Race for the Taste

Savitre has gone 101!!! :o(

(just found out that 101 is Disney's code for attraction down)

This was one of the two reasons why I'm still here in Orlando. I couldn't wait to do another Disney race. I remember my first race during the Goofy Challenge. The expo was huge, the weather was perfect, Savitre had an "A" day/weekend. :o)

This race, however, was much MUCH different. The expo was a huge let down. I thought I had gone on the wrong day to pick up my packet. No one was around and there was only one rack put up to sell the race day tee shirt. SELL?!??! Usually we got a race tee shirt with our packets....what was going on here? Instead, we received a pint glass with our packets.

It's all good. I still ended up buying the tee shirt. *guilty grin*

On race day, I got up, got dressed, and proudly pinned on my bib number (#101). I headed out the door to Wide World of Sports. Parking was plentiful. I guess everyone wanted to park at Epcot so that after the race they didn't have to shuttle back to their cars.

Music was blaring, the humidity died down tons from the previous night, and everyone seemed chipper. Aaahh...it felt so good to be lining up with a bunch of Disney racers again!

The Star Spangle Banner played, fireworks lit the sky, and we were off. Well, everyone but Savitre was off and running. I, however, encountered many technical difficulties at the start of the race.

Just as I was crossing the starting line, my iPod started to flicker. Before I knew it, it went to the black screen of death! NOOOOooooooo!!! I simply CANNOT run without my iPod!! Curse the storm from Expedition Everest! Ever since that race, my iPod has not been functioning normally. Lucky for me, I knew how to reboot it. I continued to walk the first mile as it slowly rebooted. YAY!!! It was finally working again.

Did problems end there? No no no...of course not! I decided to carry a camera during the race. However, this was a new pocket camera that I had purchased. The only problem was that I didn't know how to use it. Ooopsie! So, as I tried to take pics of anything along the way, all my photos were coming out blurry. Gosh darn it, I thought!! I continued to mess with the settings until I got it to where I thought the pics were decent. Ahhh...2 miles later, I finally decided to start running!!

I was finally back in business after all my technological issues. However, now I was starting to suffer from severe respiratory issues. It wasn't the humidity. I'm not quite sure what it was. I felt like I couldn't take full breaths in. WHAT THE HECK?!?! Today was definitely NOT an "A" day. If there were a Double "Z" day (make that triple "z"), today was that day! I give up *throws hands up in the air* :o(

Mile 3 (half way through the race), I was ready to call it quits. I just wanted to hitch a ride back to my car, crawl into bed, and wake up and believe that the REAL race had not started yet and that this was just one bad nightmare! NOPE, this was as real as it got!!! *sigh*

I didn't quit though. I decided to enjoy my moments through Disney and just take in the scenery, enjoy being amongst other runners, and cherish the reason I was still in Orlando. All I could think about was "as long as you finish Savitre, you'll get a medal...not ONE but TWO....so keep moving little one". :o)

Before I knew it, the finish line appeared! PHEW!!! That was pure torture!!! Of course, Disney does not fail to put on a fun post race party! We had three snack tickets to sample some of the food from Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. Of course I did not skip out on this opportunity.

Characters were out and about for photo ops...and no matter how bad it gets, Goofy ALWAYS makes me smile!!!

One down, one to go....my next (and last for this year) Disney race is the Tower of Terror 13K on October 24th. Hopefully that race won't be as scary as this one and NO MORE Savitre going 101!!! Hahaha :o)

I Can Do...26.2

Once upon a time lil Savitre used to sit in the kitchen and watch on her 9" tv the NYC Marathon received via antenna with knob controls. She sat in awe of the amazing runners with eyes wide open at the sight of these athletes running, picking up a drinking cup, and dumping the water on their head.


