Reasons Why We Run: Ice Cream.

Amy and ToniAnn told me that once we finish the half marathon, we can have this dessert. I swear to a higher power, if they try to sweep me, I will sweep the leg...Cobra Kai style.

No one will get between me and this....not even me.... (see what I did there?!)

Mmmm. Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream.

6.2 Miles of Cold, Wind, and FUN!!!

Race Recap: 11/2/2014 Biggest Loser 10K

Waking up at 5am is new to me, but I knew I needed to eat before trying to run my first 10k. This will be the first time that I would try to run this distance. I had everything ready to go. I packed my clothes the night before and made myself a peanut butter sandwich on an English muffin. As I hate my breakfast, I was starting to get nervous and doubt myself that I could do this. It was cold and windy and I knew I would be fine once I started running. Courtney picked me up and we headed to Six Flags Great Adventure. Walking from the car to the big blue tents, I started to get excited. Then, you see this long line to pick up bibs and it was for the 5k. The 10k line was like 3 people deep which then made me think I was crazy. Then, it was time to get my costume on and wait for the start time. We got dressed and headed to the starting line, after taking some pictures of course.

The wind was blowing as the national anthem was sung by the biggest losers own Dan Evans. The race was starting and the excitement came over me.

The first mile seemed like forever because it was a lot of dodging people and trying to find a comfortable groove of a run/walk ratio. Shortly before mile 2 was a water stop and Courtney was behind me. The course was a lot of mud, rocks, and leaves when we weren’t in the theme park. I got to mile 3 and realized that I could not see Courtney anymore and that this was now up to me to motivate myself (which was always really hard.) The 10k course was a double loop so when we got back to the start/ finish line, we had to do the course over again. At this point, my anxiety kicked in that I had 3 more miles to go. I walked a bit to catch my breath and started to focus on my intervals. I have learned that taking a 30 second break to breath and walk is the best thing I can do to keep myself strong.

At this point, not many people were on the second loop because there were not that many people doing the 10k. I felt like I can focus and really clear my head. I had this moment when I didn’t hear my music anymore and I talked to myself a lot.

I had a goal to finish in 1:15 because I wanted to make sure I was under a 15 min mile. Needless to say, my math was WAY off and I have no clue why I messed that up. As my runkeeper app told me that I was at 1 hour, I didn’t think I was going to make my goal so I decided to have some fun. I started dancing and singing and asking siri to play all of my favorite songs. The course took us through the back of the park and at one point, a dozen or so baboons were staring at us running. I crossed the finish line and got a high 5 from Pam Geil from the Biggest Loser and then I didn't want to fall. 

I received my cool medal and all I had to do was wait for Courtney now. I felt myself getting emotional because I felt strong at the end but nothing was as emotional as when I saw Courtney rounding the corner to the finish. I was SO happy for her. We stood in line for pictures and then I saw my time. I finished in 1:18 with an average pace of 12:37 per mile. I did what I set out to do and did better than expected. I now feel confident that with the proper training and dedication, I can do anything.

 XoXo

ToniAnn
@MrsT9 on Instagram

A 10K Through Pictures.

Last Sunday I forced myself to get out of bed at 6:00 AM to get dressed and out of the house to run/walk my first timed race, the Biggest Loser Run/Walk at Great Adventure.

Grumpy Courtney.

Originally I planned on dressing like She-Ra, however the temperature dropped overnight and Sunday turned out to be the coldest day we've had yet this season. She-Ra went out the door and instead I ended up looking a little more Bag Lady Rocky, but that's actually pretty fitting.

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.

Then I went and picked up ToniAnn, who was dressed like Rainbow Bright and utterly adorable and not grumpy. Not grumpy at all. We arrived and took the obligatory "We are Here!" picture.

We are here!

Then we stood in the cold. That wasn't so fun. Then the race started. That wasn't so fun either, if we are being honest, which I've pledged to always be during this journey. However, it wasn't fun while I was walking/jogging at 10K..so let's keep some perspective. While it pains me to share these, if there aren't pics, it didn't happen, right?!

Ummm...

I really thought...

I was going to magically look amazing while running.

