Hakuna Matada - Dashing through December!

[bunnyfoo]

Happy Monday team! Just a quick fly-by for me this morning! I want to try and get things wrapped up at work before Friday. I'm so happy that I've started tapering this week. Now I can ditch the carbs (more or less) and get rid of the last bit of weight before January!

The weekend was quite chilly and somewhat windy. I went out with the intention of running 20 miles on Saturday but it didn't happen. My ITB was pulling and it was pretty uncomfortable. Because of that, I couldn't go very fast and I ended up being quite cold - especially my hands. I should have bought hand warmers but wasn't really thinking too much about the weather because it was sunny and this was the first cold weekend we've had this year. Anyway, long story short - I cut my run short at 15 miles It's not what I wanted and cardio-wise, I felt like I could have done 20 no problem. But I figure I'll take the 15 and leave myself unijured to run the 39.3 miles in a few weeks. I did a slow 7.5 miler on Sunday which was a bit warmer. I'm going for a massage today and hopefully get all the knots worked out.

Rick - I like running in fresh snow! Once it's been packed down or melted. It makes me a bit nervous. WTG on your LR! Are you feeling confident about January? I like your idea of "what the heck" week!

Dave - I think I "ran" slower on Sunday than you walked Hope your track workouts go well! Sounds like you and Sally are ready for the holidays!

Lynn - I see another DVC stay has been booked. Are you and Scott going back to WDW or is this the Hawaii trip? We have warm weather here as well. I think it's going to be a green Christmas this year.

Regina - I will probably do an epsom salt bath after my 12 miler on Saturday. I really like them and I might bring some with me to Disney so I can do at least on after the half. Good luck on your 20 miler today! I hope its sunny and the weather is on the warmer side I can't wait to hear how it goes! You've been doing really well with your training!

Tandy - Congrats on your A! You've worked really hard this semester so its definitely well earned! How are Frank and Harrison doing? I saw some people this weekend playing soccer in shorts and even one runner in shorts. Meanwhile I was bundled up in two shirts, a jacket, hat and my tights I thought of you Did you pick out a gift for your mom yet? Good luck on your 20 miler!

Sue - Will catch up more with you tomorrow! My neighbour paid for a snow ploughing service this year. He's not happy either

Have a great day everyone!

 

[windwalker]

Race walking speed intervals went great, since we hadn't done them together, for a few weeks, we decided to do 4 X 600m with 400m recovery intervals and then a final faster 400m sprint. Pace averaged 10:16 per mile for the sprint portions. I'm not able to put a full mile together with a sub 11:00 pace yet but it's coming.

Like my hero Po the Dragon Warrior, War Panda knows there is no secret ingredient, it's just us and when we race we have to bring the warrior we trained.

It's getting close guys. Hope everyone is feeling the love today and iching to get it on with, Donald, Mickey and Goofy.

Dave

 

[RunRookie]

I woke up 10 minutes before my alarm today, so I was ready for a good TEAM Fitness workout! A new trainer is doing this class now, Dee, and she is tough. She is an Army officer and she is no nonsense! Oh man, do my shoulders ache! We did many minutes of push-ups; we did many minutes of various types of sit-ups and crunches; we worked triceps, bicep curls, LOTS of step-ups holding a heavy ball over our heads, squats, shoulder press, jumping jacks with a 18lb bar, and leg lifts.

OMG! Thankfully, this class is only an hour! That'll teach me to miss a few sessions! I had some twinges in my right knee, leftover from my LR, so I was very careful with the jumping jacks and squats but it feels fine now.

Vicky: I do feel confident that I can finish the Half Marathon. I feel ready to go! But I am still nervous which doesn't make sense. Maybe it is just the fact that the HM is still a 'race day' unknown for me, at a location I've never run at before. But my excitement pretty much keeps the nervousness at bay. I know once I step off the bus at the POP Wednesday morning, I will feel awesome!

 

[rubato]

Rick: You really will feel awesome once you get there. And the race experience at Disney is so amazing. I'm sure you'll have a great time. Your long run sounds great. I think you're totally ready for this.
Your instructor sounds tough, but that's what you pay her for, right?

Dave: I'm sure that you will be under 11 soon. You are working soooo hard for it. Keep it up.

