Team 'Ohana--No One Left Behind: The Continuing Adventures

[Worfiedoodles]

Cynthia! Great to have a new cousin! I'm wavering on where we'll stay for marathon weekend. We've become very fond of POR, but we are going to be onsite longer this time since we're not moving to Uni after the marathon. With Dennis (my dh's) free Monday Park entry, we're going to just stay in place a couple more days before we go home. It kind of depends on whether my BIL also does the Half again. If he does, we'll probably just stay at POR since they're comfortable with that. If not, I may start to consider other options...we stayed at CSR two years ago, and we didn't like being so far from everything. It seemed to take forever to get anywhere on the bus system, so I know we won't be going back there.

JenB -- I know what you mean about needing a vacation. Lucky for me ds's last day of school was Friday, and camp doesn't start for 2 weeks...I'm off this Monday and Tuesday and next Monday and Tuesday with him. It's two extra long weekends, and I think it's just what the doctor (oh my, pardon the pun!) ordered!

Mel -- That cupcake looked like sin on a plate! Too Yummy! No Wine and Dine for me. I am being strictly rationed to one family vacation in August and marathon weekend. We're also planning a family trip to Phoenix next February (and I have a cruise to Bermuda in a mini suite in my back pocket for next August), so no extra trips to FL until I convince DH we can make all that happen.

Jackie -- I know what you mean about Princess, I was all set and had convinced DH we could afford for just me to do it, when they changed the weekend and now it's at the tail end of ds's February vacation, which means we'll be in Phoenix. Unless that falls through...

John -- I didn't realize you were a Mainer! I'm actually a transplant, but Dennis is from seacoast NH, and he has a sibling and cousin who live in Portland and Kittery, respectively. The cousin's husband is involved in the fishing industry. He worked on boats for years, but now he's in the admin part and finds that more of a headache, but much less harder physically.

Debra -- I'm taking ds to see Shrek Tuesday. I hope it will be worth the dollars. It seems there are so many not-so-great movies out for the tween set lately. Next week it's the Prince of Persia -- gotta keep him occupied!

Jeanne -- Sorry for the belated :hbday:! I hope it was awesome, and you are enjoying getting ready for your next adventure!

Jen -- I am so impressed! You with the Half and the infant! Just attempting that is more than I can imagine!

Richard -- You are such a good SIL! I know it is frustrating that you can't plan for all the things you want to do, and I admire you for selflessly putting your family first. I really hope I will get to meet you at marathon weekend this year -- I know I'm the one who didn't make any Meets last year, and I am determined to change that this year!

Corinna -- Ok, not strictly true! I did meet with Corinna and JenB and Butch quickly in the POR food court! Someone is looking pretty fabulous as she does her maintaing...and I think circumstances were just conspiring against you for not the best race ever -- as they sometimes do. But you always pick yourself up and go on, and that is the mark of an athlete!

Ok, back to me -- I started out last week great, than gradually went downhill. Today I ran 10M, and it felt pretty good. I plan to be very careful this next week with food and getting my workouts in, and see how I feel. I really have to work on the "if I don't have time for 6M, I might as well not run" mentality, as that is not helping me reach my goals.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Maria

 

[tiberius]

Richard -- You are such a good SIL! I know it is frustrating that you can't plan for all the things you want to do, and I admire you for selflessly putting your family first.

Maria, it sounds so much better when you describe it than when I think about it!...and I do hope to be able to see you there as well in January.

Last night I posted some old family photos and ignited a firestorm of comments from my brothers, cousins, etc... that had the effect of being an impromtu family reunion over several hours of comments and banter. It was a fun experience and next time we are planning to do it by design and not just by accident. Among other things some of us decided to set up a winter vaction in 2012, and I got them to agree to early January, so....while WDW Marathon 2011 may be in question, WDW Marathon 2012 seems to be going on the schedule...and I'll certainly have more cousins than I know what to do with there!

 

[corinnak]

Welcome Cynthia! Always great to meet a new cousin! Especially one with such compatible TV shows - every one you listed has been a favorite of either me, my DH or both of us!

