Race Report - Wine & Dine Half Marathon 2013

Gather around, kids!  It's time for my Wine & Dine Half Marathon recap.

Or as I like to call it, a riveting ABC Afterschool Special:



Tune in at 3pm Monday for:
Night Terrors - A chubby, unmotivated lady in her forties learns a painful lesson about not training
for a half marathon gone horribly wrong well past her bedtime.  (PG-13 for language and mild violence)

But, we'll start with the expo.  Wow, what a difference having it at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex.  The last time I did a Disney race (The Princess), the expo was at the Coronado Resort and it was a crowded MESS.  This expo was very nice - easy to park (we didn't stay at a host resort), easy in, easy shopping, lots of room.  Loved it.  We went first thing on Saturday morning and while it was full of people, it never felt too crowded and there was plenty of merchandise left. 

I bought a wee W&D medal for my RunDisney Vinylmation and a RunDisney Sweaty Band.  I thought about getting an "I Did It" shirt, but I wasn't entirely convinced that I would do it, so I passed.  No use in jinxing myself!  I also bought a new Sparkle Skirt.  They had tons left in my size so I got to try on a few.  I settled on Black Linen and we made our way out.  We spent the rest of the day taking it easy and you can read more about that in my WDW recap post.



This was my first night race (it started at 10pm) and I did not like the all-day anticipation and self-questioning that went on: Am I resting enough?  Should I eat more?  Should I eat less?  Why am I not falling asleep during my attempted nap?  UGH!  With early morning races, you wake up and your only thought is "TIME TO RUN!!"  This long day of pre-race activities gives me too much time to think. 


Before

After

Pre-race chilling in the field.

 We did take it easy with a trip to Downtown Disney, a movie, a reasonable lunch, and the aforementioned attempted nap.  By 6pm, I gave up on resting and started getting ready.  We were supposed to be at WWOS by 8pm.  Chris drove me over there and then drove to Epcot to start partying down at the pre-After Party.

They had us in a great big field waiting for the corrals to open.  They were selling beer and food, and there was a stage with a DJ and folks dancing.  They really did make it festive and fun.  I heard later that there were character photo ops, but I didn't see any.  I was pretty much a nervous wreck and just sat in the grass trying to zen myself out and get ready for the race.  My review of this set up is positive - there were lots of port-a-potties and lots of space.  The DJ and music were fun and you could get away from it if you didn't like the noise.  A+ for pre-race waiting.


This is for my boy who loves Doge.  Much Running!

We headed to the corrals at 9pm.  I was in Corral I, which had about 1500 people in it.  Earlier corrals had less in RunDisney's effort to thin out the pack and separate the slower walkers/interval peeps from the faster runners (I believe this to be their goal since there has been so much previous complaining on this matter).  The corrals went all the way to L, with about 2000 each in the final few corrals.  This put about 6000 people behind me.  I got into the front of the corral and chatted with some people as we waited our turn to go.  I think we ended up starting about about 10:25pm with the staggered start times. 

And, we're off!

I started with a run and pretty much had to run to avoid getting run over.  I ran for about 3 minutes before doing my first walk break.  The good thing about my corral is that there were a lot of interval runners so there was much less running over the back of someone as I saw in the Tinkerbell and the Princess.  In fact, I dare say that people were a million times more courteous in this race than other RunDisney races I've been in.  Maybe it was the later corral, or the much reduced number of runners, but yeah - nicer overall vibe.

I had set up my walk intervals for 30/30, thinking that was something I could handle without training.  Oh yeah, in case you haven't read this blog before, I didn't train.  I did a triathlon 8 weeks prior to W&D and my recovery period extended into some serious sitting-on-my-ass time.  Not good and not recommended.  My first walk break went so well that I decided to extend it to the full 3.5 hours.  So, yep - I walked basically the whole thing.  The first few miles I was doing at 14 minute mile, so I was feeling good about staying ahead of the Balloon Ladies. 

 



Yeah, my camera is not so good in low light, I found out.