OH HOW FUN THAT LOOKS!!!...Savitre thought to herself. :o)


Nothing ever stopped her from imitating those that she admired. As the marathon played in the background, she set up dixie cups (filled with water) around her kitchen and dining room. (Her 1970s kitchen had two doorways where you could enter from one side and leave through the other into the dining room making a complete circle...good for running laps). She pretended that she too was running the marathon. As she approached a dixie cup while running around the kitchen, she would pick it up and dump the water on her head (of course making a mess all over the kitchen floor and dining room carpet) and celebrate victoriously with winners of the race. Sure enough she got in tremendous trouble but her mom COULD NEVER stop her on the days the marathon was aired.

Although the marathon was fun and exciting to watch, Savitre was never a long distance runner. She had always been a sprinter. Her favorite athletes were James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens and Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis. Reading was not her favorite subject in school, but nothing could stop her from wanting to learn more about these Olympic medal winners. Every morning at the bus stop, she would ask her friends to meet her there early so they could get a few races in (up and down the block before the bus came). In gym, she broke numerous records for the short distance runs and from third grade to senior year in high school Savitre received the President's Challenge award (at the time her most valuable prized possession because it had the President's signature on it).


Throughout college, running was no longer a priority. It wasn't until she became a teacher and met Erin, a small town girl from Iowa, that did marathons. "What?!?!?" she thought to herself. Could anyone just sign up to run a marathon? Did they not have to be an Olympic medal winner? With a huge smile on her face, Savitre dreamt of running in the same marathon just to be able to dump that cup of water on her head and NOT get in trouble for it.



"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." -John "The Penguin" Bingham


One day after getting into an argument with her college boyfriend, she decided to get out of the car and walk 5 miles home. Realizing that she was able to easily walk this distance, she also realized it was the best way for her to deal with anything going on in her life (stress, work, school, people, etc.). It was Savitre's alone time; her time to think and clear her mind. It was Savitre's happy place. :o)


The next day, she went out and bought her first pair of running shoes at Fleet Feet. It's been awhile since she's "ran"...so it took her about 15 minutes to do one mile. It never really mattered to her how long it took because the longer it took the more time she had to herself.


Going through several resources to find the dos and don'ts of running, she came across The Courage to Start: A Guide to Running for Your Life by John Bingham.


"Once an overweight couch potato with a glut of bad habits, including smoking and drinking, at the age of 43 Bingham looked mid-life in the face-and started running." A native of Chicago, he has become a role model for all ages and abilities. When he first started running and ran past shop windows, he thought to himself that he didn't look like a "runner" but more like a penguin waddling, and so, he calls himself "The Penguin".


Savitre felt like she could completely relate to this guy. Eventually, she bought every book he had written and even followed his blog as he trained for the Goofy Challenge the same year she ran it. This was very inspirational because it helped her to know that someone else was battling training in the bitter Chicago winter for a major race in Florida.


Before you knew it, she started doing a bunch of 5K races and had fun dressing up (as an angel, an M&M, a reindeer, a Purdue Boilermaker train, and even a banana) at these races. To her, it was fun being at the back of the pack. Running was meant for enjoyment and solitude not competition. Eventually, the 5K races lead to 8K then 10milers and half marathons. It eventually led to the proudest event of her life...the 2003 Chicago Marathon. Although it took her about 5 hrs and 15 mins to complete her first marathon, there was not one water station that Savitre did not stop at and grab a cup of water and dumped it on her head. It was definitely 26 miles of smiles. :o)


She eventually ran 3 more marathons: 2004 Chicago Marathon, 2006 Goofy Challenge, and 2007 NYC Marathon. Soon after the NYC Marathon, Savitre's running career came to a halt. Since then, it's been a complete struggle to get back into a routine. She yearns for the running bug and that runner's high that she once felt. She also hopes to one day return to the marathoning world.


As more races are approaching, Savitre seeks the support of others to cheer her on, be her guide, and provide words of encouragment. She isn't looking to come in first or have her personal best but hopes to find the love for the sport of running that she once had found.

