Week 6 of 4th of July 5-miler Training
Monday, June 23, 2014 - Sunday, June 29, 2014
21.05 miles completed
73.9 miles completed in 5-miler Training
346.45 miles completed in 2014 so far
Monday, June 23: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Burn 1) + Ab Burner
It's the last full week of June! How did THAT happen?!
It's also my peak week in 5-miler training. I guess when this week is over I should be topping out at 21ish miles? Seems like sort of a big jump to me from last weeks mileage total, but whatever.
Another Monday morning in the gym with Chalene. My hamstrings are still a wee bit sore from Saturday's workout, but overall I was able to keep up pretty well. There were some Wimbledon matches on, so that was fun to watch. Never thought I'd be interested in tennis...that's what happens when you marry a tennis player, I guess.
Shopping update #1: After many recommendations to check out the Athleta website from my cousin (the one who just got married - she does Crossfit 5-6 times per week and is a coach, so she knows her athletic wear!) I ordered a swimsuit (
top/
bottom) from the site that came last week. I freaking HATE swimsuit shopping...I think I have the hardest time shopping for swimsuits, bras, jeans and glasses (yep, one random non-clothing item thrown in there). Just not fun! But I picked a suit and so far I like it enough that I ordered a second one in another color (the one I have is grey and I just ordered a red one). My swimsuits that I took on last year's cruise were from Victoria's Secret, and I just never felt comfortable in them, so hopefully I will like these better!
The one thing that Crossfit cousin pointed out about Athleta that really sold me is that they have a great return policy - free shipping on returns AND you can return them any time - which is pretty crazy and awesome! So after reading many reviews and taking some measurements, I originally ended up ordering my suit in a few different sizes (free shipping when you spend $50) and sent back what didn't fit for free. Knowing my size then made it much easier to order suit #2.
Athleta has a bunch of different kinds of clothes (dresses, shoes, swimsuits, athletic wear, etc.) but I haven't tried any of their running clothes yet. I'm sure I will eventually, but I just don’t need any new running clothes right now. Of course, that hasn't stopped me from continuing to buy SparkleSkirts and Raw Threads tops…
Shopping update #2: Speaking of Raw Threads, I've decided that I'm definitely going to order a second set of the ill-fated racerback bow tops, but in the equilibrium style. I wanted to do that this weekend but didn't get around to it, and now I think I'll wait a bit...there's no hurry just yet. My one firm deadline is that I want to wear one of the tops for the Jingle Jungle 5K, and that's not until November. Plenty of time. Once I get those tops I'll be totally set for Marathon Weekend race outfits, except for one Sweaty Band that I'm hoping to get at the Wine & Dine expo (135 days from today!!) and, like...shoes and stuff like that. I'll post about my outfits sometime in the fall.
Goodbye money!
Fun fact: I opened the countdown app on my phone to see how long it was until Wine & Dine weekend...and noticed that Marathon Weekend is less than 200 days away (197 to be exact!). Time is going to FLY!!
Cruise Update: Look what came in the mail today!
Yep, that's right. A brand-new set of MagicBands for our 1-night, room-only stay. Seems like sort of a waste to me but I guess we have to get into our room somehow.
Tuesday, June 24: Run #1 (4 miles on the treadmill)
Happy Tuesday! Today's run felt loooooooong. Not sure why, it just did. I was looking forward to watching some of Wimbledon on one of the TVs, but the coverage didn't start until partway through my run, and that was mostly the commentators talking. They didn't start showing any matches until I was done running. Booooooo
One thing I have been forgetting to mention is that I am trying to work on stretching a bit more lately. Mostly I've been doing this in the evenings after dinner for about 5 minutes...not nearly as much as I should be doing but I think it's helping. And this brings me back to something I haven't talked or thought about in months...yoga!
I bought a 15-class pass in January, went to one class, and haven't thought about yoga or that pass I purchased since. Last night it dawned on me that the pass is going to expire this December, so I'd better use it or lose it! I just logged into my account with the studio...turns out the pass actually expires NEXT December. But now that I'm thinking about it again...it's probably time to try to get back to yoga once a week. I know it will be good for me - it'll feel good and help with injury prevention.
So I took the plunge and signed up for my first class since...geez, I don't know, late January? Yikes! Man, I'm going to be terrible.