We went from WWOS to Animal Kingdom, up Osceola Drive.  I think we hit the park at about mile 3.  On the way, we passed two photo ops - Country Bears and the fat hippos from Fantasia.  I really wanted to stop at Country Bears but at the time, I was very seriously thinking I was not going to make all 13.1 miles and the line was at least 15 people long.  I was cool with skipping the hippos, and pretty much all the photo ops in Animal Kingdom, which seemed to be Jungle Book characters.  My deal is that I will always stop for Stitch and Darth Vadar, but others are optional and depending on time and the line.

We left Animal Kingdom shortly before mile 5 and went back up Osceola Drive.  It was a pretty long haul to Hollywood Studios which I believe was at about mile 9.  A little bit about the course vs. Princess: it is hillier (by Florida standards) and by that I mean there is definitely more inclines and banked roads.  It's not terrible, but it was noticeable.  I liked the course better in many ways, but this was not one of them.



Love me some Stitch!

Between AK and HS, I saw Stitch!  Yes!!  At this point, I figured 5 minutes was not going to hurt me, so I stopped and got this horrible, too bright photo.  I'll have to check the official photos to see if theirs are better (how can they be worse?)  Seeing my favorite alien gave me a boost to make it to HS, and really, I felt like if I made it to HS - I could probably finish the race.  They can't sweep in the park and I knew that it was only a short while between HS and getting on the run path to Epcot where they logistically could not get sweeper buses in there.  Plus, I hadn't seen the balloon ladies, so I was starting to feel like I was going to finish.

Thumbs up for the Dark Side!

We took a FULL TOUR of HS, and by this I mean 3 miles which included a rather fragrant trash area.  It was great though!  There was a disco tunnel and tons of photo ops.  I only stopped for Darth Vadar and did slow down to enjoy the Osbourne Festival Of Lights which were AMAZING to run through.  This was the only thing that kept me going from miles 5 though 9 - getting to HS and seeing the lights.  They did have the course arranged so that this was almost right before you left the park, so I think it was about at mile 11.  I've heard rumors that they might do away with the light display as they expand HS and I definitely hope not.  It truly is beautiful and it was a joy to run through.

This was almost as cool to run through as Cinderella's Castle.  I loved it!!

Ok, so close!  2 miles left and I was beat.  It was after 1am so I was exhausted and my left calf started charley horsing.  My knees hurt (which I only had problems with when I first started running, so I had no coping abilities) and I was starting to zone out a little bit, I think due to my medication schedule being interrupted.  I knew I was going to make it, but I was slowing down considerably.  We were on the walking path by the resorts to Epcot, so I knew they couldn't get me anymore and I was just concentrating on finishing.  There were tons of spectators out along this path, which was great!  They absolutely gave me more encouragement and energy than they will ever know!!  I thanked them as I walked by and received several high fives.  Good stuff!

The giant ball that indicates the suffering is almost over loomed closer and closer.  The crowd was packed on either side of the course from people enjoying the After Party and they were unable to pass over the run course.  I think that was a logistical issue in the party planning.  At the time, it just seemed like a lot of people were standing and watching us finish, though!  As we got closer to the finish, there were these super cool lasers going on right above our heads.  I was so, so close and fighting the pain in my legs and the fogginess that was clouding my brain function.  I made it to the finish at 3:31 and I was amazed that I was about 30 minutes faster than I was at Tink or Princess.  I stopped less for sure, but I freaking WALKED most of it and HOBBLED the last 2 miles.  WOW.  I stopped off to BioFreeze my entire lower half and then walked at least another mile to get inside Epcot to meet Chris.

