New Playlist

For anyone who knows me, I'm completely content with playing the same music on my iPod over and over again. But the time has come...

Help me pick out new music! So, all I'm asking is for you to post your favorite song here. Easy, right? Well, I'm completely clueless about music today - simply because I listen to Pandora more than the radio because I have no idea what stations to listen to in Orlando.

A Testament to Perseverance

You know that saying if you fall, get up and try again? Well, I truly believe in it. Some people fall earlier in life. Some people hit a bump in their ideal path. Others are lucky to not have to deal with tripping until later in life. Well, if I've learned anything, it's to keep trying and trying again. If it's something you really want to do, don't let anything stop you.

Yesterday, my father politely reminded me that this is double the mileage of the half marathon. (Thanks, dad! I think I knew that signing up for it.) At least he said he'll pray for me and to train hard. (Thanks, I'll need all the prayers I can get.) Anyway, I wanted to publicly congratulate my wonderful and loving boyfriend in getting into his Masters of Hospitality Management program. I know he will do great things.

Today, I decided that tomorrow marks the beginning of my running, and I can't procrastinate anymore. It's still really hot out here, but at least if I can get my run done in the morning (around 7:00 a.m.), I'd be better off for it. So here's to an early morning run as far as my ill-prepared legs can take me.

I LOVE Inspiration Mail

As many of you know, working out and running is all mental. Gold's Gym had a quote on the door: "The hardest part is getting there." I actually enjoy working out at the gym, but unfortunately, I'm not going to be here so long, so I won't sign up for a gym membership until I move in August.

The best part of blogging/social networking is having someone notice that you're doing something big. I haven't been blogging a while, but I have been trying to keep track of my races and running on Facebook. Well, I didn't think anyone really noticed, but today I opened up my Facebook messages to get this awesome note from a friend:

hey vanessa, long time no talk! this is going to sound ridiculously cheesy, but i think it's really great (and sooo inspirational) that you are doing the disney marathon. i noticed on facebook all the running you did last year and i decided that my new years resolution for this year would be to start running too. another one of my friends attempted the half marathon at the beginning of january and unfortunately was unable to keep up with the time requirements and was pulled from the race. so i made it my goal to help her and be able to finish the half marathon in january 2012.

ANYWAY what that long drawn out pointless story was attempting to say is that i know you'll be able to do it! you have really motivated me to run. i just wanted you to know that :)

my friend and i are doing the wine and dine half marathon relay race because she's still embarrassed about being pulled from the half marathon. but hopefully i'll see you that weekend! and hopefully i'll be able to reach my half marathon goal in january. but i am so jealous of your drive and motivation, and again, i know all the hard work will pay off for you

The great part of running is having friends to run with. A lot of my friends don't run, which is a downside for me. So when the going gets tough, I like to think of Finding Nemo.

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Swimming, swimming." - Dory

Anyway, the next time a friend is training for a goal, do them a favor and show them that you support them. Who knows? You just might make their day! (;

Bumper Stickers - Motivation

- OR -

Which bumper sticker should I buy for my marathon? Yes. I am going to buy a nice bumper sticker as incentive to put on my car. I did it for the half marathon and clipped it to my monthly calendar as a motivation that there was an upcoming race worthy of being trained for. I have the bumper sticker on the right (except with 13.1) that's already on my car. But I thought that the tiara princess one would be a nice addition to my car. I already like the color pink, so it's not a color issue. It's just a design issue. Which one would you pick?

I'm beginning my diet again. More healthy carbs for lunch and none for dinner, since I'll plan on doing my running mid-afternoon, early evening. However, if I can't manage that (on certain days), I'll have to do late night runs on the treadmill (dislike). I'm almost feeling up to running again - mainly I'm waiting for my congestion to clear up before I actually start running.

I'm happy to report that I've been soda-free for almost 45 days. I originally gave it up for Easter, but I decided not to drink it anymore because I tend to over-drink soda, which has way too much sugar instead. Doesn't mean that I won't have a sweet tea (with more water than tea) every once in a while.

A Little Bit of History

I'm not going to bore you with a really long drawn-out history of me running. That would be really... well, boring. Long story short - the first 5K I ever participated in was my freshman year of college. I never ran in high school. I ran in soccer, but it wasn't the kind of running that involved finishing a race with a time. Soccer involved chasing a ball and doing whatever you could to get it in the opposing team's net. Anyway, I never finished a race until 2009 in February. I still remember it. I'd been running consistently in the cold Tallahassee weather, and there was this hill right after the 3rd mile. Well, my friend and I went barreling down the hill and to the finish line. I almost puked because of how fast we were dashing to the finish line.

Fast forward a few months, and I decided to enter the Wine and Dine Half Marathon at Walt Disney World, Florida. Well, I think my mom thought I couldn't finish it, so she suggested trying something a bit smaller. Well, I signed up for a 10K (6.2 miles) in May. I remember the day of the race was after a large storm, and the trail was wet. I twisted my ankle around mile 5 and still managed to finish - slow and steady with a respectable time of about 10 minutes/mile. Well, now I was dreading this half marathon - but unlike the 10K, it was on solid concrete.

Fast forward again to October, and I was on the bus to the start line of the largest race to date. I told myself that when I finished, I'd sign up for a full marathon. Crossing the finish line, I didn't look for anyone in the crowd, though I knew my boyfriend, mother, and father were there waiting for me somewhere in the crowd. My knees ached. My back hurt. My iPod was about ready to die, and I knew I didn't make my time, but the confetti was floating down. I could hear people cheering even though my music was cranked up.

When I crossed the finish line (and didn't fall like those nightmares I'd had), I knew I'd done something that no one in my family had done. I'd finished that 13.1 mile beast, and now I have a pink Mickey Mouse 13.1 decal on my car. But now I want that 26.2 sticker to go on the other side. And you know what? It will be put there... on January 8th.

252 Days and Counting

The other day, I registered for the 2012 Disney World Marathon. Yes, marathon. I don't know what I was thinking...

definition of marathon (dictionary.com)
– noun

1. a foot race over a course measuring 26 mi. 385 yards (42 km 195 meters).
2. any long-distance race.
3. any contest, event or the like, of great, or greater than normal, length or duration or requiring exceptional endurance: a dance marathon; a sales marathon.

Now that I've gotten through the definition, I'd like to point out that the longest race I've run and completed has been a half marathon, so just half of that distance. I am probably going to read up on a training program at the library, and I've got to stick closely to a runner's diet. Unfortunately, as soon as I was going to start my training, I got hit with a severe cold, which is delaying my running start. I'm trying to do some light workouts while my body is still in recovery.

I started running because I thought it would be a good hobby to do with my boyfriend who is an ex-cross country runner, and I heard that running was a great workout. My friend began training for the Miami ING Half-Marathon in 2009, and I soon signed up for the 2010 Wine and Dine Half Marathon, which I plan to run again. Now, it's just me running by myself. Apparently, my boyfriend's knees aren't what they used to be because of injuries over the years in soccer.

My goal is to finish. I know some people imagine winning marathons and half marathons. I'd like to finish. With that mentality, I'm going to lace up my shoes and push forward.