2014 Disney Princess Weekend- Expo Edition

February 26, 2014 by beewhobabbles

Well, after a spur-of-the-moment 3.5 mile run with Sara yesterday (we were supposed to be walking) and an hour long strength session with Trainer Jen this morning, I guess I’ve recovered from Disney’s Princess Weekend. Victoria and I participated in the Glass Slipper Challenge- running the 10k on Saturday and the half-marathon on Sunday. It was a weekend filled with girl time, running and not nearly enough sleep, and concluded with the award of three gorgeous medals. (Victoria’s weekend also included some vacation time! She’ll fill you in on that soon.)

Let’s back up a bit though- to Thursday afternoon (for Vic) and Friday morning (for me), when we visited the race expo.

Disney doesn’t do small- even the expo is a Major Event. Tons of shopping, seminars, and even a beer cart! It’s very well organized, and also has some of that Disney magic we all know and love.

Here are some expo moments we captured-

Vic and Heather outside the expo entrance. Glass Slipper Challengers, holla!

An overview of the expo.

Run Disney nutritionist Tara Gidus and the mother runner authors; Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea speak at a seminar.

Dorothy and me with Sarah Bowen Shea (and cute baby boy who couldn’t stop staring at SBS.)

Dorothy’s haul!

Favorite booth from the Princess Expo? I bought a few new Sweaty Bands and a six pack of cupcakes from the Yum Yum truck. Victoria got the very last Glass Slipper Challenge Sweaty Band.

A Bunch Of Random Things, With Pictures

February 19, 2014 by beewhobabbles

I wanted to tell you all about the two yoga classes that my fit friends and I hit this month (Take that, Fit Club Fail!) (Spoiler: Neither one was Bikram.) but I am just crazy busy this week. Instead, I present to you some things I am doing and loving and thinking about right this second, along with some pictures. In other words, a completely self-indulgent blog post.

First- this arrived at my house yesterday.

photo 5-7

We visited the tasting room for Thumbprint Cellars on our 5th anniversary trip to California a few years ago, and this Christmas, J gifted me with a membership to their wine club. This is chardonnay, and they even sent a bar of chocolate. It’s like they know me.

Second- it is Girl Scout cookie time and I am eating all the cookies. My friend sent me one of those cat meme pictures that says “ATE 4 BOXES OF THIN MINTS. NOT FEELING VERY THIN.” That cat is my soul sister, you guys. I mean, really- could those cookies be any more delicious? And the scouts are just too cute to deny-

Alright, so that is my adorable kid. (You may think she is channeling Vanna White here at our cookie booth, but that is really her Elsa pose. She does it for all photos these days. Don’t you want to build a snowman? And buy some cookies?) I’m her troop leader, so I really can’t say no, but next year I am buying two boxes and donating the rest to the military. Remind me, okay?

Our council is one of the test councils for the Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread and I bought a bag for one of you! I’ll be posting a giveaway for that soon.

Third- A Fresh Market opened in my city and it’s a Very Big Deal. I popped in last week to check it out and took home this bag of popcorn-

photo 2-14

Which might taste better than Boom Chicka Pop. LE GASP. But really. Black pepper! It’s delightful. (It has an odd smell though, which I can’t figure out because the ingredients are normal, non-chemical-y things. But still. Tasty. Just don’t stick your nose in the bag. Which would be a weird thing to do anyway.)

In non-food related things that I love this week, my daughters are now proud owners of Nike sneakers.

photo 1-10

They’re very excited to be “matchies” with me, and now beg every day to go for a run. I know I gave birth to them, so I have to think they’re adorable, but really. SO ADORABLE.

More on the topic of running- Tonight, I get to hang out with THE MOTHER RUNNERS. Well, not “hang out” so much as listen to them talk about running at a local fitness store. But yay! I love their books and the way they inspire women, and well, I’m also looking forward to the swag bag.

