Monthly Archives: January 2016

6 posts

#Miamifamous Half Marathon Recap

Healthy Living

Yesterday we talked about the #miamifamous Expo, and TODAY we get to talk about the RACE!!

Seriously… WAY too early. But, we needed to be awake, and check out before we left for the race. So,… just like when you #rundisney, we got up far too early.

In order to really wake up I like to take a quick warm shower!

I spent quite a bit of time getting ready, I put on some make up, fixed my hair, ate an apple and slowly got all my things together for the race!

We checked out before the race and seriously… that took FOR-EV-ER. There was only 1 employee and a bunch of people asking questions. I felt bad for the guy because he was getting flustered, but… it’s part of the fun of being a race hotel I guess.

It took about an hour to get from the metromover, through bag check and into the corral. I met up with a friend (Crystal from RunDisneyDork) and somehow in the process lost my husband in the sea of people. He was in a different corral so it was okay, he called me right before the start of the race.

I was in the very last corral, and honestly… it bothered me because I’m so tired of always being at the end but… it was okay, I had a new running friend to keep me company.

The race started and I was freezing! I knew if I was freezing during the first mile I’d need to keep my blanket to stay warm while I waited for my husband to finish the full. So,… I stuffed the blanket into my running belt as small as possible and ran.

Mile 1 is straight onto a bridge, but I was so happy to finally be running I didn’t notice it too much. Crystal and I were doing 30/30 intervals and I was feeling fantastic.

In no time at all we were across the first bridge and on our way to the second. Still feeling strong with our 30/30 intervals we entered Miami Beach! I joked with Crystal about how it was just a quick 10K around South Beach, back over the bridge and we were done.

Well, it turns out it was pretty quick because with the distraction of the crowds and sunrise we were heading back over the causeway in no time!

Around mile 10 I started to need to stop and go to the bathroom, I thought I could hold it but at mile 11 Crystal kept running and I stopped to go. I hung around outside the bathroom for a little bit trying to see if Crystal had stayed or kept running, and finally decided she had most likely kept going.

So,… off I went.

Right before we got to mile 13 I saw Crystal just ahead of me and so I sped up so we could finish together. I was feeling so strong and proud of myself and Crystal because we just really had a FANTASTIC race!

I crossed the finish line with an 11 minute PR and I’m still floating with excitement. I finally broke the 3 hour half marathon mark! Not bad for the girl who spent 3:27 minutes on her first half marathon just a few short years (and two pregnancies) ago!

#miamifamous 2016 – Packet Pick up and Expo

Uncategorized

If you saw my Fitness Friday post, you saw that my husband and I registered for the #miamifamous half and full marathons over a year ago during the registration blitz (happening now).

We were SUPER excited when we registered but with a job change, a move, a new baby and life itself the race weekend kind of snuck up on us.

We loaded the car on Friday night, and then left early Saturday morning for Miami. After dropping the girls off with my in-laws and having some lunch we headed to the hotel to check in.

We stayed at one of the race recommended hotels in Brickell, and it was a great choice as it was walking distance to the public transportation.

After checking in, we walked up the street to catch the Miami Metromover and head over to Bayside to catch a shuttle to the expo. The expo was held in a large warehouse in Wynnwood, it is my understanding that it’s often used for art shows.

The expo was loud and vibrant, honestly, I would expect nothing less from a Miami race. When we walked in there were large letters spelling out “Miami Marathon” and on the letters were the names of all the participants.

My husband and I were both on the “M” for Marathon. I was pretty excited about that because my husband was running the Marathon. Obviously I made him take a picture.

Picking up our packet was quick and easy, if you’ve ever done a Disney race, it was exactly the same set up. One thing I also noticed (and loved) was lots of information booths throughout the expo. When I registered my husband and I we didn’t have good times so we were both in the last corral. However, he was able to give a better time and move up one corral at the expo.

We looked around, did some shopping and took some more pictures before heading back to our hotel for dinner.

We ended up eating at Power Pizza for dinner and loving it. Actually, we loved it so much we ended up back there after the race for lunch! Power Pizza is a Miami native restaurant and is called Power Pizza because they use Whey protein inside the dough. Read the story of Power Pizza here.

I couldn’t sleep, but I did enjoy watching some TV for a few hours before falling asleep.

Be sure to check back tomorrow to find out about the race!

Question of the day: Have any tips for falling asleep before a race?

What is Club Disney at Hollywood Studios?

Disney

On our most recent trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios my husband wanted to ride Rockin’ Roller Coaster before we left. So, I took the girls to explore while he waited in line for the ride.

I happened to see a big sign just beyond Rockin’ Roller Coaster with the FAB 5 on it, so we went to check it out. I then noticed Pluto was in a courtyard taking pictures, so he went over to say hello to Pluto.

A cast member invited us to dance with Pluto and friends inside club cool, so we did. I didn’t think my two year old would have as much fun as she did – mostly because she’s terrified of the characters who wear masks, but she DID. In fact, we were there for over two hours dancing and having the best time!

It’s kind of a hidden gem of Hollywood Studios, as it’s beyond Rockin’ Roller coaster, and typically I would just gone on the ride and moved on and never even known about Club Disney, but with kids you end up finding great treasures!

What is Club Disney?
4 Disney Characters at a time come out and dance with the guests for about 30 minutes while a DJ plays music, and clips from movies play on big screens around the ceiling.

There is also places for you to charge your phone, a bathroom, and snack bar to purchase food.

What age is it for?
All ages.

Extra Cost?
Nope. It was included in your park admission.

Who are the Characters?
When we were there (1/18/16) the characters were Mickey, Minnie, Chip & Dale, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Donald.

