2012 Weight Goals

I haven’t been weighing myself much lately. I checked my weight and measurements (waist and hip) before I started marathon training in September and sporadically throughout my training to make sure that I wasn’t over or under eating for the amount of exercise I was getting. I wanted my weight to stay consistent and it did. I hovered around 165lbs, give or take 2 pounds, for the entire 4 months (yes, I do know how much more 165lb is than 147lb)

I have been paying close attention to how my pants fit and while marathon training I found that they were feeling pretty damn tight around the waist (the first place on my body where weight starts to creep on). Since my weight was consistent I wasn’t too concerned though I was, quite frankly, uncomfortable. And I felt a bit schlumpy (<– not a real word, but you catch my drift).

I went straight back to weightlifting after the marathon with this workout and have been at it for almost 3 weeks now. Nothing makes me feel better than pushing some weight around (except maybe kicking teenage boys in the balls, but that’s another story) so I was happy to turn my focus to that instead of running.

It didn’t take long for me to start feeling awesome again. Last week I noticed that felt lighter and tighter and generally mahvelous.

My tight pants were fitting better which made my 8-hours-sitting-on-your-ass job more comfy. I checked my measurements right away because I like the validation:

Waist size – down a 2 centimeters (I knew it!)
Hip size – stayed the same (perfect! I like big butts and I cannot lie)
Weight – up 3 pounds (yes! . . .wait, I mean no! what? up 3lbs?!? say wha??)

I freaked out for about a second and a half, asking the scale if he was fucking kidding me. Didn’t he see my measurements!? Didn’t he know that I wasn’t stuffed like a sausage in my pants today?!

Then I told him to go to hell once again, because he lies and can’t be trusted.

I felt good and I looked good and that was good enough for me.

I’m really coming around and starting to realize that my weight has little to do with how I feel about myself and my body confidence.

So I’m going to focus on more important weight goals this year ie. how much weight I can push around.

2012 Beast Mode Goals

To be completed at some point by the end of the year

-Back Squats: 225lb (as deep as I can go with my tight shins)

-Bench Press: my body weight

-Pull Ups: 5 unassisted

-Push-Ups: 100 consecutive

Right now I’m adding a lot more push-ups into my training plan to complete the push-up goal, and generally trying to build back any of the strength I lost during marathon training.

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Bailey’s Buttercream

Happy Birthday to my awesome husband. To my best friend. To the person who makes me happy every day.

I asked Matt what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday and he replied with chocolate as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. I was kinda hoping to make a white cake, but I obliged.

I’ve had the recipe for Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with Bailey’s Buttercream bookmarked ever since it was posted on Global Table Adventure and have been waiting for an occasion to make it. I figured since I would be serving cake to Matt and his brother (who’s birthday is tomorrow) on Sunday night during the football game, a cake with beer in it would be an appropriate choice.

I really liked this cake recipe and will keep it on hand to make it again. The cake comes out rich and dense (which I much prefer to a light and fluffy cake). The Guinness enhances the chocolate flavour (the same way that adding espresso to chocolate cake does) but doesn’t make the cake taste like beer at all.

I’ve never made buttercream before and this one turned out really well. Sometimes buttercream can be gritty but this one wasn’t. It was smooth and sweet and had a great Bailey’s flavour. I wish I would have left the cake out at room temperature before serving though because the buttercream really firmed up and I prefer it to be a little creamier.

Instead of baking two 8″ layers, I made one 9″ round cake and used a sharp bread knife to cut the cake in half so I could fill it with buttercream. As a result, and because I ate a bunch of buttercream while the cake was in the oven, I had to double frosting recipe.

This is a perfect celebration cake.

Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with Bailey’s Buttercream

Makes one 8″ layered cake, or one thinner 9″ layered cake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa

1 cup Guinness Extra Stout

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

For the buttercream (double recipe if making a 9″ cake):

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

4 Tbsp Bailey’s, as needed

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Melt the butter in the microwave then whisk in the Guinness, vanilla, and cocoa. Allow to cool.

