Team 'Ohana 2009: No One Left Behind

[laughinplace199]

I'm going to make a short post to bounce this thread back up. I am still overwhelmed by my trip that I can't possibly recall everything right now if I tried, not to mention that I have only had like 13 hours of sleep over the last 3 days. I woke up at 430 Monday morning out of habit and thought I was late for something!

I was so glad to be able to meet up with a number of you for the first time this past weekend, nothing like a little shared adversity to bring a team together. I only wish there'd been more time, and I am sure one day there will be another chance. The one thing I hoped for about this weekend was for the Goofy to feel like one big 39.3 mile party. I am pleased to say that I got exactly what I wanted and more--and yes, if you have heard about what I did in Animal Kingdom, it is true...I did take the ride attendant up on the offer to ride Expedition Everest and then continue the marathon, what a weekend!!!
Last year I let my arm be twisted into signing up for the Goofy by my fellow team members here, and I am glad I did. I really did want to do it but needed a little bit of prodding from my friends, and I knew how genuine this friendship was when you rallied around me last March after my daughter's car wreck that killed her best friend. So, I took the plunge and joined many of you out there on the courses and had the time of my life. My only real regret is that I did not get to spend more time with you, and I still didn't meet all of you that were there; hopefully that will come in the future. My biggest surprise of the weekend came on marathon where I would have PR'd had I not taken all those photo stops.

For the first time in a long time, I am not registered for any events. I have a number I am considering, but am not registered....at least not yet.

Richard - What fun! There are not many people who can say that they rode a roller coaster in the middle of a marathon!

We had a great weekend too, but I am disappointed that I wasn't able to meet up with any of my cousins. Hopefully there will be another opportunity down the road.

 

[jeanneg]

We are home also. I'm so glad that we went and I was able to take part in almost all the activities I had planned to do. It was a little difficult to coordinate things since I was splitting my allegiances between WISH and my daughter whom I also don't get to spend time with very often. Seeing you guys REALLY raised my spirits. It was great to meet Richard and I applaud you for your EE feat! I missed not seeing Julie or Maria, but heard from a little birdie that Maria is looking really good these days! I loved spending time with Corinna (and Tracy) at the water stop, even thought the experience was not exactly pleasurable. I cannot remember ever being so cold! Thank-you again, Corinna, for sharing your hand warmers with me....even though they didn't get activated until several hours AFTER the race when I reached for them in my pocket!!!!! Can't figure out why that happened, but had they worked they would have been awesome. And you are looking AMAZING these days....keep up the good work! I love Debra's new look as well.
I actually tried to make the meet at Boardwalk, but ended up retuning to my room when I realized I would end up dreadfully late. The bus was just pulling away when I got there. I waited for a little bit, but when a party with, not one but TWO, wheelchairs arrived at the bus stop and I overheard they were going to HS, I knew I was doomed. The plan was to get there early and leave early because we had to check out, but it just didn't come together as planned. So I went back to the room and continued packing which was a good thing because if I hadn't, I probably would not have been ready ontime.

Congrats to all the Goofy, marathon and half-marathon finishers! You guys persevered despite horrible, horrible conditions and truly deserve your hard-earned medals! Yay team Ohana!

 

[Jen117]

CONGRATS to all who went and conquered WDW this past weekend. I followed along with those I have as friends on Facebook. It was depressing at times because I wanted to be there SOOOO bad! But I shared the weather with you, only in the comfort of my own home (and it was colder here!).

I wanted to give a quick update on me... The baby has STILL not shown her little face and I am now overdue (and a bit miserable). So on Thursday my doctor is inducing me unless I go into labor before then. She couldn't get me in for tomorrow because apparently there is a baby boom today and they are full!!! Hmmmm! So I hope to have information to share in a couple of days.

I haven't investigated the whole WISH boards yet (or much lately), but was wondering if the teams are staying or going?? Does anyone know... and if they stay, do we get to keep our teams? I know the last 1/2 I wasn't here, but 2 years as an Ohana cousin makes me want to stay!

 

[tiberius]

I'm sneaking onto the boards from work, so this has to be quick for now

First a photo of the expo mini meet on Thursday:

Second a photo of a piece of artwork I "had" to have from the Art of Disney store at DTD.

 

[corinnak]

Hi Cousins! I am home as well and still quite fatigued. I think I had a little more than 13 hours of sleep over the weekend, but whatever it was, it left me so tired I was drowsing on DME, slept the whole way home on the plane and then fell promptly asleep after reading a chapter of "Ramona and her Father" to my younger son.

