Walt Disney World Marathon

Day 4.

This is it.

The big one.

The Marathon!

I headed out to the race alone. Nate would come out later on, but there was no need for him to be there super early again. I was more awake surprisingly for this run. I checked a bag with my jacket in it, but I was wearing a tank top for the run. The day would be warmer than before. The news was reporting rain, but not until later on in the day.

Marathon Course!

I would be running through all 4 parks today along with Wide World of Sports and the Disney Speedway. The first half of the course is pretty similar to the half course. . I did get to run through the castle unlike during the half. I also stopped for a picture in front of the castle. 

Courtesy of Marathonfoto

I also got a picture with the White Rabbit. (I seem to get a picture with him a lot.)

Courtesy of Marathonfoto

The big difference with the half and full course is running along the speedway. A lot of people hate the speedway, but I like it. You can't run on a race track normally and I've grown up with cars so I think that it's cool. 

Courtesy of Marathonfoto

From Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom there is a lot of highway. It can be a little boring, but not too bad. This is where I took my second picture of the day, with the villains!

These are my people!

I feel like we entered the backroads to Animal Kingdom a lot earlier than I remember. I wish we ran through this park more, but most of the runners get there around park opening so it makes sense. I had no idea what my pace really was because I had made a bathroom stop and added a half mile onto my mileage. I knew that I wanted to ride Expedition Everest during the marathon. I didn't do it before and I don't plan on doing another marathon so this was my chance. I got into the single rider line and I was on there!

You don't get to ride a roller coaster during your marathon?

Woo hoo!

It gave me a boost. I was feeling amazing. This was probably my favorite time on this ride. I smiled and laughed the whole time. I did get cold, but warmed back up quickly. I wish there wasn't so much construction going on at this park, but I can get over it. They do have a lot of signs on the walls for people to take pictures with and upload.

Can you tell that those trees are fake behind me?
Courtesy of Marathonfoto

Remember the rain I had mentioned? On the highway to Wide World of Sports the rain came down. I knew that Nate was there somewhere, but I didn't want to ruin my phone so I had to hope I'd see him.The rain stopped, but started again. It was actually nice to get a cool down. It did get a little harder which made it harder to see with rain in your face, but nothing too bad. I walked a lot of Wide World of Sports until they gave out a banana which helped get my energy back up. Soon after, I saw Nate which was awesome. 

Soon I was heading towards Hollywood Studios. I was interested in seeing how the course would be now that the Backlot Tour is closed and you run through it. Through the costume tunnel they had fog and strobe lights. I hated it. I just pushed through the tunnel and was so excited to see light! There is construction going on here too including the Magic Hat. I'm glad I got a few pictures before the hat got the wall around it, but soon the parks will be redone and look great. 

Courtesy of Marathonfoto

After leaving Hollywood Studios we went along the Yacht and Beach Club. There are always a lot of people out and about here. It's nice to get the spectator support here too. 

Soon we were in Epcot. I honestly was ready to be done running, but was so excited that I was so close to finishing another marathon. I saw Nate again on the bridge heading into Future World. He asked if I wanted a doughnut. (Have you ever seen the doughnuts in this place? They are huge!!!) I said "No! I want to be finished!" In reality that is I want to finish and have a doughnut. (I did not get a doughnut.) Getting to mile 26 and seeing that choir, knowing that throughout the doors are people cheering you on as you make your way to the finish is a feeling that I can't fully describe. It is amazing! It is emotional! It is the moment you can just stop and be thankfully for everything. Finishing was amazing. I cried a little. I was so thankful to every single volunteer. I got my medal. I got my ice. I got a wet towel (which I hear are pricey). 

Courtesy of Marathonfoto

Courtesy of Marathonfoto

Remember when I said that no one knew what we were suppose to do without bracelets? Now was the first time the tent for Goofy/Dopey was being used for anything outside of herding us through! There was someone looking at our bibs and then a computer. (I'm guessing it was a picture from the expo and our times that we finished the previous 3 days? I should have turned around to see.) Hearing them say "Congratulations. You're all set." was the best. Next I got my Goofy and Dopey medals! There may have been a tear or two again.

Courtesy of Marathonfoto

And then food! Precious food! I got my gEAR bag for the final time and met up with Nate.

What nice volunteers!

5 mile: 1:14:34

10 mile: 2:36:17

Half: 3:28:49

20 mile: 5:10:48

Finish: 6:48:01

Clock Time: 7:28:24

Place: 17,024/19,970

Division: 1,433/1,731 (W25-29)

Gender: 8,325/10,285 (Women)

We went back to the hotel and grabbed some food. I took a little nap before showering and heading to my family's hotel. From there we went to Magic Kingdom to hang out for a little bit. Nate and I had dinner reservations for Be Our Guest later that night so we got in a few rides before hand.