Grease and line the bottom of one 9″ cake pan (for a 9″ cake) or two 8″ cake pans with parchment paper.

Stir together the dry cake ingredients. When combined, pour the Guinness mixture onto the dry ingredients, then whisk in the 2 eggs.

When the batter is shiny and smooth, pour evenly into two prepared cake pan(s).

Bake for 30-35 minutes for 8″ cakes or 45-50 minutes for 9″ cake, or until a skewer comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, prepare the buttercream. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the softened butter and sugar and add in just enough Bailey’s to get it loose and fluffy. Allow to whip for 5-10 minutes until light and fluffy.

Once the cake is done baking, cool completely.

For a 9″ cake, cut the cake in half lenghtwise with a sharp serrated knife. Top the bottom layer with frosting (~1/3 of the buttercream).

Top the frosted bottom with the second layer.

Line them up and then spread a crumb coat of frosting on the entire cake. This is optional but highly recommended, so you don’t get brown crumbs in your white frosting. Coat top and sides with another 1/3 of the frosting mixture. Spread it all over, nice and thin. Refrigerate to set it. At this point, you can refrigerate the cake overnight. Easy, peasy.

Once the crumb coat is firm to the touch, add the final 1/3 of the frosting to the cake — top first, then sides. Spread it around evenly.

Celebrate!

Dumpling Feast

Happy Chinese New Year to those who celebrate it.

I’m the kind of person who is willing to celebrate any culture’s holiday if it involves eating delicious foods like dumplings and red bean cakes.

(Source) It’s the year of the dragon!

My friend Tina and I went to a Chinese New Year Dumpling Feast on Saturday night at Oakwood Community Centre. It felt a bit like walking in on someone else’s family reunion: tables scattered everywhere, kids playing games with balloons, and everyone seemed to know each other. We bought our tickets and waited around awkwardly while one of the organizers found some extra chairs for the two of us to pull up to a table that had some room for us to sit down. She asked us how we heard about the event, not unkindly, but she definitely sounded confused as to what the hell we were doing there.

We sat down at our table and were offered some appetizers—communal bags of delicious spicy peanuts and sunflower seeds. I had to laugh at the informality of the whole set-up.

The Dumpling Feast itself meant making our own dinner. Fun and efficient! In the centre of the table were dumpling wrappers, pork filling, and a bowl of water. We all sat hunched over our table filling and folding dumplings. There was a man seated with us who was a veritable dumpling-making expert who showed us how to assemble dumplings so they stand up, don’t explode, and look pretty. The first few I made were pretty hideous, but I started to (sort of) get the hang of it after a while.

I made one single dumpling that I thought look pretty impressive. The rest were good enough to contain the filling, which was good enough for me.

Eventually the cooks started collecting our trays of dumplings, bringing them to the kitchen to be boiled, and then bringing the steming hot dumplings to our table by the bowl full. Tina and I went up to the buffet table to get our side dishes there was fried rice and hot pepper and some lettuce which actually ended up being a salad with a very light dressing (but, thinking it was plain lettuce to be eaten with the dumplings in a way I was unaware of, I left it alone so I wouldn’t look like I was eating it wrong). We learned later, after our 10th or so dumpling, that you’re supposed to eat them with vinegar on top. This cut the saltiness of the dumplings immensely and I wish I would have known about it at the start. (So I did end up looking like I was eating something wrong. Go figure.)

In spite of the awkwardness of it all, I liked assembling (and eating!) the dumplings. Now that I sort of know how to make them I do want to try making some at home, but next time potstickers.

Books I Read in 2011

I’ve decided one of my goals of 2012 is to join a book club. I have several goals for the year which are vaguely floating around in my head and I do intend to write down at some point. Possibly February.

Goal #1: Write down goal #1. Proceed with goal #2, #3, etc.

