Disney Marathon Weekend Part Two: Full Marathon Day

I had a lot of different emotions coming into the marathon. I felt untrained, unprepared, and really not ready. Frankly, part of me was dreading it. I just wasn't in the right mental space to run 26.2 miles.. then I found out that the weather was going to be insanely hot... and I looked forward to it even less, if that is possible. ...but everybody else in my group was really excited about it.

Everybody set individual obnoxious cell phone alarms for 3 am, so there was no question that we would wake up. I actually slept pretty well, considering that it was the night before a huge race. I was pretty worn out from the night before the half (Friday night). I think that, by the time the first obnoxious alarm went off, I had slept 6 or 7 hours, which is VERY good for the night before a race.

I woke up and realized that half of my face was still swollen from the night before. (I've been having some hives lately.. some kind of an allergic reaction or something. It happened for a little while when I was a kid, too.) I was definitely not excited about a swollen upper lip, but hoped for the best. We got dressed, went to the bus... and Kath realized that she forgot her camera. Sad face, especially since we planned to run separately. After some discussion, I decided to give Kath my camera and run with my mom. We had never run together for more than a few miles before, but we have a similar pace. I also had overheard someone running with her dad during the half and it made me feel thankful to share the experience with  my mom. (insert sappy "I miss my dad, but I'm glad that my mom is still here" music...)

So we rode the bus to EPCOT and began the long walk to the corrals. (It's such a long long walk. That's one thing that Chicago did better, in my opinion. The corral situation was much easier, but probably also easier for running bandits... hence them running out of medals.) We ended up splitting up, because Jen was a corral ahead of the rest of us (that speed demon!). We said our goodbyes, wished her good luck on her very first full marathon (!!), then my mom, Kath and I went to corral E to get ready for the race. We chatted for a while, I excitedly murmured about Joey Fatone running the Goofy Challenge (they were interviewing him). I really felt a personal connection with him... it was his first half AND his first full. That makes him crazier than me. It made me think back to my first Goofy Challenge and how I had no idea what I was getting into. With this one being my third, I was feeling a like I knew what to expect, but not super pumped about it. I knew that it was going to be really emotional, but I wasn't ready to really face that.

 Eventually, the fireworks went off and there went corral A. I started to feel a little bit more excited about the race, but not where I really wished that I could be. I was excited about the idea of running with my mom, because we hadn't done it before. My mom and I have gotten a lot closer since we both started running and have lost all of the weight that we have lost. It is really special to share running with her. (and my best friend! If Kath didn't come along to my races and train with me, I don't know WHAT I would do. It would be a lot more lonely.) I just couldn't really wrap my mind around the 26.2 miles that were looming ahead. I was nervous that the course had changed for the 20th anniversary, because I didn't really have a map in my head of exactly where we were going. I just knew that I was glad that we weren't going to do the EPCOT loop that had been done previously. It does sort of suck to run a 5k and then end up back at the start line, knowing that you still have more than 20 miles to run. haha. Anyways.. eventually, it was Corral E's turn to start and we took off. Kath stayed with my mom and me for close to a mile before she went off to run her first full marathon. My mom and I stayed at a steady pace and talked a little bit before we got to the Magic Kingdom. We planned to stop in the park for pictures (and a clean bathroom stop!), so we knew we would lose time that we would have to make up for.

One of the parts that I always dread during a Run Disney event is the giant hill in front of the Contemporary. It came at mile 4 (ish) during the half, and this time, during the full, too. As always, the hill was very challenging. It's a steep hill down, followed by a just as steep hill straight back up. My mom and I walked the up hill part... It takes much less energy to walk sometimes.. and it isn't too much of a different pace! At that point, we were passed by a coworker of my mom's, who said hello and went on his way. (I love how much of a community running is!) We ran into the Magic Kingdom and down Main Street. It is always really exhilarating to see all of the spectators lined up along Main Street, cheering for their runners. It always sort of makes me tear up. It was neat to get to run down Main Street with my mom. Last year at the half, we happened to meet up there and get a cute picture, but during this race we were together on purpose!

