My first 70.3 revealed!

I am excited to announce.....

My first 70.3 will be...

September 9, 2012

The pumpkinhead in South Berwick, Maine!

I know, this one wasn't even on my list!

But the more I thought about an ocean swim, the more nervous I got.

Then I talked with a friend from PT school who races with the cycling/triathlon club in my area (I rode with them once, remember my post HERE). After talking with her about the course (lake swim, mostly flat bike/run), the post race party (Turkey Dinner, Shipyard Pumpkin beer), and the swag (participant T, finisher T & finisher medal), I was sold. Especially on the beer.

So now that I have my focus race, it's time to start planning the summer out with races. I'm planning a few sprints and one Olympic to get me closer to that 70.3 goal. My first orders of business are getting my butt to the pool and starting a base plan for training.

Words of wisdom welcome!

Oh... and the LARABAR winner is...

Jenn @ Jenn's Adventures!

email me at sgrigely at hotmail dot com to claim your prize.

Trop50 'Mocktail' Time! (and giveaway #3)

I love a good cocktail, in case you haven't noticed...

However, I have seriously been trying to lose weight. Unfortunately that means I need to cut down on cocktails, or be a little more creative on how I make them. So when I started learning about Trop50, I was wicked excited to see a list of  Trop50 'mocktails', which can easily turn into cocktails.

The list of recipes looked fabulous...

Lemon Berry Mojito

Orange Popsicle

Tropical Chiller

Very Berry Cosmo

Apple Snap-Tini

Check out the recipes - Mocktail Recipes

We decided to go with the Very Berry Cosmo

1/2 cup Trop50 Pomegranate Blueberry

1/4 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries

2 Tablespoons Naked Juice 100% coconut water

Blend Trop50 with strawberries about 10 seconds until smooth. Pour into a martini glass and stir in coconut water. 1.5 ounces vodka optional.

Nutrition Highlights: Each Trop50 mock-cosmo has 3 times fewer calories and 26 grams less sugar (about 6.5 teaspoons!) than a mock-cosmo made with Stirrings Cosmo Mix. Additionally, our version contains fiber from real fruit and 70% of your daily vitamin C!

Nutrition Info (6-ounce cosmo): 40 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 5mg sodium, 12g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 8g sugar, 0g protein, 70% vitamin C, 310mg potassium, 1.5mg vitamin E.

Stirrings Cosmo Mix (6-ounce): 120 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 34g carbohydrates, 0g fiber, 34g sugar, 0g protein.

After dinner, my roommate & I decided to whip some up as a low cal dessert!

We snuggled up on the couch to enjoy...

They were delish!!

I know the vodka would make it the perfect real cocktail with plenty of flavor. The disclaimer in the recipe link does say to calculate about 97 calories in for alcohol. Our Trop50 'mocktails' will now be a nightly special in the house. We can't wait to try more of the flavors and recipes, YUM!

Trop50 wants to give away one last $50 Spa Week giftcard!

How to Win

Please leave a separate comment for each

1. Be or become a follower of my blog

2. Like Running to Health on facebook HERE and tell me which 'mocktail' you'd make

3. Like Trop50 on facebook HERE to tell them your True Resolution

4. Spread the word (blog, twitter, facebook)

disclaimer: The prize is provided by Trop50. I was given a free bottle of Trop50 for this review.

Enter until 2/1/12 Good Luck!

My 11 Things

I was tagged for 11 things by Michelle @ Running with Attitude & Nicole @ Running While Mommy

I'm pretty sure almost everyone in blogger world has answered this.

I'm just going to do the 11 random things & answer the questions.

Random Things

1. I have the same thing for breakfast everyday. 1 egg with egg whites scrambled with spinach and cheddar cheese. 1 piece of whole wheat toast & a banana.

