Training recap week of 2/3 (GSC Week 3)

Another week of Glass Slipper Challenge training.  I am still taking it easy and letting myself skip runs when I want to and not beat myself up.  It's important to take it easy every now and then to prevent burn out.  The brutally cold weather outside isn't helping either.  I'm so over winter.  Is it spring yet?

Monday

Scheduled: Rest 

Actual: Rest

Tuesday

Scheduled: 4 miles easy 

Actual: Rest

I skipped this one for no other reason then it was cold and I was feeling lazy :)

Wednesday

Scheduled: 4.5 miles easy

Actual: 4.5 mi, 47:21, 10:32 pace

Thursday

Scheduled: 4 miles easy

Actual: 4.0 miles, 42:02, 10:31 pace

Friday

Scheduled: Rest

Actual: Rest

Saturday

Scheduled: 4 miles easy

Actual: 5.65 mi, 55:56, 9:54 pace

I was running with the pace group and ended up going a little longer then planned.

Sunday

Scheduled: 12 miles long run pace

Actual: Rest

Yea... it was really cold Sunday morning and I just wasn't feeling it.  Sometimes watching the Winter Olympics on your couch is what your body really needs.

Total miles: 14.15

Total February miles: 23.24

Miles until goal (1,250): 1,141.43

Book Club Friday: All Roads Lead to Austen

It's been a while since I did a Book Club Friday, but I'm back!  I wasn't in the mood to read for a while, but it's back and I'm hoping it stays.

This week I'm sharing All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
WHERE DO BOOKS TAKE YOU?

With a suitcase full of Jane Austen novels en espanol, Amy Elizabeth Smith set off on a yearlong Latin American adventure: a traveling book club with Jane. In six unique, unforgettable countries, she gathered book-loving new friends-- taxi drivers and teachers, poets and politicians-- to read Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice.

Whether sharing rooster beer with Guatemalans, joining the crowd at a Mexican boxing match, feeding a horde of tame iguanas with Ecuadorean children, or tangling with argumentative booksellers in Argentina, Amy came to learn what Austen knew all along: that we're not always speaking the same language-- even when we're speaking the same language.

But with true Austen instinct, she could recognize when, unexpectedly, she'd found her own Senor Darcy.
All Roads Lead to Austen celebrates the best of what we love about books and revels in the pleasure of sharing a good book-- with good friends.

My thoughts:
I love a good travel book and the synopsis sounded interesting to me.  I really enjoyed it and loved reading about the different opinions the readers had about the same book in each country.  I have to admit, it's been a while since I've read any Austen and reading this has made me want to re-read her books.  I also know want to break out my passport and do some traveling.  I give it two thumbs up!

runDisney Princess Weekend Race Updates

Before I dig into the upcoming Princess weekend, the Bake Sale for Noah has been extended to 5 pm today!  There's still time to bid on some delicious goodies!  Click here to check it out and make a bid!

With just 2 weeks to go before Princess, runDisney has been busy releasing all the important information for the weekend!  The official program guide was just released.  You get a printed copy at packet pickup, but it's always good to review before hand (check it out here).

But perhaps the most important information is the corrals (and waivers with your number).  My number is 20259 which puts me in Corral B.  But I'm going to do the half with my cousin who is a couple of corrals back, so I'll drop back to run with her for that race.  If you still need your waiver, you can get it here and check out the Half corrals and Glass Slipper corral placements.

They also released the course maps for all 3 races (5K, 10K and Half).  No surprises on any of those maps as they are all the same as they were for Marathon weekend (as I assumed they be).  But if you'd like to see them with the pretty Princess weekend colors, I've included them below.

5K and 10K

Half Marathon

Given the number of people who do all the Disney races, I do wish they'd change up the courses for events.  It does get a bit repetitive!

Anyone else doing any of the Princess races?  Which corral are you in?

Bake Sale for Noah!

image via

Today, I am doing something a little different!  One of my favorite food blogs,Steph's Bite by Bite is hosting an online Bake Sale auction for Noah.  The bake sale is to raise money for his Autism treatments as the insurance company won't cover some of his need treatments.  To learn more about Noah and the rules on how to bid, click here.

I am donating a batch of our secret family recipe for PB Choco Bites.  I'm sure in reality the recipe isn't that secret, but it's been passed down in the family, so it is to me.  We actually call them Aunt Sue's Candies in our house since we got the recipe from my Aunt Sue.

Either way, they are the most delicious treats ever!  They have chocolate and peanut butter and nuts in them.  I don't allow myself to make them often because I have no self control - that's how good they are!

PB Choco Bites

Even if you don't like chocolate and peanut butter, there are plenty of other items you can bid on!  Check out the full listing on Steph's site and bid on something that you can't resist!

The auction is live here and will go until Thursday, February 6 at 9am.

Now - go bid!

2 on Tuesday

I love the new Disney movie Frozen.  I took my niece to see it over Thanksgiving and went a second time back in early January.  So, there was no need for me to see it a third time... but when they announce the sing-a-long version, I knew I had to go.  It was really fun (and I learned I had been singing some of the songs with the wrong words) and listening to all the little kids sing-a-long was just adorable.  If it's in a theatre near you, I recommend seeing it.  It was lots of fun!

The Super Bowl was this past weekend here in NY/NJ.  New York is already pretty full of tourists, so an additional influx of people did not make me super happy.  I avoided most Super Bowl things (no toboggan run for me at Super Bowl Boulevard), but when the opportunity arose via my friend Sean to go to the ESPN Super Bowl party, I jumped at the chance.  How often does one get to go to ESPN's Super Bowl party?  Please Robin Thicke was playing and we were only like 2 rows from the front.

Training recap week of 1/27 (GSC Week 2)

Week 2 of Glass Slipper training was not my best.  I had some work travel which prevents me from doing 1 run and I decided I needed sleep on Sunday am vs. going for my run.  I'm really trying to take this cycle easy and lowkey so I don't get burnt out.  I'm about to head into another marathon training cycle and I want to use this time to just enjoy running and relax.

Monday

Scheduled: Rest 

Actual: 4.0 mi, 40:32, 10:10 pace

I had to travel on Tuesday so I moved my Tuesday run to Monday.

Tuesday

Scheduled: 4 miles easy 

Actual: Rest

Wednesday

Scheduled: 5 miles easy

Actual: 3.0 mi, 30:52, 10:21 pace

I had to cut this one short due to time restraints.

Thursday

Scheduled: 4 miles easy

Actual: Rest

Friday

Scheduled: Rest

Actual: Rest

Saturday

Scheduled: 9 miles easy

Actual: 9.08 mi, 1:30:26, 9:58 pace

Sunday

Scheduled: Rest

Actual: Rest

Total miles: 16.08

Total January miles: 85.34

Total February miles: 9.08

Miles until goal (1,250): 1,155.58