Walt Disney World Half Marathon

All the sudden I was entering day 3 of the Dopey Challenge, the half marathon. I remember feeling super tired. (I also remember almost falling asleep standing in the corrals.) Nate got up early with me and came to the start. He was going to head to Magic Kingdom and then back to the finish to see me.

Half Marathon Route

After hanging around for a little while I headed over to the corrals. I was in corral L for the half and the marathon. All I can remember is closing my eyes and knowing that I wanted to sleep. I knew that I couldn't though. My game plan for the half was to take it easy and walk a lot of the course. I was also feeling a little sick. (Did I mention I was sick the night before? Yeah…awesome.) Soon we were at the start line and off we went.

Starting line!

We headed out of the parking lot towards Magic Kingdom. I think running through the parking gate towards Magic Kingdom is one of my favorite parts. We've all driven through the gates that say Magic Kingdom on top and this would be the first of two days that I would be running (or walking) through them. After you pass through these gates you head towards the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) and the Contemporary. Nate was at the TTC to see me which was great. It was a nice pick me up. After the TTC, you have to go under a water bridge which is pretty cool. They always have a DJ with huge Mickey gloves on to get you up (as one runner called it over the weekend) "Disney's Heartbreak Hill". (I've run Heartbreak Hill, this is nothing.)

One of the best parts of this course is coming in a side entrance to Magic Kingdom onto Main Street. The street is lined with spectators and this is your first glimpse of Cinderella's Castle. The castle is lit up, but it depends on when you get to Magic Kingdom if you see it lit up in the dark or in the light. Today was light when I arrived. Nate had said that he was by the Christmas tree, but I hadn't seen him. So he headed towards the castle to see me.

On the way to Tomorrowland!

From Main Street you head into Tomorrowland before heading back towards the castle. I had seen Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland and the Queen of Hearts by the Teacups. I wasn't stopping for any pictures today so I kept on trucking by. Soon we came up on the back part of the castle. Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff were out there with fake snow again saying hi to everyone.

They're trying to take over Cindy's castle!

Running through the castle is usually the coolest part of the route. Today I hated it. All the sudden everyone just stopped inside. They were taking pictures inside of the castle which I didn't expect until I almost stepped on a photographer. I didn't get to run out of the castle and get a fun photo like I have before because everyone was walking. They were taking photos in front of the castle as well, but I didn't head over there. I did see Nate and gave him my jacket now that I was warming up. I kept going and headed over to Liberty Square and towards Adventureland before heading out of the park. 

Now we were on our way back to Epcot.

Epcot this way!

We were half way through the half marathon. I was almost done with day 3 of the challenge. Whoa! I had read on a Facebook group that there was someone dressed as Richard Simmons doing the Dopey Challenge. I didn't really believe it until I saw him on the starting screen while waiting for the start. I ended up texting Carrick about it. (We send each other Richard Simmons memes for motivation.) All the sudden I heard something. I turned to my right. There he was! I laughed and it helped me move more! He was great. I wish I ran with him more! 

Soon we were back in Epcot and almost done! Nate was at the finish line waiting for me and I was thrilled to be done. I grabbed some ice on the way out and headed to the reunion area. I was done with day 3.

Courtesy of Marathonfoto

5k: 47:34

10k: 1:37:49

15k: 2:19:53

Finish: 3:13:32

Clock Time: 3:54:16

Place: 16,683/22,081

Division: 1,230/1,697 (W 25-29)

Gender: 8,605/12,379 (Women)

Only the toughest pose with ice!

We met with my family later that day for lunch and hung out at Magic Kingdom for a little bit. Nate and I headed back to our hotel early. I was ready for bed and head to get up one last time super early. 

Walt Disney World 10k

Day two of the Dopey Challenge was the Walt Disney World 10k. I've never done the 10k in Disney before, mostly because it was just introduced last year during Marathon Weekend. The course was similar to the 5k with an out and back on the highway and running along the Boardwalk. I know that people don't necessarily love this course, but I didn't think too much about it. (A runDisney employee even told me the 10k route wasn't good.) Spoiler: Not my favorite route. The out and back was boring and going into Epcot (near the Test Track back entrance) was really dark. I wouldn't rule out running the 10k again, but I don't want to go out of my way to run it.

10k route in red

The morning of the 10k was warmer and less windy than the 5k, but a lot of us still huddle inside the tent like the previous morning. After waiting around before moving to the corrals I finally got to the start line. The time in between corrals was longer today. 

Start line!

There were different characters along the course today. The White Rabbit was at the turn around on the highway, but he was kind of far down the street still. It was kind of weird. Lilo and Stitch were out. I was going to stop, but there were long lines again everywhere. Anna and Elsa made their first appearance this weekend on the overpass. When you got close enough to them you could see snow falling! (It was actually really cool and the same snow you'd find on a mountain. It was cold when it landed on you!)

Anna & Elsa made it snow

I stopped for Mushu from Mulan.

Courtesy of Marathonfoto

I also saw football player Mickey, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb, Genie, baseball player Chip and Dale, a few dancers on stilts, and a couple large puppets (which were along the mile 20 during the 2013 marathon).

The finish line was at the same parking lot as the 5k. (Spoiler alert: its the same spot for the finish for the half and the full too.) After I got my medal and my snacks (did I mention these are the best snack boxes Disney has offered!?!) I headed to the bus back to the hotel. 

Finish Line

Courtesy of Marathonfoto

5k: 38:15

Finish: 1:28:37

Clock: 1:59:30

Place: 7,311/10,949

Division: 489/743 (W 25-29)

Gender: 3,710/6,309 (Women)

Look at that medal!