After we ran down Main Street, we stopped for a picture with Buzz Lightyear! Then we used the park's bathrooms, which is ALWAYS a good idea. When you can avoid the port-a-potty, you always should. (At least, that is my philosophy.) We ran through Tomorrowland and into Fantasyland.. Then we ran through the castle and into Liberty Square and Frontierland. That's always a fun part for me, because I keep my eyes out for coworkers. This time, just like on Saturday, I stopped at the Market and waved to some of my fellow stockers.. then we went on our way. My mom and I had lost some time, but knew that we would make it up on the dreaded Bear Island Road. (I had been dreading Bear Island Road the most out of the whole race. I almost lost all of my motivation on Bear Island Road last year and nearly walked the entire thing!)

After Magic Kingdom, we ran back toward the Transportation and Ticket Center, where the next part of the course was to run on the Speedway. I had never even seen the Speedway, so I knew that it was going to be a surprise for me. This part was one of the new portions of the course that they had changed this year, for the 20th anniversary of the race. It actually ended up being pretty neat. There was a crazy downhill/uphill to get onto the speedway, which was ROUGH, but there were a lot of old cars sitting out. It reminded me of going to the Muddy River Run with my uncle when I was a kid. We also stopped for a picture with Mater from Cars. Otherwise, it was a little crazy how slanted the road was, some parts were a little more hilly than others. It was a good change, though. I'd definitely do that again rather than the "to EPCOT and back to the start line" beginning that we had done in the past.

After the Speedway was Bear Island Road. I told my mom that I had really struggled there last year and she had too. I was glad that it came earlier in the course this time, because I felt like I still had some energy to power through the road. At first, it was okay and we ran at a pretty good pace, cutting some legitimate time that we had lost during the Magic Kingdom. We chatted and stayed together. Eventually, we got to the sanitation plant, which was pretty terrible. It smelled worst than it had in years past and I literally had to run on the side of the road gagging. I was pretty sure that I was going to throw up... Somehow, I didn't and was able to keep going. (Then I made the mistake of waiting in the LONGEST bathroom line of all time and we lost ALL of the time that we had just made up. Plus some.)

Animal Kingdom was good. It's always really short though. I wish that there was another mile in the park, because it goes by so quickly. (Next year, I'm thinking about hopping on Expedition Everest during the marathon. That would be a hell of a story to tell!) When we got to the parking lot after Animal Kingdom (mile 14ish), I sped up a little bit, then slowed down. I really wanted to stay with my mom and help her stay motivated. She was doing her best, but really struggling with the heat. She was having some pain in her jaw that was bothering her and was drained. She told me to go ahead a couple times and joked about getting on the next bus, but ended up feeling a little better and we kept going. When we got to mile 16, we were running on one side of the street and lots of people ahead of us (at mile 21!) were running back on the opposite side of the street. All of a sudden, Kath came bounding across the grassy median to give hugs and say hello. I was very excited to see that she seemed to be feeling so awesome at that point.

My mom and I ended up splitting up right before mile 17. She had decided to walk for a while and I really wanted to just get moving. It was right before ESPN, which is pretty significant, because it was the part I was looking forward to the second least (only after Bear Island Road!). I knew that it was going to be a part that I was going to be in my head a LOT. The last time that I ran out there was during the Tower of Terror 10 miler, which was a really significant race for me personally and really signified a pretty big shift in my life. I expected to be hit with memories and I really was. There is something about running that can really get to me. I almost never run with music, so I am always stuck in my head thinking about things, memories, ideas, when I'm out there. All of the feelings that I had been feeling for the past several months hit me right then... like I expected. It was an extremely emotional three miles through the Wide World of Sports.. and I needed it. My life has been through so many changes in the past year that were awesome and awful. I thought about every moment during those three miles.

After the Wide World of Sports, I still had an okay pace. I pushed it up the last overpass toward Hollywood Studios, knowing that I was close and trying not to think about or be concerned for my mom. Running through Hollywood Studios was almost like a relief for me. I knew that I was almost there and I felt VERY strong and very confident. From that was the Boardwalk, then World Showcase at EPCOT... (I do love watching people buy beer and snacks during the final stretch of the  marathon.) Before I knew it, I had crossed the finish line! I was hot and emotional. I felt like my body had just been through one of the most difficult things it had ever been through... and that was accurate. It was the most emotional race of my life, topped by it being the day after a half.. and the heat was insane.

