Run, Eat, Date, Sleep

I bet you’re wondering what I mean by 350 days. What’s in 350 days? The 2012 WDW Marathon, of course! You might remember from my WDW Marathon Recap that I’m not giving up after such a disappointing first marathon. I’ve become incredibly motivated to rock the pants off the next one! I WILL knock off at least an hour off of my time… and Daniel, the fitness director at the Y, thinks I can too!

So with this ambitious goal, I’ve come up with some ways to ensure I will obtain my goal.

I joined Weight Watchers in an attempt to lose about 40 pounds, which undoubtedly will make me faster.

I’m giving my soul away to the gym.

The people at the Y will begin seeing me a lot more often. For example, this week I went there four times (I normally go twice a week):

Tuesday- 9.04 miles on the stationary bike in 30 minutes. I let out all of my marathon anger out on that bike and gave it my all!

Wednesday- 30 minute walk on the treadmill at 3% incline. I believe I did 1.75 miles.

Thursday- 75 minute yoga class. It felt so good to get back to yoga after a year-long hiatus.

Saturday- 30 minute walk at 3% incline followed by Couch to 5K Week 1 Day 1.

WW meetings are on Monday evenings, but I’d like to add an at-home yoga video session on Monday evenings.

I plan to incorporate weight-lifting after my February 2 appointment with Daniel. I never took advantage of the free consultation that comes with a Y membership, so I’m finally getting it.

I’m completely rebuilding from the beginning. I’m starting all over with Couch to 5K. I’ll stay on each week for however long it takes me to feel comfortable. After I complete Couch to 5k, I plan on moving to Gateway to 8K. I’m concentrating on building endurance and speed. I do not want to do run/walk intervals in the next marathon. Even though I believe they are a fantastic way to complete a long race, I’m just over them now. I no longer want to say “I completed a marathon”. I want to say “I RAN a marathon!” I want to focus on running my dream race pace of 10:00-11:00/mile. I plan to run a lot of 5Ks this summer since I couldn’t last year due to injuries.

“Failure to plan = planning to fail”, right? Well, I’ve been packing my gym clothes and my lunch every weekday.

The clementines and banana are always accompanied by something more substantial, but the fruits are always my mid-morning and afternoon snacks.

Like the gym bag I got from the Hilton? I LOVE IT! And the fact it came with my marathon package makes it even better! It reminds me of our glorious stay at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek every time I see it.

Having my lunch and gym clothes packed saves so much time from not running out to the store for lunch and from not having to run home before heading to the gym and risking the desire to just stay home. Plus, it gives me so much peace of mind knowing my day is planned out.

P.S. I added this to my Jeep tonight! (even though I think it’s grammatically incorrect)

Tomorrow’s weigh-in day, so check back to see how I did. I’ve been having nightmares about gaining my first week. But even if I do, I know I’m learning to live a healthier lifestyle. And I will NOT let those grumpy old hags weighing me in berate me for gaining. (We’re going to a new meeting location next week)

Now on to a yoga session on OnDemand.

Goodnight!

Last Monday, I rejoined Weight Watchers even though I’ve tried it maybe 7 or 8 times before. It’s always worked. I’ve always gotten to 175. I’ve always quit. I’ve always gained it back.

So at 5:30pm on Monday, Ellen and I arrived at the meeting and were greeted by the leader, who I believe is straight up weird. Her shoes were 4 sizes too big, and she wasn’t too welcoming. I came to her with my wallet and registration form with a big smile on my face, and she said “you’ll have to go over there. I don’t have money at this table.” Ummm… is this usually how you greet new members?

So I got weighed in and saw the number I was expecting to see, which shall remain classified information.

But the poor lady next to me weighed in and the lady weighing her in said “oh, you gained. You had a bad week, huh?” Bitch! Seriously, does this type of conversation need to happen? Why can’t they just shut their mouths? This used to happen to me at my Orlando WW meetings. I’d run all week long and end up with a gain, and the chubby old lady behind the counter would berate me for gaining. Why I go back to Weight Watchers, I don’t know.

