A Pink Pixie Princess - Complete!

[pxefig]

You people need to stop talking about this race!!!!

Till you shout, "Enough I'm done!"

 

[SarahDisney]

Yay Wine & Dine registration!
I was out of the house when registration opened but checked the thread on my way home (I tend to be on the DIS on the subway a lot) ... sounds like it was pretty crazy. I hope you can get Mr. A in next week!

 

[Dis5150]

Yay for registration! I am stressing over doing the Goofy registration next month. I stress for all of them lol! Since you only have to do Mr. A for the 10k I'll bet you will have no issues. Nice to have all your stuff out of the way though!

I've been reading and not commenting lately - sorry. Congrats on all of your running! I laugh when I read about you wanting to get faster and that you feel slow. Your "slow" times are faster than my fastest running times!

 

[Ariel484]

Woohoo! I watched the wine and dine thread too. I will also live vicariously through all of you.

I totally do the registration watching too, even if I'm not registering. I think a lot of us do!

Please, if the in training gear is cute, I'm totally buying it! I don't care that I'm not doing the race. Just think that buying the overprices gear gets you in training for paying runDisney prices!

Sadly enough...that is so true!!

Till you shout, "Enough I'm done!"

I see what you did there!

Yay Wine & Dine registration!
I was out of the house when registration opened but checked the thread on my way home (I tend to be on the DIS on the subway a lot) ... sounds like it was pretty crazy. I hope you can get Mr. A in next week!

Woohoooooo!

It WAS pretty crazy - I don't think I realized how crazy it was until I got done with my challenge registration and realized that the challenge and 10K were on hold. Nutso!!

I hope I can get him in too. I'm nervous but I think as long as I can remember his Active password, we'll be good. Eek!!

Yay for registration! I am stressing over doing the Goofy registration next month. I stress for all of them lol! Since you only have to do Mr. A for the 10k I'll bet you will have no issues. Nice to have all your stuff out of the way though!

I THINK Goofy will be okay - it seems like a lot of people that would have done Goofy in the past blow right past it to Dopey - even on Goofy's 10-year anniversary it sold so slowly that they had to split up the remaining entries into half marathon and marathon entries. Are you doing just your registration or do you also have to do your daughter's registration that day?

I hope you're right!! 2 down, 1 to go (probably the toughest one to get )

I've been reading and not commenting lately - sorry. Congrats on all of your running! I laugh when I read about you wanting to get faster and that you feel slow. Your "slow" times are faster than my fastest running times!

UGH - I'm sorry!! I am trying to be sensitive of that and not use the word "slow," because I know it's all relative for other runners. I guess it slips through every once in awhile. It's just amazing (not really in a good way) to think about where I was a year ago compared to now...yet on the other hand, amazing to think where I was a month ago compared to now (in a GREAT way), if that makes sense. I really need to focus on the second comparison and less so on the first.

I am the QUEEN of reading and not commenting, so no worries on that one!

 

[Dis5150]

Are you doing just your registration or do you also have to do your daughter's registration that day?

I will be doing it for both of us. She will most likely be working (she is a baker)and she is lucky if she gets 3 minutes to go to the bathroom, let alone register for something lol!

UGH - I'm sorry!! I am trying to be sensitive of that and not use the word "slow," because I know it's all relative for other runners. I guess it slips through every once in awhile. It's just amazing (not really in a good way) to think about where I was a year ago compared to now...yet on the other hand, amazing to think where I was a month ago compared to now (in a GREAT way), if that makes sense. I really need to focus on the second comparison and less so on the first.

Totally fine, I wasn't trying to make you feel bad, honest! You are right, it is all relative. I try not to compare myself to others because my time is awesome FOR ME, lol! And I am great with that! I totally understand what you are saying.

 

[roxymama]

Crazy leggings addiction continues

Doh, I meant to post that on my journal. Oh well, feels appropriate here too

 

[Ariel484]

I will be doing it for both of us. She will most likely be working (she is a baker)and she is lucky if she gets 3 minutes to go to the bathroom, let alone register for something lol!

That's nice of you! Your daughter's schedule sounds like my husband's (part of the reason I'm registering him).

Totally fine, I wasn't trying to make you feel bad, honest! You are right, it is all relative. I try not to compare myself to others because my time is awesome FOR ME, lol! And I am great with that! I totally understand what you are saying.

okay, good. I get touchy about that so I am trying to be sensitive to others and I hated to think I wasn't doing that!

