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Milton, Ontario, Canada
Showing posts with label Disney cruise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disney cruise. Show all posts

Friday, February 12, 2016

Catching up!

Hello! So much to catch up on! I've been absent the past while due to vacation. First, there was the hustle in getting ready to go on vacation, then the vacation itself and finally, being back at work and settling back into a routine. That's been tough. I haven't even grocery shopped yet, so I've been stealing enjoying my kids lunchtime snacks as my own (goldfish crackers and cheese strings anyone?).

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on



That's about half of our 22 person group, ready to cruise on the Disney Fantasy (Yes, we were on the sailing that had mechanical problems and skipped Castaway Cay). The trip was awesome! This is was our third sailing with Disney and even before the discount we received as a result of the malfunction, we were already thinking about our next trip!

Let's catch up on running a bit, shall we?

Week 5 went well, very well. I ran 73.94k over 5 runs, including my long 24k run with Amy. It was a great run, but unfortunately, we saw a coyote hit by a car right in front of us and die. We stopped and called the humane society and they came to pick up the animal. the driver didn't even stop!!! There was a lot of damage to the front of the drivers vehicle as well, so I'm shocked that they just kept driving! I also hit the trainer for one ride, putting in 17.6k on Carter +1.

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on



Week six was the week were leaving on vacation, driving to Buffalo on Thursday evening, flying to Orlando on Friday and sailing on Saturday! I front loaded my week, but running the first half marathon pace run on Sunday which allowed me to take a bit of pressure off. In the end, I only fit in two runs, a 12k and a 26k, but that 26k was an epic run: All Treadmill! The last 16k was done at pace and the run actually went amazingly. I got a whole lot of support for this run from Emma and Sam which also made it easier. I couldn't quit as people were waiting for me to finish



 Then, we left on vacation.

Dry month also came to an end!
For the week of vacation, I ran three times! They were all on the boat and they all felt great!
Can't beat these views (Tortola)

Cool map from my 5 mile run as we docked in Tortola
While we were unable to make it to Castaway Cay, we still got a chance to run the race, around deck 4 of the boat on the running tack. I started with the first wave and even though I had no pace feedback from my garmin (it would pause and not track things correctly, for example a 4 mile run became 19k!), I still managed to run faster than half marathon pace for first place female!


We got home last Saturday night and I still managed to fit in a short run on Sunday, even though I could really feel that my "land legs" hadn't come back yet. That 6k brought my weekly total up to a respectable 25.5k run on the week! 

And now, we are back home and I'm tackling week 7 of the plan. With the success of the 26k treadmill run and the 5k at faster than half marathon pace behind me, I decided to pull the trigger and finally signed up for the Goodlife Toronto Marathon. Whew! In 78 days I'll toe the line at marathon #5 and BQ attempt #3. Let's hope this one sticks.

In the meantime, I'll continue to bask in the memories of another awesome family vacation as I run through cold, wind and snow.

A photo posted by Nicole (@macnic05) on

Friday, January 24, 2014

Mississauga Marathon Training: Weeks 7 and 8!

Sorry, a little slow on the posting of this one, but you'll forgive me when you see why.

Monday January 6th: I didn't want to run. No way. I sucked it up and got it done though via the treadmill at lunchtime.
8k, 46:59

Tuesday January 7th: I hit the treadmill again, but this time at 0500. Watching sports highlights made this tempo run go smoothly. 10 minutes warm up, 4 x 4mins at 4:46/km with 3 mins active rest between and the rest to cool down. 10k, 56:12

Wednesday January 8th: I have no idea why I didn't get my run in. The plan was for another 10k.

Thursday January 9th: My first official day of vacation after a grueling 5 days back at work. LOL. As we were flying out on Friday morning, I took the day off in part so that I could get my long run in. The conditions were a bit brutal and I started out with my YakTrax. I got rid of them at 11.26km and risked the road from then on just to be able to run on smooth surface. The good news is that this was a late morning run, so the sun was shining and it made it feel way warmer. I sure sweated enough. 20k, 1:59:40



Friday, Saturday, Sunday:





We fly to Orlando (from Buffalo), spend a night at the airport hotel, board the Disney Fantasy with our friends and begin to have an amazing vacation!

Total KM: 38, Total Time: 3:42:51, Average Pace per KM: 0:05:52. 

Monday January 13th: I get in a short 3 mile run around the running deck. Its HOT and Windy! 4.83k, 27:00

View of the running deck from our room balcony. Always get a balcony on a cruise ship. Totally worth it!

Tuesday, Wednesday: Port days

Thursday January 16th: Another 3 miles post adult only brunch which was sluggish and HOT! 4.83k, 0:28:22

Friday January 17th: Castaway Cay 5k race! RunDisney event on their private island in the Bahamas. Ya, not a bad way to get a run in while on vacation. The run was on paved trail the entire time and was basically a double loop of the bike path. I'd recommend it to anyone who sails with Disney and has a stop on Castaway Cay. 5k, 26:15

Saturday, Sunday: Disembark, fly home, do laundry. It was a wonderful trip!

Total KM: 14.66k, Total time 1:21:37, Average Pace Per KM: 0:05:34.

So, it was a busy two weeks with not a lot of running, but totally justified! We can't wait for our next Disney Cruise!