I think I can only describe the next 45 minutes as surreal.  I medically think it's called being in shock.  I was hurting in a disassociated way and was fairly non-responsive to Chris who was trying to get me to eat scallops from one of the food booths (barf).  We had to walk back to the car because the trams couldn't go in front of the runners still filtering into Epcot from the finish line.  That had to have been another 1/2 mile, at least.  I just couldn't stay for the party, even though it continued for another 2 hours.  I was exhausted and I do believe I was having some medication issues because I had missed my 9:30pm nightly dosage of old lady crazy pills.  We made it back to Animal Kingdom Lodge and I did nibble on the hummus and crackers in our runner box, although I felt hella nauseous.  Speaking of nauseous, there were puking people everywhere after the finish line!  What on earth?  Is this a night race thing?  I was pretty close to joining them, but I was able to keep myself from barfing.  BARELY.

Running Mickey!

Ok, in closing - this was a great race that would have been so much more enjoyed had I trained more and not just in running, but in staying up late.  I also would have taken my pills at regular time, even though they are night pills and can make me drowsy.  The starting withdrawal symptoms by 2am was rough.  I loved the course through the 3 parks, and the other runners were great.  I ended up finishing way ahead of the Balloon Ladies, which was also awesome.  Chris is already talking about doing this again next year (he LOVED the Food & Wine Festival and the After Party), so I will be MUCH more prepared to enjoy this more then.  Any misery felt was entirely my fault because this race was probably the best one of the RunDisney races I've run.  More than Tink or the Princess, this is one I can see doing every year, just because of the fun that is build around it for non-runners and runners alike.  Great job, RunDisney!

3 Days until the Wine & Dine Half Marathon!

As you know, I haven't been training for the upcoming Wine & Dine Half Marathon.  I feel like I can do 1/1 intervals and maintain a 16 minute mile, so while I am not very happy with myself, I am feeling like I can finish ahead of the sweepers.

I can choose to feel one of two ways about this:

1) Worried and bummed out because I could have made this an effortless run and maybe gotten a PR, or at least had more time for photo ops along the route; or

2) Relaxed and happy that I am not pushing myself and just taking it as it comes with maximum enjoyment.

I do believe I will choose the latter.  In my previous Disney races, I was so stressed and while they were fun, I over-thought everything - from my pace to costuming.  I didn't appreciate the experience enough.  This time, I am going to go into this race feeling excited, grateful, and relaxed!

Plus, I get to run through this:

I'm actually getting pretty excited!  It won't be totally easy, but I don't have to make it harder than it needs to be.  I have a last minute costume idea (if it works out, cool - if not, I have a Sparkle Skirt and top to wear) and I get a whole week at WDW after the race.  How can I stress about that?!?

Lastly, I found this cute article online about 37 of the happiest things you see while running a race and it makes me remember the fun and wonderful parts of running.  I am going to have a good time!  I am going to forgive myself for not training harder and go get this done.  When I get home, I am recommitting to many things that I need to move my life forward - including training my butt off for my 2014 races.


It's on - starting NOW!

So... yeah. I haven't been training.

I started!  I did!  But life has been a little sketchy and truthfully, I haven't sorted it out well enough to make the time to train.  I am fairly horrified with myself.  I have the Wine & Dine Half Marathon in a week and needless to say, it won't be a PR.  But it's a Disney race done for fun & pictures, so my expectations are low.  It's also a 16 minute mile pace, so I know I can walk most of the time if necessary.

This doesn't take away from my shame of not training, though.  Like I said above, I've got some things going on in my personal life that are dragging me down and that makes it hard to find the motivation to get moving.  The ironic part is that I feel better when I work out so I am double-punishing myself.

I am not really excited about Wine & Dine for a few reasons.  First, I do not feel at top running form and that's a crappy feeling when going into a race.  Second, I am completely unmotivated to make a costume and the SparkleSkirt I wanted to order is sold out in my size.  I don't even have something cute to wear and you KNOW that's part of the reason I even run!

There is not too much I can do in the next seven days to get more prepared.  I'm going to go and do the best I can.  I'll probably finish just this side of the Balloon Ladies.  That's cool... as long as I do finish!

After the race, I am spending the week at WDW with my friend Chris without the kids.  It's the first time I've been to WDW without the babies since they were born.  I don't know how I feel about it.  I want to go and have some adult fun, but I think I've forgotten how!

