In Training: Marathon Weekend 2013 (Dopey Challenge)! 1/17 - LINK TO TRIP REPORT!

[Ariel484]

Non-running trip details: Non-race things I'm looking forward to!

Running is obviously a huge part of this trip (the reason why it's happening at all) and I am SO looking forward to the races...but there are still other things I'm excited about!

1. First and foremost, I'm so, so happy that Will is coming!

An oldie from our 2009 Honeymoon!

He wasn't able to make the marathon trip last year due to health issues. I can't wait to ride Tower of Terror (our favorite ride!) and Toy Story Mania with him (even though he ALWAYS kicks my butt at TSMM...but I am always more accurate, so that counts for something...right?) and hang out at the Grand Floridian and Polynesian together. Hopefully he will get to see me cross the marathon finish line in person this year. Yay!

2. Speaking of the Grand Floridian...we get to stay there! We originally picked the Polynesian but switched to GF a few weeks ago - the 35% room-only discount Disney released was better there than at the Polynesian. But we have vowed that we'll get to the Polynesian someday!!

We love the atmosphere at the Grand Floridian...there will probably be less park time on this trip compared to others (there should be, since staying off my feet is probably a good idea) and I think we'll be perfectly happy just hanging out at the resort and soaking it all in. Well...that's what I'm trying to tell myself anyway.

3. I'm looking forward to seeing my brother. With him living in Florida, we only see him once or twice a year. I haven't seen the kid since Marathon Weekend 2012.

4. Eats old and new! We love Via Napoli, Kona Café for lunch and 'Ohana for breakfast and dinner and can't wait to go back.

BEST PIZZA EVER!

Island Chicken Sandwich and Kilauea Torte at Kona!

My favorite course at 'Ohana (eh, who am I kidding, always my favorite course)...dessert!

Good morning, Lilo!

I've got a list of new food experiences I want to try as well: Kona Café for breakfast, The Wave for lunch, dinner at Narcoossee's, the red velvet cream cheese cupcake at Starring Rolls, and either a cupcake from the Boardwalk Bakery (my current favorite of theirs is the S'mores cupcake, and I'm hoping to try the strawberry shortcake or any other delicious variety they have available!) or Oreo Bon Bons from the Beach Club Marketplace.

Boardwalk Bakery S'more cupcake...I want to try a new variety but if they have this one it will be hard to pass it up!

And of course I cannot forget my one Disney race weekend must-have: Chip & Dale Mickey-shaped pretzels. Best post-running food ever!

That's a lot of food...good thing I'm running so much!!

5. Seeing the new Fantasyland expansion completed! I've decided not to look at any more pictures or video online...I want to take it all in, in person!

6. I'm hoping to make it to the Christmas store in Downtown Disney to get a couple of personalized ornaments. I didn't get a chance to make it to the store during the 2012 marathon weekend, so I need to stock up!

Personalized ornament for the 2011 Princess Half Marathon trip

7. I'm actually looking forward to a bit of solo time at the beginning of this trip. On my last trip I was solo for about half of it...it bummed me out because Will was supposed to come but we both decided it was in his best interest not to due to his health issues. This decision was made about a week before the trip, so I was still reeling from it while I was there (we'd hoped for months that he'd be better in time, and he wasn't). I felt awful that he felt bad enough not to be able to travel and incredibly guilty that I hadn't stayed home with him. (He never once made me feel bad for going on the trip, but still...) This time I think my state of mind will be different since Will's fine now and my solo time will have been planned from the start, and I'm looking forward to hopefully trying stuff I know Will isn't interested in (Hall of Presidents is one thing that comes to mind, and he doesn't particularly love Downtown Disney so I know that's the day I'll go there...and I'll definitely go to the expo on Thursday by myself). I'll have to think more about my solo time and the best way to take advantage of it.

8. Okay, I cheated...this last one IS running-related. I'm going to come away from the trip with some serious swag! Four race t-shirts and pins, three finisher medals and one finisher medallion, plus whatever else I buy at the expo (my late Christmas present from me to me ). I definitely see at least one "I Did It!" t-shirt (they are so cheesy, but I LOVE mine from last year and totally regret not getting one for the Princess Half in 2011) and a character runner plush in my future to join my Mickey from last year.

