Team 6 - Team Ohana - Check in and introduce!

[curiouser]

Happy Birthday Jen!!

You know that anything you eat on your birthday is 0 calories, right?!?! Enjoy!!

 

[gatorphipps]

Happy B Day Jen!​

I know you guys get tired of hearing this...but my life is crazy! I WISH I could go into details...but can't....
I must be a drama queen too b/c with my job, it follows me,

 

[padisneyfan]

Good luck Debra on your Cleveland Race.

Nancy

 

[shell78]

happy belated bday Jen! I hope it was a great one! Also a big congrats on the -4. Good for you. I'm starting to worry a bit myself since I've been selectively "out of commission". I do a lot of "working out" but its not the high calorie burn workouts I used to do and this past weekend the scale told me a big fat +2. Eeep! I still have at least a month to go if not more til I'm back running around like a lunatic so I need to reign something in!

I like to read about all the books you all are reading. It's interesting to see just what sorts of things people like. Unless you were a cheerleader or have kids that cheer you will probably not be terribly interested in the book I'm reading, but it's called Cheer by Kate Torgovnic. It's about 3 college teams road to the national championships from tryouts to the big show. I like it so far!

I'm now in my 2nd week of playing softball...no further knee injuries for me but it's the *other* injuries that are knocking me down (literally & figuratively!) This past Tuesday, in two consecutive at-bats while running to 2nd base, I got clocked on my shin bones! The first time the girl playing 2nd base missed the throw and the ball clocked me in my right shin bone, the next time same deal she missed the ball and I got clocked in my left shin bone! Both left big lumps that went down overnight after lots of icing, but it still hurts baaaad when I walk, my left leg moreso. That hurts just when I put on my jeans in the morning and the weight of the jeans skims over the injured area. Not good. Then yesterday it was my own fault but I was running in on a short hit ball and I was one half step short of catching it, but my mitt clipped it and made it roll back into the crook of my left arm. So now I have a bruise and stitch marks there too. Lovely. I always say though that I'll take any injury anywhere as long as it is not my face. Well, that was somewhat prophetic considering I got the leg injuries and one of my friends *did* get hit in the face with a ball that took a bad hop. Bleeding, bruising, a nice fat lip is what she ended up with. She's ok now and it looks much better than it did Tuesday but what I wanna know is why it is called SOFTball because when that ball hits you it is anything BUT soft!

Good luck to all you racers out there this weekend. Kick some booty!

 

[laughinplace199]

Hello cousins!

Another crazy week here so I don't have time to read or post much. Here's a a quick welcome to Johanna, a happy birthday to Jen, and a good luck to Debra.

Tomorrow is DD's dance recital, so I hope to have some time next week to read all that I've missed and catch up with everyone. Even though I haven't been posting much, I didn't want my cousins to think I'd forgotten them!

Have a great week!

 

[deekaypee]

Jeanne: I really liked the YouTube video of the Godzilla Wii. It seems like just the kind of not-quite-cult cool that would appeal to a lot of people, and I liked how the angles worked to cut between Godzilla and the actors chanelling their Godzilla selves. And some nice cuts, too, although I don't know how much of that your DS was responsible for.

Jen: It sounds like the start of your b-day day was a slice of heaven (or at least a cup of good coffee). I hope the rest of the day went just as well. And I think enjoying ice cream is part of the birthday celebration, even if a day early; plus, you offset it with the bike ride.

Christa: I know you can't provide us with details about your day job, so can I make them up?? I think I'll just follow the plot guidelines of that show, In Treatment... It was very nice of you to get off the dreadmill so those ladies could chat. But I might be more impressed if you hadn't called it the dreadmill and if I didn't know how you felt about running on it. (Just kidding--I'm so impressed with your WOs, you know that!)

Nancy: Thanks for the race well wishes!!