I am still in awe at how the weekend played out. I know it was really hard on a lot of people, but those temps are great for me as far as the running goes. I got a PR that exceeded my expectations. 2:13:35 in the half. Last year, I ran the same course in 2:59, and I didn't take as many photos last year. I don't like to brag, but this is a massive accomplishment for me. I was expecting to go under 2:20, but I did not think I was going to go under 2:15! I even managed to stick with my fastie-friends Lysa (who was at a few of the meets with me), Austin and Kristen (plus a guy named Tony that they picked up along the way) for the first 5 miles of the race. Lysa was going for a sub-2 and she got it!

As for everything but the running part, I thoght the weather was really tough! Jeanne, are you and John OK after those chilling temps on Saturday? I was worried about your fingers! I can not believe that the hand warmers didn't warm up until later in the day! I guess they just couldn't manage to get going in that cold - sorry they weren't better.

I do think this is one race weekend that won't blur together with the others. Highly unique, memorable and at times miserable.

I wish I'd taken some photos at the B&C Meet (that turned into a....whatever that place was meet). I know that someone did, though. Right?

Richard - you make a person want to run the full marathon, I tell you. A ride on EE, midrace?? That, sir, is Legendary! Does having no races on the calendar feel freeing or aimless so far? I look forward to hearing what you choose to do next!

As for me, I registered for the Princess Half last night. Peer pressure, I think. Plus also the desire to run that course without the sleet and windchill, perhaps. I've also got a half in June here in MN (also no sleet, please!!!) with Jen and some other WISHers - looking forward to that one! That's it so far for 2010 races.

As for the team, I haven't heard anything about if it's continuing or not. I will be surprised if it doesn't. They can't take our threads away, though, whether or not the "competition" continues. If there is another year of competition, I am in. If there is not another year of competition, I am still in!

 

[corinnak]

Richard - I can see why you had to have that art! It's fantastic! But where is the sleet??

Jen - I have my fingers crossed for your baby girl to make her debut very, very soon. I was hoping for this weekend, but I guess she has her own ideas. At least you can take comfort in the fact that THIS year was definitely a good year to have to sit out. You can be cold at home, after all!

 

[laughinplace199]

Jen - Can't wait to hear the baby news!

Corinna - Congrats on your amazing PR! You really rocked that race! Running in the cold is one thing, but you had sleet and rain too. One day, I hope to be as speedy as you are.

I got my PR as well. This was only my 2nd marathon, so maybe calling it a "PR" is a little extreme, but I'm happy to say that I squeaked in just under the 5 hr mark. I was shooting for somewhere between 5:15 and 5:30, so I was pleasantly surprised with my results.

Our plans got a bit messed up on Sat, and we were unable to make it to Beaches & Cream. I'm so disappointed I didn't get to see my cousins, but please know I was thinking of all of you and wondering how your races went. I"m looking forward to hearing about everyone's races.

As for teams, I'm all for staying together!

 

[tiberius]

Julie - It was my 2nd marathon, too! I only missed a "PR" by 6:09, and given the photo ops and coaster ride I don't really care that I missed it given all the fun I had.

Jen - Watching the baby news with anticipation, those days are well behind my family, and better be a few years away for my daughters!!!!

Corinna - Look at the drawing again, the whole background is snow and ice
I still feel excited for your awesome job on the 1/2 (don't think of it as bragging when its just us cousins and friends here) and just seeing your familiar face on the full course lifted my spirits. I always said I wanted this event to be like a roving party and I meant it. I was telling another runner earlier (think it might have been Debra but can't say for sure, it might have been John that I met around mile 14) that I wanted to try to get on a ride and was thinking Test Track was a good possibility, then the opportunity just presented itself! How could I pass that up? Although there was some disappointment in not being able to buy a churro at Mexico to finish the race with--I had my money ready but the shop at Mexico was closed! If I'd known that I'd have gotten a funnel cake at American Pavillion earlier. I don't know yet if I feel free or aimless with no firm plans. I have been mentally reviewing how I got through Goofy with a successful plan and thinking maybe I should make sure my family sees they are a higher priority than my racing schedule. I'm thinking of doing mostly the very local races and 2 weekend travel races this year and scrapping my as yet unannounced plans to train for a fall Ironman. I still consider the DL half as very doable and hope my wife would come with. I would love to do Princess and by now at least Debra would probably believe I'd wear just about anything to it after my leopard print dash to the hypothermic finish on Saturday, but college costs is a potential issue (oldest daughter's final semester ).
I did get a couple B&C photos, but they didn't turn out quite as good as I hoped, but I'll post here in a later edit after I get home and transfer the photos from CD. Someone else had a camera out but I don't remember who.

