I'm gaining on you!

Hey guys!

I am totally, super, crazy, excited about the fact that I am actually seeing results in my running. I had a major set back last week but now I'm back up and running. (Literally!) For the past six years I've needed surgery on my left foot. It is something that flares up on me if I wear the wrong shoes for too long, or if I do huge amount of walking in bad shoes. I looked into surgery and honestly the surgery isn't what scares me... its the recovery time. I would be on crutches for at least 3 weeks and in a boot for up to three months. I am far to active to be out of commission that long.. especially when its something that doesn't happen all the time. Lately I've been very lucky that I haven't had any flare ups until recently.

The past few times I've gone to the gym to run I've been wearing these...

When my foot was really giving me a hard time about a year ago I looking into the Vibrams five fingers. I'd heard that they were great for people with feet issues. However I just couldn't see buying them for over $100 when I didn't even know if they would work for me and lets be honest all of these shoes look a bit funny. My sister told me about the FILA Skeletoes and that they were only $38. I figured I would give them a try and I have to say THEY WORK! Its like you've got nothing on your feet and I have to say that running in these is a totally different and better experience.

If you follow my blog I posted about running around my neighborhood last weekend. It had rained the night before that run and there were some puddles. It also was only in the high 40's low 50's. I didn't really want to have cold , wet feet while I ran so against my better judgement I put on some regular sneakers. BAD MOVE! Not only did I feel a lot more strain on my shins (that shin splint pain) but the next day I had a massive flare up in my left foot to the point where I couldn't even put any weight on it. I was so bummed out. I still went to the gym and worked out my arms and back but, I couldn't help watching everyone else on the treadmills and actually missing it!

Over the past week I read a lot about the condition I have and about what I can do to prevent flare ups. One of the things they say is to get shoes like the ones I have. Specifically the Vibrams brand. So after talking to Adam I think I'm going to invest in a pair of the Vibrams. The FILA's were fine for a while but the material is starting to come apart from the sole and they do feel cheap in comparison. Regardless of whether i'm running or not, they are better for my overall foot health so I can see spending the money on the best of the best since I'll be using them on a more everyday use. The other thing I read about to help prevent flare ups is to ice after every run.  Even if my foot isn't hurting I need to ice it to stop any swelling. Thats easy enough!

My foot started feeling much better and by Saturday morning I was having no pain and I was feeling ready to get back to the gym. I got up early, put on my FILA's and hit the gym. I knew I didn't want to push it so what I did was jogged. I didn't want to focus on speed I wanted to focus on endurance.... I was so proud of myself! I told myself just to listen to my music and not even focus on how far I went. Which is something I torture myself with... I constantly look at how far I went and how long i've been running. I am so proud to announce that I wasn't even winded and I had already gone one whole mile jogging! I thought it would be fun to see exactly how far I could go! I went 1.75miles jogging! I power walked the rest of the 0.25miles to make it an even 2 miles. I was so proud. I know its not that big of a deal next to a half marathon let alone a full marathon but to me it was a great accomplishment!

Don't get me wrong I am pretty sore today but I feel great! I had so much more energy yesterday and I was in such a good mood. I started thinking that if I'm making this much progress in just a couple weeks and with a bum foot for a few days, How much can I do before the wine and dine in November?? Maybe I can convince Adam to start training with me and we can do the marathon relay! :)

How are you guys doing on your new years resolutions? If you're training for any of the Run Disney events how are you doing?

xoxo

My obsession with "The Princess and the Frog"

Hey guys!

Let me first start this post by saying the I whole heartedly believe that I was a southern belle in another life. I love southern food, culture, history,and my favorite golden girl is Blanche Deveroux. (hehehe) Lately I have become extremely interested in Louisiana, specifically New Orleans. Cajun cooking and the amazing music from that comes from New Orleans completely fascinate me! Enter... Disney's Princess and the Frog...

I am completely in love with this movie for so many reasons! If you've already seen it, tell me if you agree with me or not. If you've not yet seen it or are skeptical I hope I can change your mind! Here is a quick run down of why I love it!

This movie does not take place along time ago, or in a land far far away. It takes place in turn of the century New Orleans. To me, this makes the story different and appealing in a new way. The background animation in Princess and the Frog is nothing short of mini pieces of fine art. The images of Bourbon st. and the bayou are simply breathtaking and make me want to visit New Orleans so much! Don't get me wrong, imagining you can be in a castle with Cinderella is just as fun, but the idea of someday visiting New Orleans and being a part of the city that played a major role in the film is just awesome. Seriously I have no other word for it other than awesome!

