2016: The Year in Review

Photo credit: https://www.nraila.org/articles/20161223/2016-nra-ila-year-in-review

So, it's been almost a year since I posted here, talking about New Year's Goals.  I'd like to tell you I met that goal of 500 miles in 2016.  But I know I didn't - I don't even have my total mileage to tell you how close (or how far away) I came.  My year was that...interesting.

I ran two halfs in the spring, and skipped a couple races throughout the year (sometimes DNS is the best decision you can make).  I surprised myself and ran an "official" Disney time (sub-3:30) at the Star Wars Dark Side Half in April after committing to my training plan and taking off almost 20 lbs, so that was awesome.  

I had surgery in May (hello hysterectomy, goodbye uterus & all of your complications!) and despite my best intentions of not letting pounds pile on during recovery....they crept back on, and brought some of their friends with them.  Sigh.  And having to defer a summer race I'd been looking forward to was not awesome, but at least it's giving me something to look forward to next year!

The absolute highlight of my year was the birth of this little dude in early June!  My nephew is the cutest thing EVER, and I'm loving my new role as Aunt Jenny, and the ability to spoil him like crazy (and then give him back, lol)!!!!

The real downer of the year is that my family has been dealing with some pretty serious struggles throughout the fall, and all the stress and associated travel seriously impacted my training (basically non-existent) and all the stress eating packed on even more pounds than before!!!  Insert even bigger sigh here.

After watching/cheering on friends and family struggling through the Marine Corps Marathon in October, I found some new motivation and decided to turn around my own struggles and work towards my personal goals again - I wasn't waiting for New Year's to set them this time around.

I'm glad to say that I'm back down to what, at one point, had been my "all-time-highest-weight-ever" (before I started running and lost weight, then put it all back on), and I've had some really GREAT runs recently.  Which probably means I'm due for a stinker of a run soon, but it's amazing how good you feel when you've been struggling for several years and finally can feel yourself turning a corner.

2017's got some BIG plans coming up: I'm already registered for 5 halfs, and that will mean 4 new states, and lots of fun trips with my running peeps and my family.  So here's hoping I'll be able to maintain the momentum and motivation I've gained the past couple months and translate those into a really great year!

2015 WDW Marathon Weekend Races in Pictures

I'll spare y'all the details of my lackluster races...long story short - I got to see and spend time with great friends and family, both during and outside of the races, and I earned awesome bling, which were my two real goals for the weekend.  So, to make things less boring, I'm just doing a weekend recap in pictures...

At the Expo on Thursday morning

My 10K outfit - Mary Poppins inspired

Dad & me before the 10K on Friday morning

  

Some of the group before the Half Saturday morning - it was cold!

My Half Marathon outfit - Minnie

Nikki & Me in front of Cinderella's Castle

My bling from the 10K & Half

We saw a bride arrive at the Wedding Chapel

Tea @ The Grand Floridian Saturday post-race

CheEARed for friends and family during the Full Marathon on Sunday morning

Day at Magic Kingdom with the family on Monday

Why I'm Not Dopey (or Goofy or Mickey or Minnie)

Photo credit: RunDisney

So.  I'm not registering for the new Dopey Challenge on Marathon Weekend (5K + 10K + Half + Full).  I never had a desire to go Goofy (Half + Full), so Dopey's definitely too much for me.  Even Mickey (Full) pushed my limit.  But that still leaves Donald (Half) and Minnie (10K) as options, you say!  Which leads me to say something that almost pains me, and as a Disney Park lover that I never dreamed I would:

I reached my runDisney tipping point - and tipped over.

runDisney has priced me out of their races.  And not just that - I feel that the level of service has gone down in the past couple of years, while the prices have skyrocketed (yes, registration cost is a big factor, but so is lodging - especially now that marathon weekend is no longer considered "value" season at the resorts).  The Marathon Weekend races have become overcrowded, and I truly believe that the almighty dollar has finally managed to outpace Disney's legendary customer service - at least when it comes to the runDisney brand.  Maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic for "the good old days," but Disney race weekends have lost a little "magic" for me.

