Momentum Monday: Run Like A Boss

This weekend is the weekend I've been waiting for since I signed up for it in December, it is the Disneyland Half weekend in Anaheim, CA. As I type those words I still can't believe it! This race weekend has been a long time coming and the fact that I know how quickly it will go by makes me want to put the brakes on and slow time for a bit.

I know what is coming this weekend and it will come like a freight train, you just can't stop it. There will be meet-ups and meals with friends, there will be rides and photo hi-jinx, there will be old friends greeting each other with hugs and new friends coming together with open hearts, there will be laughs and happy tears, there will be tons of catching up and cascades of yawns into the late night hours, there will be shopping and costume wearing, and finally there will be running and getting the bling we've all worked so hard for.

This weekend will be one to remember and one we won't soon forget, and I've been so blessed to have so many great people to plan and experience this with, that I can't think about it being here just yet. Today I officially start my packing and I've got the list all made out. I have my schedule made for the weekend with all the "official times" and all the meet-ups I'm doing and a little bit of sleep scheduled in there somewhere.

But all this prep wouldn't be happening if it weren't for one thing: running. All the fun and anticipation is great but it also is because we are gathering to run races together. To push ourselves physically and to have fun in the process. As I get ready for this weekend, physically and mentally, I have to remember that all my training has brought me to this point and I can't prepare myself anymore than I already have, it's race time. So as I mentally get myself in the game, this quote really jumped out at me for today's Momentum Monday.

Coming Clean

So I have been hinting at a "condition" I have and that there have been issues that it has caused with my running.  I may have alarmed or concerned people with my lack of explanation on what is going on. But I didn't mean to make anyone concerned as it is not life threatening, but rather more life changing.

I've been cryptic because too much information will give it away and I just wasn't ready to talk about it yet. However with the Disneyland Half coming up next week, I am not able to keep this a secret much longer, nor do I think it's necessary to keep it a secret anymore.

So here goes...

"The Jam" Thursday

Did anyone see the moon last night? Or rather I should say, did anyone NOT see the moon last night? It was so bright it was tough to miss! It was shinning on our bedroom window and was so bright you would swear it was dawning outside, it was so crazy!

Well today is Thursday and it's great in two ways, today is my Friday at work as I'm off for my three day weekend tomorrow, woohoo! AND a week from today I will be on a flight to Disneyland for the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend!  YAY!!!!! I'm so excited, I can't wait for this weekend to begin. Well actually I can, because it is going to go so quickly, it will be insane! There is still SO much to do and to prepare for, I've gotta get my butt in gear!!!

As today is Thursday, it is also my day to share some beats with you. Today's "jam" is a few years old now and I don't really remember this being on the air waves too much, so when my sister had this on her playlist for our roadtrip last weekend, I was totally jamming out to it! I've been a fan of a few of the hits produced by this artist, so I wasn't surprised that I liked this song, but I was just totally digging it and this is a new addition to my running list.

So today's "jam" is:

End of Week 16 Double Dare Training

It's Wednesday and there are officially 7 more days until I leave for Disneyland!!!  WOOHOO!!!  The race is next weekend...yes, I didn't stutter...NEXT weekend! It's so crazy knowing that this race weekend, something that I have been looking forward to since I signed up for it in December, is just around the corner! This time next week I will be putting the final touches on my packing and triple checking my list to make sure I didn't forget a thing!

Looking at these lovelies makes me giddy, knowing that in just a few days all of these could be mine. SO. EXCITED!

Momentum Monday: Sanity

What a whirlwind of a weekend I had! I spent a good portion of my weekend on the road driving to and from Eastern Washington. My sister and I went to visit our grandparents whom we hadn't seen in a while and whom are having some health issues. My grandfather had a triple by-pass two months ago and my grandmother is showing signs of alzheimers and dementia. It's rough to have someone who helped raise you call you by a different name because she doesn't remember who you are. It was an emotionally draining weekend to say the least. So the feeling of needing an extra day off to deal with everything is in full effect, but I am at work and doing my best to stay focused.

That being said, while I was looking for today's Momentum Monday quote, I came upon this one and know how true it is for me and how I wish I'd had time to do this during the weekend, I might feel a bit better than I do today.

"The Jam" Thursday

So I woke up this morning with a sleep hangover, has that happened to anyone else? I haven't slept very well the past 3-4 nights and I finally got sleep last night. But when I woke up, my body still wasn't fully recharged and ready to wake up. So the result was a sleep drunk feeling that felt like a hangover, weird right? I've never experienced that before and has now left me with a headache. Oy!

Today is Thursday and time for me to share another of my "jams" with you! This one is a bit of a Throwback hit and from a group that I saw grow and change over the years they were around. These ladies are very talented together and each on their own doing their own things. I have a lot of their music on my iPod which allows me to bring back some older "jams" to run and dance to!

So today's "jam" is:

End of Week 15 Double Dare Training

Oh boy am I tired! I was up all night monitoring a website until 12:30.

Crazy? Maybe.

Determined? You better believe it!

I bet you're asking why was I up half the night staring at a website? If you are versed at all in the world of runDisney, you would know or have heard about their coveted social media meet-ups. They hold one at each big race weekend in WDW and Disneyland to help promote the brand runDisney and teach health benefits fof running, as well as share some secrets/tips on nutrition, training and gear.

The focus is to have individuals who are active in the social media spheres attend so that they can tweet, Facebook, Instagram and blog about the experience. This coverage helps to get the runDisney name and their ideals out to the masses that are on social media everyday. For the participant, it is a great way to connect directly with the core of the brand and help them promote races that are near and dear to our hearts. I have been very focused on trying to get a place into one of these meet-ups as it would be a great honor to be able to partake in the process and meet some of the fantastic people that make runDisney, well, "run".