Vicky: I'm glad you cut your run short. Now is not the time to push it and risk injury. Now is the time to start cutbacks. Plus, I know that you're ready for it. Frank and Harrison are doing good, thanks. Everyone is healthy going in to Christmas, so I guess it was all good timing.

Lynn: I like the idea of a New year's card. I don't want people to think I've forgotten them, so I think that's what I'll do. I will have to start on them now, but I can do a few at a time. Thanks for the tip.

Regina: How's the stomach doing? I hope you didn't end up sick. Did you get your runs in this weekend? What distances did you run? I ended up making apple cider, chocolate cheesecake and deviled eggs for the party. I saved one piece of cheesecake and ate it once I felt better.

AFM: I got a 20 mile run in today. I was hoping for under 4 hours and got it done in 3:18:00. I was surprised, because I slowed it down quite a bit at the end. I have decided that I like real food more than gels. I have always had to kind of gag down the sugary nastiness and have tried all different flavors and textures. But, a pb&j, now that tastes good. So, I think I'm hooked on ultras and eating. I've taken my ice bath and am starting on the house. My mom arrives in 2 days, and my house is trashed! I am the family neat freak, and she's going to be shocked. So, I'd better get to work. If I'm not too achy tonight, I'm heading to zumba because it's the only night I have. Of course, it's probably stupid to do it after running 20, but I really want to.

Hope everyone has a great day.

 

[windwalker]

It's getting close now, just over 2 weeks. Oh My!!

For the panda it will be the end and the beginning. It's the end of the panda training for fun and not worring about race results, for instance doing a hard 10 miler then a race the next morning. I will be training longer, harder and training will be targeted to specific races.

By the summer I should know how the new training mind set is working. This year I had a lot of PRs in training but lousey race times. I hope to see PRs in both next year but specificly for my races.

Anyone else have plans for next year?

Dave

 

[rubato]

Anyone else have plans for next year?

My only plans at this point are for my ultra on April 1st. Since it's my first ultra, I'm just trying to train smart and avoid injuries. Of course I do have a secondary goal, and highly attainable, which is to finish my 44 miles in under 9 hours.

 

[Motomiker]

Hi Team!

Just checking in for today. I'm still waiting for the test results from my CT scan. Doc should call later today.

I've got the Disney music jammin' and can't wait to leave and go to my favorite escape from reality. I wish the plane was leaving today!
I signed up for the 5th Expedition Everest Challenge and they have mentioned a special anniversary medal. So, it looks like three Disney trips this year.
Liz says we can do the marathon in 2013 and she wants to attempt it! Rick already offered to have his wife watch Robert for us during the race- it's good to have friends!
I got a long run in last Saturday and am still a little sore. We ran in the snow and I used some stabilizer muscles that don't usually get much action. My shoelace ends looked like they were incased in lucite from all the ice that collected on them. I told Rick we would be laughing about it while in FL.

Will be back later to catch up on posts and talk a little more! Two weeks and tthree days to go! - Mike

 

[RunRookie]

Mike:

My wife has given the green light for her and Ryan to watch Robert while you, Liz, and I run for the Mickey in 2013!

 

[windwalker]

Mike:

My wife has given the green light for her and Ryan to watch Robert while you, Liz, and I run for the Mickey in 2013!

Your friendly panda will be along also. I'm just doing the marathon in 2013. In 2014 I plan to just do the relay. I have to keep the cost of these darn things down a bit and they raise the price each year.

Dave

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Vicky - Ref DVC stay, I assume you are following Scott on FB (I cannot keep up there), we booked his birthday trip next year - Oct. The Hawaii trip is in Jan., we will be in WDW for a couple of days, then a 4 day cruise, then Aulani for 5 days. Definitely go easy on the training to stay uninjured!

Dave - Sounds like your training is going well!

Tandy - I have gotten numerous “New Year’s” cards over the years. Good luck getting your house cleaned.

Mike - We are still hoping for the best on your CT scan results!

Rick - Glad you got your last long run in and that you enjoyed running in the snow. It can be beautiful and quiet. Sounds like you deserved that rest day!