We are also DVC members and have liked all the resorts we've stayed at. I like the size of the rooms, central location and the atmosphere at OKW, but we had a fantastic time staying at Kidani last fall and I think that's the new family favorite. And we had a bus stop construction view, of all things. I'm staying at AKV for marathon weekend this year - I chose it because....reportedly the post-race bus lines were shortest for that resort last year.

As for a 13 year old boy to Disney for the first time....I am thinking depending on the kid he should be able to have a great time. I have an 11 year old, but there's something at Disney for almost everyone - My boys like DHS- thrill rides, that stunt show, Indiana Jones. Epcot has some fun things too - the Kim Possible missions are pretty cool if he can get past the fact that they are Kim Possible.... We also love the new Velcro show and the Great Piggy Bank adventure in Innoventions West. Are you taking him to Universal as well? Those parks seem more built with teens in mind specifically.


Maria- You are so nice to say so. I'm feeling less crummy about my less than stellar race now. Mostly I wish I'd just slowed down and enjoyed the scenery more from the start instead of even thinking about time. That is my goal for my next 2 races - just enjoy the scenery and maybe have a time goal to come in OVER rather than under.

Enjoy your couple of days off, and remember that 2 or 3 miles can be a very good workout as well - sometimes it's not just about volume - but then you know that.

JenB- too bad things didn't work out for that race you were looking at but hopefully it is for the best - I don't remember the last word on Disneyland - you guys are still in for that, right? I have a couple of WISH roommates now and we're staying at the Desert Inn, for what that is worth.

Mel - There will be no Wine and Dine for me - I think I've said this before but it is the same weekend as the Twin Cities Marathon and 10 mile, and I'm planning either to get into the 10 mile with the lottery again OR do the 10K on Saturday and volunteer for the Marathon on Sunday. I've run Disney races in October before and I remember them being some of the sweatiest experiences of my entire life!

A tri in August in Florida sounds truly hardcore to me. Heck, a tri anywhere at any time sounds hardcore to me.

Jackie- I hope you can make it for 2011 - it would be fun to see you! Of course your other options sound fun as well.

Plus, Marine Corps is 10/31. I know I COULD do a half in early October, but for some reason I'm truly terrified of this marathon.

Hmmm. I am wondering if it is the Marine....the corps...or the Marathon that is the scariest part. Could be any of them, really! The combination just sounds...intimidating. I have heard it is a great race, but I think I would be very daunted as well!

Richard- It's always fun to look at old photos - how cool that you're planning a reunion! It can be a challenge to juggle family and WISH, but I know you have experience with that! Are some of your relatives runners as well?

John -


As for me- I am doing my best to recover from the Minneapolis Half. Early to bed, total lack of running, not pushing myself in spin class - that sort of thing. I feel a bit like a slug , but I am doing my best to give myself appropriate recovery time. Sometimes it is easy to forget that recovery can be even MORE important than the work out itself. It doesn't matter how well I tear myself down with working out - if I never give myself time to fully rebuild, I just end up...all torn down!

I know some of you saw it on facebook, but I'll post it here as well: I made the race recap video. It was about mile 5 and I saw a woman I've met at a few other races and follow her blog somewhat. She's lost 100 pounds and is just such a nice lady. I was so surprised when I saw her cheering, I ran up and gave her a sweaty hug. At the last race I was at, she said "I'm a hugger" so that is probably why I didn't give her a more dignified high 5. But THAT is why we made it into the video, I guess, so....cool!

I am at 2:17:

http://vimeo.com/12436820

Jim said there was another instance of WISHers, but I haven't been able to pick them out in this. It is tough with so many people wearing OUR team colors.

So, as I'm recovering...it's the first week of the YMCA Lazyman Triathlon. It lasts 5 weeks and you cover the distance of an ironman in that time. Hence the "lazy". Though so far, I must say, it doesn't feel like being lazy. They have some alternative activites that may make each part easier, depending. For instance, an hour of water exercise counts as a mile of swimming. An hour of step aerobics counts for 6 miles of running. And get this - you can do the biking on an elliptical....I don't get that, but whatever. The running is not a problem - I am already more than half done.

