6.3 miles on a crisp morning with no wind. Delightful!

What a great run this morning...the weather was perfect!  Upper 30s and not a bit of wind.  I ran most of the run with a larger group from Fleet Feet and then broke off with another woman.  We wanted to go a bit further as we are both training for upcoming 10-milers in April.

Today was the kind of run that reminds me why I go out there and run.  I started running because of my Dad.  Read about it here, here and here She lost her father to cancer, too.  Our stories were quite similar...young dads (hers 66, mine 64), both battled about 3 months, both got just one round of chemo. 

I still miss my Dad every day.  And I keep on running for him.

Holy Crap! I'm running a MARATHON!

Dear Andrea,

Thank you for registering for the 36th Marine Corps Marathon held on October 30, 2011.  Thank you and see you in October.

Semper Fidelis,

Marine Corps Marathon Staff

Second thoughts...

So, I've got my marathon all picked....the Marine Corps Marathon on 10/30/11.

I've got my training all mapped out...the Hanson brothers less is more plan for first timers.

Registration opens on 2/23. Now the self doubt has set in.

Why do I think I can run 26.2 miles? I've lost so much endurance over this brutal winter. 6.5 miles kicked my butt yesterday. There is no way I could have done that FOUR more times.  

First timers...how do you keep away the feelings of self doubt?

Sad news.

I found out a neighbor of ours passed away this weekend. He was only 44 and leaves behind a wife and two boys (7th grade and 3rd grade). 

We say it all the time...life is short...treasure every moment...It's times like these that make you all the more cognizant of priorities in life.

Looking forward to this week!

Finally...a break from this cold!  I am so excited to get out and run this week.  It is supposed to hit 60 on Friday.  WOO HOO!  It will be so great to be in a single layer...maybe I'll even break out the capris!

Hubby and I had a nice weekend in NYC.  We go up every year for Valentine's. We see a show, have a great dinner, and stay over.   We saw Jersey Boys this year and we had dinner at Sugiyama.  It was a wonderful weekend!

Disney!

I realized I never fulfilled my promise of Disney pics.  We had a great trip and came home absolutely exhausted (not to mention, sick).  Here are some of my favorites...

This tiger literally posed for this picture in Animal Kingdom

Dinner at Polynesian:  Spirit of Aloha!

Breakfast at Tusker House w/the characters

Awesome tree on safari ride at Animal Kingdom

I love this picture...Look at my son...last row, first from left.  Scared silly!

Rock N Roller Coaster....AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH

I love this pic of my babies!  On a boat on our way to dinner at the Grand Floridian!

Our family in our hotel lobby.

Training plans

Alright...now that the decisions been made and pretty much etched in stone (note the addition of 2011 races to the right!!)...Has anyone got any good training plans they absolutely love? I read RW (Runner's World) from January and was going to follow the Hanson Brothers plan. However, my inner voice goes something like this....

"Hmmmm....only three 16 mile runs....I can do that.  If I can run 13, 16 isn't so bad." 

"WTF...why would I only run 16 miles to prepare when a marathon is 26.2.   How do I expect to be able to run 10 more miles on race day.  Yes, I understand only training 8 or 9 when it's a 10 mile race or 11 or 12 when it's a half...but only running 16 miles?  Are you kidding me??"

Not sure which inner voice to listen to?  Advice???

The decision has been made....

I will run my first marathon on October 30, 2011 in Washington DC (Marine Corps Marathon).

Holy crap...what am I thinking? I've only done 2 halves last year. Why do I think I can do a full? 

Already I have the doubts, the second guessing, and the feelings of being in over my head.  Is this normal for first time marathoners? 

Disney Dining...in pictures!

In my previous post, I mentioned how well we ate during our latest Disney trip. Let me take you on a culinary tour of Disney's finest restaurants. Now you will understand how I could have possibly gained 4 lbs in 8 days...

Back from Disney!

We spent last week in Disney! We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and had a great time.  The AKL is a very cool hotel...but it certainly is "out there".  You waste a lot of time on buses (both waiting for and riding on).  From our Savannah view room, we saw so many different animals....giraffes, zebras, gazelle, deer, wart hogs, etc.  It was really cool.

We spent all 8 days in the parks...Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood studios.  We all came home exhausted.  The food was unbelievable.  We opted for the deluxe dining plan which afforded us the opportunity to dine at several 2 credit restaurants.  We certainly ate really well all week.  So well, I gained 4 pounds despite all the walking. 

Pics to follow soon...once I get caught up on everything.