May 9, 2012: 5 Night Bahamas Cruise on Disney Magic

[PixieMom712]

What a weekend!

We have a local egg hunt at the park each year, which we did yesterday. They have pictures with the Easter Bunny, a train ride, hot dogs and snow cones. Then we all went home to nap and THEN we we went out to get DH some new workout clothes (and a few polos for the cruise) and new sneakers for DS. Then dinner. We ate way too much and I said, "We're just practicing for the cruise!"

Today the boys are at a baseball game. One of DH's commanders was throwing out the first pitch, so he got a luxury suite which he shared with whatever people wanted to come. Apparently it's air conditioned with all the hot dogs, hamburgers, peanuts, cracker jacks, sodas, beer, etc they want! They are having a blast. I was going to go buy the last few tiny things for my FE gifts so I can finally work on getting them finished up, but I'm worn out. Oh well, there are a few weeks left, right? XD I might be a procrastinator.

I haven't used my DSLR camera in a while because it's so bulky but I really want to bring it on the trip. So yesterday when we went to the park I decided to bring it. The battery was almost dead and I couldn't find the charger ANYWHERE. I am not always the most organized person, but I could swear it was in the camera bag with my other lens. Nope. I went through a bunch of other bags, our luggage, the office (aka storage room full of junk), EVERYWHERE. I was freaking out. I know I can buy a new one but I was just so frustrated. Finally my husband asked if I checked in the infamous safe of doom (my words, not his). I just looked at him. Why would it be in there? He asked what it looked like and I told him. He opened it, rifled through for a second and pulled it out. Is it this? OMG!!! I have no idea why he put it in there, but he is big trouble. On the plus side, yay for my fancy camera that is happily charged. Good grief.

Christina and Jaxs27, I hope you are both feeling better soon! *HUGS*

 

[iloverags2]

Well Im actually having a crappy day here. My apt didn't go as well as I would like. Basically, the infection destroyed my foot So he gave me another cortisone injection. He used like an x-ray though so he could inject into the exact joints needed. He said I can do as many as I need. He isnt worried about the injections hurting the area because I will need another surgery in the future reguardless. Im hoping this injection lasts longer than the last 1 did. Then he sent me to get fitted for a brace. My new stupid insurance wont cover it. So there's $379. Sorry Im a downer. I know it could be so much worse, it still stinks though. When is that vacation????? 30 days and we'll be in WDW! Lord I need it!

Oh, phooey. I was really hoping your appt would go much better. Prayers for this injection working better. You definitely need this vacation.

I too have insurance fun ahead of me - got a letter yesterday from the hospital where I had my vein surgery done in January. They still haven't received their $17,000 from Cigna and were hoping I could contact them to help. I'm really looking forward to that call... Gotta love insurance companies...

Seriously? The hospital wants you to call the insurance company? Man, that stinks. My doctor switched out of her old practice and is now at Mayo...I absolutely love them. There was an issue with my insurance company (they say my first visit at Mayo with my doctor was not an initial visit since she was already my doctor; Mayo says first visit). I called Mayo just to give them a heads-up (since I received the rejected claim statement via email), and they were immediately like, "Don't worry about it, we'll take care of it." It has been almost a year since that visit, the insurance company still has not paid Mayo for that one thing, but Mayo refuses to bill me for it either. I'm finding out they run like a well oiled machine there.

Keeping my fingers crossed you have little red tape to sort through with them. :good vibes

Still no cruise documents. I wondering if my travel agent took Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off because of Easter.

Just think, you have something to look forward to still! Hopefully you will be able to pick them up tomorrow!

Don't get me wrong ... I love camping, backpacking, etc. The middle of summer in Missouri just isn't good for anything except for swimming & something indoors. It gets well over 100 degrees with 100% humidity here. Don't know how you Floridians do it. Otherwise, send me out in the wild!! It's the hubby (who is a die-hard military vet) whose butt's gone soft. Not mine. Well, it has but not in that way.

I have come to realize Florida has three months of lousy weather (and nine months of great weather); those three months are almost identical to the hideous and humid summers in Chicago as well.

Getting my hair done! I love a day at the salon. I went dark over the winter and I'm lightening it up for the cruise. Anyway, that's not what I wanted to tell you guys. Lol
Brian just sent me a text that our cruise documents came in the mail!!

Fun day of pampering for you!

My dh does too. He has what is diagnosed as "New Persistent Daily Headaches". Basically, he has a migraine every day (for the past 4 yrs). Sometimes dr's can get the pain manageable but lately nothing is helping much. It just plain stinks!