The swimming and biking, I just need to chip away at them, I think. 112 miles on a bike is a good chunk of time for me, and 2.5 miles of swimming....well. I just swam this morning for the first time in a long time - the last time I swam laps...I think I was in swimming lessons in 5th grade or so. I did half an hour this morning to see how it would go, and I managed to cover...half a mile. I guess that is the way it goes with the swimming. It does feel like a great full body workout, though. I'm hoping it will be good for my shoulders and back.

Next races for me: I'm still planning on the Charlevoix half marathon on June 26 and the Paul Revere 10 mile on the 4th. I'm going to do my best to just not care about time or pace for Charlevoix. Hopefully I'm not digging myself into a pit here.

 

[tiberius]

Hmmm. I am wondering if it is the Marine....the corps...or the Marathon that is the scariest part. Could be any of them, really!

Who says Marines have to be scary?

 

[corinnak]

Richard - great photo! Of course there are some very nice marines. My grandfather was actually a marine in WW2 - but you have to admit, Marines tend to be impressively hardcore, right? So a person could assume that any marathon Marines would claim as their own would be....suitably challenging, right?

 

[tiberius]

Richard - great photo! Of course there are some very nice marines. My grandfather was actually a marine in WW2 - but you have to admit, Marines tend to be impressively hardcore, right? So a person could assume that any marathon Marines would claim as their own would be....suitably challenging, right?

Though I have yet to run the Marine Marathon, it's not like they lay down machine gun fire or tear gas at mile 16, but your typical Marine ends up thinking there is nothing they can't do....explains a bit about my training and racing schedule...

In all serious, I do understand the apprehension, I've yet to start a marathon without being worried that I could finish it.

 

[WDWMarathonManiac]

Maria and Corinna - thanks so much for your DVC advice! I will get DH right on it! Picking a resort based on bus times is very smart. In 2002, we stayed at CB for the marathon. We went out to the bus stop and waited FOREVER! All of the buses were full by the time they got to our stop, so they would just pass us by. Everyone was in a complete state of panic. That experience kept us away from CB for about 5 years!

I don't think that we will be going to Universal, even though I would love to see the new Harry Potter section. There's just too much to do at WDW and not enough time, especially with out 13 yr. old as a first timer! I have only been to Universal once, and we very disappointed. The detailed theming of WDW just wasn't there, so I could never lose myself in the experience.

The Lazyman Tri sounds soooo cool! I'm going to talk to my local YMCA about it and see if they can do it! It's just about what I need to get me to marathon training season.

 

[princessbride6205]

I just have to share some Disney/Muppet geek moments with my team. Who else would be interested?

Last week I was out of town for a 5 day business trip to Anaheim. It was rough being 3 miles from DL and not being able to go! I got lucky and 2 work colleagues decided the three of us should go to the parks our last evening, after meetings. I can't tell you how excited I was! The best part was that one of the group has the VIP silver CM card and could get us all 1-day park hoppers free. We were only there a few hours, and 1 person didn't want to do rides. So we watched the Pixar Play parade and walked through the Blue Sky Cellar in DCA. We also watched the DL parade and Fantasmic. The Blue Sky Cellar is really cool - it has blueprints and models of the next 2 big attractions being built at that park: The Little Mermaid and Cars Land. My 2 colleagues don't really "get" the magic, which made the parks feel a little less magical for me, but I think I may have brought one of them a little closer to enjoying the park and Disney magic.

So I was in DCA on opening night of World of Color (Friday), but we didn't want to battle the crowds. I do wish I'd stepped into a shop to see if they had an opening day pin or something. Our VIP CM colleague thinks he can get us reserved seats at World of Color when we are back in Anaheim next week. Yes, one week at home between 2 week-long trips to LA!

Last week I got to go to DL and DCA for an evening, next week I have a meeting at Henson Studios in Hollywood, and hopefully I'll also get to go back to DCA and see World of Color! [Trying not to get over-excited about Henson, in case we don't get a tour, and not too bummed if we don't make it to WoC.]