Not to say I didn't have to almost physically restrain myself from going into Active yesterday and registering for SOMETHING (especially the Minnie 10K) - the desire was there.  I love racing through the parks, getting Disney bling, and seeing a lot of good friends on race weekends.  I'm already experiencing serious FOMO over that weekend, and I'll be insanely jealous of everyone's beautiful medals.  But I just can't do it next year.  I need a break from the craziness into which Disney races have evolved recently.

So the annual (and regularly semi-annual) runDisney trips for this girl are no more.  The plan is to hopefully be back for Marathon Weekend in 2015, but even that is up in the air (especially if the prices keep increasing at the current rate - ouch!).  In the meantime I'm going to try to plan a non-running trip to WDW (kinda forgot we could do those) during a week where it's not as crowded and we can just enjoy the parks and get some of that magic back.

I haven't updated the tag line or the title block of the blog yet, because I'm just not sure what to put up there.  And it's not just because I'm not participating in Marathon Weekend - I'm not planning to run ANY Disney races in the next year.  Which is saying something considering they've got quite the year coming up!

• Expedition Everest Challenge
• Inaugural Dumbo Double Dare
• Tower of Terror 10 Miler
• Wine & Dine
• Inaugural Dopey Challenge
• Tinkerbell
• Princess

Q4U: So what do y'all think?  If you've participated in past runDisney events, have you noticed the same changes I have?  Is it keeping you from going back or is the Mouse still getting your running money?  Why or why not?  I'd love to hear your opinions!

When Racing to the Castle, Remember, The Turtle Won!

I haven't done a race recap yet for Disney Marathon Weekend because I just haven't figured out what I want to say about it.  There were so many highs and lows all packed into just a few days!  But I'll get around to putting together a few posts sometime soon (hopefully before I forget too many of the details). Before I go down that road, though, I want to do a post about another experience I had during Marathon Weekend that had nothing to do with me (well, other than being an amazed and inspired bystander).  So here goes:

Mickey @Kids Race (© RKP)

Looking back, one thing stands out as probably the highlight of the whole weekend for me: watching two of my friends' kids run the Kid's Races on Friday.  The general consensus within our group is that ROTE kids are awesome - and my friends Andi and Gina's kids proved to be spectacular on Marathon Weekend.  One thing you should know about Andi's kids is that they are truly special.  And not because "special" is the label society has placed on differently-abled individuals, but because of who they are inside.  (Please take a minute to visit Andi's blog Bringing the Sunshine, where she beautifully chronicles her family's challenges and accomplishments (warning -  have tissues nearby!).)  Gina's kids are not labeled as "special" because of their abilities, but they are just as special all the same.  So where am I going with this?

Sarah Kate & Lauren (© Gina)

Andi's daughter, Sarah Kate, has cerebral palsy (really, if you didn't go look at Andi's blog before, do it. Now. You need to.).  In the weeks before WDW Marathon Weekend, Gina's youngest daughter, Lauren, asked Sarah Kate if she would run the 400M Dash Kid's Race with her.  Sarah Kate said yes, and the two families feverishly started planning out their race day, including acquiring matching "Race You to the Castle" shirts for all the girls.  I had never attended the Kid's Races before, but had already been planning to go watch after we finished the 5K (Andi & her kids, by the way, had stationed themselves at the 5K finish line to chEAR - how awesome is that?).  Sadly, because of a traffic jam, I missed seeing Andi's son, Nathan, run his race, but arrived at the track just in time to meet up with my friend Katie in the bleachers near the finish line and hear them announce the last heat of the 400M.  Then, before I knew it, they were off and running (forgive the pun)!

