tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159248602024-03-18T20:53:26.934-07:00Laural DawnFiguring It All Out: one day, one step, one breath, one misadventure at a time.Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.comBlogger600125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-78859963962461677472013-04-01T17:45:00.000-07:002013-04-01T17:45:39.209-07:00Moving on ...Hi Everyone<br />
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This is my last post over here at Laural Dawn.<br />
This blog has been my baby for years, but over the last year or so I've strugled to find my voice here. That's not a bad thing. Life changes. When I started writing here I was a newbie mom who was finding her way after a year of struggling with post partum depression. That's no longer me. Well, who am I kidding. I'm still going to be figuring things out.<br />
But, over the last couple of years a lot - and I mean a lot - has changed. Probably the biggest thing is finding some crazy inner athlete who runs half marathons for fun! for once I've found a title I'm proud to assign to myself: <a href="http://anothermotherrunner.com/you-might-be-a-mother-runner-if/" target="_blank">BAMR </a><br />
All this to say ... I have a new home.<br />
If you follow me on email, please go over to my new site and change your subsciption.<br />
Looking forward to seeing you at my new place!<br />
You can find me here:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><a href="http://runningabalance.com/">RunningaBalance.com</a></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-84236885115667513932013-03-21T03:41:00.001-07:002013-03-21T03:41:46.194-07:00Let the Spring Running Begin!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last week I was feeling a little bit discouraged. The Princess Half Marathon was over. My next races were in May, and I wasn't feeling it. So, I started googling races!</div>
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What did I find? A 5k fun run downtown Toronto. Good news! Even better? Entry was $10 and it included a medal!!!! Thankfully <a href="http://nonmom.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Amy</a> and my fellow Princess runner, Penny, offered to join me.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzLuxookjniH6XehB5AvuLYVr3srloEFXgQ4dKKJJiK-ERwLuCHuunSehhGyv-cxleYrPevzk4OM__45oteLhVPcFvE8wXK55csX1K52M9qblJMj67Mpxbrets1rIKQcO-cEkUQ/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzLuxookjniH6XehB5AvuLYVr3srloEFXgQ4dKKJJiK-ERwLuCHuunSehhGyv-cxleYrPevzk4OM__45oteLhVPcFvE8wXK55csX1K52M9qblJMj67Mpxbrets1rIKQcO-cEkUQ/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penny and I discussing how we prefer the Florida temps!</td></tr>
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Last night we did the first 5k of spring! It was cold - way too cold for spring. We were bundled and giggly. And it was SO.MUCH.FUN!</div>
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Was it a great race? No. It was a tough course - an out and back with 3 loops of a park that was snowy and icy. It was definitely not ideal for a 5k PR like I was gunning for. I didn't even manage negative splits. But I wore my sparkle skirt, had stripey socks and had fun!!!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Stanton, Running Room founder with me and my medal</td></tr>
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Thinking of doing a spring race??? DO IT! Forget PRs and have fun. I did.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We win! We win! </td></tr>
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<br />Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-43591989242805451702013-03-13T03:48:00.000-07:002013-03-13T05:47:21.220-07:00Yoga: should I stay or should I go?Just over a year ago I attended my first yoga class. I was so stressed that everything in my body hurt. I called my mom to see if she knew anywhere to get a massage on a Sunday night and she suggested yoga. I went to the world's most boring restorative class at a far away studio. But something felt right. So on my mom's suggestion I went to her studio, a place called Moksha Yoga.<br />
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It was hot. It was hard. But I felt better.</div>
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For one quiet, challenging hour I felt calm. When the class was over my mom asked me what I thought. The only thing that came to mind was that if I ever had to face torture I'd be somewhat more prepared. I hated the heat and the non-stop sweating and how standing still in poses was so brutally hard.</div>
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And yet, I showed up the next day. And the next. And those days turned into an intro month. And that month turned into a one- year membership.<br />
That membership ends in 4 days. And now I'm debating what I want to do. Should I continue (at the cost of about $99 per month) or should I look at joining gyms? In fairness I've been saving, and thanks to my lack of Starbucks purchases I've budgeted for it.<br />
But, it's still expensive.</div>
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My year of yoga has been intense. I learned a lot about yoga, about breath and movement. More importantly I learned about myself. I learned that I need to be kind to myself. I learned that to love others I need to love myself. I learned I can do far more than I would have thought I could, and that sometimes it's okay to give less than everything I have.<br />
I've learned calm. I've learned stillness. I've learned to leave everything outside of the yoga room and take an hour completely for myself.</div>
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I've lived it. Not every second or every class. I didn't become a yogi like some of my teachers. But somehow in the last year I've become more me. </div>
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I found myself on the mat when things were tough. I stared running and never stopped yoga because somehow it made my unattainable dream of running a half marathon realistic. </div>
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And now my year is over. I don't have a bonus. And the price seems high. And so I'm debating whether or not to take on monthly payments. </div>
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So ... what the heck do I do?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2xFKta5cj_mZo4uXctqJUUIej4UQAPFly975pVdsec_PmP_Cy48ExTYNExj0TrD2ZV0RqckVZUMzL8FtVDd9kp6eGANXF2wWsKhfgELycKcjaloGLQR0Nor9DN0jM-c7FbpY7A/s1600/yoga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2xFKta5cj_mZo4uXctqJUUIej4UQAPFly975pVdsec_PmP_Cy48ExTYNExj0TrD2ZV0RqckVZUMzL8FtVDd9kp6eGANXF2wWsKhfgELycKcjaloGLQR0Nor9DN0jM-c7FbpY7A/s320/yoga.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-86578356262837718412013-03-09T09:21:00.001-08:002013-03-13T05:50:02.552-07:00Meetup Madness #rundisney<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9fKbGDr2VUYYb97CGkMh7uopSs5NWrsKIHHOGs7ppUdk-W_26_unDK0lkONiVEC9HxAAR2fPEPcs-KUaCe33FaON3qu-1GzBL-bTq4dEbCT_SQ_MNznihsk3jAKS5LvrNW_XaA/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9fKbGDr2VUYYb97CGkMh7uopSs5NWrsKIHHOGs7ppUdk-W_26_unDK0lkONiVEC9HxAAR2fPEPcs-KUaCe33FaON3qu-1GzBL-bTq4dEbCT_SQ_MNznihsk3jAKS5LvrNW_XaA/s400/photo-5.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out with my new Bestie!</td></tr>
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If you follow the #rundisney excitement, you may be aware that the meetup, a social media event prior to runDisney races is a pretty big deal. I was lucky enough to receive one of the coveted invtites!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoG_8QybO2AVMyFixc_NuK8aK6XNnrHZDM9TRq444Kt-r0UI4eBOykaJPIsfTEp2h6Zs7vE90pk4YylfZUT3173b-oaLADu7DlprcagfcQIk49qRsR9S62pLXcOcDuHS2mVTzazQ/s1600/photo-6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoG_8QybO2AVMyFixc_NuK8aK6XNnrHZDM9TRq444Kt-r0UI4eBOykaJPIsfTEp2h6Zs7vE90pk4YylfZUT3173b-oaLADu7DlprcagfcQIk49qRsR9S62pLXcOcDuHS2mVTzazQ/s320/photo-6.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was getting make-up tips for Sunday!</td></tr>
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<h3>
<b>Getting Ready</b></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1f4u2_Q9Z0oSVVvXExd4Sb3W-7NoVA2RKbH6ooNrHEZW6op2T3PCe7iZFruIjVxA9brof7dtxW870vd7lS7Zj7rKN6iijvtV7rMMuN8yFIH8IBH_Pii8tuNNYTRKxHTltgpdiA/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1f4u2_Q9Z0oSVVvXExd4Sb3W-7NoVA2RKbH6ooNrHEZW6op2T3PCe7iZFruIjVxA9brof7dtxW870vd7lS7Zj7rKN6iijvtV7rMMuN8yFIH8IBH_Pii8tuNNYTRKxHTltgpdiA/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My plane outfit consisted of a sparkly shirt and tiara!</td></tr>
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On Thursday we arrived in Orlando late. We arrived giddy. We hopped off the plane into this crazy humid weather (much like my hot yoga classes) and I had to be up 4 hours after we arrived at the airport. When we checked into our hotel I didn't really unpack. I knew I had everything ready to go for my early moring wakeup.<br />
<ul>
<li>Outfit - check</li>
<li>Shoes - check</li>
<li>tiara - check</li>
<li>makeup - check</li>
<li>spi-belt - check</li>
<li>instant coffee - check</li>
<li>deodorant - OOPSIE!</li>
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My morning started off, well, in the frazzled way that most mornings seem to in my world. I was in a foreign country in a little hotel wearing running clothes and a tiara at 4:30 am, running around on a mad quest for deodorant and a temperature reading in Celsius not Fahrenheit. When I finally solved that problem (they had free stuff at the desk - mind you it smelled worse than I probably would have au naturel) my "chauffeur" for the morning showed up in a giant, unlabeled taxi van, and I wasn't sure if I was on my way to epcot or a scene from a horror film. What's with Florida taxis and no metres?<br />
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Since the deodorant chase put me well behind schedule and I hadn't had coffee yet, I asked to sit in the front seat and use the cup holder because I figured that I'd be much more capable of escaping (and faster) if I had some Starbucks in me. ( the instant via kind - because like I said, I came organized. deodorant aside). But, while I was calmly drinking my coffee, the driver, who in the end offered me a deal on my cab fare ( or what I think was a deal because NO METRE) told me all sorts of stuff about his 20 years as an Orlando cab driver. I interjected with random comments about how this was my first time running in a tiara, asking his opinions on sparkle skirts and discussing my upcoming race. It was an odd conversation, but he did say that he thought the tiara would be okay for a short run (though risky for a half marathon), he was absolutely 100% in the Team Sparkle Camp with me and he thought my race strategy was good. We even did a minor detour so he could show me where the corrals were for the race.<br />
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<b>The meet up begins</b></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoUYGj9Kq7rXjj-p-Nrwphah7js9hYKdXtElNoabVAHjwDZ-DzkThaXBP396k4GmFqA-5kJoSUqEKGAhO-_LTx55pAYFj7yrkvvbwHyQq2OwAsiY4EfsNLLaOwpntbkKfbI2PhQ/s1600/IMG_0022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoUYGj9Kq7rXjj-p-Nrwphah7js9hYKdXtElNoabVAHjwDZ-DzkThaXBP396k4GmFqA-5kJoSUqEKGAhO-_LTx55pAYFj7yrkvvbwHyQq2OwAsiY4EfsNLLaOwpntbkKfbI2PhQ/s400/IMG_0022.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">epcot in the dark. Beautiful</td></tr>
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Amazingly we got to Epcot early. I hopped out of the cab, and while I was looking around and trying to breathe (I was practicing some yogic breathing - good thing I was alone - it did ground me) I turned around to see another cab pull up. Out came Jodi and friends. Holy crap was I excited to see a friendly face! <br />
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And with that the meet-up began!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ykdKBqETRpPiawwKZq3TaF-RLegLs7GCsaj6CMxRyGKMGiC5bDwjyFoAd67p9V3CCntZu63tL_D3VMopp-uy8fkcoSEzkt_nOnV0LSbgZuJhVrszI3wpqpDS-iYeCgGmPoMUxQ/s1600/photo-9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ykdKBqETRpPiawwKZq3TaF-RLegLs7GCsaj6CMxRyGKMGiC5bDwjyFoAd67p9V3CCntZu63tL_D3VMopp-uy8fkcoSEzkt_nOnV0LSbgZuJhVrszI3wpqpDS-iYeCgGmPoMUxQ/s400/photo-9.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<i>At this point I'd like to invite you to play Laural's meet-up recap drinking game. I suggest you take a drink every time I type OMG because it was that kind of day (shots of wheatgrass, of course)</i><br />
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There was a lot of mingling, and for those of us who hadn't met some of the runDisney stars there was also a lot of quiet "OMG, that's ..." being said quietly. I may have said it the most! I saw Kelly from <a href="http://www.team-sparkle.com/" target="_blank">Team Sparkle</a> and couldn't say anything because she's a total runDisney celebrity. (she later ran with me ... OMG!) She had the best outfit. Loved it!<br />