Shell So, how IS the recovery with the knee going? It's got to be hard for you, as you're kind of a go-go-go girl. (That was my version of a cheer.) OUCH on getting clocked in the shins. That would put me out of commission for the rest of the game, let alone the other bruises and pains and aches. The getting hit-in-the-face really kind of freaked me out, too. Not the way one wants to get pouty-soft lips. Btw, thanks for your comments on the "other" thread, the one that wants us all to embrace our alcoholic natures. You make great points, even if making me (re?)think makes my head hurt. And thanks for the injection of humor, too; I'm always up for a good laugh.

Julie: Are you sure you don't want to give us just a little taste of your weekly craziness? Cause I'm sure I don't have enough of my own.
I hope your DD's dance recital went well and that pictures are forthcoming!!!

To all my other cousins:

As for me: I'm back, and have been trying to compose my RR for Cleveland. I process such things pretty slowly, so I'm trying to work through things I want to say that will be useful for people to know. In terms of my own performance, it was a bit of a disappointment. The race day started out rainy and stayed rainy for the first, I don't know, 50 minutes or so, then moved to sprinkles before clearing up and getting a little windy. I could see my breath for the first 4 or 5 miles in the race, too.

Anyway, I knew when I saw the rain it would be a slog of a race for me, in many ways. I was on track for my goal time for the first half of the race or so, but the blisters started to get to me. I ended up not making my goal time, but hitting a PR. That PR was 2:38 and change, which exceeded what I did in January (2:53 and change). It wasn't as strong as a race as I'd hoped for, but I'm so proud of myself for doing it. I don't train in the rain, you see, precisely because of my tendency toward blisters. And I really didn't know if I would be the type of person to bag the race day if it was raining. It turns out that I'm not. I swore under my breath a lot, especially after the blisters started to develop, but I did it. And now I know I can do it, even if it's painful.

But I'm definitely looking to address this blister issue and hoping my Ohana family has suggestions. I've been fitted for shoes, I've experimented with different socks, I use petroleum jelly (and it works better than Body Glide), etc. I'm thinking I might need to use orthotics, but am hesitant to do so for some reason. Any insights on orthotics or other things?

 

[jeanneg]

I am back....just swamped! I haven't gotten around to posting the miles and minutes, but hope to do it tonight.

I was at Disneyland on Saturday and it was stifling hot. The temperature in the Santa Clarita Valley where my daughter goes to school was 102/103 and I think Anaheim was just a few degrees cooler. I kept thinking of the runners that are going to be doing the half-marathon in August. Please be sure to carry your own hydration just in case there's a shortage. It wouldn't be the first time Disney ran out of water. The park was crowded and hot. I've been there several times before but I always forget how much smaller (and tighter) it is compared to WDW.

Debra: sorry you had to run in the rain, but a big CONGRATS on your personal record! I am very prone to blisters, but fortunately I have never gotten them during an event. I always wear double socks. Injinji toe socks on first and then a very thin wicking sock over it. Robert and Linda got me hooked on the Injinjis and I LOVE them. I think Nancy uses a sock that has silver in it that she likes very much. You might want to give it a try.

To the rest of the team: I apologize for being somewhat MIA lately. Life has been quite busy around here. You guys are the greatest and I would love to be here shouting your praises everyday, but it's just not possible right now. You know even though I'm not here as often as I'd like to be, I still always carry TEAM OHANA in my heart! You guys rock!

 

[Optimator]

Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!

I'm just crashing the party to say congratulations to Debra!

Sorry you didn't get your goal time, but wow!! Smokin' fast race! You did great!

I'm sorry we didn't bump into each other somewhere along the line. It was really great running with Mark for a while. Please tell him I am in awe . He ran up on me a few times and then just took off like nothing. I would have liked to talk with him more but my oxygen was needed for other activities . I'm sure he was working hard but he sure made it look easy!

I too was worried about blisters at the start since I was squishing in my Brooks just standing there waiting for the start. I also do the Injinji toe socks under another pair of regular socks. No problems at all since I started that approach. You may want to give them a shot.

