Star Wars Half Marathon - The Light Side 2017 - Race Recap

As I mentioned in my last post, I completed the Star Wars Half Marathon - The Light Side at the Disneyland Resort in California on Sunday, January 15, 2017. This was my sixth half marathon, and I was 26 weeks pregnant with my chicken nugget twins on that date.

Rave Run: Redondo Beach

Last week, I was in LA for the weekend and had an 8 mile training run on the docket. Since it has been too hot for me to run outside in Albuquerque, I decided to hit the pavement while I was in sunny Southern California.

I ran from where I was staying in Torrance down to Redondo Beach.

Look at all of the palm trees!

runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon 2014 - Race Recap

Wine & Dine Half Marathon Start Line

My fourth half marathon was crowded, soggy and sloooow, but no matter how not ideal the Wine & Dine Half Marathon was, I am proud to say that I finished, especially when you consider that 14,000 people signed up for the race and fewer than 12,000 finished!

Race night prep started the night before with the laying out of my race outfit. My sister, brother-in-law and I decided to do group costumes. I was Sulley, Chris was Mike and Rebecca was Celia from Monsters, Inc.

Flat Irene ready to race!

Sulley, Celia and Mike in the Yacht Club lobby

After our naps, we got changed and headed downstairs to catch the race transportation to the start line. The race instructions indicated that we needed to be on the bus no later than 8 pm, but we were still waiting for the buses when the 8 o'clock hour rolled around.

Waiting for the bus? Time to take pictures!

Once we arrived at the starting area, we headed to bag drop-off and got in line for the port-a-potties. Then we were herded to our corrals, and we didn't have time to take pictures with Chefs Chip and Dale. Sad face.

At 10 pm the first corral was off, and luckily, we did not have to wait much longer. We all decided to join my sister in corral I and we started at around 10:30 pm. During Princess last year, there were fewer corrals with more people in each corral, so it took forever for some back corrals to start. For this race, there were more corrals with fewer people in each corral so there was less time between corrals.

There was a lot of talk on the days leading up to the half marathon about the weather and for good reason because it just did not cooperate at all. It rained the ENTIRE time before, during and after our race.

We began the race at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and from there did the three miles to Animal Kingdom.

Mile 1: 14:15
Mile 2: 15:17
Mile 3: 21:14

Our group decided to start and end the race together, and to do this, our plan was to meet up at each mile marker. We had a bit of miscommunication on the first few mile markers, but eventually found our rhythm and this plan worked out quite well.

Between miles 3 and 4, we arrived at the Animal Kingdom. This part of the course was extremely narrow and there were times where it was impossible to run.

Entrance to Animal Kingdom

Mile 4: 17:03

Animal Kingdom's Tree of Life

I mentioned in previous posts that my training for this half marathon was pretty nonexistent. The farthest distance I ran during training was a 10K, so I did not have a time goal. Instead, I wanted to have fun and run with my sister. I also learned that although my sister had run twice the number of runDisney races as I have, she never was able to stop and take photos with the characters, so we definitely made a point to do that.

Me and Timon. Where's Pumbaa?

As you can see, I had to add a layer of clothing to my Sulley costume. It was so cold and wet. The long sleeve jacket stayed on the whole race!

Pirates of the Carribean ship

The next four miles took us back on the streets, as we headed to Hollywood Studios.

Mile 5: 17:22

Mile 6: 13:51 *fastest mile*
Mile 7: 14:44

Mile 8: 13:56

Mile 9: 15:52

Although we covered most of our distance on the streets, running through the parks is one of the things that make runDisney races so special.

Running past the Tower of Terror

Mile 10: 18:46

Since the Sorcerer's Hat is being torn down early next year, I had to take a photo with it!

Good bye, Sorcerer's Hat!

Besides running through the public areas of the parks, we sometimes even get to go through some of the castmember only sections of the parks. For instance, this time we ran past the Costume Department.

Costume Department at Hollywood Studios

We also got to meet up with Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible.

My favorite part of the race, though, was running through the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights! We took our time at this part of the course because we would never be able to see the lights with so few people around us. I am one of those people who is bothered by how early the Christmas season seems to be pushed up every year, but I was not bothered in the least by this sight. It was so beautiful!

Before leaving Hollywood Studios, I ran in to Boba Fett and only got this blurry photo out of it!

