Yesterday, dad and I went to the Red Barn Flea Market. The available produce is amazing. Cheap, and very plentiful. It made me drool but there was no reason for me to buy anything.
I got some "princess" stuff for us gals, for today's race.
A light-up neckace, pink furry purse and princess crown rings. Ellen had gotten pink hair extensions for us back in Rochester. We looked totally cool at dinner at the Stonehouse Grille in Orlando last night.
I had a chicken sandwich with mashed potatoes and a salad that came with a side of spicy cornbread.
Overall, everything was richer and fattier than I normally eat before a race. I'm pretty conservative and usually stick with pasta, but there was none on the menu. I didn't finish the cornbread and removed some of the sandwich toppings, and the mashed potatoes were delicious but were pretty intense with freshly ground pepper, so I didn't finish those either. I just didn't know how this would all sit before a race. In the end, all good. No GI issues.
I'd been requested to bring "princess cookies" and not knowing exactly what princess cookies were, came up with these instead.
They worked. : )
I've had a really fun day today. It started with the Disney Princess Half Marathon EARLY this morning. What time?? Up at 3:15 AM. We were in bed with the lights out at 8:15 PM on Saturday. What a shame--3 gals on a road trip to Florida ... and in bed at 8:15 PM on a Saturday night!!! So, we were up and at 'em and headed out to the shuttle buses. The line was long, but it moved quickly. We were at the bag drop at 4:20, which meant a 1 hr 40 minute until race start. We dropped off our sweats and headed to the location where everyone was to gather until 4:40 when they opened the gate for the walk to the start line. It was maybe a half mile walk. I was very happy to have a garbage bag on to keep me warm. Then we stood in our start corrals for an hour. Brrrrrr. But I was in the first corral and was literally feet from the start line. (My chip time is 2 seconds off my gun time.) The early miles were chilly. I had on my pink arm warmers and gloves, pink sleeves tank and a black running skirt. My feet were pretty cold and stiff for the first couple miles, but that passed.
The run took us from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom and back to Epcot for the finish. We saw just a little bit of the Magic Kingdom, including the castle, which was fun. But also a lot of the back lots and roads leading into and out of the parks. And I have never seen so many costumed runners. Tutus, tiaras, glittery skirts, hair bows, ..., anything pink. Anything sparkly. Anything girly. It was really fun. There were about 13,500 runners registered, including 495 guys according to the announcer. The guys had to start in corral 2, or back further, and weren't eligible for awards. I'm not sure why a guy would want to run this ... but whatever!! For me, it was really fun. I ran very comfortably. I haven't checked my splits yet, but the early miles were about 7:15 pace and I think my average pace was 7:17 according to my math. At about 7 miles, I was having twinges of calf cramps. (I've been cramping in my right calf at the end of every speed workout. This was in my left leg, which is odd for me. Everything bad usually starts on the right.) Anyway, I backed off a little bit in an effort to not have to stop and relieve cramps. I also took Gatorade at every waterstop in an effort to not cramp. This necessitated a potty break at 8.5 miles. And also a stop to remove my gloves so I could rip open my GU packet. It wasn't working using my teeth. So if I hadn't had to stop, I think I could have run maybe a minute or so faster. But overall, I was very pleased with the morning.
The lowdown:
Distance HALF MAR
Clock Time 1:35:34
Chip Time 1:35:32
Overall Place 52 / 11324
Gender Place 42 / 10902
Division Place 1 / 969
Age Grade 79.2%
5K Split 22:39
10K Split 44:49
15K Split 1:08:01
Apparently awards are being mailed. I hope it's something "princessy". After collecing our very cool finishers medals ...
and some fluids and food, it was back to the hotel. We were in the room at 8:55 and I was on the road by 9:18 (I'm pretty much wash 'n go ... low maintenance. : ) I had to get back here in order to go to the Twins game, which had a 1:05 start and I had a 2 hour drive. After so little sleep last night (I laid there for hours before finally getting maybe 2 or 3 hours) I was afraid the drive back would put me to sleep, but I was still running on adrenaline, so all good.
The Twins game was fun, as they always are.
Here's Justin Morneau:
who hit a home run in his first at bat in the first inning. Delmon Young and Denard Span were also playing. Gardie was in attendance. (It was a split squad game, with the rest of the team playing the Bo Sox.) Gardie was presented with a "Manager of the Year" award before the game.
Well, after supper we're going to DQ. I only eat ice cream on a special day. And I feel like this is a special day. I'm going to have my usual ... a small chocolate-dipped cone. : ) Tomorrow, we're going to Anna Maria Island for pancakes on the beach. They're delicious. The beach is gorgeous. And it's a wonderful way to spend my last day here.
Some Rochester This 'n That: Congrats to Peg Arnold for getting the "Who Is It?" answers correct. She's requested chocolate chip cookies for Wally, his favorite. Ron Giles requested "those chocolate cookies" for his correct "Where Is It?" answers. Marilee is close on her "Who" answers. She requested a hint for #1, which I gave her. Stay tuned.
I called Tom O'Leary on Thursday while everyone was gathered at The Bear's Den for Team R.E.D. Mike Schmitt answered!! Saying , Hello ... Bear's Den!! Threw me for a loop but I sent my howdy-doodies to all gathered.
I didn't make it into Grandma's Half Marathon. Not surprised. Lotteries NEVER work out for me. Now I have to decide whether I want to try the full (in which case I'll back off to the half at Med-City).
I finished My Life In France, the March Book Club book. Really enjoyed it. I will now start Amy Tan's Saving Fish From Drowning (I think that's the one I grabbed!)
Well ... I better sign off. We're going to be eating shortly. Don't forget ... 6:00 at Beetles on Tuesday. I'll be there. And I'll even have cookies (from the freezer)!!
See 'ya.
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