AFM - Sunday was a nice day and we got out for a 12 mile bike ride, it was pretty windy, so we did the bike path into town so we could fight the wind on the way out and let the wind push us back, it worked well. Yesterday was cold and foggy, so we did not go out, but I did get 30 min in on the spin bike. Today a bit warmer than yesterday, but might be too windy to enjoy a bike ride, but I will get the dogs out for a walk, since we missed it yesterday.

Pixie dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day team!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Happy Birthday Emily!!

​

Hope you're having an awesome birthday!!

 

[es45]

Just a quick fly-by to say:
Happy Birthday to Emily,
Congrats on the test results, Mike,
and to everyone else, happy running/walking/biking!
.

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Happy Belated Birthday Emily, hope you had a great day!

Pixie Dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day all!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hello team! This week is just zipping by!

Lynn - I love that you have all your trips mapped out for the year! I'm really excited for your South African trip though. Are you going to be posting pictures and doing trip reports while you're there? Good job on the 12 mile bike ride! Gotta love this unseasonably warm winter!

Dave - I agree on the price of races! Some of them have gotten quite expensive. What other races do you have scheduled for 2012? Any plans to do the DL 1/2?

Mike - Are you going to get an AP? That's a lot of trips to Disney! But then again there's no such thing as too many trips Sounds like you'll be prepared even if it snows in January (fingers crossed it won't).

Tandy - Great job on the 20 miler! I have to say that I'm going to miss the unlimited eating of food over the next two weeks. I'm not fond of the long distances but love that I don't watch too carefully what I eat. Did you get your house cleaned in time for your mom's arrival?

Sue - Lunch was fun as always!

AFM - I did a training session yesterday and had a massage on Monday night. I think I got most of the ITB knot worked out but I'll see for sure on my weekend run.

I'm meeting with my chiro tonight for dinner and then I have to be back home to bake a batch of cookies for someone tomorrow. I made some peppermint chip cookies yesterday and added in some green food colouring to turn them green My mom thought they were gross looking ... I thought they were cute! Oh well.

Quick question for those of you who have been at Pop for marathon weekend before... How long does it take to get back to the resort after the race? Are there usually buses waiting for the runners or do they only come every 10-15 minutes for example? And... do they wait until the bus is full before leaving? I wanted to figure out how long it would be before I could sit down for lunch/brunch afterward.

 

[rubato]

Hi team. This will be my last post for awhile. Heading to the airport to get my mom soon.

Vickie: Yes, unlimited eating is good. Really good! I don't know about the busses for Pop, but the ones for POFQ were always waiting for me. And, they left within minutes of me getting on. Of course, I think my timing was just excellent, but who knows? The cookies sound good. I actually baked yesterday. Cranberry pistachio biscotti and this excellent bourbon pecan cake that's my husband's grandmother's recipe. I am just eating non stop at this point.

Lynn: I'm glad you were able to get outside for a bike ride. I am always happy to have my TM, but would much rather be outside, if I can. But, weather can seriously get in the way. I think I've decided to do Leap Day cards this year now. How often do you get to do them?

Elizabeth: Hi.

Emily: Happy belated bday!!!! Hope you had an amazing time!

Dave: Yes, the cost of these races is getting out of hand. Mostly, it's the race, hotel, park tickets, plane, etc...... But, even my local races are sometimes super expensive.

Mike and Rick: Very cool that you've already got things working for 2013! I hope to be able to join everyone then, but we'll see.

AFM: The house is clean. The baking is done. I've already got chili in the crockpot for tonight and am getting ready to go to the airport. I got a 4 mile run in today, but my knees and quads hurt pretty bad. I guess I'm not fully recovered from the 20 miler. Oh, and I've done zumba 2 days in a row and walked 6 miles with the dog. But, I'm taking tomorrow off from all exercise. It's much needed, plus I have no time. We have the dentist, shopping, lunch with my brother, dinner out and ballet tomorrow. Friday is just as busy. I can't wait until Saturday gets here because I have nothing to do. I'm still needing to get stocking stuffers and candy, but other than that, Christmas is done.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, in case I don't get back on before hand.