Anyway, I’m going to my first book club meeting with the Windsor Book Club tonight at The Green Bean to see what this book club business is all about. The book of discussion for the month is Night by Elie Wiesel.

It’s a horrifying account of the author’s experience travelling to and living in Birkenau concentration camp. Reading about the things that he saw, the atrocities that he experienced, and his struggles to survive even as he lost his faith in God and his will to live was so moving. I almost cried more than once (and I’ve never cried at a book or movie before, so that’s saying something about how powerful this book is).

If you haven’t read it before, you should. I think it should be required reading.

Samantha’s 2011 Reads

(In order of favourite to least favourite)

Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
Find someone who’s read this book and didn’t like it, then we’ll talk. It’s riveting.

My Horizontal Life – Chelsea Handler
It’s the most hilarious thing I’ve ever read. It made me laugh to tears.

The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
2 magicians and lovers must fight in a game of anchantment to the death in a circus venue that only magic can build. Fascinating Premise.

Room – Emma Donoghue
I might have put this book at the top if more of the story were about escaping than about life after the escape.

The Game of Thrones – George R R Martin
It’s almost unbearably long, practically everyone dies, and it leaves you needing to read the next book. But it was so goddamn captivating!

Freedom – Jonathon Franzen
Intense family drama full of emotion. Not much of a page turner but the characters are very believable.

Superfreakonomics – Steven Levitt
Lots more fun and random connections between things you never thought could be associated.

Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins
Part 2 of the Hunger Games Series almost feels like a repeat of part 1. It’s not as creative but it’s still quite exciting.

Sleepwalking in Daylight – Elizabeth Flock
Another family drama exploring the relationship between a distant mother and rebellious daughter. Powerful and emotional.

How to Be and American Housewife – Margaret Dilloway
The story spans the entire lifetime of a Japanese woman who married a US Soldier after WWII. Well developed characters make this a good read.

Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins
Part 3 of the Hunger Games Series is worth the read if you’ve read 1 and 2 but it’s my least favourite of the bunch.

Are you there vodka? It’s me Chelsea – Chelsea Handler
Chelsea is still funny, but her random anecdotes aren’t the comedic gold that her one night stands are.

Bossy Pants – Tina Fey
Maybe I need to hear Tina Fey to find her funny. I chuckled a few times, but I wasn’t wetting myself with laughter.

Industrial Magic – Kelley Armstrong
Witchcraft meets mafia in this book that had a few great high points but mostly lows.

Deception Point – Dan Brown
You can write a mathematical formula for all of Dan Brown’s book. This was just another typical Dan Brown fiction.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang – Chelsea Handler
Chelsea, you are getting progressively less funny as you write more books. You can stop now.

Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me – Chelsea Handler
Wait Chels, did you just get your friends to write a book for you? Good attempt to get fresh material but Bad idea. Very bad.

New 4 Day Workout Split

It’s been a little over a week since my marathon and my ass is killing me. Not from the run though, that pain subsided a couple days after, but from weightlifting.

I had been doing a couple of full body weightlifting sessions while I was training, but now I’m trying to get back into it more seriously now that I don’t have to spend 6 hours a week running.

I’m doing a 4 day upper/lower body split workout (my favourite kind) with lots of really good compound exercises like Turkish get-ups and dumbbell snatches. I also included tibia raises in there which I don’t normally do, to try to improve my range of motion for my squats.

Click the image below for a pdf version of the workout.

So I’ll be working on this new training plan for the next 4 weeks or so.

I wore my new lululemon pants that I bought from an outlet store in Orlando when I finished the marathon.

<- saggy crotch

The closest I have ever come to anything lulu is making fun of the pretentious yogis that wear it, but I caved this time because the pants were super cheap, a good material, and looked pretty decent. I realized today that the crotch is a bit saggy in a way that could only be rectified by having a set of testicles.

Luckily I have a vagina, but that just means I’ll have to live with my saggy-crotched pretentious yoga pants.

