Weekly Update

I failed at everything this week....

Running goals for the week:

Run 3x (just Sunday, though I did run 2 courses...), Stretch before/after each run (didn't run, therefore didn't stretch) , Desk stretches at work (ah! one I did do, my shoulders are feeling more flexible everyday!) , 2x at home exercises (I think I've come to the realization that this just isn't going to happen), Run 10 min. straight during one of my weekday runs (nope)

House goals for the week:

Finish up trim in Dining room (nope)

 

 

I did do some stuff this week like:

 

 

 

 

I added an arbor to the front yard! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I added decorative paper to the shoe shelf in my closet. As you can see the bottom shelf had some damage.  I found the pretty paper at Marshalls for 1.99 a roll, one roll covered a shelf with a little left over.  I still have 3 rolls of pink to use somewhere else.

 

Yesterday I went orienteering with my dad.  I did a yellow course and a white course.  I made some pretty big mistakes on yellow (like running right past the first control).  I need to stop making stupid mistakes and I need to work on my terrain reading skills before I move up to orange.  I'm having a hard time matching terrain on the map with what's in front of me on the go.  I know when I look at the map what I'm seeing and the same with I look at real life, but for some reason when I'm trying to do both I mess up.  I am getting better though.  I also won one of the drawings and came home with a new water bottle :)

 

Running goals for the week:

Run 3x, Stretch before/after each run, Desk stretches at work, Run 10 min. straight during one of my weekday runs

House goals for the week:

Do what I can, when I can

Budget goals for the week:  (I've decided I need to get back on track!  I've reserved my hotel and airplane for Disneyland, and now I just can stop making purchases...)

Bring lunch everyday, no purchases (outside of necessary things like food)



Weekly update

Running goals for last week:

Run 3x (done actual was 4!), Stretch before/after each run (eh...did some missed others), do desk stretches at work (done, boy have my shoulders gotten tight!) , 2x at home exercises (no, not at all opps)

House goals for last week:

Finish up trim in Dining room (I've painted the trim and will put it up tomorrow), pull weeds in back yard (nope)

I did get new curtains in the mail:

 

 

This afternoon I got the arm and calf sleeves I ordered!  Custom made, for the TinkerBell Half in January!!

 



 

Saturday was the Dulles Days 5k mom and I signed up for.  Mom wasn't feeling well Friday so decided not to run but still drove me (I love my mom!)  I woke up at 2:30am with an upset stomach and then proceeded to throw up Friday's dinner (too much info?)  I eventually fell back asleep at 3:30 and woke up at 5:45 to get ready.  I was feeling better but I decided to throw out my goal of under 30.  It was cold and crowded.  I ended up with 30:22, not bad for the morning's events.  I decided for my next race I'm starting last so I don't have to worry about crowds as much, you know give the field time to spread out.  (this will not by my strategy for Disney however)

 

Sunday I went orienteering with my dad after church.  I ran a yellow course in 41 min. and posted the fastest time (leaving out the 2 guys who did yellow as their 2nd course and weren't counted).  Dad wasn't back when I finished (he did blue) so I went out on white and did it in 21 min. White was my second course so the time didn't count. I did really well, I got turned around once on the yellow, but thankfully realized my mistake before it turned into a disaster. White was pretty much the second half of yellow so it was pretty easy for me since I had been everywhere before! I defiantly have lots of room for improvement and I'm still a little uncomfortable navigating too far away from trails (streams will do in a pinch)

I found another 10k to sign up for at the end of September, half the course is the same as the one I did a few weeks ago.  I think I will sign up and try to lower that PR again!  I think I can do it now that I'm getting my runs in more consistently.

 

Running goals for the week:

Run 3x, Stretch before/after each run, Desk stretches at work, 2x at home exercises, Run 10 min. straight during one of my weekday runs

House goals for the week:

Finish up trim in Dining room

 

~Maggie

 



Cute outfit!

I got some new clothes this weekend, and felt so cute today in my new dress I just had to share

 

Ok, not the best photo...it's so cute though, navy blue with ivory piping around the collar and sleeves. 

 

And I had shoes to match!  I bought these a few months ago.  I love the wood heel and the peep toe.