And finally, this weekend is the Glass Slipper Challenge! Sara and I are working on our matching costumes (we’ll be dressed up as the same character that our daughters did for Halloween this year. That’s all I’m sharing for now.), and I’m making plans to see Vic and Heather. There will be lots of squeeing, hugging, merriment and pictures of it all.

I’ve been doing my long runs with my friends, Sara and Dorothy, and this weekend will be Dorothy’s first half marathon and Sara will most likely PR in both races. Even though I won’t be setting any personal records, I’m really excited to see my friends reach their goals. As much as running is a solo sport, it can also have the feel of being on a team. We’ve all worked hard, and we’ve done it together. On Sunday, I’ll be as happy for them as I would be if it were my own personal victory.

On a completely superficial note, I cannot wait to have that shoe medal. Because SHOES.

So…favorite wine? Favorite Girl Scout cookies? Favorite expensive health food store snacks? Talk to me! Who is running Disney this weekend?

Prepping for Princess

February 13, 2014 by vfreile

One week from today, I’m heading to the Happiest Place on Earth!

That’s right, in seven short days, I’ll be reunited with several good friends in Orlando as we celebrate Princess Half weekend at Walt Disney World. I’ll be honest, I need this respite from rough wintry weather. As I write this, it’s 4 degrees below zero outside.

NEGATIVE FOUR

And I haven’t even factored in the wind chill (-15, for the record.) But enough about the weather. Let’s talk about all things girly and warm!

Princess Half Marathon and Tangled 5K were my first runDisney race in February 2012 as Brooke and I ran with Meri as she tackled her first-ever 13.1. We all loved the experience, but learned a few things in the process.

Brooke, Mer, and I with Cinderella and Prince Charming

SO! Here are a few tips for a successful Princess weekend:

How and where do I get my race packet (and shirts)?

Each runner is required to retrieve her (or his) bib and race packet from the “Fit for a Princess” expo, held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. There, you’ll also get a race shirt (or shirts, if you’re running several races!)

And of course, there’s LOTS of temping shopping inside the Jostens Center ranging from official runDisney merchandise, New Balance sneakers, Sweaty Bands head bands and other apparel, like Champion, Raw Threads and Sparkle Athletic. (These are also great spots in case you need a last-minute costume too!)

The expo also features a Speaker Series that includes seminars on training, racing, how to deal with Florida’s heat and humidity and nutrition. This is pretty fantastic and filled with LOTS of great info.

The expo runs for three straight days:

10 am to 8 pm on Thursday, Feb. 20
9 am to 7 pm on Friday, Feb. 21
9 am to 5 pm on Saturday, Feb. 22

Some times will be busier than others at the expo. If you want a Dooney and Bourke Princess themed purse, go Thursday morning as these babies will sell out quickly.

If you want to avoid as much shopping temptation as possible, go on Saturday afternoon as a lot of items will be sold out by then.

Meri and I at the 2012 Princess expo

How do I get to the expo?

If you are staying at a WDW “race weekend” resort, follow posted signs to the resort bus stop and look for the appropriate bus. There’s usually someone on hand at the bus stop to direct you. (and the buses are usually well-labeled.)

Don’t see a sign? Ask a cast member or ask at the front desk and they will direct you to the appropriate location.

If you are driving to the expo, parking is free at the Wide World of Sports.

Can I change my corral at the expo?

Sadly no. Until 2013, runners could switch corrals if they provided proper proof of time.

Race morning: What’s the drill?

My motto here is “better to be early than sprinting to the start.”

Personally, I get up insanely early to hop the first-possible bus out of my resort. It’s absolutely worth rising a few minutes ahead of an already nutso wake-up call, to arrive early at the starting area. This gives you enough time check your bag, hit the bathroom and walk 20 minutes (in a crowd) to the starting corrals.

Then, be prepared to wait. Depending on how early you get to the starting corrals, you may have a wait until the 5:30 am race start.

Also, it’s a good idea to know WHERE you are going to be catching the bus. I tend to the bus stop to check it out the day before the race.

What should I bring race morning?

