", 4 glasses with small amount of 4 different craft beers. Then another walleye flight, 8 all together; fortunately each had about 2 oz of beer. It's hard for me to find a beer I like, just not much of a beer guy. After we talked for a couple hours I went out on the bike again and toured the area and looked at bike trails I could use for my run tomorrow morning.
Now back at the hotel, then going out for a walk downtown, then back to the Alehouse for dinner with friends; and probably a glass of wine!
Debra- yes, there were some red-orange leaves as I rode this evening! And I did wait over an hour after the 'walleye flight" before getting back on my bike. Too bad about the HM tomorrow. When is your next race?
Great weekend to all; run strong friends.
aka PaintingLady
Sorry to have been MIA for so long, life has been challenging lately. My Dad had a stroke 3 weeks ago. He is doing well, actually fantastic! He will be released from rehab Tuesday and he and Mom will come to my house for a couple of weeks (or however long . It was not a typical stroke....you know the kind they say to think FAST....face droop, arm weakness, speech affected, time to act quickly. Daddy's blood pressure was out of the roof, and his bp med did not bring it down. So a ems trip to ER, then transferred to area advanced care hospital, then 2 more weeks in rehab.His was a brain bleed but it self contained...fortunately he had not been on blood thinners. His eyesight and cognitive ability, have been affected, plus he has been extremely weak. Daily he improves, but will not be able to drive and all his thought, speech, and actions are slower, but all in all, he is doing great. Momma has moderate dementia, so he has been the primary care giver for her.
Running, when I've been able to work it in has been very therapeutic. I did do the 14 mile last long run preparing for Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland by myself as my schedule and DD's did not jive.
DH is not going to Disney w/ DD, her hubby and kids and me. He gets to stay home w. my parents and 3 dogs. I think he deserves husband of the year award.
Rich, I hope to see you at Disney. We are in corral D. For 10K DD will be Alice and I'm the Queen of Hearts, The HM, she is Snow White and I' the Evil Queen....apple in hand. I was out doing a quick 3 miler this morning and wore the Evil Queen costume to see how it felt. One of my neighbors came out and said, "there has to be a story behind this, or you are just crazy!" I told her it was for my half marathon....and she laughed and said, :well, I still think you are crazy!" LOL. Other neighbor's dogs didn't like it either. Normally they take no notice of me running. Today they barked a lot!
I apologize for the lack of shout outs to all of you Mighty Masters....just know that I wish all of you good running and I'll check in when I can. Take care and happy running!
Marie
Marie from Tennessee
Dumbo Double Dare!!!
Marie - Based on our previous race times, DD, DSIL and I are in corral C for the DLR HM. It's still going to be a game-day decision for me as the Achilles tendonitis is taking a long time to heal/improve. Even if I do attempt the HM, it will be mostly walking. Sorry to hear about your Dad, but glad to hear he is doing well. When are you going to the expo? I think we'll be there some time on Friday afternoon. Good luck to you with the DDD!
Debra - What do you mean "if" you were three years old? At WDW, everyone is a child!
Been doing a lot of biking and stair running, with an occasional 30 minutes on the elliptical. It's strange that running stairs causes no pain in my Achilles, while running on flat surfaces still hurts. I'm sure that it's just the mechanics of the different strides. I'm just grateful to be able to run something!
I am back in MN; flew in very late Saturday night; got up early Sunday to meet sister in law (who doesn't travel much) to pick up our dog, Odie. Had to drive about an hour longer into North Dakota than SIL who doesn't know where most of the towns in HER STATE (ND) are!!! Had to text her directions. It's on the interstate, for crying out loud!! She's too afraid to veer off the beaten path, how boring is that?!? Picking up Odie took about 3 minutes flat, and I was on my way back to MN. Returned about 9 pm (had to get back before DH's return flight) last night so obviously another 'no run day.' But the 2 hrs difference and hectic travel schedule in the last two weeks is catching up with me. After picking up DH at airport late last night, I was literally sleepwalking to get into bed. Hope to run a few miles later today, don't feel like it ............
Marie: glad to hear from you, and get well wishes to your dad; I'm sure he's glad you are there for him and your mom. Running sure does help in managing such events in our lives. You are doing so good with your training.
Rich: yes, must be the 'mechanics' of running on flat surface versus stairs; and yes, it's always good to be able to 'just run' ........
