What If .........

... your left knee is wonky ... your legs are achy because you didn't taper enough the night before ... your stomach is telling you it either didn't like last night's food or there wasn't enough ... you forgot your lucky socks ...

... and you still have a BIG RACE TO RUN!

During the week I do inclined treadmill fast walking, elliptical and bike. Every Saturday morning, I drive to the gym (Michigan, snow, you get the picture) to TEST MYSELF with a weekly run at a 15-min mile pace. And every Saturday I add a lap to the run (.25 mile). So each week it's a tougher challenge than the week before.

I get that "can I do it", "did I eat right" feeling on my way to the gym. And while I'm running, I really can't stop -- it's my weekly test. Other days of the week, what I set out to do and what I actually do may vary. But not on my Saturday race day.

Today, by the way, was my 4.5 mile day. And because of the items I mentioned above, it was a tough run. But the three times I felt like I wanted to stop, I just had to say "it's race day, just keep moving forward"! I also looked at the WDW race map (print from online) before I started, and then as I hit each mile, I visualized the location I reached (race track, Poly, MK arch, so far).

And I kept running until I had done 4.5 miles. And that's the longest I've ever run in my life without stopping ... until next week?

If you're training for the Half Marathon, consider establishing a weekly "race day." Pick a day and time of the week. Then decide on a starting point. (Mine was .50 mile, 2 laps, at speed 4.0, which is a 15-min mile pace. But you'll want to pick a reasonable starting point based on your training so far and your running ability.) Then each week, add a lap and keep at race pace or faster, and keep running! It really is good practice at dealing with both the physical and MENTAL challenges we'll be faced with.

I think you'll really benefit from RUNNING A RACE each week!

Strange Days

It sure is strange not to be able to get to the AATM forums. It's like a tree fell down on my street and my phone line is dead and I can't call my friends!

Am I the only one who is amazed that it's actually possible to build friendships via this amazing world of podcasting? Who knew?!!

We are going to have such a GREAT time in January talking to each other that we may actually not have time to ride anything!

(Okay ... well, we have to ride Toy Story Mania ... and there are some Splash Mtn fans ... and there's a certain Team Voice member who has to ride Haunted ... okay, so we'll talk in the queue!!!)

March miles: 53.75

Situps/pushups: 1,035

Personal best run: 4.25, 62 mins, 15 min mile pace!

Out Of Foot Energy? Go See Ellen!

Energy at Epcot

First WOW moment:
When our seating section started moving! The first time I ever visited the attraction, this was so totally unexpected! It was so freaky to see hundreds of seated people start moving – and it was so quiet and smooth.

Favorite magical moments:
The moving seats … the “peat bog” smells when we first head into the dinosaur section … the majesty of nature in the original film … and yes, I like Ellen ... and who doesn't like Bill Nye.

Repeatability:
About every five trips. Not quite fun enough or short enough to do more often. Good air conditioning and darkness, but the seats aren’t comfortable enough to make it a good “nap” ride!

DebWDW rating: 5
Do every 5 trips. Only willing to wait in queue up to 5 minutes.

Happy Easter!

Bless You Bunny

Happy Easter everyone!

My husband is retired but works at a rabbit sanctuary, a.k.a. "the bunny farm"!

It's the largest in the country, and they take care of more than 500 rabbits. About 75 of them are adoptable. The others are pet rabbits that came from Reno, Nevada and had gone feral -- too wild to be adopted, but not wild enough to live in the wild.

We sure are blessed in this country to have as many charitable organizations and charitable individuals -- like Team Voice -- who are willing to give time, money and/or love!

I'm Going to Disney World!!

Luckily for me a business trip to Tampa has come up, and it just happens to be more cost effective for me to stay through a weekend than to come/go during the week.

So of course I can't resist running over to Disney for the weekend!

I'll be at WDW on Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13!

If anyone will also be there at that time, let me know and maybe we can say hello!

Back On Track!

I'm back in the swing of things ... back on track ... on a roll ... back into my routine ... and it sure does feel good!

Okay, I'm not quite there. Before my Feb virus, I had worked up to running 4 miles in one session. This past Saturday I only ran 2.5 miles. But I'll add a mile this coming Saturday, and should be able to get to 4.50 by the end of the month.

The worst thing about the road block wasn't losing miles or having to get back to where I was, it was the LOSS of concentration ability! Honestly, being able to gut it out and just stay on the darn treadmill has been the tough thing for me to regain! But I'm working on that too this week.

Happy Training to you all!
(And hang in there if you are under the weather. You'll get back on track soon, too!)

P.S. I haven't bought Girl Scout cookies yet, but I do have a box of Frango Mints (chocolates originally created by Marshall Field's in Chicago, now sold at Macy's in Michigan, yummmmmy.)

Don't Skip The Norway Movie!

Maelstrom at Norway at Epcot is one of my most very favorite attractions in all of WDW. It's a "must do" for me every time.

First WOW moments:
My favorite surpises the first time I rode Maelstrom was going backwards (very cool anytime, anywhere), and our arrival in the Norwegian village (what a nice way to exit a boat, to the sights and sounds of a fishing village)!

Favorite magical moments:
I LOVE the movie! I like how it pops between the loud history/industrial scenes, and the quiet scenes. I also like the music. I never skip the movie!

It's also fun when I'm there with my teenage nieces and I insist that we stay and watch it, and they roll their eyes, sigh and glare at me. But they have to stay because they love me and I'm paying for the trip.

And my final magical moment is walking into the final shop and smelling the Laila perfume – which is now the only perfume I wear. I love the fresh smell, and wearing it is a little hidden Mickey for me!

Repeatability:
Every trip! Great ride, great movie, great shops and beautiful CMs!

DebWDW rating: 1-30
Do every 1 trip. Willing to wait in queue up to 30 minutes to ride.

Yay March!

I'm so happy it's March. That means a fresh start with new goals for Team Voice -- and a fresh possibility of meeting the goals! (Although that goal of 1,000 sit-ups/push-ups seems pretty pie-in-the-sky!)

Yay March!!

February (and my two road blocks) are behind me.

I think the Michigan snow will still be around during March.
But that's what I'll look forward to in April -- melting snow!