This may be my whiniest post ever.  I'd love to delete it, but I feel like being honest with myself means being honest with you.  The thing is, I think mentally I am waiting to get back from W&D to really get started on my plan.  For some reason, I feel like I need to get this done and then I can concentrate on moving forward.  Lordy, I hope so.  I need to get moving.

So this post isn't a complete loss, here's a sloth handing you a flower:

Commitment Issues are BAD

I was re-reading SwimBikeMom's book yesterday and she mentioned a magnet she had on her fridge that says:

 

This is an interesting question and I have been thinking about it a lot as I plan for my 2014 races.  On one hand, I am overwhelmed at the two I've already committed to - a full marathon (really, Lisa?) and a half Ironman (almost comical).  I think I've got a training plan that will prepare me, but I have already been lax on getting back to training for the upcoming half marathon in TWO WEEKS.  My problem seems to not be in creating goals or even attempting them, my problem seem to be in consistent effort to work towards the event.  Am I not consistent because I am inherently flaky?  Am I not consistent because IF I fail, that will be a good excuse?  Do I not want to commit 100% to something because I have (well-documented - just ask my ex) commitment issues?

I don't know the answer.  But it is something I need to figure out before I am successful at anything in life, let alone these races that REQUIRE that level of commitment before the event.

I watch this new show called Boundless on the Esquire Channel.  It is about two endurance athletes attempting different races all across the world.  I love it because on race day, they seem as unprepared as I have been for races.  By that I mean, they have trained for the event (sort-of) but they aren't real, real serious or safe about it.  They never trained in open ocean water for an 8hr ocean paddle board race.  They hadn't been biking in years before a grueling mountain bike race.  Junk like that.  DUMB.  I look at them attempting things they think they can not fail and all I can think is: BUT YOU HAVEN'T TRAINED FOR THIS!!  Even if they succeed, how much easier would it have been if they were better prepared?

And that is my own problem.  I don't worry about failure too much - I am pretty convinced I can do anything I set my mind to.  But at what commitment level is my mind set to to do the work to reach that goal beforehand?

 

I think my body is amazing in that it can keep chugging along no matter the pain or fatigue it's experiencing.  I think my mind is strong because I don't give up when I know I have a goal.  So what is holding me back from committing to full time, full-court-press training?  Why is it so easy to skip the training sessions I KNOW I need to do in order to be the most successful?

 

If I figure this out for training, can I use it to change my whole life?!?

 

In looking at 2014, I'd like to do at least one race event per month, with the possible exception of March when I'll be pretty busy with World Balloon Convention, where I'll be teaching.  (Maybe a sprint tri for that month.)  I'd like to do another Oly before the half Iron but a lot of smaller races aren't scheduled yet.  I'll probably have to wait until closer to the time to see what is available within my reasonable travel distance.  I definitely want to do the Outer Banks Tri in September again to see how much I can improve on my Olympic time there with an extra year of training.  The two other major races I was considering are the Rock N Roll Full Marathon in Raleigh on my birthday (April 13th), and the Beach2Battleship in Wilmington (the half-Iron distance - I want my first full Iron to be Ironman branded).

 

Big goals.  Now I need to see if I've got the commitment to follow through on them...

 



Back to training - speedy style!

It's been exactly one month since my first triathlon and despite my well-meaning intentions, it was also the first day I went back to the gym since then.  I know!!  I feel your scorn from here.

Wil ran with me and we totally looked this cool!

I ran 4 miles in my fastest time ever.  Wait - what?  Should I take a month off more often?

What?  I'm IN TRAINING, obvs.

Since I have three weeks to get back in shape for a half marathon, probably not.  In fact, I don't see myself slowing down until... well, maybe the end of triathlon season next year.  I can half-ass a Disney half marathon, but I can't do that for the full and I especially can't do it for a half-Ironman.  I have a plan and now I have a little momentum.  I'd also like to lose 10lbs (if possible) before I go to Wichita to make the balloon videos. I have until the first part of December for that goal.