So while I am working on recovering from my lack of sleep last night, I can review how my training went this past week! Let's take a look at the schedule!

Momentum Monday: Friends

I struggled with today's Momentum Monday quote. I really wasn't sure what I wanted to talk about as there has been so much going on in life lately, that I just feel scatter brained all the time. Especially with the racecation coming up in 16 days (!?!) life seems to be going at warp speed and I can't seem to slow things down.

Then as I pondered about my weekend and thought of my morning a warm feeling came over me. No, it's not a hot flash, I'm too young for that. I thought about the interactions I had with my friends over the weekend and this morning and a smile came across my face. Now I'm not talking about the friends that I have locally, I am talking about my running friends that I have made all over the country. These lovely people have come into my life during a time of change and struggle and have filled my life with joy each day.

I don't live close to them, so we can't run together. Most of us don't even share the same time zone, so our schedules are a bit off. We are of varying backgrounds and ages and at different points in our lives. But that doesn't seem to matter. We can talk about a subject like we've known each other for several years and be able to pinpoint someone's personality on a situation and be able to laugh about it. We can also pick up conversations that may have ended months ago and carry on like no time has passed.

So as I sit here thinking about my running friends, I felt compelled to post this Momentum Monday quote for them.

I feel like I'm part of a running family, not just a community of like-minded individuals, but the people I have around me feel like family. I can talk to them about problems I'm having, gush excitedly about great news and be there when they need someone to confide in, all without being judged. Due to our distance we may see each other perhaps once a year, if at all, but that doesn't seem to matter. We carry on each day wishing each other a good day, giving kudos for doing well on a run, sharing in each of our triumphs and lamenting with each other when something goes awry.

I love the running family I'm a part of and I wouldn't change it for the world. These people help lift me up and I hope that I return the favor as well. We are a unique group of individuals that are bonded by the same goal and love, running. So thank you, my running friends, I appreciate and love you for all the wonderful people you are and know that someone far away is thinking of you and rooting you on.

"The Jam" Thursday

Hello, hello all! I'm in a good mood this morning because I got my run in before work and when I do I seem to have a cheerier disposition in the morning. I'm gonna say it's because of the endorphins that I'm in a good mood and the fact that I shook off some stress.

I'm also in a good mood because I realized that in exactly three weeks from today I will be on a plane heading towards Anaheim to start my whirlwind, magical race weekend in Disneyland. I can't wait! 

Today however is Thursday and time for me to share another "jam" with you, the songs that get my legs pumping and my booty bumping. This performer needs no introduction, she does it all on her own. She's been making hits for years and sometimes you get one stuck in your head and can't get it out...like this one. I'll find myself humming the chorus while I'm doing something and not even realize it. 

So without much ado, I present today's "jam":

End of Week 14 Double Dare Training

Wait...end of week 14? That means there are only 4 more weeks until the big race weekend!?! Holy cow is it coming up soon! It is so exciting! I'm not really concerned about whether I will be able to finish the races or not at this point. My training has been going nice and steady and after every long run I've had, I actually feel like I could keep going without any issue or discomfort. I just stop because I don't want to push too far too soon, but my body has done it before and can most certainly do it again!

Seriously though, I am really, really, REALLY excited for this race weekend! All the chatter and information on get togethers has been growing steadily and it just makes me so excited for the weekend to get here and sad to know that it's only a couple of days of whirlwind fun and excitement, then I'm back to reality and missing my running friends from across the country again. :(

The countdown until we leave for Disneyland started months ago and looking at the countdown now we only have 21 days until we are in the Happiest Place on Earth. I'm so excited, I have this awesome picture as my background on my work monitor.

Momentum Monday: Hard to Explain

Oh Monday...we meet again, and again far too soon. My weekend whizzed by, it was a total blur of errands and time spent with my loved ones. How was your weekend?

Part of my weekend, as is for most people in training, is my weekend long run. I had 10 miles on the schedule for me and I was really dreading it for some reason. That dread followed me all the way to my run to the point where I had to stop shortly after I started to have a talk with myself. I had to tell my head to shut up and let me enjoy the run. Ironically, after that talking to, my run got better...a lot better.

I have friends that are non-runners that I only mention my running to because I can see their eyes glaze over when I talk about it a little too much. They ask how many miles I ran and as I say the quantity pretty nonchalantly, they just shake their heads and say "I don't know how/why you do it", or "I don't get it, how can you run all that way?" I try to explain but it doesn't seem to come out right, or they don't understand, but this quote for today's Momentum Monday seems to hit the nail on the head.

"The Jam" Thursday

I had a terrible nights sleep last night. Why?

Well, I know when a race is coming soon because I start getting nightmares about it. Yeah...I had one last night. Of course it was about the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend (which is in 28 days, FYI!), but it was about the 5K race specifically. Me and one other female (don't know who it was) were standing in this tented area at the finish line of the 5K cheering people onto the finish and talking with them about the race and praising them for doing a great job. Then we both looked at each other and realized that we hadn't raced yet and the 10K was starting soon and we needed to get to that race too! We ran out onto the course and were the last people out there and all I can remember was running frantically, passing cheering crowds and looking down the long straightaway at the beginning of the course and feeling a huge lump in the pit of my stomach....then I woke up.

Oh boy...if these dreams continue on for the rest of the month, I will have run these races more times than I care to in my head! I hope they go away! But the likelihood of that isn't good. :(  Oh well.

Today is Thursday and that means I get to share another "jam" with you. This one is from a DJ and vocalist collaboration that I really enjoyed. I shared another of their songs many months back and wanted to revisit their work and share another great track. I've shared a couple of songs from this vocalist and I really enjoy what she is doing lately and I think she has really found her musical niche.

Without further ado, I present today's "jam":