Crazy leggings addiction continues View attachment 158228

Doh, I meant to post that on my journal. Oh well, feels appropriate here too

Um, it TOTALLY is!! you have great taste, I love those! They look awesome with those boots!!

 

[Ariel484]

@ohMom @Tiger Lily 03 please move this thread to the Training Journal section of the runDisney forum. Thanks!!

 

[Ariel484]

Thanks @ohMom!

 

[ohMom]

Very welcome!

 

[Sailormoon2]

Joining to see how your training/healing progresses!!! Hoping to get into Lumiere's challenge on Tuesday too, congrats that your spot is secure, and best of luck on DHs 10K.

 

[Ariel484]

Joining to see how your training/healing progresses!!! Hoping to get into Lumiere's challenge on Tuesday too, congrats that your spot is secure, and best of luck on DHs 10K.

Thanks and hey! GOOD LUCK on Tuesday!! I think I'll be okay to get Mr. A in, I just need to remember to do it! I've got alarms set and everything...

 

[Ariel484]

Tinker Bell 15K Training - Week 3
Monday, March 21 - Sunday, March 27, 2016
8.5 miles completed!!!

Monday, March 21 (Lifting)

So normally I don't have much of an update on lifting days, but today was actually a really good one. I thought my legs felt much stronger today, and I didn't feel nearly as much stiffness in my upper ankle/lower calf today, which was SO awesome. It's the most normal I've felt in weeks, and I am in such a better mood because of it! I just feel a lot stronger lately (which is funny coming on the heels of my up-and-down run on Saturday). Hopefully that stronger feeling will continue to translate to running soon!

Also, this arrived today - the standing desk!

Up (standing position)

Down (while sitting)

It's definitely been an adjustment, just because I'm used to sitting all day and I've had the same set-up here at my desk since, like, 2009. I've had to focus on standing up straight (as opposed to leaning to one side or another, or putting all of my weight on one leg or another) and on getting the height to the right spot so that I don't get carpal tunnel syndrome or something...but I'm hoping that it'll be a good change for me overall!

Tuesday, March 22 (2.5-mile run)

Really good run today! I felt little if any pain in my upper ankle/lower calf area (man, how many times have I written "upper ankle/lower calf" or some version of that over the last almost 3 months?? ), and I felt pretty strong for most of the run (the last 0.5 miles or so got a little tough).

1:45/1:00 was the plan again today - all run intervals done at 5.7MPH (10:30/mile pace). Total time was 30:44, 12:17/mile pace. It's possible I'm jinxing myself by saying so, but I feel like I'm really turning a corner this week. Woohoo!!

AND NOW...A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT THAT I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR WITH BATED BREATH*...

...I have selected my Tink 10K outfit (I think). But it's confidential right now (it's been ordered but has not been publicly released yet - currently is being produced, I guess), so I'll post it soon...but I will say that it is NOT in any way Tink-related. It IS cute though (in my opinion).

I am 99% sure said outfit is what I'll wear for the 10K, but I had another thought - I just received my February Club INKnBURN item (shorts...I'm obsessed with the shorts now!)...so I was thinking that since this is my first race weekend as an Ambassador, maybe I could wear my Club gear?

I ran in this potential outfit today and really liked it. Excuse the "just rolled out of bed" look...makeup makes a sadly big difference:

Yet another option is the Club shorts with the March Club item - the Redline Singlet done in Keith Haring-inspired art. I've ordered this but don't have it yet.

So my clubbin' outfit is option 1...option 2 is the sleeveless clubbin' outfit. Option 3 (which I think I'm leaning more toward? I become less and less sure the more I think about it because I like all 3 options so much) will be revealed at a later date! OH NO, A TEASER!

*heavy sarcasm

ALSO...I've already mentioned it...Wine & Dine registration was (finally) today! I am IN for the 5K and Lumiere’s Two-Course Challenge! Random aside - I've done a decent number of runDisney races, but this will be my first-ever inaugural event with them. I hope everything goes smoothly...the only other inaugural race I've done was a local 5K where I trained specifically to set a new PR, and the course measured at, like, 2.83 miles. Not impressed.