Jeanne - Glad to see you, too, and also bummed not to see Julie and Maria. Next time I hope.

 

[chimera]

Wow, the weekend was a blur as always! Weather-wise, this was easily the worst conditions I've ever run in, but it will make a great story some day I still feel a bit like a loser for ditching the Goofy. My foot was still swollen yesterday so I know I made the right decision, but it was really hard getting all the Goofy stuff. I really, really LOVE being out there scream-teaming for the full (much more than running it). I'm already registered for next year's half and will be out with food again for the full.

I also enjoyed the Ohana ice cream in the wine bar meet. I do better in smaller groups...Pop is somewhat overwhelming now. It was cool having the place all to ourselves! I'm not sure what's happening with the teams, but I'd like to keep the Ohana thread alive either way. I love hanging out with you guys!

Jen...great news! can't wait to meet the new baby!

Corinna...that's an amazing achievement on your PR! Did you train differently this year? Maybe something to do with your fabulous weight loss! Can't wait to see you again at Princess. Which race are you and Jen doing? I just joined the Half Marathon Fanatics...I maybe back to collecting races again

Richard....come on down...be a pretty princess. I didn't get a chance to wear my leopard tights this weekend.

Julie...hopefully we'll catch you next time. Congrats on marathon #2!

Jeanne...hope you're feeling well. What's next for you?

Maria...missed you this weekend!

Anyone else interested in Princess?

 

[tiberius]

I just joined the Half Marathon Fanatics...I maybe back to collecting races again

Richard....come on down...be a pretty princess. I didn't get a chance to wear my leopard tights this weekend.

Mel - What level did you join the Half Marathon Fanatics at?
You seem to be pushing awfully hard to get me back to FL. (It makes me feel so welcome.) I don't think I look very princess-like and certainly aren't willing to shave my legs to try. It's not likely I will be there, but there's always hope until it sells out.

 

[corinnak]

Richard - I can't believe I didn't see it before - they are running in a whiteout!

Also, those pictures, while dark, are representative of the meet! It looks like Had I fallen asleep back there???

Corinna...that's an amazing achievement on your PR! Did you train differently this year? Maybe something to do with your fabulous weight loss! Can't wait to see you again at Princess. Which race are you and Jen doing? I just joined the Half Marathon Fanatics...I maybe back to collecting races again

Mel, I think that sitting out the Full was a wise choice. You gotta take care of your equipment, first and foremost. Plus also, it was so fabulous cheering with you outside DHS. I think I am going to plan to do the same thing as you in 2010, with possibly the water stop thrown in again as well.

And I totally agree about the smaller meets. I really enjoyed Disneyland for that reason - I really got to MEET people because there were fewer WISHers out there. The POP meet is fun in its own way, too, but, yowsa, it's hard to even FIND the people you know!

I personally think we should try to make the Ohana Ice Cream Wine Bar meet an annual event. The name is too cool, for one thing.

We are doing the Minneapolis Half Marathon, June 6. I have no way of predicting what the weather will be. It's usually nice that time of year.

FACT: I am not hardcore enough to be a Half Fanatic. Yet. Those criteria are TOUGH, man!

As for my incredible improvement over the course of the past year, I think it was several factors working together.

1. Last year, I had a rough time, losing the month of November for training because of that concussion I had.

2. I was something like 53 pounds heavier last marathon weekend. Strap a 50 pounds on me now and I might not actually be that much faster than I was last year!

3. The weather was cold. I'm acclimated to colder temps and prefer the temps to be between 20 and 60 degrees when I run. I always run faster in the cold. And rain doesn't hurt my speed either unless it turns to rain under my feet.

4. Bodypump and other cross training. I really think this has been huge for me this fall. All the squats and lunges and core work - holy fright! But it's done amazing things for my strength, speed and stamina.

5. Speedwork - I actually did the speedwork as written in the training plan!

6. I ran the first 5.5 miles with fast friends - I was afraid I was shooting myself in the foot with the rookie mistake of "going out too fast" but it worked out fine in the end. I will probably try to run the course more evenly in March. I'm starting to get a little excited about it!