2012 WDW Marathon Swag!!

Tech shirt

"I Did It!" shirt

Marathon Mickey and my marathon coffee mug

2012 Marathon Pin

The medal! I CANNOT wait to get that amazing 20th anniversay medal! (And the Goofy and Donald Medals and the 5K medallion, of course).

So yeah, even though running is going to dominate the weekend and training can get overwhelming, there's so much more to look forward to. I cannot WAIT for this trip!

Continued in Next Post

 

[steph0808]

OMG. I am going to spend so much money at the expo. A stuffed Mickey with a Marathon medal? All those awesome shirts?! You just made my day!

 

[Ariel484]

OMG. I am going to spend so much money at the expo. A stuffed Mickey with a Marathon medal? All those awesome shirts?! You just made my day!

I KNOW. Somehow I only limited myself to the official merchandise area in 2012, and I'm going to try to do the same this coming January. Just an FYI...I am pretty sure that they take giftcards for the official merchandise area, and when I was checking out at the register I mentioned on a whim that I had both a Disney Visa and an Annual Pass and the CM gave me a discount!

They had lots of official merchandise...besides the "I Did It!" shirts (the purple one I got is a women's cut shirt...!!), which they also had in long-sleeved versions (not women's cut, I don't think), plushes and coffee mugs they also had sweatshirts, jackets, shorts...lots of other stuff I'm forgetting. I wish they would put out a Marathon Weekend Dooney & Bourke collection, but I kind of feel like that might be something just for the Princess and Tinkerbell Half.

YAY SHOPPING!

 

[steph0808]

Just an FYI...I am pretty sure that they take giftcards for the official merchandise area, and when I was checking out at the register I mentioned on a whim that I had both a Disney Visa and an Annual Pass and the CM gave me a discount!

Awesome! I don't have a Disney Visa yet - always steal my mom's - but I might have to sign up for my own for the discount!

We were planning on flying on in Friday night so I would just have Saturday at the expo, but we are actually coming in on Thursday now so I will be spending a large part of Friday morning shopping at the expo! I will probably try to limit myself to official stuff too, but no promises! Especially if they have good deals of running gear I like! And if there are purses - well, I might blow my whole vacation budget there!

 

[Ariel484]

Awesome! I don't have a Disney Visa yet - always steal my mom's - but I might have to sign up for my own for the discount!

We were planning on flying on in Friday night so I would just have Saturday at the expo, but we are actually coming in on Thursday now so I will be spending a large part of Friday morning shopping at the expo! I will probably try to limit myself to official stuff too, but no promises! Especially if they have good deals of running gear I like! And if there are purses - well, I might blow my whole vacation budget there!

I forget exactly what the discount was...maybe similar to the AP, where it's 10% unless you spend $50+, then it's 20%? Either way, it's better than nothing!

Maybe you already know this (not sure whether this is your first race at Disney or not?), but get to the expo EARLY! It will save you so many headaches!

 

[Ariel484]

Week 9: Run #3 (7-mile loop...I think)
Friday, October 26, 2012
Weather: Low 50s, overcast with light, steady rain

14 miles completed/24 miles planned for the week
160 miles completed so far in training

Not a bad run at all today! However, I did do something stupid. At one point I stopped to wait for cars to clear out so that I could cross the street. Whenever I do this I pause my watch, and today I forgot to un-pause it. It took me awhile to realize it, and when I did I definitely used some not-so-magical language to express my frustration. By the time I made it back home my watch read 6 miles. I guess it's possible that I went an entire mile with the watch paused, but I'm really not sure...oh well. I'm gonna call it a 7-miler and move on.

Total Time: ??? The watch read 1:02 for 6 miles when I got home, so my best guess is that I was really out there for about 1:13 for 7 miles.
Average pace: ??? 10:30ish sounds about right.

OOPS! HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Gotta love seeing these signs at MCO...75 days!!!

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[steph0808]

Maybe you already know this (not sure whether this is your first race at Disney or not?), but get to the expo EARLY! It will save you so many headaches!

It is my first Disney race! My first race ever with an expo - I am so excited (I have only done two small, local half marathons)!! I guess I will be up and at the expo at 8 (or 9, whenever it opens!).