Hey guys!

Dinner was delicious as always. We got to ride the Mine Train one last time on the way out of the park.  It was a great week. Running this challenge was amazing. Everything was great. I'm happy that I did this. 

Will I do this again? I've said no. Then again never say never right?

4 days of greatness.

NYC Marathon

I woke up at around 4 am on Sunday. I was tired. It was kind of cold. The clocks had changed. (Had they changed!?! I hope they changed!) I could hear the wind. (Freaking wind!) I took a quick shower to wake up and get a little warm. I needed to be at Central Park South by 6 am to catch the bus. The bus to Staten Island!

Walking through Times Square was so weird at 5 am. There were runners going in all different directions to get get their transportation to the start. I was told that it didn't matter which bus I got on so I hoped on the bus in front of me and in about 15 minutes we started to move. I fell asleep on the bus for a few minutes and before I knew it we were on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge! We got off the bus just after 7 am and I made my way through security and found the charity village. Once there we were met with strong winds. We stayed as warm as possible while waiting for our waves to be called. I was in wave 4. I wasn't starting the marathon until 10:55 am. The 4 hours actually went by pretty quickly. Suddenly our wave was called. I made my way to the green corral and lined up by the letter D.

Party wave!!!!

All the sudden the beginning of the marathons was happening! The first 2 miles were on the bridge. I was on the lower level of the bridge which blocked the GPS signal to my watch. I wasn't too concerned with it except I couldn't quite use my pace bracelet. The wind on the bridge was CRAZY! I was literally getting pushed towards the median! 

Start line!

Fort Wadsworth with Manhattan in the back!

Once off the bridge we were in Brooklyn. (I happen to love Brooklyn and was excited to run through it!) I took everything in while running and just appreciated everyone who was out there supporting the runners. I tried to find a friend around mile 8, but didn't see him.



I remember mile 8 a little too well. I was really feeling it at that point. I think that I just hadn't eaten enough while I was waiting, but who knows. My pace was dropping and hard. I knew that I could only do my best and kept pushing through. I was excited when I got to the Queensboro Bridge because I knew that I was going to finish. Nate also surprised me at the end of the bridge. I wasn't expecting to see him out on the course so I was excited. I remember telling him I just wanted to be done and that everything was hurting. First Ave seemed like forever. It is a straight shot and you can just see for miles. This made it hard to keep positive and moving in general.

When I got back into Manhattan I got my groove back. I was able to keep a better pace and up with my intervals. I can remember seeing Central Park in the distance and feeling like it took forever to get there.
Once I got into the park it was a wonderful feeling of knowing I was going to be done soon!

Soon I could see the finish line. Then I saw the tracking map and ran over it. When I looked up at the finish banner I saw it change to "Thank You, Charity Runners!" It seemed fitting for sure. I checked the app and saw that I finished in 6:05:57.

You are so welcome!

I walked up got my medal and started to cry. Why did I cry? I was happy. I was happy to be done. I was happy to have made it. I was happy that the hardest thing I've ever done was over. I was happy to get out of the wind and cold. (I didn't know that it would take me over an hour to get back to the hotel. Who decided all of this walking pre- and post-race was worth it!?!) I was crying out of relief. I just needed to cry. Then I cried because I couldn't get my bottle of water open. Then the flip top didn't open enough and that really pushed me from annoyed to pissed. I could have just grabbed water off of my belt, but I'm too stubborn for that. Finally I got my finishers poncho and it was the best thing ever! It is so warm! (I can wear it now that I'm home on the reg right?)

I'm not sleeping. I'm just laying, in a poncho.

There were 50, 564 finishers.
And I was one of them!

It hit me today (which is Wednesday the 5th) that I finished the NYC Marathon. Did I finish? Yes. Did I finish in under 6 hours? No, but the wind was a wench so I can let that go. Maybe one day I'll complete a marathon in 5:30 (which was my goal pace). Honestly I'm fine never doing a marathon again. Given the opportunity, sure I'll do it.

As of right now at 8 pm on Wednesday November 5 I have raised $3,685 for Children's Hospital! There is a few more donations coming through so I should have at least $3,700! I can't believe I got that much money for such a wonderful cause! If you didn't get an opportunity to donate or would like to donate again you can do so right here!