I turned on my phone as I walked toward the snack station and got a text from my mom saying that she had been picked up by the bus and was waiting for me. I almost lost it right then. Somehow, I walked to the Goofy Tent, got my medal, and then started crying. When I met up with my mom, I started sobbing. It was the most out of control I have been in a long time. I didn't even know how to put words to what I was feeling in that moment. It was nuts. Eventually, I calmed down and we got on the bus back to the hotel, showered, and got ready for the parks for the evening.

I felt more calm as time went on. I expected for it to be emotional, but all of it with the heat and with feeling sad that I left my mom and she didn't get to finish just combined for a really awful few moments.

...but I'll probably be back for more next year.

2013:
Miles run: 53.75/1000
Miles biked: 0
Meters swum: 0

Tower of Terror 10 Miler Recap

Finally! Life has been so crazy for the last week that I haven't really had the opportunity to sit down and write a recap of the race. So here I go, finally.

Tower of Terror was my first 10 mile distance race and my first night race. I was super excited to run it, because I was running with two very fun people: Alyssa and Seth. (who had never met before, yet went to the same college for a few months in 2003 and knew some of the same people. crazy. Anywayyys...)

EXPO.

The plan was that Kath and I would pick Alyssa up after work on Friday and do the expo. It didn't happen. The traffic was a little awful and we would not have made it to ESPN in time. So we went downtown and had dinner instead. It was lots of fun!

Alyssa and I met at the expo on Saturday morning instead. As we were walking in, I saw Seth, Andrea, and Andrea's sister, Beth walking out of the expo. It was definitely a case of weird timing. We chatted for about five minutes and then Alyssa and I went inside to get the packets. We walked the expo two or three times looking at stuff and talking. I alost always get an "I did it!" shirt, but I didn't this time, because they didn't have many sizes left. They said there would be more merchandise after the race, so I intended to do it then.

The rest of Saturday was Kath and I going to lunch and Barnes and Noble. Before I knew it, it was time to get ready to go to the race!

RACE.

I met with everyone at Wide World of Sports. I was going to meet at Seth's and then ride over as a group, but stupid I-4 traffic was terrible and I just met them there. Naturally, I arrived ridiculously early and talked to my grandma on the phone for a while.

We all met up by the buses and rode over to Hollywood Studios. We checked bags and then went to our Corrals. Since Alyssa was in "C", I decided I'd move back from "B" to run with her. Seth decided to run with us, too. (It felt a little intimidating running with people faster than me, but I tried not to talk about it. Much. Out loud.) We sat in the middle of the corral and talked about our respective running experiences together and it was really fun. Before long, it was time to get moving toward the start.

I was really nervous before this race. I've only ever been this nervous for my two full marathons. I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into. I didn't know the course and I'd never run a night race. I was also a little anxious about running with people that I hadn't raced with before. Seth and I had run once before- an 8 miler and Alyssa and I ran next to each other on treadmills once, but that doesn't count. So.. lots of anxiety leading up to this one.

We started off running really well. We ran the first 7-8 miles only stopping for water breaks. I almost always stop and take walk breaks, so it was a lot for me to push it as hard as I did. We walked a lot towards the end, which I feel so-so about. I felt like I should take it a little easy, because I've been pushing so hard for Chicago constantly. It was horribly humid outside, too. Awful. We stopped for one picture with Stitch, because the line wasn't terrible and I planned to get more at the after party.

I started feeling weird when we got close to the finish line. Initially, I thought I was just hungry. I knew that there would be snacks at the finish and that I could eat then.

Finishing was awesome. It finished backstage at the Tower of Terror!

Unfortunately, my stomach started feeling worse and turned into a full body awful-ness. I had a massive migraine. I didn't get to enjoy any of the after party at all. I sat for an hour or so and then Alyssa and I left. I'm really disappointed.

I am glad that I didn't feel awful during the race though!!

Overall- great race. We ran though some woods, through ESPN (including the track and baseball field!), and all the way through Hollywood Studios. I absolutely love that it was a new course and that it was an inaugural race! So much fun!

I'm also glad that I got to run in a group. I've never really done that before. It was a lot of fun!

