Rochester 1/2 Training

I have signed up for the Rochester Flower City 1/2 Marathon on April 28th so that I can run a "decent" time to get put in a better corral for the Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare in August/September (Labor Day Weekend).  After the times I ran this year for Goofy and the narrow course in Cali I need to be moved to coral A or B so I can "stretch my legs" and have a good race there.

old ad...motivation???

I put together a lose training plan based on Hal Higdon's Marathon book (for the 1/2).  It's nice since it has 2 rest/off days a week that I sort of take the liberty of floating to where I need them depending on life.  So far I'm not doing a very good job following this, but at least it gets me on the elliptical for the intervals if the weather is icky and I am hitting miles for the week.  I am hoping that since we are getting a bit warmer that 15 with a windchill my motivation to dress to go out will win more than the elliptical and some netflix.  

Here it is, stuck to the fridge where I see it everyday and can "quick check" what I should be doing and know what is coming up.  In a few weeks I will write out my Dumbo Double Dare training plan... I have been reading a new book about marathon training and I want to give it a try.

That's a Croc...

I love my Crocs.  I wear them if I am not in my running shoes and would totally be willing to try a pair of Croc running shoes if they ever make them... I even run in my clog-style ones here and there at practice (we're talking a few 100 meters here folks, not miles).  I wear Crocs when I go to work substitute teaching... my go to's are these with the gem (I own them in black)

 Or I wear the penny loafer style... I own these lovelies in black and brown.  People don't even know they are crocs and I get compliments on them all the time.  If you are going to wear them as part of your professional wardrobe I do suggest purchasing Croc Butter to keep them looking shiny and new, it really does work.

 I have been wanting a pair of boots to wear with jeans and have tried on many pairs.  I ordered these online at 50%+ off and I am loving them.  They are comfy, what you expect from Crocs but super cute and exactly what I was looking for.  Crocs may have gotten a bad name for their beach style clog, but if you go online you can find a boatload of super cute, comfy Crocs for your everyday life and your feet will thank you... even if you aren't putting in a ton of running miles like me!

my new boots

Favorite Things...

Time for another installment of my favorite things for running.  Since we are definitely experiencing some chilly temps here in NY I've busted out some old time favorites as well as some new favorites.  Tried and true standbys are Vasoline (for lips it's better than chapstick for those long runs) and some baby oil (rub it into the ends of your hair so that the dry air outside takes that moisture... also leaves hair silky smooth after a wash).

 Tennis balls.  They are tried and true.  They are great to roll your foot over to alleviate some tight arches and massage your foot.  You can also "sit" on them by supporting most of your weight with your hands and roll it around your tight hamstrings or butt.

My somewhat new favorites include Johnson's baby oil gel.  It is like baby oil but in a gel form.  This has been amazing instead of lotion after the shower at alleviating dry ankles and skin.  We are talking the moisture from this oil gel lasts all day and beyond.  The green egg shaped thing is EOS lip balm in honeydew flavor.  It's great for use during the day and it doesn't get lost in a bag as easily as traditional chapstick due to the shape of it.  It comes in a variety of flavors but let's be honest, I picked that one because it was green.  Last, a leave in defrizz serum from Ulta.  I rub this in my hair daily after my shower and it helps with tangles and keeping my hair protected from the elements.  I didn't have any in Florida for the marathon and my hair was very frazzled looking at the end of the week, despite my extra use of conditioner.

Display your Bling

My medals have been sitting in a crate type bin in a drawer for as long as I can remember.  The only medal that was ever really on display was from my first marathon and my first Goofy race.  Those are still framed and ready to be hung (closet and drawer storage now).  I had been trying to figure out a way to display them without taking over the whole room by having them framed like those firsts.  Pinterest to the rescue!  I found a few ideas that I liked, but based on the number of medals I currently have (30 Disney and counting) that most were not going to work for me.

 I decided to get a curtain rod and mount it on the wall.  I busted out the stud finder and marked the wall with painter's tape.  Then I held up the curtain rod to determine the best location on the wall for height with the medals and other office furniture.

I drilled the holes for the screws only to be frustrated by the screws themselves getting stripped heads.  I guess that is what happens when you buy a cheap curtain rod, you get cheap hardware.  I found screws that we had in our basement from other projects and smooth sailing from there.

