Hi everyone! I'm back & trying to catch up with everything & everyone. I had a great time, and there are only two things I could have wished for: a sunny weekend and that all of you were there having a great time with me!
Dave: You are always so generous with yourself--time, knowledge, spirit--and your compliments. You make all of us feel so good, and you are the embodiment of WISH! I'm very glad to hear you had some great WOs over the weekend.
Lisa: Yay for your great run on Friday and for your incredible 1/2 marathon! You and Jeanne just had great events (at least in terms of performance). And even more yay! for ToT. That means I'll get to meet you, too, and celebrate your birthday with you! Your DH rocks.
And you and your exam are at the top of my thoughts right now. I know how scary such things can be, and am so proud of you for taking such good care of yourself. Not only with running or nutrition or being fastidious about medical check-ups. It's very important that you have a support system & are able to talk about your concerns. I'm so glad you realize you have us as part of your larger network, and know that we love you.
Connie: I think you're doing a fabulous job with everything in regards to your weight loss, especially in balancing your body's needs as an athlete with your goals. I love your description of yourself on long training days. I think you're like a Boy Scout--prepared for anything.
Tracey: I'm gonna be a wimp today.
I just love the quote--I think I'll add it to my rotation of "man up" phrases. And
for your DS's incredible race! You
should be very proud. Not to mention yay for your great Sunday run!
Beth: What great 5-milers you've had, with sub-11 mpm. And then to do it again with your trail run! Do try to get your meals in, though! And don't worry about a cookie or two, so long as you're eating well otherwise. (I worry about your long days without enough food.)
Liz: I'm happy to hear that you're feeling better about everything & that you're reenergized & feeling positive about the Minnie. We know you can do it, as your Sunday 5.6 mile walk shows!
And ITA about how helpful everyone here is. I am still amazed, sometimes, when I think about it, especially in light of other forums I've been a member of.
Mike: It sounds like you're managing the work/training schedule pretty well despite everything. And I think you should just pencil in your recovery naps. DOOD & I swear by them. And I love your statement about judging progress by how the knees feel....I need to follow that one, as my knees are Dave's achilles. You must really rock on the elliptical; I can't come close to those miles in an hour.
Robert: I'm sorry you're not doing ToT, but it sounds like I'll still get the opportunity to meet you and Linda & raise a toast in your honor!
Maria: WTG on the 5+ miles on the TM and for balancing your (over)indulgent Friday with a restrained movie night (my nemesis). And that 5 pound weight loss. You do own it, girl! But
another pair of
Crocs? That's an addition you have.
Jeanne: Wow! Great job on your 1/2 & breaking 3:10, especially in those conditions. I'm sorry the event was so disorganized & poorly executed. No published pacing requirements, not enough medals, insufficient entertainment, unmanned water stops. And no finishing time, followed by a snippy email.
I'm just glad that between your time, John's time, Jason & his GF's finish (and yay for her first race), that your family had reason to celebrate.
Vic: Yeah, what's with this FL weather? I went down expecting sun & fun, and got drenched Pgh-style! That is NOT the implicit promise of the Florida Tourism board.
And you've given me another great quote to use during my training, while teaching me to give a little love & respect to John Force (of whom I was previously unaware.
)
Lily: That's great news about your pace & the Minnie!
I've been toying with a pound, too, unsuccessfully this week. It seems that my pound has forgotten I'm the cat & it's the mouse. I'll keep my fingers crossed for your eating & work challenge--always a big one, I think.
As for me: I'm baaaaacccccckkkk! Actually, I was back last night, and it's taken me this long to catch up. (And you come before the laundry.) I had a great time, despite the rainy weekend and a blister (because of the rain), and I hope that everyone has at least one birthday like this.
It's not in my nature to be brief, but I'll try to hit the highlights: DOOD surprised me with a weekend at the Poly (never been, have romanticized it endlessly). It turns out he's been on and off the phone endlessly trying to get the reservation at the Poly and we had a room at the GF & the Contemporary for a time. (I almost fell off my chair when I heard. We don't do Disney resorts, as DOOD prefers time away from the magic.
So he really went all out.) We ate, among other places, at Rose & Crown (the first place we ever ate together), Crystal Palace (our first character brekkie--as DOOD calls it), Kona Cafe (with my friends, so we could hang out afterwards), and Ohana (for the Team Ohana pic).
I was bombarded with Birthday Wishes from CMs and guests alike. I received a phone call from Goofy, had CMs sing to me in the rain, and was offered free ice cream, cupcakes, & cake at different restaurants (some of which I enjoyed & some of which DOOD graciously consumed on my behalf). We received an upgraded room at the Poly, where I received balloons & a photo of Minnie. DOOD decided not to order me a cake because of my weight-loss goals, which kind of were blown this weekend anyway. But I really appreciated his support of me, which was only matched by his extravagance & indulgence of my whims.
I thought the trip was my present, with all the planning & secrecy, and I was wrong. Then I thought it was the resort, and I was wrong. THEN I thought it was purchase of APs, which solidified our decision to do the marathon & ToT. And, you guessed it, I was wrong. DOOD gave me two presents that I treasure equally. The first is an old Disney shirt covered with all the pins we've collected on our Disney trips; we'll place this in a shadowbox, along with the birthday ephemera. The second is two original production drawings from the cartoon Trader Mickey. And really, the best present of all was a weekend together in a place that has so many good memories for us; all the rest is wonderful and overwhelming, but it's the time together that I value most.
As you can tell, everything about the weekend was magical, except for the previously mentioned weather. It rained a lot over the weekend, and I got a blister on Saturday, and the two things effectively prevented me from running outdoors much. And there was lots of food indulgences. Even while I paid attention to portion sizes and made generally healthy-food choices, I came back having gained a 1/2 pound. I don't regret what I did (or didn't do), though, because it was so memorable.
But now I'm back, and I've got that 1/2 pound & its sneaky sibling in my sights. They should be very afraid, because, like Vic, I'm slinging iron these days.
Maybe everyones taking the day off. I didn't feel like it, but went out last night and ran the loop in my subdivision 5 times for 3.3 miles in 32:08. It's uphill on one side and down on the other. I do the uphill first and then coast down the other side. Once I get up the hill I feel like 
.
Also, if I use your naming convention for Maggie, I'd have to refer to her as "DOOM"...Call me a pessimist I don't see that one flying very well....
to check where it went...looks like its in San Diego...again!
Back Debra! We missed you! I am glad your time in the world was lovely! Your DOOD should be proud.....he did a great job!
