Better late than never: Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend

So I had planned on writing more about this weekend when we got back, but traveling with a toddler and the early wake up calls two days in a row & walking around the parks all day really messed up my schedule.  So here it is.  This was my whole family's first Disney Races, my husband and I did the 10K on Friday, my daughter did the kids race on Friday and I did the half marathon on Saturday. We also celebrated my daughter's birthday during this trip (so we really crammed a lot into the few days we were there).  I won't bombard you with the 300+ photos I took during the 4 days we were there but I'll share some highlights here.

Thursday highlights:

Heading to Princess Breakfast in the rain (better than the single digit weather we had at home)

Kiddo got to lead the Princess Procession for her birthday

Royal treatment at The Bibbity Bobbity Boutique at Downtown Disney

Leaving the Expo in the pouring rain

We had planned to hit the expo Wednesday night, but through a comedy of errors (our flight landed late, then we locked the key in our room then we had to feed kiddo before the sleep monster hit) so Thursday after we did all Princess related activities for kiddo we went to pick up our packets and shop the expo a little bit.  Have you ever done this with a toddler who may fall out at any second because it's about nap time?  If so, then you know it's not a leisurely checking out of the expo, it's targeting shopping with near military precision: A pink Sparkle Skirt, a raw threads shirt, a Sparkly Soul headband and a Run Disney Vinylmation Mickey. My husband picked up some KT Tape and then we were done.

Thursday night I laid out all my stuff for Friday morning, we were staying off property in Kissimmee and everything I read said to leave 1 1/2 hours to get back on property for the race.  So I set my alarm for 2am and we were on the road by 2:30. We got to the park at 2:45.  So much for taking forever to get there.  So we both took a nap in the car until 3:45 and then walked over to the start area.

Friday Highlights:
10K:

2:45 am arrival

In our corral getting ready 

Firework start

Goosebumps (it was misty/cool out there waiting)

Crossing the start line

With Donald post 10K

Hubby & I with Daisy

That was fun! So after we got our pictures with the characters, we headed back to our place to pick up kiddo and my family to go to the Kids Race.

Kiddo with her Sparkle Skirt ready to go

200m dash in progress

Getting her medal

Post race glory

And then we did Magic Kingdom for the day where kiddo proudly wore her medal and my husband and I wore ours too.  

Friday night I learned my lesson from Thursday night: we didn't need to leave at 2:30am to make it to the park.  Instead I set my alarm for 2:30 and we left at 3am.  My husband dropped me off (so he could go back to sleep and get the family ready to meet me at the finish) at 3:30 and I was feeling good. My friend who I was running the half with met me after the security check and I didn't realize how far we had to walk to the start for the half vs. the day before for the 10k.  Just a sea of runners in the corrals behind me (I was in L)

Saturday highlights:

In my Doc McStuffins outfit

The runners behind me (and across the road was another set of runners that looked just like this)

On the course

Running through Magic Kingdom

Character stop #1 Buzz Lightyear

Tigger! This is one of my favorite photos from the half

Post run

With Chip & Dale

After a hot shower and quick change and we were back to the parks

Saw a lot of runners wearing their compression sleeves walking around the park, I was no exception.

Minnie Mouse

With Frozone & Mr. Incredible 

So yes, I totally get the Disney Magic and am looking forward to a couple of weeks when I go back for Princess Weekend and the Glass Slipper Challenge (where I won't try to cram as much activity into the weekend).   I'll have more thoughts about what I've learned from this trip that I can apply to the next trip (and future trips) in the next week...
What was your first Disney race? What lessons did you learn?

Thoughts on 2013

2014 is fast approaching, so here are some thoughts on this year:

I'm stronger and faster at the end of 2013 than I began the year.
I didn't set any goals for 2013 so I didn't know I'd end the year with 4 half marathons under my belt and shaving 10 minutes off my half time between May and November.  I'm also slowly learning to stop obsessing about data.  At the beginning of the year I was constantly looking to see progress and now I'm just checking in to see where I am.  It's actually liberating to run without constantly checking the pace.  That being said, I did get a Nike+ Sportwatch for Christmas (yay!) so I've been playing with that (and still figuring it out) so now I'll have immediate feedback instead of using my phone (and draining the battery).

