Running Goals...

Goals. I've spent a lot of time the last six months or so reflecting on this last decade of my life as I head into my 30's and thinking about what I have accomplished and what I want to accomplish. (With a lot of that reflection landing on running...this post has been rolling around in my head for months now. Literally.) There are days that I still sit back humbled and amazed that I've completed two half marathons because in reality I never thought I could do it. I've learned a lot and realized there is so much that I want to accomplish when it comes to running in my 30's. 

In my late 20's I started running on and off depending on lots of various factors. I've done well considering I've been trying to learn a sport that was foreign to me and trying to be mom to two small kids. My focus for my 30's is to dream big and really work on improving my times. Up till now my goal has been to attempt and finish without any care to my time. I simply wanted to be able to say that I did it. For my 30's I want to say not only did I finish but I finished well. That I improved over previous performances. I want to become more dedicated to this sport that I love and hate all at the same time some days. This winter I will attempt my last two race weekends with the mindset of I just want to finish. Starting in August we'll have both kids in school all day and my ability to train will change dramatically. Andy and I will actually have the opportunity to run together! That never happens. I'm pretty excited about the possibility of being able to train together but also being able to run during the day while the kids are in school. Even better I'll be able to drop both kids off in the morning and then run on campus at Berry.

My running bucket list includes being able to say I have a medal from every major runDisney race. Which is no small feat and will take some serious time, planning, coordinating of schedules, and training BUT I feel it's completely doable. Within that Andy and I have several runDisney goals that we'd like to complete before our 10th Wedding Anniversary in 2016. So, here we go:

--Complete the Goofy Challenge...this means you run both a half marathon and a marathon on the same weekend. (Half on Saturday with the full on Sunday.) You are awarded three medals for this accomplishment...both medals for the individual races and a third medal signifying you did both races back to back. We are slated to run this in January and my goal is just to finish. I could care less about my time. Again, my ability to train and train well will improve later in 2014.

--Complete an Inaugural runDisney race...I'm slated to do this in February by running both the new Enchanted 10K and the Glass Slipper Challenge. (More about the Glass Slipper Challenge here.) This particular event weekend I'll be running with Andy's sister, Caroline. Considering that I will hopefully have completed a half and a marathon a mere five weeks earlier my goal again is to just finish. Since I've completed a half I'm really not worried about doing the 10K and half back to back for this weekend...unlike some days when I think I have completely lost my mind to attempt a full and a half back to back.

--Run a Disney race with my dear friend, Evan. We both have a deep love for racing in the parks and it's a goal of ours to actually race together as opposed to being at an event that we both happen to be running. We've talked about possibilities for the future and have a few ideas. I'm quite confident we'll complete this before we both turn 40. Right, Evan?!?! :) Maybe the Pink Coast to Coast Challenge? I'd love it if our friend, Erin, would join us for whatever we end up running.

--If Andy and I survive the Goofy this winter our goal for the winter of 2015 is to do the Dopey. (Completing a 5K, 10K, half, and full over four days with 6 medals to your name if you do!) We are tentatively planning on this with the goal of really evaluating this after we run Goofy.

--Coast to Coast/Dumbo Double Dare...runDisney has a highly coveted medal, the Coast to Coast, that they award if you run in events on BOTH coasts (DisneyLand and Disney World) in the same calendar year. Coast to Coast is tricky for us due to having season football tickets with UGA. The Disneyland Half Marathon is always Labor Day Weekend. This year they added a 10K and created a new challenge, Dumbo Double Dare, if you complete the half and 10K. Next year UGA will play Clemson at home Labor Day Weekend and so we will be in Athens. Which is fine...there are a few things I want to happen before we do Coast to Coast. I want to really be in a running groove in order to train ALL summer for a half. (Right now I much prefer winter running.) If we are going to fly all that way I want to be able to compete and compete well. I don't want to just 'finish'...I want a good time. Next I really want to know the parks before I run out there. Part of the reason I love running at Disney World is I know and love all the places I'm running. I constantly have memories running around in my head about past trips and experiences. Ideally, I'd love for us to take a family vacation out there and really explore the parks. Plus, I want us to take advantage of enjoying Carsland while AG is still in to Cars. The earliest we could attempt this will be 2015 giving us plenty of time to work on all of these things before heading west to run.

--Food and Wine Half Marathon...this is a night race and is done in early November. Due to when it is run we have to try and schedule it around football. It is possible that we might be able to attempt it in 2014. If they keep it the same weekend that it is currently scheduled then next year UGA will have an away game. Lots of moving factors with this one and we aren't planning on it yet...just keeping it in the back of our minds. 