Katie and I stood on our tiptoes on the bleachers trying to spot Andi & Gina on the other side of the track - knowing they'd be just behind the kids, and easier to spot.  Quickly the main herd arrived at the finish line, and watching all the kids finish the race was pretty cool - we cheered on the girl & boy winners, and the middle-of-the-pack-ers, and the stragglers, all the while waiting for Sarah Kate and Lauren to round the bend.  We knew they'd be last, and we knew they were still coming, but many of the spectators (and even the race announcers) didn't, so they started allowing people to cross the track, thinking the race was over.  Even the MarathonFoto photographer stationed on the track in front of us stood up!  NO!!!!  We had moved down to ground level at this point, so we got his attention and told him there were still two more coming in and he scrambled back into his spot - whew.  Finally, the race announcers realized that Sarah Kate and Lauren were still running their race and got the track cleared just in time for the two of them to enter the straightaway.

Going strong! (© Gina)

At this point, Katie and I were chEARing our hearts out for the girls as they steadily approached us - with Sarah Kate's slightly lilting gait proclaiming for anyone watching that there was something just the tiniest bit different about what these two were accomplishing.  And then, just as surely, the crowd picked up on it, and everyone started chEARing and clapping.  Truly the sidelines exploded with cheers of excitement and encouragement for "our" girls.  As they passed us, I screamed at the top of my lungs "GO SARAH KATE!  GO LAUREN!  Y'ALL ARE AWESOME!!!"  (I must digress for a moment and point out that Sarah Kate had never met me in person before, so at that moment, she turned her head and looked right at me with a very confused look on her face - trying to figure out who that crazy person was, I'm sure...lol.  I just waved and kept right on screaming...)  At this point, they were just yards away from the finish line, and as I looked right, I could see that Mickey had also figured out what was going on, and was waiting for them at the finish - just the two of them.

Sarah Kate had done it!  She'd pushed through those 400M on legs not as strong as the other kids', but with an inner strength and more heart and drive than you'd ever imagine in someone her size.  Andi told us later that she'd had to slow to a walk at one point, and she'd fallen several times on the back side of the loop, but she'd picked herself up and started running again with Lauren beside her. RUNNING again!  How great is that?  And there she was, literally feet from finishing a track race!  There wasn't a dry eye among the ROTE group, and I know for a fact that some of the other spectators - complete strangers - had tears on their cheeks.  It was an incredible moment to watch and experience.

At the Finish! (© RKP)

Now, just when you were thinking this couldn't get better, and that Sarah Kate's the lone heroine of the story, here's where things get really awesome.  Lauren had kept pace with Sarah Kate the whole race, slowing down when she did, stopping when she stumbled, and holding her hand for stability when needed.  But there, at that very last moment, Lauren let go of Sarah Kate's hand, slowed down even

Mickey Love! (© RKP)

more, and let Sarah Kate cross the finish line ahead of her, with arms raised above her head in triumph and ready to high-five Mickey Mouse.  Now, I don't know about you, but I'd say a decent percentage of kids her age would have shot forward there at the end to "win" and get some Mickey time, but not Lauren - she knew this was Sarah Kate's accomplishment and let her revel in it.  (Not that Lauren didn't get a little Mickey love, too, when she crossed a few seconds later.)  Talk about heart and intuition - what a great kid.

(I hope you read Andi's blog post about the race - she's got even more of the great post-finish pics there.)

Sarah Kate and Lauren finished dead last, and in true Disney fashion (as mentioned in the last post) they were treated with just as much - if not more - flourish and fanfare as the winning kids.  I love it.  I am so proud of both these wonderful girls (and love their parents even more for raising them to be who they are now) - and I can't wait to see what they will accomplish in the future.

Sarah Kate (© RKP)

All the girls (© Gina)

FINISHERS!     _____

At this point, I have no idea if either of the two girls realize just what kind of impact their race had on me, as well as, I'm sure, many others.  I don't know which of the two kids I'm more impressed and inspired by, and honestly, I'm not spending a lot of time trying to figure it out.  Both of them have such spirit and drive, as well as character and compassion.  They pushed themselves and each other to keep going and never give up.  That's a lesson we can all use to re-learn occasionally.