Tonight for dinner I made some delicious cilantro lime fish tacos from this recipe on Closet Cooking that I pinned on Monday.

I’ve never had fish tacos before and I thought they tasted really good (I especially liked the cilantro lime sour cream it’s topped with) but to be honest I prefer beef tacos.

I would definitely make them again though and would recommend this recipe. Instead of grilling I pan fried the fish, but I would love to try it with the fish on the barbecue.

Ditching Dieting

“The diet industry is the most successful failed business in the world”

According to The Guardian the British parliament hosted a discussion centred around the causes of body image anxiety that pervades the UK right now.

A group that campaigns against body anxiety known as Endangered Bodies took to parliament to demonstrate the negative impact that dieting and the dieting industry has on the mental health and physical health of Britons, particularly women.

And it’s true. Living a healthy lifestyle is important, but it has to be through achievable means and established within realistic limitations. The diet industry goes beyond that however and has us restricting ourselves with unsustainable diets to meet body image ideals that are entirely unrealistic. It’s damaging to our mental health and can even be traumatic.

Think about it.

You see the promotions for this new diet that promises to make you lose that unwanted belly fat in just a few weeks.
And suddenly you realize that compared to that perfectly toned woman in the ad you have the stomach of Santa Claus.
You probably need to lose belly fat too. No, no, you definitely need to lose it.
Before you know it you’ve swapped your your husband’s famous buttermilk pancakes for egg white and steamed broccoli
and you’re cancelling dinners with friends because there’s nothing at the restaurant for you to eat.
And you still don’t look like the woman in the ad.
Now you feel like a complete failure. Why can’t you do it? Why can’t you just be strong and follow a diet and have a model’s body? What’s wrong with you?
Now you’re upset with yourself and you give up and start eating even more unhealthy than you did before you started this stupid diet. Why not? You’re doomed to be fat and ugly anyway, right?
. . . then you see promotions for a new fangled diet . . .

and so it goes.

Diets screw with our brains and our bodies. Whereas once we used to be able to eat intuitively when we were hungry or craving something, now we have to refrain from giving into these cues otherwise we become failures. It stresses us out and makes us lose confidence in ourselves when none of it, none of it, is our fault. In the end it leads to a cycle of dieting and gaining weight that is unhealthy to our bodies, causes traumatic body image anxiety, and makes us miserable.

Even though I can run a marathon and a 24 minute 5K and I can squat more than a lot of guys at the gym and I can climb mountains, I still feel like the unhealthiest of sloths if I give into my food cravings. I still struggle with my body confidence almost daily. My body image is much better than it used to be, but I’m still working on it.

Awareness is the first and most important step in generating momentum for a movement to alter ideals ingrained in society like body image anxiety. I applaud the British parliament to opening the doors for discussion on this important topic and Endangered Bodies for building awareness of the harms of the diet industry.

It’s time to stop the dieting.

Date of the Month Club: January

I bought Matt Star Wars Episodes IV – VI on Blu-Ray for Christmas and, even though I knew he would love it, I didn’t think that it was a particularly remarkable or romantic gift.

Matt bought me a knife for Christmas so the prosaicness goes both ways, I suppose. Granted it was a really really good knife that cuts through bread like butter (which is really saying something because most of my knives don’t even cut through butter like butter) and I love it.

Anyway, for Christmas this year I decided to give Matt an extra gift and lay the cheesiness on really thick too:

1 Date per Month for the next 12 Months. Like a “Date of the Month” club, although I didn’t call it that when I gave it to him. I came up with that embarrassing moniker about 3 seconds ago.

I had seen posts on the Internet of people doing the “12 Dates of Christmas” where they would go on 12 dates with their bf/husband before Christmas but I wondered who the hell has time to go on that many dates in a month, especially December! (though I’m pretty sure that was the point of the whole 12-dates-of-xmas-thing, but whatever) I just played on that idea and switched it up to one date a month for all of 2012, which is much more doable.

