PHM15: A Frozen Cupcake Celebration & Carnage as No Cupcake is Left Behind

[debrapagliasotti]

Nice of the CM's to let you get in line with Aurora since she didn't make it to your table.

 

[SarahDisney]

Great pictures from Epcot! I really love how the characters are into taking pictures with the flats!
And it's so great that the CM got you a picture with Aurora!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I HATE goodbyes!

 

[momabaarjo]

Transportation Makes the Magic in Magic Kingdom Disappear
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We arrived to the monorail, only to find it down and then directed to buses to MK. That’s okay, we had time. But instead of taking us to MK, we went to the TTC where we were shuttled to the ferry/boat lines which were over an hour wait to get across. Ugh, we were going to miss our fast passes, not good! A CM then started heading the back of the ferry lines back towards the buses and people started pushing and shoving past, so we went with the flow and were cut by a lady and her two kids that just pushed everyone aside from clear behind us. We continued to watch them push their way clear up to the front of the moving line towards the buses and then push her family onto the bus that was trying to depart. Manners.... There were several other buses lined up ready to go and we were put on a bus pretty quickly…thank goodness because we entered MK just in time for our FastPasses…you should of seen us race down main street (even faster than when we ran the PHM yesterday)! As we were making our way down Main Street, I get a text from SW airlines that our flight has been delayed out of Houston for later in the day and it becomes apparent that Cammy and I might end of with one more Disney day! So as we stood in our fast pass line, I start my calling with SW and see what the delay would do to our other flight from Houston to Dallas, and then Dallas to home. There were still no answers from SW as we were ushered into the Royal Chamber where the I had a bone to pick with a certain Snow Queen, named Elsa. Although to be honest, I would not be mad at her about the cold Orlando weather if I got one more day at Disney because of the cold weather at home!

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We had so much fun with Elsa and Anna! It was truly one of the best character experiences that I have had. We spent a good 10-15 minutes chatting about chocolate cupcakes and friends, taking pictures, and signing medals! They had a blast with the Flats. I must say that the CM playing Anna was just as you would imagine…she captured everything that Anna is! She was amazing! As we left, we knew that we did not have time for our 2 other FAST PASSES, so instead we went and took a few pictures with our medals in the rose garden while I continued to make calls to SW...

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As we left MK, I finally reached someone at SW...

 

[momabaarjo]

That cupcake looks pretty good. I have never done akershus but it looks like you guys had a great time there. That's nice that the CM caught you and you got a picture with aurora as well.

I like Akerhaus for the character interaction...probably wont eat there again unless I do PHM again...

Nice of the CM's to let you get in line with Aurora since she didn't make it to your table.

I wish we would not have waited around at the table for Aurora...we could have used those FP in MK!

Great pictures from Epcot! I really love how the characters are into taking pictures with the flats!
And it's so great that the CM got you a picture with Aurora!

Most of the characters and CM had a great time with the flats!

I HATE goodbyes!

ME TOO...but at least we have another trip in the works!
508 DAYS

 

[rteetz]

Looks like you had a fantastic time with Anna and Elsa. I haven't met them but I probably will eventually. Great photos with the castle as well.

 

[debrapagliasotti]

I know I told you back in Feb, but it really, really meant a lot to me that you brought us flats along. That was such an unexpected surprise & it made what could have been a sad, emotional weekend, quite the opposite. I looked forward each day to see where flat Kafi & I would end up next. Thank you, thank you, thank you for such a sweet gesture.

Glad you made it in time for Anna & Elsa, but sad you missed your other FP's.

November 2016 will be here before we know it...right?? Cant wait to have fun at WDW with the cupcakes (in non flat form!) Only 5 more months & you can start a PTR for that trip I think once that happens it will go by much faster...or at least that is the hope.

 

[SarahDisney]

The struggle to get to MK ... sounds like a mad house!!!
Having Anna and Elsa sign your medals is such a good idea! We had them sign our 5K bibs, which was cute, but medals is way cuter!
Although, Elsa looked at me like I was crazy when I wanted her to sign my bib ... maybe I saw her after you and she was expecting me to take out my medal for her to sign!

Also ... I'm a little sad that I did not end up in any of your MK pictures ... even though you were only there for a short while and I was probably in an entirely different part of the park. I was hoping we would have unknowingly crossed paths at some point ... I guess I'll just have to go back for Wine & Dine 2016 and hope to end up in the background of those pictures!

 

[momabaarjo]

No More, One More Disney Day
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As we left MK, I finally reached someone at SW and was assured that the other flights we had scheduled would still be operating (or at least they hoped they would be…Dallas was under an ice storm) and we would make our flights. Saddened by that news that we would not get one more Disney day when we arrived back at AKL, I simply had to get

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to console myself… as Cammy also had to drown her sorrows about no one more day at Disney with this…

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Our car service arrived right on time; we loaded and were whisked away to MCO before we even had a moment to look back!

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We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare (darn, should have used that other fast pass back in MK) and waited together in the main terminal.

