We landed in Orlando!

We are here!!!!!!

After getting up at the butt crack of dawn, and worrying about cancelled or delayed flights, we got here with no problems or delays!

We even had time for a quick airplane selfie!

Bring it on Dopey, we are ready for you!

Tomorrow I will post about the expo, which we hope to hit by 2-3:00 today!

Are you in Orlando this week? 

Running Disney, Dopey Style!

24 hours from now I will be waiting in the airport to board my flight to Disney! I will be running Dopey, which is really really Dopey, I must say! 48.6 miles in 4 days, oh.my.heck.

I am very excited about running these races, though. My good friend and often race buddy, Colleen, is going as well, and we will be bunking together. We have all of our meals planned, our bags packed, and our nerves jangling.
I also have my costumes packed. All four of them.

Princess Leia for the Full Marathon, although I think it needs a belt. Braided pig tales or not, I will look like someone's bride, for sure!
Lightening McQueen for the 5K, because it is my buddy Bryce's favorite. Bryce is Who I Run 4, and he is just the best boy ever!
Mike Wasowski for the Half Marathon. I have since made a mouth, after someone told me that my Minion costume was cute. The shirt looks yellow in the pic, but it is actually lime green!
Etch a Sketch for the 10K. A whole group is dressing as Toy Story characters for the 10K, and I am glad that I chose this costume, so I can be in the group photo! What fun!
RunDisney released the tee shirt images yesterday, because we are not all freakin excited enough right now!

The green Pluto tee is a cotton tee, and the rest are Long Sleeved tech shirts, which I am kind of meh about. I am pretty much over the whole tech-shirt-at-every-race thing, I now have so many, I cannot possible wear them all! The Disney shirts are nice and thick, though, and I wear them as every day shirts instead. I am a rebel. I know. It's why I am going as Leia, after all.
I hope to blog each night, mostly with pics, but no promises! I will be going to bed early every night, I hope, so that I can drag my butt out of bed early every day to race! I am more worried about that, than about running 48.6 miles, let me tell you!

Will you be running in Disney?

National Running Challenge: Age Group Win and New Series

Awhile back, I mentioned the cool new site I was contacted by: National Running Challenge. NRC is a FREE site, where you record all of your official races in exchange for points! You must be able to link to the race results in order for the race to count for points.

At the end of the Series, there are 3 overall winners (Male and Female) plus Age Group Winners!

Woohooo! My good friend and fellow blogger, Gigi from Running on Candy, won Age Group Prizes! We don't know what the prize is yet, just the value, what an exciting day it was when we found out!
The Spring Series has started, and will end on June 30, so start entering your races now! If you are new to the site, be sure to mention Kim Prytherch when you register, I get bonus points! Then, tell all of your friends, so you can get bonus points, too!
Here is how the points break down (from the site):

Here is a table showing the points that participants will earn for each race they run. Points are given exclusively for participation and no competitive points will be awarded.  Our points schedule is as follows:

1 Mile=2 pts.

2 Mile=3 pts.

5k=5 pts.

5 Mile=8 pts.

8k=8 pts.

10k= 10 pts.

15k=12 pts.

10 Mile=13 pts.

20k=14 pts.

Half Marathon= 15 pts.

15 Mile=16 pts.

25k=16 pts.

30k=18 pts.

20 Mile=20 pts.

Full Marathons and Ultras= 25 pts.

The prizes for Spring total more than $1100 already, so be sure to register now!

Are you doing the National Running Challenge?

Barking Mad Virtual Race for Breast Cancer

Having trouble staying motivated during the winter months? I know I am!
I am hosting a Virtual Race to raise funds for 26.2 With Donna, which I am running (well, the Half Marathon) at the end of February!

What is a Virtual Race? During the designated time, you walk, run, bike, or crawl the designated distance. You do it when you want. Where you want. Alone or with friends. You get bling!

The best part? You are making a donation to charity! In this case, the proceeds go to the Mayo Clinic and to breast cancer patients who need funding, via the Donna Fund!
To run the race, you just need to send $15 to me, via PayPal, at kimmiepcft@hotmail.com
$10 will be donated and $5 will help defray the cost of the medal, envelope, and shipping.

There will also be prizes!
For every 10 registered racers, I will throw a prize into the pile 'o' prizes, and on February 28, I will draw names randomly. The prizes will be Runner decals, Sweat Pink shoelaces, shubeez, etc and once the total of racers reaches 50, I will add things like a Running Buddy and Swirlgear! I will add an entry into the Digital Running Challenge of the winner's choice when I have 30 racers.