Luke came home from work at this point and helped me to put the medals up since I wanted them to go in the order that I earned them.  I also had to go back and make sure the ribbons were all "read" the same way, like spines on a book.  I love how it came out and you can see it as you come up the stairs. On a side note, my mom helped to earn every one of those by being there chEARing for me.

Magic Kingdom 6:45pm-9:00pm (closing time)

Our day at Magic Kingdom is coming to a close.  This will also be known as one of the BEST DAYS EVER!  We enjoy sharing our hotdog and fries.  I have a gigantic chocolate milk with mine and a few sips of her soda (that momma of mine makes sure I get my milk on vacation to keep my bones strong).  Then comes the best parade ever in my book.  I saw it the very first time I went to Disney with my college track team on spring break in 2001.  I had never been to Disney before and feel in love, running my first marathon there the following year in 2002 at the age of 19.

waiting for the MSE sharing a hot dog and bonus viewing of this!

Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls I proudly present, the Main Street Electrical Parade in thousands of sparkling lights...

They had Spectromagic in 2002 when my family came with me for my first marathon and I was disappointed although they found it to be amazing.  I missed the MSElectrical a few times visiting by a day or two and was fortunate to catch it in California while there for my dream job.

Today's awesomeness gets better though, the MSE is having 2 showings tonight!  That's right.  A parade at 7 and another encore at 9.  They've changed a few floats and some of the music to go with the changes, but the sound and feel of the parade is the same (bye Dumbo and hello Pete's Dragon)

castle show

After the first parade we head down towards the park entrance to watch the fireworks and maybe snag a train station chair for the second parade.  On the way towards the entrance they have a light show to music on the castle... that they will also be having an encore of after the fireworks and before the second parade.  I want a better view so we abandon our plan of the train station for the time being and head up Main Street only to be stopped outside the Bakery where they are handing out FREE Rice Krispy treats!

FREE Rice Krsipy, yes please!

We have a good view of the Castle for the fireworks and then will move further up the street for the encore presentation of the Castle show.

After the Castle show we head back to the train station/entrance area for the second MSE Parade.

Then while waiting for the bus we catch part of the Electric Water Pageant on the Seven Seas Lagoon that takes place nightly.   Let me recap in a list all the AWESOMENESS that was had at Magic Kingdom:
*Double Dumbo's in Story Book Circus
*Mom rides Dumbo for the first and second time
*Surprise Fast Pass for Mickey's Philharmagic
*Dumbo gets stuck with mom and I on it together
*We get back to back Dumbo flights
*2 Main Street Electrical Parades
*2 Castle shows
*FREE Rice Krispy treat
*Electric Water Pageant spotting

Magic Kingdom 1:15pm-6:45pm

We've just finished watching the parade so we head over to the Haunted Mansion.  They've added a "graveyard/no graveyard" part to the line...pick one (although I'm pretty sure the no graveyard is significantly shorter.  There is so much going on in all the lines and attractions that it is worth going on all more than once.  You get familiar with the big stuff and then can start to notice all the details that really pull the stories together on all attractions.  The ghost we brought home with us took our heads off and was juggling them during the last part of the attraction.

Then we took a relaxing riverboat cruise.  I guess a lot of other people had the same idea since we were sitting down and other guests were laying on benches, eyes closed and catching flies with their open mouths.  Disney will tucker you out...which is why they recommend taking a little afternoon trip back to the hotel for naps or lounge by the pool if you have kiddos with you.  I recommend this so I don't have to listen to whining, over tired kiddos (although I completely understand you want your moneys worth, stop and eat while they sleep in the stroller perhaps?).

After this we headed over to Adventureland.  We took our chances with some Pirates that were pillaging and plundering in their pirate life... Mom is a riot on this since there is a slight drop (think kid slide at a playground) and she grabs the railing on the boat.  I am so lucky to have someone travel with me that constantly is making me smile.

After the Pirates attraction we have a bit of time before the world famous Jungle Cruise.  We decide now is a good time for one of those delicious, one of a kind, pineapple Dole whip.  So good, refreshing and yummy.  I bought some mix that I can make my own at home, but there is something about having one at Disney that makes it taste better.  At home I must play the tiki room song while I enjoy mine.

