Hakuna Matada - Dashing through December!

[windwalker]

Heading out for my last 10 miler today before the Goofy weekend. I'll do 4 on friday, 5 on monday and 4 on tuesday then flee south.

It will be here so quickly and in no time at all we will be in those staging areas trying to stay warm before the races start. I've been watching the weather and it looks right now that 50s to start and 60s to race in. Iwould really like it a tad warmer but I'm training in the cold so I should be ok.

Everyone ready?

Dave

 

[rubato]

Good morning team. Glad to be back, but have lots of catching up to do.

Dave: Three runs left? Oh my gosh! It's getting so close.

Lynn: I'm pretty sure you're allowed to slide a little over Christmas. I'm back on track as of today too.

Emily: The outfit sounds sooooo cute! Have fun with the inlaws.

Elizabeth: How exciting for the girls! We didn't tell Harrison for his first trip when he was 5. It was amazing to see his face when we got there.

Eva: I don't think anyone's going to miss you out there with all the lime green. Awesome! I would love it if someone would actually listen to my suggestions for gifts that are related to my running. I have to ask though, what did she get that you AREN'T using?

If I missed others, I'm sorry. I can only see down a certain number of posts, and I have lots of catching up.

AFM: I had a great time with my mom, but I'm exhausted. Something about having someone follow you around for 7 days makes it impossible to relax and do your normal routine. I also never sit much and we sat all the time (my mom is very out of shape). I had a great holiday and so did Frank and Harrison. Everyone got along, which is always good since Frank doesn't like my sis-in-law at all.

Running isn't going well. I cut my runs a little short while Mom was here, but did a few. Harrison and I ran on Christmas Eve and my ITBand was hurting a little. It was only 4 miles, so no biggie. Then, on Monday, I went to run my 12, and had to cut it short to 10, plus had to mostly walk the last 3 miles. It hurts! It even hurts to walk. So, I started looking up stretches and exercises to do to help my hip abductors and strengthen things a bit. I'm going to stick with icing and relaxing for a few days, but then, I need to fix my problem. I'm buying one of those little braces today and walking a bit. I really, really, really don't want to go to PT because I know what's hurt and I know why, and I know how to fix it. My hips are weak and were the cause of my calf also.

I hope everyone is doing well. Have a great day!

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Dave - Have fun during your taper!

Emily - Kayanos are what I live in! My feet need the support and cushioning they provide! Your race outfit sounds great!

AFM - Got out for dog walk yesterday, we even braved the wind for a lap on the bikes to get the mail - it took quite a bit of work to ride against the wind coming back from the mailbox. I then got on spin bike for 30 min. I did manage to eat decently yesterday - no junk food!

Tandy - we must have been posting at the same time - a small slide over the holidays is to be expected, but I slid more than a little! I need to lose 6 pounds to get to where I was before the holidays (that counts the pound I lost since yesterday), I am having problems wearing the clothes I have been traveling in, needed to find others for our upcoming trip. Hope your legs feel better!

Pixie dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day team!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hi everyone! Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and enjoyed their time off. Or if you're lucky, you're still off from work The train was so empty when I went to work this morning. I would have loved to taken this week off but it wouldn't have worked out well because of January.

Lynn - What kind of weather are you expecting for the upcoming ABD trip? Once your eating gets back on track, I'll bet the 6 lbs comes off in no time at all! It's really hard to stick to a diet during the holidays. Good job on the workout and for not eating junk food!

Tandy - Good to hear that everyone got along during Christmas! Something dramatic always happens at our holiday dinners - thank goodness my extended family was out of town!

So we must be running sisters because I've had ITB problems last week too. I think I tweaked mine in the gym doing squats with weights. I ended up using the foam roller a lot and had my trainer stretch me out. It seems to be gone now more or less but I'm still being careful with it. A massage might be a good alternative to going to the PT. They might help you work out other muscles that are tight as well. I hope the brace helps out!


Dave - I'm feeling good and ready for January! I'm still a little nervous about the distance because it's my first Goofy. Do you have some throwaway clothes ready? I picked up a few fleece shirts at Old Navy for $5. But I will still likely wear shorts or capris.

Emily - I went out for Chinese food on Sunday too! Ethnic restaurants were some of the only restaurants open on Christmas. I use to run in Kayanos when I started running many years ago. I loved them but I switched over to NB eventually because it had a higher toe box. I hope they work out for you Your outfit sounds too cute! I love the idea of the wings!

