It's CROW time again!

Canoe Races of the World, also known as C.R.O.W., is a beloved, annual Cast Member event that dates back to 1963. Scores of Disney Cast Members arrive at Magic Kingdom before sunrise each July to participate! About 80 teams (each has 10 people on board) compete on the Rivers of America in the Magic Kingdom before the parks open in canoes that were part of the original Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes attraction. Teams that row around Tom Sawyer’s Island with the best times, averaging around five minutes, advance to the finals and get a chance to race against the clock in a championship round.

Last year we came in at just over 7 minutes. Not fast enough to place, but a very respectable first-time performance. (link here!). This year we had two boats and were really committed to training to improve our performance...I'm towards the front of the boat in the white visor...paddles up!

Watching the sun come up over the castle is just amazing :)

 

My boat buddies...

 

 

In the end we were just 12 seconds away from qualifying and over a minute faster than last year!

 

Which just goes to show that rowing is like anything else - practice makes perfect. So now back to some more running - I need to defeat this heat!

 

4 on the 4th!

June has been tough:(. I failed miserably at Juneathon (a virtual challenge to work out every day during the month of June) and struggled to run consistently each week. I didn't even do an event for a whole month :(. So now it's time to get back on track! I have started training for a tri in September (having a focus on a challenging training plan really helps) and I've taken to the treadmill to fit in runs at times when it's super hot. I love our new gym so that's working out well and swimming with Maddy which is lovely bonding time too :).

Mike and I decided to kick off July with a 4-miler on the 4th:). We saw this one in Oakland which is so pretty. I was really nervous since I knew it would be really hot and I haven't ran 4 miles in a while. I decided to run as far as I could and switch to intervals if necessary...

 

The crowd looked really fit (it was hosted by the local tri store) and they were fast! It was well organized and I loved the fact that they had a child sing the national anthem at the beginning :)

 

I managed 2 miles before doing 4:1 intervals and finished the 4 miles in under 45 minutes. Not where I want to be but there it is. I'm really happy that I did it though and I'm feeling energized and motivated to put in the hard work to push myself now:). Mike on the other hand ran like a speed demon and despite the heat, finished right around 33 minutes! Here we are, stinky and sweaty after the race...

Gorgeous trails in Oakland...

  

After the kids' race we drove around to see some of the houses that were all decked out for the Holiday and talked about what Independence Day means to us.

 

I feel very grateful today. I love my life, my husband, my daughter, my family and friends. And I love my country :) Happy 4th July!!