Anyway...as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I freaked myself out over registering Mr. A, so I'll have to do that next week. Though, really...I was fumbling around on my phone and was so nervous that everything would fill immediately (turned out to be right about that! ) that I'm not sure I could have had my wits about me enough to get us both registered simultaneously - which is what I would have had to have done, because by the time my challenge registration was done, the 10K was on hold and never came back off. But I was able to get both of my registrations done, so now I just need the 10K next week.

AND LASTLY...today was online check-in day for my and Mr. A's summer cruise! We originally had a 7-night Eastern Caribbean booked on the Fantasy, but after our long California trip, we decided we didn’t want to be away from the dog again for that long, so we downgraded to a 4-night Dream cruise. That's right, the dog dictates our vacation plans (there were other factors too, but I'm not gonna lie...the monster was the biggest thing!).

So we're checked in with our Port Arrival Time chosen and 2 Palo meals booked (1 brunch, 1 dinner). And I'll be sweating it out on Castaway Cay yet again during the Castaway Cay 5K (Mr. A was a 1-and-done on that one!). I HATE that race, but they did change the medallion this year…

Wednesday, March 23 (Lifting)
Not as good as Monday's lifting session, but still pretty good. I listened to the Magical Express Loop while I lifted...always a great start to the day.

VENT: runDisney released the Dark Side waivers and corrals today, but still no information on deferrals for that race weekend. This is making me even more concerned that deferrals are just going away entirely, which means I’m out $300+ for my Pixie Dust Challenge bib. UGH!

Something I've been thinking about a lot lately...my "good" proof of time races are officially "too old" to use. I have a less-good one that I'm just going to have to live with for Wine & Dine, but beyond that, I want a new, better time to use, so I was researching local races today and found a 10-miler in August that could work. Provided that race is still happening (information isn't updated for 2016 yet). This is definitely a sign that I'm feeling better, because getting a good time means I need to get faster, and that means I'll need to start up some speedwork after Tink. And speedwork seemed completely undoable to me a few weeks ago, but now, I think I'll be ready once Tink weekend is over.

Also...Happy National Puppy Day! Behold the monster at 6 months old...I think we'd had him for a week or so. Blurry, but you get the idea.

Thursday, March 24 (2-mile run)
Hellooooooo

I just want you all to know that it's possible that I will be famous very soon.

I think I have mentioned that I work in a hospital - today, the head "wellness" guy was putzing around the cardio room asking people questions about health and wellness as part of some video in collaboration with a national magazine (would rather not say the magazine because I'd rather not say where I work. ). He didn't interview me (which I was pleased about - it was early, and I was sweaty and had no makeup on...and I really didn't feel like getting my run interrupted. I feel like that's rec center etiquette or something - don't interrupt someone on the treadmill unless it's an emergency!), but it's possible I'll be in the background grinding it out on the treadmill since he did interview the person next to me. Here's hoping I look like a bada** gazelle and not like I'm gasping for air the entire time! So yeah...if I'm in that video, you can say you knew me back when! No pictures, please...I'm just trying to live my life.

Anyhoo...today I decided to up my running intervals to 2 minutes, and it went really well. My pace for the run intervals was 10:30/mile and I kept the walk breaks at 1:00 (1:00 walk breaks seem to be the sweet spot for me...I've tried shorter ones in the past and my body just DID NOT like that. Maybe I'll fool around with that more in the future, but for now, 1:00 seems good). Total time for this run was 24:17, 12:09/mile pace. Yay!!

Noteable (or not?) - with this run, I have finally made it to 50 total miles for the year. No one can accuse me of being anything but slow and steady when it comes to building the mileage back up. Oh, life.

And I wore my Ryu skirt for the first time today...the shorts didn't stay in place perfectly at first, but once I was sweating a little more, they didn't budge. It was pretty comfortable...the fabric is a lot lighter than what SparkleSkirts uses, so I think the skirts will be awesome for warmer summer runs.

Headless!

Tonight was Archie's annual check-up, and he was due to get shots. I'm not sure who was more upset about that, him or me and Mr. A. Poor little man!! But he got an overall thumbs up from the vet, so that's all that matters.

ALSO...I paid off my Tink hotel reservation, so that's all done. Just a little over a month left!!