2. My favorite movies are Love Actually, Dodgeball, Office Space.

3. I played flute and piccolo in the high school band, and sang in the chorus.

4. I never ran more than 2 laps in hugh school and complained the whole time.

5. I was a cheerleader for 13 years.

6. I have a biological sister thats 11 years younger than me, and an adopted one that 17 years younger.

7. I love to travel. I have to go away for at least 2, week long trips a year or else I get super cranky. This is accompanied by 2-4 weekend trips a year as well.

8. For my mom's 60th birthday, I'm planning on taking her on a Mediterranean Cruise.

9. I try to eat mostly organic and avoid processed food & HFCS.

10. My favorite household chore is laundry

11. I've been with Kevin for over 7 years, and engaged for almost 3 years.

MIchelle's Questions

1. Favorite quote or saying (not from a movie)? "Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right."
2. Favorite movie quote? "Love Actually, is all around"
3. 3 dinner guests -who would they be? (Can be dead or alive) John Mayer, Britney Spears, Tina Fey
4. Favorite indulgence? Ice cream, chocolate...
5. Favorite Cocktail (or beer or wine)? Flirtinis or Pomegranate Martinis, a little red wine
6. Favorite book from childhood? Where the Red Fern Grows
7. Have you traveled abroad? Where? London x2, multiple Caribbean & mexico trips
8. Beyond running, what's your favorite hobby? Vacationing
9. What 3 things do you have to have in the morning? Breakfast, chapstick, gummy vitamins
10. What 3 things do you have to have when you head to bed? chapstick, earplugs, mouthpiece to keep me from grinding my teeth
11. What's your biggest pet peeve? Leaving an empty toilet paper on a roll, not thanking someone when its well deserved.

Nicole's Questions

Sara courtesy of google

1. What is your favorite band? John Mayer for sure.
2.  Who is your biggest inspiration? Team Hoyt is my #1, followed by Sara Reinertsen
3.  Can you remember your last dream? Was it good? I always have interesting dreams, usually I want to keep sleeping so I can see what happens next. Its always like a movie.
4. What is your favorite book? most recently 17 Hours to Glory
5. What is your best childhood memory? Living in Fort Meyers, FL for the winters with my family. Cookouts for christmas, beach days every day, dolphins, sun, sand. 
6.  Do you have any regrets? I regret learning at a young age that food = comfort. It has taken me sooo long to work through it, and I'm still not there yet.
7. What is your most prized possession? My wall of race bling. I know if I lost all those medals I'd cry. Each one tells a different story and means so much to me!
8. What were you doing the last time you really had a good laugh? Last night out to dinner with my best work girlies. I love those girls!
9. What movie can you watch over and over again? Love Actually
10.  Do you go to church? yes. Although we haven't been in awhile. Marathon training got a little in the way.
11.  How is your day so far? I drank too much Saturday night, and went to bed too late. I wasted the day sleeping in, eating breakfast, lounging, blogging, and not running. Whoops!

Hope you enjoyed reading!

Trop50 True Resolutions and Spa Giveaway #2!

Trop50 True Resolutions

Behind every New Year’s resolution is a secret motivation. Do you really want to lose weight to feel healthier or is it really to fit into that a-MAY-zing dress that’ll make your ex do a double take? This year, Trop50 True Resolutions celebrates the real reasons behind New Year’s resolutions. There’s no reason to sugarcoat the truth, only reasons to be your fabulous self!

Share your secret motivation and you’ll earn a coupon for $1 off Trop50 for yourself and 50¢ off coupons for up to 50 of your friends. You can even submit incognito with a fierce disguise. Bonus: Whether you submit a resolution or not, you can also enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $1000 gift card.

My biggest resolution/goal?

To be healthy and happy throughout the new year.

Time is Running out to Enter the Trop50 True Resolutions!

and...

We have giveaway #2 for a $50 SpaWeek giftcard to give away courtesy of Trop50!

How to win

please leave a separate comment for each entry

1. Be a follower of my blog

2. Go to Trop50 True Resolutions on facebook HERE & share your resolution

3. Share the giveaway! (twitter, blog facebook)

disclaimer: The prize is provided by Trop50. I was given a free bottle of Trop50 in exchange for this posting.

enter by 1/31 at midnight

Need more time!