I can't wait to read your report.

Congratulations again on a great race!

 

[shell78]

Debra Ah, the knee. Well, it's still there. I'm still limited as to what I'm "allowed" to do (that doesn't stop me from trying). I've been itching to run badly and I probably would've gone this past weekend had my left shin bone been better. I don't know what's wrong with it, but it is hurting way more than it should 8 days after getting beaned. My right leg (while still sporting a bruise & a lump) doesn't hurt much. Anyway, still doing PT. I don't think it's helping in the "lets do PT to see if it heals your knee" aspect. Maybe it's helping in the "the stronger you are the better off you are after surgery" way. I still think I'm gonna need it. I was walking on a gravel rock base two weekends ago and the uneven surface killed my knee. I tried to use the rowing machine last night at the gym, but it felt like there was a lot of pressure and something about to snap so I gave up on that after about 30 seconds. Sigh.

My friend's face isn't so bad anymore. It actually is healing up very nice. Lots of people actually told her the big lips make her look good or like Angelina Jolie so she was thinking Botox maybe??? (I don't think she's serious, but she does have lips on the thinner side to begin with). haha

Your RR is pretty cool. I love that version of Somewhere over the Rainbow too. Very fitting it came on at the end! I think in the rain you were doomed for blisters from the start. The only thing that might have helped is if you had dry socks to switch in to at the halfway point. The wet/sweat is bad, even with wicking socks. That said, last December I bought a whole bunch of socks on a special holiday sale at Sole (I think it is www.sole.com). I would always get a blister on my 2nd toe (weird) but not once I got these socks.

 

[Jen117]

Hey cousins... oh I feel rotten. My allergies are NUTS. My sinuses are so stuffed they hurt! I did 2.65 ish miles last night and it was so hard to breathe. The pollen was flying every where! And, on Sunday I am doing the Madison 1/2 marathon (with Pat and her DH). Mini WISH meet, so that's cool! I just hope I can breathe because for the last week nothing seems to be helping me. I am on Zyrtek and I swear now that it is OTC, it doesn't work the same.

Debra - CONGRATS on your Sloshy event. They are predicting t-storms for my race and I have HUGE fears about that. I can not run 13 miles in the rain... I just won't do it!!!! I know my feet will blister immediately. My plan is to tape them, but if they get wet I am sure the tape will fall right off.

Jeanne - So I tell DH yesterday... IT'S NOT FAIR!!! Jeanne went to WDW 2 weeks ago, then she jets off to DL. NOT FAIR AT ALL!!!!!

Shell - My DD5 is the queen of fat lips. We were just talking about that the other day. I figure as long as the teeth are OK, the lip will heal. Hope your friend has the same!!!!

OK, work is nuts and I just don't feel like doing it. BAD ME!!! We are in postage meter crisis and thinking of dumping the one we have for a different system. SOOOO, I have limited postage available until that change is made and I have a whole slew of mailing to do!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Good Morning, Team!

Those allergies are rotten! They're getting me, too, Jen! I'm just telling myself it will end soon. It has too, right?!

Ok, so I've done well with miles this week at the beginning, but had two days of nothing. I don't think I'll have time today, either. Sigh. At least I should have plenty of time for workouts this weekend!

Jen -- Hang in there! I also have I don't want to work syndrome. That pesky mortgage! Hopefully it will get better, I'm looking forward to a long weekend to get me back in the mood to be at work.

Shell -- So sorry to hear you are on injured reserve still! I can hear how impatient you are to get moving the way you want to. That's a good thing! It shows you are in good spirits and motivated! This week I'm reading Truman by David McCullough. It's a Pulitzer prize winner and very dense, just under 1,000 pages.

Jeanne -- It's always good to hear from our fearless leader! With all you have had happening this month, I don't know how you have time to breathe!

Debra -- I'm sorry I don't have any blister/orthotic advice. I will say, are your ready for Lost next week?! I heard a rumor we will find out who is in the coffin!