When I went back to my seat, I heard the same lady weighing someone else in, and she said “oh, you gained your first week”. How very embarrassing!

Moving on… they stocked me up with a Pocket Guide and a Getting Started book.

They explained that the program had changed drastically and now calories aren’t even in the equation in calculating points. It’s fat, carbs, protein, and fiber. The leader later explained that this is because 1 calorie does not equate to 1 calorie. WRONG! This lady obviously didn’t pass her high school chemistry class. But I get the point she was trying to make. Your body digests different foods differently.

So the meeting started, and the topic was about using your Weekly Points Allowance, which is now 49 points (it used to be 35). You can use these points however you’d like throughout the week, or you can choose not to use them at all. The leader explained she ate an entire bag of M&M’s that week, and that’s how she used her allowance. And not just a 1 serving bag. It was a bag of 8 servings. Good role model, huh?

Another thing she discussed was trying new things, so some members spoke up…

“I tried greek yogurt. I had to put artificial sweetener on it”

“I tried egg whites. BLECK!”

“I made my own apple cobbler with brown sugar substitute and spray butter.”

“I tried brussel sprouts, and they were okay.” Another lady piped in “I wrap my brussel sprouts in bacon, and they taste so much better”

WTF!!!!!!!!!! Excuse me? And the leader encouraged all of this! First of all, this was my big problem with WW in the past… encouraging people to eat “fake food”. Just eat the real stuff, enjoy it more, and account for the extra calories. The leader even had a disgusted look when the lady mentioned greek yogurt. I think it’s delicious!

Ellen and I were whispering to each other that we definitely had a leg up on these ladies. We’re already active, and we enjoy healthy foods.

At the “getting started” meeting afterwards for new members, one of the male members spoke up and said he drinks 3 20oz. real Cokes every day. The leader told him to start drinking Diet Coke. While I get that she was trying to help, isn’t it a known fact that Diet Coke is just as harmful as regular Coke, if not worse? Did I imagine hearing that coming out of Jillian’s mouth? Or am I imagining this article? So I spoke up and mentioned that Diet Coke isn’t a good alternative, and she looked shocked. I said “isn’t Diet Coke just as bad for you?” She looked like I hit her in the face with a frying pan. I continued “yeah, the artificial sweeteners and added chemicals.” I get that it would cut down on calories to drink Diet Coke, but calories should not be the only thing you look at when you’re considering putting something in your mouth.

So while I just completely berated my WW leader and the women at that meeting, I think I can learn a lot from Weight Watchers. There are definitely “pros” involved.

1. First, I’m going with Ellen. Going to meetings with a friend will make me much more accountable, and we can completely relate to one another.

2. I’m more aware of the amount of food I eat and what kinds of food I eat. For example, I used to have toast with peanut butter and jam every morning. I learned that this breakfast was costing me 14 points because each slice of bread was 3 points. I’ve since bought Bagel Thins, which are 3 points for the whole bagel. And I suppose I can do without the jam, which is 3 points. So I’m able to bring my breakfast down to 8 points. And now I’ll add a banana or some strawberries for free!

3. Fruits and most vegetables are “free”. Now you can’t eat 5 bananas in one day, but you can use fruits guilt-free and not have to count the points (but still track the food you ate!). So I’m eating a lot more fruits now. I pack a banana and 2 clementines in my lunch every day for work.

4. I’m getting to the gym more because I want to earn Activity Points every day, or at least try to. I went to the gym 4 times this week, which is more than usual for me. I biked, walked, did yoga, and ran! I’m forcing myself to add variety so I don’t get bored. And it’s all part of my new marathon training program which you’ll learn about in a post down the road.

5. I’m so motivated to lose this weight so I can run a faster marathon at a much lower weight!!

If you’re on Weight Watchers, what are your pros and cons?

You walk over to the people giving out medals, choke up, thank the volunteer, and then get your photo done… all in Hunchback of Notre Dame style. Ya know, hunched over and dragging one of your feet behind you.

