#26: Go to Comic-Con dressed as a superhero or other famous sci-fi character

I'll open this blog post with a disclaimer: I know that the real item on my "30 Things" list specifically says that I need to attend "Comic Con" and unfortunately no, I was not able to go back in time to attend this summer's actual event in San Diego, however, I hope that you will allow me this explanation. When I created my "30 Things" list, I did so with a blue sky in mind and didn't think at all about financial implications or the amount of time it would take to achieve these things, and looking back, I realize that I may have been a bit ambitious in adding too many items to my list that require some sort of traveling. Given the fact that I don't have as much discretionary income as I'd like, and that fact that the Celebration VI Star Wars convention was being held in Orlando this year, I did a little switcheroo. Now, I still hope to make it to the real Comic Con one day, but in the meanwhile, this was a great way for me to check an item off my list and have a really fun day doing it!


If you are surprised to hear that I'm a big enough Star Wars fan to attend a convention of this sort, it may just be because I fly my nerd flag selectively. Believe it or not, although waxing on for hours about different Harry Potter spells, Star Wars planets and other superhero storylines does indeed make me giddy, I do know how to suppress my nerdy tendencies and hold normal conversations too. So if you're not a nerd, which most of my friends are not, I've probably opted out of sharing this information with you so as not to bore you or cause you to run away screaming. Now, this is the opposite with my friend Kyle, who you might remember from my half marathon post. He is the King of the Nerds (and I don't think he'll mind me saying this, because he knows that this is a compliment) and we almost exclusively talk about nerdy things and/or do nerdy things together (he was also my partner in crime for the double-feature Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows midnight showing in which we also donned costumes). I knew immediately that he'd be the perfect person to join me at Celebration VI and would proudly come wearing his Jedi best.

In addition to buying my ticket (we opted to go on the last day of the convention to avoid the crazy crowds), I also had to determine which character to dress up as. Typically in the sci-fi/fantasy sphere, women don't get a whole lot of choice. Female superheroes tend to a) wear a skin-tight suit of spandex (a la Black Widow or Cat Woman) or b) run around practically naked like Slave Leia or Wonder Woman. Personally, I don't have the body or a great enough lack of inhibition to pull off either of these options. Plus, I knew that in addition to finding a costume I'd like to wear, I also had to figure out how I was going about finding that costume considering I don't sew a lick.

I wound up purchasing a custom-made gown on eBay for...I'm scared to admit it...$150. I know, it is entirely impractical to spend that much money on a costume that I will likely only wear a few times. But oh, it's so pretty! The gown is from the very last scene in A New Hope when Princess Leia is giving medals to Luke and Han, and it represents perhaps one of Leia's most elegant moments. In addition, I figured that it was a less "popular" scene in the films, so if I wore that gown I'd perhaps be only one in a handful to wear it to the convention (it's sort of like prom where you don't want to be seen in the same gown as another woman). And let me tell you, folks, that dress was MAGIC!

Okay, not real magic, but a sort of made-my-dreams-come-true-magic, if you will. Another perhaps little known secret about me is that I have always, always, always dreamed of being a Disney Princess and I am sincerely and thoroughly crushed that I am officially too old and too far down the professional pipeline to ever become one. If anybody ever wants to make my year, arrange for those costuming folks to dress me up as Belle or Cinderella and you will probably see me cry with joy. Tangent aside, I think wearing this costume may be as close as I will ever come to knowing what it feels like to walk through the Magic Kingdom wearing a princess costume. Everywhere I went, people were looking my way and TWELVE times I was asked by a complete stranger if they could take a picture of me. Granted I don't usually relish this kind of attention, but today I was soaking it in. Perhaps it's because I knew I was among my nerd bretheren who would appreciate my attire rather than judge it or think it weird! In addition to our own costumes, Kyle and I also saw some other greats, including Darth himself, Admiral Ackbar, Darth Maul, lots of Jedis and even a male version of Aura Singh.

In total, we wound up spending about 6 hours at the convention. We saw a great panel with Warwick Davis, ate a themed lunch, got Disney Star Wars name tags in Aurbesh, took lots of pictures and browsed through hundreds of exhibitors pawning their best merchandise. By the time we left, we were thoroughly exhausted and already brainstorming about our next nerd outing.