Do you ever feel like there are not enough hours in the day?

This week, I've been feeling it even more so.

I need more time for working out, race planning, blogging, spending time with family/friends, catching up on TV, and unfortunately working.

I'm so sorry that I've fallen crazy behind reading all of your blogs.

I promise to post more exciting and fun things soon (hopefully this weekend!)

Today I'm working and going out for a friend's birthday. So little time for working out/blogging. I promise to try on Sunday!

The winner of the $50 Spa giftcard from Trop50 is Jill R! 

Jill, email me at sgrigely at hotmail dot com to claim your prize.

If you didn't win, don't worry, we'll have 2 more giveaways for Trop50 giftcards coming soon.

Hope everyone racing (especially Tinkerbell... I AM JEALOUS!), has a great weekend racing!

Mileage vs Time

As I keep thinking about 70.3, I've started looking into training plans. (Not to mention have crossed a couple potential races off the list and added a couple on). One thing I hate about all the training plans, is that they are based on time, not miles.

In all my running training, I've always trained in miles. I like to know I'll be able to cover the distance that will be demanded of me. Especially since I'm a slower biker/runner, if I only do the time listed on a training plan, I feel like I won't get the miles in. If I have a mile goal, I don't rush to get them done to fit it in a  timeframe, so I'm not worrying too much about speed. My main focus is getting ready to tackle ALL 70.3 miles.

I remember when I started training for my first triathlon, I had trouble finding a sprint plan in miles. Then last year, I followed an Olympic plan to keep my mileage up and found one with some effort. For the 70.3 though, I'm having a HELL of a time finding a plan in miles. Some of my Tough Chik teammates have offered me training plans, advice, and suggestions of books to read. As of right now, they all focus on time, which leads me to consider hiring a coach or making my own plan myself basing it off the time goals.

What are your thoughts on training plans in miles vs time?

Now with that new training plan I come up with, I feel like I need a better Garmin for swim purposes. Although I can't convince myself its a necessity yet because of the outrageous price.

How beautiful.

The new 910xt. 

Not only does it work in the water, its useful in pool or open water. It counts strokes, distance, stroke type, efficiency. Running & Biking are great as usual, and the new version should work with my 405 Heart rate monitor, so I can get the cheaper version to start with. The size looks smaller than the 305.

Swoon.

For now, I'll keep dreaming.

Do your swim/bike/run with a Garmin?

Have you seen/tried the new Garmin?

Don't forget my giveaways!!

LARABAR ends 1/29 HERE

Trop50 $50 giftcard for Spa Services ends 1/26 HERE

Trop50 True Resolutions and Spa Giveaway!

What is Trop50?

Maybe you've seen those funny commercials with 30 Rock's Jane Krakowski.

Trop50 is a lot of things.

Its 50%less sugar & calories than regular juice

It has no artificial sweeteners, instead uses a Stevia based sweetener.

Its only 50 calories a glass.

It contains a full day's worth of Vitamin C.

It comes in a ton of flavors. Orange (no pulp, some pulp, calcium & vitamin D), farmstand apple, pomegranate blueberry, pineapple mango, lemonade and raspberry lemonade.

Its a great source of potassium and antioxidants.

Want to give Trop50 a try?

Visit them on facebook HERE for a $1 coupon for yourself, and 50 cent coupons for friends. 

While you're there, enter your TrueResolution to win a $1,000 giftcard!

Plus....

Trop50 wants to spoil my readers with a $50 Spa & Wellness Giftcard by Spa Week!

How to Win

Please leave a separate comment for each

1. Be or become a follower of my blog

2. Visit The Trop50 True Resolutions on facebook HERE and share your resolution (and maybe a little Running to Health love!)