How horrible for your DH. Do they know what causes the headaches?

I am watching the Magic leave Port Canaveral...lucky dogs on there!!

I was wondering, isn't it about time for first dinner seating??

Yes, first dinner seating begins almost immediately after the ship sails. So much to do; so little time!

So a couple nights ago (during the day in the USA), DH got a message on FB from his aunt asking where he was. A few hours before that his granny had gotten a phone call from someone who sounded like DH saying that he had driven down to Mexico with some buddies and was in jail and needed her to wire him $2500. Granny thought it sounded like DH and just about wired the money! At least she call his aunt first, who talked her down. His aunt happened to be at the doctor's office at the time and used one of their computers to get some phone numbers for the State Department and called some of them and all of the people they talked to said it was probably a scam. Then DH's aunt remembered that she had seen him post a couple hours before on FB and it said he was in Taiwan! DH called Granny and told her to call him next time to see where he was (we have a US phone number family can call) and she said she didn't want to get a hold of me in case I didn't know (in case I didn't know my husband had flown 24 hours to Mexico from Taiwan??). She also told DH that she hadn't been sure if Mexico was closer to her or us! Poor Granny. After Granny got calmed down, she asked DH if I was in bed asleep. (All of this is going on at midnight our time). DH told her yes and she said she had some things she had been wanting to talk to him about and proceeded to tell him to tell his in-laws no and not to go on the cruise. She's afraid the girls will fall off the boat. My parents aren't going and it was all our idea! After DH told her it was a Disney cruise, then she said that that was alright then! Disney has lots of activities for kids (that will keep them from falling off)! LOL! She called last night after I was in bed to make sure DH was still in Taiwan!

Oh, poor granny! Love it that she thinks all is good since you are going on a Disney cruise!

My diet is not going well. It seems no matter how hard I try it stays the same or goes up. I guess I will be stuck wearing a one piece. I have been exercises 3-4 times a week and nothing. Maybe it is the lack of sleep. I do not eat fried foods, fatty foods, etc... My weakness is stuff like gummy worms and Twizzlers.

I have to get started on my FE stuff. I have one of my projects partially started and I bought one of the items for it it the other day.

Do you switch up your exercises? That sometimes helps with pushing you over the wall. I also found that walking has given me a huge boost, so I push myself to walk a mile everyday during lunch hour. It takes me twenty minutes or less to do so.

Don't even get me started with FEs...I am soooooo far behind with those!

My DH always checks and sorts the mail. Today when he came home I rushed over and he tried to give me a kiss but I was too distracted and snatched the mail out of his hands. He said, "What is in there that you are so excited about?" And I spotted the envelope and SQUEALED and then proceeded to dance around singing, "Our cruise documents, it's really real!" And then I opened it and got all teary eyed. I am blaming it on the hormones. Yes, he then got his welcome home kiss.

All the dieters out there, I had great luck using myfitnesspal.com (they have phone apps as well). DH has lost 15 pounds in 3 months just by being more aware of how many calories things have and exercising a little bit more. I was losing 1-2 pounds a week using it... then I got pregnant.

I also think I have my FE stuff mostly around, but I need to put it together and do the (very few) little handmade bits. I feel so behind.

How funny about the cruise docs. That was pretty much my reaction too!

I'll have to check out the myfitnesspal.com website. Currently I use FitDay.com, and love it. Love being able to track my calories...keeps me honest.

Don't worry about being behind on FEs...I'm the queen of that!

I spent ALL afternoon with my friend who was on the Magic. I looked at ALL her pics. She gave me her navigators so I can go through them. Holy cow they plan a TON on these cruises! I think we will never sleep! I got pirate shirts for DH & I and the cutest custom pirate dress for my DD! Just when I think I cant possibly get more excited.. I do

What an awesome way to spend an afternoon! I may start looking for something a little more pirate-y this time around...it seems like everyone else will be dressed up!

I went to the ER Thursday night with horrible stomach pains. I have an ulcer and I am on antibiotics and a lactose free diet for the next week. Just hoping it gets cleared up before the cruise. I am feeling better this morning, so that is a good sign.

Oh gosh, that does not sound fun at all. Hopefully it will be totally cleared up by the time the cruise rolls around. :good vibes

Unfortunately, for me, it's not the calorie counting. I know exactly what they are and can count them just fine. It's the consumption of those that always get me.