Bring a garbage bag (to sit on) or an old mylar blanket from a previous race. If the forecast calls for a chilly race morning, bring a throwaway shirt or sweatshirt and if its cold enough, gloves. You can toss all of these items over the corral fence and to the side once you start running.

And obviously, bring your pre-race fuel, such as a banana, bagel or packaged treat.

I also always bring a package of tissues….just in case I head into a portable toilet without any toilet paper or need to make a pit-stop in the woods.

And you’re off!

Once you start running your 5k, 10k, or half-marathon, enjoy your experience! Snap lots of photos as he run and please be courteous to your fellow runners!

Til next week, I’ll be packing and hydrating….and repeatedly checking the forecast. Have a great Princess weekend everyone!

Brooke and Meri celebrate at the finish in 2012.

Do you have any burning questions about Princess weekend, races, the expo? Send them our way! Are you running this weekend? What corral are you in? (We will look for you!)

Jumbo Double Dare (no, that’s not a typo)

January 30, 2014 by Meridith

When my Pooks was little, he refused to call Dumbo anything but Jumbo, because calling someone Dumbo is just plain mean.

So, while the rest of the people running on August 30th and 31st will be completing runDisney’s Dumbo Double Dare Challenge, I’ll be completing the Jumbo Double Dare Challenge. I’m sure runDisney will modify my shirts and medals for me, right? (Just don’t play Baby Mine or there will be tears.)

Of course, it’s always better with a friend or two and I’m super stoked that I’ll be running with my California girls, Jess and Cam. Oh, if you could only see the group text that was happening on Tuesday during registration. Wait! You can…

There was a lot of flailing going on previous to this portion of the message but I'll spare you that part.

There was a lot of flailing going on previous to this portion of the texts but I’ll spare you that part. You’re welcome.

I’m sure that I drove both of them crazy with my emails and texts leading up to registration, too. After all, I knew from previous years that Disneyland races tend to fill up quickly. And sure enough, this year was no exception! You can see above that only a half hour after registration opened, the Dumbo Double Dare was already at 85% capacity and quickly filled soon after. There is no time to hesitate with these races!

How amazing are these medals?!

Cameroo and I have run Disneyland together before at the 2013 Tinker Bell half so it was naturally the next step to try a challenge. This will be our first runDisney challenge and the most logical step for us, with the 10k on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday, equaling 19.3 glorious miles.

It will be Jess’ first half marathon ever! Like any good bossy friend, I’ve already been giving her tips. I know that she delights in getting emails of running thoughts at random times.

Wondering what I’ve told her thus far? Here are a few tried and true nuggets of wisdom. What can I say, I’m a giver!

1. Run a 10k race (or longer if so desired) prior to June 1. This way she will be able to provide the timed event for her pace and will be placed in the proper corral.

From the registration email: “If you did not provide proof of time at the point of registration or acquire it after you have registered, then email this information to disneysports@trackshack.com before June 1, 2014 to have your start corral placement changed.”

2. Follow Jeff Galloway’s plan provided by the world class Olympian athlete on the runDisney website. Currently, the plans from 2013 are still on the site but it’s really easy to take them and apply them to 2014. How easy? Well, I took the half plan and am following it for the April 6th half that I’m training for! (And so is Cam because we are running together and I sent her the dates/plan. See? Bossy.)

Click for the link to the beginner plan. Running less than 6 months? This one is for you!

Furthermore, there is a training plan specifically for the Dumbo Double Dare which you can check out here.

That’s basically all I’ve sent so far so I guess you all get off easy. Jess and Cam? Not so much.

209 days to go! Let’s talk runDisney! Who will we see at the Jumbo Double Dare (or, the Dumbo Double Dare)? Brooke and Vic will be at the Glass Slipper Challenge in February – who will be at that?

Special thanks to Anya for the pictures from her 2013 Dumbo Double Dare recap!