After I did that, I called runDisney again to ask about Tink deferrals. The woman I talked to said that Tink WILL have deferrals, but that they didn't do them for Star Wars. Sooo...what does this mean?! The woman didn't know what she was talking about and deferrals have just gone away?? Star Wars Dark Side weekend is going away, but deferrals are not, and I'll still get to defer PDC?? Who knows. Personally I'm hoping for option #2, because obviously that means I get to defer...but also, I don't think runDisney needs 2 Star Wars race weekends. Change the WDW Star Wars race weekend to a Pixar race weekend and take all of my money, runDisney...please and thanks.

Friday, March 25 (Lifting + Yoga)
Nothing notable for today as far as lifting and yoga, both were fine. The main thing for today: Mr. A's birthday!! So thankful for him.

Saturday, March 26 (4-mile run)
Great run today!

I stuck to my run 2/walk 1 intervals and had my fastest post-injury pace. It was tough at times, but mostly it felt really good.

I'm thinking more and more about my local half marathon that I am signed up for the weekend after Tink...not to do the half, but to transfer to the 10K. Originally I was hoping to use this race (or the 10-miler I'm signed up for in April that I'm not going to do ) as a new Proof of Time for runDisney, but I wonder how much faster I can realistically get between then and now? We'll see. The transfer option is open until April 1, so I have about a week to decide.

Also...INKnBURN put out pants. I LOVE their pants - favorite thing they make. I never wear regular jeans anymore.

They also put out a new tech shirt. Mine shipped but hasn't actually left the post office yet...GRRR.

Sunday, March 27 (Rest)
Happy Easter! Plans are to head to my uncle's house for dinner.

But I need to mention...I found this awesome (free) app (on the recommendation of someone from the INKnBURN fan Facebook group) and it may be my favorite thing ever. It's called Stuff and Style and you basically upload pieces of your wardrobe, and then they are all laid out right there for you to make outfits! You can add hashtags and things to make it easier to search for stuff. So I've spent my weekend searching for pictures of my INKnBURN pieces and am going to use the app to try out outfits (the Club outfit with the singlet is one I made in the app). It's been a huge time-suck but also really fun. Because this sort of thing is fun to me.

Continued in Next Post

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Random aside - I've done a decent number of runDisney races, but this will be my first-ever inaugural event with them. I hope everything goes smoothly...the only other inaugural race I've done was a local 5K where I trained specifically to set a new PR, and the course measured at, like, 2.83 miles. Not impressed.

I totally get what you're saying, but they have been putting on a number of race weekends for years now, so hopefully, they've figured out the kinks and such. Especially since they seem to be recycling courses and race weekend schedules. I will tell you that I ran the inaugural Star Wars at DL last year (and upcoming inaugural Dark Side, will report back) and IMHO it went off without a hitch. It couldn't have been a better race experience, AND it was my first race and trip to DL after being a WDW AP holder since (cough cough) the late 90s. Point being, I'm going to remain optimistic because I think a lot more could go wrong in Anaheim just because most of the half course is off DL property. WDW seems to have at least some control over what happens on property there (barring weather, because you know, W&D 2014 and 2015 - speaking of which, congrats on registration! And I'm also excited about the Two Course Challenge! ).

I think I have mentioned that I work in a hospital - today, the head "wellness" guy was putzing around the cardio room asking people questions about health and wellness as part of some video in collaboration with a national magazine (would rather not say the magazine because I'd rather not say where I work. ). He didn't interview me (which I was pleased about - it was early, and I was sweaty and had no makeup on...and I really didn't feel like getting my run interrupted. I feel like that's rec center etiquette or something - don't interrupt someone on the treadmill unless it's an emergency!), but it's possible I'll be in the background grinding it out on the treadmill since he did interview the person next to me. Here's hoping I look like a bada** gazelle and not like I'm gasping for air the entire time! So yeah...if I'm in that video, you can say you knew me back when! No pictures, please...I'm just trying to live my life.

Oh no, never interrupt someone deep into their workout! But I have every confidence that you DO look like a bada** gazelle. No worries there!

I'm so happy for you that things are progressing so well on the workout/running front. Yay!

 

[lovingeire]

I've done a decent number of runDisney races, but this will be my first-ever inaugural event with them.

I'm very excited to do an inaugural event as well. Just need my BRF to get registered since she's not AP. But it should make for some fun bling. If we do this challenge every year will we be "legacy" like the perfect princess thing?