My own race that Sunday was a tough one, but with perseverance and the presence of friends - not unlike the example set by Sarah Kate and Lauren two days earlier - I finished.  I carried their spirit with me through all 26.2 of those hard miles - mostly subconsciously at the time, I'll admit, but looking back - I know they were there, pushing me to keep going, leading me to know I could lean on others when I needed to, and being there for others when they needed someone.  What more could a person ask for?  Though I wasn't dead last like Sarah Kate and Lauren, I wasn't far from it, but I still crossed that finish line with friends, proud of my accomplishment, and with my arms raised over my head in triumph, just like they did.

How RunDisney Celebrates Everyone

There are a few small things that can sometimes annoy me about RunDisney races, but they are far outnumbered by the overwhelming "warm fuzzies" that participating in a Disney race gives me.  I'm working on another post that's proving more difficult than I imagined to write (which is also why there hasn't been anything new recently) that deals with this topic as well.  But it'll probably be another few days before that one is published, so until then, so I'd like to share a Disney Parks Blog post about finishing last:

Finishing Last is Finishing First at a Disney Race

posted on January 23rd, 2013 by Robert Hitchcock, PR Manager/Content Producer, runDisney

If I am not running in a runDisney event you will find me at my second favorite place – the finish line. It’s there I find inspiration and a reminder of why I run. Of course it’s exciting to see the winners glide across the finish line with ease, and admire faster runners setting personal records, but for me the thrill is seeing the smiles, laughter, cheers and tears of runners finishing in the middle and at end of the pack. Whether they are doing it for themselves, for a specific cause or in honor of someone who can’t run, they set a goal, achieve it and make their dreams come true. Winners train to win – these runners train to finish.

It’s because of that determination, beating the odds, that I find myself cheering louder for the last place finishers than I do for the first place winner. On Sunday at the Tinker Bell Half Marathon at Disneyland Resort, after the bleachers cleared and confetti from the winners blew around on the ground, I got to cheer on my newest runDisney hero, Jenna Boyd from Wisconsin. Fighting the clock and turning down offers for rides by race staff, she fought her way to the finish line and was greeted with a welcome fit for a champion. You see at a runDisney event, finishing last is just as special as finishing first.

Please allow me to introduce you to my hero Jenna Boyd.

Congratulations, Jenna!

Isn't Jenna's story a great one, and don't you love that RunDisney celebrates the last finisher with as much excitement and emotion as the first finisher?  Just one of the many reasons I love a Disney race.

Keep an eye out for the next post, which will also discuss finishing last, including it's benefits and inspirations.  Can't wait to share this awesome and inspiring story with y'all.

Tell Me About Your 2012

Fellow blogger H Love over at Keep on Keeping On had a great post earlier this week about recapping her year of running with a short survey: Tell Me About 2012.  I liked the idea so much I asked if I could do the same.

So here's my 2012:   

Best race experience? There were SO many good ones this year.  But I think I'll have to go with the obvious, which was my FIRST MARATHON!  The Disneyworld Marathon in January validated me as a runner.  A marathon runner.  It was hard, there were tears, there were friends, there was family, and there was Mickey bling.

Dad, BFF, & me after Mickey 2012

Best run?  Again, so many good ones to choose from. Too many, really.  So, I'm going to go with a really general "run" - training runs with my Galloway Girls.  My pace group helped keep me motivated and on-track, helped keep me moving on the hard runs, and kept my mind occupied on the boring ones.

"Lost in Pace" after our 21 Miler

Best new piece of gear?  Well, this one honestly couldn't be more obvious, lol.  It's gotta be my SparkleSkirts.  LOVE. THEM.  2012 was the year I started running in SparkleSkirts, and I've said it before and I'll say it again - there's nothing better for a long run!  They're fun, functional, and stylish!