The class is on July 5th - the day after the 5-mile race - and is called Yoga Flow for All Levels -
"an awakening and fluid vinyasa yoga experience with attention to the breath and movement. Appropriate for students of all levels as modifications and embellishments will be offered accordingly." Keys words in that description: "all levels" and "modifications." This ain't gonna be pretty!
So maybe this can become a new habit - on Fridays instead of doubling up on running and strength training I can double up on running followed by yoga? (I wanted to do a class this Friday right after the race but the scheduling won't work out.) That might actually feel pretty good. And I'm sure it'll be really helpful for Dopey Training, assuming I actually keep up with it. HMMM...
Namaste!
Wednesday, June 25: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Burn 2) + Ab Burner
Tra la la, more CLX this morning. Followed it up with Ab Burner. I decided I'm going to take a break from Ab Ripper X - just got sort of boring after awhile. Going to alternate Ab Burner and Extreme Abs for awhile instead.
Shopping Update #3:
*NOTE...apologies for writing a novel here!
I am sure I am not the only one that is on the
Disney Store email list - I get an email from the store every morning at about 7AM that details whatever new products they have. This has been both helpful and enabling to me in the past - only by getting this email did I know that the Vera Bradley "Where's Mickey?" print was available online, and I was able to get the hipster before it sold out. Love that bag.
Now, I used to think that I was a shoe girl, but over the years I have found that I am definitely a purse girl. I just have a thing for purses, for whatever reason - mostly Disney purses (hence my describing the daily Disney Store emails as "enabling"). I have the Vera I mentioned above, along with 3 Disney Dooneys - a balloon wristlet, a sketch tote and my 20th Marathon Weekend Letter Carrier.
(Don't have a picture of this bag, grabbed this tiny one from Google!)
I haven't gotten a new Dooney since the marathon one. The patterns that have been coming out lately haven't been all too thrilling to me. I sort of like the retro WDW ones...
...and I would LOVE this Haunted Mansion Dooney. It becomes available in the parks and online periodically and then sells out immediately (in fact I saw it on the Disney Store website this morning, freaked out and went to buy it...it was sold out). It COULD be mine for somewhere in the neighborhood of $500-$1900 from eBay (seriously), but, well...I don't want it that badly.
One of my great Disney merchandising regrets is not getting a bag in the WDW 40th anniversary pattern. I did order the bag pictured below, and while I LOVE LOVE LOVED the pattern, the actual style of the bag just did not work for me. And by the time I figured that out (long enough that I was outside the return window and ended up selling the bag on eBay), the rest of the bags were sold out.
ANYWAY...none of the patterns that have come out since Marathon Weekend in 2013 have particularly thrilled me. But back in January the Disney Parks Blog posted
a preview of a new Dooney & Bourke print called Mickey and Minnie Downtown.
GAHHHH. LOVE. Great job Disney, you've pulled me back in again! Is that not the cutest print ever?
So yeah, that post in January, then nothing...until I got this morning's Disney Store email. It's IN!
I read the email in the locker room after CLX, so I tried to do everything on my phone...in a locker room...with terrible reception. Blech! There were actually 2 colors available - the above color and one that was red and grey - and 4 styles of bags (crossbody, letter carrier, satchel and large shopper - in order from least to most expensive). My options were narrowed pretty quickly - I already have a letter carrier and a tote, so no sense in buying another of the exact same bag in a different pattern. I liked the satchel but I've been thinking that if/when a Dooney pattern is released for Marathon Weekend 2015, I'd get it in the satchel. That left the crossbody, which only came in red.
I definitely got caught up in the moment and just ordered the thing (which took a long time...again, crappy locker room reception). Disney was also running a promotion where with any Dooney purchase, one could also get the cosmetic bag for $25.
Do I need a cosmetic bag? Of course not. Did that stop me from adding it to my order? Of course not.
So the order finally went through and I went on with my morning...but then I got to my desk (somewhat late thanks to all of the ordering madness) and took a closer look at what I'd just ordered and started to have second thoughts. For one thing, I don't like the red/grey pattern as much as I like it in pink/green. But the bigger issue was the actual size of the bag. I've been using my marathon letter carrier over the past few months, and it's pretty small. So small that I couldn't use my regular wallet with it. I took a look at the crossbody specs and found that it's is even smaller than the letter carrier! So there was a good chance I'd just ordered a not-so-useful bag that would be a giant pain to carry, if I carried it at all. Arg!