Mile marker 11 took us to the entrance of Hollywood Studios and I found myself waiting there for Mike and Celia for a very, very long time. At one point, I wondered if they had been swept and if I stayed there any longer, if I would be swept. People kept running past me, and then a massive herd of people ran towards me like it was the apocalypse.

Then I saw my sister and BIL running towards me and yelling, "Keep going. The balloon ladies!" Then I saw them with my own eyes, the mythical creatures known as the balloon ladies. For those who don't know, runDisney requires you to keep a 16 minute/mile pace. The balloon ladies are the very last people to start the race and keep the required pace. If they pass you on the course, there is a possibly that you will be forced off the course and not finish. In runDisney jargon, this is called "being swept."

Apparently, despite starting in corral I, we were going so slow that the balloon ladies caught us!

Mile 11: 20:55

Once I saw the balloon ladies, I took off without my family members and met back up with them at mile marker 12 since there was no where for you to get picked off the course at that point.

The final three miles of the course were so crowded that I could not gain much ground. Plus, from Hollywood Studios, we headed to the BoardWalk and it was so wet and slippery that I did not want to risk falling. So we walked the remainder of the race. We finally entered Epcot for the last leg of the course and crossed the finish line in 3:52:16, which is 45 minutes slower than my first half marathon!

Mile 12: 19:54
Mile 13: 19:26

I was hoping that the weather would calm down, but it seemed to pick up instead. We got our medals, refreshments, picked up our checked bags and grabbed our adult beverages before deciding to bypass the Finish Line Party and headed back to the hotel instead. At the end of the night, none of us were happy campers.

Despite the weather, I did wind up having fun during the race. True, it would have been much more fun without the inclement weather, but what can you do?

I honestly think this one was my last Walt Disney World race for the foreseeable future. I am glad that I did it!

Posted with Blogsy

runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Health & Fitness Expo 2014

This fall has certainly been a busy travel season for me. I returned Tuesday night from a five day trip to Walt Disney World to run my fourth half marathon: the 2014 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon. Wine & Dine takes place during the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival and at the beginning of Disney's Christmas season, so along with running 13.1 miles, I spent some time taking in the seasonal sights at WDW.

My sister, brother-in-law and I arrived in Florida on Friday afternoon, and after checking in to our hotel, headed to the Expo, which was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

The Expo itself was nothing to write home about. In fact, there was not a whole lot going on. 

It was already pretty late in the evening, so the lines had dwindled by the time we got there. Picking up our packets and purchasing our race memorabilia was a breeze.

I did have to stop by the runDisney booth to see the Star Wars and Avengers medals in person!

We also spotted the one and only Jeff Galloway and wanted to meet him, but there were too many people having 15 minutes conversations with him. So I just took a creeper photo of him.

For the rest of the evening, we hung out in Downtown Disney for dinner and shopping.

Pluto water art in Downtown Disney

Christmas Mickey water art in Downtown Disney

 

This is my third runDisney half marathon and is possibly my last, so I decided to dress up this time. Can you guess who I was?

That's right, Duffy! I was Sulley (James P. Sullivan) from Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University.

Can't wait to tell you about the rest of my trip and especially about race day!

Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2014 - Week 6 Training Recap

A little over 30 days to go for Wine & Dine and I am woefully unprepared. The last few months have been way too much for me to handle. On top of moving across the country, we moved into a new house that is needing about 100 percent more work than we anticipated - basically, we thought we would not be doing many renovations. Instead, we are needing to fix up each and every room in the place! We also brought home our little Gus two months ago. If you have ever had a puppy, you understand how much work and supervision a little puppy needs.

These two changes in my life have brought on a lot of additional stress, and making time for half marathon training has been extremely difficult. Not having time to work out is also stressing me out!

I did not have much of a goal for this race besides the fact that I wanted to run/walk with my sister. It looking more and more like I am going to either need a good training push over this next month or I am going to have to walk most of the race. I am a little disappointed with my training progress to date, but life happens.  

This week saw absolutely zero running miles.

September 29 to October 5, 2014

Monday: rest

Tuesday: Yoga - 25 minutes

Wednesday: rest

Thursday: Yoga - 25 minutes

Friday: Yoga - 25 minutes

Saturday: 1.28 miles hike with Raisin Bread and Gus

Sunday: Yoga - 15 minutes

Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2014 - Week 5 Training Recap

40 days and counting until Wine & Dine! I can't wait to run my 3rd runDisney half marathon! This week saw some pretty consistent yoga and some mileage. Still not where I am supposed to be though.