I will be a kind runner.  
If you read my Princeton Half recap you'll know I was on the receiving end of some crappy runner etiquette.  I didn't like the way that felt,  and I've decided I will not make anyone else feel that way.

No judgement.  
Before I ran my first half marathon, I had a "goal" of not finishing last.  After running lots of races this year, I've decided finishing last is better than not starting at all.

You never know who is watching.
My daughter has run 2 kids races this fall and always asks me if I'm going to go for a run when she sees me in my running clothes.  The second question is: can she go too.  How can you say no to that? I'm thrilled my whole family is getting the running bug.

Helping mommy get ready to run

Pushing kiddo in the jogger.  Can definitely do this for more miles than I started the year.

Losing your toenail(s) is not so bad. 

Never thought I'd actually type that. After losing one on my left foot this summer and having a cracked big toenail and a black toenail on my right foot right now, having it fall off is not a huge deal.  I've taken to doing my own pedicures to spare anyone else from seeing what they look like so I will spare you from photos of my feet (I barely want to look at them myself). 

Races (of all lengths) are fun.

In addition to the half marathons I ran this year, I've done a 10 miler, a 5 miler, a 10k and some 5K's.  I loved each of the races for different reasons and am looking forward to the variety of 2014.  I love race day and approaching the start, but pre-race jitters are not fun.  One thing I'm working on for 2014 is not stress out as much pre-race.  That is definitely going to be a work in progress.

At the start of the Spring Lake 5

No cotton socks. 

I know this, however I get suckered into running socks that are cotton blends.  I got lulled into a false sense of security on training runs wearing them and my feet felt fine, however on race day I got blistered pretty good (which I'm sure is a contributing factor to the state of my feet right now).  So I plan to take better care of my feet in the coming year. 

Say Thank You.

Volunteers, race organizers and spectators are what make races awesome.  Also what I've learned this year is races are made exponentially better when you have your own cheering squad.  

Family and friends cheering me on at the Trenton Half

Pack smarter.

I have a very difficult time packing lightly and will pack what I like to call "options". I'm learning to strike a balance in being prepared for race day and having too much stuff.  I really hate being cold, so I tend to pack layers in case it's cold and then I can take something off...

I had a bag full of running clothes for an overnight, and this is the only thing I wore.

Cross training is your friend.

I totally look forward to yoga days to get a good stretch and strength training days.  I've been not as good lately about going to yoga, so I plan to get back on a regular schedule in 2014. 

Kiddo doing yoga on her "yellow" 

So we'll see what 2014 holds for us and I'm looking forward to the journey!  What are some things you've learned in the past year? 

Happy New Year!

Princeton Half Marathon Recap (11/3): A race do-over

Last year, this  race was supposed to be my first half marathon.  Initially the race was postponed until the spring and then cancelled.

We still collected our medals after the race was cancelled.

When the email came to register again I thought, ok I get to do this over. Having already done 2 half marathons this year (the Long Branch Half in May and the B.A.A. Half last month), I definitely felt more prepared than I did last year, and knowing what to expect was definitely helpful. Typically I don't look at the course too much ahead of time (because it is what it is) but I'd heard from a lot of people how hilly the course was so I decided to make note of where the hills where to better prepare myself for the race. I was feeling pretty good going into race day, I had my clothes laid out from the night before and set 3 alarms since it was Daylight Savings Time.

layers, layers, layers.

I should have gotten another hour of sleep.  Instead of was a ball of stress trying to make sure I didn't oversleep.  I got up that morning and started to get dressed and decided on some last minute wardrobe changes. The final race day instructions said to be in town and in the parking garage by 6:30am at the latest (the race was scheduled to start at 7:30) since the roads were going to be closed for the race. I got to the garage at 6:15am because I wanted to make sure I could park, which in hindsight was too early because there was no bag check.  So I sat in my car trying to keep warm. At 7am cars were still pulling into the garage, so I totally could have left later. I settled on the number of layers I was going to wear (a short sleeved shirt and long sleeve shirt plus my hat) and headed over to the start line at 7:10.

Yup, I'm cold and ready to go.