The characters came out 4 at a time and danced for about 30 minutes.

More info on the Disney Parks Blog.

Here are some photos from our dance party with our Disney Pals!

Question of the Day: Have you ever danced with your favorite Disney Pals?

3 Reasons to Love RunDisney Kids Races

Disney

I’m so excited to share about the 2016 WDW Kids Races!! This was my 2-year-old’s third time running in the Kids Races, and my 8-month-old’s FIRST time.

We left our home bright and early and headed over to the Expo and Kids Races. I just love the energy during Marathon weekend, I love seeing everyone proudly displaying their medals, and wearing their “I did it” shirts.

It’s so hard to attend Marathon Weekend without getting inspired by the amazing stories.

We picked up our packet, and the shirt this year was ADORABLE! It was white with Steamboat Willie and vintage Mickey. I have to give a HUGE shout out to the voluntEAR helping me with my girl’s packets this year. I was a little annoying and couldn’t make up my mind if I’d gotten the right size shirts for my girls and she was just so kind and helpful. I apologized for being annoying and she laughed and said it wasn’t annoying to make sure your kid has the right size shirt, which of course made me feel so much better.

After recieving our bibs, we headed out to the Kids Races for some fun!

PRO TIP: You can pick your bib up for the kids races, the day of. Packet pick up is on your way to the field!

2016 Kids Races

Little Lady’s group went first. It was adorable to see all the little 1-3-year-olds running the 100-yard dash. My husband ran with her and I waited near the finish line with the family (both sides of grandparents, aunties, uncle, and cousin). After her dash, we had to wait about an hour before our love bug was able to participate in her Diaper Dash, but with the DJ going the time passes pretty quickly!

The mat for the Diaper dash was pretty far from the spectators this year, so I wanted to be in the last heat of babies to crawl. This would help our family to have a better opportunity to see her race. It turned out to be the best decision ever because it was just our little bug and one other baby crawling with Mickey Mouse.

ChEARing on our love bug

2016 Kids Races

Me with my Minnie Me.

Jimenez 4

I absolutely LOVE participating in the kid’s races and here are 3 reasons why.

1. FUN Fitness – As parents, it is important to model healthy living for our children. RunDisney is SO much fun for adults, and the Kids Races give our children the opportunity to experience a FUN Fitness event from a very young age.

2. Dress Up! – Who doesn’t love dressing up and being active with their family? For my oldest daughters first RunDisney race, we all dressed up as Tigger, Piglet, and Pooh. This year, I dressed up as Minnie to match my Minnie Me and put on a Tigger bow to match my youngest.

2014 – Tower of Terror Kids Races

2014 Tower of Terror Kids Races

3. It’s a DEAL! – Seriously! The Kids Races are less than *20.00 and for that money you get;

Race bib with your kid’s name
Snacks after the race
A Cotton Tee
Medal
A Chance to see a Disney Pal
DJ playing music throughout the event

UPDATE: The prices have increased to $25.00 as of 2018.

We always sign our girls up for the kid’s races, and they play with their medals pretty much every day. I love seeing my girls enjoy running, and look forward to running 5K’s and other distances with them as they get older.

The question of the day: Who would you dress up as with your family if you participated in a RunDisney race together?

PIN FOR LATER

RunDisney Glass Slipper Challenge Training

Disney Run Disney

In 5 weeks I get to run through the streets of Walt Disney World with both my sisters and I couldn’t be more excited! Unfortunately, I haven’t exactly done much training since November. My ~~reason~~ excuse is the holidays mixed in with disney passes (a.k.a. Disney almost every weekend) and a sick husband and babies.

My girls have been passing a cold back and forth, and then when they are both better the weather goes from SUPER hot to cold and rainy – it’s so annoying! Anyway… here is my updated training plan for the next 5 weeks.

Tuesdays and Thursdays after the baby is in bed, I will sneak away to the treadmill and get some miles in while my husband is home to watch the girls. My husband does his long run on Saturday so I will get up before church on Sunday and get a longer run in.

I don’t like the idea of so many treadmill runs, but it’s got to happen. My older daughter (2 years old) has decided to drop naps. Therefore, as SOON as we put her in the jogger in the evening she goes to sleep and then… it’s next to impossible to get her down for the night. So, in order to avoid that I either have to run with them during the day or run on the treadmill at night when my husband is home.

I *might* be able to get the double jogger out the door on my own during the day every once in a while, but it’s not easy because of the set up of our apartment and the fact that it doesn’t fit through the door without taking the wheels off.

Sigh…

So, there you have it. My plan to get me to the finish line with a smile on my face.

Question of the day: How do you keep focused on a treadmill?

Our Storybook Life – 2015 Review

Disney Family fun Mom Life

The year 2015 had a lot of big, exciting and scary changes for our family. I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the year, for each challenge I am thankful as it brought new things into our lives, and made us a better family.

We are looking forward to the year 2016 ready for what God has planned for us.

January.

Resigned from my full-time job
Ran the Goofy Challenge
Celebrated Little Lady’s 1st Birthday!

February.

Diagnosed with gestational diabetes (again)
Celebrated the marriage of my sister in law

March.

Pulled everything out for the new baby and got it washed and ready!
Husband interviewed in Southwest Florida
Started prepping the condo to sell

April.

Welcomed Baby Girl!
My husband started a new job in Southwest Florida
Sold our condo!

May.

Moved to Southwest Florida (Mother’s Day weekend…)
Started attending a new church
Celebrated my husbands birthday!

June.

Surprise visit from my husband’s family!
Visit from our besties (who live way too far away); double date to the movies and dinner!
Attempted to start running again.
All clear results from blood work (no more gestational diabetes!)
Sold our car
Bought a new car