Good news! My mom helped me finish all our FE's today. Woohoo!

Ha! That's the same thing here. I have finally "trained" myself that one piece of chocolate at a time is a good thing. But what a nightmare it is if someone has cake nearby!

Way to go Mom! How awesome you have that out of the way now.

Thought I'd pop in really quick and say a quick hi I just finished making Tiramisu for tomorrow. My WHOLE family celebrated Easter today and then my sister is having a low key lunch after church at her house. We are also celebrating my BIL's Bday. My tiramisu is his favorite. Im exhausted tho. I also worked today. Hope everyone who celebrates Easter has a wonderful day tomorrow!

Sounds like you had a good weekend! Tiramisu = yumola!!!

What a weekend!

We have a local egg hunt at the park each year, which we did yesterday. They have pictures with the Easter Bunny, a train ride, hot dogs and snow cones. Then we all went home to nap and THEN we we went out to get DH some new workout clothes (and a few polos for the cruise) and new sneakers for DS. Then dinner. We ate way too much and I said, "We're just practicing for the cruise!"

Today the boys are at a baseball game. One of DH's commanders was throwing out the first pitch, so he got a luxury suite which he shared with whatever people wanted to come. Apparently it's air conditioned with all the hot dogs, hamburgers, peanuts, cracker jacks, sodas, beer, etc they want! They are having a blast. I was going to go buy the last few tiny things for my FE gifts so I can finally work on getting them finished up, but I'm worn out. Oh well, there are a few weeks left, right? XD I might be a procrastinator.

I haven't used my DSLR camera in a while because it's so bulky but I really want to bring it on the trip. So yesterday when we went to the park I decided to bring it. The battery was almost dead and I couldn't find the charger ANYWHERE. I am not always the most organized person, but I could swear it was in the camera bag with my other lens. Nope. I went through a bunch of other bags, our luggage, the office (aka storage room full of junk), EVERYWHERE. I was freaking out. I know I can buy a new one but I was just so frustrated. Finally my husband asked if I checked in the infamous safe of doom (my words, not his). I just looked at him. Why would it be in there? He asked what it looked like and I told him. He opened it, rifled through for a second and pulled it out. Is it this? OMG!!! I have no idea why he put it in there, but he is big trouble. On the plus side, yay for my fancy camera that is happily charged. Good grief.

Christina and Jaxs27, I hope you are both feeling better soon! *HUGS*

I'm exhausted just reading your post!

That is too funny about the charger. I do that all the time...can't find something after looking everywhere for it, then DH pipes in and asks if I looked somewhere (which of course is the one place I hadn't looked), and it's there.


So we are a month away from the cruise! Yippee!!!

 

[wildforgoofy]

My dh does too. He has what is diagnosed as "New Persistent Daily Headaches". Basically, he has a migraine every day (for the past 4 yrs). Sometimes dr's can get the pain manageable but lately nothing is helping much. It just plain stinks!
:

Lainey my BIL has bouts of migraines that last several days at a time, and he was diagnosed with "Cluster Migraines". His DR prescribed him an oxygen tank, and it did the trick. When he's gets his migraines he has the oxygen already at the house.

 

[Lainey321]

My diet is not going well. It seems no matter how hard I try it stays the same or goes up. I guess I will be stuck wearing a one piece. I have been exercises 3-4 times a week and nothing. Maybe it is the lack of sleep. I do not eat fried foods, fatty foods, etc... My weakness is stuff like gummy worms and Twizzlers.

I hear ya. I was sitting at church yesterday and I swear it felt like all the women had lost weight. I starve and lose & gain the same 3#. Twizzlers are evil aren't they (and Swedish Fish)?

Originally Posted by wildforgoofy
Lainey my BIL has bouts of migraines that last several days at a time, and he was diagnosed with "Cluster Migraines". His DR prescribed him an oxygen tank, and it did the trick. When he's gets his migraines he has the oxygen already at the house.

You know I have read several things about O2 being a treatment and that has never been suggested for him However, he did have a sleep study a couple weeks ago and he has severe sleep apnea. So now he has to go back and sleep with a CPAP machine and see if it helps. I hope and pray it helps with not only the apnea but the headaches as well.

Originally Posted by Jaxs27
Are the cruise documents a little info book and luggage tags? We got that in the mail yesterday for one of our rooms.

I went to the ER Thursday night with horrible stomach pains. I have an ulcer and I am on antibiotics and a lactose free diet for the next week. Just hoping it gets cleared up before the cruise. I am feeling better this morning, so that is a good sign.