So, that was me running. As you can see, I was yucking it up there out on the course! Just a super positive runner...in my grumpy hat...and huffy face.

However.... I finished!!!!!!!!!!!

So shiny!

When I hit the 5K mark, I saw my time was around 49 minutes. I won't lie, I felt kind of disappointed. I really wanted to be at 45 minutes. That got me down for a bit and then I realized I didn't start exactly when the clock went off, so maybe I had a few minute grace period. My final race time was 1:36. That's not too bad when you consider I haven't really started training hard and this is my starting point. I submitted it to RunDisney and they put me at finishing the 1/2 marathon at 3:31. Also disappointing as the max time is 3:30. However, I need to shake that thinking off.

Vision quests aren't easy. There are hurdles. And I plan to stomp on those mothereffin' hurdles.

More honesty..I have no idea who these people are.
I don't watch the show. Super nice though!

Let me introduce myself!

Well I know that my fabulous girls have introduced and shared their experience on how we all got here! You all know what happened that fated night over boiling pots of cheese and chocolate, PRINCESSES, RUNNING and DISNEY!!! 

So let me tell you about myself. 

My name is Amy! I am a fabulous 43 years old and a mother to 2 amazing boys and Wife to El Jeffe!

So how did we end up signed up for 10K's and half marathons you ask? How did we end up eating 

fondue? How did we end up together?

I can tell you that 2 1/2 years ago on June 23rd 2012 I walked into Weight Watchers at 268 lbs and ready for a change. 2012 was a year of change for me as I lost my mom in February and it turned my world upside down, but in a good way. I found the strength in her to go on and become who I am today. 

In that WW meeting room I found a group of women that all struggled and struggle with this thing called LB'S! But we came together in that room slowly month by month we started to move closer (literally) in both the meeting room and outside. We are each others rocks and cheerleaders and I am so privileged to say Friends!!!

So after 2 years I reached my goal of 160 lb.'s on June 28, 2014, almost 2 years to the day that I walked in. 108lb's gone and a new love of so many things. 

Soooooo......that night at the table came the bucket list and my reveal that I want to run a Disney race and here we are working towards our February Princess weekend!!!  (can i tell you I am so excited to get to do all things princess, since i have boys it is all Star Wars and Roller Coasters)

That's a little bit about me and I will share more as we go along, so off to bed i go and this week will be the start of my training for the 10K. (I am a week behind but I will be ready!!!)

Just a little eye candy for you here is a before and after of me and my youngest.

Till we meet again!!

Scenic Tales: When the Clouds Clear

Boardwalk after the rain. Night.

Recap from my Week One of training

So the Glass Slipper Challenge training started this week. If anyone doesn't know what the Glass Slipper Challenge is, it is a 2 day challenge in Walt Disney World. We run a 10k on a Saturday and a half marathon on the Sunday. I am a little nervous about doing this but I know of I train according to the schedule, I will be fine. I hope to get stronger every day. 

Training starts out with 2 weekday runs and then a longer run on the weekend. Looking through the plan, it is a little scary seeing the longer runs and thinking I can't do it. I can easily psych myself out of things so I need to just trust the training and go for it!

Week 1 was a crazy week for me. On Tuesday, I did my run on the treadmill and I realized how much I HATE the treadmill when I have a goal in mind. It's just so boring and I can't push myself the way I can outside. I planned to run on Thursday but there was a school event for my son Timmy so I forced myself to get up early on Friday morning and I hit the treadmill. After our Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday, Lora and I went for a 3 mile run outside. It felt great! 

I learned two things this week:

1. I hate the treadmill and want to run outside more.

2. I need to invest in some more cold weather gear for outside runs this winter.

I Want to update this every week so I can keep myself accountable but so you can also see how determination and dedication can go along way. I need to prove to myself that I can do anything I put my mind on. 

Next week, Courtney and I will run the Biggest Loser 10k with our friend Lora so we can submit a time for the GSC. 10k will be the longest distance we have ever run and it's scary but I believe that we can push each other and reach our goals. I have a time goal in mind and then I get this email to motivate me!

Have a great week everyone!