 

[MouseDogMom]

Richard - What a GREAT story at EE! I looked longingly at it as we went by - there was a girl in front of us who considered riding it, but then realized it was a roller coaster (what exactly DID she think it was? ) and wouldn't ride it. Loved meeting you and getting to do the Expo together and then spend time together at the half. I'm truly sorry I didn't get to see the leopard print finish - I turned around and looked for you but couldn't find you in the sea of people coming in behind me.

Julie - Sorry we didn't get to meet. Glad you had a great weekend.

Jeanne - Congrats to you for toughing it out at the water stop on Sunday morning. I remember how cold it was last year, and can't even begin to imagine how bad this year was. As the water got more and more frozen at each water stop, I watched the volunteers struggling to keep "liquid" water in the cups, and I knew they were frozen as well. I'm sorry I blasted right by you guys - Bill and I had a mission to complete, which didn't happen, but that's a separate story...

Jen - Seriously? No baby yet? I kept asking people at the POP meet if anyone had been on FB and heard anything - I was certain there would have been a baby by then! Good luck on Thursday if not before!

Corinna - I think you're right on when you say this one is "highly unique, memorable, and at times miserable." You look fabulous! And what a terrific time!

Mel - I meant to say to you when I passed you at HS on Sunday that you definitely made the right decision! At that point I was so wishing that I'd joined you... Tobacco Road, Cary, NC, March 21. Lily's coming...

As for me... loved meeting as many cousins as I did on Friday. Had to abandon the B&C on Saturday to keep DH from divorcing me. He likes my WISH buddies, but between the 4 hours we spent at the Expo Thursday (not all WISH time) and the POP meet on Friday, I realized if I said "oh, by the way..." I would have been single before the marathon. We tried Boardwalk Monday morning, but it was chaotic trying to decide where to meet since outside wasn't an option, and we ended up leaving there before the bulk of the group arrived so we could begin our commando park day.

I had been advised by my Galloway leader to take it easy Saturday and to run easy for the first half Sunday. I did exactly the opposite of what he told me. Went out Saturday on my own and ran a fabulously fast (for me) first 8 miles. Finally caught up to Debra and Richard and walked with them for a while (which is NOT reflected in my splits, by the way!) As we entered Epcot, Debra kept urging me to GO, so I finally did, and ran almost the entire last mile of the course with no walk breaks (which is a first for me at that point in the race.) Finished in 2:49:13, which is 16 seconds off my PR. Sunday the plan was for DH (Bill) to pace me to a 5:30. We crossed 13.1 in 2:44 (a PR in itself), right on target. As we entered AK, both thighs and both feet cramped. We started walking, and it went downhill from there. Surprisingly enough, we still turned out a few miles that were well within the 12:37 pace that we needed, but the other miles were ugly. I passed Mel at HS with barely a wave - desperately needed friendly faces but couldn't even manage to take water at water stops unless DH got it for me. We crossed the finish line in 5:59:56, so I can say I finished sub-6:00, but slower than Richmond and nowhere near my goal. Overall, though, I'm pretty darn pleased, since I did run 13.1 the day before, and I ran the first 13.1 even faster than the day before, and I have a Goofy medal to show for it!

Jackie

 

[corinnak]

Jackie, I think all of us fully understand the challenges of balancing WISH events with family needs! It was fun to see you at POP for pictures, at least! Speaking of which, I have a few.

And since I'm posting pictures anyhow, here is the part where I AM going to brag a little.

WDW Half Marathon 2009:

WDW Half Marathon 2010:

 

[jbucci]

Corinna: You deserve to brag for several pages worth of posts You were awesome-- your wt loss and speed are an inspiration. You totally rock Maybe next year I can be even half as successful as you have been over the past year. You have shown me it IS possible. All of that and you are just one heck of a sweet, supportive person... brag away...

 

[tiberius]

Jackie - You because of the expo, I spent the second most amount of time with any WISHer with you. I had my whole family there and missed Pop and Boardwalk meets, so I understand the family time balance. My wife has already put our daughters on notice that this was the last trip we are paying for, so hopefully I will have more time (and more $) to make future trips.

Mel - I going to send you a PM later today.

Corinna - There's an old saying that "it isn't bragging if it's true". I have a similar set of photos from the 2007 and 2009 Ten for Texas races. Only for me its taken two years to lose those pounds and I am still far from skinny. Still, I am very happy my 263 lbs has become 211 lbs (3 lbs up from mid-Nov, but 2 lbs down from Jan 2 when I left for WDW). Your single year weight loss is amazing to me as I have worked hard to lose the same amount in twice the time, so I am truely inspired. Probably not so coincidentally those two years come very close to lining up exactly with being part of Team Ohana.