And with that, another item has been checked off my list. Only 17 to go! Until next time...

#2: Get an acupuncture treatment

Acupuncture, as well as other homeopathic and ancient healing methods, has always fascinated me, and that is originally why #2 made its way onto my 30 Things list. As of late, however, my interest has piqued significantly, going from "I'd like to try this so I can say I tried it" to actually hoping it could make a medical difference. Let me tell you a little story...

As many of you know, I suffer from Crohn's Disease, as well as other annoying ailments like allergies, headaches, acne, etc., all of which tend to result in me ingesting a far greater quantity of medication than I'd like. And as I've made certain changes in my life -- becoming a vegetarian, trying to eat mostly organic foods, using only organic and natural cosmetics -- I've started to see all of these medications in a different light. Sure, some medications and treatments are absolutely necessary (I am NOT one of those people that won't vaccinate my kids, or refuses to pop an Advil to cure a headache), but I've noticed more and more lately that doctors try to treat the symptoms of illness, rather than doing the necessary exploration to find and treat the cause of the symptom. Not to give too much information here, but I went to the dermatologist the other day because I've got some chest and back acne that's bugging me. I clearly stated to the doctor that I really didn't care to be on acne medication for the rest of my life so I was hoping to figure out what was causing the acne and treat that. Of course, she nodded along like she agreed at first, but then she hurried me out of the office with three prescriptions for various pills, creams and lotions that she even admitted wouldn't cure me, but would keep things in a controlled state. How's that for exactly the opposite of what I asked for?

At the end of the day, this is a very long-winded way of saying that my distaste for doctors' attitudes and prescription-writing frenzies has further increased my desire to pursue alternate courses of treatment for some of these less-critical and more annoying conditions. And therefore, conveniently having acupuncture on my list, and even more conveniently meeting a friend at work that is undergoing acupuncture, made my decision to schedule my first appointment simple.

Let me start by saying that there's no reason to hide the fact that actually making the appointment and driving myself to the office scared the crap out of me (ok, I was scared during the evaluation, too, and stayed scared until she put the first needle in my foot...but I'll get to that in a minute). I think it would be an outright lie if anyone who has never had acupuncture tried to sit here and say the thought of someone sticking multiple needles into various body parts wasn't a bit unnerving (unless maybe you've gotten a tattoo in which case you apparently have no aversion to unnecessarily sticking yourself with needles...next time, try acupuncture instead, it's way less permanent).

My appointment at Ling's Acupuncture was for 12noon on Saturday (part of the appeal of this place is the Saturday hours!) and after arriving I was promptly ushered into a small room that looked very much like a typical doctor's office waiting room, except with slightly more soothing lighting. Dr. Wang came in shortly thereafter and asked me a series of medical questions -- why was I here? when did I feel pain? what helped the pain? how long did it last? -- after which she explained that acupuncture is designed to restore the balance in the body...something about qi, which is pronounced chee, but honestly she was talking so fast in somewhat broken English and I was still scared as heck, so I caught about 30% of what she was saying. I do remember that she stated that acupuncture can help increase blood flow in the body, or balance your yin and yang, which apparently represent heat and cold. By this point, I was just ready to get started and see what these needles felt like.

Dr. Wang had me lay on the table and she started wiping down certain areas of my body with an alcohol swab (feet, legs, belly, hands, forehead and scalp...and yes, when she went up to my forehead and scalp I got a little more scared). But then all of a sudden she was down by my feet and said "is that okay?" and I was like...is what okay? Wait, you just stuck a needle in me? I hadn't felt a darn thing. Le sigh. This wasn't going to hurt! Hallelujah! Dr. Wang continued sticking my feet and legs and I couldn't feel any of it. I got a little more nervous when she came up to my belly, but she told me to relax, that she'd be very gentle and she was right. There were a couple of needles that stung the slightest bit (one in my left hand, in particular), but for the most part, the experience was absolutely painless.

The best part comes next. Dr. Wang turned on a heat lamp and focused it on my midriff, put on soothing Chinese instrumental music and left me to relax for 25 minutes. Seriously guys, I think I was asleep 10 minutes in. I actually woke myself up with a loud snort, which is a bad sign that I was probably snoring. Regardless, I felt refreshed by the time Dr. Wang came back in to remove the needles and send me on my merry way.