Julie -- How was the recital? DS has a piano recital coming up, but we don't know the date yet. DS is relatively new, so I like hearing all the other performers and seeing how they advance.

Christa, Nancy, Richard, Mel, Corinna, Robert, Johanna and all the other cousins -- I hope this Spring is treating you well! Aloha!

Maria

 

[laughinplace199]

Hi Cousins!

I still haven't found the time to read the past few weeks posts, but I have a few minutes right now so I thought I'd try to catch up a little.

Shell - How's the knee? Sorry to hear about your softball injuries. I hope you're on the mend!

Debra - I'd love to fill you in on my weekly craziness, but it would bore you to tears. I wish I could say my weeks are busy because I"m secretly fighting crime or coming up with a solution for world peace, but the truth of the matter is that I have three kids. The older two are 8 & 6 and are at the age where they're into a lot of different activities. The youngest is 18 mos. He's going through a clingy phase, plus he's not sleeping much. Between trying to peel a cranky, clingy baby off my legs, helping the older two with homework, and going from dance class to t-ball, things get a little hectic. These days, it's a triumph for me if I can get a couple of loads of laundry done before dinner. Oh, and lately "dinner" is a grilled cheese sandwich.

Congrats to you on your PR! What a great time! I hope I can do that well someday. Sorry to hear about the rain and the blisters though.

Jen - The pollen is terrible here too. My DS6 is actually willing to take Benadryl for some relief these days. This kid doesn't ingest any medication willingly - he barely ingests food willingly - so I know his allergies are really bothering him when he asks for Benadryl.

Maria - It's supposed to be a really nice weekend , so hopefully you'll have some time to get your workouts in and enjoy Spring. DD's dance recital went really well. This was her 6th recital, so she's very at ease on the stage now. Is your DS looking forward to his piano recital?

Hello to the rest of my cousins as well. I hope that everyone has a great week!

 

[jeanneg]

Maria&Jen: sorry to hear that the pollen is getting you down. We had it really bad last month in NC, but it is all gone before we left for the Minnie. I remember frantically cleaning our patio and packing for the trip at the same time.

Jen: I think I earned my second trip to Disneyland after having to sit through 2 graduation ceremonies in the span of 5 days. One was less than 30 minutes and we got soaked through our underwear, and the other was 4 hours and outdoors in 103 heat! Besides, our trip to DL was just a day trip and really not that great. The only way to do that park is to stay on site.

Shell: sending pixie dust so you will recover quickly! ixiedust:

 

[Jen117]

Jeanne - That's OK.. I have been to DL twice. It's a lovely little park, but I really love the World! Our first trip we stayed at DL Hotel, the second we stayed offsite across the street. I hope to one day make it to the DL 1/2. I have a friend who lives by Knotts Berry Farm. She says she is going to train and maybe next year will do it... but she said I have to come and do it with her.

 

[deekaypee]

Jeanne: You've had a busy, busy month or so. Wow. I hope--and am sure--your visit with your DD went well and that you had a good time. It's so cool that you're close with your kids. Your advice for the DL 1/2ers is well taken, too. I visited DL in July, what, two years back and it was steamy even in the early a.m. I can't imagine doing a race in that. Sorry to hear your visit to DL was so hot and crowded, though. I love that place, even though it has a really different vibe from WDW. (Or because of that.) You've definitely earned another trip there! I've never stayed on-site at DL, just at the HoJo and the Candy Cane Inn. Someday, though, I'll convince DOOD that onsite is worth it, either at DL or WDW. (He remains unconvinced.)

Thanks also for the suggestions on socks. I do have a pair of Injinji socks, which I've worn occasionally. Worn by themselves they create a couple of hot spots and/or blisters for me. I've never tried doubling them with another pair, and will do so. I wonder how that strategy will work as compared to the double-layered socks I own and use now?

Nancy: Do you know what brand your silver socks are? Silver, huh? They sound expensive. But I'm worth it!