Great job on the 7-ish miles today!

 

[Ariel484]

It is my first Disney race! My first race ever with an expo - I am so excited (I have only done two small, local half marathons)!! I guess I will be up and at the expo at 8 (or 9, whenever it opens!).

Great job on the 7-ish miles today!

First Disney race, woohoo! I would also recommend printing out your race waiver ahead of time. They'll post it on rundisney.com about a month ahead of time...if you don't bring it with you, you'll be able to print it out at the expo but that's one more line to wait in when you could be shopppppiiiinnnnngggg! :

Pretty sure the expo opens at 9 on Friday.

 

[Ariel484]

Week 9: Rest Day
Saturday, October 27, 2012

Oops, time to get caught up!

We had a few errands and other things to take care of on Saturday, so it made sense to make this my rest day and push the run to Sunday. We had a nice day - took care of almost everything we needed to get done, had a nice dinner out , spent some quality time with the pup and carved our pumpkins!

Here's mine...everyone hail to the pumpkin king!

Will's is the Assassin's Creed logo (if that means anything to anyone ...the new game comes out tomorrow, I guess, and he's very excited).

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[Ariel484]

Week 9: Run #4 (10 miles, made up of one 6-mile loop and one 4-mile out-and-back)
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Weather: high 40s and windy with steady rain

24 miles completed/24 miles planned for the week
170 miles completed so far in training

So I guess we're getting some of the remnants of the hurricane that's coming to the East coast. Anyone that's in Sandy's path - STAY SAFE!!

There were definitely points during this run where I wished I'd figured out a way to squeeze it in on Saturday (when we had virtually no rain or wind), but overall it wasn't bad at all. Really, I think runs like this are good for me - they make me stronger both physically (seriously...there was some intense wind and it was hard to run against it!) and mentally (there's something weirdly empowering knowing that less-than-ideal weather can't hold me down). *flex* LOL!

Splits:

First 3 miles were pretty relaxed...

Mile 1 - 10:26
Mile 2 - 10:34
Mile 3 - 11:40 --> Perhaps a bit TOO relaxed...took a water/walk/Gu chomp break at the beginning of this mile.

The next 3 miles SUCKED. It was totally my fault too - I made a turn in my 6-mile loop that had me running pretty much right next to the lake. Just really not smart on a day with crazy wind and rain. Yikes.

Mile 4 - 10:11 --> I think I realized quickly how crappy this was going to be and tried to pick up the pace.
Mile 5 - 10:50 --> Walk/water break
Mile 6 - 10:37

After that portion of the run the last 4 miles were a breeze!

Mile 7 - 11:49 --> Water/walk/Gu chomp break
Mile 8 - 10:16
Mile 9 - 10:07 --> Water/walk break
Mile 10 - 9:32

Total time: 1:46:04 for 10 miles
Average pace: 10:36/mile
Number of other nutjobs...er, I mean runners...spotted during the run: 5!

Very pleased with this run! I had hoped to keep it at 1:45 or below, but considering the conditions I'll take 1:46, for sure. Despite the fact that the weather was so crappy and I was out there for awhile it felt like this run went by quickly. Awesome. Week 9 is dunzo!

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[Ariel484]

Week 10: Strength training
Monday, October 29, 2012

0 miles completed/29 miles planned for the week
170 miles completed so far in training

Felt pretty good this morning after my 10-miler yesterday. Can't ask for more than that!

...What a boring post. I'll spruce it up with some random thoughts I had during yesterday's 10-miler.

Since I was running 10 miles I found myself trying to remember where mile 10 was on the 2011 Princess Half marathon course (which is the exact same course as the half marathon course used during marathon weekend) and the 2012 marathon course...I'm pretty sure this was one of the many ways I was trying to distract myself when I was running past the lake and the wind was so brutal. So here are the pictures before and after Mile Marker 10 in both races!

Princess Half/WDW Half

I couldn't for the life of me remember where this mile marker was, but I thought I remembered that it was at the top of an overpass. I had the overpass part right...it's right after running down World Drive away from Magic Kingdom as you head back toward Epcot and the finish line (!).

Before Mile Marker 10 we met some pirates...

...then headed up the overpass into double-digit land...on the way up we could hear Sarge telling us soldiers to move faster!...