I hopped back onto the website...bags were still available in the new pattern. I started looking at the satchel again...reviews were good on other satchels, and I thought back to last year's Marathon Weekend Dooney pattern...which I didn't love.
So what if I don't love the 2015 pattern? If there's a pattern out now that I love, shouldn't I grab it? I know from past experience that Dooneys will pop up and disappear from the website on a regular basis, so after waiting for months for this pattern to come out...why pass it up?
You can see where this is going...I placed a brand new order for a pink satchel!
It's more expensive than what I originally ordered, but I definitely think I will like and use it more. I was able to call and cancel my original order, and I used promo codes for free shipping and the Disney Visa discount (10% off). So that lessened the blow a little bit.
Woohoo for a new bag that I definitely don't need! And you're welcome, everyone...because now that I've bought THIS satchel after being resolved to wait for the Marathon Weekend one, I'm sure 2015’s pattern will be awesome and I'll *have to* buy that one too.
Sidenote: I just realized I used 8 of my allotted 25 images per post up on Dooneys in my running thread. Shows where my priorities are!
Thursday, June 26: 45-minute tempo run (4.05 miles completed)
Last long tempo run before the race! Didn't feel super long today, but it was HOT HOT HOT in the cardio room. Drenched in sweat by the end!
**WW UPDATE**
Down 0.4 pounds this morning! I finally made the app happy...
I am happy with the loss but I think I could have done a wee bit better. I was pretty hungry this week, so I feel like I was snacking a lot - there's been a bake sale going on at work as part of a fundraiser for cancer research, and the goodies are right by my desk. That's been dangerous. And delicious.
Still...a loss is a loss, and I will take it!
Cruise Update: I've been thinking about what we have planned for this cruise and why we actually booked it in the first place. The main two reasons were for our anniversary (which was in May) and for some relaxation. We've got 3 upcharge meals booked (Palo for brunch and dinner, and Remy for dinner), so I would say those meals and the trip as a whole take care of anniversary stuff.
But in thinking about the rest of the cruise, I wondered if we were losing the relaxation portion...specifically by adding the chocolate tour in Nassau. After talking about it with Will last night, we decided to cancel it exactly 1 week after making the reservation. That didn't last long!
Honestly, I don't think either of us are disappointed. I booked it mainly because Will mentioned possibly wanting to get off the ship in Nassau, and I just figured, "well, if we’re disembarking that day, may as well do something!" But when I asked Will about it yesterday, he made it seem like he's less sure he'll actually want to disembark that day. And one thing that bugged me from the beginning was the timing of the tour - 10:45AM until 1:45PM. It would really break up the day and I was afraid we wouldn't have a chance to really utilize those Rainforest Spa passes we bought - and we are really looking forward to that. Plus, that tour would have cost $59 for each of us. That's, like, 4 extra Mixology classes we could do! (NOTE: We will NOT be doing 4 Mixology classes
).
So the chocolate is out. No worries...I know from firsthand experience that we'll still eat ourselves silly on the ship.
Friday, June 27: Run #3 (6-mile out-and-back)
Weather: 77 degrees and sunny
Worst run ever!
Wait, didn't I say that last week? Well, it applies this week, too.
Splits:
The first two miles were fine...
Mile 1: 10:48
Mile 2: 10:03
At the beginning of mile 3 I took a 1-minute walk break, and things went downhill from there. My legs felt heavy and sore, and it was hot out. Because it was sunny out I was wearing a visor, which I normally don't do…now I remember why. My head was SO hot! I went from feeling okay to feeling like I was in survival mode very quickly. I needed multiple walk breaks to make it through, and despite drinking plenty of water I was thirsty almost the entire time. And nauseous. Bleh!
Mile 3: 11:03
Mile 4: 10:54
Mile 5: 11:31
Mile 6: 11:49
Total time for 6 miles: 1:06:09, 11:01/mile pace
While the temperature and sun were definitely factors, I started wondering if I need to re-think my weekly schedule. I've been following my training plan closely, but shuffling the days around, so maybe I need to just follow the plan as written. Specifically the plan calls for running Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, no running Friday, then the long run Saturday. Maybe that would help? I think I'll start to try doing that. Also, I need to get up earlier to get these runs done during cooler parts of the day. Seriously.