 

[Ariel484]

I totally get what you're saying, but they have been putting on a number of race weekends for years now, so hopefully, they've figured out the kinks and such. Especially since they seem to be recycling courses and race weekend schedules. I will tell you that I ran the inaugural Star Wars at DL last year (and upcoming inaugural Dark Side, will report back) and IMHO it went off without a hitch. It couldn't have been a better race experience, AND it was my first race and trip to DL after being a WDW AP holder since (cough cough) the late 90s. Point being, I'm going to remain optimistic because I think a lot more could go wrong in Anaheim just because most of the half course is off DL property. WDW seems to have at least some control over what happens on property there (barring weather, because you know, W&D 2014 and 2015 - speaking of which, congrats on registration! And I'm also excited about the Two Course Challenge! ).

That's true. You know what I was thinking of? The first-ever Wine & Dine half - I remember reading about that one after it happened and it sounded like a total disaster (although really, the more I think about that, the more I remember hearing that bag check and changing in the race tents were bad - so the race itself was fine? and of course now I wonder if I'm getting that one mixed up with the ToT 10-miler). There are lots of new things they are doing for this weekend, but it's new for the weekend only, not new for runDisney. You're totally right about that.

Are you in too?! Yay!! Congrats! I'm excited too!

Oh no, never interrupt someone deep into their workout! But I have every confidence that you DO look like a bada** gazelle. No worries there!

Right?! The person he interrupted had headphones on and was looking at the TV, so she was definitely surprised. I'm glad it wasn't me!

I hope I looked like a bada** gazelle and not a sloth!

I'm so happy for you that things are progressing so well on the workout/running front. Yay!

Thanks!! Me too!

I'm very excited to do an inaugural event as well. Just need my BRF to get registered since she's not AP. But it should make for some fun bling. If we do this challenge every year will we be "legacy" like the perfect princess thing?

I'm with you, I need my husband to get in for the 10K!

You're right, I guess we would be legacy if we did it every year! That's something I hadn't thought about... Perfect Lumieres? Surely they will come up with something more clever than that!

 

[garneska]

Shannon, I love those pants, but never bought inknburn. Question how long are they? I am on the tall side at 5'8" and most of that is legs. I need around a 33 inch inseam. I can sometimes get by with 32. I did not notice on the site anything about the length. Also in terms of size, do I go with my normal pant size?

Still love your dog he is adorable.

 

[pxefig]

Anyway...as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I freaked myself out over registering Mr. A, so I'll have to do that next week. Though, really...I was fumbling around on my phone and was so nervous that everything would fill immediately (turned out to be right about that! ) that I'm not sure I could have had my wits about me enough to get us both registered simultaneously - which is what I would have had to have done, because by the time my challenge registration was done, the 10K was on hold and never came back off. But I was able to get both of my registrations done, so now I just need the 10K next week.


After I did that, I called runDisney again to ask about Tink deferrals. The woman I talked to said that Tink WILL have deferrals, but that they didn't do them for Star Wars. Sooo...what does this mean?! The woman didn't know what she was talking about and deferrals have just gone away?? Star Wars Dark Side weekend is going away, but deferrals are not, and I'll still get to defer PDC?? Who knows. Personally I'm hoping for option #2, because obviously that means I get to defer...but also, I don't think runDisney needs 2 Star Wars race weekends. Change the WDW Star Wars race weekend to a Pixar race weekend and take all of my money, runDisney...please and thanks.



I'm thinking more and more about my local half marathon that I am signed up for the weekend after Tink...not to do the half, but to transfer to the 10K. Originally I was hoping to use this race (or the 10-miler I'm signed up for in April that I'm not going to do ) as a new Proof of Time for runDisney, but I wonder how much faster I can realistically get between then and now? We'll see. The transfer option is open until April 1, so I have about a week to decide.


They also put out a new tech shirt. Mine shipped but hasn't actually left the post office yet...GRRR.

But I need to mention...I found this awesome (free) app (on the recommendation of someone from the INKnBURN fan Facebook group) and it may be my favorite thing ever. It's called Stuff and Style and you basically upload pieces of your wardrobe, and then they are all laid out right there for you to make outfits! You can add hashtags and things to make it easier to search for stuff. So I've spent my weekend searching for pictures of my INKnBURN pieces and am going to use the app to try out outfits (the Club outfit with the singlet is one I made in the app). It's been a huge time-suck but also really fun. Because this sort of thing is fun to me.