Then get yourself some free snacks! Apparently, they ran out of cans of Coke long before I finished. Coke is my all-time favorite thing to reward myself with after a long run. I don’t drink regular Coke on any other day really.

Then go find your loved ones!

I can’t thank my mom enough for being there at the finish for me. She did the long walk back to the bus with me at a snail’s pace. While waiting for the bus to take us back to the resort, we tried to get a Coke out of the vending machines, but it ate our money. We didn’t want to just lose $5 to the machine (the can of Coke was $2.50!!!), so Mom walked all the way back to the entrance of Epcot to get a refund and a free Coke. Woohoo!

When the bus took us back to the resort, he parked by the staircase we would have to walk up. We all grumbled and moaned but all made it up the stairs.

Once I got back up to the room, I took my shoes off to assess the damage of my blisters. I figured I’d spare you the images, so I didn’t take pictures. But my mom could see them from across the room if that tells you something.

I grabbed a seat in the fabulous suite and put my feet up, treated my blisters, and ate my snacks.

I took a long shower and fell asleep for a little while. I didn’t realize I would sleep for so long, but my mom let me sleep. We had dinner reservations at the Grand Floridian Cafe for a celebratory dinner, so we took a town car there instead of taking the bus. Taking the bus meant not getting to take a nap.

(photo courtesy of SuiteDisney)

I used to work at the Grand Floridian, but I still feel the magic when we enter the lobby.

(photo courtesy of SuiteDisney)

Going to the Grand Floridian Cafe after a Disney race has now become a tradition. We also went here after the Disney Princess half. This time, I got the French onion soup and the New York strip steak. One of the best things about running is a marathon is the guilt-free dinner you can have afterwards!

On the way to the Grand, I had told my mom I could eat an entire dish of just mashed potatoes. This dish satisfied my craving!

After dinner, we sat in the lobby and relaxed for about an hour before heading over to Magic Kingdom. It’s only fitting to watch the fireworks display, Wishes, the day I completed a marathon. “A dream is a wish your heart makes” couldn’t be truer, and today, I made my dream come true!

“From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it… from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it” ~Author Unknown

That quote is exactly how I feel about the marathon. I just can’t come up with the words to explain what the experience meant to me. But I will try.

In 2004 when I was working at Walt Disney World, I worked the days leading up to the marathon at the All Star Cafe at the Wide World of Sports and encountered many people picking up their race bibs. And a few days later, they came in with their medals. I never told anyone at the time, but in the back of my mind, I knew I would someday run the WDW Marathon. Over the next few years, I made several attempts to tackle Couch to 5K and would quit around whatever week it was that I would have to do a 20-minute run without walking.

Then in 2008, I moved to Delaware and joined the Y, where I made a few more attempts at Couch to 5K and eventually “graduated”. I completed several 5Ks and a 5-miler in 2008 and 2009. After that 5-miler, I decided to complete something bigger. I signed up for the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Then, the NYC Half. After two half-marathons, I felt confident I could at least finish a marathon. And reading Caitlin’s, Megan’s, and Meghann’s recaps of the WDW Marathon motivated me so much! So in May 2010, I signed up for the WDW Marathon! My dream was finally going to come true. But after the NYC Half, I gained back the 25 pounds I had lost in 2009 and dealt with knee problems and plantar fasciitis. I had to take several months off from training and only trained a few weeks for the Philly Half, which was November 21, and I recorded my Personal Worst time. A bad run in Philly left me with a bad attitude about running, but I got over it and spent December training for the full marathon. Although I didn’t train thoroughly and long enough, I felt I could at least finish this marathon. I came to Orlando feeling ready and confident. I told everyone my goal was just to finish, but in the back of my mind, I wanted to have a sub-6 hour marathon.

When I woke up on January 9th at 2:30am, I was so excited! I quickly took a shower, threw on my gear, and bandaged up my feet in the places where I normally get blisters. We were ready to head down to the lobby a little after 3am.

Isn’t that the craziest arrangement in that vase? Mom and I both giggled about it.