 

~Maggie

Weekly update

So let's see how I did with last week's goals...
Running goals for the week:

·         3 runs (per Galloway’s training plan)

         Done :), and I actually started the training plan early.  I didn't realize that my plan and my mom's plan are different lengths (she isn't doing Tink, just using the plan)

·         3 days of at home exercises (arm, core, etc.) 

          Oh, I forgot about this goal!

House goals for the week;

·         Put trim up in dining room

I started!  I need more nails to finish. And I need to do some paint touch ups

 

Goals for next week:

Running goals for the week:

Run 3x, Stretch before/after each run, do desk stretches at work, 2x at home exercises

House goals for the week:

Finish up trim in Dining room, pull weeds in back yard

 

Mom and I have a 5k this Saturday and the airport, we get to run on the runway!  I'm hoping the flat straight course leads to a PR for me.  My current PR is 28, but I haven't gone under 30 in a few years so under 30 will make me a happy camper.

(I ran a PR at the 10k I did on 8/25! 1:01!) 

  For me these PR's, or I should say the drive to achieve these PR's, remind me of swimming.  For a long time my dream was under :30 for a 50 free, I was so happy when I did that I think even more than when I went lower; and then the dream to eat 1:00 in the 100 free...I never got it (fastest was 1:00 even)

 

 

~Maggie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tinkerbell, Dining Room

Tinkerbell ½ Marathon Training starts TODAY!

…and while we’re at it lets see if I can keep up this this blog thing.

Running goals for the week:

·         3 runs (per Galloway’s training plan)

·         3 days of at home exercises (arm, core, ect.)

House goals for the week;

·         Put trim up in dining room

 

I painted the dining room gray last week, and now I’m building up the trim.  There are tons of pins on Pinterest showing this.  Basically you leave the existing trim in place and put a small piece above it and paint it all the same color.

 

 ~Maggie

 

Paint samples

I've had fun with paint samples lately.  In the process of choosing a grey for my bedroom walls I ended up with 8 sample jars of grey paint (and the Home Depot paint department crackin' jokes about 50 shades...).

Last week I didn't close the top of my honey fully and ended up with ants all over my pantry; so I cleared everything off and scrubbed it all down. Then I looked at the shelves and realized how dingy they were.  So I pulled out the paint samples and this was the result:

 

I also made a trip to buy curtain hangers to actually hang the shade up.  Of course I didn't have enough paint to paint the whole pantry, so I'll have to go buy more.

 

Then I looked over at the laundry side of the pantry and decided to paint there also.  I choose a green paint leftover from painting at my mom's.

 

 

Once again, I ran out of paint so I'll have to go buy more.  But that can wait...  I'm so glad I painted in here though, my washer and dryer looked ugly white to me before but now they look bright white and that makes me happy!

 

 

I've still got quite a few samples of grey paint left, what else should I paint? What projects have you used leftover paint samples for?

 

~Maggie





Disney Princess Half Marathon 2013

So I haven’t posted in a while, not much has been going on in terms of decorating the house.  But lots of other stuff has been happening; namely-training for and running in the Disney Princess Half Marathon! I thought I would do a little race recap here; mom and I are thinking about starting a blog together, so I would post a whole trip report there if we do.

Friday I arrived in Florida and meet up with my friend and sorority sister Manisha and her sister and friend.   We were able to book on night at Coronado Springs, where the race expo was being held.  I was planning on going to the expo that night, but they told me it was quite busy and it would be better to go first thing Saturday morning. We then headed out to EPCOT for the night.

Saturday Manisha and I planned on going to the 5K finish line to see her sister and friend finish; but we miscalculated our timing and missed them.  So after meeting up with them in the family reunion area and congratulating them on their first 5Ks we headed back to Coronado Springs.  Manisha and I were able to get to the expo when it opened and were able to get in line for KT tape.  I haven’t tried the Pro yet so I really wanted them to tape my foot with that so I could see how it help up efore buying it.  They didn’t do a taping job that was really helpful for me, but I don’t think I did a good job telling them what was wrong with my foot.  I did like how the tape stayed on so well, I will definatly be buying a roll soon!  The four of us decided to spend the day at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. After the parks we got our self’s checked into Art of Animation. That evening I was able to meet up with my mom’s friend Karen and she brought be Cherry Pepsi.  I was so happy to see that, Disney is a coke place and I do like cherry coke, but Cherry Pepsi is what I want after a race!

