The First Half

So, after running various 5ks around Central Florida and one up in Jacksonville, my best friend, her mom, and I decided, a year prior, to power-walk/run the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. Crazy!? InDEED! Our train of thought was that registering a year ahead would give us all plenty of time to train and for Lisa and her mom, Nadine, to plan their weekend trip to Orlando. Due to health reasons, which are continuously improving (WOOHOO, Lisa!), my awesome friend Christine was able to walk/run in honor of Lisa as she was healing.
What a rapid friend time is...especially when one procrastinates... ahem...who, me!? As time flew by, training was pushed aside by life, travel, and a variety of other excuses I can't be bothered to come up with at this point in time. Friday arrived to pick up our race information, so I picked up Nadine at her hotel and we made our way to Wide World of Sports. All the while, I'm asking myself why on EARTH did I agree to such an insane endeavor!? I knew Nadine had been training as she is a fantastic power-walker. I was hoping to keep up, not collapse, and not have to cross the finish line in the courtesy cart that swings by to pick up those at the end that are speed-deficient.
We arrived at the sports complex to get our numbers, goodie bags, and OF COURSE to walk through all of the vendor's booths. Credit card in hand, I purchased two adorable charms for my life-long charm bracelet (a 5k charm and a 13.1 charm) and a Velcro-secured arm band that unzips to holds an iPod, key, id and such (it was actually VERY handy during the race). I felt so official as I nonchalantly handed my purchase and credit card to the vendor. In my head I'm thinking, "I'm a serious runner (and power-walker when it suits my stamina), and I know you know this via my current purchase Mr. Vendor Man (I'm sure that was his name)." Silly I know, but I find when I attend the vendor shows and the events, it's such a rush, and I want to jump into this culture in a full-on cannonball! By this time, I was feeling a bit more sure of this adventure I was undertaking.
As we proceeded to the exit, I popped by the information booth to verify arrival times for the following morning. Realizing we would have to leave two hours EARLIER than I originally thought (due to parking lot closure to set up the course), I second-guessed my ability to go the distance on 5 hours of sleep...if I was lucky!
Leaving my house at 2:30 am with my friend Christine in tow, we went to pick up Nadine and head to the race scheduled to start at 5:30 am! EEK! Needless to say, we had a LOT of time to spare once we arrived. We lined up and waited for our wave to start. Once underway, the miles passed by surprisingly quickly! At various points, it actually felt wonderful to run in spurts, as we engaged different muscles, relieving those consistently used while walking. With the thousands of people from all over the US walking and running, what are the odds that I would run into someone I actually knew? Well, my friend Cara (a fellow People to People leader from North Carolina, with whom I traveled to Europe this past summer) came up behind me. We chatted briefly, but as she was running the entire half, I let her proceed. Yes, in the great words of Walt, "It's a Small World after all!" (My apologies if you now have that song stuck in your head).
We had water, Power-Ade at the beverage tables, and my Craisins that I had packed in my official arm-band pouch. My only disappointment was at mile 8, desperately needing sustenance, where we could see the Cliff Bar tent on the horizon only to approach it and realize they were out of the bars as the runners had already been through. BLAST AND WRETCH! Apparently there was a larger turnout than expected. Sigh...at that point, brunch was ALL I could think about! I'd never wanted scrambled eggs and toast MORE IN MY LIFE!
I must say, overall, I was quite impressed with the three of us! We crossed the finish line (with no help from the courtesy cart thank you very much!) at 3:31:11! We finished! I now have a goal for my next one. Yes! You heard me correctly...my NEXT half marathon. Disney has a Princess Marathon Weekend in February every year, and I want to RUN the half marathon next year! I now have a time to beat and a year to train! I'm just hoping my good friend Time won't be so hasty this year...I'll start training...tomorrow ;)

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil as a Mouthwash!?

I thought it was odd as well, but sure enough, my mouth has never felt cleaner!

Essentially, oil pulling is simply swishing a tablespoon or two of a healthy oil of some type (I prefer the smell/taste/texture of evco). It is an ancient Ayurvedic method of detoxification. Some claim it will fully detox the entire body, relieving systemic ailments. I have no way to prove such a theory, but know my mouth has never felt more refreshed and clean.

There is a bit of a time-commitment to the pulling. Initially it is recommended to swish 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at night. I've only committed to the morning portion and have already had some positive results.

My morning routine consists of scooping a heaping tablespoon into my mouth and swishing while taking my shower. Be careful not to spit it out in the shower as the oil solidifies slightly below room temperature, so it will eventually clog your shower/sink/toilet. Once out of the shower, I dispose of the contents in the trash can.

Because evco is antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal, it truly cleanses the mouth. It is also said to be good at removing plaque. The true test will be my visit to the dentist. I'm hoping my efforts in oil-pulling will result is a shorter visit due to less scraping (gives me the chills just thinking about it).

There are many sites online that give more information regarding oil-pulling. Check it out and give it a try!