Of course, one treatment isn't supposed to really accomplish much (just as going to the gym one time won't turn you into a body builder), so I'm scheduled to go back next weekend for treatment two. The likelihood of me being able to keep up with this in the long term is probably pretty slim as it's $75 a treatment, but I figure I'll give it a month and if it seems to have worked miracles, I may re-evaluate my finances to see if this can't be squeezed in. For now, I'm just glad that I faced another one of my fears and crossed another item off my list!

Til next time...

Two years to go and counting!

Another birthday has come and gone, and thanks in large part to my team at work, it was a great day! It always strikes me how quickly the years fly by, and in particular this year, I felt sort of reluctant and melancholy about celebrating and/or making a big deal out of my birthday. I'm not sure why this year of all years felt so strange, but perhaps it's partly due to the fact that I'm at the age where birthdays bring you closer to milestones that seem to have so much weight attached to them. I guess it's my own fault for setting unreasonable expectations for myself, but sometimes I think about all the things I was "supposed" to accomplish by now and then make myself totally and completely depressed by focusing on how I haven't achieved many of those things. I know, it's absolutely, totally stupid and that is the main reason why I am here writing this blog post right now -- to remind myself that it's not about the things you don't accomplish in life, but more about the effort you make to fill your days with fun activities, meaningful relationships, continuous challenges and lots of laughter.

When I look back on the last year (..and a few months, since I technically started my 30 Things prior to my 27th birthday), it's striking to remember all the fun and unusual things I've done. From swimming with dolphins to riding in a hot air balloon, to going pretend sky-diving, having my fortune read by a psychic and even facing a "fear" singing karaoke in front of complete strangers, it's been a wild ride!

And the excitement has just begun! With more than half of my "things" still yet to tackle, I'm looking forward to another year of facing fears, learning new things and maybe even making a fool of myself. Here's what's coming up...

- At the end of August, I am attending the Celebration VI Star Wars Convention dressed in full nerd regalia and I simply can't wait! I actually ordered a custom-made Princess Leia gown that's fashioned after her attire during the ceremonial scene at the end of Episode IV. It's going to be awesome.
- Also in August I'm planning to go for my first acupuncture treatment after receiving a referral from a friend at work. I'm totally nervous about the pain, but excited to see if it's worth all the hype!
- In September, it looks like I may be crossing off my "be in the audience of a TV show" item by attending a Price is Right show in Lakeland. It's not exactly the real thing since it's not a taping of the actual show that airs with Drew Carey, but it may very well be good enough!

Hopefully as the rest of the year winds down, more "things" will fall into place, but for now, I'm excited to tackle the line-up that's presently in store. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me during the first year of my adventure. I appreciate all of the support!

#12: Visit the Mona Lisa & #11: Throw a Coin in the Trevi Fountain

It's hard to believe that I've been home from Europe for two months and I still haven't blogged about seeing the Mona Lisa or tossing a coin into the Trevi Fountain. In truth, I've been suffering from a tremendous bout of writer's block, and try as I might, I just couldn't think of an interesting or compelling way to position the "checking off" of these two items. Needless to say, I sort of feel that if I haven't been able to come up with a good story in the last eight weeks, it might never happen, and seeing as I have a few other "30 Things" on deck, I need to force myself to get this one on paper. So do excuse me if this post is particularly boring, short and/or overwhelmingly reliant on photographic evidence for proof that I did indeed accomplish what I say I did.

Let me begin by saying that I was sort of disappointed in my Paris experience and the fact that I was disappointed continues to disappoint me, and I think it might into perpetuity. I still can't quite put my finger on why I disliked the city as much as I did, but part of it could be blamed upon the fact that our trip started off on a bad foot. After arriving on the Eurostar decently exhausted, we had trouble getting onto the Metro (couldn't figure out how to buy tickets), were "accosted" in the train station by some creepy Parisians and then, try as we might, couldn't help but get thoroughly lost, no matter how closely we attempted to follow a map. Combine these early troubles with the general aloof nature of the French, our lack of language skills and our hotel situated off the beaten path, and our generally poor disposition begins to make more sense.

