It's Offical!

Then This Happened

So I've been missing. I'll post soon. I just wanted to share this with everyone.

http://m.gawker.com/5984348/two-minutes-of-nothing-but-goats-yelling-like-humans

Trust me, you will be hysterical too!

I Ran a Marathon!

I ran a marathon. Holy crap! Let's back up.

A week ago I was doing the Disney 5k. It was during the 5k that I felt my knee. Last year during the half marathon in Disney my knee got messed up. I had no idea that it was still screwed up & this was not what I wanted to find out 2 days before I was doing a marathon. I can actually say that the 5k felt like a bigger effort than the actual marathon. I got to Epcot pretty early so I wasn't rushing to get to the proper corral. I saw a long line for something so I checked that out. It was a line to meet Mickey & Minnie. I figured why not! I've only met Princess Leia Minnie. (Don't tell them, but they are my least favorite.) So I took my picture before the 5k than moved over to the corral.

 I finished the 5k in a little over 38 minutes. Not my best, but I've gotten faster each time I've done the 5k in Disney. After the 5k I went to the parks & hung out with my friend, Ryan.

On Sunday I had to get up way too early to head back to Epcot for the marathon. Waiting around for the marathon to start is like watching water boil. Eventually I got to move to my corral. A little after 6 am I begun my first marathon.

Jack & Sally!

When I met with my campaign coordinator, Whitney, to talk about TNT she told me she felt humbled by the marathons she had done. I didn't understand that until Sunday. A mile or two after this photo was taken I was thinking "Oh my God, I'm part of a marathon! Holy crap!" (I was trying not to swear. I got through most of the marathon actually!) You can't tell by this photo, but the temperature was climbing. It reached 85 with humidity of 95%. It was not a great way to run, but it wasn't 20 out there either. When I saw that finish line I thought about a few years ago. I was at another job with people who told me I was stupid for thinking I could do a 5k. When I said I was going to a half marathon I was laughed at. I thought "Look at me now. I just did a fucking marathon." (I told you I didn't swear until the last mile!) I'm really proud of myself that I finished this. I can say that I don't want to do another one thats for sure.

If you can dream it, you can do it!

Welcome to Disney

I have arrived! The weather is gorgeous. I'm feeling a billion times better. I'm getting excited for my very first marathon on Sunday too.

The past week or so I've been battling a flu/sickness or what I've called the pandemic. Thankfully I'm feeling better.

We spent a little time at Hollywood Studios today. Tomorrow we will hit the expo before the 5k on Friday.

It is also almost time for the kick-off for the TNT season!

First getting through Disney.

Enjoy your week. It's time to run!

Something Exciting To Share!

With kick-off just around the corner for my season with TNT, we are starting to get emails about different things. When I saw the email at work, I didn't have too much time to read it so I just read it within the last 30 minutes. It is nice to read little check-ins from different people every now and then. One of the major things I noticed in the list was a little mention of the top 3 fundraisers. With the help of you all I am number 2! As of this afternoon I hit $1,373 with the help of Phil! We are $102 from hitting the half way mark! I'd love to reach that by New Year's Day!

This is a first! I've never been in the top 3!

We also got to meet our honored hero! The honored hero is who the team will run for as a whole. I'm excited to share that with you all. Her name is Tracy. She's 27. That's just 2 years older than me & she is going through more than anyone ever should. She will be spending her New Year's getting transplants, while the rest of us are already hating our resolutions. You can check out her story below.

Tracy

Remember there is still time to donate & have a tax deduction for this year. Any amount can help people like Tracy. If you can't think of what to get someone for Christmas, donating to a charity in their honor is a great idea! If you would like to donate directly to me you can do so through this link:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/nikewhlf13/nnew5066

I've Been Missing...

...from the blog.

Holidays in retail are time consuming. Holidays in general are time consuming. Holidays stress me out. If you meet me during this time you'll hear "I hate Christmas" more than once before you leave. Fitting in exercise is even more stressful. I've been doing a Holiday Squat-A-Thon for the month of December. Today I did 185 for missing yesterday. There's a couple of 100 squats a day coming up. Squats don't really bother me much. I'm surprised I haven't felt it more afterwards.

Onto where I've been the past few days...

Thursday I helped a friend paint & do some stuff around his new house. Before I drove close to the end of the world (aka Plymouth), I met up with a friend to stop at Target. Our work adopted a family to give Christmas presents too. I like this part of Christmas. Helping people who need it more than you means a whole lot more than just junk you get from family. (Yes I said junk!) I'm happy that I got to participate in making 4 kids Christmases special.

Friday was my other day off last week. I decided I would be in a positive mood all day. No one was going to ruin it! I went to Wompatuck to run. I ran and ran and then ran some more. After a few near death experiences I made my way back into the park & to my car. I learned my lesson to stay off the roads near there. People are crazy! I ended up doing a little more than 10 miles. I felt like it should have been at least 5 more, but I guess not. As I ran I thought of how hungry I was & how I should of brought win snacks. Then I thought about how when I got home I'd blog about how crazy drivers are. (Remember I almost got killed multiple times.) when I got myself situated at my car I noticed a text from a friend saying something about shooting. I mean I just was in the woods/risking my life on roads. When he told me a little more about it, I couldn't believe it. Then I heard it on the radio. Then I got home to see it on the tv. I decided we'll before I got home to forget my positive attitude that day. I'm not going to go into what happened or what's wrong with the laws or any of that. I still feel sad about it. I will leave it at that.

Today being my only day off means I had to do stuff that I didn't necessarily want to do. I went to the gym. I've gone once in like 3 months. I clearly need a gym buddy STAT! The weather has been crappy & seems to be staying that way. The marathon is coming up way too soon. I'm way underprepared. I just want to finish this marathon & get on with the half in DC. I have a lot of respect for people who do marathons consistently. You guys kick ass!

I'll be letting you guys know about a TNT event soon. And another fundraiser. Hopefully both before Christmas.

Until then...

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?

I've been a little distant. Working in retail during the holiday season will do that to ya. Plus I can't access a blog post on my iPad.

I did a long run last Monday. I know why haven't I done one since then? I haven't been off of work since then. I'll be back out there on Thursday before helping a friend paint around his house. Okay back to Monday. I ran 10.1 miles. It was long, but not close to the 26.2 I need to accomplish in a month. (AHHHHHHHH!) I went to Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, MA. You can do a lot in there. I ran for myself, not for a time, not for a distance, but just for me. There was some running on trails which slowed me down. I also brought my camera along with me. Running in Disney means taking photos, so I might as well try it out. I kept around a 14 minute pace which is fine with me. A muscle has been taking a toll on me. It's annoying & I hate it. That run was the first time running with my Bondi Band. I wrote about these in my last post (or 2 posts ago). Growing my hair out is annoying. It's not long enough to pull back, but its not short enough to leave alone. I pulled my hair back, put it on, & ran. I didn't have to keep adjusting it. It stayed put. It was great. I was definitely a giant plus. Even when I took it off after the run my hair looked okay enough to go into the post office.

The print of my Bondi Band.

I have some Bondi Bands still for sale as a fundraiser for TNT if you are interested. I have the pink with white polka dots, the plain aqua, the purple print, the black with the pink tiara, the pink that says "Powered by Pixie Dust", & the black one that says "Mirror mirror on the wall who's the fastest of them all".

By donating $10, you can receive one band.
By donating $16, you can receive two bands.

To get a band for yourself just donate to my fundraising page:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/nikewhlf13/nnew5066

In the comments you can let me know that it is for the Bondi Band fundraiser. 

Hopefully by my next post I'll have much more to share with everyone.