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  • How I Cut 24 Minutes Off My PR at the Lake Minneola Half Marathon
    Life | Off-the-Beaten-Path | runDisney | Running

    How I Cut 24 Minutes Off My PR at the Lake Minneola Half Marathon

    ByLisa March 29, 2022March 29, 2022

    Running has never really been about speed to me. In fact, I’ve never been much of a competitive athlete at all. (People who know me well are going to read that last sentence and laugh out loud at what an understatement it is….) I never wanted to win anything or Boston qualify or hit some…

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  • Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: Weekends at Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards
    Off-the-Beaten-Path

    Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: Weekends at Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards

    ByLisa July 22, 2021July 22, 2021

    Welcome to my latest series – Thursdays off-the-beaten path – a collection of ideas for day trips and getaways from Walt Disney World when you need a bit of down time or otherwise want to explore more of what Central Florida has to offer. Last week we visited The Tiki Bar & Grill. This week…

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  • Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: The Tiki Bar & Grill
    Disney | Off-the-Beaten-Path

    Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: The Tiki Bar & Grill

    ByLisa July 8, 2021July 8, 2021

    Welcome to my latest series – Thursdays off-the-beaten path – a collection of ideas for day trips and getaways from Walt Disney World when you need a bit of down time or otherwise want to explore more of what Central Florida has to offer. Last week we explored Southern Hill Farms. This week we’re headed…

    Read More Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: The Tiki Bar & GrillContinue

  • Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: Southern Hill Farms
    Off-the-Beaten-Path

    Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: Southern Hill Farms

    ByLisa June 24, 2021June 24, 2021

    Welcome to my latest series – Thursdays off-the-beaten path – a collection of ideas for day trips from Walt Disney World when you need a bit of down time or otherwise want to explore more of what Central Florida has to offer. Last week we explored the incredible Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures. This week we’re headed…

    Read More Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: Southern Hill FarmsContinue

  • Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures
    Off-the-Beaten-Path

    Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures

    ByLisa June 10, 2021June 10, 2021

    Welcome to my latest series – Thursdays off-the-beaten path – a collection of ideas for day trips from Walt Disney World when you need a bit of down time or otherwise want to explore more of what Central Florida has to offer. Last week we explored the incredible Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive. This week we’re…

    Read More Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: Boggy Creek Airboat AdventuresContinue

  • Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
    Disney | Off-the-Beaten-Path

    Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive

    ByLisa June 3, 2021June 3, 2021

    Welcome to my latest series – Thursdays off-the-beaten path – a collection of ideas for day trips from Walt Disney World when you need a bit of down time or otherwise want to explore more of what Central Florida has to offer. First up: the incredible Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive – a beautiful and absolutely…

    Read More Thursdays Off the Beaten Path: Lake Apopka Wildlife DriveContinue

  • The Jolly Creek Holiday Festival and Marketplace – Yet Another Example of Doing It Right In 2020
    Disney | Off-the-Beaten-Path

    The Jolly Creek Holiday Festival and Marketplace – Yet Another Example of Doing It Right In 2020

    ByLisa November 20, 2020November 20, 2020

    As 2020 continues to rear its ugly head, I find myself still learning about the difference between the people who have the luxury of hiding indoors and preaching from soapboxes and the people who realize that lives are at stake right now in more than just one way. The performers that are out of work….

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  • Off-the-Beaten-Path: Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures
    Disney | Off-the-Beaten-Path

    Off-the-Beaten-Path: Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures

    ByLisa November 8, 2019November 8, 2019

    Boggy Creek is an amazing break from the chaos of Central Florida.