Berry Smoothie SparkleSkirt

Best piece of running advice you received? "Start out slow and back off."  This is a joke from my friend Megan (remember her blog?), but still it strikes a chord with me.  She said it prior to what we knew was going to be a tough race, and it takes me back to that moment when running was about the company and not the miles or the pace.

Megan & Me at The Patriot's Challenge

Most inspirational runner? My friend Allison.  She was new to our running group this year and fit right in.  Allison was diagnosed with breast cancer just before her big goal race this fall, which she didn't run, and immediately started treatment.  Her positive outlook and determination during this fight, which she partially attributes to her running journey, are a true inspiration to us all.  And she's already planning her running comeback once she's in remission! 

Celebrating Allison's Bday with the Galloway Girls

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?  Friends & bling.  That's truly what this past year of running has been about for me.  My running friends - both in "real life" and online - have kept me going and have helped me do more than I dreamed this year.  And 2012 was the "Year of Bonus Bling."  LOTS of bling this year - and I love it all!!!

So that was my 2012 in a nutshell.  I'm looking forward to what 2013 brings - stay tuned for more on that!

Want to do a "Tell Me About Your 2012" of your own?  Post a link to your blog post about it in the comments below - I'd love to read about your year!

Post-Christmas Blues ... and Another Challenge?

Post Christmas Blues are here...  The day after Christmas means back to work and "normalcy," and that it's time to start thinking about putting away Christmas decorations.  Boo.

However, that does mean that New Year's is next week and WDW Marathon Weekend is right around the corner!  Wuhoo!!!

With the new year, my friend Kim (check out her blog here) and I are going to host a joint mile-a-day challenge for January!  Stay tuned for more details...

What To Do When You're NOT Running a Race That All Your Friends Are?

Many of my friends are running the runDisney Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 Miler (ToT) this weekend.  And I'm not.  Big BOO.  It just didn't fit well into my training schedule for MCM, or fit with this year's travel/budget constraints (too many races and trips, not enough time and money).

In order to cope with the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) from not running this race, I've come up with a list of coping strategies.  Actually, I've come up with two lists - feel free to choose whichever works best for you - adapting as needed for your own personal circumstances.

OPTION 1: Pretend like there's NOT a race going on this weekend to make yourself feel better about your "normal" plans, indulging in a little jealousy and general snarkiness along the way:

• Prior to race day:
• Avoid all mentions of "that race" others are running;
• Remind yourself you ran ToT three years ago (you're not missing out on anything, been there - done that);
• On Race Day:
• Run your last long training run for MCM (twice as long as ToT - and way more hardcore);
• Recuperate in an ice bath (not needed after ToT);
• Curl up on the couch and nap (no time for naps at WDW);
• Avoid ALL forms of social media;
• Watch the Texas Longhorns play their first conference football game of the season (kickoff just about when the racers should be headed for the runner's village - they'll miss the game); and, finally,
• Go to bed at a decent hour (after-parties are over-rated).

OPTION 2: Be the best "virtual spectator" you can be:

• Prior to race day:
• Listen to your friends bubbling over with excitement about the race, trying not to beat yourself up about not finding SOME way to make the race happen;
• Offer advice about what the race was like the year you ran it;
• Torture yourself by reading all the message boards, tweets, blogs, and FB posts about weather forecasts, cute costume ideas, and who's staying at what resorts on WDW property;
• Make a list of who's racing, with their bib #s,  so you know who to virtually track; and
• Pour over all the race materials, including the race guide, and the final race instructions.
• On Race Day:
• Post a general "Good luck to everyone racing today" as your FB status before heading out the door at o'dark-thirty on previously mentioned training run;
• Spend the afternoon trolling social media sites for status updates, tweets, photos, etc. from friends spread all over WDW property.
• Set up "Texas Tracking Central" with smartphone & laptop in front of the big TV downstairs so you can track friends while you finish watching the Texas Longhorns play their first conference football game of the season;
• Using, FB, Twitter, and runDisney's runner tracking app, track your runners - sending virtual hugs and cheers along the way; also send a funny or motivational text message to anyone who may seem to be struggling;
• Express congratulations and pride to all your friends who finsh the race and post pics of their awesome new elevator bling;
• Stay up as late as you possibly can, poring over more social media posts and pics about how much fun everyone is having at the post-race bash.