Weekly Recap 8/4-8/10 & Race Recap

First let's look at this past week.

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 17 minutes of yoga

Wednesday: 4.04 miles

Thursday: 30 minutes of yoga

Friday: 4 miles

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Bobby Doyle Summer Classic (5.05 miles), Walk 2 miles

This week kind of sucked. I tried to do some yoga on Tuesday to break away from life for an hour, but I barely got through 17 minutes. I couldn't shake the crappy mood I was in. I should have had a longer run, but I didn't want to overdo it with a race on Sunday. Plus with tax-free weekend coming up I know I'm going to be tired. This will definitely be a long week and hard to keep up my runs during. I'm just taking this one day at a time. I know that life gets in the way sometimes and that will have to be okay.

On Sunday I participated in the Bobby Doyle Summer Classic. I've never been to Narragansett, RI before, so this gave me an opportunity to see the town. I picked up my bib there about 20 minutes to the start of the race. I also received a pint glass which was given out to the first 100 registered runners (I think). I didn't think that I was one of them, but I did receive one. This was a 5 mile run so ideally I wanted to be done before an hour. And I should have. I've been having some GI issues before runs lately and can't figure out what is going on. I haven't changed anything that I've been eating or anything like that so who knows. At around 3.5 miles I started to feel sick. I couldn't wait to be finished with the run, but knew it was only 1.5 miles until I was done and could go be sick in a bathroom. (Yes a real bathroom! The school was open to register, get your bibs, and use real bathrooms!) I lasted a mile before I did get sick. That added a few minutes to my time. I did finish in 1:00:18. I got my medal and a cup of water before using the bathroom one more time. I didn't take any post-race snacks or anything. I did bring a few things with me and had them in the car for the ride home. Overall I really enjoyed this race. There are very fast people out there and I can't imagine running that fast for a block forget miles. All the volunteers were very nice and always shouted out a great job. (Or in my case "I like your tattoo".)

Now I just have to get through tax free than I can focus on the Zooma Half next month.

I'm still raising money for Boston Children's Hospital too. If you can donate you can do so here. Any amount can help and goes directly to the hospital. Plus we all love tax write-offs!

A Challenge and an Update!

Let me start with a recap of my week, then we'll get into my runs today.

Monday: 4 mile run, 20 min yoga

Tuesday: 15 min legs with 3 lb weights, 1 hour yoga

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 4.13 miles

Friday: 15 min of core, .5 mile walk, dancing 

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 17.2 mile run

On Friday night I went to into Boston to see Katy Perry. This is my 3rd time seeing her, so I was obviously excited to see her again. There have been lots of reviews for the Prismatic Tour and I haven't seen one bad word about the show. She plays her hits and some stuff off the new album. There were different sections of the show, each with their own theme. You couldn't get bored watching it with so many set and costume changes. I think the Cat-oure section was my favorite. If you know Katy Perry, you know she loves cats and always incorporates them into her show.

The Hyper Neon section was great too. It had a 90s vibe and she wore a green wig. This is when she played her single "Birthday" and balloons fell all over the audience. They chose a fan from the audience to go up on stage if their birthday was in the month that the show was. 

Fan brought up for "Birthday".

She got carried by balloons as well.  

She ended with "Firework" which is always amazing to see. And yes, there were fireworks.

Today I got up early and drove up to Rockport, MA for the Triple Threat Challenge. At 9 am I started with 1 mile run. I was back for about 10 minutes before the 5k started at 9:20. I had 15 minutes before the start of the half at 10:15. This left me with no time to use the bathroom (the lines were a little long with such a short time in between runs). My right knee started giving me a little issue during the 5k so I used some BioFreeze on it while I waited for the start of the half. My legs were definitely feeling it at this point. I hadn't trained for this long of a run as of now so I knew it wasn't going to be perfect. The course had hills, which I was expecting. Just after the turn around point in Gloucester, there was a hill from hell. I swear it was so steep I was angry. At one point during the run I had to tell myself to stop being so hard on myself and just do my best. I was just tired and in pain. Luckily I pulled myself out of it. It was hard for me to find a good interval to run at, so I had to keep changing the pace. I was actually surprised with my finish time for the half. Here's the results:

1 Mile: 9:47

5k: 34:56

Half: 2:45:36

Total: 3:28:04

The race was really good. I enjoyed the views along the way. 