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The I saw Jeff Galloway. OMG again. He actually looks so much like a good friend of ours, and my marthon mentor Lou, that I was blown away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjde9D8xLT1inB_7rnU76SDwzdl64VU7Wh7PE1li8Mdzp3EzJZQzDwDle8GAnsTjaBpeljQ18_qKi4Hx3y5boJfBhj8ImNy7ucMFUhQOf92h67xtvo8Q6lwiIbmr7zYXxyXk0wt6A/s1600/photo-7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjde9D8xLT1inB_7rnU76SDwzdl64VU7Wh7PE1li8Mdzp3EzJZQzDwDle8GAnsTjaBpeljQ18_qKi4Hx3y5boJfBhj8ImNy7ucMFUhQOf92h67xtvo8Q6lwiIbmr7zYXxyXk0wt6A/s320/photo-7.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Then there was Heather (formerly from Running with Sass) who writes <a href="http://throughheatherslookingglass.com/" target="_blank">Through Heather's Looking Glass</a>. She threw me for a loop because when I read people's blogs I kind of hear them in my head. I was shocked at her accent. And then she ran super fast (OMG!) so I didn't actually say anything. But, still.<br />
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AND THEN. I was chatting with Jodi and she lost her mind. I thought that maybe NSYNC had snuck in to sing for out, but no. It was the <a href="http://anothermotherrunner.com/" target="_blank">Another Mother Runners</a>. BEST. MOMENT.EVER! Jodi started bouncing and screaming. It took me a second to figure it out. We all need our super fan moments. I'm glad I captured this on camera! And I almost started to cry because Jodi was so excited.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKIrRnp4tBcWY8ERjdJiJdpq29h-IvbSz9aR38i6RdvxQjjdrDFn47NxPSObcMJ2_MHtjB4DQUVTx7Ca0WPM_E0w59aRN06KtLDktdbBqwEc6OyOjgKJdgipyo_Jw9WHlRrCZLg/s1600/photo-8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKIrRnp4tBcWY8ERjdJiJdpq29h-IvbSz9aR38i6RdvxQjjdrDFn47NxPSObcMJ2_MHtjB4DQUVTx7Ca0WPM_E0w59aRN06KtLDktdbBqwEc6OyOjgKJdgipyo_Jw9WHlRrCZLg/s320/photo-8.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-freakout photo opportunity :) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghebwlm0Pgt9srD3L1OAPf5kC-KPUrX9FQ3L1a2ezBbA6_wOYuHAJq0qPsFPENt34PackqFZ7rWxpW1pE0_m4XUuTL6HLkfim9qb0GMr5wPNVGq_e_58tMCjASDpDG3s5Xr0ovuQ/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghebwlm0Pgt9srD3L1OAPf5kC-KPUrX9FQ3L1a2ezBbA6_wOYuHAJq0qPsFPENt34PackqFZ7rWxpW1pE0_m4XUuTL6HLkfim9qb0GMr5wPNVGq_e_58tMCjASDpDG3s5Xr0ovuQ/s320/photo-2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm short, okay! This photo is blurry. Can we guess who took the photo?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkAnbaAhB5Rf7oLm_6g6r0OJE8xTaQAUy6wrqRiTaNY3WXsTEaAOMwvVm_sXiRLrwYBpjIJycu5JbvVkg9W0qvDFdLWJY2V-PaBQIa06PD4AOPEPFs9EhJXZ7W246pB9_FOAtCQ/s1600/IMG_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkAnbaAhB5Rf7oLm_6g6r0OJE8xTaQAUy6wrqRiTaNY3WXsTEaAOMwvVm_sXiRLrwYBpjIJycu5JbvVkg9W0qvDFdLWJY2V-PaBQIa06PD4AOPEPFs9EhJXZ7W246pB9_FOAtCQ/s320/IMG_0026.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmZ4VIIHZfvGVPigBMuGCkbvqcwY9G5eJCUtJ-EixH2JKnPJGHAed4kIcfY93S7uyTGcYzcPdu1qa2jBvxEECv3pshTx6GVQX8n_2kIe5e6kviA2-2b92qDLvxlrfwIBH8dg9LA/s1600/0222ZX_0052_KW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmZ4VIIHZfvGVPigBMuGCkbvqcwY9G5eJCUtJ-EixH2JKnPJGHAed4kIcfY93S7uyTGcYzcPdu1qa2jBvxEECv3pshTx6GVQX8n_2kIe5e6kviA2-2b92qDLvxlrfwIBH8dg9LA/s320/0222ZX_0052_KW.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is their other super fan! Who knew?!</td></tr>
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All the excitement aside, it was picture time. Once pictures were over it was time to RUN!!! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXH7ag2dXC0vIRo80sdXkvIT_TtqxBqZ-k2xAVozFlj5yf7KQZFpSIgj4QJIhtTWnKUOfisYvWcUx8p9svw5lwSJy4UouMzIMduuLdLOrpJuJKo4R12AAhNtAB0C39jhpLZHRoQ/s1600/0222ZX_0034_KW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXH7ag2dXC0vIRo80sdXkvIT_TtqxBqZ-k2xAVozFlj5yf7KQZFpSIgj4QJIhtTWnKUOfisYvWcUx8p9svw5lwSJy4UouMzIMduuLdLOrpJuJKo4R12AAhNtAB0C39jhpLZHRoQ/s640/0222ZX_0034_KW.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a><br />
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At this point I should say that there's one big difference between Canadian runners and American runners. North of the border everything is measured in metric, eh! So, I train in kilometres, not miles.<br />
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We were given the option to go with the Galloway led run-walk group or the group led by the winner of previous races, Rachel Booth. I was already leaning toward the run group, but when the announcer said "we'll be doing an easy 5:30 pace" and laughed I was sold! Guys! I do training runs and sometimes go that pace. Actually, race pace for me is about a 6 minute kilometre. Speed training is a 5:30 kilometre.<br />
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What he was implying was we would be running a 5 minute and 30 second MILE not a 5 minute and 30 second kilometre. OMG!<br />
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They didn't actually run that fast. But, they were fast. I basically sprinted most of the 5k to keep up.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Dp0jHrMLYxhnKckCGu9NbM4zN7fZLq2ehYTbg2Bw0vNsy83hsLBpOMPluEyCPd04t8GZbR2SLViICLa6_ONunvmDQHCDXsbf-EuLOg8OHsybIT-In6dhI0brnjTJhI3Ugs9chw/s1600/IMG_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Dp0jHrMLYxhnKckCGu9NbM4zN7fZLq2ehYTbg2Bw0vNsy83hsLBpOMPluEyCPd04t8GZbR2SLViICLa6_ONunvmDQHCDXsbf-EuLOg8OHsybIT-In6dhI0brnjTJhI3Ugs9chw/s320/IMG_0027.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run run run! I'll take pictures from the back.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lucky for Jodi and I, our new Mother Runner friend Dimity ran with us. Okay - kudos to Jodi who could totally keep up a conversation about injuries and stuff. Part of me wanted her to have a moment. The other part of me really was thinking breathe in. breathe out. Pace yourself. But, kind of a dream to have that run!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-BNNIOBlnFERKnlAW_nkyIxEAz9MCItLcWJif89KXNZBQ1x_Ro7oLTVy5fiCdmoISr0sdKI0PpFGBnK2GueABeIoDhx5UshegyzRvnnCARfcyyDp9GY8A8M0OPa9lQujQ7MqGA/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-BNNIOBlnFERKnlAW_nkyIxEAz9MCItLcWJif89KXNZBQ1x_Ro7oLTVy5fiCdmoISr0sdKI0PpFGBnK2GueABeIoDhx5UshegyzRvnnCARfcyyDp9GY8A8M0OPa9lQujQ7MqGA/s320/IMG_0031.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><br />
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There were a few stops. We saw the fairy godmother and snow white. And then we got to the Boardwalk entrance. It was locked because epcot was still closed. While someone ran to get the keys and everyone started chatting I took the time to breathe. Really. It hit me at that moment that all the OMG moments aside, we had this awesome running thing in common and what everyone was talking about was just running and health and the weather. It was running talk. And Disney talk.<br />
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When we started again I slowed a bit. Thankfully Jodi kept my pace, and we chatted a bit. The Boardwalk was lovely, and the run was fun.<br />
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As we continued along I bumped into Kelly from Team Sparkle skirts. In the many months leading up to the race I googled costumes and she came up over and over. Seriously, running with her was a pretty big deal to me.I'm not sure if she figured that out from my conversation. It was a little like when you're drunk, but you sware you're not even tipsy, so then you keep talking but you realize after the fact that you said a whole lot of *awesome* things. (my personal favourite was the seemingly random "I felt like a real runner the first time I ran in the snow" - which is cool to say in my little Canadian running group - probably not to a runner from California. OMG Laural stop talking!)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI6K-d_9aQwH87N4s07ERfbA6cbUgNEPn__GkohcDSn0-OhSdQM8SXG_kCuUPAKUo1bzmyH0g8sTWHn4V1yyRhXF89rWwnOItmWXS_QgXq3xnz4dUouoVxrJWbiB341V-Z-EoCg/s1600/0222ZX_0094_KW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI6K-d_9aQwH87N4s07ERfbA6cbUgNEPn__GkohcDSn0-OhSdQM8SXG_kCuUPAKUo1bzmyH0g8sTWHn4V1yyRhXF89rWwnOItmWXS_QgXq3xnz4dUouoVxrJWbiB341V-Z-EoCg/s320/0222ZX_0094_KW.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't have a running pic, but this is Kelly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So, it was cool that she kept talking while I kind of gasped answers after that. I also tried to breathe. Also tried not to cry because it just seemed so amazing I was here and this person whose products I love was there. And, seriously, she's found something she loved and made it into a business. AWESOME!<br />
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We made it to the final destination - about 5km away and I was drenched in sweat. No complaints. I'll take that over snow any day. The run part was done. It was time to PAR-TAY! Or at least eat breakfast and listen to really really cool speakers.<br />
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The speakers were amazing! The highlights included listening to Ali Vincent, the first female winner of the Biggest Loser and Rachel Booth, the winner of the Princess Half. I was inspired. I learned a lot. I had a ton of fun.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZZT_wfNkFQ4R7wMxjj4SVUnrWuuw88soIC8NYHA_VbcnPMJ_sro7254JBrp20yZQJLCXf794E73PF73GfIC7mPlUJxmcgn7xBx7x6GbBr4vXADGpLbskcGKT_dO_7F4Ga5Wy9A/s1600/photo-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZZT_wfNkFQ4R7wMxjj4SVUnrWuuw88soIC8NYHA_VbcnPMJ_sro7254JBrp20yZQJLCXf794E73PF73GfIC7mPlUJxmcgn7xBx7x6GbBr4vXADGpLbskcGKT_dO_7F4Ga5Wy9A/s320/photo-3.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><br />
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Lots of people won prizes. I didn't. But, who cares. I had the time of my life!<br />
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I think the biggest lesson of all of it was that dreams come true.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4hnMESv83vRTnxVtqZCLSvftICw_9mEpoI-9edc3paFFDo-ygX1l1kjj-C-7a0oJ1tfESylLc0snBfG2HWVuvFHQQ94e2yGf6Kq6G6ZWr2ZjI7GyfMXULAl31hlM7ru7S7rn1g/s1600/IMG_0033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4hnMESv83vRTnxVtqZCLSvftICw_9mEpoI-9edc3paFFDo-ygX1l1kjj-C-7a0oJ1tfESylLc0snBfG2HWVuvFHQQ94e2yGf6Kq6G6ZWr2ZjI7GyfMXULAl31hlM7ru7S7rn1g/s320/IMG_0033.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a><br />
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It's been a roller coaster year! Last year at this time I was running on my treadmill, putting in maybe 3k a day, with no real goals. Then one day I decided to do it, signed up for the Princess Half Marathon, and here I was, less than a year later, running with the fast group and being thrilled to meet running idols!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9EHEaa8gvO1_0hm4ClbWmqsRkF4W8UGlrwBMRNC4wPXofZEQxCG-_ygWe3jxnn-MBnRVFDz3yo3J_0Ag-YTbt26c7R3M6EZxfGDEJouUyn6NqMerzFCSOr0PuxT_ybNZ__WZDg/s1600/IMG_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9EHEaa8gvO1_0hm4ClbWmqsRkF4W8UGlrwBMRNC4wPXofZEQxCG-_ygWe3jxnn-MBnRVFDz3yo3J_0Ag-YTbt26c7R3M6EZxfGDEJouUyn6NqMerzFCSOr0PuxT_ybNZ__WZDg/s320/IMG_0050.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQXpMVmatSMgXtY6ftUreFd5j4zIl-8uFWtTZIZr5VWyOJFmyWvqjsYNM4Vd_9awxFq4Q6_MsFaNgTbPw4_N6-oW6K0W3QhDYlFADRWih5iOBCeRCx3Zg78wIbxCaTyRcKTE2yA/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQXpMVmatSMgXtY6ftUreFd5j4zIl-8uFWtTZIZr5VWyOJFmyWvqjsYNM4Vd_9awxFq4Q6_MsFaNgTbPw4_N6-oW6K0W3QhDYlFADRWih5iOBCeRCx3Zg78wIbxCaTyRcKTE2yA/s320/photo-4.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a><br />
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Amazing Amazing Amazing!<br />
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I'm soooo grateful to all these incredible people who inspired me. And I'm so grateful to my friend <a href="http://2princessesontherun.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Princess Jodi</a>. It would not have been the same without you!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_A5ZfewXEsB2HnvtgfCElnuRhtaUU-cMNYz_DqInoe7wv7jBWs4pkTxhiPlypU_0Dxqy-VvKP6BLW9kWlzBQAJPwRr5zg29Spedt7lqoQhwnYL5tHA9nZQM0Oc5clIxlxRSIEg/s1600/IMG_0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_A5ZfewXEsB2HnvtgfCElnuRhtaUU-cMNYz_DqInoe7wv7jBWs4pkTxhiPlypU_0Dxqy-VvKP6BLW9kWlzBQAJPwRr5zg29Spedt7lqoQhwnYL5tHA9nZQM0Oc5clIxlxRSIEg/s400/IMG_0048.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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<br />Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-4737599438695233952013-03-03T07:09:00.002-08:002013-03-03T07:09:49.620-08:00Running Disney's Princess Half Marathon <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYOZapGwiNcNr7YKhn9Tu06Yupsmr_zkJwQ8D_NPXOhMf2keUCu1-qGmE9TjYX0t8AYZ2vb-txUIYEHe_oHEhYfdUiZ7FcMl1MvlE3GbG0aN2mfoSPbe2ANwPgqQZ5E1V30QXRQ/s1600/DSCN5779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYOZapGwiNcNr7YKhn9Tu06Yupsmr_zkJwQ8D_NPXOhMf2keUCu1-qGmE9TjYX0t8AYZ2vb-txUIYEHe_oHEhYfdUiZ7FcMl1MvlE3GbG0aN2mfoSPbe2ANwPgqQZ5E1V30QXRQ/s400/DSCN5779.JPG" width="387" /></a><br />
