Race Report: Goofy Challenge Part 2 - The Half Marathon

Side note: I *started* this race report months ago, but in typical fashion, I never finished it. With the Disneyland Half coming up this weekend, I wanted to get the Goofy race reports out there. I attempted to fill in the blanks below, but apologies for any missing details. Enjoy!

OK, I'm back with the next segment of the Goofy Race Report series. Part 1: The Expo can be found here.

It's now race time and first up is the WDW Half Marathon - a course that routes you from Epcot to Magic Kingdom and back.

As I mentioned in my last post, we were treated to freakishly cold weather for marathon weekend. All of us runners were checking weather forecasts religiously leading up to the race. For the half, not only was it freezing cold (high 20's / low 30's) but we also got some rain (sleet?) as well! Oh joy!

Luckily, I was well-trained for running in this weather. CIM had similar weather (if not slightly "warmer") plus my peak training runs were in 30-40 degree weather in the snow back home in Ohio during the holidays.

I always say I want cold weather for race day so it's just like they say "Be careful what you wish for!"

On to the pictures...

Disney gang greets us at the start!

This was my first time running the half and let me just tell you, other than the short stint through Magic Kingdom, this course is BORING. Seriously. You start outside Epcot but don't actually run through it until the end. It's basically 5 miles of just boring WDW expressways and then you hit Magic Kingdom. That part is fun but once you leave, you're back to the boring expressways.

Below: Once again, guilty of jazz hands. It's like this weird reflex action that comes over me whenever I see a race photographer on the course.

The fun thing about Disney is they know people are running it mostly for the picture opportunities. And just in case the race photographers didn't get a good picture of you running out of Cinderella's castle, they set up a special location to the side to take a posed one for good measure. Of course, I had to take advantage of that!

And since I was obviously not in a rush, I made sure to take lots of pictures with the characters...

I especially admire the runners that ran in full costume!

ARGH! :)

This was a photo spot outside Magic Kingdom on the way back to Epcot. This captures the beauty of Disney races... no one is concerned about their time! I waited several minutes for this one but for Minnie and Goofy, totally worth it!

Finally crossing the finish line! Bet you haven't seen that time on the clock for a half marathon before, huh? ;)

All in all, it was an OK race. Definitely not one I would do on its own but that's just me. The worst part came after the race. It had rained on us during the race, but it doesn't really bother you while you're running. But once you're done with the race, standing in a very slow moving line waiting for food while shivering cold, you become quite miserable. I may have cried a little. OK, maybe not but I was very unhappy.

Normally, I would have skipped the food line altogether but I knew I didn't have anything in my gear check bag and I wasn't sure what food would be available in the meet and greet area. Knowing I had to run a full marathon the next day, I was especially concerned with getting some recovery food back in my system ASAP.

The nice thing was that my family was waiting for me so at least once I got through all of that, I got some much needed TLC :) [Although it did take some time to find them as well - one drawback to big races.]

I wised up for the full and packed post-race food and drinks in my gear bag and left that with my family to bring with them. The gear bag pickup line could be slow moving as well so I didn't want to take any chances.

Official Results

Chip Time 2:46:27

Overall Place 10346 / 17127
Gender Place 4989 / 9688
Division Place 799 / 1444

Age Grade 39.9%

5K Split 34:36
10K Split 1:17:02
15K Split 2:00:37

This ended up being my slowest half marathon time to date (ah, but stay tuned for this weekend!) but if you look at my rankings, it was actually pretty average for the Disney runners. This is why I love Disney races!!! WHEEEEE!!!

Next up, Goofy Challenge Part 3 - The Full Marathon!

Medals Galore!

I've been meaning to do this post for awhile, especially after seeing this on the blogs of both Roadbunner and Aron.

What the heck do you do with your medals?

Most people know that I do races mostly for the medals. So you would think I would actually do something cool with them. Sadly, no. I don't exactly shove them in a shoebox, but I don't have them as part of my wall decor either. I don't know why.

For now, I have them haphazardly draped across a bulletin board on my desk.