Disneyland Half Marathon Recap

I have been AWFUL. I didn't run for a little over a week... after all of this time living by my training plan, I just stopped. Ugh. I'm extremely frustrated with myself, but trying not to beat myself up about it too much. I know that I can just deal with it and move on.

SO. Disneyland Half Marathon race report!
I have officially added a third state to my "states that I've raced in" list. (Indiana, Florida, and California! ...and Illinois is next!)

My mom, sister, and Katherine came to California. We have dubbed ourselves "Team 3 Catholics and a Protestant." We've been planning the Disneyland Half Marathon trip since January, when we decided that we wanted to do the Coast to Coast Challenge. Basically, to participate, a person has to run in a RunDisney half or full marathon in both California and Florida. Back in January, Kath and Kailey (my baby sister) ran the "Donald" half marathon, while my mom and I participated in the "Goofy Challenge" (half & full in two days). (to be honest, I did the 5k, too, so I'm, unofficially, "Dopey". I also ran the Princess half in February.) So yes. That's when we decided to do the Coast to Coast.

We had so much fun! None of us had ever been to Disneyland, so it was fun experiencing the parks and the surrounding areas. We got to do so many fun things. But the most fun... was running.

We got up at 4:00 California time (7 my time) for the race on Sunday morning. We all whined and dragged ourselves out of bed to depart at 4:30.. or that was the goal. I don't think we left the hotel until closer to 4:45. Then my mom realized she forgot her parfait, which is her traditional race morning breakfast. Then she realized she forgot her Minnie ears, which she was looking forward to wearing. The last straw was when she realized that she did not have her ipod, either. That's when she went back to the room. The rest of us trudged onward without her. (my mom ended up catching a shuttle to the start while the other three of us walked! not even fair.)

We all started together in Corral D and planned to run together to the first character photo opportunity. Then the race started and we started running. Somehow, I got into a really nice groove and then realized that I was running without anybody on my "team". Oops. Then Kath caught up with me and we ran together to the first photo stop.

Green Army Men! A RunDisney picture tradition.

After that, Kath ran ahead and I stayed in my groove. I felt really good and didn't really have to take walk breaks at all, which really surprised me. It is really the first race that was like that for me. When we got into Disneyland Park, I saw Katherine in line for a picture and jumped in with her. 

How could I resist Tiana, Naveen, and Louis?!

We decided to run through the rest of the park together and stop for pictures when we could, knowing that the majority of the race did not take part on Disney property. So we did. We had to run through some pretty intense crowds, but overall, we did pretty well and passed a lot of people. (I feel like my pace has really improved and I didn't really know until Sunday.) 

The rest of the race was really fun! (I didn't get many pictures, but that's okay.) We ran through the Anaheim Angels' baseball stadium, which was awesome. It was really crowded, though, and on the way out, I twisted my right ankle trying to pass people. (Yep. The one that I've hurt countless times in the past.) I decided to walk the rest of the race and throw out all hope of getting an awesome finishing time. I knew I had to be careful, because I REALLY want to do well in Chicago. As much as I wanted to finish strong, I knew I shouldn't push it. So I walked. For three. Long. Miles.

The Team!

The race was fun though. I had a fantastic time! (the vacation part was great too!) I want to go back! 

I'm back to Chicago training though. Kath and I did four easy (EASY) miles today and it was fun. It's nice to be back in the swing of things. (sort of. I still want to go back.)

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days

So far: 547.8 miles/248 days

To go: 452.2 miles/118 days

Training Day 24! (light day)

Today, my leg was feeling so much better! Exciting, right?
...so I went running. haha.

Today was six miles. I did walk a lot more than I wanted to, BUT, I did it understanding that I needed to take it semi-easy on myself because of my hip pain yesterday.

I stretched last night before bed, this morning when I got up, and then before I went for my run. I really feel like that helped out a lot. I've also been taking ibuprofen in order to reduce any possible inflammation. (thanks to Katherine, whose dad is a pharmacist)

I ended up with a 14:40-something pace, which isn't awful. Granted, it isn't my best time and it isn't any sort of race goal pace, but it isn't an absolutely terrible pace, either. It was also really hot out. I'd say that I did okay, considering. My major fear was that I was going to be out of commission for a while, but that didn't really happen.