Running Buddy

shubeez shoe tag

Swirlgear short sleeve shirt (and my good friend Adam, lol)

shubeez Beat Cancer headband

Digital Running medal

If you would like to join the Facebook Page, you can post pictures of your race there, and see the updates on the number of racers!
You can choose any distance, and I will have the distance on the back of your medal with February 2014, so be sure to let me know what your distance is when you register!

Have you ever run a Virtual Race?

My 2 Year Blogiversary!! #Giveaway

Happy two year Blogiversary to me!

Source

I cannot believe it has been two years since I started writing about my running! In that time I have completed a Marathon, 17 Half Marathons, countless 5Ks, mud runs, 10Ks, and more! I still struggle with my food choices, but I know that someday I will get there!
Today is all about celebration, however! It is actually a double celebration, because just a few days ago I surpassed 1000 followers on my Facebook page! SO the Running Buddy is my Facebook Fan Prize and the Prize Packs are for my Blogiversary, one for each year!
I will be giving away three prizes:
A Running Buddy, which also comes in black with pink trim! I wear this *every time* I run. For real. It holds so much, and it never budges. It is totally coming to Disney with me, and I will wear it for every race!

Stock photo, I will order it and have it sent to you!

 MRTT Prize Pack with pen and a shubeez shoe tag (Stock Photo). It includes an MRTT Bondi Band, Sweat Pink shoe laces, MRTT pen, MRTT tattoos, and 10 very sparkly Runner Girl decals from Runner Decals! Special thanks to Sue for including a few extra, which were passed on to you!

 MRTT Prize Pack (with Shubeez shown above) and lip balm. Everything else is the same as above, except it has a lip balm instead of a pen.

The first prize winner will get to choose which prize he/she wants, and then the second prize winner will choose from what remains, and the third prize winner will receive what remains after that. Make sense?



a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are three mandatory options, which is something I rarely do! I am trying to increase my presence in Social Media, so I have made those options mandatory for this giveaway! Three of my goals for 2014 are to have 2000 followers on Twitter (with about 250 to go), 500 followers on Instagram (with about 150 to go!), and 1200 followers on Facebook (with about 150 to go). I just hit 1000 Facebook Likes just before the New Year, and would love to keep that ball rolling!
I extended the giveaway past one week because I will be in Disney one week from today!!!! The giveaway will run until January 14, and then I will start contacting the winners!
Good luck!

Which prize would you choose if you won?

January Challenges

I LOVE challenge calendars! You know the ones I mean! Someone, usually from a blog or a Facebook page, picks a body part to focus on, and challenges you to work it every day for one month. I love the motivation, the support, and the challenge!
Being that I gained about 8 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's, which I swore I wouldn't do, I went a little overboard on the challenges for January!

14 in 2014 is actually a year long challenge, but I will complete my first Half Marathon in January next week, during Marathon Weekend!

Check it out here!

 This is another long challenge, that started in December, with a goal to run 100 miles by February 28. I am almost halfway there, and after Dopey, I will be almost finished!

 This challenge is through Goodreads, and you can choose any number of books as your goal. When you check the site, it will tell you how close you are to completion, and how far you have to go. I am more than halfway through my first book now! This is also a year long challenge! I need to read a book every 10 days, I figure, to get it done!

 Another challenge hosted by Jill Conyers, this one involves your diet. Jill is going gluten free, I am aiming a little lower! I have the worst time getting in my freggies so I made that my goal for January. At least 5 a day! I got 6 in yesterday, wooohooo!

The gals who created the Race Addict app got together with Girls Run the 901 to make this awesome challenge to get your heart rate pumping in January! SO easy to do, I plan to do these while I watch my shows at night, along with the next challenge:

These are, by far, my favorite and most often used calendars! The ladies at Shrinking Jeans put one out every month, and all of their calendars are posted on their website, so you can go back and choose an older one if you want!

Run With Jess is hosting this FREE challenge, which challenges you to run  between January 6 and March 2. You choose your level, which determines your mileage.

Beginner: 10 miles each week

Intermediate: 20 miles each week

Trainer: 30 miles each week

Advanced: 40 miles each week

Ultra: 50 miles each week

I chose beginner, since I will be recovering for part of the month! You can purchase a medal and there are a variety of shirts as well! There are also PRIZES!!! If you hit your  mileage for the week, you are entered to win the prize!

Week 1 (Jan.6-12) - YakTrax
Week 2 (Jan.13-19) - ProCompression Socks
Week 3 (Jan.20-26) - Milestones Jewelry & Apparel
Week 4 (Jan.27-Feb.2) - Heart Rate Monitor Watch **
Week 5 (Feb.3-9) - Fitsok Socks
Week 6 (Feb.10-16) - FlapJacked Protein Pancakes
Week 7 (Feb.17-23) - 110% Compression Socks
Week 8 (Feb.24-Mar.2) - Hydrapak & GU Energy

register here!