Those Enchanted Tiki Room birds sing so beautiful, and two can sing better than one toucan can!  At Disneyworld they encourage you to bring your Dole Whip into the Tiki Room, but at Disney World no food or beverage allowed.  At least they have gone back to the original show instead of the "under new management show."  On our feet we move to the exit and enter the Jungle Cruise.

Our skipper wasn't that great, but it is fun to take a trip down memory lane from my dream job experience.  Yes, the two Jungle Cruises are different, but they both have the backside of water.  We've skipped the 3:00 parade (seen it before) and decide to take the train from the Frontierland Station to the Fantasyland Station and check out Dumbo again.  While waiting for the train we spot this stroller:

It is funny because my cousin had a hard time with my name as a kid and called me A-mina.  My sister shortened it to Mina and this is Minas stroller.  The train is crowded with exhausted looking people that just wanted an excuse to sit down for about 30 minutes as part of the "Grand Circle Tour."  We exit at Fantasyland and there is virtually no wait for Dumbo and kiddos are having a blast in the Casey Jr. splash zone.  We decide to ride Dumbo together.  (What, 3rd time mom rides Dumbo and in the same day--awesomeness)

 Oh, and it get's better than riding on Dumbo with my mom.  Dumbo stops and we are stuck in the air!  Dream Come True!!!  They bring all of us down at the same time with the system and we are put in a corral while they do a test flight and then we get to go on again :)  I am so excited at this point.

The awesomeness of our Magic Kingdom day so far:  Mom rides Dumbo for the 1st time, the Double Dumbo's, STUCK on Dumbo, surprise fast pass... and that's not even it for the day yet (more comes later)!  I am over the moon at being stuck on Dumbo, even if it was for less than 1 minute.  

We catch a little bit of the Giggle Gang (street performance).  This is one of those shows they put on throughout the day at select times.  We decide it is a good time to get a drink and sit down for a little bit so we head back to Tomorrowland and stop by Cosmic Rays to listen to Sonny Eclipse.  He's an animatronic alien that sings "cheesy 80's."  Entertaining and a quiet spot for the time being.  

 After this we check out the store next door and I hold up a Dumbo shirt.  Not the greatest shirt ever but at least it is Dumbo.  Then the line for Buzz Lightyear is short so we take our adventures to fight Zurg 2 or 3 times.

By now it is getting close to 6:00 so we head over to get a spot on Main Street for the Electrical Parade and fireworks.  Mom sits and holds our spot while I head back over to Story Book Circus to see if I can get some evening/night photos.  It's not quite dark enough yet so I go back to sit with her.  She head up the street a little to Casey's Corner to get a hotdog and fries for us to share for dinner.  A group of people from Brazil sit next to us and really try to crowd our space.  We've taken up more room than we need so my mom grabs a random family of 3 and waves them over to sit with us (they are thankful to have a curbside seat for the parade).  We are happy to have them as a buffer between us using their stroller to block the growing group (it was 5 people and has grown to 20 plus by now).  

Magic Kingdom 11:30am- 1:15pm

Having finished our lunch at the Be Our Guest Restaurant probably closer to noon than 11:30, we headed over to Tomorrowland where we  enjoyed a few rounds of battling the Evil Emperor Zurg in the Buzz Light Year Space Ranger Spin.  It was pretty intense as you can see from our photo.

We relaxed on the TTA (Tommorowland Transit Authority) People Mover to get an aerial view of how the park has changed with the elimination of Toon Town for the new Fantasyland expansion.  It is also kind of neat to see how things just look different from year to year with the trees and different refurbishments that happen.

 The yellow in the way far distance is the Story Book Circus tent.  In the front is autopia.  Each Disney park has an autopia speedway but they are different tracks and sizes.

 We like the TTA People Mover since it has a nice escalator ramp (not stairs) to the top where you board so I get a great calf stretch in on the way up and down (even though I look silly standing backwards on the way down).

We played Buzz Light Year again and then took a break for some drinks (water and soda).  