Oh no! That sounds awful. I am glad you are feeling better.

Dh and dd(9) had the stomach flu over the weekend. I really am hoping I don't get it

 

[DVCTigger]

Good Morning fellow cruisers, it is time for our LAST monthly countdown!!! We now have ONLY

Month until we sail away!!!! Embarkation day!!!! WooHoo!!

 

[PixieMom712]

One month! *faint* I am SO excited but still feeling like there's no way it is all going to come together, particularly when my MIL will be here for almost a week of it. Yipes.

If the FEs from me are jumbled in a grocery bag with no cute touches you'll have to forgive me .

On the plus side, my actual Fish Extender arrived today and it's really nice! We're getting there! I wish my DH would focus long enough for us to order new luggage and I will feel a lot better about things.

How is everyone's head/stomach/foot/body/etc feeling today?

 

[Jaxs27]

I am feeling a lot better now. I am on meds, so they are helping. Also eating a very bland diet. My doctor gave me anti-Nausea meds and I am going to save them for the cruise just in case.

Everything is coming together besides that. I have been stocking up on things to bring and will start packing soon. I have 5 people to pack for, so don't want to wait until the last minute. Need to finish a little bit on the FE, but mostly done.

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

1 more month!!!!! I seriously need this trip like right now. This weekend my poor Lab really started failing. When we got home from my sister's house on Easter, he was unable to move his back half. We had to take him in and put him down. We are just heartbroken On a positive note my cort. shot really helped my foot. Hopefully it lasts a LONG time.

I still havent received our FE from Gradysmom. She said it was going out last week... she has been running really behind. Im hoping it comes this week.

 

[iloverags2]

1 more month!!!!! I seriously need this trip like right now. This weekend my poor Lab really started failing. When we got home from my sister's house on Easter, he was unable to move his back half. We had to take him in and put him down. We are just heartbroken On a positive note my cort. shot really helped my foot. Hopefully it lasts a LONG time.

I still havent received our FE from Gradysmom. She said it was going out last week... she has been running really behind. Im hoping it comes this week.

Oh Christina, I am so sorry to hear about your furbaby. Keeping you guys in my thoughts and prayers. And also hoping your foot continues to feel better as well with the current shot.

 

[jenf22]

1 more month!!!!! I seriously need this trip like right now. This weekend my poor Lab really started failing. When we got home from my sister's house on Easter, he was unable to move his back half. We had to take him in and put him down. We are just heartbroken On a positive note my cort. shot really helped my foot. Hopefully it lasts a LONG time.

I still havent received our FE from Gradysmom. She said it was going out last week... she has been running really behind. Im hoping it comes this week.

I'm so sorry about your dog. It's a horrible feeling. I wish you nothing but happy memories.

I haven't received our FE from Gradysmom either. We got a "ready to ship" notice for one of them (I ordered our and my parents) yesterday. I gave her a "need by" May 1, so I'm trying to be patient... not my strong suit...

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

I'm so sorry about your dog. It's a horrible feeling. I wish you nothing but happy memories.

I haven't received our FE from Gradysmom either. We got a "ready to ship" notice for one of them (I ordered our and my parents) yesterday. I gave her a "need by" May 1, so I'm trying to be patient... not my strong suit...

I just got my DC!!!! It shipped!!! I was trying to be patient too, but I figured I would start sending her email ck ins. After my last email she replied telling me that her DD has been really sick. She was in the ER and then in the hospital for 8 days So she is really behind.

 

[Lainey321]

1 more month!!!!! I seriously need this trip like right now. This weekend my poor Lab really started failing. When we got home from my sister's house on Easter, he was unable to move his back half. We had to take him in and put him down. We are just heartbroken On a positive note my cort. shot really helped my foot. Hopefully it lasts a LONG time.