I kind of like them there for now. They're displayed but in a subtle manner. I think at some point, I will pin them in a more organized fashion so that you can actually see all of them.

My #1 favorite medal: Disney Coast to Coast 2008

(Bonus medal for doing both the Walt Disney World marathon in Orlando in January and the Disneyland Half in Anaheim in August)



My #2 favorite medal: Walt Disney World marathon in 2008

It was an anniversary year so we got an extra special one :)



My #3 favorite medal: Cleveland Half Marathon in 2009

This was a toughie since I love all my Disney medals but this medal was one of the main reasons why I signed up for this race. I mean, it has a spinning guitar!!!

What are your favorite medals?

On a separate note... in case you don't already know, I have another blog, Pop Culture / Makeup Addict. It would be awesome if you could add it to your reader or subscriptions because it gets no love. :P That one is updated a bit more regularly. Thank you!

Hitting the Road!

Alright, readers, I finally had a breakthrough in my running this weekend. Not only did I extend my run to 6 miles, I did it on both Friday AND Sunday.

It would have been very difficult to do this on my own so I took my runs on the road and enlisted the help of friends.

I first dragged Roadbunner to help me on Friday with a run around Golden Gate park. I think she had 16 miles or something crazy like that on her plan so I was going to join her for the last 6 for her cooldown (and my sprint, lol). But I chickened out since I'm still doing my run/walk thing so I decided to do 2 on my own first and then meet up for the last 4. It worked out really well! Roadbunner was awesome at letting us run at my pace and I only requested one walk break at the halfway point. (You don't want to know how often I normally take walk breaks on my own.) I was extremely pleased with myself for finally having a 6 miler under my belt - first time since January!

It also helped a lot to have a change in scenery and Golden Gate park is awesome for people watching. Not to mention the critical point - weather! It was nice and cool in the 50s, something I rarely find in my 'hood.

Then on Sunday, I met up with a bunch of awesome gals for Maritza's going away run, organized by Aron. I was excited to join them even though I couldn't really run with any of them. They all had double digit runs planned and are much faster than me. It was nice just to have a reason to drag myself out of bed and have a productive Sunday morning.

I decided to go for another six. I was still planning on taking walk breaks but instead of just walking whenever I felt like it, I stuck to the plan of walking for 0.1 mile of every mile. It worked out really well despite the break being a bit shorter than what I usually do. It helped me to not lose too much momentum. I'm proud to say I stuck to my plan and ended up cutting a minute off my pace from my run on Friday.

We all ran an out-and-back path on the trail so it was fun that I got to pass by everyone at some point. I think that was another reason I did so well sticking to my plan - I didn't want to get caught walking by the girls, LOL!

Since everyone was finishing at different times, we all reconvened at Peet's, which apparently is THE hot spot for runners and bikers on a Sunday morning. It was fun to see everyone trickle back in and see how their runs went.

Here's the gang at Peet's - met two runners, Page and Layla!



Page, Tara, Kristin, Aron, Layla
Moi, Sandra, Maritza
Picture courtesy of Aron

Afterward, we headed to brunch where we were later joined by Julianne and her hubby, who were celebrating their 2nd anniversary :)

Picture courtesy of Aron

Very fun morning for this back-on-track runner!

I'm super pleased with myself... including my wimpy 3mi run from earlier in the week, I ended up with a 15mile week. That's pretty good for me, believe it or not. Now I just have to keep it up. Plan to hit 8 miles sometime this weekend. Perhaps that will include a little jaunt across the Golden Gate bridge.

Do you find it easier to run on your own or with friends?

By the way, I signed up to volunteer at the Nike Women's Marathon this year! I ran it for the last four years but I didn't get in the lottery this year. I think volunteering will be a very fun alternative. Let me know if you're going to be there!

Spectator Report: Skyline 50K

Great comments on my last "Real Runners Don't..." post! I think the highlight was hearing (reading?) Roadbunner use the term "douche". :P

I met up with Sandra and Alisa on Sunday to spectate the Skyline 50K. I really need to do this more often because I get a big kick out of ringing my cowbell. Plus I think it's always good to "return the favor" since I love when people come out and cheer for the races I'm in. (Especially when I feel like dying!)