I came up with 12 date ideas ranging from moderately amusing to super-duper fun(!), I bought a bunch of blank cards and envelopes from Michaels, and I wrote down each date on a different card and put it in a different envelope for every month of the year.

Comme ça:

Now I can’t for the life of me remember what dates I put in what envelopes so it will be a fun surprise for both of us every month.

January Date Night – Bookstore Scavenger Hunt

We decided to do our first date night on Friday: A Bookstore Scavenger Hunt

I found the idea for this date somewhere in the far reaches of the Internet and if you’re thinking that it sounds like a boring and pathetic excuse for a date, that’s true. It does sound that way. But it’s surprisingly a lot of fun.

Basically there is a list of things to find in books and then you go out searching for them. You know, a scavenger hunt.

We did it in two sets, bringing our books back to share with each other after each set (I had planned 3 but apparently Chapters is lame now and closes at 9pm so we ran out of time)

Set 1:

A recipe you want to try
- Matt picked Sweet and Salty Crunchy Nut Bars and I went with a Colcannon

An idea for a future date
- we both picked games: my pick was “would you rather?” while Matt managed to find some vonderful goot Dutch card game

A Joke
- My joke was: “What did King Arthur dub the circle? Sir Cumference!!” from 101 Math Jokes. Quite comical. But Matt brought me the novel Twilight as a joke because he knows I hate it. Hilarious.

Picture or a Map of a Place you’d Like to Visit
- I went with Moscow after reading this sweet Russian Travel itinerary and Matt’s pick was Hawaii.

Set 2:

A Book You Loved as a Child/Teen
- Matt picked Love You Forever and I found The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs which I almost forgot about.

A Book you think the other person would like
- Matt picked The Night Circus for me (which I actually read last month and really liked) and I picked The Hunger Games for Matt because who doesn’t love the Hunger Games?

A Book You Read in School
- Also a book that I loved as a child: The Giver. Matt went with Brave New World. Funny how we both picked dystopian novels.

A Book Containing Happily Ever After
- Neither of us could find a story that actually said “happily ever after” but we did end up finding Happily Ever After Mad Libs which we bought and played over drinks at Starbucks once Chapters closed up shop.

Somehow the barista got my order completely wrong, but I did enjoy the Cinnamon Dolce Latte that I got by mistake. Luckily I love cinnamon.

Matt’s never played Mad Libs (say whaaa??) and quickly learned that the more inappropriate the words you choose, the funnier the Mad Libs are.

It ended up being a pretty fun date night!

Stay tuned for February’s Date of the Month Club.

Packing List for a Destination Race

When I was getting ready to leave for Florida, I found that it was really helpful to make a packing list of everything that I was going to need for my big marathon race to make sure that I didn’t forget anything.

I put all of my “race day” stuff in a separate bag within my luggage so I wouldn’t have to do much to get ready the night before the race. All I needed was to pick up my bib and put out my race day bag on Saturday night so I was ready for the brutally early 3:20AM wake-up call on Sunday morning.

Word to the wise: Put all your running gear in a Carry-On, because if it gets lost, you’re fucked. Just imagine getting to your destination and not having your running shoes with you. Not good.

The night before the race I laid out my stuffed fanny pack, bib, race clothes, and running shoes

Race Day Packing List

Clothes:

-Running Shoes
-Socks – 2 pairs, in case it’s too cold to wear just one
-Underwear – especially if you have a certain pair you prefer to run in
-Shirts -bring an extra long sleeve shirt in case of cold weather
-Running Shorts or Tights or both
-Sports Bra
-Headgear – headband, hat, hair ties, hairpins
-Compression Gear – shirts/pants/shorts/sleeves if you wear them
-Warm clothes for the start – sweatshirts, sweatpants, gloves, hat, earmuffs (You can toss these on the side of the course mid-race. Most races will collect them to donate)
-Extra safety pins for your bib

Gear:

-Sunglasses
-Camera & Battery Charger
-MP3 player, Earbuds, & Charger
-Vaseline/BodyGlide/athletic tape for chaffing
-Bandages – in a ziploc bag to carry with you
-Food and Fuel – dates/gu/shot blocks/powerade/etc.; whatever you’re used to eating and drinking on course
-Knee Braces
-Fuel Belt with bottles or Camelback
-Extra Toilet Paper – in a ziploc bag to carry with you
-Fanny Pack – to carry fuel, bandages, toilet paper, and camera
-Watch
-Tylenol
-Sunscreen

Paperwork:

-Race Forms/Waivers, Bib, and Chip – if you get them in advance
-Proof of time – if you want to try to move up in corrals
-Pace charts
-Travel Itinerary
-Passport -if necessary

Islands of Adventure Theme Park

On Friday morning Tina and I woke up bright and early to make the 6:30am start time of the Fiesta 5K Race at Epcot Centre. Tina was running and I was cheering her on. Before I knew it, she finished the race with an impressive sub-25:00 time.

When I caught up with her after the race was done, I asked her how it was and she said:

“It was a dream I never knew I had!”

which I thought was the most eloquent way to put it and which got me really excited for my own race on Sunday.

After rushing back to our hotel and showering, we just barely made our shuttle bus to Universal Studios – Islands of Adventure theme park.

I was really excited for this theme park for one main reason: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I’m a Harry Potter fanatic and I have been pretty stoked to visit the theme park since it opened.

Maybe it was all the hype, or the fact that it was swarming with people (even though it’s the off season) but, to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t all that impressed.

It’s small. It looks a lot bigger in pictures than it actually is. There are only about 5 real shops that you can go into and they are packed with people. Forget going into Ollivander’s Wand Shop unless you want to wait in line for it. Although I didn’t mind too much though because I wasn’t planning on buying anything.

The rest are just shop storefronts, although they do have some pretty attractive window scenes that showcase a lot of “magical” items like a screaming mandrake, moving bludgers, or a scribbling quill which I found to be really interesting to look at.

The jerky motion and spinning from the park’s signature ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, inside Hogwarts castle is a nightmare for anyone who gets motion sickness (ahem, me). Although Tina loved it and literally came off of the ride jumping with excitement (though she stopped jumping as soon as she saw my green pallor). The description makes the ride sound tamer than “it’s a small world” but it’s really a vicious beast of a ride.

There were some things that I really loved about the place, like the Frozen Butterbeer which tastes like cream soda but has the added deliciousness of a layer of melted ice cream on top to simulate the head (it’s a little on the sweet side, so if you don’t like sweet things then you won’t like it)

I am going to try to recreate this stuff at home!

I also thought that the details of the park were spot on with the books and movie (besides Ollivander’s which is actually in Diagon Alley and not Hogsmeade) and you get a real feel for being in Hogsmeade. I think if there were less people I might have enjoyed exploring it a little more, but me and big crowds don’t mix.

One thing that I did love about Islands of Adventure though, Seuss Landing. I wanted to pack my bags and move in to this little world that looked exactly like it was ripped from the pages of a Dr. Seuss book.

I found the Cat in the Hat ride to be a bit jerky for my liking, but it was still fun to experience. My favourite attraction in Seuss Landing was “If I ran the zoo” which is basically a playground for 3 year olds (and yet, equally fun for 26 year olds!)

We met the Lorax under the Truffula Trees and isn’t he the cutest?

Tina and I went to both Universal Studios parks and of every attraction the children’s playgrounds were my favourite. I guess I like interactive stuff that is meant for toddlers. It’s my style.

Camp Jurassic in Jurassic Park

I also loved the Toon Lagoon park which was full of cartoon themed shops and restaurants that offered a lot to look at.

Tina and I lined up for Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges and didn’t realize until the last minute that it was a river raft ride which meant that we were going to be getting soaked.

It was worth it.