I hear ya. I got a call Sunday that my grandmother passed away on Saturday night. I am attending the visitation and funeral tomorrow. I hate those things. My grandma had Alzheimers really bad for the past several years, so the grandma I remember has been gone a long time

I am glad your foot is feeling better

I can't wait to get on the boat and have a relaxing drink with you all

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

I hear ya. I got a call Sunday that my grandmother passed away on Saturday night. I am attending the visitation and funeral tomorrow. I hate those things. My grandma had Alzheimers really bad for the past several years, so the grandma I remember has been gone a long time

I am glad your foot is feeling better

I can't wait to get on the boat and have a relaxing drink with you all

YES! It's a date!!!! Sorry about your Grandma. My grandma had Alzheimers too. It is an AWFUL disease!!!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Howdy howdy, gals/folks! I survived camping! Well, sorta. It seems I'm getting a bit of a sinus infection now but there's worse things...like still being up at the lake camping.... I did really good, tho. I cooked a big pot of chili and an interesting beef stroganoff before we went to cover our dinners. The stroganoff had wine in it. I've never cooked with wine before. I'm still exploring lighter cooking so it's tremendously rewarding to make these things totally from scratch and have them turn out so yummy. And that from a girl who hates cooking with a passion. Baking I love. Cooking I loathe. Generally speaking, in the past if something didn't come in a box with instructions or had more than 5 ingredients I wasn't cooking it. Cooking light has me exploring cool recipes from skinnytaste.com and my 'Eat This, Not That' book. It's been fun! And delicious! Beats living on salads, that's for sure.

I followed along everyone's weekend adventures best I could with little to no cell signal for my iPhone. Ugh. That was the worst!

I didn't miss my morning run while I was at the lake either! I didn't get credit via my app because of the lack of cell signal but I did run the next interval and found it quite enjoyable with different scenery, hills, and shade. Fun stuff.

Chandler got totally fried on Friday, the first full day of fishing. I'll have to upload the pic I took of him. He swears he greased-up with the sunblock that was on the boat like 4 times. I had Tracey go back and check the expiration date on the sunblock. It was expired by 1 month. Still, I would've thought it would do more for him with being only 1 month out of date. I think a lot of his problem was windburn. When the guys run from fishing spot to fishing spot they generally run fast...like 60 - 70 mph fast. Toledo Bend is a big lake. It's nothing to run 30 minutes+ to other areas of the lake. To top it off, Chandler forgot to wear a hat and had his hair cut super-short last week. His noggin got quite cooked. And his right hand from the base of his thumb up to his wrist had deeper red splotches from the way he holds & casts the rod. I think those were the worst of his burns. I'm not going to say he had sun poisoning. I've had sun poisoning several times in my life and he wasn't as bad as I was. Still, the burn was quite a shock to his body. He slept the better part of Saturday and didn't eat well. Poor fella. He only had the one day of fishing because he couldn't be out in the sun at all after the burn. He was pretty sad about it but then we talked about it and both agreed that it presented his little brother a great opportunity to get more quality time with the old man and Uncle Jerry. The whole reason I went on the trip with the guys was because Brian doesn't like fishing like Chandler and wants to return to camp after just an hour or 2. I had to be there so he wasn't hanging around the camp alone. Well, Brian found his inner fisherman! He ended up fishing all day Saturday! It was Chandler I spent my time at the camp keeping company. So strange and unexpected but awesome, too! You just never know.... Right?

Hope everyone continues to feel better! We're such a pitiful bunch, huh? LOL! That's okay. We'll commisserate and celebrate our get-away together!

I can't believe it's just a month away! I weighed-in yesterday and lost another 2 lbs. That makes my total for last month 6 lbs. and 6 inches (<-- total for bust, waist, & hips). I'd like to lose at least 10 more lbs. I think I can do it. I've just got to keep up the good eating and work a bit harder. I'm proud to say I can run farther faster than I've ever run in my life. Seriously. 20 minutes straight running. I may run slow but in 30 minutes I can cover 3 miles. That's amazing for me.

I hear ya. I got a call Sunday that my grandmother passed away on Saturday night. I am attending the visitation and funeral tomorrow. I hate those things. My grandma had Alzheimers really bad for the past several years, so the grandma I remember has been gone a long time