I'm going with Option 2.  Whichever option you choose, the Post-Race Plan is the same: find some way to make next year's race fit into your schedule and register!  Missing out on all the fun your friends are having running at Disney is no fun at all for you, and causes serious FOMO!

Good luck to everyone running ToT this weekend!  Can't wait to hear about how much fun everyone had. Are you one of them?  If not, do you have any additional FOMO coping strategies to add (to either list)?

Wait, HOW Long 'Til We're There?

 

HOW many days???

141 DAYS!!!

After dozens and dozens of phone calls, endless minutes on hold, and with the help of several friends, by the end of the day on Monday I had a secured a dinner reservation at the yet-to-be-opened Be Our Guest restaurant in the newly expanded Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World for the Monday night after the marathon!

 

In what has become my family's post-Disney-race-tradition, we will spend the Monday after the WDW Marathon at the Magic Kingdom, showing off our medals and soaking in a little Disney "magic."  We usually indulge in a "splurge" meal at one of the table-service restaurants in the park that day as well, and in recent years that restaurant has been The Crystal Palace.  But this year we figured what better way to celebrate earning our newest Disney medals than in Disney's newest restaurant?  There has been so much media surrounding the new Fantasyland Expansion that my excitement has been building for years.  Can't wait to experience the new Beauty and the Beast restaurant ourselves!

 

As the fervor of excitement over actually getting the reservation on the day and time we wanted waned, it led to thoughts of the next trip...and checking countdown...the next visit to the mouse isn't for another 141 DAYS!!!  Sadness.  No real time for sadness, however!  There's lots going on between now and then.  And I know that our next awesome Disney trip will be here before we know it!

 

 

Do you have any destination-race traditions?  Something you have to do or someplace you have to go pre- or post-race when you're running out of town?

Where to Begin?

I have so many things I'm excited about right now, I don't even know where to begin!

First, RunDisney revealed the new 20th Anniversary WDW Marathon medal today!  It's in color, it spins, and it has two great Walt Disney quotes etched into it.  I CANNOT wait to get my hands on this thing!  I'm already anticipating bawling like a baby when I cross the finish line and receive the medal.  So many of my ROTE friends are running Mickey this year, too, so we're basically planning one big rolling party at the "back of the pack."  It's going to be epic.  Only 152 days to go!

 As an additional bonus, they also updated the RunDisney website - go check it out!  The new pages are much better organized and intuitive, with all the info you could want/need within a few easy clicks!

Second, Marine Corps is now only 75 days away.  10 weeks from this Sunday.  I have to admit that my excitement over this one is definitely heightened by fear.  The time requirement is still scaring the bejeezus out of me...  But when I start freaking out about it, I try to calm myself down by repeating the mantra of the marines "Earned Never Given."  And I know that if I can stand in front of a marine at that finish line then that will be a defining moment in my life.  That knowledge makes me excited for a weekend that also terrifies me - oxymoronic, I know, but hey - that's pretty typical me.

Third, my online running group, Running of the Ears, just made a "gear" order, and I bought a new tech shirt, a tech tank, and a logo Tshirt.  They look so great!  I took the new tech shirt on a 9 mile test run on Saturday and it felt comfortable and wicked wonderfully!  Looking forward to being part of the "sea of red" that ROTE promises to be at all the Disney races this year! 