--Tower of Terror 10 Miler...currently this race is scheduled for the first weekend in October. I have a feeling this will probably be the last runDisney event we check off our list due to the date. The first weekend in October is always Berry's homecoming weekend, Mount Day Weekend, and we never miss it. As it is, next year UGA has a home game that weekend. Plus, it'll require training all summer for it and again, I have yet to get in to running in the summer. 

--Ideally, Andy and I would love to complete a marathon to start our 30s. (We'll both be 30 in January before Andy turns 31 in February.) And we'd like to complete Dopey and Coast to Coast before our 10th wedding anniversary. Those are our three major race goals between now and 2016 to do together. I'm not sure if we'll tackle them all but I'm really looking forward to the challenge and the possibility of it all. Grateful that two years ago I took the plunge and decided to take up running because it has completely changed my perspective on so many things. 

Family Update...

My friend, Erin, did a family update post this week on her blog and it was motivation to get my act together. So much has happened these last few months and it's time I got back in to my blogging groove. Here's a little of what we have been up to:

Andy

Has signed on to run a service bureau for a former client of his and will now be telecommuting from home when he doesn't have to travel. This should make for a highly interesting summer since we'll have both kids at home. At least during the school year when he worked from home AG was in school during the day. I'm hoping we find a balance over the course of the next few weeks. Regardless, we are grateful for this opportunity and some other things that seem to be coming together. Soccer finished up and Andy had a great time coaching AG in his first soccer season.  Andy has also taken up Crossfit and is loving it. 

Katie

I'm in desperate need of getting my act together when it comes to my blog...I've never been this sporadic with it. In other news I'm doing some stuff on the side with These Southern Roots and am hoping to dedicate some much needed time to it this summer. In addition, I'm also trying to revamp some of our household organization systems for the upcoming school year. My goal is to work on this stuff this summer so that I can get the kinks worked out before AG starts back to school in August. I'm still very involved with hospitality/events at our church and that keeps me busy. Running...I took most of the spring off to let me left leg heal from a stress fracture. I've run a handful of times since February and it looks like I'm healed. (Hooray!) When I have run it is pain free in my leg...granted my endurance isn't what it was but I can handle that if it's pain free. My goal for June is to slowly ease back in to running on a consistent basis. No crazy mileage or fast pacing just easy, consistent runs. Andy and I are looking at a big race goal for the winter season to complete together. (It deserves it's own post.) Training for that will start in July so easing back in to a running schedule is key for this month. Around the house...it's a mess! I've got several projects going on and need to take a few days to get caught up and on top of things. It's currently driving me crazy but I'm slowly tackling it and getting a bunch of stuff reorganized/purged/cleaned out. 

AG

 Getting to be such a big kid. Can't believe he completed his first year of preschool and that we are one year away from having a kindergartner. He had a blast on vacation and enjoyed learning/asking questions about everything. Continues to be a diehard Braves fan and enjoys telling anyone who will talk baseball with him about his team. I'm hoping to work on some special activities with him this summer while he is home. My goal is to get organized so that we can do projects together several times a week while Avi-Kate naps. He's really looking forward to going to the beach with my family in July and Andy's family over Labor Day weekend. Andy and I are tossing around several ideas for his fifth birthday this winter. Ideally, we'd like to do something special at certain milestone birthdays...we are still trying to figure out what this looks like but I like the possibilities.

Avi-Kate

 I really can't believe that in less than 48 hours she'll be two years old. She has changed so much in these last few months. I am so grateful that we had surgery when we did. Her speech and vocabulary is really starting to take off. (And for that I praise the lord.) She is a sweet, independent ball of energy that is always in motion doing something. Girlfriend loves her art supplies and is quite content to color masterpiece after masterpiece. She loves to cook in their play kitchen and take care of her babies. And she absolutely adores her big brother. (The feeling is mutual.) She loves to do whatever he is doing and spends most of the day trying to keep up with him.

Lastly, I love these two photos that I took of AG and our niece, Ronnie, this past week on vacation and had to share them. They've changed so much since the last time we were in Williamsburg. (It had been 2.5+ years since the last time we were there.)

run(ning)Disney...

WOW! I've been working on this for weeks. I'm sorry that it has taken so long for me to post it. Life has just been crazy with the kids the last few weeks between sickness, surgery, Andy's birthday, Valentine's Day, etc. In the midst of this I've discovered a stress fracture in my left leg and come down with a sinus infection...both of which should make my half marathon this Sunday very interesting! My goal is to have fun and just finish due to all that has happened. I can't believe it's time to go back and do it all over again. I'm beyond excited to run with my sisters and some dear friends from Berry. It will be quite a memorable weekend. I plan to savor every moment.