...unfortunately once we reached the overpass Sarge had just ducked into his trailer for a bit of R&R Luckily we met him during the 2012 Marathon!

So with the exception of the characters out during these points I imagine this will be the exact same for the 2012 WDW Half in January. This part of the race - running up an overpass so close to the end - really broke some people down. So if you're training for marathon weekend, make sure to include some hills on your training routes!! You'll thank yourself in January.

2012 WDW Marathon

I was totally wrong here. I thought it was after the Magic Kingdom, but it was actually BEFORE the Magic Kingdom, in between passing Space Mountain and entering the Kingdom before turning down Main Street USA!

I think I was getting this confused with the new course for 2013...this year Mile Marker 10 will be AFTER the Magic Kingdom, just after running around the speedway.

I have this picture of Space...

...followed by Mile Marker 10, just before running under the monorail beam...

...and heading into the Magic Kingdom! Turn right at the Christmas tree and you're on Main Street USA looking at the castle!

So yeah...just a random, silly example of a little game I like to play with myself to distract from running in crazy conditions. Woot.

Marathon Weekend begins in 72.5 days!!

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[Ariel484]

Running Stuff I like: Hydration and Nutrition

Now that the runs are getting longer, hydration and nutrition during the runs is getting more and more important. It's critical to figure out what works BEFORE race day so that a runner knows what they need to perform at their best. Here's what I've been using:

Hydration

A dietitian once told me to drink 4-6 ounces of fluid every 20 minutes or so, so I've been taking a walk/drink break every 2 miles. It's worked well for me and it's something I can do at the Disney races, since I know they have water/Powerade stops at least every 2 miles.

On runs less than 10 miles I've been using an Amphipod handheld bottle. I used to use a bottle/waist pack but it started to get uncomfortable...this works well.

(source)

I like the pouch for storing gels or house keys, and the shape of the bottle is comfortable in my hand. If I fill it up too much it'll leak, but in general that's not an issue.

On longer runs I use a Camelbak Annadel backpack.

(source)

It has a "bladder" inside that holds 50 oz of water. I really like this thing. Now that I have it correctly adjusted it doesn't bounce and the water doesn't slosh around as long as I get the extra air out of the bladder before my run. The pack has a couple of pockets for my phone, gels, kleenex, etc., and I like knowing I have more than enough water with me if I need it. Things I don't like about it: it takes a bit of work to get the bladder to dry out (if it doesn't dry it'll get moldy), I don't put Gatorade in it because I don't want to bother with the hassle of cleaning it out (unfortunate - ultimately I like to alternate water and Gatorade. Oh well), and sometimes I find myself tensing my shoulders when I run with it. Otherwise, it's great. Very convenient.

Nutrition

Before a long run I drink one cup of coffee and eat a plain bagel with peanut butter, then wait an hour before running. I'm so anal about this that I'm bringing my own bagel with PB to Disney (well, 5 bagels I guess - one for each of my races and one for each of the bro's races). I don't want to take any changes with new food on race morning(s)!

As for nutrition during runs, I don't depend on runDisney to provide this for me during a race. Their frequency of water stops is more than adequate for me, but their food stops are not, and they don't have the gel that I like (Clif sponsers Disney races, so there are mostly Clif gels, bananas and chocolate at food stops), so I bring my own. I've tried a few things for nutrition during runs and I like...

Vanilla bean Gu gels

(source)

I've tried other brands (Honey Stingers are too sweet to me, Hammer Gels are too watery...BLECH) and flavors (mint chocolate made my stomach burn, chocolate reminded me too much of frosting, peanut butter was grimy and weird)...vanilla bean it is!

However, even more than the gels I like Gu chomps.

(source)

Strawberry and Blueberry Pomegranate are my favorites. They taste like fruit snacks...almost like a little treat during a run. YUM! They do get stuck in my teeth from time to time though...I don't think they'd work for a runner with braces. I eat half of a bag (4 chomps) approximately every 4 miles.


It's taken me awhile to figure out just how important hydration and nutrition are for running, and now that I have I make sure to stick to my little routine here. No surprises on race day!!!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Week 10: Run #1 (4 miles on the treadmill)
Tuesday, October 30, 2012

4 miles completed/29 miles planned for the week
174 miles completed so far in training

Sandy is a...witch. Except replace the "w" with...well, you get my drift.

