Our family was fortunate to travel to Florida--leaving 20 degree Utah temperatures for a few perfect 80-degree days! My sister Jody was amazing and completed her 2nd "Goofy" (39.3 miles baby), our dad ran the Disney 5K, and I did the Half Marathon. The downer of the trip was sickness: flu ran through the family, and even with codeine and cough medicine, I had some killer coughs throughout the run. Still, the good far outweighed the bad, and these are my top picks of the trip:
1. A day at Epcot virtually without crowds and lines, enjoying gorgeous blue skies, shorts in January and sunshine.
2. Watching my kids eat their first jacket-required 7-course gourmet meal at Victoria and Albert's. (Wyatt said he looked like James Bond , the service was superb, and white chocolate gelato was the PRE-dessert, followed by chocolate souffle).
3. A Tie: The new Mt. Everest Roller Coaster and the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
4. The African safari animals at Animal Kingdom.
5. Tower of Terror, always a favorite
6. Eating a funny lunch at Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios.
7. Running through kingdoms and enjoying Disney characters and scenes in the Half Marathon.
8. Lounging by the pool.
9. Seeing friends and touring the ginormous Deseret Citrus and Cattle Ranch, complete with alligators in the swimming hole and a rodeo-grounds picnic lunch.
10. Spending time with my husband, parents, sister, and three youngest children :)
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Top 10 Exotic Runs
We have been soooo fortunate to travel, and I thought of recording some of the most exotic places I've gone for a run. Remarkably absent is the hunting camp in South Africa where (pre-travel) I pictured myself running with a cheetah, but in real life the humans stayed in an enclosed compound, and cheetahs and all other animals were more interested in catching dinner than joining up with a slow running partner, so I got terribly antsy running around inside the enclosure. . . .
That disappointment aside, I'll pick:
1. Also in South Africa, inside a glass-enclosed workout room at the Royal Malawan Resort. Treadmills aren't usually exotic, but while I was on this one monkeys came up to the window and several colorful birds flew by. The view was incredible.
2. Tahiti. While my husband went scuba diving (not my thing, telling myself to breathe in, breathe out through a gigantic and uncomfortable mask while under water), I forced my butt off my personal overwater bungalow porch one day and did a personal mini-triathlon. I can't think of a prettier place on this planet to swim (calm, striking blue water), bike, and run.
3. Florence, Italy. Florence is just one of the prettiest cities there is, and our hotel was outside the city limits, alongside the Arno River. I ran through some fields here, next to the River, and had no idea where I was or how long I'd been gone, which made for an awesome experience
4. Lake Como, Italy. Views of the Italian Alps and the beautiful lake make running here picturesque. I've done some memorable marathon training runs here.
5. Washington, D.C. I felt historic running on the Mall, past the wonderful Monuments, and around the White House.
6. San Francisco, California. Yep, the hills are killer, but I once ran from the Oakton Bay Bridge, to and across the Golden Gate Bridge, then back. The breeze, ocean air, and views were killer too.
7. Disney World, Florida. Maybe it's not "exotic," but 39.3 miles of Disney property were "Goofy" indeed (and a lot of fun). At the end of this marathon, when I entered Epcot Resort and ran by the countries, it was the only time I can remember being hungry right in a race. Near France, I thought of eating the French food; near Mexico, I started craving Mexican food; and so on, to the finish!
8. Hawaii. I've run through lava fields on the Big Island, from the North Shore to Laie on Oahu, through beautiful parks and on the beaches of Maui and Kauai. Take me on a run in Hawaii any time.
9. Sea of Galilee, Israel. That run offered some beautiful views, not to mention the history and spirit of the place.
10. Got to pick my own home state, Utah. Lots of runs here in the beautiful red rock country of St. George, through Zion National Park or Snow Canyon State Park. I've also enjoyed scenic runs at Lake Powell, outside Moab, around Park City, and through Wheeler Historic Farm :)
That disappointment aside, I'll pick:
1. Also in South Africa, inside a glass-enclosed workout room at the Royal Malawan Resort. Treadmills aren't usually exotic, but while I was on this one monkeys came up to the window and several colorful birds flew by. The view was incredible.
2. Tahiti. While my husband went scuba diving (not my thing, telling myself to breathe in, breathe out through a gigantic and uncomfortable mask while under water), I forced my butt off my personal overwater bungalow porch one day and did a personal mini-triathlon. I can't think of a prettier place on this planet to swim (calm, striking blue water), bike, and run.
3. Florence, Italy. Florence is just one of the prettiest cities there is, and our hotel was outside the city limits, alongside the Arno River. I ran through some fields here, next to the River, and had no idea where I was or how long I'd been gone, which made for an awesome experience
4. Lake Como, Italy. Views of the Italian Alps and the beautiful lake make running here picturesque. I've done some memorable marathon training runs here.
5. Washington, D.C. I felt historic running on the Mall, past the wonderful Monuments, and around the White House.
6. San Francisco, California. Yep, the hills are killer, but I once ran from the Oakton Bay Bridge, to and across the Golden Gate Bridge, then back. The breeze, ocean air, and views were killer too.
7. Disney World, Florida. Maybe it's not "exotic," but 39.3 miles of Disney property were "Goofy" indeed (and a lot of fun). At the end of this marathon, when I entered Epcot Resort and ran by the countries, it was the only time I can remember being hungry right in a race. Near France, I thought of eating the French food; near Mexico, I started craving Mexican food; and so on, to the finish!
8. Hawaii. I've run through lava fields on the Big Island, from the North Shore to Laie on Oahu, through beautiful parks and on the beaches of Maui and Kauai. Take me on a run in Hawaii any time.
9. Sea of Galilee, Israel. That run offered some beautiful views, not to mention the history and spirit of the place.
10. Got to pick my own home state, Utah. Lots of runs here in the beautiful red rock country of St. George, through Zion National Park or Snow Canyon State Park. I've also enjoyed scenic runs at Lake Powell, outside Moab, around Park City, and through Wheeler Historic Farm :)
Monday, January 7, 2013
Top 10 M&Ms
When someone recently told me he only likes peanut m&ms, my unthinking OCD response was that peanut is probably my 6th favorite. Well, it did get me to thinking, tasting, and rating. Therefore, on this most serious subject, these are my official favorite flavors of my all-time favorite foods: (drum roll)
1. Mint m&ms
2. Dark chocolate m&ms
3. White chocolate peppermint m&ms (od'd on these at Christmas, confession since I ate my son's bag)
4. Coconut m&ms (taste like Hawaii)
5. Milk chocolate (original) m&ms
6. ok, Peanut m&ms (the peanuts make these a health food)
7. Almond m&ms (getting so healthy they're practically organic)
8. Dark chocolate peanut m&m
9. Pretzel m&ms, and
10. Peanut butter m&ms (they are 10th, but somehow I still enjoy eating them :)
Anyone else?
1. Mint m&ms
2. Dark chocolate m&ms
3. White chocolate peppermint m&ms (od'd on these at Christmas, confession since I ate my son's bag)
4. Coconut m&ms (taste like Hawaii)
5. Milk chocolate (original) m&ms
6. ok, Peanut m&ms (the peanuts make these a health food)
7. Almond m&ms (getting so healthy they're practically organic)
8. Dark chocolate peanut m&m
9. Pretzel m&ms, and
10. Peanut butter m&ms (they are 10th, but somehow I still enjoy eating them :)
Anyone else?
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