Elizabeth - How's the eating going? I know how you feel about the treats! I'm kind of tired of them myself - I did eat a few over the weekend but I tried to stick with fruit as well. That's so awesome that you're keeping the WDW trip a surprise! I can't wait to hear how that goes

Eva - Are you doing EE during the full? I really wanted to go for a "faster" half but am not sure if that will be a good idea. I don't want to finish too late because I want to go back to the expo and have my ankle re-taped. I suspect the first bit of tape will end up coming off when I do an ice bath. Are you bringing a camera? I'm going to PM you my cell phone so we can make sure we won't miss each other.

For 2012, I would like to run another full and work on running continuously. I would like to focus on speed but seem to get injured every time I do speed work so maybe I'll save that for another 2013.

Rick - You sure are getting speedy! Hills are tough but you'll be glad that you train on them. There are two on the half course in January - the water bridge just before MK and one just before the entrance to Epcot. I hate the later!

Sue - Are you back at work this week? Did you get a lot of snow yesterday? We had freezing rain so the sidewalks and roads were somewhat of a skating rink this morning. I was surprised that sidewalks and roads were clear downtown.

AFM - I was down 3 lbs as of Friday! I'm not sure if that's still accurate after Christmas I did have a few treats but I did do a 12 and 3 miler on Saturday and Sunday. I also managed to go in for a training session yesterday so hopefully the weight gain (if any) won't be too bad.

Yesterday was my mom's birthday so I took her and my sister to the spa for a mani/pedi. My sister and I just did pedis - she's a nail biter and I want to do my nails next week before I leave so I didn't want to pay for it twice After that we took my mom out for lunch. We went for Japanese so I got sashimi and avoided having too many carbs. I know I need to be careful now that I'm tapering.

Yesterday we had freezing rain and snow overnight. The rain created a lot of slush on the road which then froze over. It was tricky walking this morning because the sidewalks were a combination of being slippery and then difficult to walk on because of the ice being frozen in lumps. I was trying to be careful not to aggravate my ankle.

But thanks for all the good thoughts - my ankle is definitely feeling better! But I'm going to take it easy this week. I had planned to go out running tonight but seeing how bad the roads and sidewalks are, I'm skipping it. I'll do a 3 miler at the gym tomorrow instead. I have an 8 and 4 miler planned for the weekend and hopefully everything will have melted by then.

Does anyone have big New Year's Eve plans?

 

[windwalker]

If a workout can be called wonderfully brutal, today was it. The temperture was 30 degrees and we had a hard freeze out. Our 6.5 mile training walk was along river and park paved trails and they were often covered with a thin sheet of ice, we did a lot of slipping and sliding but the effort and the fellowship was awesome. I had planned to do a 10 miler but the training partner who was going to do the last 3.5 with me decided it was to cold so he went to the mall to train. The sun helped take away the cold chill and the morning belonged to us few warrior pandas.

I'm now officially ready for whatever wearther conditions I face at the Land of Mouse! Grrrrrrrrr!

Dave

 

[bunnyfoo]

The runner tracking link is up!

http://www.xacte.com/templates/disney/marathon/

 

[es45]

Good morning, everyone,

I have a major cold and I can't breathe to run. Hoping I'm back in shape before next weekend.

Vicky: Glad the ankle is better. Re: New Year plans, we are headed to a family wedding in the mountains of NC.

Dave: I wish I felt as ready as you for the Land of Mouse; great job on the cold workout!

Tandy: Hope you are back to 100% soon. My hips are weak too and I should do more core strengthening.

Emily, Lynn, Eva, Rick, Sue and everyone else:

 

[es45]

Forgot to ask in my previous post:

For those running the races in WDW next weekend, are you running in short sleeves only or do you layer? I still don't know how I should dress for race day in Orlando.

 

[RunRookie]

Forgot to ask in my previous post:

For those running the races in WDW next weekend, are you running in short sleeves only or do you layer? I still don't know how I should dress for race day in Orlando.

If temps at the start are in the mid 40s or higher, then I am just wearing my WISH short sleeve or a compression shirt and the WISH singlet. But then again, i've been training in the cold temps of the Chicago area...

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Vicky - I have already lost 2 pounds (1 per day), but I have to really work to not eat the sweet things in the house. Weather in South Africa should be in the 80’s (F), as it is summer there. Our New Year’s Eve plans are pretty tame, we stay up until 10PM and watch the ball drop in NYC on TV, then go to bed!

Dave - Sounds like you are ready!

Rick - You might want to bring a throw away shirt - standing around for over an hour before the start can get chilly. At Disney races, they want you in your corral nearly an hour before the race starts.