To our surprise, the lobby was filled with encouraging Hilton employees and a large spread set us just for the runners.

One of the employees in the lobby was Catherine, who had been emailing me the past few weeks. They were there to support me and all the other runners… isn’t that sweet?!

I love that they had a mock finish line set up.

The marathon package at the Hilton included complimentary transportation to the race… thank goodness! I wouldn’t want to worry about making it to the race on time with all of the road closures and traffic. The bus dropped us off, and we made the 10-15 minute trek to the reunion area. I waited there with my mom until a little before 5am and then made the 30-minute slow walk with all of the other runners to the corrals. I made it to corral H and found Bethany and her dad. I was originally in corral F, but I dropped back to be with Bethany. Even though she’s faster than me, and we wouldn’t be running together, I wanted to have some company in that long, cold wait before our corral would start the race.

It took about 23 minutes from when the first corral went to when we started the race. I stuck with my training and did 2/1 intervals (run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute) right from the start. I stayed to the right and dropped off of the pavement and on to the grass to walk.

We made our way to Epcot and through the toll booths. (sorry for the picture quality. They’re from my iPhone)

By mile 2.6, we were going past Spaceship Earth.

We ran past the countries and made a left after Norway and then out and behind Epcot to the backstage area. By mile 4, we were out of Epcot and on to a 5-mile stretch headed towards Magic Kingdom with nothing to entertain us besides characters and other runners with funny shirts. We passed by the Magic Kingdom toll booths around 8.5 miles.

Right after the mile 9 marker, my stomach started getting upset. But thankfully, my mom was at the Transportation & Ticket Center, and there was a glorious, clean, public bathroom. Unfortunately, the potty break cost me about 5 or 6 minutes, but really, time was of no importance. Finishing was important, and going to the bathroom in my pants would not guarantee a finish. Mom had a bottle of Gatorade waiting for me, so I picked that up and headed off to the Magic Kingdom!

Right before Magic Kingdom was the mile 10 marker, and I was feeling awesome. I kept up with 2/1 intervals pretty much to a “t”. Running through Main Street was awesome. It was lined with spectators and cowbells! I found my mom in the same place she was for the Disney Princess Half, which is right in front of the castle in the bend going to Tomorrowland. I stopped there to give her a hug, hand back my Gatorade because it was too big of a bottle to carry, and to grab a picture!

I couldn’t believe that I was 10 miles in and feeling so strong! If you remember from the Disney Princess Half, this was the point when I had to call Jeff and cry about how I just couldn’t do it anymore. I’ve obviously improved!

I left Mom behind and traveled in to Tomorrowland and in to Fantasyland past the Mad Hatter and the Mad Tea Party! I love that he had “clappers”.

I made a video at this point about how good I was feeling, but it has no sound. Boooo. I made my way through Cinderella’s Castle (yay!!!) and remembered they had photographers in front of the castle.

By the time I made my way out of Magic Kingdom, my pace slowed a little, but I kept up with 2/1 intervals. I noticed that my time at 13 miles was better than my Philly Half time, which was 3:07 something, so that gave me a little push to keep going. The road between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom is really boring, but there was plenty of entertainment and funny signs to keep our focus off of how boring it was. I grabbed a banana around 14.5 miles and ate half of it.

At around 15.5 miles, it hit me. I had blisters on my heels that made every single step excruciating. I made the decision to fast-walk for a little while. It made the pain slightly bearable. I checked my pace, and it wasn’t too far off from my jog/walk pace, so I made the “smart” decision to keep fast-walking the rest of the way.

After walking past what seemed to be Disney’s sewage plant and Animal Kingdom’s backstage areas, I entered Animal Kingdom!

Once I was past Mount Everest and DinoLand, it was pretty much a blur until I got out in to the DAK parking lot. The course running through the parking lot and out past the toll booths felt extremely long and boring, and the sun was in my eyes the whole time. Once out of that area, it was a straight away to the 20 mile marker and an out and back to the 21 mile marker. Luckily, some funny signs by the Sharpie people made me laugh along the way like “the people who know the least, know it the loudest” and “why is the word ‘abbreviation’ so long?” and “did you know Albert Einstein didn’t know how to drive?”