Xoxo

ToniAnn

Instagram- @mrsT9

And My Feet Were Runnin', Runnin'!

Every sign of strength is a new victory. Tonight during my board"walk" I jogged a bit. That felt good...what felt great was when this song came on the rotation...and I jogged the entire length.

That's almost 4 minutes non stop jogging, plus a little into the next song. Walked and then jogged a few more steps to boot.

I don't know what will happen on Sunday. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up and make the time to get that better corral for February.

I do know...that actually come February..I'm going to be so much stronger than I ever thought possible.

Scenic Tales: Twilight

The arch between Belmar and Spring Lake.

Bouncy Babes and Inflatable Egos

We were so innocent.

Let's talk about terrain. Okay, I'm not really qualified to talk about terrain, but I thought it would be a great segue for what I want to talk about...which is sand. Yes, sand.

Living at the beautiful Jersey Shore, I've grown up with sand. It's a staple. It's home. It's the coolest thing when it's covered with snow. I think I always took it for granted, because typically when walking on sand it is short distances to plop down in said sand...or to get to the packed sand along the shore line.

At least that was until this September.

Caught up in good peer pressure and the excitement of friends, including Her Royal Sassyness and Her Royal Fierceness, I signed up for the Insane Inflatable 5K race in Seaside Heights, NJ. I figured the bulk of activity would be bouncy houses, so it wouldn't be so much a running race, as much as a walking obstacle course. After I paid my registration fee, I forgot about it.

This was the final straw. Literally.

The day before I saw some posts go up teasing about the inflatable obstacles. Then I looked closer. The 3.1 mile course was on the beach. In the sand.

I knew that would make it very difficult. As soon as we got over the "start" obstacle and took our first steps in the sand, I realized it might very well be impossible. I was exhausted after five steps. Oh, and although it was the weekend after Labor Day, it was about 98-degrees out. Right.

Many people shared my anguish over this course. Many people went up and walked on the boardwalk and then came down only to do the obstacles.

I was not one of many. I did not go up on the boardwalk. I said through my clenched jaw that if we are doing it, we are doing it right. 

Let's just say I suffered through that course. I cursed my friends. I sweated. I ached. I cried. I completed all obstacles but one. I finished the race.

Yes. I finished. In the sand.

One day one of these is going to be chocolate. I just know it!

It was not easy. It felt impossible. I hated it. But I completed it. I did not quit. None of us did. I guess we really are capable of things that seem unfathomable.

This is a spectrum of kick-ass ladies.

I will begrudgingly admit that once I completed the race I felt so amazing. I will also admit that although we walked the entire thing, once we finished ToniAnn and I then RAN down the beach and jumped into the ocean. That was pretty priceless.

Also priceless? Our fantastic friend and cheerleader Lora. She came to support us and ended up hanging around in the heat as we realized this was going to take a bit longer than we thought, and cheered us on the entire way. 

Jersey Girls Never Quit.

This race also featured Cheryl (orange), Adriane (brighter orange), and Veena (purple). 

One of the biggest takeaways from this race for me was at the end when we all started saying "If we had more water we probably could have done better...." or "If we did this, maybe it would have been quicker..."

Her Royal Sassyness paused and said, "Ladies, what are we saying? We completed it. It doesn't get much better."

Truer words were never spoken.

A Tale of Two Color Runs

Reality is setting in. I’m signed up for the Biggest Loser 10K at Six Flags Great Adventure on November 2^nd. The goal is to try to get a time so that ToniAnn and I can get into an earlier corral for the Glass Slipper Challenge. I know ToniAnn can do it, but I’m not sure about myself. 

Anyone else ever get in a funk? Yeah, I’d probably tell you to snap out of it because you are so fabulous..so maybe I should listen to myself!

However, I've had a few more races under my belt since the last time we chatted. 

In September I walked/jogged the Central NJ Color Run. I did this with ToniAnn and our friend Lora. I had no intentions of jogging at all, in fact my Taurean stubbornness pretty much dictated that I would not, so don’t even try me. This is Her Royal Whineness at her best!  Yet, ToniAnn and her Fierceness could not be stopped..and as she jogged around me…not necessarily taunting me per say…her fierceness kind of swept over me and I ended up jogging way more than I ever thought I could have. Yes…could have.