To all of you who commented on my coaster diversion, it was my goal to enjoy this race and I certainly did. I can always run for finishing time--but this was run to savored and enjoyed. The half marathon time of 2:58:48 was 25 seconds slower than my first half on April 1, 2007, where I pushed hard to a 2:58:23 finish after 3 months of training. This time I stopped for so many photos and to take in the sights and visit with friends for a much more awesome experience while being mindful of saving myself for the next day. The full marathon was even better. I was worried early about a slow pace, but pretty much kept that pace all day. More sights and more photos were had, and I even broke my own rule about not dancing to the music while running. My biggest surprise was running a negative split on the marathon (3:10:22 first half and 3:07:23 second half), especially surprising to me since I had more 2nd half photos and the EE diversion. I truely never felt run down and never found a wall to hit. Yes, I could have done it faster, but that wasn't my goal. I truely feel that I had the most amazing experiences those days, and my fellow WISHers and Ohanans were part of those amazing experiences.

I was only left with 2 slight race day negatives, the photographer at the finish missed my arms open jumping for joy finish on Sunday and the churro stand was closed as I finished up the last of the race course. I had planned to run and snack my way across the finish line with a churro (and the Mickey Bar ice cream stands after that were closed, too). It's hard to consider those as real negatives with my overall experience.

This is one of my favorite on-course photos, I really was feeling super right about then myself.

This weekend I'm going to cheer on my friends at the Houston Marathon, although part of me wants to mock them as they are expecting perfect marathon weather that day.

I also noticed that a few of my half marathon finish photos show me wearing the jungle fever print shorts if anyone wants to go see, I generally like how they turned out on the photos. Thus fulfilling the wish of an unnamed runner who spent parts of the racing yelling "we want the leopard" at me.

 

[tiberius]

Richard - you make a person want to run the full marathon, I tell you. A ride on EE, midrace?? That, sir, is Legendary! Does having no races on the calendar feel freeing or aimless so far? I look forward to hearing what you choose to do next!

Flattery will get you everywhere with me, my friend!!
To answer your serious question, I think I will need some time to figure it out. I have recently realized that over the last 40 months (since starting training in this part of my life) I have logged around 44,000 minutes of exercise and at least 10 5K, 1 10K, 2 10 mile, 11 half marathon, 4 25K, 1 30K, 2 marathon, 1 50K, 2 sprint tri, 1 Olympic tri and 1 half Ironman events, with an increasing number each year. All this just kind of progressed without trying to be a race junkie, I just got caught up in the excitement of it all and then it became self-progressing. Maybe I am just suffering from post marathon and post Disney exhaustion, but I think I need to slow things down a bit and concentrate on quality in racing and in life. Maybe I need to remember the companionship I get from friends, both ocally and here, is still there whether I race or not. Maybe I need to make sure my wife knows that I do all this to improve myself and not to hide from her or maybe I am just at a motivational lull.

All that said I think I will plan to do several very local races, mostly 5Ks, and 1 or 2 half iron races that will be weekend trips. I had planned to aim for a November Ironman race, but think this is not the year to advance my training that way, not that I can't do it but that I will choose to not do it right now. Getting a taste of a Disney race event has me wanting more, but how do I cut back and do more Disney races at the same time? I'm planning to do the DL half in September, although still need to work that out with my wife, and I'd be lying if I said that finishing Goofy and feeling so good doesn't have me thinking about doing it again. I also really want to do a springtime half marathon to go for a sub 2:30 PR that has eluded me for a while now, but I think is well within my reach.

Does that answer your question? Not really. So here's the answer:
I'm not really sure if either freeing or aimless really covers it, but I have been thinking about it a lot, and think that something needs to change as I have been running from event to event like one of those connect the dots puzzles. It's time to step back and see the bigger picture. Here's my current thinking on this year:
1. Several local 5Ks over the next year, a local running club sponsors twice monthly 5Ks for a buck each. Your dollar gets you a start line, a finish line, someone holding a stopwatch and someone to write down the times. If you bring your dog they can enter too.
2. Find a half marathon to go for the PR in the six weeks from March through mid-April.
3. Try to stay on track for the Lone Star Half Ironman in late April.
4. Train through summer without racing, here in Texas running event season is over and sprint tri season is well under way.
5. Make the Disneyland Half in September.
6. return to Austin for the Longhorn Half Ironman.
7. Do I dare consider clearing november and December to prepare for a major January weekend event???