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Last year at this time I would never have imagined sitting down to write a blog post about running 13.1 miles. The Disney Princess Half Marathon was a bucket list item. It was something I wanted to do "one day". It's hard to explain how things change other than to say that last January I decided I was sick of wishing my life away and wanted to do something about it. So instead of saying "one day" I decided to start running. I slowly added kilometres to my runs. In July I ran a 10k. The next day I signed up for a running clinic and as soon as registration for the Princess Half opened I signed up.<br />
After running hundreds and thousands of kilometres this weekend finally came. To say I was excited is an understatment. To say my family was rooting for me ... total understatement!<br />
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I woke up just before 2 am. A princess needs to get ready, and between hair and makeup and costume and of course some breakfast and coffee ... I knew I needed to give myself time. It sounds crazy to wake up early, but seriously. I was wide awake! I was excited.<br />
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I got to the bus at about 3:15 am. Before I knew it we were off to the races (literally). The bus was full of tutus and costumes. I totally fit in. That was the only time of the day I felt any anxiety. We arrived, and started the walk over to the staging area. I met up with Merida and Aurora (aka <a href="http://2princessesontherun.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">2 Princesses on the run</a>) and we started the race together.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ffv13oHOfi0CEoa-a2GD-bIIyt1AnJJSok47Vwaj_VU1rhCyOVUC-6m8U0WEAc3-kh5-qXAcn7nVHZyLBzztww3xjZcpHOjZGjsdXcTIemUjgmsWdogcleYlYrmObux74EoqCw/s1600/IMG_0123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ffv13oHOfi0CEoa-a2GD-bIIyt1AnJJSok47Vwaj_VU1rhCyOVUC-6m8U0WEAc3-kh5-qXAcn7nVHZyLBzztww3xjZcpHOjZGjsdXcTIemUjgmsWdogcleYlYrmObux74EoqCw/s320/IMG_0123.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow White, Aurora and Merida</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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One thing that you hear a lot about is the long walk to the corrals. We were starting in B, and honestly the walk didn't seem that long. It was a perfect morning. It was warm, not hot. The excitement was palpable. There was music blasting. It was awesome!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhi-8yI9qFgemWZ304lDKRmvJdokt4l_scv_G9KO50pba88GIWRZe7W6jvRlqZR42zEm7tNxUlDugiEvPW_ouXeaPQ0QyWn0xTxkk2dFuSFCyKeAlTNHrSiuoV4o_3eauwL96FQ/s1600/IMG_0125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhi-8yI9qFgemWZ304lDKRmvJdokt4l_scv_G9KO50pba88GIWRZe7W6jvRlqZR42zEm7tNxUlDugiEvPW_ouXeaPQ0QyWn0xTxkk2dFuSFCyKeAlTNHrSiuoV4o_3eauwL96FQ/s320/IMG_0125.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off to the corrals</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzNAjGhfRoLVtvcg3ffC8vk9QmqjymMni5ZteL0tFmuVtkjnqhNSodpGzqNS_kHL6VdzLst_QJzj6ObJuTfsq-fjJgSGaTEHJrWVk4Pr2Oa-Wfpes5mokYqKen1ZJ7brVi5qHew/s1600/IMG_0128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzNAjGhfRoLVtvcg3ffC8vk9QmqjymMni5ZteL0tFmuVtkjnqhNSodpGzqNS_kHL6VdzLst_QJzj6ObJuTfsq-fjJgSGaTEHJrWVk4Pr2Oa-Wfpes5mokYqKen1ZJ7brVi5qHew/s320/IMG_0128.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX3kqQ1nClJ49pHU0JgkwONGTJdIv0fOUAWSogNllhOnJmqaDKqmT5P12D4f-dX-vBbUL8-EIg3iQNSERAuKiTPa-6AgywBO-dZK_e_75H8sF4lHMckeQF3dPGDEStYwl66wj9A/s1600/IMG_0127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX3kqQ1nClJ49pHU0JgkwONGTJdIv0fOUAWSogNllhOnJmqaDKqmT5P12D4f-dX-vBbUL8-EIg3iQNSERAuKiTPa-6AgywBO-dZK_e_75H8sF4lHMckeQF3dPGDEStYwl66wj9A/s200/IMG_0127.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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We even took porta-potty break en route. (really... we were excited enough to pose at the porta potties!)<br />
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We turned around and there was Corral B! I worked hard to be placed there. I was not about to turn down a chance to pose yet again!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-oCJhuZTv0FFTGZ8Xt64Vw13GWz4jU6wdhjZn0T-8sNm-FuBiLfoSDzBhUpy6sN67yAy1V85wZPfI7lXQHBLa0sTMc9G_jQkNSZGFPCqiaHYL1osYlle0NBHn96m5l4_uLv7Zw/s1600/IMG_0132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-oCJhuZTv0FFTGZ8Xt64Vw13GWz4jU6wdhjZn0T-8sNm-FuBiLfoSDzBhUpy6sN67yAy1V85wZPfI7lXQHBLa0sTMc9G_jQkNSZGFPCqiaHYL1osYlle0NBHn96m5l4_uLv7Zw/s400/IMG_0132.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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We hung out in Corral B for a little while. The time just seemed to fly as we watched everything going on. There were a couple of points it seemed to really hit us and we'd tear up, but for the most part, it was just pure fun. There was a lot of last minute water sipping, giggles, and planning.<br />
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Before we knew Corral A started and we moved it. It was 5 minutes till it was our turn!<br />
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And then we were off!!!! It was finally here!!!!<br />
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I'd done a lot of races leading up to this, and I was grateful for all of that prep. I was thrilled to start with friends. The whole race was awesome, but I loved the beginning. It was just pure excitement. I wasn't running the race for time, and I was comfortable enough to start at a comfortable pace. My music was going, but I only used one ear bud. There was entertainment. We chatted a bit. I felt great. </div>
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Jodi and I ended up running at the same pace for about half the race.<br />
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Just before the 5km mark we saw the photo opportunity I'd been waiting for ... the Princes!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8P_BWktWWU3udy7rajniozilzrJAJQ8vn3uq8V-yvOd_Uq7Q5kY0ziNUSf73uQTE0vnH3WV8WPjj3DwmBF8TH1JWC1l38UcQtPmfWoZCv3dU4F0Ib3q1MrnCtgcFrQSbd4Eikw/s1600/IMG_0155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8P_BWktWWU3udy7rajniozilzrJAJQ8vn3uq8V-yvOd_Uq7Q5kY0ziNUSf73uQTE0vnH3WV8WPjj3DwmBF8TH1JWC1l38UcQtPmfWoZCv3dU4F0Ib3q1MrnCtgcFrQSbd4Eikw/s400/IMG_0155.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a terrible habit of tilting my head for photos! </td></tr>
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If I'd been running for time before, the fact that it was a crazy long line up killed that time. We lined up for about 10 minutes or so. It was worth it. While Jodi and I were standing there I saw Alana run past, so I dragged her into the line to join us.<br />
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After the photo stop we had to boot it! I knew my family wasn't too far ahead. We took off again, and ran past some pretty awesome stuff! there was music and dancing puppets and Lightning McQueen. You could stop for all of these, but I wanted to keep running!<br />
And then we hit the TTC(transportation and ticket centre). I knew my family was there and I had my eyes open for them.<br />
And then I saw them!!!<br />
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I totally broke race etiquette and ran in front of everyone on the road to give high 5's. Seriously. Mike and the kids were out of the hotel at 3:30 am to be there to support me! I was soooo excited to see them.</div>
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Next stop? That would be Magic Kingdom. Now, you have to understand that Jodi is a fast runner (she moved back from Corral A to start with Alana and I) so the fact that I was anywhere near her at around the 10km mark is amazing. And, I'm so glad I had someone to share that moment of "we're running through Magic Kingdom OMG with". So, as we entered we had a quick lipstick check and in we went! </div>
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Yep. I cried running down Main Street, USA. I was doing this. And it was awesome.</div>
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And then we hit the castle!!!</div>
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That was my favourite moment of the race. I'd been working so hard for this, and it lived up to all the hype. Not only was I there, I was feeling great!<br />
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I wish the whole race was through Magic Kingdom, but we had to keep moving. Near the end of Magic Kingdom, Jodi and I split up.<br />
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Truthfully, I was expecting the second half to be super hard. We were done the exciting part. And we were only at the halfway point. Whatever! This is what I trained for! As we exited Magic Kingdom and started on the path to epcot I had two big goals in mind 1) find my cheering family at the Polynesian and 2) Enjoy every moment of the race.<br />
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I did both!<br />
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Before I knew it we passed the Mile 7 song. Yawn. It was Girl on Fire. That is one slow song. I was on a walk break and the song almost put me to sleep :) Anyway. I was on the lookout for my family. I found them. Mike and Matt were cheering. Chloe was asleep on the grass next to them! Mike took a quick pic and then we were all off to epcot.<br />
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The next 7 miles flew by. There were a couple tough moments. But, it was just amazing. I got into a bit of a zone, and I just enjoyed my music and the beautiful day and scenery. Before I knew it I could see epcot. We also had to run all the overpasses and that was tough.<br />
Probably the funniest part of that was when someone asked me to check my watch to tell her what mile we were at. I train in kilometres, and I had no idea. So, I explained that.<br />
She was completely exhausted and said "who the heck trains in kilometres. that's dumb." It completely cracked me up because she realized she'd said it out loud. (and it was pretty funny). I told her we were close and kept going.<br />
And then we got to epcot. When we ran in I was tired. We were 2k from finishing, and I was feeling it. I walked the water station and the awesome volunteers were cheering for me and saying "keep going Snow White" it was just the boost I needed and I was off again. I made sure my ear buds were out and I just enjoyed the moment.<br />
I passed the gospel choir and I saw the finish.<br />
And with that I was done!!! My time was 2:53:10 (if you take out photo stops it was about 2:35)<br />
My first Half Marathon complete.<br />
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So ...</div>
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Would I do this again? In a heartbeat! I loved it. It was everything I hoped and I'm super proud of myself. I loved running it. If you're thinking about it. Sign up early. Train, and do it. It was life changing.</div>
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My next goal? I have a few. I'd like to run Goofy (a half one day. a full the next) and I'd like to do Tink (half in Disneyland).</div>
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And, more importantly, I'd like to share this with other people. I'm not sure whether it's signing up to help coach a clinic, or what exactly, but I can't imagine doing something so life changing and then just going back to life as usual.</div>
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<br />Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-14490081930893535122013-03-02T14:39:00.000-08:002013-03-02T14:39:26.924-08:00I Did It!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't wait to share the race re-cap and our whole trip report. But for now I'll leave you with the quote that I said every single training run ...</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">"She turned her can'ts into cans</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"> and her dreams into plans."</span></div>
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Whatever your dream is ... what are you waiting for?</div>