So.... Yay for getting back to doing what I should be!

I'm tired just thinking about it.

Yes, exhausted.  "Thinking about what?" you ask? 

It's the 10pm start of the Wine & Dine Half three weeks from today. 

 

This is me at 6:30pm most nights.  It's about time to call it a day.

I go to bed at 10pm.  The only reason I don't go to bed earlier is because the kids are up.  But I'm tired!  I get up before 6am and go non-stop until dinner is over and I can start to relax.

Here's my expected response to waiting in Corral I while all the earlier corrals go first.

I keep telling myself I need to run later in the day, to get used to it... but I am soooooooo tired by 9pm that it is almost a comical conversation with myself.

Self: "It's 9pm!  How 'bout a quick run before bed?
"Self? Self?!?  Wake up!"

 I do have a chemical helper, if need-be.  My doctor gave me something called NuVigil, which is for people who work night shift and can't stay up.  It's also to keep soldiers alert during combat.  Is this doping?  I'm not sure I like this option!

The race should last until at least 1am for me. 
I was not fully aware that there was a "1" twice in the same day since I am never awake for both.

I do have three weeks to practice staying up!  Is that enough time??  I'm not even concerned about the run training (which I really should be!).  I am worried about maintaining alertness and not falling over during the race.  Or worse!  At the after-party that goes on until 4am.  

 

Finish line photo.  Smiles and then night-night.

I plan to take it really easy on Saturday so that I am rested.  No parks and maybe even a nap if I can manage it.  I am not much of a napper, though.  I guess the next three weeks need to be spent staying up for 15 minutes later each night.  Wish me luck!  This will be my biggest challenge!!

Gearing up for Disney's Wine & Dine Half Marathon

Recovery time is over and now I need to get busy!  In 32 days, I will be running the Wine & Dine Half Marathon at Walt Disney World in Florida!!!

I have loved the RunDisney events I have done before (Tinkerbell Half 2013 & Princess Half 2013) and this race coming up is often said to be many people's RunDisney favorite.  I am most excited about running through the Osborne Family Festival Of Lights since this is a night race.

So first, I need to ramp up the running/training.  I feel ok going into it knowing that I am a back-of-the-packer and Disney "races" are glorified 13.1 mile parades where you stop and get your picture taken with characters, for the most part.  I know some people take these races seriously and look for a PR, but I'm just doing this because I love Disney and I want an excuse to dress up.

Which brings us to SECOND (which is ALL CAPS because it's way more important than "first"), and that is WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR???  I kinda was thinking about Ursula from Little Mermaid.  I love this costume idea:


I'm going to make this.  Only less good.

We'll see how ambitious I get in the next 32 days.  Whatever I end up wearing, I hope it involves lights!  I love this EL Wire idea and you can buy battery operated wire on Amazon for like $10.

Too Tron?  Actually, the chances I will catch myself on fire seem pretty high with this plan.

But seriously, I do need to ramp up the running again.  Two weeks off was too much.  I think I was pretty recovered after about 9 days and the last 5 have been me just being lazy.  My base is 8 miles, and I do 4 miles at least twice midweek so I think I can finish with no problem.  I shouldn't disrespect the distance, though.  It's still a half marathon regardless of the location or on-course entertainment.

So, yeah.  I need to get this big booty in gear!

Disney Princess Half Marathon - 2013

I had high expectations for the Princess Half Marathon.  This was THE RACE that made me start running!!  I didn't really know if I was going alone or with family until about 3 weeks before the event.  In the end, my mom and two children flew down with me and my friend Chris came in from California.  We came in Friday night and I had been reading all day Friday on FaceBook what a mess the expo was - three hour waits to get your race shirt and impossibly long lines just to get into the official merchandise area!  I decided to get to the expo ASAP on Saturday morning and was prepared for the worst.  Fortunately, I was able to get my bib, race gear and a few things at the official merch area in about an hour.  I will say that we had to wait in a looooong line just to get in since we got there before it opened.  As we left, that line outside was even longer and the lines inside had gotten crazy long as well.  Compared to the Tinkerbell expo, this WAS a disaster.  I was happy to get in and out so quickly.