Guest post: Running the Inaugural Tinker Bell 10k for Team Lemon

January 24, 2014 by scootadoot

This past Saturday I participated in my third Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend at the Disneyland Resort in California. 2014 was the first year run Disney offered a 10k option the day before the half marathon. Initially I had only registered for the half but after participating in the 10k associated with the Disneyland Half Marathon this past Labor Day weekend I knew I had to add the Tinker Bell 10k too, only problem it was already sold out. One of my girlfriends told me that there were spots available through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s Team Lemon, I was familiar with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation having participated in and donated to their Million Mile Run last September so I requested the registration information.

September’s Million Mile Run

It took me a couple of days to commit to running as part of Team Lemon, although I wholeheartedly believe in the mission of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation I seriously questioned my ability to raise the minimum amount required for the race entry. You see, I am not good at asking people for anything, let alone to part with their money even for a worthy cause. I knew this was going to be my struggle; compared to raising money the 6.2-mile run was the easy part! I did know I wanted to do this so I sent my registration in, as soon as my registration was accepted the Team Lemon Coordinator, Jennifer Kelly, contacted me and gave me all the information I needed regarding my registration as well as what I needed to set up my fundraising page. I went about asking for donations a few various ways, I Facebooked, tweeted, emailed and asked friends and family. I started my fundraising efforts three months before the run and happily two days before the run I received the donation that put me at my fundraising goal.

The 10k was scheduled for Saturday morning so Tony and I headed down to Anaheim Thursday evening, allowing us to visit the expo on Friday. On Saturday morning we got up nice and early (a requirement for runDisney races) got dressed, fueled up and left the hotel at 5:00 am. Our hotel was only a couple of blocks away from the start line so we had no problems walking over and being in our corral in plenty of time.

The temperature was in the low 50’s when the race kicked off at 6:00 am, there were four corrals for the race taking off just about 5 minutes apart so we had the chance to watch the start four times. Before I knew it we were off.

The course was crowded as we started out down Disneyland Drive but as soon as we entered into Disneyland itself it seemed to thin out. I normally run intervals – 3 minutes running followed by a 1.5-minute walk. But I felt strong and wanted to take advantage of the course being open, so we ran straight through until we came up on the Rivers of America, where we couldn’t resist stopping for a picture. We made a few more picture stops in Disneyland before the course led us into California Adventure.

It seemed as we flew through DCA, after one last photo stop with Sully, Mike and the crew from Monster’s University we were at mile 4 and out on the very crowded streets of Anaheim.

This was the part of the run that I thought we’d be able to really open up and get some good running in. We bobbed and weaved through the next 2 miles, once we got close to the corner of Katella and Disneyland Drive we were greeted by the cheering of all of the awesome spectators. We ran into the finish and collected our medals.

I went out and ran but it wasn’t about me this time. I felt honored to be able to run as part of Team Lemon and to raise funds and awareness for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. I would love to run for Team Lemon again in the future and I will continue to support and donate to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.

Have you ever run for Team Lemon or raised money for another organization/charity? We’d love to hear about it in the comments! And make sure to check out Vic’s pictures from her own trip, with special guest star, Heather.

Heather is a mom, runner, crossfitter and contract administrator. She blogs at Heather in the Middle and can be found on Twitter at @hsb0372.

Adventures in Anaheim: Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend

January 21, 2014 by vfreile

I flew across the country, then I flew 13.1 miles through Anaheim!

A whirlwind weekend of food, fun and running brought me to the Happiest Place on Earth for the second time in a year. I planned to visit with friends, cheer my dear Heather as she tackled runDisney’s inaugural Tinker Bell 10K and run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon.

My time in LA zipped by in a flash. Rather than share my traditional race recap just now, here’s a few of my favorite photos from the weekend. And be sure to tune in Friday, when Heather shares her adventures running the Tink 10K for Team Lemon!

Heather and I wandered through the expo!

Then we drank our lunch at the Disneyland Hotel

I worked at the Sparkle Athletic booth on Friday with Kelly (Tink!)

We watched the sun set at the pier at Huntington Beach Friday night. Then we inhaled a delicious dinner.