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<br />Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-888420739170023272013-02-21T03:35:00.001-08:002013-02-21T03:35:50.344-08:00Details for my run<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">So many awesome people have been asking for details on my Princess Half Marathon through the most magical place on earth: Walt Disney World! So, I thought I would just update everyone with all of the details.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /><b>The basics:</b></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The race is called the Disney Princess Half Marathon. It is taking place on Sunday, February 24, 2013. The race starts at 5:35 am. I'm in Corral B - the second corral to take off. We start at 5:42 am. Keep in mind there are 26,000 princesses. If you're trying to figure this out at home, I need to be there about 2 hours before the race starts and I need to take a bus there. To everyone who thought I was crazy for doing all my 4am runs ...I feel very very prepared for the time!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The race is a half marathon, so it's just over 21 km or 13.1 miles. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My Costume</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Of course I'm wearing a costume - thanks to my amazing sister! I'm not posting pictures till I've done it. I don't want to jinx it!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">How you can cheer </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">(if you aren't in Florida)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I will be running with my nike+ app on my phone. You should be able to see when I start my run, and if you see that, just like the post and I get a cheer! Apparently this works on twitter as well ... but it's never worked for me! Not a facebook friend? Why not? Here's my personal page: </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/laural.jonesadams" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>laural.jonesadams</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I hope you also follow me on twitter: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/lauraldawn" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/lauraldawn</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> or just @lauraldawn</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">How you can track me</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://live.xacte.com/princess/alerts/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://live.xacte.com/<wbr></wbr>princess/alerts/</a></div>
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Use the link above to track me. You can do this by text, twitter or facebook. Just add my name (Laural Adams) and then you put in the options. Love me SO much that you want to track me on every device? Go for it. Just keep entering your info.</div>
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<br />Before you do this, though, you should know that when you sign up for these alerts (facebook and twitter) they will be posted on your wall and/or timeline. If you don't want this, just check out my timeline/twitter feed. It will be there.<br /><br />So If you happen to be up at 6am on a Sunday then track away! Our bibs will be set up with runner tracking that will appear on both my facebook and twitter pages.It gives my time for every 5k completed. The time starts on when I cross the start line, and then will update every 5k. DON'T worry if you don't see a time for a certain interval. Apparently they can missed if you don't catch the sensor properly. You should be able to also click on the Nike+ link on my page and track me there (that's for the worriers out there). Remember, I will stop for pictures! It's a crowded race. I'm okay!<br /><br /><b>The added excitement!</b><br /><br />I've been invited to the meetup!!!!! I'll be running a fun 5k around epcot on Friday morning bright and early. Of course it will be on all my pages! The link about this is below. You should also follow @rundisney - they will have pics (and won't be running)<br /><br /><a href="http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/02/fairytales-to-come-true-at-princess-half-marathon-meet-up/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://disneyparks.disney.go.<wbr></wbr>com/blog/2013/02/fairytales-<wbr></wbr>to-come-true-at-princess-half-<wbr></wbr>marathon-meet-up/</a><br /><b><br />The little details</b><br />Since this is going to a whole bunch of people, some of you may be more interested in this part than others. Here are my race goals.<br /><br />1) I will likely do this in mostly run/walk intervals of 10 minutes running and one minute walking<br />2) I'd like to finish in 2:30. This may not be realistic with all the photo opportunities. It may be. (I ran one in 2:24 in training, but I didn't stop for photos)</div>
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3) Intervals/tracking. The tracking app (link above) tracks me every 5.k I'd like to be around 35 minutes every 5. Too much faster than that (at the beginning for sure) and I will have a hard time at the end. If I'm slower than that ... I must be having fun! (who knows if that's a sarcastic comment!)<br /><br /><b>Finally </b></div>
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I'll be going a bit crazy with pictures and stuff. I'll try to update here, but check facebook/twitter/instagram to follow along.</div>
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I AM SOOOO EXCITED!</div>
Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-84543880094300651012013-02-16T04:37:00.000-08:002013-02-16T04:37:04.438-08:00Going crazy ... waiting! It's Saturday morning, the house is quiet, and I'm starting last minute preparations for Disney.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PPchloFI42J3V8HqFPmyTEkL8tsAWOpJVbmmsdwOWZIInGFiYKjeOPdsXCPIMXHd5LqqzTJ_ehMvAObHOqDhGjwaurcXepp6RhmgMwFJhfmQSzVH2T0859sC_ku3GrkJOqIj_Q/s1600/2012-10-21+13.38.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PPchloFI42J3V8HqFPmyTEkL8tsAWOpJVbmmsdwOWZIInGFiYKjeOPdsXCPIMXHd5LqqzTJ_ehMvAObHOqDhGjwaurcXepp6RhmgMwFJhfmQSzVH2T0859sC_ku3GrkJOqIj_Q/s320/2012-10-21+13.38.39.jpg" width="320" /></a>I was looking back on my blog over the past couple of years. It's funny because if you look at my blog, twitter and facebook page, it's hard to really see everything that's going on behind the scenes. I guess I do that on purpose (I'm easy to google search - and some stuff should be private), but it's also funny to think how much I don't share.<br />
Anyway.<br />
I cannot believe I'm sitting here. One week from today I'll be waking up in my room at Disney. Next Saturday night I'll be freaking out about last minute race preparations. Next Sunday I run a half marathon.<br />
I know it's all I'm talking about.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspfv4bplGa317yXpY4746sUGOdJzahpq59Ip9rNsdkccthYP8bCSiogfV7nB6Yqxpb5tSn4MK4Ey1M2k-KvRuZ0jfE3S7lsORcfUWjXjGR8pKsoIS4ssWtxhYe_ZP1KgsU8unrQ/s1600/2012-10-27+12.59.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspfv4bplGa317yXpY4746sUGOdJzahpq59Ip9rNsdkccthYP8bCSiogfV7nB6Yqxpb5tSn4MK4Ey1M2k-KvRuZ0jfE3S7lsORcfUWjXjGR8pKsoIS4ssWtxhYe_ZP1KgsU8unrQ/s320/2012-10-27+12.59.21.jpg" width="320" /></a>It's all I'm thinking about.<br />
I'm so excited.<br />
When I read back on some old posts I noticed something shining through most of my writing. FEAR. This feeling of "I hope I can do this. I think I've trained hard enough. etc etc." But right now ... I don't have that fear. Sure, the unexpected can happen. (I've got the insurance policy just in case). But, there's no part of me that is doubting that I can do it.<br />
Last weekend I ran the distance in a training run. It wasn't easy. It's not supposed to be. But it felt awesome.<br />
Because somewhere in this journey I've discovered the feeling of I can. And I can do it while running in a gold sparkle skirt! (stay tuned for the full costume)<br />
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<br />Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-91777452981761254662013-01-09T08:35:00.003-08:002013-01-09T08:35:45.588-08:0043 Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In less than 50 days I'll be running the Princess Half Marathon! Our flights are booked. Our hotel and meal plan is paid for. I'm soooo close with my training. I could run this race tomorrow. Waiting 6 weeks ... it's tough.<br />
It's funny because as I'm doing all the last minute prep, training and planning, I keep thinking back to how this all started.<br />
Last year at this time, this race wasn't even on my list of goals. Sure it was on my bucket list, but it was up there with things I wouldn't even plan to do because running a half marathon is crazy. I still firmly believe that statement. But good crazy it okay!<br />
And, as I do my last few weeks of training it's ironic (maybe in the Alanis Morrisette sense) that Biggest Loser is back on tv. I've watched the first couple of episodes and it makes me cry because I've been there. I get it. I remember season 11 when I was walking on the treadmill with the goal of running the commercials. How things change! And I was trying to think of what I wish I'd been told when I wanted to run a little more. This is my list:<br />
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<ol>
<li>It doesn't get easier; it's not supposed to! You'll learn you don't need to give up. You'll learn that you won't die, and you can keep going. . If you were to drive by me 5k into a 15k run and offer me a ride, I'd consider it. Because sometimes I'm done and it hurts. I used to think when something was easy it meant I was successful. Now I believe that knowing you can do it despite the difficulty is success.</li>
<li>Don't quit in the first few minutes. The biggest lesson I've learned is that sometimes the pain you're experiencing is your body warming up. Some days I can run for miles once my body is warmed up, but I also sometimes walk 3 times in my first 2 kilometres of running. </li>
<li>Don't compare yourself with anyone but you. Who cares if people are faster, thinner, better. Well, I do! We all do. But, as much as you can, don't compare. Be your own awesome self. Try your best. Find your own pace. If you're running with a group stick with them, but don't feel the need to lead. Chill and get in a good work out. And when you hit a race - keep your head up no matter where you are. In a tough race I did there was an out and back (so the fast runners ran past the slower runners). It was so awesome to cheer for the really fast people. Embrace it.</li>
<li>Rely on others. I fought joining a running group for years ... and now I love running with people! And the teacher from my first clinic? She's amazing. I've emailed her when I wanted to quit, and she kept me going. </li>
<li>Just Keep Going. Who cares if you have 6 months of training ahead of you or 6 more steps till the race is done. Do it. Keep doing it. Just keep going. You'll get there. I say that to myself all the time. Don't quit. Just keep going.</li>
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I'm so excited. I can't even watch videos of the race without crying. Maybe your dream isn't to run around Disney World. But whatever your dream is - GO FOR IT. <br />
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Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-40048024051596906842012-12-31T06:27:00.003-08:002012-12-31T06:27:58.040-08:00EpicIt's that time of year when everyone either reminisces about the last year (top blog posts, anyone?) or looks forward to the year ahead. As my son would tell you, "we need to do something EPIC here."<br />
I've been thinking about this post for awhile. I love reading all of those posts.I want to know what your resolutions are for 2013, and what you accomplished in 2012.<br />
Here's the thing. In some ways, 2012 was awesome for me. This year's archives are all about running and yoga. I accomplished things I never even dreamed let alone wrote resolutions about. There is so much good and happy. And yet, for so many 2012 was the worst year on record. So many people I know and care about had a terrible 2012. I was surrounded by grief, illness, sadness and ugliness. My year wasn't the easiest ever. And yet ... we are all in one piece. And if there's anything I've taken away from this year it's to hold the people in your life closer, tell them you love them, and for goodness sake ... let the little things go! If you can possibly be there for someone, be there.<br />
The truth is, it's pretty amazing for me to say that this year I ran a lot. More amazing to me is talking about the people in my running clinic, the Princess runners, the pace bunny who got me through my first 10k race.<br />
When I think about yoga, I can talk about some of the cooler poses I can do now, how flexible I am, or how much I love the 90 minute classes. Impressive. More impressive? How much I've learned from my teachers. How I actually listened to what they had to say. How they offered advice when I needed it. And how cool it is to go to yoga classes with my mom.<br />
Do I have resolutions for 2013? Really it can be summed up with the phrase "Just Keep Going!!" I started to save money last year. I want to work on budgeting. I'm cutting back on Starbucks (in order to pay for yoga). I'm running a half marathon (or 2 or 3). But these are all things I already have been doing.<br />
More importantly. My goal is to love more.Give more. Be there more.<br />
And cut out all the silly drama.<br />
So. Here's to 2013. Let's hope this year is Epic!Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-18081427883181852462012-12-20T17:00:00.002-08:002012-12-20T17:00:44.976-08:00gratefultomorrow is my last day at the office before christmas. (I work from home Monday).<br />
i love christmas. i can't wait.<br />
there's a side of me that's sad. the side of me that would a have popped into the pub to have a drink with my friends before we went away for a few days.<br />
and yet .. there's this side of me lately that knows it's okay.<br />
it's been 6 weeks since i started a new job.<br />
and it's all okay.<br />
and i'm learning something. i'm learning to be grateful.<br />
lately i'm grateful for the moments i see my friends. i'm grateful for the moments i had. i'm grateful for the moments i appreciated and the ones i never thought would go away. because they were all special.<br />
i'm learning to reach out. when i started these longer commutes i reached out to someone who was on the same train. i look forward to our almost weekly train catch ups. it matters.<br />