Finally! A recap on our first half marathon. Due to Andy's job he couldn't be gone for very long and as it is he had to work while we were there because tax season was about to start. We flew out Thursday night and used Disney's Magical Express to pick us up and transport us to our resort. For this trip I wanted to try one of Disney's Vacation Club resorts and so we rented points. We ended up at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa and it was AMAZING! Absolutely beautiful and quite peaceful...a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the parks. Friday morning we had breakfast down at the Artist's Pallet and then Andy had to work. I relaxed out on our balcony and read some before heading to the parks. I had to take some photos for my dad at one of the resorts and then hopped the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom. Andy met me for lunch at Tony's and then we headed to the race expo to pick up our gear.

Wow! The Race Expo was HUGE, MASSIVE, and CRAZY! I knew it would be big but I don't think I really understood how big it would be. Then again I didn't realize how many people I would be running with either. 25,000 runners for the half marathon and they had another 25,000 for the full marathon the next day. 9,000 runners ran BOTH races for the Goofy Challenge. Quite a difference from the 5,000 runners we ran with for the Expedition Everest Challenge. Anyways, it was crazy. We got our bibs in one building before heading next door to the actual expo to pick up our shirts/goody bags. Due to how chaotic it was we didn't buy much but we did buy The Stick to use before/after the race. Oh my goodness! Why we didn't have one of these things till now is beyond me but it makes a HUGE difference on your muscles. (Especially after long runs.) With our loot in tow we headed back to the resort so Andy could do some more work. I worked on laying out our race gear for the morning and making sure everything was good to go. Due to unseasonable temps they had posted at the Expo for people to plan accordingly, make sure they were properly hydrated, and to not try for a crazy fast time. With that in mind I opted to run in a tank and shorts...I was very pleased with this decision the next day as I was racing. Later, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for a lite dinner and to ride a few rides before calling it a night. We went to bed early and were up at 3AM to get ready. Shuttles start running at 3 with the last shuttle running at 4. We were in line and ready to go by 3:30. The shuttle takes you from your resort to Epcot at the drop off point. From there you have bag drop off, porta potties, First Aid, etc. and once you are ready you follow the crowd to the corrals. It actually takes about 15 minutes from this point to get to the actual corrals. You just go with the flow and follow the masses. By the time we made it to the corrals we had just a few minutes to stretch before the start of the race. The first wave went at 5:30ish and then every few minutes they sent the next wave of runners. One of the things I love about Disney races is that with each wave of runners they shoot off fireworks. Having fireworks to start off each wave makes everyone excited and keeps the energy up. When my wave went I turned on my playlist, secured my iPod Nano on my Spi Belt and off I went in to the wild, blue yonder. Well, off I went in to the dark with thousands of my closest friends beside me. ;) 

I settled in to an even pace and the first mile passed quickly. Disney marks every mile with special Disney themed mile marker signs and they also mark off 5K, 10K, and 15K while you are running. You can stop and take pictures or just keep going. Disney races are known for their entertainment on their courses and they didn't disappoint! Cheerleading squads, high school bands, and THOUSANDS of people out to encourage people along the way plus all sorts of character meet and greets. It was AH-MAZING. They end up having 9 water stations along the course plus four medic tents. Due to the heat, and being paranoid about getting dehydrated, I ended up drinking at every water/powerade station. The first half of the course moves really quickly because there are so many recognizable points on the course. Once you leave Epcot and head towards the Magic Kingdom you quickly come upon the Parking Toll Booths, which you pass thru, you then pass the Richard Petty Driving Experience and work your way across the Magic Kingdom parking lots headed towards the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center), once you pass the TTC you head towards the Magic Kingdom by way of the Contemporary, and you end up coming in to the Magic Kingdom from a side/back entrance that puts you on Main Street U.S.A. And can I just say WOW! I teared up when I got to that point in the course because I was overwhelmed by how many people had packed the streets to cheer everyone on. It was insane. I've now run through 3 of the 4 parks in races and Magic Kingdom is hands down the best to run through. (The only park I've not raced through is Hollywood Studios.) 