Here I pose with Tara at the start of the Tinker Bell 10K. Congrats to Tara for finishing third in her age group, while still stopping for a photo!

Pal Mindy prepares three of her students to run their first-ever 10K. They ROCKED it! Great job girls!

Julie (aka Donald) tackles some runner’s yoga!

Cheering Tinker Bell

Freezing Minnie Mouse

Tinker Bells cheer for 10K runners.

Heather and Tony race to the finish. I chased her down to get this pic.

Before I knew it, it was Sunday morning and time to race 13.1 miles. I ran with Kelly and we laughed our way through the course, stopping to pose with all of the characters and finishing in under two hours. I’ll share more about my own race experience later this week.

Editor’s note: Click here for Vic’s race review!

Have you run the Tinker Bell half marathon or 10K? Have you run a race at Disneyland? Did you see me cheering for you? Tell us about your Anaheim race experiences in the comments!

Guest Post: WDW Half Marathon

January 15, 2014 by scootadoot

I signed up for the WDW Half Marathon very last minute (early December through a travel agent), and was not very prepared for it training wise after being sick for the majority of December. With the 10K the day before, I knew that the half was going to be tough and long no matter what I did, and I was right!

If you read my blog about the 10K, you know that I had to wait 40 minutes to start for the 10K, and I was in corral E. After that, I had no idea how long I’d have to wait to start the half when I was in corral I. The half start was structured a lot more like Wine & Dine with only 2-5 minutes between each corral, which was good since there were 16 corrals! I actually only waited about 30 minutes for the half to start which I was happy with.

Starting out I was already sore and needing to take walk breaks by mile 1. From there I went into the race with the mindset, as long as people keep passing me I’ll be ok! It’s when they stop passing you that you know you’re in trouble.

With the new mindset I had a lot more fun! I focused on getting to the Magic Kingdom and to the characters I wanted to take pictures with. The half has A LOT of spectators throughout the course, which is great encouragement! Not only are they cheering you on, but it’s always fun to see the creative signs they make. With the help of the crowds and knowing the feeling of running down Main Street, I made it to the Magic Kingdom! This is about 4.5/5 miles into the race.

I love Disney races because of all of the pictures I take with the characters on the course. I always buy the photo package, so I purposely stop for as many as I can, and make Shutterfly books for each race weekend. While I have a lot of character pictures, Disney continues to surprise me and adds characters I haven’t seen or stopped for before on course! It literally took me an hour to get through Magic Kingdom because of all of the character lines I waited in! But I did get so many great pictures throughout the day.

Back on the course, I was struggling! My legs hurt and I was having a hard time sticking to longer running intervals. A good thing to know too about this race is the course is VERY narrow. Most of the roads are only one lane. This means if you wait an hour on character lines, you’ll be towards the back of the pack with all of the walkers. This isn’t a bad thing, I was walking a lot too, but know that if you do plan on trying to run, it’s a lot of weaving in and out of people or running on the grass around everyone.

I was really impressed with all of the character stops they added throughout the non-park portion of the course. Again there were characters/costumes I had never seen before, i.e. golfer Mickey! Last year, this was my first race ever; I didn’t stop for any character pictures and don’t remember how many there were to compare to this year, so I was pleasantly surprised this year.

There is nothing like seeing that 13 mile marker and knowing you’re almost there! Disney is extra special for me because you have some of the fab five waiting for you and cheering you on at the finish. I might have even stopped a few feet before the finish line to take a picture with Goofy!

Crossing that finish line is a feeling that never gets old. Whether it’s a 5K or a Marathon, you accomplished a huge feat! You overcame obstacles however big or small, and no one can ever take that away from you. This was my 4^th half, and race anniversary, and an overall great experience!

Pros:

Running through Magic Kingdom and Epcot
Running through the Castle!
Lots of character stops
Lots of spectators and motivators along the way

Cons:

Tight course
Lots of participants!
Super early morning start (3:15 wake up call)
Running on exit ramps (aka hills of death!)