September 22 to 28, 2014

Monday: Yoga - 25 minutes

Tuesday: Yoga - 25 minutes

Wednesday: 2.36 miles

Thursday: Yoga - 25 minutes

Friday: weed backyard

Saturday: walked 2 miles

Sunday: Yoga - 25 minutes and 3.55 miles

Total mileage: 7.91 miles 

Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2014 - Weeks 3 and 4 Training Recap

It has been another crazy two weeks! As I described last time, we are currently in the middle of remodeling our guest bathroom. It still needs a few finishing touches, so I am not going to share the pictures of the room just yet! 

The in-laws returned home on Monday, and Gus immediately got sick. He went to the vet and got some tests and it turned out to be nothing major. (Thank goodness!) Speaking of Gus, he is going to be going in for his last round of shots this week. I am so excited to be able to take him out soon! He is on my last nerve, but because he is so cute, I can't stay mad at him. 

While he was sick, Gus was on a diet of boiled chicken and rice with pumpkin. He ate so messily that when he was done eating, his face was orange from the pumpkin! He is so silly.

With all of the activity going on, I haven't been keeping up with my training runs. I decided to sign up for the Central New Mexico Race for the Cure 10K four days before the race because I had a 6 miler on the calendar and figured this would probably be the only way I would actually get it done.  

September 8 to 14, 2014

Monday: rest

Tuesday: 2.34 miles

Wednesday: rest

Thursday: weed backyard

Friday: weed backyard

Saturday: weed backyard

Sunday: rest

Total mileage: 2.34 miles 

September 15 to 21, 2014

Monday: rest

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: rest

Thursday: 1.6 miles

Friday: rest

Saturday: rest

Sunday: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 10K (recap later this week)

Total mileage: 7.8 miles 

Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2014 - Week 2 Training Recap

This week's training did not go as scheduled. I was away on business for two days this week, and we currently have visitors staying with us. Our first visitors to New Mexico actually!

We are also in the midst of remodeling our guest bathroom. Just another project in our 6,000 home improvement projects!

I thought I had taken before pictures, but this gives you an idea of the horror that was in the bathroom. There was three different types of tile: all different sizes and not matching. The floor was partially tile and partially laminate. The hardware and electrical outlets didn't match either, and also was not our style. 

This is what the bathroom looked like after day 1 of demolition. I'm so happy to see it go!

September 1 to 7, 2014
Monday: rest
Tuesday: Yoga Flow at home (25 minutes)
Wednesday: Travel to DC, ran 1.65 miles, YogaVibes.com - Post Workout Stretch Yoga for Athletes (9 minutes)
Thursday: Travel back from DC
Friday: rest
Saturday: help with bathroom remodel
Sunday: help with bathroom remodel

Total mileage: 1.65 miles

Posted with Blogsy

Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2014 - Week 1 Training Recap

Only 66 days left until I head out to Walt Disney World to run my third runDisney half marathon! Now that I feel sort of settled into a routine here in Albuquerque with my job and new puppy, I have finally started up with my training program. 

I actually do not have a goal time for this race because I am planning to run/walk with my sister and brother-in-law (who will be doing his first half marathon). I still want to get the mileage in before race day just to get myself back into running mode. 

August 25 to 31, 2014
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 2.75 miles
Wednesday: YogaVibes.com - Detox Quick Flow (20 minutes)
Thursday: rest
Friday: 2.43 miles
Saturday: Rebel Donut Dash 5K (recap will be posted tomorrow)
Sunday: YogaVibes.com - I don't want to do yoga but I should (17 minutes)

Total mileage: 8.28 miles

Hope you are enjoying the long Labor Day weekend! I will leave you with a picture of Gus. He is now 12 weeks old!

Rock 'n' Roll USA Half Marathon 2014 - Race Recap

Half marathon number 3 is in the books! On Saturday, I ran the 2014 Rock 'N' Roll USA Half Marathon in Washington, DC. I was hoping to knock out two of my 60 Goals in 3 Years with this race. I ran a local half marathon but did not manage to finish in 2:30. That goal remains on the to do list!   