Lastly, I still have a little bit of a "happy hangover" from San Francisco.  Rather than hanging up my two half medals and the "Half It All Challenge" medal on my medal rack, they are still sitting out on my kitchen counter, where I can see them and smile every day.  I'll even pick up the challenge medal and spin it a bit and it gives me the warm fuzzies.  Can't believe it's been two and a half weeks already!  And yes, I know I still need to do a race report - I'm using waiting on pics from my mom as an excuse.

And, oh yeah!  Training's still going well.  Nine miles last Saturday morning (should've been 8.5 per the map, but we missed a turn and had to backtrack a bit...ooops).  Last week I got in 3 bootcamp strength training sessions, my two short runs, and my long run.  This week I seem to be on track for another successful completion of my weekday training plan.  And...Saturday has a 19-20 miler on tap.  Whew.  That'll be a big hurdle to get over!

Boot Camp, Skirt Converts, and Galloway

Skirt converts!

I had a great training week.  I got in both of my short weekday runs on Tuesday and Thursday, and I started a 6-week indoor bootcamp that I got through Groupon on Wednesday.  It felt really great to get those short runs in, and bootcamp is going to be hard work, but hopefully will be rewarding!  When I follow my training plan, I get enough cardio from running, so this bootcamp will be focusing on strength training.

I've been pretty successful in starting to get some of the girls in my Galloway Group to "convert to skirt" and start wearing SparkleSkirts.  Here, S, L, and I are all in our cute and comfortable skirts after our group run on Saturday morning.  As we pointed out to the other pace groups, we may not be fast, but we ARE fashionable!!!

"Lost in Pace" girls with Jeff Galloway

Speaking of Galloway, the man himself, Jeff Galloway, was doing a Meet & Greet at one of our local running stores here today, so a lot of us came to hear him speak and ask questions.  It was a relaxed and informative session.  He and I even got to have a short and fun conversation about Disney racing!  I asked if he had any insider info on the 20th Anniversary stuff.  He said he didn't know anything about the surprise at Mile 20, but he had been taping spots for a new promo video that RunDisney is putting together that will have hints in it - yay - and will be released in another 3-4 weeks.  Also, he said that the anniversary medal is going to be "SPECTACULAR."  I am SO excited!

Week in Review:

• Tues - 2.2 mi; 30 min; 13:57 pace (2:1,2:1,1:1 interval spacing)
• Wed - 30 min strength bootcamp circuit
• Thurs -
• 2.7 mi; 41 min; 15:01 pace (4x800 speedwork)
• 30 min strength bootcamp circuit
• Sat - 5.81 mi; 1:31:50; 15:48 pace (1:1 interval)

Double Digits, Princesses, & Bonus Bling!

So much for being better about posting, huh?  Last week was another one without weekday runs.  Geesh.  Although I did manage to get in a session of "Yoga for Runners" on Monday evening.  And actually, I think that helped some with my sore calf issues during Saturday's long run.  Also, friend S and I went on a 5 mile recreational bike ride Sunday evening.

Yeah - about that long run...the big group had 9 miles on tap, so my MCM group needed an additional 2  for a total of 11.  In light of the hot and humid temps, we decided to again meet beforehand and knock out the extra mileage early at 5:45am.  Thank goodness we did!  By the time we'd all finished that last mile of the big group run, we were worn out.  Depleted.  That was one brutal run - I'm really not looking forward to a whole summer of more like that.  But hey, it was the first double-digit long run of the training season and 11 miles done under gross conditions is a great feeling!

In more exciting news (please say that in a Peter Jennings newscaster voice - please?), my new friend L and I have committed to running the Disney Princess Half Marathon together next February!  I wanted to run it for the race's 5th anniversary and needed a roomie, and she's wanted to run a Disney race for quite a while but wanted someone to go with her, so we fit each other's needs perfectly!  We are going to have such a great time!!!

Patriot's Challenge Medal (middle)

Also, my Patriot's Challenge medal finally arrived yesterday evening!  And as a small "We're sorry this took so long" gift, they surprised all of us with a cool aluminum water bottle with the Run for the Dream logo on it!  Very neat!  And now my trio of medals from that weekend is complete - yay!  I really do wish I could do this race again next year.  The RD and the team are really a class act.