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Andreah was the first to say good bye to and then Cammy and I said good bye to Amy (who was also headed to Houston, but on a different airline and a different airport). Cammy and I made our way through security via a unique way…they swapped our hands and we by passed the stripping, bag scan and body scan. Pretty cool…all that worry over Cammy’s gallon bag of medication and creams for nothing! As we made our way down the terminal we found…

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Amy T! Who for the entire day was either 1 step in front of us or behind us! It was so nice to finally meet up! We also ran into Megan and Edie as they were getting ready to board their flights. Cammy and I sat down at our gate for a few minutes and laughed at our “attire.” Elsa had cheated us out of too many days of wearing our sparkle skirts so we rebelled, knowing that Dallas was under an ice storm at the moment and we would arrive home to snow falling.

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SO THERE ELSA, the cold never bothered us anyway (at home that is, Orlando is a totally different story). As we sat down in our planes Kafi and Debra started acting up, trying to slip out and just stay in Orlando.

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Sorry girls, if we have to go home so do you! We arrived in Houston only to find that Elsa was starting to do her freeze there and our flight to Dallas was now delayed so much that we would miss our connecting flight home. Frantically, we found a reservation desk and lucky for us a great agent who booked us on flight that was leaving for Dallas RIGHT NOW and held the plane until we got there! We arrived in Dallas to an empty terminal 2 hours ahead of schedule as flights had been cancelled for most of the day. We headed to our gate to make sure that our flight was leaving and ran into...

 

[momabaarjo]

Looks like you had a fantastic time with Anna and Elsa. I haven't met them but I probably will eventually. Great photos with the castle as well.

We did have a great time with them...personally I like Anna the best!

I know I told you back in Feb, but it really, really meant a lot to me that you brought us flats along. That was such an unexpected surprise & it made what could have been a sad, emotional weekend, quite the opposite. I looked forward each day to see where flat Kafi & I would end up next. Thank you, thank you, thank you for such a sweet gesture.

Glad you made it in time for Anna & Elsa, but sad you missed your other FP's.

November 2016 will be here before we know it...right?? Cant wait to have fun at WDW with the cupcakes (in non flat form!) Only 5 more months & you can start a PTR for that trip I think once that happens it will go by much faster...or at least that is the hope.

I could not go on this trip without you in some way!

505 DAYS!

The struggle to get to MK ... sounds like a mad house!!!
Having Anna and Elsa sign your medals is such a good idea! We had them sign our 5K bibs, which was cute, but medals is way cuter!
Although, Elsa looked at me like I was crazy when I wanted her to sign my bib ... maybe I saw her after you and she was expecting me to take out my medal for her to sign!

I really wish I would have had the princesses sign my medals and not just the bib! I love that 5K medal even more with the signatures! I think Elsa looks at us all crazy...

Also ... I'm a little sad that I did not end up in any of your MK pictures ... even though you were only there for a short while and I was probably in an entirely different part of the park. I was hoping we would have unknowingly crossed paths at some point ... I guess I'll just have to go back for Wine & Dine 2016 and hope to end up in the background of those pictures!

I was so bad at taking pictures this trip...ugh! Hoping our paths will cross on another adventure!

 

[swwake]

this has been such a fun TR to read and follow. I'm sorry the race didn't go just as you wanted, but it sounds like it was overall a great trip, and from your current racing, I can tell it didn't deter you from halfs.

 

[rteetz]

I always hate the going home part of a trip. It looks like you had a great day though.

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Darn weather being uncooperative...sorry about no extra Disney day, but at least you didn't get stuck at some other airport along the way.

I'm sad your TR is over. Been so fun hearing more about the stories I heard about.

 

[SarahDisney]

Well, if you don't get another day at Disney, at least a Mickey Ice Cream bar is a decent consolation prize.

And I love that you're wearing your SparkleSkirts on the plane. Elsa definitely messed with the weather in Florida too much, so it's great that you got some revenge!

 

[momabaarjo]

Tidbits from Jeff Galloway’s Run School



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This past weekend I had the great pleasure of being able to attend one of Jeff Galloway’s 3 hour run schools where he goes over his method of Run-Walk-Run. It was an amazing opportunity and although I researched on my own and read his books, it was so nice to hear him talk about the method and then tailor the school according to meet the needs of everyone attending (which was about 20 of us). We even got the extra bonus of Jeff demonstrating and working with us through some of his drills.

Here is what I took away to remember…

1. You have to put yourself in control of your 2 parts of your brain…when your subconscious brain is trying to shut you down you have to work with your conscious brain and overcome it!

2. Walking-Walk portion is meant to allow your body to recover from the run. It should not be a speed walk pace but at a pace that allows you to recover. His latest research is showing that walking 30 seconds or less is most optimal, after 30 seconds you slow down too much with your pace. He has a new chart showing the tweaks to intervals.

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3. Long Runs-JUST GET THEM IN…there is NO PACE on them...REPEAT IT IS NOT ABOUT TIME DURING A LONG TRAINING RUN…even if you have to walk the entire distance JUST DO IT. The purpose of a long run is to develop endurance and get your body ready for the mileage during a race. You need to do long runs only every other week up to 16 miles. If you are training for distances longer than 16 miles then your long run only needs to be every 3 weeks. Your body remembers a run distance for 2 weeks.