i'm learning that i'm way more confident than i give myself credit for.<br />
i'm learning not to feel guilty asking for stuff - like days to work from home.<br />
i'm learning that if i feel like i don't have people to grab a coffee with - maybe others feel that way - and so i emailed someone to grab coffee. we met in a compliance session for newbies. will we be besties. no. but it was really nice.<br />
life keeps moving.<br />
i'm choosing gratitude. cuz feeling sorry for myself was getting old.<br />
(and i may pop out early and grab a very quick drink after work)Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-51669220920213627982012-12-04T01:54:00.000-08:002012-12-04T03:39:09.262-08:00In BetweenIt's not quite 5 am right now. I haven't been out of bed long, but I've been awake for hours. I went to bed late, and at 2:30 Chloe woke up crying; her weird croupy breathing scared her. She needed her mama. For hours.<br />
I brought her to bed and we cuddled. For the past 2 hours we were in this weird in between state - she was asleep then awake. She was trying to get comfortable. I'd drift off, but she'd need me again "more water, mama" ... "I'm scared, mama" ... "am I okay, mama?"<br />
"it's okay baby. I'm here. you're okay. it will get better.?<br />
In between.<br />
Somewhere stuck between awake and asleep. Comforted and scared. Sick and healthy.<br />
And while she drifted in and out of sleep I realized that's how I feel right now. In between.<br />
Last night I was with friends. People I know care. And felt that. The in between. The place where you're good enough to be there - but not pretty enough to make the cut. Not worth going after. We used to work together. There were jokes cracked about how I am no longer welcome at the work Christmas party. <br />
In between.<br />
Growing and scared. Gone but not really. Loved but no liked. Pretty but not beautiful.<br />
I've worked hard this year. I've worked to be the person I want to be. To love me. I've spent so many hours in yoga - looking at my not quite good enough body and sending myself love. Setting an intention to love myself. Value myself. Accept myself.<br />
I spent countless hours - making the choice to run. to do yoga. to be with my kids. to sit with my issues. to be. to breathe. And the whole time I did that my mantra was "you are right where you are supposed to be."<br />
and yet here I am.<br />
In between.<br />
it hurts. words. actions. lack thereof. they hurt. it's the in between. <br />
I don't get it. But it's where I'm supposed to be.<br />
Am I alone? maybe. Am I scared? absolutely.<br />
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Will it get better?Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-25320940261268067392012-11-27T17:21:00.000-08:002012-11-27T17:21:06.155-08:0010 Miles is just a start<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can vividly remember a night last January. A fresh new year was ahead of us (how little did we all know 2012 would not be that awesome), and yet I was miserable. Nothing was wrong, but nothing was right. I was depressed. I was unmotivated. I was arguing with my husband and my kids were driving me insane. I was relying on my friends to make me happy, and I was annoying them because I had some crazy expectations - and I got crazy dramatic when those expectations didn't work out.<br />
That January evening I made a huge decision. I decided to stop blaming everyone else for everything that I was upset about and make myself accountable to me. There were a few things I committed to: be happy. be healthy. make my kids proud. make myself proud. cut the drama. <br />
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And two weeks ago ... I realized just how far I came in a year. I ran a 10 mile race. For those keeping track at home, that's 16.1 km. And I did that race on the Sunday after I started a new job. <br />
So a little bit on the race. Let me direct you to an awesome race <a href="http://2princessesontherun.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/10-miler-milestone-race-report/" target="_blank">report</a> written by my friend Jodi.<br />
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Like pretty much every race I've done this year I signed up on a whim. I didn't know if I could do a 10 miler. I hadn't trained for that distance. But, I wanted to try it. So I signed up. The logic I used was that the worse that could happen was I would walk. No big. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic77sCBmbjFBK7o19z9NMFljRLfr1ZY2Z7VRvpB5SbCm3NCtyzJ9vPTfhtJaYj4iwgHgFdmXZDzqB8p7RiAX7lPyGqY7rnojBrXh4e0azqI0GCJ2rG_mnTND2GaffKu4flNvgv8w/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic77sCBmbjFBK7o19z9NMFljRLfr1ZY2Z7VRvpB5SbCm3NCtyzJ9vPTfhtJaYj4iwgHgFdmXZDzqB8p7RiAX7lPyGqY7rnojBrXh4e0azqI0GCJ2rG_mnTND2GaffKu4flNvgv8w/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="200" tea="true" width="148" /></a>The day of the race came. Oddly I wasn't stressed. I had support. I was meeting Jodi there. My friend Amy was also participating in the 5k walk (SHE CAME IN FIRST!!!). <br />
My in-laws were there. My parents came. My husband's aunt and uncle came. My husband and kids were there. We had noise makers and signs. And I was feeling great.<br />
What was that feeling? Oh right! It was confidence. As we were waiting for the race to start I was excited. I was ready to do this. <br />
We started (a bit late) and we took off! Jodi and I wore our sparkle skirts so maybe that gave us the push, but it was a great start. I planned to start slow ... and in my mind I did. However, I wasn't slow at all. Awesome! <br />
My race plan was to take it slow, pace myself and take breaks. I normally run 10 and 1's (meaning run 10 minutes walk 1 minute), but for the first couple kilometres I would walk as necessary as I warmed up. I was pretty good about following that. I set my running app to tell me every 10 minute interval and no matter how good I felt I walked.<br />
I did the first 5k in under 30 minutes, and then kept going. Right around 8k I hit the wall. No shock. Whatsoever. Around 8k my feet go numb and i want to walk. I had the added panic of "wow! This is only halfway." There were two things going for me here. First, I anticipated this, and knew I could run through it. So I did. Somewhere in my hitting the wall bit someone came to compliment me on my skirt, and made me laugh.<br />
On I went.<br />
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I felt awesome at 10k. My family was there. I was boiling so I took off my top shirt, and chilled for a second. I shockingly hit a sub-60 10 k, so I was feeling great. And then we hit the hard part. OMG!!! Since we didn't have a great map we didn't know the elevations. And as it turned out we were running uphill. We'd been running the first 10k with people who were just running 10 k not a 10 miler, so when they cut off to their finish I felt very alone. And running uphill. Except ... I was so happy. All the fast runners were on their way back, I was close to 11k and I realized I only had 5k to go, I was doing awesome and I was doing this. I kept running and cheering for all the fast people. It's seriously awesome to watch the fast runners go.<br />
This part got really challenging. There were trails and hills. I was dying. And yet I could do it.<br />
And so I kept going. It sucked at parts and it was hard. But I'm so so so proud of myself.<br />
And, here's the thing with this race. I didn't really have a time goal. I knew I could do it under 2 hours. So, my goal was run under 2 hours with my stretch (super awesome time) goal of 1 hour and 45 minutes.<br />
My time??? 1 hour and 39 minutes!!!! Awesome.<br />
The truth. I don't know if I would have done this if I didn't have the support. My friend Amy pushed me. And the day before on our Lululemon shopping trip she talked me out of my nerves. She believed in me.<br />And then there was Jodi. Do not underestimate how incredible it is to know that someone else is relying on your to show up, in a sparkle skirt no less, and run your heart out. There were no excuses. We did it.<br />
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Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-83361713205898676302012-11-10T04:48:00.000-08:002012-11-10T04:48:23.015-08:00Change.We all have rules we set for ourselves when it comes to our lives online. Some people don't show pictures of their kids. Some people don't swear Some people don't speak about politics. One of the things I've been pretty clear about is not discussing work. Sure there have been some awesome things I've posted (We Day!), but if I'm having a rough day I keep it to myself.<br />
But then there was October.<br />
There were a lot of changes at work over this past year. Changes that I went with though I struggled with the reasoning behind some decisions. And kept my mouth shut.<br />
But in September I had enough. I applied for a couple of positions that interested me.<br />
And one day I posted this on Facebook:<br />
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I left work that day furious.<br />
An hour later my phone rang. A job I had interviewed for, a job I had described as a dream job, was offered to me.<br />
I quit. I spent a lot of time with friends. I took this past week off.<br />
I start my new job Monday.<br />
Change is hard. Goodbyes are hard. The decision is right.<br />
So that's where I've been. Making choices. Growing up. Saying goodbye. Moving on.<br />
I plan to start posting here more, now that I've dealt with some issues. Now that my job fully accepts and embraces social media.<br />
I can't wait to tell you more.<br />
And I can't wait to wear my new pair of shiny red shoes (thanks to some awesome people) and embrace this new decision.<br />
Wish me luck!Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-16497214646653755582012-10-15T12:52:00.001-07:002012-10-15T12:52:59.134-07:00This Is What We Train ForYesterday I ran in a 10km race. It was a local race, and there weren't tons of participants. I was looking forward to this race. I'd followed my training schedule. I'd done the long runs. I'd eaten well. I'd crossed trained. I met the group I trained with. I was ready.<br />
And then the race happened.<br />
I have no idea what went wrong really, other than:<br />
<ul>
<li>It was a hot humid day. I was not expecting this and I get some major weather headaches</li>
<li>I was running with my iphone and I screwed up my playlist. I wanted my running list and I got some weird shuffle and didn't know how to switch it</li>
<li>I'm used to running on roads. Instead we were on a path and it was muddy and slippery</li>
<li>I couldn't catch my breath. And then I started to think about this and panicked</li>
<li>Every part of my body ached. </li>
</ul>
I wanted to go for a good time.<br />
The first half wasn't bad. In fact, I did the first 5k in under half an hour. For me this is great because I wanted to get a PR (Personal Record) of around 58 minutes.<br />
I figured if I kept it up I could absolutely go under an hour. But I couldn't do it. I started walking. I was disappointed. I'd lost my group. I was running alone. Usually I walk for 1 minute every 10 minutes (or just under every 2km). I was beginning to walk 1 minute every km, and then I would get discouraged. At one point I texted my husband to tell him it was too hard. I've hit the wall before, but never felt it the whole race.<br />
And then I realized, at some point, this was the race I've trained for.<br />
Call me crazy, but if you're having a great day, going out and running isn't hard. But I wasn't having a great day. My week had been terrible. I was tired. I hadn't hydrated. This was a tough race. And I realized the battle here was finishing. It wasn't about hitting my PR. I knew I wouldn't. It was about running as much as I could and not giving up. It was about putting a smile on my face, and being proud of myself.<br />
There will be lots of great races ahead. But, this one I will remember. Because I did it. Because I finished. Because I found something to push forward - when I wanted to sit down and cry.<br />
So I did it. The time was 1:03. Not terrible - especially considering that a year ago a 10k was unimaginable.<br />
But this ... this is what we train for. This is what 4am runs are about - knowing you can do it and believing you can. And believing it gets better.<br />
November 18th is my 10 miler!!!!! YIKES! <br />
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<br />Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-19470027349248732432012-10-01T07:04:00.003-07:002012-10-01T07:04:36.650-07:00Choices Choices<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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Saturday was the beginning of our next yoga challenge. This
couldn’t have come at a better time for me. September was one crappy, stressful
month for me, and for my family. There were several evenings when Matt and I
enjoyed a bowl of (organic) ice cream and commiserated over bad days while Mike
put Chloe to bed. Maybe ice cream doesn’t solve anything, but it does help!</div>
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But the problem with a challenging month is that I started