Dan: didn't know you had a 'bimmer' (not beamer, right?) ........ nice!! I barely got to ride my 'other' harley in AZ, just 2 days for the whole two weeks I was there!!! boo hoo!! It was fun though, with a couple of riders from the 'Ladies of Harley' (LOH). Was going to ride to my Thursday evening run with the trail divas but glad I didn't as I mentioned we had a major downpour just as we finished, grinning from ear to ear though!!
Marie- sorry to hear about your Dad, but glad the rehab has gone well so far. Hang in there and keep up with the runs so you can de-stress! And good luck to you and WDWRich at Disney!! Trying to picture you running in your neighborhood in your costume- LOL! Outside of Disney it would seem a little odd.
Rich- enjoy the experience even if your Achilles keeps you from really racing it.
AZ- the cycle is the 'beemer' and the car is the 'bimmer". It was a great 2 day ride; over 500 miles and lots of time with friends who are starting a craft beer pub/restaurant in N WI. Also trying to set up a ride around Lake Michigan with some friends in early October. Glad you got out some on your Harley. It's probably better to be know as the LOH; the men can be the HOG's.
stay cool this week friends!
Hi folks. Been awhile for me posting too!
Marie - Sorry about your Dad. Hope all goes well and good luck in your Goofy Challenge!
WDRich - I'm going to guess that you're a heel striker? When running stairs/hills it is hard to heel strike. Just a guess.
Debra - Sometimes it is best to play it safe. Running should be fun, so no reason to overdo it.
Az - Funny how life get's in the way. Hope the running feeling returns soon.
Dan - Loved your trip reports. Long "bike" trips are way different then car trips.
Back from hiking trip to Colorado 2 weeks ago. Walked/hiked 30+ miles and only 1 run of 4 miles or so that week. Last week did a 40+ mile week. Should be getting in a 5 mile race this weekend. Wife will be doing a half at same time.
Ray
So glad I made myself go for a run, later than I would have liked but i did it!! I know that's always the goal but the busyness of work sometimes just drags out the day and I just give in to it. Anyway, ran 7.1 miles on the trail, very hot with temps in the 80s and humidity just as high, glad it was overcast for most of the day. I forgot to spray on some repellent but it was okay. I was the only one on the trail and it's nice sometimes just to relish in the solitude, birds chirping, squirrels and critters running off when they see me, and glad I was in the shade of the trees throughout the run. The humidity kinda got to me from the beginning, difficult to breathe so I slowed down, ran a very easy slow 11 to 12 minute/mile, took one minute walk breaks after each loop (about 1.5 mile) and finish the last two miles around 10:30 min/mile , was totally soaked. Does anyone get the sweat in their eyes and it stings?!?!! I wear a cap but I forgot my bandana.
Who else is running a race soon?
I'm not sure but I would like to run a HM trail race that will take place in a town about 30 miles away on Sept. 21st. It's a FM, HM, 10k and a kid's fun run. I may have a business trip, but if not, I would love to run the HM.
The description of the Walker North Country Marathon 2013:
"Marathon: The Marathon course winds through the beautiful Chippewa National Forest in northern Minnesota. Vibrant fall colors provide the backdrop as runners traverse hills and backwoods bridges, catching glimpses some of the thousands of Minnesota lakes. Less than 5 miles of the course are run on paved road. Most of the course is run on grass trail, paved trail, and gravel roads. The trail is groomed and any obstacles are marked for safety. The race starts and ends at the local high school. The starts is fast as it is down hill, but that means, of course, that the end is uphill.
1/2 Marathon: The 1/2 Marathon course starts at mile 13.1 of the marathon course, and follows the 2nd half of the course to finish at the high school track in Walker (including the famous 1/2 mile climb to the finish line).
10K Course: The 10K starts down hill and winds for a short time through town before turning onto the Paul Bunyan Trail. The trail is paved and flat until the last 1/2 mile to the finish, which is uphill."
AZ- that sounds like a trail race I could get excited about. My "birthday" HM is on the 22nd, but it's all pavement! I hope that one works out for you!
Ray- hiking in CO sounds great! Good luck on your race this weekend.
Rest for me today; hope to get in long run Friday, need to get to 12 or 13, since it's only 3 week to the HM.
Great holiday weekend to all! Enjoy the runs/races.