In summary:

Harry Potter World is too crowded to be all that fun, but the butterbeer is tasty. Seuss Landing is hella awesome. Me and 3 year olds enjoy the same entertainment.

Walt Disney World Marathon Recap

I ran the Disney World Marathon on Sunday, January 8th. My first official marathon.

Click on the photos for bigger versions. See all of my marathon photos here.

Getting Ready:

The morning started out so early that it was actually late. A 3:20AM wake-up call got me up from a restless night of little sleep. I tossed my clothes on, brushed my teeth, and read through the motivational quotes that my friend Tina gave me for inspiration. I shoved a muffin and granola bar in my mouth and headed down to the hotel lobby for my 3:45 cab to Epcot and the marathon starting line.

The Starting Line:

Getting between the drop off point and the starting line meant a 20 minute walk. Tina walked with me and the 20,000 other runners all the way to the corrals even though she wasn’t supposed to. The morning was chilly, but not uncomfortably cold. I wore a light jacket to the start then handed it off to Tina before she left me for the spectator area.

I was more than pissed that my kickass music playlist was a no-go since my iPod decided to stop functioning just days before the marathon. I had no music to pump me up for the run and would only have myself and my thoughts for the next 26 miles. I was a concerned that I would run out of thoughts. :/

Waiting in my corral, my stomach was upset. A little bit from nervousness, but mostly from the cabbage I ate at an Irish Pub the night before. I know what you’re thinking Who the hell eats cabbage the night before a marathon?!? I have no words to explain my lack of foresight that evening.

I hit up the porta-potties at the start line just as the elite runners were about to take off. The extra toilet paper that I put in my fanny pack was genius! I patted myself on the back for at least that foresight.

The race started at 5:30 but, since I was in corral E, I didn’t start until 5:45. Mickey Mouse counted us down, there were fireworks, and then the runners took off.

Miles 1-9 –Excitement:

Mile 1 and 2 came and went before we hit Epcot centre. We ran through some of the World Showcase (I remember Mexico and Norway, but can’t remember if we ran through others) and then right out of the park.

Tina was waiting for me at mile 4 with noise-makers, cheering, and words of encouragement. She was waiting for me again at mile 9 and it was always so inspiring to have her cheering me on.

In spite of already having taken 2 bathroom breaks, I was keeping about a 10 minute mile pace. I was feeling really good at this point and getting excited to come up on the Magic Kingdom at Mile 10.

Mile 10 –Running through Magic Kingdom:

I would rate this one of the top experiences in my life; even higher than crossing the finish line. There were so many spectators lining Main Street USA making so much noise that you couldn’t help but be motivated by all the energy that was pumping through that place. I probably could have flown through Magic Kingdom on all that energy, but I stopped for photo-ops.

The anticipation builds as you are about to enter Cinderella’s castle too, which is the pinnacle of marathon running awesomeness.

And then out you come, feeling like a princess, with a whole bunch of snap-happy photographers there to take your picture.

Miles 11-13 –Coming off the high:

I was still in high spirits (although my stomach was not so I stopped again to use the porta-potty) after coming out of the Magic Kingdom in the part of the race. We ran past the Grand Floridian and the golf resort, both of which made for good scenery.

I spotted Tina again just before the 13 mile mark though the spectators were bit far from the route barrier so I didn’t get a chance to stop and talk to her at this point which was disappointing because I knew that I wouldn’t see her until the finish line and I wasn’t even halfway done.

Mile 14-16 –Three miles from Hell:

I run the back roads of Essex County so I’m intimately familiar with boring stretches of road, and yet getting through these 3 dull miles between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom was tough. They call this an area “rarely seen by the public” but that’s just because it’s so awful. Hey Disney, let’s stop kidding ourselves and call it what it is: the worst part of the marathon course. You’re halfway through and there is nothing to look at, hardly any spectators, and very little incentive to keep running. At one point we even had to run past a garbage dump which smelled like ass and made me wonder out loud, “Are you fucking kidding me right now?!” to everyone around but no one in particular.