The first half went really, really fast like I said and I found myself on Main Street in no time. Due to the heat, humidity, and how many fluids I was consuming I decided to stop in the parks to use the bathroom. I ran in and ran out and was quickly back on the course running towards the castle. Running out of the castle was unreal. Looking again down Main Street at the crowds of people cheering was amazing. You then set off trekking across Liberty Square towards Frontierland. Once there you exit near Splash Mountain and begin the trek back to Epcot. At this point you are completely backstage and get to see all sorts of floats/behind the scenes operations before you come around the back of the Grand Floridian. By the time I got to this point in the course the sun was up and the temps were rising, however, the temp dropped around the Grand Floridian briefly and once we got on the open road it jumped again. It was weird. The next several miles were hard just because you are in between parks so there isn't a lot of excitement/anticipation like there is as you pass certain things making your way to MK. At this point I saw a woman running in a full blown Cinderella costume with a hoop skirt and I was quite grateful I was not running in a costume! (She looked really, really hot.) I imagine I'll see a ton of full costumes for the Princess Half. I continued on at my pace and drinking/eating Shot Bloks along the way. The bulk of the course is flat, it's Florida after all, and nothing like running around my neighborhood which is all hills. However, the last bit of the course is the most 'hilly' section but I would not call it 'hilly' because it's nothing like running around here. Not sure if that makes sense. Anyways, at mile 11 it hit me that I had a whopping two miles left and Epcot was within sight! Hallelujah! Everything about running in Epcot is just narrow. Super, super narrow. You enter from the side by the Seas with Nemo and Friends. You then run towards the World Showcase and back out towards Spaceship Earth. At this point there are people cheering and going crazy telling you that you are almost finished. You exit the park knowing the finish line is literally just around the bend. I came around the bend and teared up again...there was a massive grandstand at the finish line with people going crazy cheering for the finishers. I crossed the finish line with my arms raised over my head in jubilation. I had done it. I had run 13.1 miles and finished. Unreal. When I began running a year ago my goal was to accomplish something I never thought I could do. I was overwhelmed that I had done it. I was overwhelmed by God's faithfulness. This last year had been high and low in so many, many points and the entire time I was running I kept coming back to the thought that in all of that God had been faithful. Faithful to provide. Faithful to carry my burdens. Faithful in sickness. Extremely faithful in all things. At this point I made my way picking up water and powerade, which I quickly downed a bottle easily, and snagged my shiny new piece of hardware. I then picked up my runners box that had all sorts of food items in it and made my way to bag check. By now Andy and I are calling each other trying to locate one another and we quickly start chattering away about the whole experience. After locating Andy I called my Dad to tell him that we had made it and crossed the finish line. We ate, drank, stretched, and picked up some race gear for Andy. And then we made our way to the buses for our resort. We had to wait a bit because there was quite a line but all things considered it moved. We finally got on a bus and were on our way back to the resort. 

In all that we had read leading up to the race we had read not to nap afterwards. That your body actually does better if you stay up and going all day. So, that's what we did. We got back, ate some more, Andy showered while I stretched some more, and once I was showered we set out with our medals in hand towards Epcot for the afternoon. Walking in that afternoon we were able to demo the new entry system and it's going to be really neat when Disney gets it all finished. We were curious to talk to the Cast Members about how they plan to link the new system with Annual Passes and they said that they are working hard on it. I hope that it is jut as great for people that hold annual passes. Time will tell. Anyways, we spent the day roaming around Epcot and leisurely strolling around. We rode the re-vamped Test Track and it was awesome. We also found a real Peter Pan hat for AG in the United Kingdom of the World Showcase. (He was beside himself when we gave it to him.) Later that evening we took the monorail across to the Magic Kingdom for dinner. I was able to snag a reservation at the highly coveted, brand new restaurant, Be Our Guest. It was simply amazing! I'm so excited that I get to eat there again for the Princess Half Marathon. You feel like you've literally walked right in to the movie, Beauty and the Beast. And can I just say how amazing it was to have on our race shirts and medals and have people congratulate us on race. Strangers, cast members, fellow runners, etc. It was awesome. After dinner we rode some rides and did some shopping for the kids before heading out for the night. It was an unbelievably short trip but simply amazing! The next morning we relaxed before checking out and catching the Magical Express back to the airport. We went early so that Andy could watch half of the Falcons playoff game before we took off. 

It was a memorable weekend in so many ways. I am grateful that Andy and I got to do it together. It most definitely will not be our last half marathon together. We can both see this as something we'll do often in the years to come. 

Morning at our resort...I enjoyed sitting out here and reading each day.

The splash pad...I took this picture because it reminded me of the kids. I know we'll have to come back to this resort because they would love all of the amenities.

Construction work at the front of the Magic Kingdom.

I took this the day before the race...it was finally starting to sink in that I was actually going to be running down Main Street in less than 24 hours.

Lunch at Tony's.

Race Expo...Packet Pick-up...the real chaos was next door in the actual exhibition. Crazy and insane.

Evening on the Seven Seas Lagoon. 

A ride on Dumbo before heading to bed and hoping we make it across the finish line. 

We did it! Post race walk around Epcot.

Trying out the newly redesigned Test Track.

Who doesn't love boating on the high seas in Norway?!?

I love the United Kingdom area.

Off to Magic Kingdom and checking on the progress of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Can't wait to ride this when they finish it. 

Exploring around New Fantasyland before dinner with the Beast at Be Our Guest.

Caught a few minutes of our favorite part of The Main Street Electrical Parade.

WISHES! Over New Fantasyland. 

A perfect way to end the night and the trip.