I hope everyone East of us is staying safe. Even though I complain about the storm, we've been pretty lucky. We have been having crazy insane wind (apparently gusts have gotten up to 60-70 mph!) and constant rain, but as far as I know my house still has power and things aren't too bad. All of the street and traffic lights in my town were out this morning, which made my drive in at 5:30 VERY eerie - with no other cars around I couldn't see ANYTHING. Once I got on the highway the drive was okay, just slow...and here I am at work. All of the schools around us are closed (Will doesn't have to go to work today) and I think all of the government buildings are as well. But not us! When you work in a hospital, the show must go on.

Anyway, when I got to the gym this morning I was surprised to see 2 ladies suiting up to run OUTSIDE. The weather here isn't completely terrible, but to me crazy wind + constant rain + darkness + a constant chance of power outages =/= ideal running conditions. It's time to try the treadmill, ladies. I mean, they weren't even wearing reflective gear... To each their own I guess.

I DID get my butt on the treadmill - no running outside for me today. It wasn't quite as awful as last week's 4-miler on the treadmill...the first 3 miles when by pretty quickly, but the 4th felt like it took FOREVER. It didn't help that the little cardio room seemed a bit more crowded than usual and it felt like the temperature in there was approximately 1000 degrees. My face felt like it was on fire. But I got it done.

Total time: 39:30 for 4 miles
Average pace: 9:53ish/mile

Again, stay safe all!!!

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[Ariel484]

Week 10: Run #2 (3 miles on the treadmill)
Wednesday, October 31, 2012

7 miles completed/29 miles planned for the week
177 miles completed so far in training

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Anyone have trick-or-treating tonight?? We don't - all of the towns in my area have pushed it back thanks to the storm. Our trick-or-treat is on Sunday from 6-8. Will and I have our candy and are ready to hand it out (before we eat it all!). I hope our jack-o-lanterns survive until then.

The people up here that are trying to get everything back to normal after the storm are doing a WONDERFUL job. When I drove in this morning I noticed that there were more street lamps working compared to yesterday. Most of the traffic lights were still out, but I still count that as progress! One bad thing did happen during the drive though - there was a car on the side of the highway in the grass, on the other side of the fence. It had pretty clearly fallen down the hill from the road above! There was no police or fire there, so I quickly called emergency services and was told that they already knew about the accident and that help was on the way. I hope that person is okay.

Lots of people around us still don't have power - I think it was still too windy/dangerous for crews to work on getting it restored yesterday. I've heard that some might not get it back until this weekend. In fact so many people are still without power that a lot of the schools have canceled class again for today (Will's at home). We are so lucky - we never lost power, just had a few flickers while eating dinner Monday evening, and as far as we can see we don't have any significant damage. The wind has died down and I think the rain is supposed to taper off little by little...it'll be nice to get back to normal!

It was really sobering to look at pictures last night from areas east of us. If any of you are from areas that were hit hard by the storm, please know you're in my thoughts and that I'm so sorry for what has happened to you! Stay safe.

------------------------------------------------------

On to less heavy topics...running!

After yesterday's 4-miler, my 3-miler today felt like it flew by. Good thing too - the road I normally take to go to the gym was closed this morning (due to flooding I think) so I had to go a different way and got on the treadmill about 10 minutes later than normal (and "normal" is still later than I should be starting my run ). Imagine me singing in my best White Rabbit voice: "I'm late, I'm late!" (Although I think you'd have to add some not-so-magical 4-letter words in there to get the full effect ).

Anyhoo, I picked up the pace a bit this morning for my last 3-miler of training until just before Marathon Weekend. Next week both of my Tuesday and Wednesday runs will be 4-milers...then the week after the Tuesday run will be a 5-miler. I really feel like training is flying by all of a sudden. I DEFINITELY need to wake up earlier in order to keep running before work. And I need to start figuring out how I'll survive 5-mile runs on the treadmill...hmm.

Total time: 28:57 for 3 miles
Average pace: 9:40ish/mile

So on my morning where I got in late I saved myself an entire, like, 30 seconds by running faster...woohoo? However, I DID haul you-know-what in the locker room afterward and only ended up 3-5 minutes later in the end. Yay!