Finally, we made our way in to the backstage area of Hollywood Studios where they were giving out chocolate! The time spent in Hollywood Studios was short, but I was glad to know the race was almost over.

After Hollywood Studios (oh how I miss calling it MGM), we traveled to the Yacht & Beach Club by way of the trail between MGM and the resort. It was a nice, scenic route, and knowing I was almost done was exciting.

We made our way in to Epcot by way of a backstage area behind United Kingdom. The course took us around all of the countries (except Canada). This part seemed painstakingly long, and I couldn’t wait to be done with it. I was texting friends with “WTF was I thinking?” and they were texting back how proud they were of me. It helped push me along!

And finally, my mom caught me coming around the corner to the finish!

See me by the girl in the yellow?

See me in the screen above?

And I finally finished after 6 hours and 53 minutes.

I found my mom at our tent from earlier that morning. Can you tell I’m walking a little pigeon-toed?

For a while, my results didn’t show up, and I was getting emails from friends along the lines of “saw your results, you ok?” At first, I just thought they saw how slow I was and wanted to know if I was okay. But I checked the site, and it looked like I quit after 10 miles. How embarrassing! I had to email the Disney Endurance team with what I wore, what corral I started in, etc. so they could find me and post my results.

My splits

I like that I stayed pretty consistent for the first 9 miles. The 10th mile involved a potty break, and then it went downhill from there.

I wish I could tell you I felt proud or happy about the marathon. Over the past few days, I’ve gone from proud to really unhappy. I’m so disappointed, and I feel like I failed myself. I feel like I did a 15 mile run with a really long walk at the end. I feel like I didn’t try hard enough, but I have to remember I gave it everything I had. Whenever someone asks me my time, I have to preface it with why I did so terrible. I’m embarrassed, and this is not how I wanted to feel after my first marathon. When one of my mom’s friends asked me all about the marathon, I didn’t have much to say. I didn’t even really want to talk about it. I hope this feeling of disappointment goes away, and I can start to feel like I really accomplished something so many people don’t even set out to do.

It doesn’t help that I look absolutely gigantic in my pictures. Never again do I want to run a marathon at this weight.

Even though I feel like a failure, I can’t help but feel incredibly motivated to keep running. I will make 2011 a great running year, and next year at this time, I hope to be writing a more positive WDW Marathon recap.

And now I’d like to thank all of you for being incredibly supportive throughout the past few years and in the recent months leading up to the marathon. Thank you to my mom who has braved some of the coldest weather to cheer me on! You’re my rock! And to Ellen, you’re an amazing friend for never doubting what I could do and for being in NYC and Philly, cowbell and all! To Jeff, you have no idea how you make me feel when you tell me you’re proud of me. And to the rest of you who sent me the most heartfelt, thoughtful texts, Facebook messages, and phone calls, I couldn’t ask for better friends. You are all amazing! You all made a 6-year long dream come true!

When we woke up on Saturday morning, we both remarked how we had just gotten the best night’s sleep we’ve had in a while. Those Hilton Serenity beds are amazing, and the pillows are perfectly fluffy!

Mom and I made our way down to Muse, the hotel’s coffee shop, for a delicious breakfast.

(Photo courtesy of Hilton)

I had a ham, egg, and cheese croissant, and she had a scone. I had made plans with an old friend to meet up at the expo around 11. Bethany and I worked together at the All Star Cafe at Walt Disney World for a few years. We even vacationed in Las Vegas together!

Since the Hilton wasn’t providing transportation to the expo (they will be next year though!!!), they treated me to a ride there in a Mercedes! I was really expecting a small shuttle or something.. not this! Never in a million years did I ever expect I’d refer to someone as “my driver”.

Completely unexpected and very much appreciated!