I don't know the best way to describe the mood at the start.  Stoic. Quiet.  I was trying to keep my legs warm, but after a while I just couldn't feel them anymore because I was cold.  Which works out to my advantage because then I can't feel how much they hurt at the beginning of the race before I settle in.

At the start.

And then we were off.  I was feeling good, around mile 3 my legs started to warm up a little bit and we hit the off road portion of the race.

Off road portion. Photo from Princeton Half website

As you can see there isn't a lot of room to pass, from here we ran into the woods where the following happened.  There was a guy running with a backpack who kept pulling leaves off the trees. Behind me I could hear a lady yelling.  Then it became clear she was yelling song lyrics and cheering herself on. Loudly. At mile 6 two ladies passed me and then high-fived each other. (p.s. who does that?) But then something awesome happened at Mile 7 when a group of spectators chanted "Green Skirt! Green Skirt! Green Skirt!" which made me feel pretty good and definitely put a smile on my face.  My sparkle skirt got lots of love along the way.

I re-focused back on my race and looked at my watch to see I was running sub 11 minute miles, as long as I kept going, I was going to beat my previous time. The course was seriously hilly.  A lot hillier than Boston and felt like they were going on forever, uphill. By the time we got back into town at Mile 12 and into the home stretch, I really didn't have anything left to dig deep and pick up the pace to the finish.  A couple of people passed me in that final stretch including Yelling Lady (YL), I was focused only on the clock I could see in the distance...2:28 and I crossed the line with a time of 2:28:11.  YL turns to me and says, "I can't believe I caught you".  I'm certain this photo was taken right after that moment:

What does my face say?

I just didn't know what to say to her, so I just smiled at her and went to find my family.  That was about all the energy I could muster in that moment. I'm choosing to take her comment as "wow, thanks for being such a good motivator!" (because if I don't this comment is just odd.)

This year's bling!

This half experience was definitely different than the previous 2.  The big news is: I shaved 6 minutes off my time from Boston 3 weeks before for a new PR!  

Do you have a memorable race?  How do you block out other runners around you?

4th Annual Alexander's Run 5K Recap

I'm catching up on race recaps after 3 races in 3 weeks, the first one up is this 5k that is very dear to me.   Alexander was a happy, healthy 19 1/2 month old when he passed away unexpectedly in December 2008 to Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood.  As a friend of Alexander and his parents Dan and Michelle and brother Daniel, I want to help bring awareness to Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) to figure out what can be done to stop this from happening. I wish Alexander and all the other children lost to SUDC were still here, that their moms and dads could hold them again, that they could meet their siblings.
I wish they were still here.
I think of Alexander often.  I also think about how amazing and strong his parents are to take this unimaginable tragedy and found a way to help others.  I wish they and other parents and families didn't have to be so strong.

Alexander's Run supports both the Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Program and the Alexander Michael Dodson Memorial Scholarship Fund.  The first two years of the race, I volunteered  and this was the second year I ran the race with my family.  It was a beautiful morning for a run, and since this race is local, I know the course pretty well.

Walking over to packet pick-up.

So I walked over to packet pickup to also figure out how many layers of clothing I should wear on the run (I get cold pretty easily). I decided a tank top & long sleeve shirt would be good and wearing a vest until the actual race, I would stay warm. Coming off the Army 10 Miler the weekend before, I had in mind that I wanted to finish this 5k sub 30, as I was feeling good about my pace from the weekend before and thought I could push my pace more for the 5k.  I haven't mastered the sprint vs. the long run so I decided I would see how I felt.

Headed to the starting line, kiddo was nice and toasty

Since we were running with kiddo in the jogging stroller, I figured we would take turns running the race with her (we usually do this on our runs together).  We get to the starting line and final preparations get underway.  Before the start, Alexander's dad does a balloon release for Alexander and  gives us the final race instructions.

Sending Alexander love.

And we're off!

We're in the back right corner of this photo that my friend took

My husband ran with kiddo in the jogging stroller, at first they were ahead of me, and then I caught up to them on the flat at a half mile into the run.  This was totally different than last year's Run when I woke up with a bad cold and couldn't catch them at all.