To do this would mean skipping a number of events that I enjoy, but do I really have to do them all...I think not. Of course, one positive upside about doing less events is that I can save that money for other uses, and I can still volunteer or just cheer at them anyway if I want. I guess for me this will be a transitional year.

 

[corinnak]

For anyone who didn't see her update on Facebook earlier, Jen was supposed to be induced today, but her water broke when she got up to take the girls to school. Baby girl and doctors agreed on the day, it turns out!


JenB - I can't believe you would say that! YOU inspire ME, finishing the Goofy is something I'm not sure I'll ever do! Maybe we can form a mutual inspiration society.

Richard - you will find a good balance, I'm sure of it. You're going about it in such a thoughtful way, it's bound to be a good year however you choose to go with it. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to meet your wife or daughters this trip, too! This is becoming our regular refrain: Hopefully another time soon!


And me: I am registered for the Princess and already plotting out what I am going to wear... Considering the Frozen Half Marathon the weekend after this upcoming one. I don't know - I ran three miles on the treadmill last night, and I won't say that it sucked, but I will say it was slower and less springy than my shorter runs had been before last weekend. I'm not sure of the wisdom of running another half so close to WDW 2010, but I am thinking about it. I also went to a BodyFlow class today - like a tai chi/yoga/pilates fusion class. Flexibility is definitely on my wishlist now!

 

[chimera]

And me: I am registered for the Princess and already plotting out what I am going to wear... Considering the Frozen Half Marathon the weekend after this upcoming one.

If you do that, you'll be qualified for the Half Fanatics. You only need 3 half marathons in 90 days to make the Neptune level (that's where I am). I need to shoot for 6 in 6 consecutive months or 8 for the year to move up to the Uranus level. And who doesn't want to be at the level of Uranus? (sorry, too easy)

Your pictures look fabulous, Corinna. My first thought was "Wow...you look great!" My second was "OMG...weren't you freezing?"

Richard...the balance thing is really hard. I keep hoping I'll win Powerball or find another work at home job so I can spend more time training and racing. No such luck so far. And balancing family time along with it can be soooo hard.

Anyone heard from Maria?

I'm assuming Jen's baby should be here now since her water broke this morning. Hoping for an update, but I imagine Paul is busy with other things

Just a thought to throw out...see what y'all think:

Anyone interested in meeting once a year for a WISH Ohana race that changes locations yearly? Maybe pick something that's local to a teammate that doesn't conflict with WDW in Jan. Maybe a NC race near Jeanne and Jackie, a TX thing near Richard, something near the frozen tundra for Corinna and Jen, etc, etc. Pick a different location every year. Travel costs being what they are, I'm not sure how feasible it is, but it could be fun!

 

[corinnak]

If you do that, you'll be qualified for the Half Fanatics. You only need 3 half marathons in 90 days to make the Neptune level (that's where I am). I need to shoot for 6 in 6 consecutive months or 8 for the year to move up to the Uranus level. And who doesn't want to be at the level of Uranus? (sorry, too easy)!

If I do the Frozen one, I'll have 2 within 16 days, too. I definitely don't want to be at the level of Uranus. I can tell you that much right now.

Your pictures look fabulous, Corinna. My first thought was "Wow...you look great!" My second was "OMG...weren't you freezing?"

Thank you! It was a little chilly, but I am more acclimated to cold temps and I was running and there wasn't much wind at that point, so it wasn't so bad. I took off my jacket for the post-race picture too. That was brisk, but not as brisk as standing in that bag claim line with the jacket on!!

Anyone heard from Maria?

I got a text from her yesterday - she was on her way home and expected to be back on the DIS over the weekend. They spent a few days at Universal.

Anyone interested in meeting once a year for a WISH Ohana race that changes locations yearly? Maybe pick something that's local to a teammate that doesn't conflict with WDW in Jan. Maybe a NC race near Jeanne and Jackie, a TX thing near Richard, something near the frozen tundra for Corinna and Jen, etc, etc. Pick a different location every year. Travel costs being what they are, I'm not sure how feasible it is, but it could be fun

I love that plan! And the tundra isn't frozen in June. We've already got some WISHers coming up for this one:

http://www.teamortho.us/Minneapolis-Marathon/

 

[chimera]

Jen's baby was born 4:30 pm CST weighing 8lbs 4 oz.