to doubt myself. And feel crappy about myself. So, yes. I’m looking forward to
this challenge. It’s simple, really: attend 20 classes in 30 days and
participate in a weekly challenge. This week is daily 2-minute planks. I
mentioned to one of my teachers that I didn’t think I could do a 2 minute
plank, and after assuring me I could, he proceeded to have us all do a set in
class (in addition to the regular stuff), and although I can’t say it was the
highlight of my class, it was nice to know I could do this.</div>
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Next week is meditation, so I’m actually trying out a
meditation class on Thursday! I know. Crazy crazy! The class is an hour in the
evening, right before my favourite 8:30 class. Truthfully the idea of
meditating for an hour strikes me as crazier than well, pretty much anything I’ve
ever done. The teacher has promised the class will be fine, and there are
pillows and blankets so I guess I can always take a nap and say I’m deep into
meditating.</div>
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Anyway …</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That brings me to something that I’m trying to figure out
and just can’t.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve committed to a regular yoga practice – and I signed up
for a year. I love it all, but I LOVE Thursday nights because the teacher is
amazing, and now this whole meditation thing first…. Awesome. And it’s worked
well because Wednesday night has been my running night with the 10k clinic. I
signed up for the 10k clinic because I’m doing the half marathon in February,
but I felt like I needed to have more of a running foundation (pacing,
breathing, etc) before I jumped into a half marathon clinic. That was an
awesome choice and definitely worth it. And it’s worked so beautifully with my
yoga schedule. </div>
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And now the clinic is almost done. I’m actually really sad about
this. And the choices arise.</div>
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Choice 1 – Sign up for the half marathon clinic as planned.
This means a month off of clinic (but I will still run), and then the clinic is
designed to build to a March race, and by my February race the distances will
work with some tweaking. This clinic is on Thursday so I will miss my Thursday
yoga night. Boo. But, I’ve heard the clinic instructor is good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Choice 2 – Sign up for the 10 Miler Clinic (16km) which
builds toward a 10 mile race on December 26<sup>th</sup>. This means that I’ll
have to figure out 2 months of half marathon training, but I can run with the
half group on Sundays if I want to. The perk to this – I know and love the
clinic instructor and I know a lot of the people in the clinic. It’s also on
Wednesdays, which means that I can do the Thursday yoga.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Okay – talk about first world problems. But, still. It’s
like 2 of a good thing. I just don’t know. Suggestions? Anyone.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Truthfully, I just need to let this one go a little bit.
Both options are awesome! And right now I’m focused on this yoga challenge
combined with my goal race the week after Thanksgiving.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Life may not make sense right now. But, in some weird way
everything else kind of does.</div>
Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-2276774214003196982012-09-13T12:33:00.002-07:002012-09-13T12:33:31.030-07:00Hills and Cheetos and Smiles<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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If you ever join a running clinic you’ll be introduced to a
new fear … hill training.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s part of every running clinic, and people talk about the
fear of hills pretty much from the moment clinic starts. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last night … dunh dunh dunh … was hill training. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(admittedly so was last week, but I was sick and the warm up
did me in. I don’t even remember the hill part).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Usually clinic nights start out at the local store and then
we do a route around the area. It started with a 3k run and progressed to about
a 6k route. This week we met at a local park (kind of local. I got lost) with a
lot of hills. We did a 20 minute warm-up, ran 4 huge hills, and then did a 20
minute cool-down.</div>
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The warm up went well. I enjoyed it. The we got our hill
route. There were lots of runners out because another clinic group was training
on those same hills. I was walking down the hill with our coach when I realized
that everyone running these hills was smiling. SMILING. Call me crazy, but I did
not expect that. </div>
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Because we were all going at different speeds and setting
our paces what you started to see was people almost in lines on either side of
hill. What started to happen was that on the walk/slow jog down people were
screaming and cheering encouragement to the people running up the other side of
the hill. As soon as someone heard the cheers this huge smile would cross their
face. At first people were cheering for the group we were familiar with, but as
everyone started crossing over, there was more cheering.</div>
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Last night I did 4 hills. It was pretty awesome. I thought I’d
hate hills. I didn’t. I thought they were awesome. And I can’t tell you whether
I preferred cheering on the runners or being cheered when I made it to the top.</div>
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It’s funny how these small successes seem monumental lately.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes I feel like all of this focus on running and yoga
keeps me from focusing on other stuff, but I don’t think that’s really true. I
was talking about Matt’s school issues. You know, it didn’t get any easier.
Every day my 8 year old came home from school sad.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tuesday night he was downright miserable. He’d had an
argument with his best friend at recess, and trust me when I say he looks soooo
forward to recess. (it was a typical 8 year old disagreement). Add to that the
fact he ate practically nothing all day because he’s not in a routine, and he
was a mess.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now I can’t solve all the problems of the world. I can’t
even solve all the problems of my kids. But one thing I can do is comfort food.
Tell me all you want about how bad cheetos are, how meatloaf is fattening, how
you shouldn’t eat your way out of your issues and that red food dye is evil.
BUT, if you ask me, it’s called comfort food for a reason and if my kid isn’t
eating I can do comfort food. So, off we walked to the grocery store. We bought
cookies, candy, chips and all the ingredients for Matt’s favourite food,
meatloaf. Oh – and we talked, about school, about friendships and about the
importance of knowing the difference between Lego Star Wars and Lego Star Wars
the Clone Wars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then I came home and
made meatloaf.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yesterday. School success. I came in to a kid who told
me “my day was perfect.” He ate his lunch! There’s a new kid in his class that
he likes. He did well on a math quiz. He had amazing recesses.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe a thumbs-up kind of day isn’t always monumental. But right
now it’s so necessary. And you know what? I’m going to celebrate the small
successes. Because sometimes … they are huger than anything we can ever
imagine.</div>
Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-44752395341018873272012-09-04T11:48:00.003-07:002012-09-04T11:48:56.568-07:00School Day 1 - It Gets Better, Right?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JkBFMQ3_0Qh_qSxLEltXQt-ZQPCOhy1xyMtNittrAIMwPlPGiqG-A5t9t558aAHu5y3gfw_2AH6YgmiMw52oPsPmLdVk_FWuZ0JiWRt3nS393Wh7UD31rpTsN6Lmvzo-Goh86A/s1600/mattday1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JkBFMQ3_0Qh_qSxLEltXQt-ZQPCOhy1xyMtNittrAIMwPlPGiqG-A5t9t558aAHu5y3gfw_2AH6YgmiMw52oPsPmLdVk_FWuZ0JiWRt3nS393Wh7UD31rpTsN6Lmvzo-Goh86A/s400/mattday1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not one of these kids looks happy :(<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm not one of those parents who loves back to school. I work full-time, so maybe that changes my opinion, but I don't see school as this relief time when the kids are back to school and I get a break. (that's not a judgement). It's just a change in routine. And it comes with anxiety, expense and new teachers.<br />
<br />
Matt started school today. Chloe starts tomorrow.<br />
<br />
The funny thing is, I'm not worried about Chloe starting school. She's more than ready. She loves meeting new people. She will be fine with any of the teachers.<br />
<br />
Matt is not that child. He loves school, but he has a small circle of friends. He likes routine. He likes the comfort of seeing his best friend in the classroom. He likes knowing what they are doing at recess. I spoke to the school about this. I requested he be in a certain class. We found out today that he was separated from all his friends and put in a split class.<br />
<br />
He was so brave this morning. He didn't cry. He put on a happy face and told his best friend he was looking forward to recess. And then I took him to his class lineup. He looked so young, one of the grade 3 kids with a lot of grade 4's. He smiled for a picture. And then he asked me if I could walk with him to class, and come back at recess. He's 8. The last time he asked me to do that he was 4. It broke my heart then. It was harder today. Sure eight is growing up. It's also so young. Last night I spent a good half an hour teaching him to tie his shoelaces, because it's just one of those stupid things he hasn't learned yet. Because he's only 8.<br />
<br />
I know the school is a great school. And, I know he will be fine. I know there was thought put into this decision, and even though we may not agree with it, there is some logic to it. But ... I'm not a happy mama right now. I hate that I left him there floundering for friends, stuck with all the older kids.<br />
<br />
We'll see how today goes. The truth is, this is a funny class. At least half the kids in the line up were in tears. I wasn't the only parent saying "WTF?" And the teacher had her arm around one girl who was really upset. So, I think it may be quite the day.<br />
<br />
I can say all I want about my own challenges. I can talk to Matt about this. I can talk him through all our anxiety exercises. I can even call up our therapist (why yes, we have an on-call therapist!) to ask her advice. But for now I'm going to hope Matt's day went okay.<br />
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<br /></div>
And then tomorrow I'll face the day with Chloe!Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-43316578858423041682012-08-26T03:55:00.001-07:002012-08-26T03:55:51.687-07:0010 KM Run ... Princess Style On Saturday I ran in my second 10k race. It was the <a href="http://www.towomensruns.com/" target="_blank">Toronto Women's Run 5k/10k race</a>. This is a series of runs that is organized for women with an amazing motto of "Women Set the Pace."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFSbnr-4NZN08NbFeMME7Q3eZwj37QI65O0XbqXFPtnLUm8pSrlk3wZJIXi3Om8n7ceCmXOfBQsxE6I0BUFqpNHFvySXwNYyfWwMkzVzY-D4KrlN3hKRSlxBnIt0qycXlgFDVHg/s1600/runlogo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFSbnr-4NZN08NbFeMME7Q3eZwj37QI65O0XbqXFPtnLUm8pSrlk3wZJIXi3Om8n7ceCmXOfBQsxE6I0BUFqpNHFvySXwNYyfWwMkzVzY-D4KrlN3hKRSlxBnIt0qycXlgFDVHg/s200/runlogo.gif" width="156" /></a></div>
<br />
I only heard of it about a month ago when I started researching the Disney Princess Half Marathon. A group of Toronto area women found me, and we agreed this race would be a great place to meet up, run and chat RunDisney after.<br />
Before I get to the meetup, though, let me tell you a bit about the race.<br />
I've been doing the Running Room 10k clinic for about a month now. To say it's made a difference to me is a bit of an understatement. I enjoy doing things my own way, so stuff like actually running 10 minutes and walking 1 minute just wasn't my thing. So, needless to say the clinic has been a learning experience. I'm constantly being told to slow my pace (seriously. it's all about different muscles groups as it turns out), stay with the group, run my own race, etc. At the last clinic one of the instructors talked about following our training and running our own race - not worrying that we take a walking break and people are passing. This was awesome and necessary advice when I got out there.<br />