3. Visit Running to Health on facebook HERE, and tell me what your 2012 resolution (or goal) is.

4. Share this! Spread the word by blog, facebook, twitter daily(1 for each medium, each day. Please make sure to leave separate comments each day!)
disclaimer: I was given a free sample of Trop50 for this post and the prize is provided by Trop50.

Who doesn't want to win quality spa time? We can ALL use it as endurance athletes. 

Giveaway will end 1/26 at midnight.

Good Luck!

And don't forget to check out my LARABAR giveaway HERE

My Mom's Disney Race Report!

After all the love and support I heard from you guys about my mom finishing her race, I thought you might enjoy hearing her side of the story. Enjoy!

I DID IT!  Although I constantly questioned my ability and sought reassurance from my kids, I am now a ½ Marathoner, having recently completed the Disney Half Marathon.  This is my story of how I got here, a feat I never would have thought possible.  

In just 2 ½ years, I lost my brother, dad, and mom.  My parents lived until their late 80’s, but 3 ½ years ago, my brother Russ dropped dead of a massive heart attack.  The paramedics said he never knew what hit him, and was gone before he hit the ground.  He was classified as morbidly obese, had high blood pressure and cholesterol.  He was only 56 years old, and had just moved back from Pennsylvania with his wife to help care for our elderly parents.  I vowed not to let that happen to me.  Unfortunately, working full time and being the primary caregiver for my parents took its toll on me both physically and emotionally. 

My Mom pinned this to the back of her shirt race day

After I finally got over the passing of my mom last January and realized that I was now the age my brother was when he passed away, I asked Stephanie to help me make a plan to get more physically active.  She and my son had been talking about the Disney Marathon for a while, and they suggested I train for the Half Marathon.  I thought it was a bit ambitious.  Actually I thought they were crazy.

In September, I joined the gym Stephanie belongs to and hired a trainer.  I began following Jeff Galloway’s program from Run Disney, and was at the gym 6-7 days a week.  I pushed myself to ensure I would finish the race in the time allotted, and trained with a walk/run method.  I registered in October, and there was no turning back.  I kept wondering if I could really do it.  When I finally achieved 12.5 miles in my training I knew I could probably do it.

Then the cold came, leading to a sinus infection.  But I still completed my 14 mile last big walk/run.  The doctor said that’s what did it.  Bronchitis/upper respiratory infection set in and I was floored.  Out of work and in bed for 5 days.  No strength or energy to do anything including my training.  I began to panic.  Stephanie and Jason assured me I’d be fine, but I wasn’t so sure.  I finally went back to the gym on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, feeling better but not 100%.  Guess I wasn’t being careful enough, because I popped my hamstring on the hamstring curl machine and nearly passed out.  After lying down and icing it, I hobbled out when the dizziness passed.  I called Stephanie and was hysterical because it was only 2 weeks until the race and I thought that was it.  I got home and Jason rushed for the ice packs and ibuprofen.  Stephanie checked it later because I was sure I tore my hamstring. So once again, no training as even walking was difficult.  My sports doctor said there wasn’t a tear and my chiropractor helped as much as possible.  Just as it started to feel better, I slipped and pulled it again.

I believe in the power of prayer and pray regularly, but now I really needed to believe it would get me through this.  My plan had been to dedicate this race to my brother’s memory and I was determined.  My niece said her dad would be the wind at my back.  I decided that maybe this was a test of my faith to be able to complete the race with such a bad hamstring injury.  I just had to believe that God and my brother would get me through it. I just wanted to finish, even if I was last.

The first 4 miles I walked with two really nice local women, and when they began to run I tried, but the pain was so intense.  I thought that was it.  I’d never make it and all my hard work would go down the drain.  Then there was Stephanie, Kevin and Annette cheering me on.  When Steph came out onto the course and hugged me, I cried.  I knew I had to push through the pain.  Several times I tried to run but just couldn’t.  By now my hips were misaligned and my right leg was shorter than my left.  I was a mess with another 8 miles to go.  I turned up my ipod (a gift from Steph) and tried to get my pace up with the beat of the music.  Although I couldn’t get to my usual pace, focusing on the music helped immensely.  Once in a while I looked back and saw that there were a lot of people behind me which was reassuring.  At one point, I would have sworn that my mom, dad, and brother were on the side of the road cheering me on.  Thinking about them looking down on me and how proud they must be really helped give me the strength to finish.