Awwww, I know this. My Grampa had Alzheimers. He passed in October 2004. It was a long, slow, heartbreaking thing watching him slip away over the years. I do find comfort in knowing that he did know Tracey & the boys before he was too far gone. I feel for my younger cousins who didn't have that time. The last time I saw him conscious was at a big family cook-out the weekend before he was finally put into an Alzheimers care facility. He didn't know anybody anymore. Not even my grandmother who he'd been married to for well over 50 years. He would just call her "Mom" because that's what my aunts & uncles called her. He thought that was her name. That day he sat quietly and I watched him examining his hands as if he'd discovered the most fascinating thing ever. Ripped my heart out. He was such a brilliant, creative man. He was so funny and was the perfect grandkid's Grampa because he was a big kid at heart. The personality that reminds me most of his is Walt's. It took a long time for me to be at peace with my emotions after he finally passed. When I got that call I didn't feel sad at all. I felt relief. In my mind I thought of how it feels when you're gone from home on a long trip. When you finally return home and walk inside there's a huge relief just to be home with your familiar smells, your stuff, your family, your bed. I imagined at the moment of my Grampa's passing it was like that feeling for him only much bigger. He finally was out of the dark. He knew who he was, who we were, and he was home again. For the longest time I felt so guilty for feeling the way I did. I thought I was wrong for not feeling the sorrow everyone else did. I thought something was wrong with me for not crying the way everyone else did. I was so ashamed of myself at that time. Looking back, I understand it now. I wasn't sad for me and the fact that I missed my Grampa. I already missed my Grampa. He'd already been gone for a long time. I was relieved and happy for the end of his confusion. I wasn't thinking of me. I was thinking of him. I know he's not gone forever. Nobody who passes is truly gone forever. Not even our beloved fur babies. They're with us all the time. They live on always within our hearts. They are with us for the good, the bad, everything. All we need to do is think of them and they are there. And we'll all be together again. What an amazing homecoming we all have to look towards, right?

 

[Britster18]

I'm proud to say I can run farther faster than I've ever run in my life. Seriously. 20 minutes straight running. I may run slow but in 30 minutes I can cover 3 miles. That's amazing for me.

I'm a runner too!!!
I've been running for just about a year with a few 5ks sprinkled here and there but I TOTALLY struggle. I have a hard time in training. I just can't get up to that 3 mile mark
When/if I do 5ks... I get 2 miles in and almost die. I spent the last mile of the last 5K I did, crying.

I'm about to go out now b/c I have a race on saturday . I'm PRAYING I can do this 5k under 40 minutes, which was my best time about 4-5 years ago

I don't know why I struggle so hard. I've done the couch to 5k, I've done my own stuff... you name it, I've tried..... BUT I'M NOT GIVING UP!! Running is 100% a mental game well, that and I signed up for a half marathon in oct!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm a runner too!!!
I've been running for just about a year with a few 5ks sprinkled here and there but I TOTALLY struggle. I have a hard time in training. I just can't get up to that 3 mile mark
When/if I do 5ks... I get 2 miles in and almost die. I spent the last mile of the last 5K I did, crying.

I'm about to go out now b/c I have a race on saturday . I'm PRAYING I can do this 5k under 40 minutes, which was my best time about 4-5 years ago

I don't know why I struggle so hard. I've done the couch to 5k, I've done my own stuff... you name it, I've tried..... BUT I'M NOT GIVING UP!! Running is 100% a mental game well, that and I signed up for a half marathon in oct!

I totally hear ya! I wouldn't necessarily call myself a "runner". I try to run. I'm never really steady unless I'm making a push for some reason. I often go months without lacing up my "business" shoes.

I'm currently on Week 7, Day 1 of the 'Ease into 5k' app. I'll be running that day tomorrow: run 20 mins, walk 3 mins, run 5 minutes w/5 minute warm-up & cool down for a total of 38 minutes. I only have 6 days left on the program. I started on 2/19. Hard to believe I'm so near the end. I've read blogs and things where others ran these types of schedules faithfully and I always admired them. My best effort prior to this was to run each "day" for a week so it wasn't like I progressed hardly at all. This time I took a stab at following a program schedule faithfully thinking when I found the proverbial wall I'd start repeating days to work thru. Amazingly, I've never hit the wall. I cannot believe it! I'll be 38 years old in June. I feel like I'm well beyond youth or anything even close to it. I'm practically pushing 40 here! Yet here I am running and I feel so good when I do.

Not gonna lie, I struggle while running, too. The breathing is what I focus on because that's the hardest part. You're right, it's totally a mental game. Running is painful for me. My whole body screams at me to stop. Every part of me tries to convince my brain to just walk. That's the mental part. I refuse. I think about whatever hurts, focus on that pain, then tell myself to resolve it. I just focus on the breathing to keep it all controlled. When I think about it, the act of running itself is torture. I hate it! But that high afterwards totally makes it worth every moment. Knowing that I'm as old as I am and can still do this is amazing. I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to. It's incredibly empowering!