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thecastlerunner

Follow along day-to-day and race-to-race on Instagram.
Sunday morning run + after. Sunday morning run + after.
My watch lied to me this morning. The first mile My watch lied to me this morning. The first mile buzzed early. So did the next two. My Garmin had decided that I’d run farther than I had. And if you know Garmin, you know it doesn’t just throw around kindnesses. For half a second, if I’m being totally honest, I almost took it. But then I took a beat and thought—why? I’m not doing this run for anybody but myself. Why cut it short for a tech error? So I ran the full five miles anyway. Tacked the “extra” on at the end, in the heat, to make up the gifted distance I hadn’t actually covered. I know I’m probably overthinking this, but this little act stayed with me. I’m coming back to a strict running schedule after many months of downtime with my head buried in writing and publishing my book. And it’s amazing how fast I’ve switched back to this version of myself that would finish the actual mileage without a second thought. No one was auditing my tracking data. The only person who would ever know whether those miles were real was me—and I ran them anyway. My legs decided before my brain had the chance to weigh in. My inner negotiator didn’t even get to start talking. I should be clear that this wasn’t willpower. Willpower is exhausting and sometimes I don’t have that much of it. It’s something quieter that training builds in you over time: the habit of keeping a promise that you made only to yourself. You practice it in small, almost silly ways—four-tenths of a mile in the Florida heat. Doing laps in front of your house because it has to end at an even 3.1 or 6.2 or 10 or 20. And then one day you notice it’s followed you home. You stand up a little taller because you’re somebody worth keeping promises to. And you start doing the other, non-running things. The work you kept saying you’d do. The version of your life you kept promising yourself you’d build. It’s sort of my original story, I guess—harnessing running like this—but it’s very much still happening now and it’s hardly unique to me. If any of this sounds familiar, or appealing, it’s the thread running through Chapter 17 of The runDisney Companion. That chapter was always the seed of something big
Scrapbook from the first day of Food & Wine: 1. Scrapbook from the first day of Food & Wine: 1. Entrance #TasteEpcot 2. Seoul, South Korea Bo Ssam Pork Poutine (La Poutinerie) 3. Cinnamon Pretzel Cold Brew (Sommerfest 🇩🇪) 4. Cute new train set details 🇩🇪 5. Spicy Temaki Hand Roll - This and the Wagyu were both excellent. 🇯🇵 6. Wasabi-Soy Sauce-flavored Potato Chips 🇯🇵 7. Before it rained. 8. Katsura 9. Dumplings Trio 🇨🇳 10. Exit 11. Almost home
Update: This contest is closed. 🐊 GIVEAWAY: I’m Update: This contest is closed. 🐊 GIVEAWAY: I’m teaming up with Wild Florida to give one of you 4 passes, valued at a total of $980, to their Ultimate Wild Florida Experience—a full day exploring a completely different side of Central Florida. TO ENTER: ✨ Follow @thecastlerunner and @wildfloridairboats ✨ Tag a friend you’d bring ✨ Tell me: which animals are you most excited to meet—the sloths, porcupines, lemurs or capybaras? Enter up to 3 times with separate comments. You’ll arrive at 8:30 a.m. and spend the morning getting up close with sloths, porcupines, lemurs AND capybaras with their trainers. Then you’ll break for lunch, followed by a one-hour airboat tour through the headwaters of the Everglades. After that, you’ll have the rest of the day to explore Wild Florida’s Drive-thru Safari Park and Gator Park, including exhibits, shows, an aviary, and more. The boys and I did it a few weeks ago and had the best day. My favorites were the airboat tour and hand-feeding a lemur. The boys were huge fans of feeding the birds in the aviary. Giveaway closes Monday, August 24 at 6pm ET. One winner will be selected at random and contacted first by DM from @thecastlerunner. Once confirmed, the winner will be announced in a pinned comment here. Watch for impersonator accounts. I will never ask you for payment or CC info. Details: Prize includes 4 Ultimate Wild Florida Experience passes ($980 value). Participants in the Ultimate Experience must be at least 12. All 4 guests must redeem their passes together. Reservations required. Transportation not included. Experiences subject to weather & animal availability. Passes are valid for 12 months. Open to residents of the 50 United States and D.C., age 18+. Entrants must be following both @thecastlerunner and @wildfloridairboats when the winner is selected. Void where prohibited. By entering, entrants release Instagram from responsibility relating to this promotion. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram.
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