Princess and the Frog is not so much of a fantasy. Although turning into a frog is totally fantasy, working as a waitress doing double shifts because you're trying to open your own restaurant can absolutely be somebody's reality. Princess Tiana doesn't become a princess until the very end of the movie. She is just a normal girl trying to do the best she can for herself. I think Disney does a good job of giving all of their princesses strong personalities, but Tiana has to be one of the strongest, with an incredible drive to achieve her dream. All Disney princesses have gone through struggles, but some how Tianna's struggle is different. She learns that working hard is very important but so is stopping to smell the roses and enjoying life! I feel like so many of us work hard and don't get to enjoy the little things enough. I thought it was a very appealing message for Disney to add to Princess and the Frog.

Prince Naveen and Lottie are hysterical! This movie is not just for girls and this movie is not just for kids either. Prince Naveen is no prince charming when we first meet him and the jokes are very funny. I found myself laughing out loud every time he came on the screen. I can totally see little boys loving his character and really enjoying the whole movie. Lottie, who is one Tiana's only friends, is the mayor of New Orleans' daughter. She makes me laugh because I think Disney created her character with people like me in mind. She believes with all her heart that if she wishes on a star hard enough, all of her dreams will come true. She is extremely girly and is very funny! Her crazy Disney-ish lease on life seems insane to everyone but her and she doesn't care. She knows that deep down she will find her prince charming and live happily ever after, and she is a great friend to Tiana. This is why she is currently my avatar on Twitter! I think any girl in my age range, who grew up on Disney princess movies would really love her character.

They went back to good hand drawn animation!!! Don't get me wrong I love Pixar but I needed a good hand drawn Disney movie. I missed movies like Lion King and Aladdin and Little Mermaid. This movie was the answer to my Disney wishes!! I really hope Disney keeps this trend moving forward.

So there you have it, a quick run down of why I absolutely loved Princess and the Frog. I am lucky enough to have an amazing husband who bought me the blu-ray for Christmas this year. If you get the chance I highly recommend checking out the bonus features on the blu-ray. They were fantastic and I loved learning about the work that went into this movie. It gave me a totally new appreciation for it.

xoxo

Bringing World Showcase to my Kitchen

I've been missing wdw a lot lately. I usually find that around this time of year I miss warm weather, being on vacation, and that warm and fuzzy Disney feeling. I think it has to do with being smack in the middle of winter, being in-between vacations and now that the holidays are over I'm not getting my warm and fuzzy feeling anymore from anything. Luckily I have some ways of coping with my Disney withdrawal depression. One way is through my Twitter friends. I love how there is always atleast one person in the parks and a multitude of friends who wouldn't mind talking Disney with me. Another way Adam and I like to get through it is it bring alittle world showcase to us! One of our favorite world showcase pavilions is Germany. It is tradition that we always get the bratwurst and sauerkraut with an ice cold German beer! We thought it would be fun to try our hand at it! I am happy to report that this recipe is not only pretty easy but its rather tasty as well!

BRATWURST WITH SAUERKRAUT AND APPLES

6 slices bacon 1 sm. onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 (32 oz.) can sauerkraut, drained and rinsed 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1 c. water 1/2 c. dry white wine - apple juice, or apple juice 1 tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. instant chicken bouillon 1 tsp. caraway seed 1 bay leaf 1 lb. bratwurst 1 lg. apple, cored and sliced Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Crumble; set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons dripping. Cook onion and garlic in dripping. Stir in sauerkraut, potatoes, water, white wine or apple juice, brown sugar, dry bouillon, caraway seed, and bay leaf. Add more water, if needed. Score bratwurst. Add to mixture. Cover. Simmer 1 - 1 1/4 hours until potatoes are tender. Add apple. Cook until tender. Remove bay leaf. Serves 5.

While its not exactly what you'd find at Epcot its close enough! Definitely brought back some good memories, and cooking with Adam is always a fun mini adventure. What do you do in-between vacations to help get you through?? Xoxo

Making progress!!

Good morning and happy Saturday everyone!! This weekend is Disney's marathon weekend in WDW!! Good luck to all the runners and I hope to see you there next year!
Just a quick post today since I have a major amount of cleaning and laundry to do. I got up this morning with every intention of going to the gym. I told Adam that I wasn't looking forward to the crowds and he suggested I just run around our neighborhood instead.
My issue with this is, how do I time myself? How do I know how far I went? Didn't know if that was the best idea... Then a light bulb went off..there must be an app for that!!! And sure enough there is! Lol
I downloaded the iMapMyRun app and hit the road! I found a perfect little circuit through my neighborhood that was exactly a mile from the end of my drive way and back. I am happy to report that I did a whole mile in 10 minutes and 46 seconds!! That's so much better than 12 minutes! Plus I ran most of if!
I am so happy with even that little bit of progress. If I keep it up I should be able to run a 5k sooner than I know it!
Have a great weekend everyone!