The closest thing to an actual running event I've ever done was the Castaway Cay 5k last September with Brian which dang near killed me. It was so stinkin' hot I thought I was gonna die. We didn't run the whole thing but still managed to finish in 35 minutes. We got to keep our bib numbers and had the satisfaction of having done it. I read on the forum where now they have a medal (plastic) at the finish, you get the bib #'s, AND there's a tshirt you can purchase on the island. Wish they'd had that last September! I wasn't even considering running it again this time. I was so spent from the heat last time I decided I'd keep my running on the ship in the early morning hours. Then I read about the plastic medals and tshirt (not that I can't go purchase the tshirt without running) and now I'm considering it again. I'm a nut, I know. LOL!

Here's the CC5k piece from my trip report (not posted here at the Dis). It's got pictures and tells the story pretty well:



I opened my eyes and peeked at the clock. 5:00 a.m. I glanced over at Brian’s bunk. He was still dead asleep. I’d only been asleep 3 hours at this point so I closed my eyes again hoping and praying the kid wouldn’t wake up until at least 9. Why? Because Brian & I had been running together all summer long with the goal of running the Castaway Cay 5k on Castaway Cay day. We live in a coastal climate that’s not much different than what you find at WDW in the summer. It’s hot, humid, and can be deadly. This summer was particularly brutal. In order to get our run finished before the sun was up high enough to kill us we got up at 5 a.m. all summer long. We worked hard and suffered thru a lot. 3 weeks before vacation Brian finally told us about the problems he’d been having with his knees. He told us they hurt really bad when he ran but also when he wasn’t running. He said the aching kept him up at night. Tracey did some reading and we figured it was most likely brought on by overuse. Knee pain is actually pretty common in active teens so we didn’t want to overreact. Before running him straight to the doctor we wanted to see if rest and anti-inflamatories (such as ibuprofen) would help. So for the 3 weeks leading up to our trip Brian was not allowed to go for any runs. He had to rest. We promised him if he felt up to it he could still run the CC5k but only if it improved. He had been feeling much better and was still set on running on the island. We had been trying to talk him down from it. The run didn’t start until like 9:00 a.m. and we were in the Bahamas. If we thought the heat past 7 a.m. at home was a killer, 9 a.m. closer the equator wasn’t going to be an improvement. Nothing could sway him. Brian was determined he was going to run the 5k on the island. Because I’d had so little sleep and didn’t relish the idea of running in full-on melt-your-face-off heat, I was reeeaaallly hoping Brian would stay asleep until it was too late to make it to the start. I closed my eyes and fell back into a deep sleep.

At about 6:30 Tracey and I woke up to the bed shaking like it was sitting on top of a washing machine that was on the spin cycle. WTH?!?! We looked around trying to figure out what the heck had the entire ship shaking like this. Tracey looked towards the verandah and saw the sunlight barely peeking thru the curtain edges. “We’re here! We’re pulling in!” He leapt from our bed, ran to the verandah, ripped the curtains opened, and ran outside. He called back into the room, “Yep! We’re there! That’s what it is!!!” Of course the explosion of light in the room woke the boys even if the vibration hadn’t. Brian popped up raring to go. I coulda pitched that husband of mine over the rail. Jacka$$. I wanted Brian to sleep. IIIII wanted to sleep!

There was no talking the kid down. A promise was a promise. I got out of my cozy bed, threw on my running clothes, braided my hair, brushed my teeth, and we headed up to Cabanas to put some fuel in the tanks. Chandler was tired and didn’t feel like getting up yet so he stayed in bed. After breakfast we returned to our room to grab a camera and see if Chandler was up to coming out on the island with us. Nope. He said he didn’t feel so swooft. Okee-dokee. We left him in bed while the 3 of us headed down to deck 1 to get off the ship. Tracey wanted to come with us to take pics. How sweet of him! We ended up being the 2nd family to step off the ship.

We just got here and it’s already scorchin’ hot. This must be the start:

The island itself looked better than I thought it would considering the hurricane hit it took only weeks before our arrival. The vegetation was only slightly burnt-looking. Remember how concerned I was that the vegetation would be all rotting and stinking from the salt-water inundation? It wasn’t as brutal as the stench in the marshes near us post-hurricane but I could still smell it. Thank goodness for island breezes. I wasn’t nauseated from being outside which was a relief. That smell is one I’ll never forget.

We stood around waiting for whatever was supposed to happen next to happen. We’ve never run any running event, even not-really-events like the CC5k. It’s more of a fun-run than anything. Eventually a CM showed up and handed out bibs to the participants. I don’t look real happy, do I?

Brian and another runner played with the black kitty that lives on the island. It sure was a friendly little critter. I imagine life on an island is bliss for a cat it being one biiiiiig litter box and all.

