The Coaster Run 5K 2015 - Race Recap

I'm back from another extremely short trip to California! About 9 months ago, my siblings and I, along with our spouses, signed up for The Coaster Run 10K. We thought it would be a fun race since the course goes through Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, and Knott's Berry Farm is the home of Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang, whom we love!

At the last minute, we all decided to downgrade to the 5K due to some in our group being sick and for other assorted reasons. I am glad that we did, especially since we did not factor in daylight savings time when we signed up for the race.

This was actually only my fourth 5K since I am not a big fan of paying for 5Ks that don't have something special to offer, like medals or donuts. :)



The race had a reasonable start time of 7 AM, and since we were staying within walking distance of the start line, we did not have to make our way over until 6:30 AM. Sweet!

We were assigned to the fourth corral and there were only 3 minutes between each corral. We crossed the start line at around 7:15.

We all decided to make costumes for this race.  I dressed up as Woodstock and Raisin Bread was Charlie Brown.

My siblings and their spouses also dressed up. 

Bro-in-law as Olaf (Snoopy's brother), Sister as Belle (Snoopy's sister), sis-in-law as Hobbes, Brother as Calvin

The first portion of the course led us towards the entrance to Knott's. As we entered the park and ran through Camp Snoopy, we passed by many familiar rides. As a Southern California kid and teenager, Knott's was a place that we visited numerous times. 

We ran past Montezuma's Revenge, Supreme Scream and the Log Ride. I managed to get a shot of Boomerang while still in motion. 

There was only one character stop on the 5K course, so I stopped to say hi to Lucy and Charlie Brown!

We finished out our run through the park in the Old West area before we exited the park for our last mile.

Mile 1: 11:51

Mile 2: 12:14

Mile 3: 11:20

We made our way through the finish line area, where we were treated to a slice of boysenberry pie! Knott's Berry Farm was the first place to cultivate the boysenberry in Southern California, and it is known for its boysenberry preserves, pies and shortbread cookies, among other things!

We grabbed some post-race photos with our adorable Snoopy medals on.

Overall, the race was a lot of fun! I loved that the majority of the course was through the park and the nice touches such as the medals and pie.

My biggest disappointment was the crowd support. Since the course was mainly in the park, all of the support came in the form of disinterested high school students, who seemed to be getting their community service hours. Granted, there were a few (and I mean a few) who were in good spirits and at least acted enthusiastic, but the large majority were not happy to be there.

Here is a close-up of the medal. I also love that it says "10th Anniversary" on it!

My official chip time was 35:11. Definitely not a PR!

If you are a Snoopy fan, this is a must-do race and if you happen to live in Southern California or have a reason to be in Southern California, I recommend you run The Coaster Run!

12k's of Christmas 2014 - Race Recap

Earlier this month, Raisin Bread and I headed to Phoenix, Arizona for the weekend. Raisin Bread lived in Phoenix for a few years before we met and keeps in touch with quite a few of his old friends there. In addition to spending some time with them, we decided to fit a race into our weekend. 

The 12k's of Christmas race took place in nearby Gilbert, Arizona's Freestone Park. We arrived without much time to do anything besides park, pick up our bibs and goody bags, take the goody bags to the car and then get in the race just as it was starting. There was no time to go to the bathroom or even stretch. Not the way I like to start a race!

The race was pet-friendly and benefited animal-related organizations. Dogs were welcome to run in the race and were heavily represented in the post-race activities! Too bad Gus did not come on this trip with us.

It had rained the night before the race as well as race day morning. We were lucky that it was no longer raining but much of the beginning of the route was along a trail and it was muddy and slippery.

Since we weren't able to use the bathroom before the race, I stopped at the first porta-potty I saw.

Mile 1: 14:53

The second portion of the course was a long a road lined with farms. 

Mile 2: 11:37

Our scenery changed again as we ran along the Riparian Preserve. All along the race course there were groups of carolers cheering us on and singing Christmas songs. This was the first time I ran a Christmas-themed race, and it was so festive and fun.  I also loved how many great Christmas-themed race outfits and Santa hats I saw. 

Mile 3: 12:52

Mile 4: 12:56

Mile 5: 12:05

The course was out and back so the final two miles were the same as before. 

Mile 6: 12:08

Mile 7: 12:13

Official time:  1:35:21

I did not have a goal time for this race. I actually wasn't even sure what I should be aiming for since this was also my first 12K. Since I haven't really run since Wine & Dine, I was just happy to get in some good mileage and run with the hubby!

As we crossed the finish line, we got medals, which I was not expecting at all. So cool, and they had a doggie on them. 

After we finished, Raisin Bread and I walked around a bit, picked up some refreshments and visited some of the dogs and rats that were up for adoption. So many sweet furry friends!

In addition to our medal, we got a pair of Christmas socks. I thought this was a fantastic idea since I get/have way too many race t-shirts that I never wear.

This race was lots of fun, Now, I want to run a race with Gus. We'll probably have to start with a 5K since he's still a baby.

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!

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Carson's Crusaders Foundation Trek or Treat 5K 2014 - Race Recap

I have now officially run in seven states! Last week, I was in DC for work for a couple of days and then visited my sister in Dallas for the weekend (more on that later).

My sister, brother-in-law and I are all in the midst of Wine & Dine training, so we decided at the last minute to do a run together while I was I town. We chose the Carson's Crusaders Foundation Trek or Treat 5K, which was held at Watters Creek at Montgomery Farm in Allen, Texas. Despite what its name might suggest, Watters Creek is actually an outdoor shopping mall. That's one setting I have definitely not run in before!

As races go, this one had a fairly late start time at 8:30 am, which meant the sun was up. 

Obligatory pre-race photo

The start and finish lines were both in the middle of the shopping mall. Too bad none of the shops were open yet though! The race started right on time and we were off.

The first part of the race made a loop around the shopping mall. 

I was surprised that behind the mall were beautiful tree lined paths. Most of the distance wound up being in this setting. The course was pretty much an out and back which meant we had to share the paths with runners coming back in the other direction. At times, this made the course very narrow and confusing.

The trail led to a gorgeous lake that we did a loop around. As you can see, the weather was just perfect for a 5K. It was sunny, slight breeze and no humidity. 

I have not run a timed 5K in quite some time, so before I knew it, I had reached the finish line! 

I grabbed a banana and some water and joined up with my brother-in-law who was right behind me. I rarely, if ever, drink milk, but there is just something about chocolate milk after a race that I love! Sister came through a short time later. 

Besides wanting to run with my sissy, I also really wanted to find out if I have really become super slow or if it is the altitude in Albuquerque that is doing me in. 

Turns out, I was able to PR in this race, so it is not me. Hooray! What a difference 5,000 feet makes!

I have been running about 12-13 minute miles in New Mexico, but check out my split times on this day:

Mile 1: 10:03

Mile 2: 10:45

Mile 3: 10:16

Official finish time: 32:19

I also placed 99th overall. Not a great feat but I love the number. It was a fun race and I am happy that I not only get to cross another state off the list but that I PR-ed! Thank you, Texas!

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