Colors of success!

Meanwhile, I just did my second Color Run in Atlantic City this past weekend. It was windy, rainy, cold and just terrible. TERRIBLE! But…I did it. I did not take any shortcuts. I even jogged a little, but in those conditions it was more about finishing than excelling. And you know what…that’s okay.

You don’t wake up one day and suddenly you are a runner. It takes time, it takes overcoming hurdles..and sometimes the biggest hurdles are your own doubts.

I haven’t failed at anything I've tried yet on this journey…so I guess I have no actual reason to feel like I can’t make something happen in three weeks at Great Adventure. So there!

This is just the beginning.......

Welcome to my first post! I feel like I've been running 5ks for years but I've never felt like I  needed to do anything more. I've always had a hard time pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I joined Weight Watchers 4 years ago after having my son and it has taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to. I've also met the most amazing people. Now buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy and an amazing ride! 

 Let's go back to 2013 when my husband and I decided to take my son to Disney in May. We happened to be there during the weekend of the Expedition Everest Challenge. The day after, everyone was talking about how much fun they had and I decided that if we were in Disney again during that race, I would sign up. I think it was December 17, 2014, I received a message from Eric (an amazing runner and fellow WW friend), reminding me about registration opening up. Thanks to him I registered that night!

Expedition Everest Challenge was on May 3rd this year and it was such a great experience for me. I ran alone but in a runDisney race, it was hard to feel alone. It was raining hard at one point but it did not ruin the vibe that this race gave off. I was nervous but knew I could do it! I've done 5ks before but this was different. It was a different feeling and it was so much fun! 

When I came back, I stared at the really cool medal and knew I wanted more. So now it's off to Disney World in February 2015 for the Glass Slipper Challenge. I am excited to see the changes in my mind, body, and soul during the training. 

I will be following Jeff Galloways training program which officially starts on 10/21/2014. The first step in this journey will be the Biggest Loser 10k on 11/2/2014 that Courtney and I will be running so we can submit a time for the Disney race to get a better corral for the 1/2. 

You can follow me on Instagram at mrst9. I can promise you that we will not disappoint!

XoXo

ToniAnn

2015 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend? Sounds like Rundue Fundue!!!!

It's amazing what happens when friends get together over fondue. One might say the cheese brought out the camaraderie in us that night, but I know what it really was...it was the s'mores chocolate.

The crushed graham cracker, melted marshmallow, and milk chocolate swirled into a magical combination that had us oohing and ahhing and commenting how we felt like royalty.

Which led to talking about princesses, which naturally led to Disney World, which then led to talking about the 2015 Disney Princesses 1/2 Marathon weekend. Caught in a spell of chocolate, the three of us exclaimed through our chocolate filled mouths, "We should totally do that!!! We should dress up like princesses and run." I silently added, "or you know..walk really fast."

Three months later we are registered and ready to blog about it--because it's not real if we aren't blogging about it.

I'm your blog hostess, Courtney aka Her Royal Whineness. I'm the least ready of the group. I'm not a runner, I'm barely a walker right now. I signed up for the Glass Slipper Challenge...a 10K on Saturday and the 1/2 Marathon on Sunday..because that's how I roll. If I'm going to do it...I'm going to do it big!

Amy aka Her Royal Sassyness is signed up for the Disney Enchanted 10K. She's pretty incredible and I can't wait for you to get to know her. This is her first 10K and she wants to do it the right way. Meaning she's going to look fabulous and smile the entire time...because she's worked so hard to get here! She's going to dominate this race!!!

ToniAnn aka Her Royal Fierceness is also signed up for The Glass Slipper Challenge. She's an actual runner, with running skirts and medals to boot!!!! She's a super inspiration and I can't wait to watch her run through Cinderella's Castle..because she'll be doing that wayyyyy before I reach it!

The three of us will take turns posting on this blog, so you'll get to experience this journey three ways.

So, let's not waste any more time...

Once Upon A Time....

Amy, Courtney, ToniAnn