My First Half-Marathon

I did it- I ran my first half-marathon this morning in Philly. What remains to be seen is will it be my last half?

I haven't been training for this race like I should have been. Ok, honestly, I haven't run more than 5 miles in quite a while. So, knowing that, I decided to take it nice and slow. I planned on walk-run intervals to help me get through the whole thing. My goal time was 2:30:00, but I just didn't quite make it. I was doing OK through the first 8 miles, but at mile 9, my legs just went dead. And then, to add insult to it all, my iPod went dead at mile 10. I was still maintaining my walk-run intervals, but at mile 11, my I couldn't run anymore. My legs hurt so bad and were just done. There were times on mile 12 I thought I would have to sit down for a little bit, but I didn't. I keep on walking and made it. I did manage to run the last 0.1 mi (through the finish line) and even got another lady to stop walking and run through the finish line, too. My final time was 2:56:something.

It was great seeing Mike and Matthew at the finish line. I went though the finisher's corral and got my food, and then staggered out to find my family.

Doing a half-marathon was a great experience- once I realized I wouldn't die! I'm not happy with my time, which leads me to think that I may do another half after I seriously train to try to better my time.

A few random thoughts-

• I was in corral 18- that was a long walk from the starting line.
• The way the course wound around the city, mile 4 was right back at the start line. It was very depressing waiting in the corral to start and seeing the leaders pass us... 18 minutes in, they were through 4 miles.
• Running through Philadelphia, you encounter many smells. Some good, many sewer-like.
• Why do people stand as a spectator of a RUNNING race and smoke a cigarette or cigar?
• It would've been nice if someone had gone through the course on race morning and removed the dead animals from the road- I had a really close encounter with a dead raccoon.
• ING runs a very organized race.
• I was very glad we stayed the night before in Philly. It was nice not having to drive downtown and mess with crowds in the early morning, and it was great to be able to have Mike drive me home.

I LOVE Southwest Air

OK- this is a little different blog post, but I just have to say it-

I LOVE Southwest Airlines...

As many of you know, I am going to WDW to run the Food and Wine 5K in October. I had originally made my plane reservations to leave Friday and come home Monday. Since I am leaving both my hubby and my son behind, I didn't think I would be able to eek any more solo time out of the trip. And I was ok with that...

But then I discovered more and more of my favorite people were arriving on Thursday (I know, not all of them, but many- JIM!). So, I hopped on line to Southwest.com and did a little researching. I found that I could save $50 by flying out on Thursday. And Southwest, being the WONDERFUL airline they are, allowed me to change my flights with NO charge, and I even got a credit for the difference in price. Also, I get to take a bag without paying luggage fees and they have some of the nicest (and funniest) attendants around!

Now, I get to leave on a better flight (12:00 instead of 7:00am), and I get in to see my friends a day earlier. I get to eat at restaurant I've never tried at WDW, and I have time to do some Vinyl shopping. And, thanks to one of my bestest friends, I don't even have to get a hotel room that night- she has offered me her extra sofa bed in her 1BR villa!

So Southwest Airlines, I just wanted to say THANK YOU!!! You have totally made my week!

WDW Mom's Panel- Third Times a Charm???

Well, it's that time of year... No, I'm not talking back to school time or NFL time. It's time to apply to the Walt Disney World Mom's Panel. (If you don't know what the Mom's Panel is, it's a huge honor for any Disney fan. Click here for more info.) Twitter, Facebook, and various Disney boards become obsessed with who has applied, how people answered questions, and when to start expecting emails if you've made it to the next round.

The Mom's Panel caps applications at 20,000. For approximately 10-20 spots. That's a 1 in 1,000 chance of being picked. YIKES!

I have applied the last two years and haven't made it past round one. For some things, that may have soured me on the process and made me not want to apply this year. But nothing could be further from the truth. Over the last year, I have had the privilege of getting to know some of the Moms (and Dads), and they are wonderful people who are truly deserving of being on the panel.

So, tomorrow morning at 9am applications start being accepted by the 2011 WDW Mom's Panel. I'm a bit irritated that I have a work meeting from 9:30-12:00 tomorrow, so I won't be able to get my application in until the afternoon. And then, I will join all my friends in the anxious waiting process!