Meeting my mom at mile 4.5

Around the 11 mile marker was when I knew I could do it.  The two women I started out with came up from behind me, as they had stopped several times, and they reassured me that I was doing fine and I’d make it.  They were so happy to see me as they thought that maybe I had dropped out.  I wanted to run at least at the end, but by that time I was limping and just needed ice.  The only stops I made during the entire race was for biofreeze, to help a runner who fell, and to stretch a couple of times. 

I finished in 3:34:25, not the time I had originally hoped for, but all things considered, just happy I was able to finish.  Before I left, my chiropractor had told me to drop out if I had to.  I told him that wasn’t an option.   There were times I thought I might have to, but I’m so glad I pushed myself, even though walking around the parks for the next few days was excruciating.

Mile 12, almost done!

As a parent, over the years I’ve been able to brag about and be proud of my three children.  It was such an extraordinary feeling to have them be so proud of me.  I want to thank my children, Stephanie, Jason and Jessica for all of their love, support, patience, encouragement and reassurance.  I am one lucky mama.  Also, thanks to Kevin and Annette (the rest of my cheering section), to my brother Russ for watching over me, and for answered prayers.  I could never have done it without you all!! 

Hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I did.

Love you mom!

70.3 Here I come!

                 Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Deirdre~ on Pinterest

There is a lot of excitement & nervousness in my head right now.

I have wanted to do a 70.3 for over a year now, but the timing just never seemed right. We were unsure of our wedding plans, and I didn't want to undertake training for this big of a race while trying to plan that. One thing I knew, I wanted to get one under my belt before we have kids. So after some discussion the other night, we decided to put off our wedding another year and for me to train for a 70.3. 

The butterflies started.

A long swim, a long bike ride. The only part I feel confident about is the half marathon at the end. However, reading books like You are an Ironman and 17 hours to glory inspire me to do it. And weirdly enough, my miserable attempt at the marathon is the major reason why I have the confidence to do it. Knowing that I was able to be out there for 6+ hours made me realize 7-8 hours broken up into different sports wouldn't be that bad. It made me realize that I can tough it out, even when I'm struggling. It taught me that "The only one that can tell you that you can't is you, and you don't have to listen."

I am beyond nervous, but really excited. Kevin has promised to accompany me on training rides, and maybe even a run or 2. He told me he'd do whatever I needed to be successful, which is just what I needed to hear. 

I can totally do this.

The jump from Sprint distance to half iron seems big, so I'm hoping to add an Olympic somewhere along the way. The tough part now, is picking which race to do.

1. Rev 3 Maine, Old Orchard Beach

August 26, 2012

The August date gives me plenty of time to train & time to get in an Olympic distance race before the big day.

The elevation for the bike & run look great, but I am beyond nervous about an ocean water swim. The only time I swim in the ocean is on vacation. I don't have access to the ocean to practice regularly (not that I typically practice in open water often), although I suppose I could make a couple trips to the beach to purposely train. Swimming is my strongest sport, but my least confident.

The location is great, we could make a nice long weekend of it.

There are a few other awesome bloggers racing that I would LOVE to meet. Jason @ CookTrainEatRace & Jen @Miles Muscles & Mommyhood.

2. Rev3 Maryland

October 7, 2012

The late date would realllly give me a long time to train.

downside is a longer drive (6+ hours), but the possibility to see Kevin's brother and nephews.

We would definitely drive down, so that would add on extra time off from work.

The swim is in a lake, the hills on the bike & run look a little tougher.

3. Rev 3 Quassy Amusement Park

June 3, 2012

The date is not far away, so there wouldn't be a ton of time to train.