Me with my sash and tiara at the expo.

We spent Saturday at Animal Kingdom - trying to take it easy, but it was still more heat and walking than I probably should have done.  We did leave at closing, so I was in bed by 9pm.  I set my alarm for two times - the first was 2:15am so I could get up and get ready.  The second was for 3:15am, which is when I needed to meet Chris and get to the buses.  I was dressing up as Merida from Brave in her royal dress, complete with giant, puffy, ridiculous wig.  I was a little self-conscious about the wig and didn't want to look like a dork, but I was going to figure that out in the morning and ditch the wig if I didn't feel good in it.  The weather was calling for 70 degrees and 100% humidity at race start, so ditching the wig as definitely on the table.

So, I sleep peacefully and the alarm goes off.  I had built in a 9 minute snooze to the plan, so I hit snooze and let myself wake up slowly.  But then my text message goes off.  It's a text from Chris asking if I'm ready to go.  What?  It's 2:15, right?  NOPE!  My 2:15am alarm was set to WEEKDAYS ONLY, so the alarm that just went off was the 3:15 one.  I absolutely FREAKED OUT.  I had come all this way and had such big expectations and I wasn't even going to make it to the bus!!  I had thankfully laid out all my race gear the night before and threw it on like a crazy person.  I put on the wig and some quick make-up, but not the original eye rhinestones I had planned, and was out the door by 3:40am.  I also had no time to debate the ridiculousness of the wig, so on it went and my dorkiness factor just shot through the roof!

Annnnd ready to go in 20 minutes!  This photo has no indication of the STRESS I was feeling!!

We caught the second bus from All Star Music and after what seemed like a long bus ride, got dropped off at the staging area.  My adrenalin was still pumping through the roof but I did manage to calm down on the walk to the corrals.  It seems like people were already walking toward them when I arrived so I followed the herd.  The corrals were pretty damn far away.  I waited in Corral C for about 45 minutes before they started letting the earlier corrals go.  At Tink, it seemed more like people wanted to socialize, but no one around me really seemed too talkative or friendly, so I just watched the big screens where they interviewed the gal that came in last at Tink and Sean Astin. We got nice fireworks each time a corral was let go and finally it was our turn!

You know how they say not to run too fast the first few miles of a race?  Well, no problem because it was literally elbow to elbow people.  I started my run/walk and had a terrible time trying to navigate through the walkers, and meanwhile was getting bumped pretty badly by the runners behind me.  It certainly wasn't ideal racing conditions.  The first 4 miles were kinda miserable.  It was warm and humid.  I couldn't get a good groove with run/walk due to the crowded conditions.  I was not really having fun.  I don't even remember much in the way of entertainment along those first few miles.  I never thought I wasn't going to make it to the finish line, but I was a little sad that this experience was going to be something to "get through" and not really ENJOY.  I was basically walking at this point because I just couldn't make running intervals work.  I was discouraged at my pace and sweating my beetonk off in that wig.  I just wanted to keep it on until the castle and then I was seriously thinking of taking it off and tying it to my quiver.  And then, like Disney magic, we were entering Magic Kingdom and I started getting emotional.  How many times when I trained, did I think about this moment?  Running down Main Street!!  It was happening!!  And I did get to run because suddenly, it seemed everyone started running too. 

Running down Main Street was the highlight of the race!

We passed lots of photo ops before the castle - Buzz Lightyear, Alice & the Mad Hatter, Gaston, Belle, Minnie & Mickey at the back of the castle - but the lines were simply INSANE.  I mean, like 40 people deep.  Knowing my pace was a little slower, I just didn't see any photo op that was worth the wait.  Especially when I had just done so many at the Tink.  So I ran through the castle (and I did get to run again - I heard many people had congestion through the castle, but my trip through was smooth) and stopped for a photo out in front.