Meredith is a 29 year old living in South Florida. She started her running journey with the 2013 WDW half marathon and has been hooked on RunDisney ever since! You can find her on Twitter @MSchechter1218 and over at her blog, justanordinarygirlinfl.

Have you ever ran back to back races? Do you take it easy the first day so you can push the second? Or vice versa?

Guest Post: WDW Marathon Weekend Expo and 10K

January 15, 2014 by scootadoot

Most race weekends start out by traversing the expo. RunDisney races are no exception, and with a race weekend with 50,000 runners, I was dreading the expo! I must say, they made improvements from last year! I was lucky and was able to go Wednesday morning, only about an hour and a half after it opened, and I went in with a plan. I headed straight to the RunDisney merchandise, as I knew there were a few items I wanted and I was hoping the lines would be short.

For those of you that are looking to run your first RunDisney event, something I always get is an “I did it” shirt! These have the course map on the back, so it’s a great souvenir for each race I do! In the past they have only carried these for races 10 miles or longer. If you are doing the 10K, they only have 1 shirt and it’s not an “I did it” shirt. I’m hoping they add more options in the future, but for the two 10Ks I have run for Disney, this has been the case.

A change they made this year was having 2 levels of booths for picking up your bibs, which meant that I didn’t have to wait on a line for the first time ever! They also added more vendors into the stadium area. While this allowed for more options, that meant that there were 3 buildings you needed to explore.

After surviving the expo, it was time for my first race! This year was the Inaugural 10K, featuring none other than Minnie Mouse! This was a new distance and new course to be excited about. The start of the race was reminiscent of the DL 10K, in which people didn’t really know what was going on. While the corrals were organized, we didn’t know when we were going to start. At the Wine & Dine there were about 2-5 minutes between each corral, so my assumption was that was how the 10K was going to run. Well, I was wrong, and there were 10 minutes between each corral. Being in the last corral, meant that I waited 40 minutes to start!

I was a little frustrated waiting around, but once the race started I had a lot more fun! The course starts out running about 2.5 miles on the roads, which is pretty normal for Disney events. We entered Epcot in China and ran halfway around the world past France, and exited through the back entrance. From here we ran around the Boardwalk and passed the Swan and Dolphin as well as the Beach and Yacht Club. This was the only area that I saw some spectators, and there weren’t many, but that could’ve been because I was so far back!

Heading back into Epcot, we came in next to the Figment ride, and went around Spaceship Earth and out to the finish line!

Overall I liked this race! I think it’s great that RunDisney is offering an in between distance for runners. Half Marathons are a big undertaking and it’s great that there is another option longer than a 5K for runners of all ages and abilities. Personally, I will try and stay a legacy runner for this race and the Enchanted 10K (Princess weekend) because I enjoy the 10K distance so much! I also can’t turn down a chance to dress up in a costume for a race. 🙂

Pros:

Love the 10K distance
Course was easy and enjoyable
Liked seeing “different characters” (Football Goofy and Mushu)

Cons:

Long wait between corrals
Not many spectators
Not many character stops or entertainment along the course

What’s your favorite race distance? Have you participate in a runDisney event (or will you be at the upcoming weekend’s Tink race)? What do you look forward to most during a race?

Sure, I’m Dopey

January 13, 2014 by vfreile

Last weekend, I cheered friends from afar as they ran through Walt Disney World during runDisney’s annual marathon weekend.

Some ran the family fun run and other ran the inaugural 10K. Some ran the half and others ran a full 26.2 miles on Sunday morning.

More than 50,000 runners participated in the WDW Marathon weekend last week, and among them were about 7,000 runners who ran ALL THE RACES as part of the inaugural Dopey Challenge.

That’s right. Four Days. Four races. 48.6 miles and six incredible medals.

All the medals my friend Kristin earned! (photo courtesy Bamagirlruns)

Last year I ran the Goofy Challenge (a half marathon and a full marathon over two days). I decided to skip the event this year and cheer from afar. And in 2015, I’m planning to return to the WDW and complete the Dopey Challenge.