Optimator Mike: I actually pouted when DOOD said he met you and I didn't get to--and I almost fainted when he gave you his real name. He's a speedy little bugger, ain't he? The only time we run together is when we get side-by-side TMs. I don't know if you caught what I said in the weekly RR, but he said you seemed like the type of guy you could sit and have a drink with; I laughed, because he'd forgotten your handle. We left almost as soon as he finished, as he needed that space blanket and a warm shower, so I tried to get over my disappointment of not seeing you finish. Your race sounded excellent, though, and a PR. Wow. Doesn't seem like you struggled at all.

Shell: It certainly sounds like the PT is setting you up for post-surgery recovery rather than addressing the issues directly. I mean, I know PT is a good thing for just such a reason, but it's kind of annoying if that's it's main benefit. Especially since you're already so fit, KWIM? And right now, it sounds like you've got a lot of aches & pains in the legs that are you interfering with enjoying all your sports, let alone performing at 100%. *Sigh.* I hope things would come to a decision for you soon...how much longer is PT?

Thanks for the suggestion on the Sole socks, btw. I wish I would have thought to bring a second pair of socks to change into during the race, but it didn't occur to me. The blisters had already started by the time the rain stopped, but I might have prevented them worsening. It's a good idea, and one I'm going to remember for the future.

Jen: First, good luck this weekend with the Madison 1/2. I think it's great you're going to be with Pat. So I hope your allergies calm down beforehand--I was having similar problems earlier, which seem to have cleared up, but I don't know if WI is that far behind PA for springtime allergens. Can you explain to me about taping one's feet--I'm new to these things, and it sounds...well, it sounds weird. And if it sounds weird, then it's probably something I need to know. (Like ice baths.)

Maria: I've been meaning to tell you, my FIL loved Truman and is a big McCullough fan. (FIL is a retired high-school history/poly sci teacher.) I'm glad you're enjoying it. Me, I limit myself to the density of Lost. I hope they let us know who's in the coffin and think I should make a bet with DOOD about it. (He doesn't care, really, so I think my chances of figuring it out are better than his.)

Julie: I'm going to choose to think of your DS18mo not as clingy, but as a super-secret agent who refuses to let you out of his sight. Sooner or later, you're bound to give up the combination to the cookie jar! Seriously, you life does sound a lot hectic-crazier than mine. I always find it amazing that you folks with kids get any time for yourselves whatsoever. Just know that any time you can get away and want to talk about the details of your day, I'm listening. (Just call me Frasier Crane.)

As for me: Thanks for the advice on the socks. I'm just going to make a list of new socks & combos to try and go down the list. Since I tend to get blisters at anything above 4 or 5 miles I should be able to work through things pretty quickly. Anyway, I did my first post-1/2 run today on the treddie. Since my blisters are still healing I figured that would be easier for me. I can't believe I did 13.1 miles on Sunday, as 3.1 was killing me today. No pain except for one niggly blister area, but hard in terms of perceived effort. I was probably just being lazy.

Two other things to mention. One, Pittsburgh has announced they're bringing back their marathon in 2009, May 3rd I believe! It's been a few years as Pgh lost their sponsor, but Dick's Sporting Goods has committed to a 3-year deal. I've never run it, as it was way before I lived here, but rumor has it that Pgh was a nice race. I don't know, as I can't imagine it without hills. But the route is going to go through several scenic and distinct neighborhoods, including the university-oriented Oakland and my soon-to-be new home of Squirrel Hill. It could be quite cool, and so I'm dropping hints about the marathon now. Hint, hint, hint. (I'm buying the ice cream.)

Two, I've gently reminded DOOD we haven't decided on where we're staying for the January marathon this year and that we really should book our reservations now. We've talked to DOOD's parents and they're in again this year, so we need to decide where, how long, etc. Last year, we stayed in the DTD area (Best Western) and it wasn't memorable at all. I want to stay onsite of course, and DOOD said I should ask my WISHer friends stay. NOw, I don't know if he's just toying with me or not, but.... So, where do you stay onsite for marathon weekend and why?