From here we moved on to wait at the hub for the Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it parade.  LOVE the music from this parade (and Main Street Electrical).  It just makes you want to dance when you hear the music and see the floats coming up the route.

 On the walkway from Tomorrowland to the Hub.  They have all sort of little paths that can cut through from one place to another and quiet areas to sit and relax during the day.

 We parked ourselves along the fence here in the shade of a snack cart.  That is the Crystal Palace in the background.  Left of that is Main Street USA and to the right is Adventureland.  Here at Disney hidden Mickey's are everywhere.  We found this little gem in the bushes left over from a parade confetti toss.

Here I am doing my lame dance cause I love the music and parade so much.  We are all big kids at Disney.  There was a family in bright t-shirts across from us and funky hats dancing too.  They were all being silly and just having a blast together.  P.S. I love the families that have well behaved kids who aren't screaming or whining and their parents tell them not to climb all over things that aren't supposed to be climbed on (the chains or ropes in line...)

 Such fun costumes and music for this parade.  Disneyland also has this parade with a little variation in the costumes.  YouTube the parade for the music... your feet will just want to dance.  I found out the next day that the main chorus/music when the parade makes its entrance is a Miley Cyrus song but made more awesome than the original in my opinion.  What's next???  We headed over to Adventureland and picked up a fast pass for the Jungle Cruise attraction (come back between 2:55 and 3:55 for immediate departure...) and then on to more adventures!

Magic Kingdom 10:30am-11:30am

After the Little Mermaid we waited in line for the Be Our Guest Restaurant.  Totally worth the wait.  While I wasn't a fan of the food (it wasn't plain bread but rye) the ambiance was AMAZING!  They have all these gargoyles lining the walk up to the entrance.  I took a photo of one on my phone and texted it to my handsome Manfriend since I always say, "stupid gargoyle," when we drive past the one in our neighborhood.

In all honesty the wait in line for it to open and for us to be let in was due to the ordering of food process (only so many orders can be taken at once as with any restaurant).  There was more than enough seating though once inside.

When you first enter Beast's castle you are in a corridor with knights in armor that talk to one another in French.  The armor is very detailed and each is unique.  There are flag/banners and amazing details everywhere.  Kids have plenty to look at while waiting in this area (although it is not very long of a wait).

Once you exit the knight armor room you enter the ordering area.  You are given a rose that you scan at an enchanted book and begin to place your order.  There are several stations that you can place the order yourself along with stations where cast members take your order.  Once you've placed your order you take your rose with you to the dining area.  You can choose between the 3 rooms.  They are:

 The forbidden West Wing, where the enchanted rose is.  This room is very dark and quite noisy as well as significantly smaller than the other two rooms.  The chairs in all the rooms are nice and comfy.  All the details are amazing.

This is the grand Ballroom.  The ceiling has a gorgeous mural and chandeliers.  The large floor to ceiling windows have snow falling in the background.  This is the largest of the 3 rooms available to dine in.   We choose to eat in the 3rd room, that had a large music box of Belle and Beast.

There were paintings of different scenes from the movie on the wall as well as tapestries.  The floors had beautiful tile work as well.  You can see in the picture with the rose tiles the carts that are wheeled around by the cast members.  They bring the food right to your table... and you seat yourself!  MAGIC!!!  All the people ordering their food, getting their drinks at the beverage station and silverware and they bring the food directly to your table.  Must have something to do with the rose they give you and a sensor, but still it is super cool.

My mom had a sandwich that was ham and cheese with a soda.  I had a kid sandwich with peach applesauce and sweet potato fries and chocolate milk.  We both ordered a cupcake/dessert (after all, this is France...).  Loved my chocolate raspberry cupcake.  Mom had a cream puff.  Yum, yum.  Lunch wold have been 100 times better for me if it wasn't rye bread (seriously, I understand Disney is trying to be healthier but give a kid a choice of bread).

The bathroom was beautiful (don't worry, we didn't take pictures in there).  This beautiful mosaic was on the wall outside the bathroom in a small waiting area before the knights.  All the details were beautiful and although it wasn't our style of food (um, parade and a hot dog to share please) we enjoyed the ambiance.  A quiet away place from the sun to re-charge and get ready for the rest of our busy day. It's still not even noon!