Yay!  Now I can take the wig off, right??

We went through Frontierland, again passing long lines and no one I really wanted to wait for.  In truth, I wanted two photo ops: Stitch and Merida.  I never saw Merida (I later found out she as in the Race Retreat only), but I knew Stitch had to be along at some point.  So we exited Magic Kingdom and went back to the long, boring roads.  At the half-way point, they played that dreary Alicia Keys song about being on fire.  I don't care for that song and it's not particularly a good running song, IMO, but it was nice to know I was half-way.  I was having more fun since going through MK and now I was looking for Stitch with a comfortable amount of time to wait in line.  It was still pretty crowded, but I was able to run/walk a little more and I was happy about that.  Then, after Mile 7, I saw Stitch!!  I got in a 3 minute line and was one away from my turn when Stitch left in a golf cart?  WHAT??  I must have made some kind of noise that indicated I was crushed, because the Cast Member said Stitch would be back in 10 minutes and I could wait.  So I did.  I watched at least 1000 people run by, but I was getting this photo!!  When Stitch came back, they let me go first since I had been waiting (another lady waited too) and I was pretty excited about my photo op with Lilo & Stitch!

The photo op responsible for a 26 minute mile!

By this point, I was having fun and forgot my wig was hot.  Since I had a Bondi Band on underneath it, sweat wasn't running into my face at all, so I decided to leave it on to the end.  I also decided I was far enough ahead of the sweepers, that I was going to stop at every photo op on the last half of the course.  Which I did!  It was a lot of people that weren't at the Tink, so I was jazzed about that.  I got pics with the Princes, Cap't Jack (He was at Tink, but I didn't stop), Pocahontas, Mulan, Mrs. Incredible, the Genie from Aladdin, and Princess Atta - as well as a giant banner with Princesses (but no Merida).  The last half of the Half flew by!  I was looking for this "hill" that everyone talks about and I was confused to see the Army Man because I thought he was part of it.  I then looked back and realized the "hill" was so gradual that I didn't know I was going up.  The hills in Raleigh definitely prepared me for this!!  I laughed to myself and when I got to the top of the "hill", I could see the Epcot ball not too very far away.  I could also see at least 1000 runners (or more) behind me.  I got the best surprise at Mile 12 - my family was there!!  I ran over and hugged them - immediately starting to cry, because seeing the people that mean the most to you when you are physically and mentally exhausted is just the best feeling ever.  That gave me the energy to push on to the end, for sure!  I heard the gospel choir and I cried again!  It was another one of those moments I'd envisioned during training and here it was!!  I saw the finish line with Minnie & Mickey on either side right before you cross.  I was closer to Minnie, so I stopped for one last pic.

The clock time was 4:16, but my chip time was 4:00:11.

I was pretty unhappy with my time, but due to the humidity and heat, I'm going to give myself a pass.  I wanted to check my average moving time, but for some reason, my Garmin didn't save my run.  At Tink, it was 3:19 with cool temps and no humidity.  I can only imagine that it was a little longer this time.

Did the Princess live up to the hype?  Well, the beginning was a nightmare because I woke up late and had no time to mentally prepare myself.  The middle part with Main Street and the Castle was everything I wanted it to be - just absolutely magical.  The last half was a blast!  And the best part was that I got my Coast To Coast medal and completed a goal I had set for myself more than a year before, as I sat on the couch.  For those reasons, I'm going to give the Princess a thumbs up.  Yes, the expo was kinda a mess and yes, there were too many people on the course, but as an experience I had dreamed about, it was all I wanted it to be.  Even in my big dorky wig, I felt like a fierce princess!



Me with my three medals!!  Yay!!  Goal completed!!
 

2013 Tinkerbell Half Marathon - Disneyland, CA

I am leaving tomorrow for the Princess Half Marathon and I realize that I haven't written a report on the fabulous Tinkerbell Half Marathon that I ran last month.  So here it is!