Elizabeth - If what Dave says about temps remains accurate, start 50 and making it up to 60, I would layer, maybe even bring some throw away clothes. 50’s are good for me to exercise in, but standing around for over an hour it can get chilly. I probably would have a short sleeved shirt for after I warmed up and had a long sleeved throw away tee shirt - sometimes I took a light jacket that I would tie around my waist when I got warm.

AFM - Nothing again yesterday, although it was warm out, the wind was blowing 30-50mph (and is doing the same today), but mainly it was because I got involved with projects and just ran out of time in the day. (Yes, that seems to happen a lot being retired)

Pixie dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day team!

 

[RunRookie]

Rick - You might want to bring a throw away shirt - standing around for over an hour before the start can get chilly. At Disney races, they want you in your corral nearly an hour before the race starts.

Good point! I have a lot of stuff that is too big for me now (yay!), so I will probably bring an old sweatsuit I can just toss at race start.

 

[rubato]

Good morning team.

Lynn: Great job on avoiding temptations and losing weight! It's such a tough time of the year to do it. Your NY plans sound like mine. Sleep is not overrated.

Rick: I think you'll be fine in that, but I agree that you should bring a throw away sweatshirt or jacket. I stood around forever before the races.

Elizabeth: I hope you feel better soon. I wore shorts and a tank top for the full, with a throw away long sleeved jacket. I wore shorts and a long sleeved tech shirt for the half, because I knew I'd be done before it warmed up at all. I run hot though. I also had running sleeves on the day I wore the tank top and I kept those on for about 5 to 10 miles.

Vicky: Is this ITBS a thing you deal with a lot? It's new to me and I'm trying to learn to how to deal with it. I know you've had knee troubles, but didn't know if this was the one. I'm glad you're taking it easy on the ankle. You don't want to risk anything at this point.

I'm a nail biter too, so I only get pedicures, never manicures. I do, on occasion, get just a file and clear polish, but it almost seems like a waste of money.

Great job on the 3 pounds! You're going to be skinny when you go to Disney.

AFM: My knee is not cooperating at all! I'm debating just scrapping the ultra idea entirely. Of course, I'm starting to feel sorry for myself. First the calf tear, then stomach flu, and now this. It just seems like I'm not destined for this right now. I've already promised Frank that I'll quit distance running when I finish the ultra and not do anything over a 10k. I think that's why I'm holding on to the ultra. If I don't do it, Frank will not understand me wanting to do another race later.

My weight is way up there. Harrison and I went out with some friends for lunch yesterday. Then, I ate all the junk food in the house to get rid of it. So, today is my big start. Of course, we have New Years in a few days and I need to figure that out, but it's all good. I'm really wanting to just get seriously focused and no more excuses.

My New Year's plans are to go over to a friends house that lives in my neighborhood. We just play board games until about 10, then come home. Harrison is having his annual party where he has 3 friends over for a sleepover. I am excited about that. We have a balloon drop set up for them (I'll be asleep), and lots of games and activities. We're working on the menu now. This is his last hurrah before he goes on a diet. He just can't control his eating and we need to get him back in shape, again.

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

 

[Piglet24]

Hi Team! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and got everything they asked Santa for.

Lynn- What is it you like about the Trek bikes? I have the utmost respect for you and Scott riding your bikes into the wind! I don’t even want to imagine that! There is always some project to be done, so I can see how the day would be over before you know it. Great job not eating junk food!

Tandy- My stomach is doing much better thanks! I made it through my 20 mile run Monday the 19th with no stomach problems so I was happy about that! Chocolate cheesecake sounds delicious (actually so do the apple cider and the deviled eggs! I’m just partial to chocolate ) I’m sorry to hear your runs aren’t going well. Do you want to scrap the ultra because you’re feeling sorry for yourself, or because there’s no way you will be able to train for it until your injury is healed, which will make it impossible for you to do? Are you going to transition to tri’s when you stop distance running? My thoughts for you at the moment are to get through the last of the holidays (because that throws everything off anyway), get back into the clean eating and treating your injury and see what happens. Afterall, we are just a couple days away from a brand new year and anything is possible. You can always scrap the ultra later, but can't go back and un-scrap what you scrapped if you change your mind in a couple weeks. What’s on the menu for Harrison’s sleepover?