The location is relatively close to home. The closest of any of the races, so traveling would be much easier.

There is lots to do while I'm racing, so Kevin won't get too bored, he could ride rides and whatnot.

The swim is in a lake, but the bike & run course seem to have pretty good size & frequent hills. I watched a youtube video of Tara from biggest loser saying it was one of the toughest rides of her life. uh oh. It is only a little over an hour away, so in theory I could practice both the ride & run beforehand.

4.  Timberman 70.3

August 19, 2012

Nice late date for training.

Lake Swim, but big 3-9% grade inclines on the bike. I've heard it is an extremely hilly course, but seems like it will be very scenic.

Could turn into a long weekend vacation.

5. Poconos 70.3

September 30, 2012

Plenty of time for training.

Not a horrible driving distance for the race.

Calm swim, pretty good hills on the bike and run.

6. Syracuse 70.3

June 24, 2012

4+ hour drive.

Calm swim, hilly bike & run.

One of my Tough Chik teammates is doing this race.

I am overwhelmed with options.

I wish there was a course with a calm swim and limited bike/run hills.

I'm leaning toward Rev3 Maine as my top choice.

PLEASE

give me your thoughts/feedback!

What do you think?

Here's to 70.3 in 2012!!

LARABAR review & giveaway!

I'm always on the lookout for delicious, healthy snacks. Which was why I jumped at the chance to work with...

After reading Jillian Michael's Master Your Metabolism, I learned how important it was to eat clean whole foods that are unprocessed, and worked at applying that to my diet. The great thing about LARABARS, is that they are unprocessed fruits, nuts, and spices that are ground and mixed together. 

What else do I love?

They are not baked or cooked. 

They are Gluten free, and all varieties without chocolate chips are Vegan.

They have no added vitamins, minerals or supplements. Only what the ingredients themselves contain.

There is no added sugar.

They will not freeze or melt.

I like to have half a bar as a pre-workout snack in the morning, or as an afternoon snack. I was fortunate to try a few fabulous flavors. Here they are in order of my favorites...

1. Chocolate Chip Cherry Torte

Simply dates, dairy free chocolate chips, almonds, unsweetened cherries, cashews & sea salt.
This is by far my favorite bar I tried. The tart flavor is amazing, and I love the chocolate chips inside.

2. Cappuccino

contains fair trade coffee, dates, almonds, cashews, & vanilla extract.

These bars provide a little zing of caffeine, and taste fabulous.

3. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

contains dates, peanuts, dairy free chocolate chips, and sea salts.

Good peanut flavor with yummy chocolate. Isn't this a favorite combination for everyone?

4. Carrot Cake

dates, almonds, walnuts, raisins, pineapple, unsweetened coconut, carrots, cinnamon, and extra virgin coconut oil.

All that was missing was a cream cheese frosting. Delicious.

5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

cashews, dates, dairy free chocolate chips, and sea salt.

Not my favorite, but still a tasty option. I just didn't find it close enough to 'real' cookie dough.

Look at those ingredient lists.

simple. natural. whole foods.

Easier for our body to use as fuel.

Lara is a genius for creating these amazing bars with so few ingredients. I'm honestly amazed at how it all comes together to form the bar so well.

I want you to be able to snack & fuel smarter too, so LARABAR has offered a sampler pack to one lucky reader!

How to Win

please leave a separate comment for each entry

1. Be or become a follower of my blog!

2. Visit LARABAR HERE and tell me what flavor you think you'd want to try.

3. Like Running to Health on facebook HERE.

4. Share the giveaway via blog, facebook, twitter (1 for each).

You have until 1/29 to enter, good luck!

Disney Marathon Race Report (Part 3)

Onto Part 3, but first....

Did you miss Part 1? see it HERE

or, Part 2? see it HERE

Post-Race

Excitement. Overwhelming exhaustion. Confidence. Disbelief.

I am so badass! Did I really just finish that race?