I had to make my fourth annoying bathroom stop to relieve my stomach ache and I stopped at the medical station to pump some biofreeze onto my right knee which was beginning to bother me at this point. At the medical stations they also had vaseline available. I considered reapplying some since I knew most of it had been wiped away during all my bathroom breaks, but I thought people would start to wonder when they saw me sticking my hand down my pants in public, so I refrained. In the end, the chaffing wasn’t so bad.

The highlight of this stretch was my photo-op with Pocahontas, Meeko, and John Smith from my favourite Disney movie. After that I gave a little fist pump and ran off at a quicker pace.

Mile 17-21 –Animal Kingdom:

I was relieved to see an ass on the side of the road. And falcons. It meant we were entering Animal Kingdom and most of the remaining miles would be through the theme parks. Animal Kingdom was open to the public by the time we ran through so there were lots of people around cheering on the runners. It wasn’t nearly as energetic as Magic Kingdom though where the spectators were lining the streets just to see the runners come through. I’ve never been to Animal Kingdom before but it was cool to run through the jungle trees, see the Tree of Life, and Mount Everest.

As we were leaving the park I stopped to get a photo with Minnie and then Mickey. That was my most exciting celebrity sighting.

Miles 19 to 21 were on a stretch of highway between Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios where I started to add lots of walking intervals among my slower running, decreasing my pace to about 12 minute miles. At mile 20.5 there were some entertainers lining the road and asking people where they were from. I shouted “Canada!” into the mic and the guy says, “Canada? Um, okay?” which made me confused. Was that the wrong answer?

Mile 22-24 –Hollywood Studios:

My left shin was really starting to hurt and the biofreeze did nothing for my knee. I kept my walking intervals but just being in the park motivated me to run a little more than I had been on the highways.

I felt that there was a lot more to experience in Hollywood Studios compared to Animal Kingdom. There were more spectators and there were more sights to see, like the tower of terror, a costume design studio, and the iconic sorcerer’s hat. The spectators there had a lot of energy, maybe because we were so close to the finish. Everyone was shouting, “Only 3 miles to go!” but 3 miles feels like a long time when you’ve already run 23.

I grabbed some candy and chocolate at mile 23. I pocketed the chocolate for later because the richness didn’t sound appetizing, but I pounded back the candy.

At mile 24 I stopped for my fifth and last bathroom break in an actual public bathroom which felt positively luxurious in comparison to the stinky porta-potties I was getting used to. I tried to force myself to run as much as possible for the last 2.2 miles.

Mile 25-26 –The Boardwalk and Epcot:

Because you don’t need a theme park ticket to check out the boardwalk, it was lined with lots of spectators there just for the race. The energy was really building at this point with just a mile left to go and so many people cheering on the runners, it felt pretty good to be almost done despite the pain I was feeling.

We ran through the World Showcase in Epcot again which was much better during the day when you can really experience it. No one was stopping for pictures at this point because the race was almost done. I stopped for a quick picture with the Beast in France, my favourite Disney leading man, and Mushu from Mulan in China.

Before I knew it I was rounding the corner toward the finish line.

The Finish:

The energy from the crowd here was intense! I figured Tina was somewhere out in the stands so I was just waving at everyone like a celebrity on the red carpet and hoping that I she would see me. (I ended up finding her just passed the finish line)

I was so happy with my race that I crossed the finish with a huge smile on my face.

Final Time: 5:14:50
Goal Time: 5:15ish or whatever
Training Miles Run: 347.5
Bathroom Breaks: 5
Food Eaten on Course: 2 dates, 1 banana, 2 Clif Shots, 1 pack of candies
Cups of Powerade Consumed: 30+
Body Parts in Pain: 4: lower back, right knee, left shin, right foot
Disney Characters I Took Pictures With: 26 (See all of my marathon photos here.)