RunDisney 2021 Gone Virtual

RunDisney announced today that the January WDW races and the February Princess races for 2021 are going virtual. They will no longer be held in person, and all registrants will have the option of either a refund or converting their registration to a virtual run. They will also re-open up registration this Thursday for anyone interested in signing up for the virtual races if they weren’t able to snag a spot earlier this year when they first went on sale.

What does this mean for me?

I was signed up to do the marathon in January, my first ever full marathon, and all 3 of the Februrary princess races - the 5k, 10k and the half. I just entered week 13 of my marathon training too, and was set to run 15 miles next week for my training. I’m glad they announced this sooner than later before I unnecessarily added on mileage next week for naught. I’ve never gone beyond 13.1 miles before in a run and I was really anxious about the crossover into uncharted waters. Not that I don’t want to do it, but it’s definitely a daunting thing to run that much in a long run. I would have been pretty mad had they announced this 2 weeks later, so right at the break even point of my training, was perfect to avoid unnecessary strain on my legs and avoid risking injury.

I have til October 7th to make my decision but ultimately I think I’m going to withdraw from the now virtual marathon. Why? Honestly, it’s a lot to take on. 26.2 miles to run laps around your neighborhood is brutal. After a certain point, you really do hate yourself running circles around the same route. And a virtual race is simply not the same as an in-person race. Not that I don’t feel accomplished every time I complete a half marathon around my neighborhood, but nothing is ever going to compare to a real race.

There’s running and there’s running in Disney. And it’s really the running in Disney that I really like. Crossing that finish line is the absolute BEST in person. When I run at home, I simply get back to my house when I complete my run, shower, get something to eat and go about the rest of my day. There’s nothing really special about it. But at Disney, there’s absolute magic in the air. I always want to cry every time I cross that damn line. I wish I could describe it and put it into words what it is, that je ne sais quoi, but it simply cannot be replicated with a virtual. Simply put, it just feels amazing. You’re on top of the world. Nothing can stop you. Nothing can take that accomplishment away from you. All the people cheering you on through the entirety of the race from beginning to end, the posters, the high fives, the encouragement, the water/Powerade/food stops, the bands, the fireworks, the character stops, running down Main street, through the CASTLE, oh my god, the castle!

I still remember my first runDisney event. The excitement, the energy, the anticipation, the unknown! It was the most amazing experience and that’s why I keep coming back every year, setting bigger goals each time. This was supposed to be my first full marathon. For some, it would have been their first Disney run, first Dopey, first Goofey, first marathon, first whatever, and I really feel for you. We all know “there will be other events,” but that still doesn’t help much with the disappointment. I can’t offer much consolation. Let me just say this came as no surprise with the state of the world right now, but it’s still heartbreaking to say the least. I understand the decision made to go virtual but I’m still sad about missing out on my first marathon.

BUT! I will say, your training has not been entirely wasted. For some of us, we’ve done things we’ve never done before! We reached new distances, set new PRs, found new running trails, ran more than we’ve ever ran before, learned to run in hard conditions like extreme cold or sweltering heat and even buckets of rain. Last year when I did my first half marathon, I had only done my training runs and the actual race. This year, after I returned from Princess weekend, I continued on with my running and kept up with long runs even through quarantine. I’ve done 6 half marathon runs this year in my neighborhood just because. In the past I would never think to do that because doing one is daunting enough. But I’ve been working towards building my cardio and endurance. Once upon a time a run from my house to the end of the block seemed like forever. And then one day a 5k became my warm-up. And then a 10k. One day, a half marathon will be my warm-up. And that’s how I’ll conquer the Dopey Challenge one day. Step by step, one foot in front of the other.

As for the Princess races, I was thinking about forgoing them as well but then I saw the damn medals and damnit, now I want them. But at least with the Princess races, I know I can do them because I already completed the challenge when I set this as my goal earlier this year. I’ve done it once so I know I can do it again just fine. So I’m staying on to do the Princess virtuals to add those medals to my collection. I figured why not since I started collecting them since 2018, might as well keep with the continuity so I can keep building my wall of medals. That Rapunzel medal has my heart anyway, let’s be real.