 The volunteers along the course were wonderful. Everyone was happy and cheered us along. We may have not had as much support from spectators, but there were a lot of people who came out from their homes to cheer us on which was nice. Considering I was there all day I did notice that before I finished that the sponsors were already packed up and leaving. This was kind of disappointing that people in the back of the pack didn't receive all the same things that the faster runners did. The course was still open for a least 30 more minutes if not more when I finished. There has been a lot of people speaking out about how slower runners miss out on things. This was the first time that I have personally experienced it.






CJ goes in to get surgery on his ear again tomorrow. As of today I've raised $1,235 for Children's Hospital. All money raised goes directly to the hospital to help kids like CJ. If you would like to donate you can do so here.

4 Weeks Down...

...14 more weeks to go. I felt like I was getting through the weeks really quick, but 14 weeks is still a lot of weeks. I've started 5 weeks today and feel better about it. Last week wasn't really great. I was feeling sick on and off most of the week and missed my long run. I know these things can happen, but it's still hard to not beat myself up over. I'm trying to be positive. This week will be better and longer (more on that later).

Let's take a look at last week:

Monday: 2.71 miles

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Sequence 1 of the Tracy Anderson Method

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 3.03 miles, 5 minute yoga, & .5 mile walk

Saturday: Rest (Sick all day)

Sunday: 3 mile walk

I'm hoping that this week I'll be feeling much better. So far today seems good. I got out for my run and finished with some yoga. 

This week will be a little more challenging. I signed up for a race that I'm not fully trained for, but then again I've never been fully trained for anything I feel like. So on Sunday morning I will be driving up to Rockport, MA for the Yukan Run TripleThreat Half Marathon Challenge! The races start at 9 am. Yes I said races. This is how the morning will look:

9 am: 1 mile

9:20 am: 5k

10:15 am: Half Marathon

Extra for running all 3 races!

If you do all 3 you are completing the TripleThreat Challenge. Of course I signed up for that. (I'm losing my mind!) Regardless of which race/races you do you receive a tech-race shirt. If you complete the half marathon you also receive a medal. Of course if you complete all 3 you receive a beach cooler as well. I'm excited to go to the North Shore to run. I don't usually go anywhere north of Boston. I've never been to this area either so I'll be using this experience as a sightseeing time as well.

The following weekend I will be going south to Narragansett, RI to run. (I've never been to this part of Rhode Island either. I must be going for the ocean views!) I'll be running in the Bobby Doyle Summer Classic. This is a 5 mile run which will also include ocean views for part of the race. You do receive a tech-race shirt and a medal for finishing the race.

Not only am I excited for seeing new places that are pretty close to home, but I'm also excited that I've reached 30% of my fundraising goal so far! I've set a new goal of reach 50% by September 6th. I know there's been a lot of stories going around right now about children who are sick. As someone who has seen these people first hand at Children's Hospital, my heart breaks even more for them. 

CJ's first opening day!

I know that most people who are in my life today know CJ as a happy kid who is always running around. And that is how we see him now too. My family also remembers him being in the hospital. It is awful to think this is how we spent months, but CJ is stronger because of it. (No really, wait until he hits you or throws something at you.) We have pictures that we don't really show people hidden way on the computer. I hate that anyone has to go through this. I know that it is hard to think about good things that happen to us sometimes, but we should all try. It can be something small even. (Like that woman who held the door for you.) 

I'm running for every single child and every single family who has to go through hard times with their children. I may not be a mother, but I do feel for you. If you can donate any amount to the hospital please do so here: Nicole's Fundraising Page.

NYC Marathon Check-In

I can be bad at talking about my training. Okay, I'm awful at it. Maybe it's time for some accountability here! Plus I'm barely talking about how I'm running the NYC Marathon.

I've always thought about how awesome it would be to run this marathon. Most people strive to run Boston, not me. (Yeah I know, but you're from there.) I can't wait to see the city in a whole new way. I'm currently at 28% to my goal. You can always donate and help kids get better.

CJ is much better at taking pictures now.

My training for NYC and for the Dopey Challenge started last week. The hospital has a training schedule that I'm following for right now. I'm following the beginner plan. I've only done one marathon before and don't want to push myself further than necessary. I have enough problems without hurting myself by going to hard. Here's how my training looked for the last week:

Monday: Rest day. (I ran 1.18 miles the day before.

Some XT with walking and dancing at a concert.)

Tuesday: XT (walking, stairs, dancing)

Wednesday: Rest day.