With this said, you shouldn't be surprised that our bad luck sort of followed us to The Louvre on our second day in the city. It started with a 45-minute hunt for our bus stop, which coincidentally wound up being about 2 blocks away from our hotel and continued with a somewhat harrowing journey where we were squished among a group of Parisian pre-schoolers heading out for a field trip whilst desperately trying to gauge just when we had arrived at our stop.

The great news is that we had a goal in mind, and achieve our mission we did (see how the thumbs up in the photo clearly showcases my happiness in making it to the Louvre in one piece?).

Thanks to my travel-savvy friends, I had been prepped in advance that Mona would be small, so thankfully, I wasn't too disappointed when I saw that, indeed, she is a lot tinier than one would expect. What disappointed me more was the fact that there was a rope around her, holding the crowds back at about 10 feet away (you can see me straining against it in the photo) AND the entire wall that the painting was on was covered in a sheet of plexi-glass. Art connoisseur, I claim not to be, however, I was hoping to at least pretend to be of the haughty-tauty variety and admire the brush strokes of the Mona Lisa from a foot or so away.  In this instance, my plot was foiled, so after Melissa and I spent a good 15 minutes taking pictures, we moved on to explore the rest of the massive museum.

TIME WARP to Rome, about a week later, and I am now sick with a cold that Melissa caught in Paris and so kindly decided to share with me :). Despite it all, I am in good spirits and attempting to relish every last second of vacation before the real world comes back into focus. The day that we were scheduled to view the Trevi Fountain was our last in Rome, so we had thrown in some more touristy sightseeing that afternoon as well, stopping by the Spanish Steps and Pantheon, as well as a famous gelato place where I got nutella flavored ice cream that was fantastic!

Interestingly, our map issues that we acquired in Paris continued to haunt us in Rome, so we certainly took the scenic route in getting to our destination, but once we arrived, we were floored with the Fountain's utter beauty and sheer size! If Mona was smaller than expected, Trevi was so much larger!

I can definitely say that pictures do not do this beautiful fountain justice, as the detail gets totally lost, but I can promise you that were I not being hounded by strange Romans trying to steal my camera and/or take my picture with their vintage one (which had I let them surely would have ended badly), I could have stayed and stared for hours. Unfortunately, in this circumstance, it was business as usual -- we were there to take photos and throw a couple coins and then be on our merry way.

Now I just have to hope that the legend is true and that I'll be returning to Rome someday (and perhaps with the husband I wished for, hehe! Oops, maybe I'm not supposed to share that...).

All in all, despite my quacking, my trip to  Europe was most definitely a fantastic experience and I'm so thankful that I was able to go and see all the sights I saw. I've learned a lot about the way I like to travel and certainly hope to do a lot more of it in the future, which begs the question...where to next?!?

#25: Visit the Guards at Buckingham Palace

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been enamored by England. Although I don't 100% know why, I vividly recall practicing my English accent on my Home Alone-style tape recorder, trying to befriend kids at school that were UK transplants and watching any film that took place in England or starred English actors (Sense & Sensibility was a favorite). I think part of me wanted to BE English, since it always seemed like a much more exciting culture, and even to this day I would LOVE to have an international work assignment in the UK. It should come as no surprise then that the first destination that Melissa (my travel buddy and best friend from college) and I selected for our big European vacation was none other than London. And naturally, the number one thing we wanted to do and see in this fantastic city was pose with the "I can't show any emotion that would distract me from my post" Guards in front of Buckingham Palace (I've seen so many fun photos of friends' from the past and couldn't resist adding one to my personal collection).

If you know me at all in real life, it should also come as no surprise that Melissa and I had this vacation planned to a T. We researched everything and anything that it was possible to do research on. TripAdvisor was our best friend, as were real life friends that had lived in each destination we planned to visit. We read Frommer's, Rick Steves and Fodor's. By the time we left for the trip we had built a 7 page itinerary that listed every activity we were planning to do. It even outlined exactly when we'd have "down time" or time to "be spontaneous" (yes, I have been told this level of planning is insane, but hey it usually gets the job done!). Naturally it all came back to bite me in the butt in the end -- clearly someone from above was trying to teach me that life isn't all about schedules, itineraries and plans -- but we will get to that shortly.