Tomorrow, I'm taking a rest day. Yay for me. I have a short 6 hour shift at work & then going to see Seth's Encore! performance. It's going to be fun times for sure.

(in other news, this morning I registered for the Wine & Dine half marathon in November. This year, I will have participated in all but TWO of Disney's races.. well race weekends. How intense am I?!)

I'm also thinking about my nutrition more now. I feel like I need to fuel my body properly and stop eating like a complete moron all of the time. It's something I'm going to start to research. I still have some pounds to lose, but that isn't the goal. I want my body to respond the way that it needs to respond to running. I've seen a lot of improvement in myself in the past year and I know that I want to continue along that path.

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 382.24 miles/201 days
To go: 617.76 miles/165 days

Chicago Marathon Training: Day 2

Today, it was difficult to get myself to actually go run. Since it was the second day of my training, I went. I'm glad that I did.

I was supposed to run 5 miles today and it was rainy and a little awful. It wasn't a full force monsoon level rain like it was last week, but it was pretty substantial. The only good thing about the rain was that it wasn't terribly hot out. It was actually a decent temperature. I was supposed to do a hill run, but I don't have a hilly course to run on. Well, I'm sure that there is one somewhere around here, but I haven't really gotten acclimated with the area beyond the route that I normally use. I guess that's something that I am going to need to work on while I'm training.

Anyways, it was definitely rainy. I had a much better pace than I did yesterday. I guess that in exchange for not doing a hill run, I decided that I would push it pretty hard. I definitely pushed myself.

When I was almost home, Katherine had gotten home and went out to run. I ended up running with her for about five minutes, but I was too tired to stay with her for her entire run. In total, I ended up with a little more than five and a quarter miles, which I am pretty happy with.

Tomorrow is "5 miles easy". I'm going to try to get out there in the morning, because I have so many things to do and the week is already almost over! Crazy...

Oh! I registered for Goofy's Challenge yesterday! woo hoo!!
I'll probably sign up for the 5k later. I really loved Dopey-ing it this year, so I've got to do it next year too! haha.

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 253.07 miles/172 days
To go: 746.93 miles/194 days

Chicago Marathon training day one.

I've never actually followed a "for real" training plan for any race before. I've generally just flown by the seat of my pants and hoped for the best. This is weird for me and is definitely a new experience. I'm using a training plan that I found in Runner's World last week. I'm starting to get really nervous about Chicago, so I'm going to try to do it correctly this time. More correct than I normally do, I guess.

(and I do have those pipe dreams of someday running Boston...)

Today I was scheduled a 3 mile "easy" run. I'm not used to three mile runs and was almost disappointed with the short distance. I was tempted to run longer, but decided to go with it. By "easy", I ran half and walked half. I'm not sure that is what it meant by easy and I need to look more into that, I guess. I didn't push myself at all and my pace was terrible slow. I talked to my mom on the phone for about half of the time that I was out there.

It was weird to come back after three miles. I felt like I still had a lot of energy, but I'm really trying to trust the system. I'm just not good at trusting the system. (That goes beyond running. haha.) That's something that I'm working on.

I don't understand how I get SO dirty when I'm running. Granted, I run on a path and I ran in the grass a little today, but my ankles were caked with dirt when I got home. I'm not sure how that works out.

Tomorrow, I have six miles lined up! I'm excited. I'm going to work on my pace a little bit more tomorrow than I did today.

In other exciting news: Kath and I are registering for Disney's Marathon Weekend today!! Yay! I'm going to be Goofy again (likely Dopey) and she'll be running her first full!

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days
So far: 247.78 miles/171 days
To go: 752.22 miles/195 days

Race Recap: Disney's Princess Half Marathon and 5k

So, I ran a couple of races this weekend. Now, I'm exhausted, but it was well worth all of it.

Disney's Royal Family 5k (Saturday)

I ran on Saturday with Paula, a friend from work. The race started at 7, which was much better than the Disney 5k that I ran back in January. As usual, I made Katherine come with me to spectate... and in typical Disney Race fashion, we got there way earlier than we had to be there, but it wasn't too bad. We had some spontaneous dance party time, so it was worth it. Soon, Paula got there, and then eventually, it was time to get in our 'chutes' (since there were no official corrals).