Because I have so much to lose in 2014 (about 25 pounds, give or take) I joined a 2 part dietbet challenge. The first round just started, so you can still join! You pay $25 to enter and if you lose 4% of your starting weight in 4 weeks, you get your share of the pot! You can roll it over to the second round,  or keep it! The pot is currently at $11,200 with 448 players! I am super excited about this challenge, I have never made it to the end of one, and I have tried a few times! I made it within one pound last year, One Pound!!! This challenge, I will be victorious! I am down 1/2 pound already ;)

I love this Challenge Loop challenge, by Kat from Katrina Elle. You get to choose your one thing to work on during January. I chose planks, to keep me motivated to get back into #plankaday. From the challenge page:

Deets: We all ended 2013 with a BANG I’m sure and are ready to kick off 2014 with even more UMPH! We all know that good habits aren’t made easily and you can’t FORCE them, that’s for sure! All this challenge aims to do is have you think of JUST 1 THING to change. One habit. One priority. It takes 21 days to build a habit, but just ONE step to start those good habits! No one needs to be perfect to see any fitness results – making substitutions and taking the right steps towards good behaviors will help you progress in a POSITIVE direction!

Here’s some ideas of those 1 THINGS you can change or do:

* Park farther away at work

* Take the stairs instead of the elevator today!

* Stop to do a desk stretch

* Play at a playground for a workout WITH your kids this week

* Plank, don’t worry about time, just PLANK!

* Swap water for all of your beverages today

* Grocery shopping tips

* Set your alarm 10 minutes earlier to get in a quick circuit workout

* Add one group fitness class to your workout schedule

* Swap one sweet treat with a fruit

* Have your wings naked instead of breaded

Get it?!

Tasks:

Use the official hashtag: #JUST1THING on your Instagram / Twitter / Facebook posts throughout the month of January! It’s that simple!

Prizes?

Yes! There WILL be prizes! At the end of the Challenge, those who have entered at least 4 times in the month will be entered in to win FABULOUS PRIZES!

Have I lost you yet? My next challenge is another Challenge Loop Challenge, this one sponsored by Fit Betty.  The challenge is simple. Move.your.butt. Every day. 30 minutes a day. LOVE it! There will be 5 randomly selected prizes throughout the challenge.

Run This Year is a year long challenge to run 2014 miles in 2014. What?? No way will I be running that many miles! BUT

there are options:

Run This Year Challenges:

Challenge 1: Run the year in miles: 2,014 miles in 2014.

Challenge 2: Run the year in kilometers: 2,014 kilometers = 1251.4 miles.

Challenge 3: GYOG! Select your goal and go for it!

I chose option 2. I counted up my planned miles for the year, and they total about 1269 miles. Still nervous? Check out this page with all of the details, including your plan of attack! 

WHEW!

That is a lot of challenges! I will keep you updated on my progress, but not until *after* Disney! I am half packed (my costumes are packed, priorities you know!) and SO ready to go!

What challenges are you taking on this month?

#Relentless my 2014 Achievement Board

We started the New Year off with a 2 mile dog walk to the Bay and back, and I couldn't resist playing in the sand! Sad, but true!
Last year :::giggle::: I posted about my 2013 Achievement Board, and how well I did with it. A while back, I chose my #oneword for 2014, and started my goals for the new year! In the pic below, there is one empty spot, but that has been filled. I will make a new round of rectangles soon, because as I reach my goals, I will update the board with more advanced goals, and I am sure I will come up with some completely new ones as well!

Let's start with the goals I have set so far! I will be using a lime green and aqua blue crayon to color them in this year, instead of the rainbow of colors I used last year, to keep it interesting!