Although I don't want to spend a ton of time rehashing our stay in London, I will tell you that we LOVED it. We were staying in the St. Ermin's Hotel, which was centrally located right outside the St. James's Park Tube station and within walking distance of Westminster Abbey and Big Ben/Parliament. In our first four days we took trips to Stonehenge, Windsor and Bath, did tours of Westminster Abbey & St. Paul's Cathedral, went to the Tower of London, had traditional afternoon tea at a fancy hotel and squeezed in time for shopping at Harrod's and on Oxford Street. We also went to an English pub, ate fish & chips, walked through Trafalgar Square and visited the Victoria & Albert museum (which unfortunately, was our least favorite activity of the trip). All this to say our schedule was packed and we were looking forward to capping off our last day in the city with a royal viewing of the changing of the Guards.

Of course, this is where, despite all my planning and scheduling and researching, our plot was foiled. That morning, as we were asking our Concierge for directions, he sadly informed us that the changing of the Guards would not be happening that morning,. Of course it happened the morning before, and would happen the morning afternoon, but this particular morning? No dice. My heart sank! We were leaving for Paris early the next day, so it meant I had totally and completely missed my opportunity to see this piece of traditional London. I couldn't believe that somehow I had made such a fatal mistake, particularly knowing that this was one of the key items on my 30 things list and that I thought I had much such an ironclad itinerary (I should have spoken to the folks that built Titanic, clearly).

Despite the disappointment, we headed toward the castle anyway, figuring that we'd make the best of things. We wound up taking lots of pretty pictures in front of the castle (including a close up of the balcony where Will & Kate kissed!) and then started walking down a long dirt path back toward the center of the city.

Alas, about a half mile down we saw a crowd of people standing around what looked like a small garage entry, and then moments later, noticed that there were two Guards standing nearby guarding the gates! Hallelujah! This was no Buckingham Palace, but the red jackets, black boots, bayonets and tall black fuzzy hats were in tact, just waiting for us (sorry but you'll have to tilt your head to watch the video as I can't figure out how to flip it!).

Hurrying, we crossed the street and strategically placed ourselves in a position primed for photo/video-taking (you see these Guards actually marched up and down a roped off area, so you had to be ready at any moment to catch them at a good angle). Interestingly, each of the two guards appeared to be about 18 years old. I don't know why I expected them to be older men, but perhaps they have to start here at the servants entry before they get promoted to the front of the castle! We wound up standing in the same spot for a good 20 minutes until we were able to snap the perfect shot: As Melissa says, he had a little captain in him! :) (P-S: Does anyone else think those chin straps look INCREDIBLY uncomfortable??)

After we had our fix, we continued down the path feeling much more satisfied and ready to finish our final day. When we did depart, we felt sad to leave London behind, but glad to have experienced so much in a short period of time. And although there are still many things I'd like to see and do, I chalk it up as an excuse to come back one day...and one day soon!

Coming soon in a few days...meeting Mona!! Til then...

#17: Learn How to Ballroom Dance (and why I've been such a slacker)

Hello blogosphere! When I logged on to type this post and saw that I hadn't written anything since JANUARY 9th, the fact that I have been a total slacker really hit me. (In truth, this hit me several weeks ago but the point really sank in today!). I'm not really sure why I've been a total blog slacker lately, especially since I have been making SUCH nice progress on #17: Lear How to Ballroom Dance! Alas, I think my main issue is that I was having some serious trouble thinking of a witty way to talk about my ballroom escapades and thus I put writing the post off, and despite still not really having a witty way to discuss the topic, I am in the mood to write tonight and am striking while the iron is HOT!

I actually began my foray into ballroom dancing back in January after seeing a billboard on I-4 for the Arthur Murray dance studio. They offered a free 30-minute "consultation" type dance lesson before you had to make any commitments and knowing that this ballroom "thing" was on my "I'm-itching-to-do-it-sooner-than-later" list, I decided to give them a call. Indeed I did go for my 30-minute lesson after returning from my trip to Hawaii and while I had a good time, I was thoroughly disappointed with the studio and their practices. Now, in truth I was warned by my good friend Dana (who also has a super cute blog here: www.effortlessclassychich.com, Hi Dana!) that this place had a reputation for being more like a used car dealership than a dance studio, but the lesson was free so who says no? Although it wasn't quite as bad as being hounded by a cheesy salesman, they definitely used those "scare" and "urgency" tactics that are oh-too-familiar (i.e. We'll give you a lower price, but ONLY if you sign up for $600 worth of dance lessons in the next 24 hours!). I'm not into pressure or shady tactics, so although I felt a momentary pang of weakness knowing just how badly I wanted to learn to dance, I stayed strong and didn't give in.