Emily- Happy Belated Birthday!!! I hope you had a wonderful day!! I love fondue! The melting pot sounds like a great surprise from your DH. Actually I found out a few months ago they are closing my favorite fondue restaurant in Idaho on Saturday and I was very sad to hear it. We were unable to make it back one last time before it closed. I’m glad you felt pretty good after your 9 mile long run, but am sorry to hear DH’s knee was bothering him. How has it been feeling lately? How do you like the new shoes? Can you post a pic here or on FB of your race outfit? It sounds so cute.

Vicky- What did your trainer say about your food intake? Did your mom enjoy the mani/pedi? I hope she had a good birthday! How was your dad’s birthday? What did you do for him? How was your run tonight?

Elizabeth- I totally understand your desire to change your diet after all the tasty treats becoming too much. I have had similar experiences myself, but have not been great at sticking with it long term. I do pretty good with some individual foods, but sugar in general (ahem…chocolate) is still a weak spot for me. I hope it goes well for you! I hope it helps you feel better. Your girls are going to love their surprise trip! I’d love to hear how they react when they finally know what’s going on. Hope you feel better soon and in time for the race!

Rick- Congrats on your 10k PR on a hilly route! Great job!

Eva- Your plans for marathon weekend and 2012 sound like great ones! I am also planning on getting my money’s worth on the course on Saturday. My 2012 goals are to work on continuously running and speed. We have lots of hills around here so my goal is to also take more advantage of them and learn to love them. As far as races go, I’m hoping to do the Portland Adidas 15k Shamrock Run, Portland Rock N Roll half, Disneyland Half, and maybe a couple others, but those are my definites at this point.

Dave- Hope the stretching is going well! Can you touch your toes yet? You’re brave training out on the trails covered in ice. I would be so afraid I would fall, or strain something trying to prevent myself from falling as I was slipping and sliding.

AFM, I did make it through my last long runs of 10 and 20 miles last week. My taper runs have been a little rough though. Today DH and I ran 5 miles on the TM and it was the best taper run I have had so far. I felt great and wanted to keep going at the end. So that was very encouraging! I’ve been working on getting organized and packed since we will have to leave on Monday. I remember how much I hate packing now that I have to do it again. The downside to where we live now is we are no longer right next to a major airport and have to drive several hours to get to a decent one. So Monday will be a long day of driving, dropping our doodle bug off at the doggy daycare (which is 2 hours away on our way to the airport, lol), and checking in for our overnight flight to Orlando. I’m excited though! I think it’s all worth it to get to see and meet some friends, race with you and enjoy every minute at WDW!

We don't have any plans for the New Year. It has never really been a holiday we have celebrated.

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Tandy - Thanks, I am not going on day 4 of no junk food, will see if I make it, down another pound this morning (total of 3). Good luck getting Harrison back in shape. I agree with Regina about the ultra.

Rick - I cannot remember if you have done Disney races before or not, but they will have large cardboard barrels in the corrals to collect throw away clothing, which they then wash and donate to charity. Great way to get rid of some of those too big clothes.

Regina - The Trek’s just seem to fit both of us better than the others we have tried. Yes, there are always projects! Todays projects will be to clean house and water trees as today is the last warm day for a bit. I have been working on making “Duffy” shirts, I have a friend who’s 2 girls have Duffy’s the same size as mine (the smaller one) and I have been making shirts for mine, and he asked me to make some for his girls, and sent me the fabric - the fabric took 1 month to arrive (the mail system), and we are seeing him in Jan - so I am madly sewing to get the shirts done before we leave.

AFM - Still really windy (it was supposed to slow down today), yesterdays gusts were officially recorded at 77mph, I know we had 60mph gusts on our weather station the last time I checked. Todays wind is 30-40mph, so too windy for bike riding, will try to get dogs out today. Yesterday I did 30 min on spin bike - and put more into it than usual, then about 25 min doing weights, which really bothers my knees, so I kept weights low and did twice the reps I would normally do, will try that and see if it is effective.

Pixie dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day team!

 

[rubato]

Lynn: You're doing great. 3 pounds in 3 days. Wow! My mom sews doll clothes for my nieces and they're so cute. She's also made my dog some halloween costumes, which is awesome. I don't sew. I bought a machine used at a garage sale and hem Harrison's pants and fix things, but I have no talent. I leave it all up to my mom.

Regina: I'm glad your runs are going well. I always feel like I could keep going forever when I'm tapering. Sounds like you have a lot of prepping to do this weekend. I am a weirdo and love to pack. Of course, I totally overpack all the time. As far as the ultra goes, I think it's a little bit of both. I am in a funky, feel sorry for myself mood, but I'm just worried about the training. I had a built in extra week in my training to work with, but, if I use that, plus one more, I will need to be fully healed. If it's still bothering me, I know I'm not going to have enough training time, and then, don't know if I want to attempt it not trained. I wanted to run at least a 34 miler in my training, but I could probably live with less. I'll just see how it goes.