This was my first RunDisney race and I had heard mixed reviews about the Tink.  The main complaint for most people was that the time in the parks was early on and only for a few miles, with the last 7 miles or so on the street of Anaheim.  But, I had an open mind and I had an absolute blast!

But we'll start in the days before the race when, to my horror, my Tinkerbell dress I ordered in early December still hadn't arrived.  It actually came while we were in California, in a cruel twist of fate.  This left me with no outfit to wear during the race - and dressing up is like 85% of why I run!!  Mom and I went shopping the night before we left for CA and found a lime green tek shirt and a child's Tinkerbell costume that I could take the wings off of.  I was hoping to buy a Sparkle Skirt at the expo to round out my outfit.  Oh! And I had big puffy white loofah balls for my shoes to look like Tink's shoe pom-poms!

Here is my last-minute running outfit.  I ran in this, minus the arm-warmers.

Ok, so onto to the big day!  I got up at 2:30am and put my hair in a Tinkerbell bun and shellacked about 6 tons of makeup on, because looking good is half the battle, right?  My friend, Chris, drove down from Santa Cruz to watch me run and he generously got up before dawn to take me to the Starting Line.  I found my corral (Corral C) and started to hand out some lime green glow bracelets I brought.  Here's me at the Starting Line with a friend I made:

Me & Colleen - both running solo in Corral C

It was chilly, but not too frigid and I was not uncomfortable while waiting the HOUR or so before we got going.  Chatting with Colleen really made the time fly!  Finally, it was time to start!!  My first mile was outside the perimeter of the park on the streets.  I ran it at 13:36, which is pretty fast for me.  I know the biggest piece of advice runners give is DON'T START OFF THE RACE TOO FAST.  But, I kinda did!  We got into the park during mile 2 and I started seeing characters.  I skipped the first few and finally did Phineas & Ferb since I didn't want to skip all of them.  Next was Darth Vader, who was my MUST HAVE photo op.  Colleen didn't want to wait in the line (which was about 7 minutes long) so she went on ahead.

Vader choking me with the Force!

I stopped for a few other pics while in California Adventure and Disneyland:

California Adventure at the World Of Color water light show.  It was AMAZING!

I had to stop and see Merida!!  She's my favorite Princess!!

Ok, time to run through Sleeping Beauty's Castle!!  I expected something more dramatic, but it wasn't that powerful of a moment.  I think I am jaded, being a WDW girl and loving Cindy's bigger castle.  It was still cool and I stopped to see Aurora and her Prince on the other side:

I'm the one in green.

Shortly after this, we left the parks and the next 7 miles were on the streets of Anaheim.  I have photos of this, but they are pretty boring.  There were several sets of cheerleaders and a few scattered spectators.  It was a pleasant run, but not as visually exciting as inside the parks.  I swear, the big mile markers made it go so much faster.  I stopped at every mile marker to take my picture!

Here's me at mile 13!  Almost there!!

I saw my cheer squad at the finish line and I ran in to a time of 3:46.  My actual running time was 3:19, so I spent 27 minutes on photos.  I will admit that I walked most of the last half because my leg was kinda bothering me and I didn't want to risk a bigger hurt that would take me out.  My walking pace is 15 mm so I knew I was way ahead of the sweepers.

Yay me!

I finished and got my medal.  So many people were coming through when I finished that volunteers were handing people medals inside the plastic instead of putting it around their necks.  I got one unwrapped and placed around my neck though, thankfully.  Just handing it to you in plastic seems like a bit of a let down.  I ate a banana and got a box of foodstuff and went to find my people.  We spent the rest of the day at California Adventure and I walked all day with no problem.  I think taking it relatively easy made for a great recovery.

In all, this was so much fun to run!  I would definitely do it again!!  For the Princess, I want to get more photos of the spectator signs - some were hilarious, and it really added to the experience.  I also had time for more pics (since clearly, I'm not setting a PR with a Disney race!) so that is good info for the upcoming Princess race.  I'd love to go back to Disneyland for the Tink again, or possibly the DL Half over Labor Day.  Maybe next year!