I sat on the ground and peeled off my shoes & CEP socks to let my poor, swollen piggies breathe.

Soon the family came over for hugs and congratulations.

I convinced Kevin to peel me an orange since that was the only food that sounded good. It tasted amazing.

Not long after, we headed to the bus line, which thank god was way shorter than the day before. We headed back to the hotel, where my brother forced me to ice bath. Now, I've never taken a "real" ice bath. I took a half assed one once with a small bowl of ice, but this time I squealed and screamed as kevin dumped 3 trash cans full of ice into the tub. Then I sat for 12 minutes until I couldn't stand it anymore.

After the ice bath and a foot and leg massage from my number one supporter, I was feeling much better. I was still going through box after box of kleenex, and using Afrin like it was going out of style, but I was able to stomach a Click protein shake. After my brother was done with his ice bath, we headed to Magic Kingdom to celebrate thanks to my mom as our reward.

I wore my medal with pride around the park. We went straight to the Sweet Shoppe to get mammoth ice cream sandwiches, my first real solid food of the day. A showed me these sandwiches after Disney Princess last year, and I just knew I had to have one.

We followed Ice cream with rides. Space Mountain was closed, but we went on Buzz LightYear, The People Mover, Pirates of the Caribbean, and my favorite Haunted Mansion. Which holds a special place in my heart, since this was the ride I waited in line for when I first found out about the Disney Marathon, and began dreaming of completing it one day myself.

Part of the new Haunted Mansion Graveyard

We saw more construction for the new Fantasyland, which makes me want to come back as soon as its done of course. After rides, we headed to the Polynesian for dinner at the Kona Cafe. We had to wait a while for our reservation, so we enjoyed cocktails at the bar first. The dinner was the best one we'd had at Disney so far. I had a delicious shrimp and noodle dish, and finished up with Pineapple Whip for dessert in the Polynesian downstairs.

Kevin and I had to run to Downtown Disney to pick up my custom Disney Marathon ornament, before heading back to the hotel. We decided to sleep in and not set an alarm until 9. I think we ended up awake at 8ish or so, and I was so happy to have a full night's sleep. We checked out, and headed out to Port Canaveral to catch our cruise ship, the Monarch of the Seas.

I was still not feeling great, but the Marathon seemed to beat the worst of it out of me. Problem? I seemed to pass it along to S, then Kevin too.

Day 1 on the ship, my brother and I went for a quick 2ish mile jog around the track on the ship. My legs felt great, and it was nice to get moving feeling a little better.

Day 2, we all went to Spinning at 8am before docking at Cocoa Cay. We had a great day of snorkeling, sunbathing, relaxing, walking, drinking.

Day 3, we had to move rooms because our air conditioner broke. Our new room was right above the club, and all we could hear was music every time we tried to relax. We skipped a workout to move our belongings, and went to Nassau for the day. We enjoyed Conch fritters, crack conch, and plantains, and a few Kaliks. We relaxed on the beach and then hit Senor Frogs for a drink before heading back to the boat.

Beer of the Bahamas!

Can you tell I have a Sparkly Soul headband on? Its my new staple!

Lovin life at Senor Frogs!

We had one more day at sea on the boat. I skipped another workout to sleep in, which was amazing. I was still sickish, but feeling better. Unfortunately, now Kevin was feeling worse. We relaxed by the pool, lost at Bingo, and enjoyed some Red Velvet cupcakes that someone accidentally sent to our room. We also spent way too much time at Guest Relations dealing with our room issues.

yummmm

Last night at Dinner with Kevin, Jason & his girl

I have never been so happy to get home from a vacation. I think the combination of sickness and poor service made me long for my comfy bed and hours of sleep. I would not recommend the Monarch of the Seas to anyone. After a loooooong day at Orlando airport (11 hours before out plane left), we finally made it home after 12am, and crashed.

Kevin & I are both finally feeling better, and looking forward to our next vacation.... 

Whenever that will be!