 

[laughinplace199]

Debra, you crack me up! I'm glad to hear your blisters are healing.

We're staying at the Contemporary for the marathon. Of course, we're newbies so I have no idea if we made the right choice. I just figured that it might be nice to hobble onto the monorail after the race. Once we reach the CR, we can crawl out of the monorail and into the elevator to get to our room. I made sure I booked a room in the tower and not the wing for just this reason.

Gotta go...the super-secret agent is tearing apart the living room while the other two are "babysitting" him. It's a good thing he's cute because he can be a handful!

 

[Jen117]

Debra - here's a couple of responses.... First, last year we stayed at POFQ and loved loved loved it. The year before we brought the in-laws and stayed at WL, which BTW is still my fave place. This year, well I am not sure because we haven't discussed it yet. We are going back to POFQ this summer because the kids loved the water slide and the price is right!!!

Second... I started taping my feet last year at this time when I came down with some nasty PF in my right foot. The podiatrist taped it to help me heal and then I did some research online to do it myself. It helps my arches and also seems to ward off blisters. I tape my arch and around my heal. During the marathon I got a blister on my second toe, and that was it. I don't tape for blisters, but it just kind of helps me out! Oh and I only tape for LONG runs/races. Usually under 6 miles is fine. I have custom orthotics also.

 

[chimera]

Second... I started taping my feet last year at this time when I came down with some nasty PF in my right foot. The podiatrist taped it to help me heal and then I did some research online to do it myself. It helps my arches and also seems to ward off blisters. I tape my arch and around my heal. During the marathon I got a blister on my second toe, and that was it. I don't tape for blisters, but it just kind of helps me out! Oh and I only tape for LONG runs/races. Usually under 6 miles is fine. I have custom orthotics also.

Yep, yep, yep! I started taping my own foot when I got tired of paying the $45 copay for the podiatrist to do it.

Do a search for Low Dye Strapping (the name of the technique). I'm sorry we all aren't physically closer or I could show you how in a jiffy, but just holler if you need help!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Good Morning, Team Ohana!

Ok, so still hoping to get a few more miles in today. We shall see.

As of right now, we are staying at Coronado Springs. Last year we stayed at POR, and found it worked great for Marathon weekend. Our location is also AAA-rate driven. If when they release the AAA rooms for January later this year there's nothing at CS, we may move. Last year, we moved from POFQ to POR for that reason. I save a few $$$, so it seemed well worth it, as the amenities were similar or better for us. I also love POFQ!

Last year was our first Marathon weekend, and we were very impressed with the transportation. I think you could probably stay at any location and not have issues. We happen to like moderates, but of course you would be very comfortable in a deluxe. I can't convince DOOM we need that level of accommodation without DS. The values look like fun, too, particularly POP. I haven't stayed in one, so I'm not qualified to comment.

I definitely prefer being onsite, Race Day is too early for me to get up and negotiate my own transportation!

Julie -- you know there is a reason they are so cute the first year. After that you're too attached to get rid of them, no matter how frustrating they are!

Maria

 

[chimera]

Two, I've gently reminded DOOD we haven't decided on where we're staying for the January marathon this year and that we really should book our reservations now. We've talked to DOOD's parents and they're in again this year, so we need to decide where, how long, etc. Last year, we stayed in the DTD area (Best Western) and it wasn't memorable at all. I want to stay onsite of course, and DOOD said I should ask my WISHer friends stay. NOw, I don't know if he's just toying with me or not, but.... So, where do you stay onsite for marathon weekend and why?

We stayed at YC/BC the first two years so we could walk right out to the full course. Stayed at Poly last year since both of us were running which made transportation and seeing each other for both races easier. This year we were thinking about OKW (tub with jets in the bathroom) or POR/POFQ. We can't book OKW until next month so we'll see what happens.