And now I leave you with this...the monster pup's Halloween Portrait (as we like to call it) from 2010, where he was dressed as a knight. Our favorite picture of him EVER!

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[camandjacksmom]

Love love love the puppy picture!! Our sweet boy is a sheriff this year!! Too cute. I'm glad to hear you are okay! I fly out tomorrow to Norfolk Virginia so I'll be able to see how they are doing out there! It's crazy how mother nature can bring things to a halt in a matter of a few hours....

 

[Ariel484]

Love love love the puppy picture!! Our sweet boy is a sheriff this year!! Too cute. I'm glad to hear you are okay! I fly out tomorrow to Norfolk Virginia so I'll be able to see how they are doing out there! It's crazy how mother nature can bring things to a halt in a matter of a few hours....

Thanks! A sheriff, how cute! Do you have a picture?

I hope you had/are having a good trip. We seem to have come out of the storm relatively unscathed...whew.

 

[Ariel484]

Week 10: Strength training
Thursday, November 1, 2012

Wait, it's November?! What?? Where did October go?

Fairly typical strength training session today. I felt stronger than usual on burpees but weaker than usual on push-ups...everything else was fine. It ebbs and flows I guess. I did make a couple of small tweaks to the program though. I took out the one-legged squats (where you stand on one foot and then do a squat...Captain Obvious right here ) and I'm now doing curls and shoulder presses on both feet instead of on one foot. A couple of weeks ago I did something weird during the one-legged squats and ended up with some soreness on the top of my left foot, closer to the inside. I don't think I mentioned it here because it actually didn't affect running at all - it was pain-free when I ran and didn't hurt any worse when I was done. It was sore whenever I walked around the house without shoes and whenever I wore the old pair of running shoes I'd been using for strength training (those went right in the trash once I figured that out). I thought the balancing stuff was good for strengthening my ankles (it seems like it would help protect against a possible rolled ankle...or maybe I'm just making things up ) but the soreness was not cool - Will had something similar a couple of years ago and ended up with a cast/space boot on his foot. So I'm going to err on the side of caution and not do anything one-footed anymore. Good story huh?

The storm clean-up continues in my area, and I truly don't think I realized how badly we got hit until yesterday. Our house never lost power, we didn't have any flooding, and while we have quite a few tree branches down none are super huge or were ever in danger of landing on the house. What I didn't realize until yesterday afternoon is that 85% of the houses in my town lost power (per an online article from the local news...still lots of street and traffic lights out, though one on my usual route into work was operational again this morning ) and there are tons of uprooted trees in peoples' yards (the town next to ours had 60 uprooted trees! ) and across roads...and on some houses, unfortunately. I don't think any houses were destroyed, luckily. I drove through town for the first time since the storm yesterday on my way home and it was very surprising to see all of this when my street looks completely normal, save for more branches out on the curbs than usual. We got very, very lucky.

So I'll end this on a happier note...I posted the monster pup's Halloween Portrait from 2010 yesterday. We have one from 2011 but it's pretty bad (in terms of picture quality and the fact that he HATED the costume they put on him and wouldn't sit still ). But the monster redeemed himself this year. I present to you Archie's 2012 Halloween Portrait!

I am entirely too excited about this picture. Love Harry Potter!

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[steph0808]

Great picture of your pup! I am a diehard Harry Potter fan - man, if I could get my dogs to wear costumes or sit still, I could do the whole gang!

 

[butiflfeet]

That is a great Halloween picture! He's so cute!

 

[Ariel484]

Great picture of your pup! I am a diehard Harry Potter fan - man, if I could get my dogs to wear costumes or sit still, I could do the whole gang!

Thanks! I have NO idea how they got him to sit like that. They said once they got the glasses to stay on he was very good. Sounds like he's on better behavior at camp then he is at home. Eh, I kid. He's really a good dog, he just likes to get into mischief. See this picture:

UMM...that is not your shoe, sir.

And yeah, I legit SQUEALED and practically shouted "HE'S HARRY POTTER!" when I saw the picture. So embarrassing!

That is a great Halloween picture! He's so cute!

Thanks! I am totally thrilled with the picture. Nice little Halloween treat.