Thursday: 1.52 miles

Friday: XT (workout DVD)

Saturday: 2.02 miles

Sunday: XT (walking on the waterfront in Plymouth)

The mileage isn't super high (yet). I've also been working everyday so there's always other things that I'm doing. I actually haven't felt overwhelmed by this training plan. Usually I feel like I can't do it or that I don't have time, but 1 mile isn't bad and can be done in a short amount of time. I know that I'll have to do back to back long runs sooner or later, but the runDisney training plan for Dopey begins the back to back runs starting on Week 12 (the week of September 15). There are 3 weeks that I'll need to add back to back long runs during my NYC Marathon training and I'm okay with that. 

Let's see how next week looks when I check in again!

Lazy Lobster Race

Today I ran in the Lazy Lobster 10-Mile race in Wareham. I had this weekend off from work, so I was searching on Active for something to do this weekend. I mean who wouldn't sign up for something called the Lazy Lobster. There were 2 options, 5-mile or 10-mile. I said I'd do the 5-mile after running all of last weekend and having the B.A.A. 10k next week. Then I saw the medal for the 10-mile and suddenly I was signed up for the 10-mile.

Like I had a choice. ©Lazy Lobster Race

Yesterday I went down to Wareham to get my bib. After a quick and easy pick up I met up with my friend Mary for dinner and movie. (What a lovely date night!) We saw The Fault in Our Stars. I just finished the book recently, so I knew what to expect during the movie. I also knew it was going to be sad and there may or may not be tears. I can't say there weren't tears, but there was not complete breakdown crying like a teenager had behind us. (But really, what?) You should go see the movie. Or read the book. Or both!

Anyways, back to the run! I arrived almost at the start time. (I should have gotten water last night, but I always put things off until last minute.) We ran throughout Wareham and a little bit through Marion. (I never knew where Marion was until today!) I saw horses and dogs and cranberry bogs. More cranberry bogs than anything else. On the 10-mile course there were 4 water stops. The last 2 stops also had Gatorade which I gladly sipped on. I felt like the course went by pretty quickly. I finished in 1:51:25 (by Nike+. I'm still waiting for the official times to be posted). I got my medal (and a shot glass), grabbed a snack and some Cran-Grape juice (thanks Ocean Spray!).

This is Louie the Lazy Lobster.
I think he's scary.

I would do this run again. They also have a virtual option so if you're not in the area you can still participate and get a medal!

Happy New Year!

It's a new year.

It seems like we just did this for 2013. Now it's 2014. This year went by quick.

I'd like to go on about what I want to do this year and all of that, but mostly I want to live today. Not worry about tomorrow or about yesterday.

So what I should have posted yesterday is this:

2013 was quite the year.

Cue the recap!!!!!

January
I finished a marathon. Holy shit! That was one of the craziest things I've ever done. I'm not saying I was the fastest. I'm not saying I was the slowest. I'm saying I'm a finisher.

Everyone loves a Dole Whip!!!!!

I officially began my season with Team in Training.

February
Nothing is fully sticking out to me. Maybe it was a slow month? I can share this video one more time with you though!

This is funny.

March
I made my goal of raising $2,900 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I could not have been happier & a little less stressed.

April
Such a lovely month led to such a tragedy. A tragedy led to support.

April also held my first non-Disney half marathon, the Nike Women Half. It was an emotional race. It was an amazing race.

May
I took some time off. I tried to just live. I stepped foot back on the streets that changed so many peoples lives forever for the first time.

June
I turned 26. I turned 26 thinking I was changing. I think. Maybe I wasn't. Maybe I'm the same I was my entire life. I'm not sure. I did spend a little time with some really lovely people though.

Climbing to the top of the Bunker Hill monument with Rob

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July
There was a 3rd of July party.

There was a wedding.

There were also some new friends made. These are the best friends I've had.

August
Spartan Race!

Muddy & Gorgeous! 

Finishers!

My first trip to the West Coast also happened this year.

Godney

C2C Challenge Complete!

September

I ran my very first Disneyland Half Marathon. It was different than Disney World, but still an amazing experience.

I also ran my 5th & 6th half marathons.

October

I got to participate in the B.A.A. Half Marathon and my only 2 nighttime runs. Then I ran my very last race for the year. The Cause 4 Paws in Quincy helps the Quincy Animal Shelter. My friend has even adopted his cats from there.

"Who's Nadine? Could she get it?"

November

A lovely month of not running. Rest can help immensely! There was also turkey. 

Thanksgiving Day Sleepover

December

Holiday was crazy in the retail world. 

I got to experience some amazing moments with my friends. From giving Nate a wonderful birthday present. Shared a present exchange with some crazy amazing friends. Spent Christmas Eve with some friends for dinner. Also learned one of my oldest friends is expecting a baby this summer. 

Hey 2014 what do you have for me?