Approaching the Battle Monument

I was feeling really good and my pace and I was running sub 10 minute miles, which I really had not done before.  So I thought I could totally make it under sub 30.  After the turn at Mile 2 I saw my husband approaching the turn and decided I should finish the race with him. So I stopped to let him catch up.  Last year he finished the race and then came back on the course to finish the race with me and let me push kiddo across the finish line.  I thought I should do the same for him this year. He said I should keep going and they would catch up. 

Sub 10 minute miles

So I ended up with a time of 30:07 and a 9:41 pace and in 8th place.  I was quite happy with that. Alexander's Run also has a Family 1 mile Fun Run/Walk that kiddo was really wanted to do.  In the week leading up to the race, she kept saying she wanted to run the race by herself, which I was happy to let her do.  So after the 5k we lined up and I ran the Fun Run with her.  She did a really good job and ran about a half mile until she got a little scared by all the people cheering so I had to carry her for a little bit.  I asked her if she wanted to keep running and she said she wanted to go play.  She was happy, I was happy to see her having a good time,  she got to do it with me and she got her first medal. 

Happy Runner Girl.

We will continue to support Alexander's Run in any way we can. I hope more runners come out next year and the race continues to grow.  Do you have a local race you support?

Army Ten Miler Recap

This was a first really big race, the B.A.A. Half marathon the previous weekend had 7,500 entrants, this one had over 35,000.  I was feeling really prepared for this race since it was going to be a lot less hilly than the half marathon the weekend before. This was the first race my husband Tracy and I were going to run together (without kiddo in the jogging stroller) and my brother-in law was running it with us too.  We were also treating this as a quick mom & dad overnight getaway (my mom was watching our daughter).  Funny how running has become the gateway to vacations.

We headed down to DC to pick up our packets at the Armory, a drive we'd done countless times last year since my husband had been stationed at the Pentagon for the year and we drove back and forth to our home.  So happily, we knew where we were going (always a bonus heading to an expo).

In line for the free parking for the expo

We parked the car and headed into the expo. Since we had our ID cards, it took no time at all to get into  the building.

This was also my first time at an expo, it was a little overwhelming. What I learned is to figure out what vendors are going to be at the expo and where and then target them first. 

Just a taste of the vendors.

So we picked up our numbers, checked out the expo for a little bit where I bought a new armband, and shoes at the Mizuno tent and then we headed to the hotel in Alexandria, VA.  The hotel was filled with other Ten Miler participants, and the Metro station was only 2 blocks away and a short ride to the Pentagon. After dinner, I laid all my clothes out so I didn't have to think about it in the morning and headed off to bed.

I like layers.  I  believe it's better to take something off than wanting to put something on.

 Race morning we headed over to the Metro station.  We decided to leave at 7am to head over, so that we had enough time to get through security and hit the bathroom before our corral went off.  We were in the final corral (purple). Purple is my favorite color, so I took think as a good sign.

Riding on the Metro.

We got off at the Pentagon and the enormity of the event was really starting to sink in.  A sea of people everywhere.  

Packed escalators.

There were so many people that you couldn't feel how cool it was out, until you got outside.  It was definitely brisk, but waiting to get through the secure runner area made you forget about the cold.

And this is what thousands of people trying to get through security looks like.

So we made it to the porta potties and gathered in the purple corral.  I had time to stretch again and get the last minute jitters out and then the balloons started moving our group up to the start line.  The cannons went off and we were on our way. Tracy and I were feeling good and my pace was sub 11 minute miles. I always appreciated a good challenge and this race's challenge was to maintain my own pace while being mindful of those around me and finding clear running paths.  At times it was definitely a challenge with so many runners grouped together.

I was and am very proud have run this race for a variety of reasons.  Being among other military families, Wounded Warriors, Active Duty and Reservists and those running in memory of a fallen soldier was a privilege.

On a personal note, I finished it almost 5 minutes faster than the ten mile point from the half marathon the weekend before and about 10 minutes faster than my 10 mile training run earlier this month.  Plus, I got to do it with my husband.

Happy Finishers!

And the coin we got is pretty awesome too.

I would love to do this race again next year for the 30th Annual Army Ten-Miler. I think our times would move us up in the corrals and now I have something to base the next race on. What race would you like to do again?