Nuts About Notter

I've been so happy these days...let me count thy ways:

1. We are less than halfway to graduation!! *high five*


2. Tuesday, July 21: I did seven miles!!! The longest run since the NY Marathon!! Woo Hoo!!


3. Wednesday, July 22: our class graduated to the bigger classroom...with MARBLE TOP TABLES ....Ooooooo......Aaaaahhhh!! :o) (and FINALLY get Chef Notter as an instructor )
4. We've started the Candies and Pralines unit...YUMMERS!!! LEMME AT IT!!! *begins to drool*
5. Has consumed tons and tons of nuts and chocolate!!!....and somehow have still managed to lose weight since school started!! OH YEAH!!!


6. Chef Notter said "not bad, eh?" to my creations!! *does a happy dance*....he's such a master at his trade, it's not easy pleasing Sensei. :o)


7. Friday, July 24: Finished the last volume of Kitchen Princess!!!! Najika is incredibly cute and Daichi is soooo dreamy!!! *giggles*


8. Saturday, July 25: productive day cleaning house!!! *admires home*


9. Sunday, July 26: EIGHT great miles at the gym!! *loving my Bengay Patches*


10. I JUST WANNA BE!!! :o) *dancing to a bunch of fun songs downloaded this weekend*
    

Life is like a box of chocolate......Full of nuts!!! *laughs*

Sweat, Sun, and Fun

It's 5:30 on a Saturday morning (a day off from school) and my alarm goes off! What on earth am I thinking? :o)

I'm thinking, today looks like a great day to go for a 5K run!!! :o) *begins day with morning stretches*

It was a gorgeous drive to the race...sun peeking over the trees...fog over little bodies of water...and barely any cars on the road.

It was a nice quiet drive until...I took the wrong exit....GRRRRR!

I had about 20 minutes left to make it to packet pick-up...NOT how I wanted to start the race!

After my personal GPS (my boyfriend) guided me back on the right path and having to put up with my frustrations, I finally made it!! (that's why I love my honey-bunches-of-oats so much, he's always there for me even when he's not here...thank you for putting up with your crazy lil monkey buns!!!)

So, how does ORC (Orlando Runners Club) compare to CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association)....hmmm...definitely not as organized.

When I got to the race, there was no distinct starting line...so I wasn't sure if I was parked close or 6 miles away from the start. Thank goodness for getting lost because I actually ended up parking A LOT closer to the starting line than most people.

I picked up my race packet and found only 3 safety pins instead of the usual four. That's okay, because I just asked for one more.

The sun was rising at a rapid pace and you could feel the heat warming up your back. I stood at the starting line wondering why this race wasn't set at an earlier start time. I guess it's Florida, so this is normal. *laughs*

Halfway through the race, I stopped at a water station just to pick up an extremely warm cup of water! *bleck* Oh well, warm water is better than no water, right?

At the finish line, I was told to go back a little because I couldn't pass up the guy in front of me because we had to grab an index card (in the order we finish) to put our name, gender, and age so they could post it (manually). *looks confused*

At one point in the race, I thought for sure I was going to melt into the ground and be mistaken for a water station. *continues to sizzle*

Although there seemed to be many negatives to this race, did I let it get me down? Of course not! I still had fun and rejoiced in my accomplishments. I FINISHED!!! (I think it was under 33 minutes...not quite sure) *does a victory dance*
I was excited to get my hands on post-race food. What does Florida have to offer?

ORANGES OF COURSE!!!

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE!! A post-race pizza party was going to be held at Mellow Mushroom...but not for another 2 hours. Boo! So what does Savitre do?...she makes new friends!

Jon, Veena, Jason, Star, and Moi :o)

I met a fun group of friends aka The Headless Lizards. They are hilarious and were fun to past time by with. I am now an official groupie of their band! *giggles*

Before we headed out to Mellow Mushroom, they were doing raffle drawing based on our bib numbers. I was not lucky enough to have my number drawn. However, Jon was....TWICE to be exact. The first time he won a really nifty shoe bag and the second...the really chic bright green shirt that yours truly is modeling for you.