Something different for me in this race was that we were put in corrals based on speed. Luckily I knew the time I wanted to hit, so I knew where I wanted to be.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5a9Tu3MN3qWA621gbJX1sZhkxbI-vJoYmKHWUYVOpkNsSBqxCFuHqVyxbD8ZKEWWT3ox9cH-b5Qgo5LM3TvbxxnaJQHx5pj5cudvWbv0LvM7TZSZOAeqDj-jyb7W-VQ7f3SWZjQ/s1600/runlauralrun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5a9Tu3MN3qWA621gbJX1sZhkxbI-vJoYmKHWUYVOpkNsSBqxCFuHqVyxbD8ZKEWWT3ox9cH-b5Qgo5LM3TvbxxnaJQHx5pj5cudvWbv0LvM7TZSZOAeqDj-jyb7W-VQ7f3SWZjQ/s200/runlauralrun.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
With a goal time of sub 60 minutes I was in the second group.<br />
The other thing about this race that was new to me was that it was a 5k and 10 k and we all started at once. Those of us running 10k got to run the same route (with an extra loop) twice.<br />
I started this race really well. I had my music, I found a good pace, and I went for it. It actually took me about 2 km to really find my footing. I think a huge part of it was nerves. I need to submit a placement time to Run Disney for corral placement (at Disney you have to have proof of time), and I really wanted to get this race under 1 hour. So, I was having this constant debate in my head about pacing myself and going for it. In the end I went with pace, and decided that if I felt great at 8k I would just put everything into the last 2 k.<br />
So ...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzJlQhB0ES8KqpbsjfdEfjpL7h6Ws2UAvAHWqaL34Jt_oW3lzIcpHtvEYC0IdwkBdLzvZfIExzy2DFMmgk_1Ht5QxVe9MJKL5hPTuVjPlnXDn6jJleU5nqNBVwPdlNOZpT_yigg/s1600/kidssign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzJlQhB0ES8KqpbsjfdEfjpL7h6Ws2UAvAHWqaL34Jt_oW3lzIcpHtvEYC0IdwkBdLzvZfIExzy2DFMmgk_1Ht5QxVe9MJKL5hPTuVjPlnXDn6jJleU5nqNBVwPdlNOZpT_yigg/s320/kidssign.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br />
<br />
1-3 km - Start was good. And I was trying to feel it for these 3k. I was okay. But just okay.<br />
4km - Around here we did a loop and then were running past fire fighters and a water station. The water perked me up. (okay - as did the firefighters). And I knew I had a bunch of cheerleaders at 5k.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKzxA0aKViSOJj8ZIjXfjOBXUmwF8wqNzQGZAuuYf3nGN1xf-bWPzFlVyd1n7KgEPUKnM5PyxGgKoNREmMtAGIyE4Lnd5p4p3DczMaMMDIK93wN-iXTg6EZTC2-4sR_OjkuZllA/s1600/highfives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKzxA0aKViSOJj8ZIjXfjOBXUmwF8wqNzQGZAuuYf3nGN1xf-bWPzFlVyd1n7KgEPUKnM5PyxGgKoNREmMtAGIyE4Lnd5p4p3DczMaMMDIK93wN-iXTg6EZTC2-4sR_OjkuZllA/s400/highfives.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the signs ... and me running toward them? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
5k(ish) - This is where the 5k's ran to the finish line and the 10 k's kept going. I saw my family. I had the awesomest cheering section. My friend, Erin, came out to cheer. My parents were there. My kids had signs and noisemakers. AWESOME!! I stopped for high fives, and I was feeling amazing. It struck me that Erin was at my last 5k, and I was not feeling nearly that good. I was ready to keep going.<br />
6-7km - still feeling it. And then we hit the loop. They had to add some distance to make the race a true 10k. I was losing my mind because it made the route different than I expected, it was up and down and up a hill and I just hit a wall. Physically I felt fine. Mentally I started to lose it. And then I just decided to run through it. Amazingly I did.<br />
8km - Hello firefighters! Water was great. I was ready to finish. I looked at my (borrowed) watch. And then realized I had to keep going. So I did. I wanted to walk. I didn't need to. So I kept going. I decided not to push. I was tired, and I knew if I tried too hard I'd want to walk at the end.<br />
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9.5 km - There was a volunteer telling us we had 500 metres, and I sort of did a weird push/walk combo that didn't work, but I was close. When I saw the finish line I saw my family and then I looked at the clock. I literally had to sprint to hit my goal. I had it in me. I sprinted. Final time: 59:24!!!! This Princess just hit a sub 60!!!!!<br />
Of course, it wasn't over when the race was over. I had the chance to meet some other princesses who will either be running the Princess Half with me in February, or have done it, or both. It was pretty amazing. I mean, I realize that there are close to 20,000 people who will run that race, but these are people from all over Canada and the States. And, its kind of hard to explain to a lot of people that I've never done a half, and I'm planning my vacation around a race in DisneyWorld, and bringing my family. Oh - and taking hte next 6 months to do some pretty serious training.<br />
Add in the fact that I love tiaras, love Disney and will be running in a costume ... it's a little lonely.<br />
So. This? was pretty amazing. We've already discussed our next race. And, you know you've been chatting a long time when the race course is being dismantled around you.<br />
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Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-46384357778632806362012-08-22T12:31:00.001-07:002012-08-22T12:31:45.587-07:00No ... or Yes!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I read a lot of information about Happiness. It started when
I read the <a href="http://happiness-project.com/" target="_blank">Happiness Project</a> (a book I read really quickly – and then
re-read in pieces), and then I continued reading blogs and articles about
Happiness, because I find it so interesting. Here’s the thing though –
everything about it is so conflicting.</div>
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Some experts say you should say no more. Some experts (and
by experts I mean anyone who really wants to talk about it) say you should say
yes more. Some experts tell you to take a break and enjoy downtime. Others say
workout more. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while I’m pretty sure
I’ve never read anyone say to overeat or get drunk, there is a whole school of
thought on how “clean” your diet needs to be in order to have your happiness
come from Health. (And I think we can all agree <a href="http://crazysexylife.com/" target="_blank">Kris Carr</a> seems to have found
balance).</div>
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My point is … trying to be happy is hard. And confusing.</div>
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The other night I was in yoga, trying to not think, and I
started to overthink this whole yes/no thing. About a year ago I was fully in
the camp of say no to stuff. Someone told me I say yes to everything and maybe
I should be more selective. I went a little overboard and just kind of got used
to saying no to everything. Guess what happens when you do that? Requests stop
coming in.</div>
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And recently I’ve just stopped the whole no thing. Sure time
is a constraint, but I’m getting tired of saying no so that I can be what? More
aggressive? Better respected? Appreciated more? Happier? I don’t know.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The truth is, I like people who don’t say no all the time. I
love when I message someone for coffee, and the answer is sure, I can meet you
in 5 minutes. Or when I want to try out a new class, start a reading club or
just hangout out… and it’s a yes. Guess what? I don’t automatically think that
person has no life. I think that it’s awesome they made time for me. And I want
to be more like that. Or I want to go back to being like that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This weekend I’m running in a 10k. I’m excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why am I doing it? Because some women who
will be running the Disney Princess Half invited me to join them, and meet up
after. (Princess Power!) It would have been easy for me to say no, after all, I’m
not 100% confident in my running yet. A 10k is still a bit overwhelming. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But saying yes … felt really good!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And, as for yoga (yes, still going all the time). That’s
where this all began. As much as I love it, there are soooo many nights when I’m
just tired. And 8:30 seems late. Or I don’t know the teacher. Or I don’t feel
like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I get a message from my mom
and I just say yes. Because pretty much as soon as I get there, and class
starts … I’m so glad I went. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, maybe I’m going to skip the no’s for awhile. And just
embrace saying yes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And while I'm at it, I may not have found the key to Happiness quite yet, but here's some stuff I know for me:</div>
<ul>
<li>Sleep is good, but I'm a morning person. Waking up super early (4:20 am) to workout does make me happier, even if some people are just crawling into bed</li>
<li>I equate happiness with food. If I'm eating healthily I'm happier about my body, but chocolate makes me instantly happy. It's just something I need to accept</li>
<li>I am happiest surrounded by people, but also really happy to be alone.</li>
<li>I truly believe that you can't be happy in every situation, but outlook plays a big role</li>
<li>And .... I'm pretty much happiest in Disney World! Running through the castle, accomplishing a goal and getting a medal after. I can't think of anything better.</li>
</ul>
So, what makes you happy? <br />
Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-24157012736024683782012-08-20T07:37:00.000-07:002012-08-20T09:21:10.752-07:00Crunching his way through a Clif Crunch BarLet me confess, I've never been a big fan of nutrition bars. The more I get into health and fitness the more I hear about bars. There are some serious discussions out there about nutrition bars. I've read them, and I've even taken the next step numerous times. Trying them. Lots of them, and here's the thing. I don't like them.<br />
I've always had an issue with the weird texture, the cost, and the fact that it just seems really odd to me that here I am trying to swallow something I'm really not enjoying, at a price I don't like, to basically add calories (and protein,etc) to my day ... when I've spent my entire life trying to avoid calories.<br />
Recently this all changed.<br />
know this is shocking to say about a child of mine, but Matthew, my 8 year old is underweight because he doesn't eat enough and what he does eat is burned off by activity. (I wish I had this problem). I'm not complaining. But, when you're doctor tells you she's concerned ... it's an issue.<br />
Matt would happily live on fruits and vegetable with the occassional hotdog and jawbreaker thrown in for variety. (yuck). He also likes granola bars.<br />
As a parent, I generally don't. As he is being encouraged to eat more, I'm hesitant to give him a box of junk to increase his calorie intake. And, if they are in the house, my daughter (who does not need to add weight) will also eat them.<br />
Many granola bars are packed with sugar, over processed and aren't filling. I have a hard time justifying giving my child a smores bar covered in chocolate and calling it a healthy snack.<br />
While I was researching bar options, I received an email offering a sample of the new Clif Crunch Bar. <br />
So, we tried Clif Bars, specifically the Clif Crunch Granola bar. Imagine my surprise when both of my kids gobbled them up (they come in 2 packs), and asked to have another one the next day.<br />
That's a thumbs up from Matt. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1ey5eYjWP60aLrCXuMiCBRymTF987TlrX0RzRVFM6emKauBRNNZCPdrYqR2bBND8SiPd59XwmFW1neubAsqgnyL9uHTRGmp9_Yrve0EvGThRbIr99a9-aYri_CWbzboWXGWCVQ/s1600/mattclifbar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1ey5eYjWP60aLrCXuMiCBRymTF987TlrX0RzRVFM6emKauBRNNZCPdrYqR2bBND8SiPd59XwmFW1neubAsqgnyL9uHTRGmp9_Yrve0EvGThRbIr99a9-aYri_CWbzboWXGWCVQ/s320/mattclifbar.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
There are a bunch of flavours - chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia nut, and blueberry crisp are the ones we tried. Both of my kids way preferred the blueberry, which kind of surprised me, but they were really good.<br />
These bars are slightly different than some of the other Clif products you may have tried - they are lighter on some of the added nutritional stuff so I'm okay with my kids enjoying them. The crunch part made it tolerable for me as well, so let's just say it's kind of a "gateway" nutritional bar - and a lot healthier than some of the stuff out there.<br />
When I say these bars are healthy, here's what I liked - they are
trans-fat free and don't contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial
flavours or preservatives. The ones we tried were samples, but luckily we can buy them by the box at Bulk Barn, among other places and we plan to.<br />
The downside to these bars? They are also pricier than some other bars. Bars come in packages of 2,
and there are 5 two-packs per box. The boxes are $4.99 each. <br />
I don't believe they are peanut-free and nut-free, and even if they are they aren't labelled as such, so my kids can't bring them to school. This is not something I worry about at home, I'm not too concerned about that. We eat a lot of snacks on the go, and
Matt tends to want to snack on this kind of stuff in the evening anyway.