On Thursday, I headed to the Expo to pick up my race packet. I was pressed for time, so I was not able to wander the booths to see what was new. 

In addition to a technical race shirt in women's size (yes!), I got a nice gear bag.

For my pre-race dinner, I had a big cobb salad with grilled chicken from Rhodeside Grill in Arlington.

As usual, I laid out my race day outfit the night before. The forecast called for cloudy skies in the 40s, which made it difficult for me to decide what to wear. I wound up wearing Eastern Mountain Sports leggings, an old short-sleeved race tech tee, a long-sleeved Ideology tech zip-up and my trusty ASICS Gel-1170 running shoes. I accessorized with CEP compression calf sleeves, my Polar RCX3 watch, Nathan Shadow Pak and a BAMR headband. Since I was pretty serious about finishing in 2:30, I printed out a pace guide from marathonguide.com to wear as a bracelet.

The alarm went off at 5:15 am Saturday morning. I had time to get dressed and eat my usual peanut butter and banana sandwich. Sorry if this is TMI, but one of the most important things I have learned in the past year and a half of running is that I need to PRP (pre-race poop) in order to finish races comfortably. So PRP, I did!

I left the house a little after 6:00 and arrived at the start line waaaay too early! I was in the third to the last corral, so I wound up having to go to the bathroom twice before I even got into my corral. I should have left much later. One good thing was that there were plenty of porta-potties at the starting line.

I also got a bottle of water and consumed a GU Gel before finally getting into my corral after the national anthem was sung and the first few corrals were off. My corral finally started at 8:10, which means I had been standing around for 40 minutes after the race started.

The race began near the Washington Monument and took us west, towards the Lincoln Memorial.

Mile 1: 11:33

All of that waiting around meant that I immediately needed to pee again! Argh! I thought I could hold off on peeing until at least mile 6, but no, I really needed to go. After I passed the first mile, I went to the first available porta-potties, which had a huge line! I saw two individual porta-potties before the first mile marker that I should have totally gone to because there weren't any lines. This decision pretty much cost me my 2:30 goal because I lost 12 minutes trying to use the bathroom.

Mile 2: 23:42 *ugh porta-potty line from hell

I kept a pretty steady pace the remainder of the race. We headed across the Memorial Bridge and back into the District.

Mile 3: 11:02

We went up Potomac Parkway, past the Kennedy Center. One of the things that makes the Rock 'n' Roll series fun and different is that there are live bands playing music at each mile.

For the next four miles, we continued up Potomac/Rock Creek Parkway towards Woodley Park. I took my time eating a packet of Sports Beans over these few miles.  

Mile 4: 10:57 *fastest mile

Mile 5: 11:46 

Mile 6: 11:35

After Mile 6, we headed up the one huge hill of the race. I slowed it down to a walk at the end of the hill.

Mile 7: 12:56

We ran through Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights. At one point, I went by a pho restaurant and it smelled so good! After finishing half of the distance, I could have used some pho.

Mile 8: 11:35

We passed Howard University and entered an area of town, which to be quite honest, I have never visited. By this time, I knew that I wasn't going to make up enough time to reach my goal so I took off my pace bracelet and threw it away.

Mile 9: 11:43

Continuing on through Bloomingdale and Capital Hill, I took the last bit of fuel that I had packed with me: another gel packet. GU was being handed out at the next water stop, so I took another half packet for good measure.

Mile 10: 11:44

Mile 11: 12:18

I actually felt good for the rest of the race, but now looking at my time, I can see that I wasn't actually keeping up my pace!

Mile 12: 13:17

We finally approached RFK Stadium and the finish line.

Mile 13: 12:29

As I neared the finish line, I heard someone yelling at me. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but I turned to look and saw Raisin Bread! Awww, it was so sweet of him to surprise me at the finish line! I had no idea he was going to be there. 

The finish area was not very crowded and it was not too hard for me to maneuver my way out. There was a stage with a live band for us to enjoy at the finish. 

Although I did not accomplish my time goal, I did shave a good 12 minutes off my previous time! 

 

While this wasn't my favorite race, I thought that it was pretty well-organized at the start and finish lines. There were plenty of volunteers at the water stations. Two things the race was lacking for me was crowd support and on course porta-potties.  I liked that I got a chance to run through a lot of areas of the city that I normally don't see. And what better way to finish a race than to see your husband's beaming face!!