After an hour of sitting around at Mellow Mushroom... breakfast was served!! (sorry, I don't have any pics of the pizzas because all the hungry runners were devouring it up like vultures).

All in all, I had a fun day!!! Am I looking forward to my next sweltering 5K race? Definitely!!!...because next time my pookie bear will be running along side me on the 4th of July!!!
Woo Hoo!!! :o)

You Know You're a Runner If...

• you know how to pronounce (correctly) Plantar Fasciitis
• when you have a favorite ice pack
• when you go through a box of Band-Aids without getting a single cut
• your room smells like a nursing home because of all the analgesic you use

Some items from my home remedy kit includes my favorite ice pack (since 2003); can be used as an ice pack when placed in the freezer or a heating pad when thrown in the microwave! SO VERY COOL!

• when you laugh about chaffing
• when your physical/massage therapist knows your race schedule and are on speed dial
• when you brag about losing toenails
• when you run even though you are sick
• when your family knows that you will run on Thanksgiving and Christmas (or other holidays you celebrate) no matter what

FYI: My next scheduled holiday race is 4th of July (The Watermelon 5K) :o)

• when you put more time and work into taping parts of your body than to your tax return
• when there are permanent blood stains on your T-shirts where you were rubbed raw
• when it hurts worse to take a shower than it does to keep running
• when you know the names and remedies for every possible injury from bursitis to shin splints
• when you are constantly washing running clothes but have to go through piles of clothes on the floor to find work clothes each morning
• when your rolling pin is kept near your bed instead of in the kitchen
• when every T-shirt you own has a race name and sponsors listed on it
• when you have to explain to everyone why you can't run in the T-shirts you get at races
• when you go from having a drawer for your running clothes to having an entire bureau for running clothes


• when you could teach a class about biomechanics and the different kinds of shoes people need
• when you have more shoes than your girlfriend or girl friends (as the case may be)
• when you balk at the cost of everyday shoes and then spend $75 - $100 on a pair of running shoes that will only last 3 months and think you're getting a fabulous deal
• you can shop at Fleet Feet or your local running store for hours, but can't stand 5 minutes anywhere else
• when you spend $12 on socks that help you avoid blisters
• when your socks come in two categories: running socks and others
• when the drive to the race is longer than the race itself

• when you realize that all the traveling you did in the last year revolved around races
• when you call four miles an easy day
• when you smirk at people who tell you that you run too much or are crazy for enjoying a run

Waaaahhhh!!! Today brought upon bad news. I just found out that next weekend's class with Ciril Hitz was rescheduled to November (when I'll already be back in Chicago) *sniff* :o(

I moped about it for a good half hour only because it's added to my "personal issues with the happenings at school" but then decided to turn that frown upside down and sign up for the Orlando Runner's Club Race Into Summer 5K (seriously, could that name be any longer?) *grin*

It worked out nicely because according to my training schedule, I need to do 3 miles that day...so is that point 1 mile going to kill me? Don't think so! *looking confident* :o)

However, will the Florida sun melt me into the pavement before I get to the finish line? Perhaps! *looking not so confident* :o(

I'm a nocturnal runner...I'm not a big fan of running in the sun...that's why I'm extremely excited to do the Tower of Terror 13K which BEGINS at 10:30pm!!! It's okay though because after the race there will be a post-race party held at Mellow Mushroom. Mmmm...mmm....PIZZAAAAAHH!! *licks lips*

As the saying goes.. "Run the first mile with your legs, the second mile with your mind, and the third mile with your heart."

My only goal is to finish with a smile on my face and enjoy my first race in an EXTREMELY long time! Yay!!!...can't wait to pin on that bib #!!!! (clearly it doesn't take much to make me happy) :o)