Paula and I decided to run together. It was her first ever race and I was excited to be there for it. We made decent time, doing a walk/run combination to the finish. We stopped for a picture with Snow White and Dopey, then made our way to the finish.

After we were done, we hung out at EPCOT until Paula had to go to work. (poor girl, I would have been exhausted.) Kath and I played in the parks until we we close to collapse from exhaustion.

Overall, it was a great race and lots of fun. I really enjoy doing the 5ks, because so many people are so cheerful during the whole thing. Disney does it right. 

Disney's Princess Half Marathon (Sunday)

I was so nervous about the half marathon, because last year, I almost got picked up by the sweeper. I was terrified and I felt like I had to prove something to myself by not getting picked up. I started in an earlier corral this year than last, so I was excited about that...  but still nervous. Katherine came again as my favorite spectator (what a trooper!). 

The walk to the corrals was backed up for some reason- I think too many people stopped at the port-a-potties that were halfway down the trail, which caused a lot of congestion. I didn't get to my actual corral until during the National Anthem, which made me nervous initially, but there was still a lot of time until the start. I talked to a lady who said that she had run the Goofy Challenge in 2011 (I was wearing my shirt) and was wondering what other races we had done together. Then it was time! I was actually starting to feel a little excited about it. 

When our corral started, I decided to run it out and not take walking breaks until the crowd thinned out a little. Then my shoe came untied. (ugh!!!) So I had to stop before I even got to the first mile, when the crowd was extremely thick, just to tie my shoe. I heard Katherine yelling for me in the dark, but I couldn't see her, so I waved and kept going. When I just passed the marker for mile 2, I passed paramedics and a poor lady who had gone down on the route. :( So sad. 

I stopped for a picture right before the Magic Kingdom with all of the heroes, just like I did last year. This year, it was still dark out when I got there, so I took that as a good sign! haha. When I was waiting there, the winner passed by on the next street. She had a 3-4 minute lead and looked like she wasn't slowing down at all. Amazing.

I was starting to feel some cramps in my abdomen for a few miles when I got to the TTC, so I was glad to see Katherine waiting for me. I stopped and got some ibuprofen from her and kept going... after a quick port-a-potty stop. I knew I had to make good time, because I wanted to stop for pictures, but I also wanted to keep a 14-something minute pace. The bathroom stop and the intense crowding in some areas kept me in the low 15-minute pace time, but that was alright. 

Running through the Magic Kingdom was fun as it always is! I stopped for some of the pictures, but none with extremely long lines.. just because I didn't want to cut it too closely. Usually the stretch behind the Magic Kingdom (mile 7-8) has been pretty mentally tough for me, but it went okay that time. I used a few Gu gels that I brought with me, which helped propel me along the route. 

Kath was waiting in front of the Polynesian and she ran with me for a minute or so and it was good to see her. It helped get me through the rest of the race. 

When I got to mile 10 and then ran up the exit ramp toward mile 11, I knew that I had redeemed myself from last year. I couldn't even see the end of the line of people behind me. I had stopped for pictures and for a bathroom break and I was still at a 15:15 pace, which, naturally, is much slower than my typical pace, but decent for a Disney race, where I care less about time and more about pictures and fun. At that point, I knew I could do it.

It started pouring when I was at mile 11-12, which was rough, because the rain was so cold. I just sped up in order to push through and finish, because I was almost there. I was a little disappointed,  because I knew that Mrs. Incredible was up ahead of me, but I knew I wouldn't be able to stop and see her. She went back in the trailer due to the rain. I was definitely disappointed.

Then I saw my favorite spectator (well second favorite, considering Kath's been to almost every race that I've run that she hasn't run to spectate)... the lady in the power wheelchair with the sign that says "hey stranger, I'm proud of you!" That definitely got me to speed up for the last mile of the race. 

I finished with a "Disney PR", just meaning that I ran faster than I've run for any of the other Disney races- even though my time is about 30 minutes slower than my real PR, it's okay. I love Disney races for the entertainment and the pictures. Amazing. 

Time to start training for my next challenge!

Goal: 1000 miles/366 days

So far: 149.2 miles/58 days

To go: 850.8 miles/308 days