My training is going okay despite my travel - I'm managing to get in a good number of workouts per week, just not as much actual running as I would like. Lots of walking, plus elliptical & strength training. Throwing in some jogging when I can. DH is super proud of himself, because he's now up to 4 miles of straight jogging. We're both really loving the Garmin!

Hope that everyone is well - and that I'll have a chance to catch up on this thread in the next day or so!

 

[jbucci]

I am so jealous of the Henson tour!!! I would love to be there, I'm a huge Henson geek. Have a great time!!!


Corinna: I hope things are calming down for you. Good work on getting through a tough race even though your time was not what you had hoped. Look at it this way: A few years ago that would have been an awesome time for you, so look at how far you've come!!!

Richard: I love the picture!!!

Gotta run to work now. I'm dreading tomorrow because I have a date with the dentist for a tooth extraction Wish me luck.

 

[FFigawi]

Gotta run to work now. I'm dreading tomorrow because I have a date with the dentist for a tooth extraction Wish me luck.

On the plus side, a tooth extraction generally means all the ice cream you want.

 

[WDWMarathonManiac]

O.K. teammates, I have a question for you. Every year when I run the WDW marathon, when I get to Japan in Epcot at the last part of the race, I am always tempted to wait and get some KakiGori Some years, I have even brought some money with me, but when I get there I am always super aware of the time and I don't stop. Anyone ever done this?

I have also been tempted to get onto EE in AK . . . but I chickened out .

Anyone ever take a race detour?

 

[FFigawi]

Not me. I planned on taking lots of pictures with the characters this year, but couldn't even bring myself to stand in the lines for that. Of course, the fact that the woman I met along the way and was running with didn't want to stop made the decision easier. We were having a great time and I didn't want to give that up. Maybe next year. Then again, if I was going to stop along the way, I'd rather it be for a beer in the English pub or a margarita at Mexico.

 

[tiberius]

I have also been tempted to get onto EE in AK . . . but I chickened out .

Anyone ever take a race detour?

I did this last January, got front of the line treatment so I really only lost a few minutes in the scheme of things (and what are a few minutes in a 6+ hour marathon?
I also had planned to buy a churro or ice cream as I finished up through Epcot, unfortunately those carts were closed at that time. I should have gone with the funnel cake when I had the chance.

Jen - Thanks! That photo goes a ways back though as I am 20 at that time and finishing up training at the Military Working Dog School, so that was my official class photo. Good luck with the extraction!!

 

[WDWMarathonManiac]

Wow! I can't believe that you did it! You are my hero! Everyone in line let you go ahead of them?

 

[tiberius]

Wow! I can't believe that you did it! You are my hero! Everyone in line let you go ahead of them?

The attendant to was trying to get runners in took me to the front and put me up for the first available single seat. Since the day was so cold there weren't that many people in line anyway.

 

[princessbride6205]

That's so cool, Richard! I would totally do that if I could get to the front of the line.

 

[tiberius]

That's so cool, Richard! I would totally do that if I could get to the front of the line.

If I can make the trip again next January, my goal is two rides and a churro or other snack along the way--I gotta have goals right?

 

[MouseDogMom]

Then again, if I was going to stop along the way, I'd rather it be for a beer in the English pub or a margarita at Mexico.

I know someone who tried that - apparently the cast members have instructions not to serve alcohol to anyone wearing a bib. Go figure! (So if you're going to try, take the bib off first!) I've always thought the margarita would be a really nice diversion when I got to Mexico.

Maybe next time I'll try the EE diversion. I've heard of a couple of people who've done it. I think the cast members must be used to it by now! I know I had a lot more fun during my first Disney full when I took my time and took lots of pictures than I did last year when I was trying for a better time.

Corinna - I love the idea of the Lazyman Triathlon. I think even I could be up for that!

Richard - GREAT picture. Not scary at all. I'll have to keep that image with me for 26.2 miles in October. The dog wouldn't hurt either for a companion! I'm looking for all the help I can get.

Jackie

 

[WDWMarathonManiac]

O.K., I'm in for a marathon detour this year! Anyone want to join me?

 

[tiberius]

O.K., I'm in for a marathon detour this year! Anyone want to join me?

I am such a bad influence...I am in!