While waiting for Bethany to arrive, I actually ran in to Daniel, a trainer at my Y, at the expo. Actually, I just saw the back of him, but recognized him by his Ironman t-shirt. He had run the half-marathon that morning and said he had a blast! It was his first Disney race. If it wasn’t for Daniel’s encouragement while I was dealing with injuries, I wouldn’t have stuck with marathon training.

I met up with Bethany and her dad after I picked up my bib!

We made our way over to the Josten Building to check out all of the merchandise.

I ended buying a long-sleeve “I DID IT!” navy blue shirt and a travel coffee mug. We had so much fun looking at all of the stuff for sale and giggling over old memories. On the way out, HP was offering a complimentary picture, so we took them up on it!

I like to refer to my skin color as “porcelain”, not pale

Since the Josten Building houses our old stompin’ grounds, we grabbed lunch at the bar and got all caught up on each other’s lives. I had a delicious veggie pita.

Around 2:30, she gave me a ride back to the Hilton where I found my mom enjoying lunch at Beech, the poolside restaurant.

Isn’t the view beautiful!?!?

We stayed outside by the pool for quite some time sipping on mango-flavored iced teas before we headed upstairs to get ready for dinner. We had reservations at Captain’s Grille at Disney’s Yacht Club. Like I said before, Hilton doesn’t provide transportation directly to Disney resorts. Most people would think they would need to take a Downtown Disney bus and then take the Yacht Club bus, but not in this case. Since the Yacht Club is within walking distance to Hollywood Studios, we took the bus there instead and made the short, scenic walk past the Swan, Dolphin, and the Boardwalk.

I had the special pasta dish that evening, a gnocchi and shrimp dish.

Mom had pan-roasted chicken with butternut pearl pasta, which she didn’t find too appetizing.

After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel so I could start laying out my race day gear and get to bed at a decent hour.

It was about 10:30 before we laid down and set the alarm for 2:30am! But it was about midnight by the time my heart stopped racing!

Stay tuned for the race recap! I’m still working on collecting my thoughts on the whole thing!

My mom and I had a little slumber party at my house on Thursday night and woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Friday morning at 2:30am in order to get the airport by 5 for our 7am flight.

I never travel without Ella! (Ok, there was that trip to HLS without her, but that’s it)

Unfortunately, we were stuck on the runway for quite some time for a good de-icing and the auto pilot was not working. They had to “reboot” the plane, and then we were off!

We arrived in sunny, beautiful Orlando and were quickly bussed over to our resort, the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek! If you remember, I was asked to review the resort on the blog and was therefore given a complimentary stay!

As soon as we arrived, we were told by the front desk that we had been upgraded to the “parlor suite”. My mom and I both got so excited! I was handed a gym bag filled with a water bottle and fanny pack filled with Powerbar products, a benefit to all marathon weekend guests at the Hilton. I also received a resort newsletter customized for the runners, including where to dine for pre-race dinners. We were checking in early, so we dropped off our bags with the bellmen and headed to the bus stop to catch a bus to Magic Kingdom.

We were both very happy to see they had left some of the Christmas decorations up!

We were starving, so we bee-lined it to our favorite quick service restaurant, Columbia Harbor House. I enjoyed a tuna sandwich, and Mom got the fried shrimp. Since we both have rarely ridden the Carousel, that was our first stop after lunch!

We didn’t have much time before we had to make our way back to the Transportation and Ticket Center to catch the bus back to the resort, so we checked out The Laughing Room for the first time, which ended up being a complete hoot!

The bus arrived right on time… which actually ended up being a trend during our entire stay. It was completely predictable!

We had dinner reservations at Kouzzina at the Boardwalk Inn, so we headed back to the hotel where we were pleasantly surprised to find our room ready.

The room included a small fridge, perfect for storing my Gatorade and Muscle Milk. The bedroom and suite both had flat-screen TVs and coffee makers.

My mom’s reaction to the suite next to the bedroom was priceless. She kept saying “you don’t mean it!!!” To say we were both extremely happy with our accommodations would be an understatement.

The suite also featured another bathroom, which was very convenient so we could both get ready at the same time!