Sunday we got up at 2:30am, to get dressed, head out to meet another sorority sister, Amory, and her group, and get on the bus to the race! I made my race outfit and I was so excited to wear it, it’s very comfortable.  I bought 2 shirt of the same color and used on to make a skirt.  Mom helped me add gold panels to the skirt to make it hang correctly and with adding the trim to the skirt, shirt, and arm sleeves.  I made the arm sleeves out of a matching pair of running capris.  I had been planning on getting some hot water at the beverage station in the food court but everything was shut down.  I guess because most of the rooms at Art of Animation are suites they assumed we didn’t need it, but the Little Mermaid rooms are not and don’t have coffee makers or microwaves.  I should have asked the night before, and I also should have just had my pepsi-not the same as the hot tea, but it would have helped I think.

 

 

 

Once the busses dropped us off we took some pictres and found the first port a potties of the day.  There are some pictures taken by race photograpers on the marathonfoto website, in one picture I clearly had no idea the picture was being taken.  We saw lots a tutus and tiaras that day.  Manisha and I split up when we go to the corrals, I headed to a fence near mine to stretch, I twinged my hamstring while stretching so that wasn’t good…  Once I was in the corral I watched a lot of ladies jumping the fence to go pee in the woods (it’s about 4:30am, still dark!).   I also think I saw Jeff Galloway walking to the stage, here’s the picture decide for yourself:  I also saw a late bus and a few princess trying to figure out what to do with their bag check bags, I hope RunDisney was able to help them out.  Once my corral started I walked past Sean Astin, Sam from Lord of the Rings and the true star of LotR, Frodo would be nothing without him…but I digress.

 

I honestly don’t remember much about the race, it was very humid.  I kept my hair down and the arm sleeves on for the first few miles.  I had a lot of trouble with my breathing through the race, I took my rescue inhaler every mile and sometimes in between.  I did better while the sun was still down, through the Magic Kingdom, but once it came up it was very difficult for me. 

 

In the Magic Kingdom I saw a short line for Gaston and jumped in, WOW is he tall, as big as a barge I guess!  I ran on and saw Jessie with a short line so I got that picture as well.  I continued running through the Magic Kingdom and out the back gate. 

 

 

 

After you leave MK there is a long stretch of road that is really quite dull.  Some characters out, but no one I wanted a picture with.  I did stop for a picture with Princess Atta-it’s tradition now!  One thing I learned from 2011 is to hand the photographer your camera in the direction you want the photo taken.  In 2011 it was taken horizontally, and I really wanted vertically to match 2010’s photo.

 

Coming it the back of EPCOT I had an asthma attack-not full blown, but worse than anything ever before.  I was asked by someone if I was ok, she saw my inhaler, I stupidly said yes.  Luckily, a member of my Facebook running group spotted me.  I couldn’t talk by that point; she stayed with me until I drank a cup of Gatorade.  I was so afraid that if I stopped and told a race official that I wasn’t ok that I would not be allowed to finish.  In hindsight-STUPID, but you get your mind stuck on one thing-finishing and once you are in bad shape that’s the only thing left in your mind.  I was lucky; God was taking care of me right then (and always...).  I was able to walk for a while and started run again one the way out of EPCOT.

The finish line is always the happiest place in a race.  I was not feeling great, but I was happy to finish.  I knew at that point that a PR would be nothing short of a miracle, and although I’m a bit disappointed sill I know that the conditions just weren’t right.  I took a small detour at the finish line to high-five Jester Goofy, and crossed the line at 2 hours 30 minutes! 

 

I had an amazing time in Disney World, and can’t wait to go back!

 

I am currently studying for my Praxis II exam, so no more posts for a while.  But once I pass (pray for me?)  I’ll be back with another race story (!) and house updates.  (and more photos, when I buy my "offical" race photos)

 

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!

 

~Maggie