So ... the peanut thing isn't an issue in our house.<br />
All in all we have a new healthy snack and a happy kid.<br />
Thumbs up all around! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-72485677923747105152012-08-10T07:02:00.002-07:002012-08-10T07:02:47.682-07:00Battery Re-Charge<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the last week or so I’ve been on a bit of a vacation.
Call it a staycation, if you wish, though I hate that term. I had a lot of
appointments booked both for me and for my kids, and rather than trying to scoot
to appointments and then hop on later trains and balance everything, I’d just
book a few vacation days and enjoy being at home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you don’t do this, you should.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My rules were simple. Take a break. Enjoy my kids. My “schedule”
revolved around making it to appointments, not exactly taxing. I also spent a
lot of time watching Olympics, playing with my kids, and chatting with our nanny.
In fact, the highlight of my days included my morning cuddles with my kids and
several chats over coffee with our nanny. We happen to be big fans of pretty
much all the same tv shows, so forget discussing my kids’ milestones, we always
have Bachelor Pad stuff to catch up on. Being home also gave me the opportunity
to give her a bit of a break. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It worked
for both of us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I didn’t do? Stress. I meant to do a complete house
makeover. Instead we organized some clothes and kids’ toys, and then had
another cup of coffee and watched more Olympics. I was going to make a bunch of
healthy meals to freeze. Instead we put on tank tops and shorts and hung out
with the kids at the splash pad and worked on our tans, eating cheesies and
laughing at some of the more interesting fashion statements.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still ran. I still did yoga. But I also slept in. I let
Chloe style my hair. I learned the names of Matt’s lego creations. I cooked
dinner. I played with my kids.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes I work so hard toward vacations where we go away. We
eat fancy dinners out and have every minute of the day planned. I like that.
But, I surprised myself by really really enjoying just hanging out. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I need to do that more often.</div>Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-85719912466370993332012-08-06T02:53:00.000-07:002012-08-06T02:53:05.383-07:00Training ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qxWQomjq2ouANttynIqaVp8KNt_sCRvKFz3x9oQw_VdtUWHl_qD3GyUPY3sIAmZDAXZmDX7aqzQhqnxh5vQZSaiQnzxK5GEzWcNR_YmPZi7M88AeGhettAZ78WiKTl0Q-K1uBQ/s1600/laural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qxWQomjq2ouANttynIqaVp8KNt_sCRvKFz3x9oQw_VdtUWHl_qD3GyUPY3sIAmZDAXZmDX7aqzQhqnxh5vQZSaiQnzxK5GEzWcNR_YmPZi7M88AeGhettAZ78WiKTl0Q-K1uBQ/s1600/laural.jpg" /></a></div>
A few months ago I read the book Spirit Junkie by Gabby Bernstein. I was pretty inspired by this book. I went and met her and heard her speak. And I was totally influenced by what she spoke about. It's hard to outline it all here, but basically it was all about figuring out what you want in life, believing in yourself and believing in miracles.<br />
Inspiring.<br />
One of the key things I got out of this was that I needed to really figure a few things out.<br />Like how to be happier in my life with what I have. And, it's been pretty amazing to step back and look at the things I have in life to be grateful for: my family, friends, job, health, etc.<br />
But when you start to get all introspective and grateful is that you statart listenng to youself, and over and over again I kept thinking "join a running group". Seriously. One day I was in yoga and I kep thinking I should really run with a group. weird - not my thing.<br />
And then ... <br />
I signed up for a half marathon and realized the only way I could hit my goal was by joining a clinic to learn how to run. And, by default that meant running with a group. And we got our training schedule - keep in mind I'm still working on 10k training and this schedule seems intense - and it's a lot of running ... with a group.<br />
I have no idea why this is such a weird concept to me. I think it's because for me running is a morning thing. A super early morning thing. And I love it because no one can see my akward stride, my crazy pulled back hair, my spandex running pants (that aren't totally flattering), my red face OR hear me sing along to my music when I need a boost.<br />
BUT. I'm kind of surprised, after a couple runs, how i'm kind of enjoying it. I like the idea of other people setting a pace, and telling me when to take a break. I like that at the end you get, and give, high fives. I was afraid I'd be the slowest in the group. I'm not (at least not at the distances we are doing at this point), but at the same time I like that the plan is that they don't leave the slowest person behind.<br />
I think I'm learning to have a little more patience with myself.<br />
And run run run!<br />
I loved this picture from lululemon. So true.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBG_148s3eBnIBJ-IrkD-J0WINyHEJ2JP-pjmy6De-E8Auz-9X-x8wOpL6K11iohRZWEPZ7CnKE5HMOVWs51UInGcauUhfJN7fPm8UjXwv3fowIPCPkuMDjRbVWPWSJostD0RBlQ/s1600/SW-mantra_1280x800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBG_148s3eBnIBJ-IrkD-J0WINyHEJ2JP-pjmy6De-E8Auz-9X-x8wOpL6K11iohRZWEPZ7CnKE5HMOVWs51UInGcauUhfJN7fPm8UjXwv3fowIPCPkuMDjRbVWPWSJostD0RBlQ/s320/SW-mantra_1280x800.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-42140364519394676882012-08-01T04:39:00.002-07:002012-08-01T04:39:50.942-07:00BudgetingLet's be completely honest here, I hate budgeting. I hate thinking about money, or lack thereof. I love to shop. I love to look at pretty things. I like to buy stuff for people I love, for my kids, for me. I love a good sale. I have a serious Starbucks addiction, and although I try to bring my lunch to work I have a tendency to buy lunch fairly often. <br />
Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm worse (or better) than a lot of people I know. It's just that recently I've been looking at how much money I'm spending on stuff, and how that's limiting what I really want. <br />
For instance, I was considering joining a local gym - an expense we don't need - and even though it was affordable I couldn't figure out where the money would come from until I realized that maybe I could skip my acrylic nails. Ya know? <br />
So ...<br />
I'm putting myself on a budget.<br />
Part of this budget is because we're planning a trip to Disney in February. So we definitely need to save for that. But that's only part of it. I'm also just really tired of worrying about money - for dumb reasons.<br />
Since it's August 1st (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BECKY!) My official budgeting starts today, even though I've been working away at this for about a week now.<br />
And, as my friend said, I'm not looking at this depriving myself. It's a bit like a year ago when I decided I wanted to lose weight and be healthy. I gave up a lot of stuff (chips/chocolate/sleeping in) but you know ... kind of working for me :)<br />
So, here's the plan.<br />
1) Stop buying stuff I don't need - that includes magazines, fast food, more clothes, shoes. Also, no more lunches out, food court meals, etc<br />
2) Keep track of everything I spend. I plan to keep all receipts (when I get them) and write everything down. I hate doing this. My friend sent me a really helpful spreadsheet that is easy to fill out. I'm going to actually do that.<br />
3) Keep track of what I'm saving. That's just to feel a bit better about myself! I love a pat on the back :)<br />
4) Be realistic. I love Starbucks, and I'm proud of my gold card status. However, shouldn't give me permission to spend a fortune there. So, I'm filling my card once per week - for $20. When it's out it's out. I'm going to spend a bit more on groceries so that I actually enjoy the lunches I bring to work.<br />
<br />
August budget here I come!Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15924860.post-81258440042011021572012-07-30T12:55:00.002-07:002012-07-30T12:55:42.183-07:00Run Princess Run<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LFKWPTjSR_Dw-TN6GkDUX3Hn7bin-YbmI_-SOBu8f1J1Rn_R51F0dqYNSSDKgKVA6ojS36ubk0b1hF26BiWzFmMz46UI5mFHUD0cmUhy-UKi9OWcW_dMG20he1iRTtuswmsATw/s1600/princesshalf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LFKWPTjSR_Dw-TN6GkDUX3Hn7bin-YbmI_-SOBu8f1J1Rn_R51F0dqYNSSDKgKVA6ojS36ubk0b1hF26BiWzFmMz46UI5mFHUD0cmUhy-UKi9OWcW_dMG20he1iRTtuswmsATw/s1600/princesshalf.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few years ago, when I was training for my first 5k, a friend
of mine sent me a picture of a running skirt. It was pink with a crown on it,
and it was to advertise the <a href="http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/princess-half-marathon/" target="_blank">Disney Princess Half Maratho</a>n.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One Day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I tossed the idea around numerous times. The thought of
running 21km sounded incredible and also insane. Especially after I ran my
first 5k and about 1km in thought I may die. Nice thought. Not happening. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Life went on, and every so often I’d debate signing up for a
running clinic. And I never did. I put in my runs, and work to run a 5k, wish I
could run further and then content myself with the fact that some people aren’t
runners. I’m one of those people. My marathon is the 5k.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This year that changed. I don’t know why. I ran past that
mental block. I just kept going. I started to change my mind set. And just keep
going.</div>
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I kept going to a 10 k.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And when I ran over that finish line I knew exactly what was
next. The Disney Princess Half Marathon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Crazy? Maybe a little. When you look at training plans and
think about all of the training that you need to put in to get there, I think
crazy is a pretty fair assessment. But, crazy in a good way. I love Disney. And
I love challenges. And nothing makes me happier than facing something head on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I signed up for this race. It’s in Disney World in
February. My whole family is going. Mike and the kids will cheer me on while I
run 21 km (or 13.1 miles which sounds infinitely better) through Disney World
and Epcot. Dressed as a princess.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then we will have ourselves a Disney vacation. Bonus for
my family? I will already have run through Disney, so I may not be quite as
anxious to make them run around the parks every day. (why yes, I have run for
fastpasses!) In fact, there may be one or two mornings when I sleep past 6 am
and don’t wake everyone up when I’m on my second cup of coffee with “who’s
ready for a magical day?!” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if all it
takes is 6 months of training and a grueling race to let my family sleep in. I’ll
do it!</div>
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Truthfully, I’m frightened by this. It’s huge for me, and it’s
a lot of running. But, I’m also really excited and pretty sure that I will be
ready when the time comes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Run run run!</div>Laural Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08459584652802529868noreply@blogger.com2