AFM: I am in vacation planning mode right now. We are going to Branson twice this year. Not my favorite place, but it's close and we have season passes to Silver Dollar City. Then, Harrison is going to stay with my mom in Denver for a week, by himself. This is a big deal for us because my mom doesn't drive, and we have to trust that Harrison can handle himself on public transportation. I'm going to stay for a few days when I drop him off and he's going to fly back alone.

And, lastly, I am going to get to accompany Frank to Europe!!!! It's just going to be the two of us, no Harrison. He understands, but is sad. At $1500 per airline ticket, we just can't justify it. The great thing is that we'll go to Germany a week before the wedding, and then, fly to Venice for a week afterwards. We went to Venice in '94, but we had Carsten with us (my hubby's best friend who's getting married). So, it wasn't exactly romantic. We have the pictures of us on the gondola with Carsten, which are kind of funny. I'm so excited to plan that, because Venice is my favorite place ever. I'm going to attempt to do a lot of non-touristy things, and find some hidden gems, so if anyone has any advice........

I walked 2 miles today and yesterday. After 1 mile, my knee starts hurting. I keep reading that the walking isn't bad for it, but who knows. No zumba this week or next, and no running, and hopefully, I'll be back to normal. I guess if I have to give it one more week, I can. I'll just have to readjust my training schedule again.

 

[es45]

Happy New Year, everyone!

Tandy: Rest that knee! Your European trip sounds wonderful; enjoy the planning.

Regina: Safe travels! Where are you staying?

Lynn: Your post about the Duffy shirts got me thinking about my girls and whether they'll want one when they go to Epcot. Are there costumes available for the smaller ones or is it just the 17"?

AFM: Waiting for the sun to come up a bit so I can take a short run. There isn't a gym at the hotel where we are staying this weekend and I'm too nervous to run there (not enough street lights and so cold!)

 

[Lynn G]

Happy New Year!

Elizabeth - Disney's Duffy clothes are only made for the larger sized Duffy, I have the smaller one, that they normally sell for special occasions, like holidays, and often his clothes do not come off (glued on). I found one last year with 2011 sweatshirt that did come off, that was one of my priorities, so that I could change his clothes, I wanted the smaller one to travel with. Most of them now that I have seen do not have removable clothes, but I have also seen some of the 2011 New Years ones still around. If the girls are going to want to change clothes, get the larger one.

Tandy - congrats on your trip to Europe - have a great time!

AFM - I cannot believe it is still windy, it woke me up this morning! I thought the wind was supposed to subside, but no, again 60 mph wind predicted for today! No exercise yesterday, but I was still good with my eating - only 1 small cookie in the way of junk food. Will have to do something today - probably in the basement (spin bike).

Pixie dust to all who are in need!

Have a good New Year's Eve!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! If you're going out tonight, stay safe - you know, designated drivers, taxi cabs and all that I heard a story about people Tweeting the location of RIDE checks... Some of us would like to get home in one piece but then again, someone who's smashed probably isn't capable of looking up Tweets anyway.

Elizabeth - I usually bring a long sleeved shirt and throw it away some where along the course. I picked up a fleece shirt from Old Navy for $5 but you can get cheap stuff at Goodwill or Value Village. Like Lynn mentioned, Disney recycles all the clothing and gives it to charity. You could also bring arm sleeves which roll down or make your own throwaway ones with tube socks. Another piece throwaway I like to bring are gloves. Personally I hate running with cold hands so those are important to me. You can usually get a pair or two for $1 at the dollar stores.

Tandy - The European trip sounds awesome! Airfare is a killer for anything overseas. But maybe after this trip, you guys will have enough points for Harrison's ticket next time. I have a credit card that gives you rebates for anything travel related... even if you don't have enough points to cover the purchase, they'll rebate part of the cost.

The ITB is an on again off again thing. My physio told me it was related to not having enough core strength. For me, I've always had a weaker upper body. My trainer noticed it on Thursday when we were doing push ups. He's going to show me some stretches on Monday so I'm going to ask him about a few for ITB. If it's your piriformis that's bothering you ... take care. That was one of the first "major" injuries that I had when I first started running. It took me out for a good 6 weeks with major back aches and leg pain.