Alisa and her hubby were in town from Portland for a major race weekend. Alisa had just completed her first half ironman the day before at Vineman and her hubby was doing the Skyline 50K. I don't understand these kind of crazy people ;)

Here's me with Sandra and Alisa :)



This was a super small race... just around 200 runners. I guess there aren't that many people dying to run over 30 miles across hilly dirt trails. (Yeah, I say "no thanks" myself but "rock on" to the people that do!)

We parked ourselves by the finish line. Sandra pointed out that this was actually a good race to spectate since there wasn't exactly a steady stream of runners coming in, so you didn't have to be constantly cheering and ringing the cowbell. And the cool thing is we could spot them coming down a hill ahead of time so it was easy to keep an eye out for Alisa'a hubby.

The first runner finished in well under 4 hours. What? The first pack of them didn't even seem fatigued when they finished. We liked the ones that were hunched over huffing and puffing because that's how we are when we finish a race! That's all we can relate to!

Eventually, Alisa and her family spot her hubby coming down the hill. Now I know what he looks like from Alisa's blog but mind you, he has no idea who I am. But regardless, I decide to run on up to cheer him on before he makes the last turn to the short stretch toward the finish line. Well apparently he is much faster than me (duh) because we pretty much hit that corner around the same time. So basically I turn onto the path, immediately see him so I just haphazardly cheer his name and ring my cowbell in his face (not literally)! I think I may have startled him a bit but hey he was approaching the finish so I don't think he cared. Meanwhile, I really cracked myself up.

We hung out for a bit longer to cheer on some additional runners. Suddenly, this dude approaches the finish with a big smile on his face. While I ring my cowbell, I realize he looks really familiar. Well, surprise surprise, it was my old roommate who I hadn't seen in at least a year! So that was fun to catch up with him for a bit since I had no idea he would be there.

All in all, it was a really fun morning! Got to spend it in gorgeous weather in a scenic park, catching up with lots of friends :)

Next thing on my list is to volunteer at a race - I've yet to do that and I think that would be a lot of fun as well.

Have you ever volunteered or spectated at a race? Which ones and what was it like?

A Real Runner Doesn't...

Today a Facebook friend posted the following question:

Which running shoes do you have and would you recommend it?

And as expected, someone commented to stay away from Nike, because although they are cute, they are not good running shoes.

So of course I had to comment... because I have been wearing Nike Vomeros for the last four years. (I also reiterated the other comments that she should get properly fitted at a running store.)

Anyway, the Nike comment just makes me roll my eyes. A friend once told me that the place I bought my running shoes from must not have been a "real" running store because "real" runners don't wear Nikes. I'll admit it - I was totally offended! Because hello, *I* chose the Nikes after trying on numerous brands. So am I not a "real" runner then?

According to some people, nope! Which makes me think of the other rules I break.

For example,

Real Runners Don't...

1. Wear Nike running shoes.
2. Wear running skirts.
3. Take more than 5 (4?) hours to finish a marathon.

What else am I missing?

And if you're one of those people that think any of the above, well then shame on you! ;)

(Yes, I am one of those peeps that are not really a fan of the Pearl Izumi "We are not joggers" ads. Hmmph!)

Listen, some of us are more light-hearted than the "hardcore". Don't judge me if I run a double-digit pace or wear tutus or take pics when I run.

***

In other news, I am up to 4 miles now. Woo-hoo!!! :D

At the gym: Signs of an Awesome Class Instructor

Great feedback, everyone! Looks like everyone has their own reason for getting hot and sweaty ;)

• To be able to eat and drink guilt-free
• Maintain sanity / therapy
• Stay healthy
• Setting a good example for daughter (very admirable!)
• Just in general feel good and avoid the crappy feeling

I lied, I do have other reasons for working out again besides improving my ability to run...

• Get my $$$'s worth out of my gym membership (I will no longer be a sucker!)
• Justify new cute workout clothes
• Not feeling guilty for watching trashy TV on the cardio machines
• My gym is located next to Kara's Cupcakes and Starbucks... muah-ha-ha-ha!