I was treated with a tall yogurt parfait and a chocolate-covered strawberry!

Check out our view from the 10th floor!

We could see the Tower of Terror, the Swan and Dolphin, Mount Everest, and the Sorcerer’s hat from our room!

After swooning over our room for a while, we changed and headed out to the Boardwalk Inn to have dinner at Kouzzina. Now, as with Disney transportation, the Hilton also doesn’t offer transportation directly to Disney resorts, so we chose to take a town car there. Who doesn’t love showing up at a luxury hotel in a town car?!

From Disney’s website:

In Greece, the Kouzzina is the Kitchen — and now you can savor celebrity chef Cat Cora’s time-honored Mediterranean family recipes and personal favorites as her casual family restaurant on Disney’s BoardWalk comes alive through the sights, sounds and aromas of its fabulous open kitchen.

Discover these creative and flavorful dishes, cooked to order in the Kouzzina’s wood-burning grill and oak-fired ovens:

• Oak-grilled steak and pork
• Greek spinach pie (spanakopita)
• Lamb
• Fresh seasonal seafood
• Calamari
• Greek salad

We shared a spinach pie and a hummus sampler, and we each had a side of orzo.

After dinner, we made the short walk to the backside of Epcot with an hour or so to spare before Illuminations would begin. It’s my favorite fireworks display at Disney because it’s the one I remember most as a kid. We picked a great viewing spot and sat there for about an hour before the show began. It was spectacular as always!

When we came back to the resort, we noticed this sign in the hotel lobby. Yay!

It was time to get all snuggled in to our amazing Hilton Serenity beds!

Come back later for my expo recap with an old friend, the race recap, and more fun at the Hilton!

Last year, I made a resolution to not make any resolutions, so I have no way really to measure how I did in 2010.

But this year, I have several things in my life I’m looking to improve and achieve…

On January 9th, I will run the WDW Marathon, which has been a 6-year long dream of mine.

I will read more. I have a ton of books on my bookshelves that remain unread. Plus, some of these belong to friends, so I need to read them and return them to their owners.

I will drink more water. In an effort to improve this, I am buying this awesome water bottle. Drinking from a straw somehow helps me drink more throughout the day.

I will run 1,000 miles as part of Tall Mom’s 1000 Mile Club. I attempted to this in 2010 but was sidelined due to plantar fasciitis and a knee injury. If you’re interested in joining the club in 2011, check out Tall Mom’s blog.

I will buy my first home. After 11 years of renting, I am finally financially capable of making the biggest purchase in my whole life.

I will get back in to my size 10 pants. To be honest, I can get in them now, but the muffin top just isn’t stylish these days. About 20 more pounds to lose before I can feel comfortable in them again.

(These pictures taken October 2009)

I will continue to strive for a balance between work and home. No more late hours at the office.

***********

I started today off by weighing and measuring myself. I knew the numbers would be less than stellar, but I have to start somewhere, right? And then it was time to start purging. I wanted to get my email inbox to zero, and I had a plan to delete blogs from my Google Reader I no longer read. Well, that all still isn’t done because I got distracted by reading blogs I had forgotten about.

Then it was time to purge shows from the DVR. I must have 30 episodes of Ghost Hunters on there, all of which have been watched… I think.

Another thing I wanted to do in the new year was to start fresh on Facebook. I have a new profile completely void of any toxic people, high school acquaintances I don’t talk to anymore, and random people I’ve never met or want to meet. I was tired of the over-shares like “My monthly friend didn’t show up this month” and the constant complaining some people do. Instead, when I log in to Facebook now, I see positive, energetic, life-loving people. It’s a nice, new, fresh start for my social media in 2011.

Tonight, I have plans with the washer, dryer, and dishwasher. Unloading the dishwasher remains the bane of my existence.

Happy New Year, blends! I hope the new year brings you health, happiness, love, and prosperity!

P.S. If you aren’t yet on my new Facebook page and you were on my old one, it’s not because I don’t like you. It’s been time-consuming switching everything over. So send me a friend request!