Of course, I wasn't going to let this be the beginning and end of my dance journey, so I took to the good old World Wide Web, typed in ballroom dancing Orlando and began my research. After finding just a few places in Orlando that actually offered lessons, I stumbled upon the Avalon Dance Studio page and discovered Mr. Mark Arnott (so as to help other Orlandonians [totally just made that badass word up] who want to ballroom dance, check out his page here: http://avalondance.net/ballroom_classes). After a quick phone call whereby he gave me the down-low on his services, I was all signed up for a trial lesson.

Here are some great things about Mark:
- He offers private lessons, group lessons and workshops, so you have plenty of choices
- He is upfront with his fees and doesn't employ any shady sales tactics to get you to commit immediately
- He is perhaps the most passionate ballroom dancer that I've met (okay, I haven't really met a ton of them, but I still give him props) and hosts numerous ballroom events every single month so once you actually know how to dance, you've got a ton of options to get out there and show off your stuff
- He works on Saturdays, which is a big yay for those of us with traditional 9-5's!
- He will customize lessons for you, teaching you dances you're interested in and taking a pace that is right for you based on your skill level, strengths and weaknesses
- There's no intimidation or even being told you aren't any good! The worst I've gotten is that I have done some "interesting" things -- it's code for not doing it right, but it doesn't feel like a slap in the face!

So far, I have had three lessons with Mark in addition to my free 30-minute trial lesson and I'm signed up for two more private lessons at the moment. I won't try to hide the fact that it 'aint cheap, but I have so much fun and feel so pleased at my progress that I feel it's worth it.

Right now our lessons are focused on learning the basic tidbits of each of the "big 10" social dances (don't ask me to name all ten). Each week I learn a little more technique (keep your shoulders down, stop trying to lead, get off the balls of your feet you-former-ballet-dancer, etc.) and get to practice my moves to fun, top 40 style hits. In total I've learned teensy bits of Cha Cha, Hustle, Swing, Rumba, Salsa, Meringue, Samba, Waltz, Foxtrot and Tango. I can't say that I'm particularly good at any of them yet, but all in due time.

The plan is to stick with the lessons until I'm good enough to perform what Mark calls a "spotlight" dance at a ballroom dancing party (he says this is the closest I'll get to having a Dancing With the Stars moment, which is totally my dream. Don't you think the show would be way more interesting if they did Dancing With the Non-Stars? I need to audition for that!). I will continue to blog as I hit "milestones" in my lessons, but will wait to do one big post when I have this aforementioned spotlight on camera and feel confident enough to show it to the world.

Until then, au revoir! (P-S: Since I am going on my Europe trip in just a few short weeks, there hopefully shouldn't be as much slacker-age in the near future. Hello Mona Lisa, Trevi Fountain and Buckingham Palace!)

#20 Run a Half Marathon: I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!! (Part Two)

There are a few very important things that I've learned about running and myself during this journey:

1) Pacing is EVERYTHING: 
While it seems so simple, it's actually one of the hardest challenges I faced while training because, as a new runner, it's all about experimentation and figuring out what works best for you. I knew from the start that I would take advantage of the Jeff Galloway run/walk/run training method (see my pic with Jeff below from when he came to DVC's Welcome Home Wednesday last week...what an honor to meet him!), but it took a lot of trial and error to figure out what ratio of running and walking would allow me to finish the race feeling strong and comfortable. Initially, I think I chose a ratio based on a need to "prove" to people that I was a "runner" but I quickly realized that it left me much too tired, too quickly. I also realized that running is NOT about proving anything to anyone -- sure, some people might judge you for not "running" the full race, or for taking it slowly, but at the end of the day, you come to realize this is a very personal journey and finishing the race is the most important thing, irregardless of how long it takes you. I personally settled on a 1/2 ration (1 minute running, 2 minutes walking) for the race and it was perfect for me. So perfect, that I actually ran/walked the entire race at an average minute per mile FASTER pace than I ever had in training (about a 13.5 minute mile).