*************

So I headed back to the gym today. I cheated and only did 2 miles again. It's OK - my heart rate was still pretty high so I felt like it was a good workout. This time I watched Independence Day. Great movie, right? I love Judd Hirsch's character. And dude, I also loved the size of their cell phones in that movie - they're like a brick! Who's walking around with that?

I got overzealous for a second and almost headed to a spinning class afterward. But when I glanced in the window and saw someone other than my favorite spinning teacher leading the class, I walked away.

I'll admit it, I'm picky when it comes to instructors! I definitely have my favorites. I need someone that can make the class enjoyable and challenging so that I don't even think about sneaking out.

I really recognized the value of a good instructor recently when I dropped into a kickboxing class at my cousin's gym. I used to take kickboxing all the time at my gym so I'm not completely clueless (but no expert either). Well I definitely felt clueless at this class! I was literally in "Huh?" mode the entire time. I just couldn't follow her.

So here is my wish list in a gym class instructor:

1. Must play Audrey-friendly music, i.e. anything that would make me want to shake my booty. I once had a sub for spinning class that kept playing this mellow country music - it was not motivating me to push it all! So I did something I almost never do - I walked out halfway through class. I just couldn't deal with it anymore so I headed to a cardio machine where I could do my own thing.
2. Must be able to cater to both newbie students and the regulars. My problem with my cousin's instructor was that she wasn't breaking down anything! Just calling out terms that I didn't recognize but everyone else did. Plus she kept disappearing into the equipment room for some reason so I couldn't even look at her to see what I was supposed to be doing.
3. Must keep routines fun and interesting - mix it up! I like how my spin teacher is always breaking up the class with different drills - whether it's endurance, sprint, etc. Don't just tell me to put it on a hard level and we're gonna stay there for 10 minutes. Boring! I also like my step teacher - she does fun choreography. And I love the strength training classes where we use different "props" each time - feels like gym class from elementary school days! But I never like seeing those purple slider discs. Ugh...
   
4. A little barking is OK. I like passionate teachers. I don't mind when we're in an intense part of the class and they start barking at us - it definitely pushes me more!
5. Set clear expectations. I like when they give clear instructions on how long we'll be doing something. For example, 2 reps of 12, 30 sec in a sprint drill, or a certain combo 4 times. I hate when you're doing bicep curls and you have no idea how many we have to do. Or I hate when they tell you 2 sets of 12 and you do them and then they say, I lied, one more! Grrr... that makes me cranky.
6. Get into it! I like when teachers give their 100% because it makes me want to follow their lead. If you look wishy washy, I probably will be, too.
   

That's all I can think of for now... what do you like about your gym class instructors?

Why do you exercise?

Yay!!! So excited to see people chiming in on my recent post :) Thanks for still reading :D

So last week I did some elliptical at the gym while watching Kourtney and Khloe take Miami. In this episode, Khloe stuck quarters down Kourtney's butt crack and then kissed one of her *ss cheeks. Seriously. I love my own sister dearly but I can assure, I would never do *that*.

Afterward, I indulged in a big order of sweet potato fries. Now some people might question eating such a fatty snack after exercise but it's all good with me. I'm not exercising to lose weight - honestly, the only reason I am trying to consistently exercise these days is to improve my running ability. And that's pretty much it.

As most of my friends know, I am completely unmotivated to work out if I don't have a race on a calendar. And with the Disneyland Half being 7 weeks away, guess who's working out again?

It's weird but after six months of not working out and not watching what I eat, you would think I would have gained some weight or my clothes would be more snug. But nope, everything's all the same. Good on one hand but bad as well.

So my long run of *3* miles (not a typo) did not happen this weekend. I had it scheduled for Sunday but I got hit with this random case of vertigo all day long. I don't know how it came about but I had this case of dizziness and nausea that would not go away.

Some friends suggested it was related to allergies, which I've never had before but maybe it's something new I've developed.

I feel much better today and hope to have a successful return to the gym tomorrow.