I got back from the run, showered, had a smoothie, and passed out for almost 2 hours before dinner! The sun really beat the crap out of me.
Random aside - remember how I mentioned above that my workplace is doing a big fundraiser to support cancer research? As part of the fundraising there was a 50/50 raffle (where half the pot goes toward the cause, and the other half goes to a winner). Guess who won the pot? Yep...ME!
First time I've won something since being chosen as the winner of a free pair of tickets to the ice capades back when I was a wee lass (a Disney on Ice show, incidentally enough). As a result...
Shopping Updates #4-7: Etsy is a dangerous place, especially for a Disney fan. I've been reading through the Homemade Fish Extender thread in the cruise section of these boards (people are so talented!) and actually found a few of the gifts people made for sale on Etsy. I ended up purchasing a
Castaway Club lanyard key fob, a
Disney Cruise Line vinyl sticker for my car, and a Mickey Mouse camera strap. I'll post photos when they come in...and even with this little shopping spree I still have some 50/50 money left over. Yay!
Saturday, June 28: Run #4 (7-mile out-and-back)
Weather: 81 degrees and sunny
So after yesterday's disaster of a run, I make a couple of changes:
1. Started earlier (10AM instead of noon)
2. Ditched the visor
3. Programmed intervals into my Garmin (run 4 minutes/walk 1 minute)
All 3 of those things helped but I think the intervals made the biggest difference. The bad thing about intervals with the Garmin is that the watch doesn't spit out mile splits, which is what I use to determine when to drink and take fuel. So this time I drank water every 20 minutes or so and had 4 Gu chomps at the 40-45 minute mark.
Total time for 7 miles: 1:15:50, 10:49/mile pace
So not only did I finish today's run NOT feeling like death (like yesterday)...I also ran 12 seconds per mile faster. Needless to say, I heart intervals.
Shopping Update #8: I purchased my mom's birthday gift today (her birthday is July 13). I'm hoping she'll find it useful for a trip we are planning to take together next year (more on that later!)
Sunday, June 29: Rest Day
YAY REST DAY! Boy did I feel like I needed it.
Mostly I just grocery shopping and hung out with the husband and dog (who we are pretty sure has an ear infection...taking him to the vet tomorrow!).
Also, today was packet pick-up! Not a lot to report here, except that the race shirt is nice and they gave me the correct size. Woohoo! Also...
Shopping Update #9: Packet pick-up was at my local running store, so while I was there I decided to pick up a few things - some Honey Stinger Waffles (strawberry flavor?! Hmm...), some salted caramel Gu, and 2 new pairs of socks (Balega Hidden Dry). I also ordered 3 pairs of shoes - one for Will and 2 for me (my trusty Brooks Adrenalines - one pink pair and one blue pair). When those shoes come in I should be set for the rest of the year - I still have one unopened pair at home so that pair and these other two pairs (which should come in by the end of this week) should get me through Marathon Weekend.
Shopping Update #10: The last update in the Week of Shopping
(it's been an expensive week!) - I went on Shutterfly and ordered some personalized luggage tags for my and Will's suitcases in preparation for the cruise. We have some pretty old Disney tags (those plastic ones with the holograms) and they are starting to crack, so it was time. Hooray for 20% off and free shipping! Hmm, would have been a good idea to get some for my mom too...oh well.
Continued in Next Post
I do still like them a lot. Maybe if I'd practiced a bit more beforehand...
Ahhh, I'm getting so freaking excited for this cruise!!
I hope it's a good one!
5.2 pounds in a month doesn't seem crazy to me, so whatever.
So I have like 2 tiny 0.01-mile long laps plus a 0.98-mile long lap that makes up mile 5. Airhead!
My brother really likes MFP...for whatever reason I like the points method better, although if I had to pay for WW I'm sure I'd use MFP, too. Good luck!!!
on canceling your chocolate tour one week later. That sounds exactly like something I would do. I think it's a smart move. You will have an awesome and relaxing day on the boat instead.
Is that silly? I'd like to wait till Jan. to choose one in person, but I worry they will sell out before then. What do you think? 
) but I keep other stuff in it and it fits in the bag well.