2) Temperature can make or break a run:
We are totally at the mercy of the weather here in Florida, where even in the winter months things can be unseasonably warm at any moment. And yet, a cool, humidity-free temperature is exactly what a new runner needs to build endurance and train effectively. When I first started training in the summer, I remember feeling paralyzed by the intense heat and thick, moisture filled air, so much so that 30 minutes felt like torture and I couldn't wait for the workout to be over. But on those long run mornings where the cloudless blue sky mixed with crisp cool air, it felt as though I was flying across the ground. It's amazing how much stronger I felt and how much further I could go!

3) Anxiety can be good, if you don't let it get in your way!
I remember that every week of training, I had a sort of pit in my stomach the night before a long run. Sometimes I'd even have trouble sleeping because I was nervous about getting up so early in the morning and trying to run a distance I had never conquered before. It's funny how looking back, 4 miles seems like such an easy run, whereas before I never thought I could push myself to that distance. It's easy to do that, though -- look back on past runs and realize your anxiety wasn't necessary -- but in the moment, especially for a brand new runner, it's not as simple as just chasing the negativity away. With that in mind, I realize now how important it is to have a support system that can help temper your anxiety so you channel it into a sort of adrenaline-fueled energy that can aid your performance. I obviously owe a big thanks to everyone who has commented on my running entries along the way as you were those "people" for me! So a shout out to Marielle, Courtney, Breanna, Jenn, Brittany, Amanda, and all the others who have taken the time to share their advice on running. :) And for all of you out there who were just supporters along the way (Ayns, Mer, Melissa, Alyssa, Terry, etc.), THANK YOU to you too!

4) Running can be a great way to save on water heating bills:
This is NOTHING like a cold shower after a run. 'Nuff said.

5) Remember that energy out needs to be replaced with energy in:
There are several different trains of thought on this one, and I know not everyone agrees with me, but if your stomach can handle it, I HIGHLY recommend eating and drinking during long runs. By eating, I don't mean dragging along a meal in your pocket (and by drinking I certainly don't mean liquor, although that would be more fun), but rather finding an electrolyte and/or energy supplement that you can eat/drink along the way to refuel. For me, I perform better and feel better when I am replacing energy that I am expending during a long and/or hard training run.

My food of choice is CLIF Shot Bloks -- I forget who said this, but one of you mentioned that they are like gushers without the gooey insides and that is totally spot on! They come in all sorts of flavors -- I like the strawberry, black cherry and mountain berry -- and they are filled with the essential nutrients your body needs to keep your energy levels high. Some even have caffeine, which for a junkie like me, is a blessing!

My drink of choice is Gatorade -- not that 0 calorie crappola, but rather the real stuff that has lots of calories to fuel your exercise. There are SO many flavors these days -- try Rain Berry or Blueberry Pomegranate for something a little different -- and with a hydration belt, the fluids can be so easy to carry with you.

At the end of the day, I was able to use my food and drink as a motivational tool as well, so if you are ever so slightly motivated by the opportunity to eat, bringing some delicious snacks along with you can encourage you to keep going -- just another five minutes and you get to eat something that tastes like candy! :)

6) Finally, invest in a foam roller!
I discovered this one late in the game, but even having used it for a short period of time, I've realized how much of a game changer it can be. As many of you know, I've suffered from hip bursitis during my training runs, and the pain can be absolutely incapacitating once it kicks in (it feels like a stabbing pain with every stride!). I was really, really considered about it acting up on race day and causing me to not finish, so I invested in a foam roller and rolled it out leading up to the race. It hurts a lot since you're using a trigger point method to release muscle tension, but it's a miracle worker afterward! I had zero hip pain on race day!

These things may seem like common sense to those who have run for a while now, but for me they were all new trials and tribulations to get through. Now if only I can inspire one new person to start running, I will feel like a total success!

Until next time...