And I think I *might* be able to convince Meri to tackle her first marathon at the same time! Who else is with us? We’re taking names!

I think I may have to run @rundisney‘s #DopeyChallenge in 2015! This year’s finishers made 48.6 miles look just magical! #runDisney #ruchat

— Victoria Freile (@vfreile) January 12, 2014

Congratulations to all the Dopey Challenge finishers and all marathon weekend participants!

Have you ever run a runDisney “challenge?” Would you consider running Dopey?

Goal-Setting and Well-Wishing

January 9, 2014 by beewhobabbles

It’s January! I love a new year. I don’t make resolutions but I always find myself making goals and lists and trying to be a better me even without committing it all to paper. This also happens before a new school year (because that is it’s own year, really) and before summer (because Pinterest makes it a Big Deal).

photo 3-8

My fitness goal is easy. I want to PR in the half marathon. I will PR in the half marathon. My current PR is 1:57:52 and really, I just want to best that. But deep in my heart, I want to best that in a Major Way. So we’ll see. I’m focused on the Glass Slipper challenge right now, and increasing my weekly mileage closer to 30 instead of in the lower 20 range. I’m also working on getting faster- I’m still not fast enough to reach my current race PR (which I reached before my last pregnancy). I’m giving myself until December because I am very generous and also, I’m trying to be realistic. (my fingers are totally crossed for reaching goal A in April and doing Something Major in December though.)

I am also making some wonderful chore charts and calendars to do a better job cleaning my house. I know that’s really boring stuff, (for me and for you) so that’s all I will say about that. If I come up with an awesome system, I’ll let you know.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that my girlfriends and I have done a holiday gift exchange for the last ten years. Last month, we met for a delicious dinner, sans gifts but avec wine and good conversation. One of my girls said that this year, she decided that if she didn’t care enough to wish someone a “Happy Birthday” on Facebook, she would delete them from her friend list. I’m not really sure how this qualifies as a resolution (I will have less friends? I will only be friends with someone if I want to celebrate their birth? I don’t know exactly.) but it made me think. My husband hates those Facebook birthday wishes. He thinks they’re insincere. Perfunctory. I don’t have a strong feeling about them- I mean, who doesn’t like hearing a birthday wish, no matter how it comes?- But I prefer to text or call my close friends. In 2014, I’ve decided to take a page from long-term, snail mail penpals, Mer and Vic, and send birthday cards. I will likely have to send them in a batch at the beginning of each month, because I am terrible with mail, but I know it will make my people happy, and that makes me happy.

Hanging with my girls made me wish for more time with them, so I am definitely making that a priority in 2014.

These girls! My favorites for 15 years.

Lastly, some friends and I decided to start a club. A fit club, with a goal of taking one new class each month. In the past, I’ve tried to form book club, wine club, craft club, mom movie night club- and nothing ever sticks. I think this one will- and it will be fun- and I can’t wait to report back to all of you on our progress.

As the Floridian of the Chicks, I want to welcome the runDisney runners to Orlando this weekend! It’s going to be a hot one, so hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and be sure to take a selfie by the pool so your friends are jealous.

Also, go to Epcot! The Frozen princesses are in Norway, along with a statue of runner Grete Waitz. You can have a cronut (omg, delicious) near Canada and a margarita in Mexico. All the salt and sugar will be good for your recovery. (So I’ve heard. I’m not a marathoner, so don’t take my word for it.)

Meeting Elsa and Anna was the highlight of our week (the 3 hour line was not).

I’ll be at the Magic Kingdom on Sunday to see our UCF Knights march in the parade. If you see me, stop and say hello and I’ll give you a high five and compliment your marathon medal. Happy running!

My baby with some guy. Who is he? (If you follow college ball, you probably know the Knights quarterback now!)

Roll call! Who is headed to the most magical place on Earth this weekend?

Do you make resolutions? What’s your fitness goal? What’s the best fitness class you’ve taken? Birthday wishes on facebook- yay or nay?

Scootadoot

fitness, food, friends, fun

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