1. Master 8 new yoga poses.  Any suggestions? I hope to master one a month, but who knows? I want to work on crow pose, and a headstand, but I don't know many others that would be considered challenging!
2. 4 pull-ups in succession. I managed one back in September and basically never tried again. Also sad, but true. I really need to up my game, especially if I am going to complete a Spartan Race without either dying, or doing a crap ton of burpees. I am not a fan of burpees, and I definitely don't want my memories of my first Spartan Race to include them!
3. Hit the 150s. This basically means to hit 159.9 to be honest. I managed it for about 1.5 seconds in 2013 and it has been a downward (or upward) spiral ever since! I joined a dietbet challenge that will cover the first 8 weeks of the year to get me started. 1/2 pound down. Many more to go! Once I hit this goal I will add a new one!
4. Complete two marathons. I already have them scheduled: Disney and Atlantic City. Bring it on!
5. Read 30 books. I read 27 last year, so I aim to read more this year! I am currently working on Pride and Prejudice, which I have never read but have seen to movie 900 times, and I am loving it! 
6. Run fifteen 5Ks: With all of other races, I hope I am not aiming too high here, but I doubt it. I ran 18 in 2013, so it is definitely possible! I have a few planned already, the first being in Disney!
7. 5:00 plank. My record is 4:00, and that was almost a year ago. Most of my planks have been 1-2:00 long, and I have stopped planking for the last month or so. I joined a great Challenge Loop challenge to get me back on track!
8. Complete 14 Half Marathons: This is my 14 in 2014 goal, and I have 11 scheduled already. The first one, of course, in Disney! I have at least one more that I hope to do, and might do the last ones virtually. One never knows!
9. Complete Three 5 Milers: I do the same three every year, Spring Lake, Firecracker Five, and Turkey Trot. Love them all!!!
10. Do a Duathlon. My friend Eileen and I are doing the Tuckahoe Duathlon, we will bike and ride, and I am super excited to go back and try to improve my time!
11. Complete 3 Mud Runs. I have already registered for the Spartan Race, thanks to a giveaway sponsored by Nicole at Running While Mommy, and a 4H Mud Run that I will be doing with the boy. I might do another Zombie Run for the 3rd, only time will tell!
12. Pass the NASM test. I totally dropped the ball on this last year, and I am determined to finish! One of my other goals is to finish studying for it. I should probably do that first ;)
13. Run two 10Ks. Not to sound like a broken record, but the first will be in Disney! The second will likely be my favorite, Brielle Day 10K. It is super hilly and always kicks my butt!
14. PR in the Half Marathon. Tis can be a course PR or an overall PR, I am not picky! I have signed up for a training group that runs all winter, in hopes of keeping me motivated!
15. 500 followers on Instagram. Do you follow me? If not, check me out here. I follow back!
16. PR in a 5K. My best time is 29:45, which was at a race in 2012. I have no problem with a course PR here, either, but I would love to beat that best time!
17. Complete a training plan. I have yet to do P90X from start to finish, or Rip: 60, so I would love to finish one from start to finish. I don't care if I actually finish it in 90 days, or not, I just want to finish!
18. PR in the 10K. I did this in 2013, I would love to do it again in 2014!
19. Sparkpeople Level 18. I love Spark People, you get points every day for writing posts, reading emails, blogging, entering your food, exercise, etc. and it takes a long time to progress levels as you get higher up the chain! I am just about to hit level 17, so hopefully I am not aiming too high! I am Kimmiep there, if you want to add me as a friend!
20. PR in a 5 miler. 2013 seemed to be one PR after another in the 5 mile race. I am hoping to shave off a little more time in 2014!
21. Complete the money challenge. Epic fail in 2013. Every week you put a few dollars away (week one is $1, week 2 is $2, etc.) and at the end of the year, you have $1378! I started in November so that by November 10, 2014 I will have the money to go Christmas Shopping! This past year, whenever the kids wanted money for something I would take it out of the jar, and never put it back, until there was nothing left. Like I said, epic fail.
22. Run 700 miles. I ran 651 in 2013, and have added up my planned training runs and they far surpass this number. I see an amended goal in my future!
23. Run in a new state. We have not finalized our vacay plans yet, but no matter which plan we choose, one will involve a state that I have not run in yet. Unfortunately, none of my planned races are in a new state. Hopefully, this will not involve a road trip! I don't think I have run in Delaware yet, maybe I should book a race!
24. 1200 Followers on Facebook. Do you follow me yet? My goal to hit 1000 in 2013 was met just in time, and I have almost 1050 now. Check me out here. I would love to smash this goal and add a new one!
25. Jupiter Level in Half Fanatics. I am currently chilling on Saturn, and it is lovely, but once I complete back to back Halfs in April, I will make the trip to Jupiter!
26. 2000 Followers on Twitter. Do you follow me? I am at about 1750 now, let's see how fast I can get to 2000!
27. Raise $1000 for Charity.  Definitely a goal I plan to amend! I am currently fundraising for World Vision (providing wells for under privileged countries)and the Donna Fund (Breast Cancer patients, and the Mayo Clinic) if you would like to contribute! Every little bit helps!

That's it! I look forward to coloring in some rectangles, and posting my updated board!

I also printed out a blog planner and roughly planned out my year of blogging! I am ready for 2014!!!

Have you made any goals or resolutions for 2014?