#20 Run a Half Marathon: I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!! (Part One)

I've been putting off writing this blog post for several hours because I can't seem to come up with the proper words to describe yesterday's half marathon experience. "Accomplished" feels too academic..."Proud" too close to bragging...yet somewhere in between lies the incredible feeling I came away with after pushing my body farther than I EVER dreamed it could go. Six months ago I was a total coach potato. Hardly exercised, cringed at the word "run," and was so out of breath after 30 minutes of exercise that I thought I'd about die. And while I still don't consider myself to be "in shape" or athletic by any means, I believe I am proof that anyone can run a half, or even a full, marathon if they put their mind to it and beat the mental demons that try to tear you down.

Here's a quick recap of race day:
- My friend Kyle, who was also running the race, spent the night at my apartment the evening before so we could go to the race together in the a.m. And thank goodness he did! Having another person there totally helped get my mind off of my nerves...at least for a little while!

- Wake up time was 2:15 a.m. -- hello morning! This gave us just enough time to get suited up (running clothes + warm items for the staging area), eat some breakfast (and drink some coffee) and head on out. Since this was our first race ever, we had no idea what to expect, but took heed to the warnings of crazy traffic and specific check in times.
- By 3:45am we were there, bags checked and ready to...sit on the ground for almost an hour. Thankfully, we were both dressed pretty warmly, I with my red sweatshirt and Christmas red sweatpants, plus gloves and a blanket; Kyle with his scarf, hat, and sweats. I think this is where our excitement began to build -- so many runners standing around, cool costumes to check out (the winners in my mind were a man dressed as Snow White, a gaggle of girls all dressed as Disney princesses, a man dressed as Tinker Bell and a couple wearing full-on medical scrubs!).

- We started our walk to the corrals around 4:40am -- I was assigned to Corral H, which is the very last corral for all the slow people! Kyle was assigned to Corral E, but was kind enough to move back and stay with me so I didn't have to be by myself.
- At 5:30, the race officially began -- at least for the fast people. Although there were fireworks at every corral's start to keep the excitement going, our corral didn't actually cross the start line for another 45 minutes!
- Then it was go time! Immediately, I stripped of all my extra clothing, and despite the cold, felt good! I started my walk/run ratio straight from the start, avoiding the much hyped about temptation to run fast and exhaust yourself quickly.
- The exhilaration of crossing the Mile 1 marker was amazing! It hit me that this was it, the moment I had been training for, and I better absorb every detail along the way and enjoy myself!
- Every so often, Disney had entertainment along the course -- stilt walkers, hot air balloons, local bands and cheerleaders on the sidelines, DJs, cartoon clips, characters and parade floats, and of course lots of CHEARSquad strangers cheering you on (my favorite sign was one where a woman wrote: Run like there are clowns chasing you!).
- Mile 5.3 started our journey through the Magic Kingdom. How wonderful it is to run through such a magical place! This is also where my boss Bryan came to cheer me on. It was AMAZING to see a friendly face in the crowd, so THANK YOU Bryan again!
- I think Kyle and I both started to feel some tiredness setting in around mile 7, but by the time you hit mile 9 and realize you're in the home stretch, a second burst of energy bursts through to push you along.
- By Mile 11, you're entering Epcot -- so crazy to realize you're almost done!
- Before you know it, the Finish line is within sight, along with bleachers filled with cheering fans. After the Mile 13 sign, we took off sprinting to the finish and gave each other a big high five after stepping foot across the finish line! Within minutes we had gorgeous, heavy, super shiny Donald Duck medals hanging from our necks, official signs that we were Half Marathoners!

- One of the first things we asked each other: "So, you think you want to do another one?" Unequivocally, hell yes! I had never felt better! Question two: "What about a full marathon?" Silence... ;) Can't say that I can see that one in my future!

Our Official Finish Time: 3 hours, 4 minutes -- 11 minutes ahead of my goal time!

A day after the race, I am sore as all get out, although nothing unusual compared to other long runs. The pain is totally worth it!

We still have to wait a week for our professional race pictures and customized runner Web sites to be active via the RunDisney platform, so I will certainly do a follow-up blog post to share that with you all. For now, all I can say is how happy I am to have embraced this experience and challenged myself in this way. Of all the items on my 30 Things list, I think I will walk away from this one with the strongest memories and pride. And hopefully I will be able to keep the rhythm going, making an active, running lifestyle a regular thing! Anyone out there want to join me at the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon in November? New runners welcome!