 

[Pudge_The_Fish]

Hello team! Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Vicky - The 5k medal was a silver snowflake with the name of the race written on it in red, I thought it was nice medal to get for a 5k. According to the bib thread, I might be corral D which would be fine with me. I was in corral E for DL so I was just hoping for at least that.

Tandy - Congrats on your anatomy grade!

Dave - I agree race prices are getting out of hand. I was remarking to my DH the other day that DL prices for next year had gone up and that I think it my be our last Disney race for a while becuase they're getting so expensive.

Regina - The 5k shirt is a medium-dark green with a gray and red design. I haven't had a chance to run in it yet. Hope you are feeling better.

AFM - I had a good birthday. DH surprised me and took me to dinner at the Melting Pot. We'd never been there before. It was an interesting experience, the chocolate fondue was my favorite part.

We did our long run on Saturday. We were supposed to do 14 miles, but DH's knee was bothering him at mile 9 so we decided to stop then. I thought it better to stop before he hurt himself. I felt pretty good after the run.

I got all my Christmas stuff done last weekend. I still need to do a lot of cleaning before my in-laws get here.

Have a good night!

Emily

 

[windwalker]

Rest day today and a panda thought to share:

What if you worked out everyday as though your life and or someone Else's life depended on your strength and stamina. Would you workout more intensely? It's very possible that your workouts could very well be the difference in living or dying in an emergency. We never know what life will bring and a lot of us do push the limits with our adventures. What if your car broke down in the middle of nowhere could you walk many miles to get help? Could you swim a long distance if your boat was sinking, or stay a float for hours if you needed to for survival? Could you fight off a rapist or a home invader? You really just don't know, no one ever plans for a crisis to happen.

When you workout think about this, what you are doing right then could make the difference in life or death for you or someone you love. Workout as though your fitness and your strength is all you have to carry you though a tough situation. The Boy Scouts have a saying, "Be Prepared". That's pretty good advice for most anything in life.

Thanks for reading.

Dave

 

[es45]

1 more day of work until I get some time off for Christmas It is warm here this morning (70 F) so the girls and I are going for a mile run this afternoon at their school track. It is a tiny track and so it will take 8 laps to equal a mile. Then I hope to get in a longer run by myself.

Happy Thursday, all!

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Vicky - Yes, we generally plan our trips at least a year out, once in awhile, we do a last minute trip. Weather not so seasonal here - our high today is 16F and we have already hit that, we will be hovering between 10F and 15F for the day, right now, wind is at 16mph, did not even check wind chill. Some snow last night, maybe 2 inches. Our weather has been up and down, can’t say we have been unseasonably warm like you have. We always get some warm days in the winter, it is not unusual to have at least one 50F day each week to 2 weeks. We have never stayed at Pop for Marathon Weekend, but there are usually a line of busses waiting at the end of the race (at least by the time I get done which was always near the end of the race.)

Dave - Have a good rest day!

Tandy - I, too, prefer being outside for exercise. Can’t say I have gotten leap year cards, but it is a great idea! Have a great holiday and visit with your mom.

Emily - Glad you had a good birthday!

Elizabeth - Good morning and have fun on your run.

AFM - Weather not too bad yesterday, cool (not cold) but pretty windy, got in a dog walk, then 30 min on spin bike. Will not get out today - too cold and windy - but will get downstairs to spin bike and maybe a Pilates tape.

Safe travels to all who are traveling!

Pixie dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day team!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hi team! Just a quick fly by for me today - I have training after work and then a few errands that need to be taken care of. I'm undecided on whether I'll run on the TM at the gym. My left ankle feels a bit stiff this morning. I want the cardio and to get the miles in but don't really want to risk injuring it. I'm trying to see if I can get my physio to have a look at it before the weekend but I'm not sure if he's available. But you know me, I get nervous over little things so it's probably nothing

I saw online that Old Navy has a sale on long sleeved fleece shirts. I believe they were $5/shirt. I'm going to see if I can pick two of them up for January. The great thing is they don't have to be my size - I'll take whatever's there!

The eating has been going well. I did have a cookie from a batch I made yesterday night (taste testing purposes you know ) but I've been mostly eating protein and veggies. My trainer offered to review my food intake over the last little while to see if there were any changes I could make. So I'll see what he says tonight.

Hope everyone is doing well!