But for the marathon, I don’t want a virtual to be my first. It feels like cheating to just receive a medal in the mail without proof that you earned it, since everyone signing up is going to get one in the mail without needing to really run for it. I don’t want to run it on the honor system, I want to run a real, live, officially timed race and I want it on paper that me, myself, and I did this honestly, to the fullest of what I have to give. I want my first full 26.2 miles to be in person, with those crowds pushing me through and motivate me through every mile and I want to feel it in my heart as I cross that finish line. No virtual is going to do that and I’m not going to miss out on that experience for my first time. So for now, we’re going to pivot and put the goal on hold. I’m hoping I can find maybe a local race that will still be taking place next year like the NYC marathon or something, so I can have that under my belt to know that a marathon is doable for me, and then possibly take on the Dopey Challenge in 2022. If not, then we’ll reset the first marathon to be 2022, and the Dopey in 2023. I’d rather not keep rescheduling my dreams and goals, but hey, there’s a time and place for everything. Right now, the universe is telling me to continue slowing down. So for now, I’ll continue with my running as part of my regular workout routine, but I’m going to put a pause on my marathon training. Since it looks like 2021 might still be some time before we go back to somewhat normal and are able to travel again, I'm going to make 2021 the year I save up my money to do ALL those runs hopefully in 2022. The year we break my legs, hahaha! Just because 2021 is being rained on doesn't mean we quit. We must continue on, but now we're going to make even bigger goals and climb even more mountains. One day we’ll conquer the Dopey Challenge, the Castaway Challenge, and the Castle to Chateau Challenge though, I promise you! It's going to be epic.

Death to Barbie

I always say that had my mother allowed me to dye my hair back in high school, I’d be over this phase of my life already.

At the beginning of summer, I was nostalgic for my pink tipped mermaid hair that I used to have for the summer a few years ago. I haven’t done it in a while because it’s very damaging to my hair every time I do it, and it’s a long process. On top of work related appropriateness. The last time I did it, I wore my hair in a bun all summer at work til it faded to an appropriate hint of color that I could wear down.

This time, I was bold. I made an appointment with my stylist to get the pink put back in my hair the minute hair services were allowed again. I wore my hair hidden in a bun for a week and then a week later, I let it all down, shocking the old hens at work, while my supervisors didn’t blink an eye because well, nothing about me really surprises them much anymore. The hospital policy has also been revised as of late, with a vague interpretation of what hair colors are “appropriate,” so my supervisors justified that it was fine so I was off scot-free from my reckless hair decisions. The funny thing is, after longing for my pink hair for so long, truth be told, the novelty only lasted a few weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE my pink hair. But this process took a good 6 hours in the chair. We did the pink along with my regular root touch-up. I’m starting to grow weary of getting my hair done and honestly, I want a break. I can feel my hair being less full as well because of all the damage and breakage of bleach and the process of teasing my hair to put the pink ombre in. The other day I was left alone to my thoughts and I honestly thought to myself, it is time. I’m ready to let go. I’m no longer sad about it, bargaining or trying to find alternatives around it. I’m finally ready to go back to dark hair. To grow it back out, let it be healthy and full again.