You're giving up LD running Does that include the Disney 1/2? I was thinking with enough training, you'd probably be able to place in your age group and get that cool Mickey trophy!

Lynn - I had to think for a moment when you said you'd go to sleep after watching the ball drop at 10 I don't think sleep is overrated at all - I think 90% of people out there do not get enough. Congrats on your weight loss!

Regina - If I ever won the lottery, I'd hire someone to do my packing. Wouldn't it be so nice just to hand someone a list and then just have your suitcase(s) ready and waiting to go!

My parents' birthdays were okay... I ate waaay too much so that might just cancel out the weight loss! My sister and I had a great time getting our pedis... not sure about my mom. She seemed to nitpick everything the estheticians were doing. Go figure.

AFM - I'm procrastinating (again ) I've got a bunch of errands to run today because some stores and banks will be closed on Monday. I got most of my work done so I'll be able to do a half day on Tuesday. Unfortunately that meant I was at the office yesterday until 5:30 but I'd rather leave early on Tuesday ... just in case.

I had a really good workout on Thursday - we did leg work, weighted squats and lunges, frog jumps, jump squats and those suicide pushups (yuck).

I'll come back later today to set up the January thread. Have a great day everyone!

 

[Pudge_The_Fish]

Hello team!

Elizabeth - Hope you are feeling better! I have some throwaways I'm going to wear before the race. I also might wear arm sleeves depending on how cold it's going to be.

Regina - Safe travels!

Tandy - Your trip to Europe sounds awesome!

Lynn - Congrats on your weight loss! We'll also be going to bed early tonight after we watch the ball drop at 9

AFM - We're taking my in-laws out to do touristy stuff today. We'll watch the ball drop and then go to bed early. I haven't run since Wed so I plan to go for one tommorow.

I did a bit of packing earlier in the week, but there's a lot left to do. I'm getting more excited as the race gets closer.

Have a safe and happy new year!

Emily

 

[rubato]

HAPPY NEW YEAR TEAM!!!!!

Emily: Sounds like you're getting everything wrapped up. I'll be in bed early too. The neighbors house that we go to is 2 blocks away, and we all leave around 10. Sad, but true.

Vicky: Yeah, I guess my ITBS is weak core related. I used to work on my core all the time, then, I started running. There is just no more time for core work. The piriformis thing is a deformity I have and, unless I want to have surgery, I'm just going to learn to live with it. It's not too painful at all, just kind of annoying.

When I say that I'm giving up distance running, that doesn't mean Disney running. I'm still holding out hope that I can talk Frank into letting me go for our 20th anniversary in 2013 and running again. But, I'll have to give up meets because he didn't like that I had something running or Dis related every day of our vacation. He's a little selfish that way. Of course, if we stayed at Pop, it wouldn't be as big a deal to at least go to the Friday meet. He and Harrison could just go to the pool. I'm just trying to stay focused on now and worry about breaking my promise later.

Lynn: Sorry about the wind. I hope you can get out sometime soon. I woke up this morning to a howling sound and realized that our wind had picked up considerably. But, since it'll be in the 50s, I'm not too concerned. Harrison and I are just going out for a walk later, so I think we can handle it.

Elizabeth: Hope the run went well. I hope you have an amazing time on your trip and enjoy the race or races (can't remember which you are doing).

AFM: Knee is feeling better. I'm still going to take it super easy for the next week.

Finally cut the poor dog's hair. He was looking twice as big as he normally does because I just haven't had the uninterrupted 4 hours to spend on him. But, it's done for the next 2 months. This is the price you pay for having a non shedding dog!

My dad's in the hospital again. They think he had another minor stroke. I can't believe that he's on his 3rd stroke and hasn't had a major one yet. We're going to see him later, and exchange Christmas gifts in the hospital (they were out of town at my brother's in Greeley, Co).

Trying to prep for the party tonight. The boys are all so excited. We are moving the 40 inch TV into Harrison's room for marathon Xboxing. Then, just order the pizza and set up the snack tables. They are having such a healthy menu: pizza, Doritos, cheese and sausage and crackers, taquitos, candy, homemade ice cream sundaes (with my new ice cream attachment for the Kitchenaid), and lots of soda. It's Harrison's last hurrah before his new diet starts tomorrow. I'm soooooo looking forward to eating healthy. Just one more day of party food.




To all who are leaving for Disney, I hope you have an amazing time! I'll be with you in spirit! If you want to share your bib #s, I'll try to keep track and post your progress. I'm sure you'll all do an outstanding job of representing our little team!!!!!!!