That app sounds like something you were just wishing existed ...
Maybe it's better that you freaked yourself out over Mr. A. It sounds like you wouldn't have gotten him in anyway and then you'd be feeling guilty about getting yourself set up and either way the conclusion is the same- trying to get him for general registration. At least most of the heavy lifting is done for you registration wise.
The deferrals are getting frustrating. It's like when they tried to change the bib pick up policy after registration had opened for the Disneyland half- people rightfully so were throwing fits because when they registered it was stated someone else could get their bib. At least runDisney did the right thing that time and changed the rule to have it apply to the races that the registration hadn't opened yet, but jeez, it just seems like along history of just not caring about customer service in a company that wants to be known for their high standards. Same with these deferrals- seems like if they aren't going to offer them, it should first be straight up stated as a change in policy and applied to races registration hasn't opened for yet. You are a great example. If you had known 100% that you wouldn't be able to defer PDC you would have kept the bib and just run the 10k instead of paying more money for a new 10k. And they STILL aren't giving clear answers about it. Ugh.
And GROOT! Love the new inknburn!

 

[Ariel484]

Shannon, I love those pants, but never bought inknburn. Question how long are they? I am on the tall side at 5'8" and most of that is legs. I need around a 33 inch inseam. I can sometimes get by with 32. I did not notice on the site anything about the length. Also in terms of size, do I go with my normal pant size?

They're pretty long! Here's a link to their size chart: http://www.inknburn.com/size-chart/

I can do my regular pant size or 1 size down, but definitely consult the size chart.

Still love your dog he is adorable.

Thank you!! I think so too!

That app sounds like something you were just wishing existed ...

It's seriously perfect. You're right, exactly what I was wishing for just last week!

Maybe it's better that you freaked yourself out over Mr. A. It sounds like you wouldn't have gotten him in anyway and then you'd be feeling guilty about getting yourself set up and either way the conclusion is the same- trying to get him for general registration. At least most of the heavy lifting is done for you registration wise.

Exactly. I really think I would have had to have gotten a second person to do it inside of me doing both. Just wouldn't have been possible. As long as I remember to do it I think we'll be good!!

The deferrals are getting frustrating. It's like when they tried to change the bib pick up policy after registration had opened for the Disneyland half- people rightfully so were throwing fits because when they registered it was stated someone else could get their bib. At least runDisney did the right thing that time and changed the rule to have it apply to the races that the registration hadn't opened yet, but jeez, it just seems like along history of just not caring about customer service in a company that wants to be known for their high standards. Same with these deferrals- seems like if they aren't going to offer them, it should first be straight up stated as a change in policy and applied to races registration hasn't opened for yet. You are a great example. If you had known 100% that you wouldn't be able to defer PDC you would have kept the bib and just run the 10k instead of paying more money for a new 10k. And they STILL aren't giving clear answers about it. Ugh.

RIGHT?! Seriously, I bought that freaking 10K bib and then 2 days later or whatever I start hearing rumors that deferrals are going away...UGH!!

I totally agree that an official announcement would be nice. And agree about their customer service sliding. I emailed them and got no response, then called and got a response I don't trust because I've heard so many conflicting things from others...for the amount of money I've spent, it's frustrating.

And GROOT! Love the new inknburn!

That was the reaction of basically everyone when the unveiled the design!! Should be great for Disney races.

 

[SarahDisney]

So normally I don't have much of an update on lifting days, but today was actually a really good one. I thought my legs felt much stronger today, and I didn't feel nearly as much stiffness in my upper ankle/lower calf today, which was SO awesome. It's the most normal I've felt in weeks, and I am in such a better mood because of it! I just feel a lot stronger lately (which is funny coming on the heels of my up-and-down run on Saturday). Hopefully that stronger feeling will continue to translate to running soon!

Yay for feeling good when lifting ... that's definitely a sign that you're making great progress!

AND NOW...A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT THAT I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR WITH BATED BREATH*...

...I have selected my Tink 10K outfit (I think).

YES! I was waiting for this! (Because I have no interests other than other people's clothing choices)

But it's confidential right now (it's been ordered but has not been publicly released yet - currently is being produced, I guess), so I'll post it soon...but I will say that it is NOT in any way Tink-related. It IS cute though (in my opinion).