I’m also seriously considering microblading to further cut down on time in the morning getting ready. Some days, my brows don’t want to cooperate and wouldn’t it be easier if I just woke up with them perfect and ready to go. I could never get them done with the blonde hair because of how dark and weird they would look when you first get them done before they fully heal. But with the dark hair, it is much easier to transition and let heal. I also thought about lash extensions to further easy up getting ready in the morning. I want to just wake up, get up and go on my regular days. It’s weird because I still actually enjoy sitting and taking my time to curate a makeup look and face for a shoot day or hanging out with friends. That’s not the problem. I’ll still want to do that. But on regular days where I’m just running to the gym and then running to work, I really have no patience despite it only really taking me all of 10-15 minutes to put on my face properly. But I’m so lazy about those days. I want an easier ready to go look on those days now. I don’t even wear foundation to work anymore because of the pandemic mask wearing. But I’ve gotten pretty good with skincare because of it. I moisturize, moisturize, moisturize day and night. All I do is quick eye makeup for work. So if I microblade and lash extend, I can pretty much just run out the door. I also wouldn't have to worry much about my makeup melting during the half marathon if I'm just doing brows and lashes for a simple easy look. I wonder if I want side bangs again too. I miss the flip and curl of a cutesy side bang. Decisions, decisions. It all started with a hair color change.😅

LOL, I know, it sounds like I’m coming out of this decade of blonde, and stepping into a whole different person and look. Maybe that’s what I need as I step into this new chapter of my life. I know, I’m so dramatic, hahaha. It’s just hair, but it’s always been a big part of my identity. It’s going to be interesting to see if I still have the same impact when I return to my roots.

But for once, I’m actually excited to see how I look when this happens. I’ve realized that I’m really done with the blonde, having gotten all I’ve wanted out of it with cosplay, shoots and looks. With a dark makeover, I’m ready to work on a whole new portfolio. I feel like Top Model when Tyra puts the girls through makeovers and they start to work their new looks. We’re starting fresh, new canvas and I am READY FOR IT. We’re going to WORK IT and turn out a whole new batch of fierceness I promise!

October will officially be the last blonding before I go on my birthday vacation and come November, we are stepping into the dark side. It’ll be a nice early Christmas gift to my husband as well as he’s always preferred dark hair over blondes but here I am, being a jerk for the past 10 years to spite him, lol.

Here’s to the last days of my Barbie locks.

Full Insanity Program 63 Day Complete!

I completed the full 9 week Insanity workout program this past Sunday, can you believe it?!

When I started this at the end of June, I really thought I would give up by week 3 but as gyms remained closed with no date or hint of reopening, I continued with it and tried hard to stay on track. Motivation is a hard thing to come by and maintain so you really have to practice your discipline here. There were so many days I just didn’t feel like doing it, so many times I wanted to skip the workout, quit, just lay in bed all day and be lazy. But I pushed through it, forced myself to not accept no for an answer, make the time and get it done. No joke, it’s nerve wracking as hell to work out live for the whole world to see, but it actually helps a lot. In the past years when I did the program, I would pause the videos for breaks, and took a lot more breaks and the workout took longer because of it. But because I’m live and don’t want to skip a beat, I continued straight through till it finished. I forced myself to push and get back to it even when I took a second for a breather. I also was able to check my form better, recording it live. There’s something about doing it live that makes you hold yourself more accountable. You just want to give it your best.

My fit test results improved since the last update too. I really didn’t think they would, even though I say this every time, but every time you do it, it feels like you’ve maxed out because you’re pushing so hard and trying to give it your all. I really do love that they do a fit test in this program because it’s a great way to measure your progress. Especially when the scales don’t move and the photos show only slight changes. My cardio has definitely improved; my stamina, my breathing, and my endurance. I’m very happy with my results, both in photos- even though the changes were small towards the end- and through the fit test, and I’m proud that I was able to finish this program straight through with no shortcuts.

Would I do this program again? It’s a hard answer because it was definitely difficult and I still hate doing it every day but if I ever get bored of my routine, it’s a great way to shake things up. It’s also a great way to sweat and burn calories fast when you have only a limited amount of time to work out. That’s the one thing I love about this program compared to lifting in the gym for 2-3 hours. You’re done with it quick. I might incorporate the Core Cardio & Balance workout into my regular routine for days I need a break from lifting. But in the end, I still enjoy lifting more than cardio. And by the second week in the max workouts, I felt myself plateauing. I could feel it in the reps completed in each circuit as it leveled off. I got all I was going to get out of Insanity but wanted to finish the program in it's entirety. It’s been a week now since the gyms have reopened and let me tell you, it feels AMAZING to be back. Lifting just hits all the spots and muscles that cardio and home workouts just can’t reach. Everything was reactivated and the soreness came flooding back but I welcomed it this time. It felt SO good. To me, it’s a sign you had an amazing and effective workout. Or that I’m just a masochist, hahaha.