Last Week in Review:

• Monday: Yoga for Runners
• Saturday: 
• 2.2 mi; 0:31:52; 14:29 min/mi
• 8.8 mi; 2:26:32; 16:43 min/mi (includes 2 water stops)
• Sunday: 5 mi bike ride

Officially Registered!

Life has been NUTS! So crazy, in fact, that I haven't had a chance to post about something VERY exciting! I am officially registered for the 2013 Walt Disneyworld Marathon!!!  My BFF is also registered for the marathon, and my dad is registered for Goofy (again)!  We've also made our hotel reservations for that weekend - so that makes it doubly real!

I am SO excited about this race.  It's the 20th anniversary of the WDW Marathon, so Disney is making a big deal about it - a new anniversary medal, a special surprise at Mile 20, and who knows what fun things they may have in store for us?

A bunch of my running friends are also signed up for this race, because of the significance of the anniversary year and new bling, including quite a few first-time marathoners!  As I will hopefully have completed MCM a few months before Disney, I don't really have a goal for the race right now, other than to have fun!  As a good friend of mine says: a marathon is like a mullet - business in the front and party in the back!  So I'm looking forward to having a good group of friends to "party in the back of the pack" with!

Race Report: My First Marathon - Mickey 2012: Part 3

Part Three: Post-Race & The Magic Kingdom

Did you miss Part Two: The Race?  Check it out here.

My makeshift ice bath.

During training, I had a lot of success using ice baths after my long runs to aid in recovery, so I knew that I wanted to do something similar after the marathon, but since Carrie and I were sharing a room, neither one of us wanted to wait on the other to take one before we could take ours - so I came up with the solution of hopping in the pool!  After all, it was just footsteps from our hotel room door, and it wasn't heated - so it would definitely do the trick!  So I took off all my electronics (errr...except the heart rate monitor which was under my bra strap that I'd forgotten about...oops!), hobbled over to the pool, and not-so-elegantly slipped in.  It was definitely cold, but exactly what I needed!  After a few minutes, mom came out and sat by the pool to keep me company.  I stayed in for about 40 minutes, and I even did some underwater leg stretches while I was in there - something that "hurt so good."

Race Report: My First Marathon - Mickey 2012: Part 2

Part Two: The Race

Did you miss Part one: Pre-Race?  Check it out here.

BFFs dressed alike!

Did I mention that I'd be running "in costume?"  I wanted to make this race memorable, since I intended it to be my only marathon.  Leah with SparkleSkirts made my year when she announced late last fall that she was debuting her MinnieTech skirt - it was exactly what I'd been looking for - a running skirt that was both incredibly functional and FUN!  So I paired the skirt with a black tech top, my clip-on Minnie Ears, and a red and white polka dot hair ribbon for "the essence" of Minnie Mouse.  (And I'm not ashamed to admit that I was over the moon when I found out my bib was red - it would coordinate perfectly with my outfit!)  My one concern about the whole thing was the weather.  The forecast was calling for high 70's and sunny - not exactly the ideal conditions for a slow runner wearing a black top.  After contemplating switching to a white shirt, I decided that black was really the better look, and that

Waiting for the bus.

I'd just have to tough out the heat for the sake of my vanity.  After using iron-on red glitter letters to add my name to my shirt, my look was complete!  BFF Carrie decided to go with the same outfit, so we were matchy-matchy!

2 a.m. is a ridiculous time to set an alarm, but it's part of the process of running Disney.  We'd heard that traffic was pretty bad getting over to the runner's village before Donald the day before, so we wanted to be on the first bus - which was leaving at 3am.  Since we'd laid out all of our stuff the night before, getting out of bed and getting going was the hardest part of the early wake-up.  Once we'd done that, we were ready fairly fast, and on our way to the bus depot.