4. Warm up-Remember no stretching before races, you do not want to loosen your muscles too much! Loosening your muscles is what causes energy…there is no research out there showing any benefit to stretching; in fact it is just the opposite. To warm up walk for 3-5 minutes before your race or your training session.

5. When training for a FULL marathon you need to train the entire 26 miles distance prior to doing the race. This will average you a time 15 minutes better than just training to 20 miles. If you will train to 29 miles it will give you an addition 11 minutes faster time on top of just training to 26 miles. Your body needs to know what a marathon feels like in order to be finishing on successfully. Same thing for a half marathon…this getting close to the distance on your longest training run is not enough if you are looking at time. WALK THE TRAINING IF YOU HAVE TOO! His biggest complaint about people and training is not training the distance…there is a big difference on your body between 10 to 13 miles and 20 to 26 miles.

6. Walk for 15 minutes after your race for faster recovery and avoid the hot tub for 24 hours. It is not necessary to take an ICE bath, you just need water 20 degrees colder than body temp…and most cold running out of tap is that.

7. You need to reload fuel wise after a race within minutes…300 calories for 4 to 13 miles (80% carb/20% protein) or your body will move into starvation mode for the next several days afterwards and make you HUNGRY. For less than 4 miles it is 100 calories.

8. During a race you need to drink water (2-4 oz.) every 2 miles and eat something 30-40 calories every 2 miles. He does not recommend Gatorade, gels or goos during a race. Your body is not sending blood to aid in digestion so it just sits there in your stomach not being used and that is what is causing issues for stomachs during and after races. Instead he recommends WATER and things like peppermints and sugar cubes that easily dissolve on contact with liquid.

Jeff is such an amazing, inspiring and personable man. He gave me the impression that he truly cared about everyone in the room and made us all feel like Olympians. He was funny, sweet and kind. He took the time to talk to each of us for 5-10 minutes alone (some even longer) and really got to know our run stories! I am so hooked that it is my goal now to attend one of his retreats next spring or as I am preparing for that silly idea of a marathon in 2018 the Cupcakes are thinking about!

I have to admit that I totally feel like a stalker and was star struck...this man has certainly changed my life!

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Sunday morning Jeff was running his #199 marathon and since I was doing the half and it started later I got to watch him start and moved around on the course to watch his first 3 miles! He used a 15 sec walk/22 sec run interval because he was worried about the altitude! He finished a little over 6 hours! Amazing! It was go great to watch him...I wish that I could seamlessly move between run-walk-run like him...he makes it look so easy and effortless!

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[momabaarjo]

Half #6 in 6 Months:
Estes Park Half
June 21, 2015

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Sunday I completed my 6th half marathon in 6 months in Estes Park, Colorado at the Estes Park Marathon. This was by far the most challenging of the 6 YTD because of the altitude and the course itself…the most beautiful scenery

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but a sure kick in the pants physically.

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At mile 2 a red fox crossed my path…

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At mile 3 I was sure wishing that this place was open…

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Miles 4-8 were pretty much up hill the entire way with beautiful views,

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but the highlight was a bull elk crossed about 100 feet in front of me and by the time I could get a picture this is what I could get…

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[momabaarjo]

At mile 9 I had to start texting in the reinforcements because I hit the wall and the alititude was kicking my hiney something bad…

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Cupcakes to the rescue with encouraging texts for the rest of the run! And at mile 10 ½ came the Stanley Hotel (made famous by Stephen King as the inspiration for The Shining)…

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Miles 11-12 were run beside Lake Estes and were all gradually up hill, it did not look so much like it but it certainly felt like it.

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When I made the last turn at 12.9 I was reduced completely to tears…

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Not because I was glad I was finished but the last hill was brutal and I honestly thought that I would not make it!

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My time was still faster than my 1st half, which is totally amazing considering my first half in January was flat! So I have come a long way in 6 months to being able to conquer hills and altitude and not only finish but to be faster!

The Estes Park Marathon was super well organized, water & food at EVERY MILE on the course (which was needed with the heat) and the volunteers were super along the way with encouragement and support!

 

[debrapagliasotti]

No stretching pre run?? I have never heard that. Then again, I am not great at stretching anyways...so I guess secretly I was doing it right lol.

I am glad you got the opportunity to do one of his run schools. I always thought it was interesting that many training plans have you go several miles short of the goal, but Galloway has you hit the race mileage.

Estes half looks gorgeous. Glad some of us cupcakes were able to get you through those last few miles of the race.

 

[SarahDisney]

So cool that you got to go to Jeff Galloway's run school! Definitely some interesting stuff there ... thanks for sharing!

Holy cow that's some pretty high altitude on that race!
Congrats on the finish! It's great to see that you've been able to improve your time since January and still go out there and do well despite the rough course!!

 

[rteetz]

That's really cool that you went to Galloway run school and got to meet him. Thanks for sharing that info.

Congrats on the finish!