What? You give us exciting news like that and then nothing? Not cool, Shannon, not cool!

So my clubbin' outfit is option 1...option 2 is the sleeveless clubbin' outfit. Option 3 (which I think I'm leaning more toward? I become less and less sure the more I think about it because I like all 3 options so much) will be revealed at a later date! OH NO, A TEASER!

So many options! Thankfully, you still have a month or so to decide

AND LASTLY...today was online check-in day for my and Mr. A's summer cruise! We originally had a 7-night Eastern Caribbean booked on the Fantasy, but after our long California trip, we decided we didn’t want to be away from the dog again for that long, so we downgraded to a 4-night Dream cruise. That's right, the dog dictates our vacation plans (there were other factors too, but I'm not gonna lie...the monster was the biggest thing!).

Yay for check-in day!

So we're checked in with our Port Arrival Time chosen and 2 Palo meals booked (1 brunch, 1 dinner). And I'll be sweating it out on Castaway Cay yet again during the Castaway Cay 5K (Mr. A was a 1-and-done on that one!). I HATE that race, but they did change the medallion this year…

Okay, I'm going to confess something here: 75% of the reason why I want to go on a Disney cruise is for the Castaway Cay 5K. Even though I've heard people complain about it. I want to do it. So badly.
But ... no cruises for me. At least not for the foreseeable future (no Disney for me for the foreseeable future either, but that's a different issue entirely).

Something I've been thinking about a lot lately...my "good" proof of time races are officially "too old" to use. I have a less-good one that I'm just going to have to live with for Wine & Dine, but beyond that, I want a new, better time to use, so I was researching local races today and found a 10-miler in August that could work. Provided that race is still happening (information isn't updated for 2016 yet). This is definitely a sign that I'm feeling better, because getting a good time means I need to get faster, and that means I'll need to start up some speedwork after Tink. And speedwork seemed completely undoable to me a few weeks ago, but now, I think I'll be ready once Tink weekend is over.

It's awesome that you're feeling good enough to think about speedwork after Tink. I hope you can do the 10-mile race and get an awesome time!

I just want you all to know that it's possible that I will be famous very soon.

I think I have mentioned that I work in a hospital - today, the head "wellness" guy was putzing around the cardio room asking people questions about health and wellness as part of some video in collaboration with a national magazine (would rather not say the magazine because I'd rather not say where I work. ). He didn't interview me (which I was pleased about - it was early, and I was sweaty and had no makeup on...and I really didn't feel like getting my run interrupted. I feel like that's rec center etiquette or something - don't interrupt someone on the treadmill unless it's an emergency!), but it's possible I'll be in the background grinding it out on the treadmill since he did interview the person next to me. Here's hoping I look like a bada** gazelle and not like I'm gasping for air the entire time! So yeah...if I'm in that video, you can say you knew me back when! No pictures, please...I'm just trying to live my life.

If I happen to see a magazine with video from the cardio room of a hospital in the Cleveland area and I see you in the background, I'll make sure to tell everyone that I knew you before you were famous!

Change the WDW Star Wars race weekend to a Pixar race weekend and take all of my money, runDisney...please and thanks.

Don't say that. I will never have the money to get legacy status for any race, and I can't not run a Pixar race every single year until I drop dead.
I'm really trying to save my bank account for a potential Harry Potter race at Universal (not that I think they'd ever do that). I don't need to be spending it on a Pixar race.

The main thing for today: Mr. A's birthday!! So thankful for him.

Happy birthday Mr. A! I hope you guys did something fun to celebrate!

But I need to mention...I found this awesome (free) app (on the recommendation of someone from the INKnBURN fan Facebook group) and it may be my favorite thing ever. It's called Stuff and Style and you basically upload pieces of your wardrobe, and then they are all laid out right there for you to make outfits! You can add hashtags and things to make it easier to search for stuff. So I've spent my weekend searching for pictures of my INKnBURN pieces and am going to use the app to try out outfits (the Club outfit with the singlet is one I made in the app). It's been a huge time-suck but also really fun. Because this sort of thing is fun to me.

It's like Clueless, but in real life.
I've been trying to do this pretty much since I got my first computer. It never goes beyond saying that I should do it, but I'm glad someone out there has.
Now if only the app was available for Android ...