My hubby and the pic I knew he’d get. No, not of the 5k directional signs. I knew he’d take at least 1 pic of the airplane remnants.

When we came back to the bike path I knew this was gonna be a killer. We were absolutely dying. Going back in for more baking:

When we were in the bike path loop again I was hoping Tracey would head on back to the finish. Looks like he headed that way.

We weren’t far into the bike path this time before walking took over the running. I’m telling you it was brutal. 3/4 of the way thru the last lap on the bike path we came upon another chick who was also struggling with the heat. She told us she was from Scotland. Her boyfriend was a strong runner so he had gone well ahead of her. She was just trying to survive this thing. We collectively decided we were gonna finish this thing somehow and picked back up to a jog. We kept encouraging one another as we closed the distance back out on the air strip. The other girl said she wished she had us to run with all the time because we were so uplifting. So sweet! Brian & I ended up having company on the last bit of our run which was extra encouragement for us to keep moving if not for us but for our new friend. Sure enough, Tracey was waiting for us at the finish. Our new running mate was excited to make it to the end!

I cropped us out here. I had reached over to take Brian’s hand and tell him we were almost there, to give it all he had now:

continued.....

 

[sweetpee_1993]

...continued....


As we crossed the finish he was shouting with excitement. It was such a thrilling moment for us to share. Tracey was a little slow with his trigger finger. LOL!

This is just moments after we finished. People all around who had seen Brian’s excitement were congratulating him. I was so proud.

We grabbed a bunch more water and drank several cups. Instead of walking back in the sweltering heat we decided to get smart and take the tram. Tracey had us stop to do a picture before we got back on the ship. He was very adamant that we buy it when we made our picture purchase selections.

Tracey & I were both super proud of Brian for sticking to his guns even with all of us trying to talk him out of the run. Our finish time was pretty pitiful (34:40) but we never gave up. We did walk a good bit especially closer to the end. It would’ve been easy to skip that last run thru the bike path and just head back but we didn’t short the run or ourselves. We saw it through. Awesome experience. According to Tracey, of that big group we started in only 4 people finished before we did. Wow! One of those guys we had talked to and he was a life-long pro-runner. Like he used to win MONEY running in marathons and stuff. My guess is that a lot of the others couldn’t take the heat and stopped. I’m glad we didn’t.

 

[Britster18]

OMG! I could have written your post about mentality!!! I was just thinkin' the same thing 10 minutes ago running! I went with John (who didn't even break a sweat might I add) and did 1.90 in 24 minutes. I just KILLS (and I mean KILLS) me to have to walk a few seconds here and there but I can't let it get me down and it does feel good now!

If you wanna do the CC5k again I'll totally do it with you!!!!! No worries about times, just for fun?

 

[Britster18]

By the way... here's a pic of the 5 of us from the Easter Egg Roll. I don't think I've shared a pic yet.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

OMG! I could have written your post about mentality!!! I was just thinkin' the same thing 10 minutes ago running! I went with John (who didn't even break a sweat might I add) and did 1.90 in 24 minutes. I just KILLS (and I mean KILLS) me to have to walk a few seconds here and there but I can't let it get me down and it does feel good now!

If you wanna do the CC5k again I'll totally do it with you!!!!! No worries about times, just for fun?

Oh I know about the men of our lives and their ability to just hop out the door and skip circles around us without the training battles we have. Tracey used to be the exact same way and it totally chapped my backside. However, I will say that Mother Nature and age has been the great equalizer. He couldn't do it now if he wanted to. Seriously. I think he'd have to train slowly like I do. I'm not at all a fast runner. I'm slow-n-steady, try to keep it all rhythmic without killing myself. I dunno what I'll do after I finish my schedule. Maybe I'll download/purchase the next level. I think it's for a 10k. I can't believe I'm even saying that. Me. Running. A 10k. Who da thunk it???

I could do the 5k again. I'll just tell myself May won't be as brutal as September. This time I may pre-pack my bathing suit and other beach items for the guys to hang onto. It's not like we don't have to get up early anyway. Brian is doing the teen excursion so we'll need to make sure he eats a little something before we sign him in for it. Lemme make sure Tracey is cool with me running the 5k again. We were thinking we'd take advantage of the early time on the island maybe hitting up Pelican Plunge or something. I don't want him to think I'm ditching him or anything.

By the way... here's a pic of the 5 of us from the Easter Egg Roll. I don't think I've shared a pic yet.

Ooooh....Christmas card contender???