Would I recommend this program? Absolutely. It’s definitely a challenging one but if you have the dedication, can fight through the hard days, it’ll be absolutely worth it in the end. For me, I had a virtual workout buddy on Instagram that helped keep me going. We held each other accountable and were each other’s cheerleaders. If she logged a workout, I felt I had no excuse to not get it done. Especially since she’s a mom of two young babies, doing both work from home for her company and taking care of her little tykes! I really had no excuse so I pushed through it. On days where I didn’t think I could fit a workout in due to planned activities, commitments, outings, etc, I made sure I got the workout done the night before. I would double up on workouts in a day if I had to, to stay on track. The dedication to my fitness, my health and my overall wellness paid off. I feel amazing and it became a great baseline for me to start with as gyms opened up and I got back to my regular routine.

I’ll be honest, this quarantine was HARD for me. I had a lot of roller coaster depression days where I really felt discouraged, that all hope was lost, that the gradual weight gain would start to eat away at my mentality. But looking back now, I’m so glad I still kept up with my active lifestyle and worked out pretty much every day. It just made me feel better after a hard workout. It helps sets the day and leaves you feeling accomplished. Just spending 30 minutes working on you makes a big difference. I started this quarantine at 110 lbs if I’m being honest. I was 108-109 around the time of the Princess races in February. I indulged as a reward for completing the races when I got home and then two weeks later, the quarantine started. Last week before I went back to the gym, I was 122 lbs. Although I’m not entirely mad. That day 63 pic of me is at 122 lbs. But my 122 lbs back in 2018 when I first started trying to lose weight, does NOT look like that. So I know it’s definitely a different body composition and a lot more definition now. It’s 122, yes, but a good amount of it is lean muscle mass this go around. I’m excited to start lifting heavy again and shred back down from this new baseline. And I’m proud of working at it EVERY SINGLE DAY during quarantine. I’d probably be a lot sadder and wallowing in more self pity had I cracked and given in, and let myself go.

I also had a few people ask me about returning to the gyms. Honestly, as long as you wipe down before and after you use everything, shower when you get home, etc. you’ll be fine. Just use common sense, common courtesy and be mindful of other people’s space. And regarding the mask issue. A few people keep asking me how I can work out in a mask. Cardio aside, because yes, cardio is definitely hard inside a gym, but I have always preferred running outside anyway, lifting and using the other non-cardio machines is not a problem in a mask. Just take the break when you need it to catch your breath and then get back to your workout and complete it as soon as you can and move on to the next thing. I find the mask to not eve be an issue because I’d rather be able to work out than not. It’s all about perspective. It’s not an issue if you don’t make it an issue. If you want to do something, you will not allow the minor things to get you down or get in the way. You will work hard and overcome the obstacles. And that’s what the mask is. It’s absolutely nothing. Besides, if working out in a mask really does bother you or infringe on your ‘rights,’ honestly, you need to grow a set. You’re not as tough as you claim to be if you’re letting a piece of cloth stop you from your goals.

Anyways, we leave for Disney in the next 8 weeks so you know what that means! I’m using the next 8 weeks to work hard, lift while continuing my marathon training schedule, get back on my clean diet and get my act together so I can go back down to 110 lbs hopefully so I can eat all the Mickey waffles, ice cream bars, pretzels and dole whips I want back in the Magic Kingdom! The things I do just to destroy my body for vacation, haha! It’s a vicious cycle but one day I’ll learn to balance it better. Until then, remember to dig deeper and don’t have your legs too wide, Josh.