After the 10k we headed over to Animal Kingdom to have breakfast at Tusker House. I've never eaten here before and I'm so glad that we did. We got to meet Donald, Goofy, Daisy, and Minnie decked out in safari gear. It's a buffet, so you can eat as much as you want! This is also a great time to try something new. I'm a big fan of the juice that they offer you. I'm a bigger fan of the Krispy Kreme doughnut holes! I recommend this character breakfast to anyone and everyone! I'm already thinking when can I go back.

With Donald at Tusker House

Next up, the half marathon!

Walt Disney World Family Fun Run 5k

Part one of the Dopey Challenge is the 5k. The race started at 6:15 am in the Epcot parking lot. This was the first of four days waking up early and hanging out in this parking lot. There was a wind chill advisory for that morning. Let me tell you, it was cold. (Meanwhile back home it was in single if not negative digits.)

A bunch of people ended up staying inside of a tent before the 5k. I'm not sure what this tent was meant for, but I did hear it was going to be used after the half and the full for massages. The tent kept the wind out and with so many people in there it was warm (or at least warmer than outside). Nate did mention that after all the runners moved to their corrals the tent was not very warm.

Danielle, Me, Becka

I walked to the corrals with Becka and Danielle. They were in corral B, while I was heading to corral D. (A lot of people complain about corral placement, but I don't care too much. Do I wish that I was in a higher corral? Sure I do. Am I upset at the corral I was placed in? Not so much. I'm happy to have the opportunity to participate.) Before getting to the corrals we hit a bottle neck that we couldn't figure out what was happening. What was happening is that they were checking everyone for bibs before getting to the corral area. Once at the corrals you were checked again to make sure you were entering the proper corral. They had the corrals start fairly quickly. Nobody wanted to be outside in the cold!

Soon I was at the starting line! I was slightly nervous. This is usually when I find out my knee is acting up again. I felt amazing the whole run though! The course had changed slightly since the last time I ran this race is 2013, but I liked it. We ran through the The Land (this is where you find the ride Soarin') instead of running around Spaceship Earth by the entrance.

The blue line is the 5k course

We enter Epcot through the backstage area and come in next to Mexico, then head around the World Showcase, towards Future World, by The Land, then towards Spaceship Earth, and back into the parking lot.

There were a lot of character stops throughout the World Showcase. The lines were all fairly long so I didn't stop at any. There was Princess Atta & Flick (from A Bug's Life), Norway Daisy,  Marie (from Aristocats), Pinocchio, Japanese Chip & Dale, and Canadian Donald. I feel okay not stopping for any pictures. I didn't want to be out in the cold longer than I needed to be. Plus I'd always have the next 3 days for character stops.

Courtesy of Marathonfoto

I was feeling amazing when I finished the 5k. I got my "medal" (it's made of plastic, but it's always one of my favorites) and met up with Nate. 

Finish: 36:57

Day 1 complete!

After the 5k we headed back to the hotel and then to Hollywood Studios. We rode a few rides, watch Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. We ate a delicious cupcake. (No really, it was amazing.) And we met a couple of characters.

Baymax cupcake!

Pluto was excited to see himself on my medal!

We left fairly early. I had to be up the next morning for the 10k!

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Expo

Last week at this time I was in the midst of the biggest physical challenge I'd face, the Dopey Challenge! I haven't been home or awake long enough to write any recaps so I'm going to break it down over the next couple of days.

I left last Monday to head down to Orlando. I couldn't wait to get out of the cold that we have been having. The first two days Nate and I visited some parks. On Wednesday we were up early to head over to the Expo! The expo is where you pick up your bibs, shirts, swag, merchandise, and almost anything else you could see. The expo for Marathon Weekend is at ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. I already had in mind what I wanted to accomplish while there which helped. (You should always have a game plan!)

Once you arrive at the complex you want to go do your packet pickup in the HP Field House.  I usually do the 5k and then another event making me need to go all the way around, downstairs, and back upstairs to do it again. This was the first year I only had to stop at one area because I was doing the Dopey Challenge!  runDisney has just started making it so that you have to pickup your own bib. (People will sell their bibs or have someone run a portion of a challenge for them, but still receive the medals.) After getting my bibs I had to get a picture for the race weekend. The pictures were the way to make sure that I was running every race. I was given two bibs (one for the 5k/10k and one for the Half/Full), a gEar bag sticker, and a card to pick up my commemorative items. (I've never received a card for commemorative items before. I've always received them when I got my bibs.)

The next stop for me was the lower level of the HP Field House to receive my gEAR bag. I loved only going to one table to receive all of my things. (The bag that you receive is what you will use to check any items at the race.) Inside this bag was all six shirts! Yes six shirts! You get a shirt for doing the 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon as well as receiving a Goofy Challenge shirt and a Dopey Challenge shirt! After picking up my bag I headed over to receive my commemorative items. I got all six pins for the races and challenges.

In the field house they also have a smaller area for official runDisney merchandise. In the official event guide they had a picture of how the runDisney merchandise would be organized. I knew what I was looking for when I walked in so it was easy to grab things quickly and pay. I got the 2015 Mickey Vinylmation, the 6 race and challenge pins (they are mini medals), and a pint glass. I was happy the line was quick.

Jostens Center

After we left the field house, we headed over to the Jostens Center to look at more vendors. If you are not running a challenge this is also where you would head to pick up your gEAR bag and shirts. There is a bigger runDisney merchandise area which was busier and a little chaotic so we just kind of looked through quickly and moved on. We had walked throughout the aisles of exhibitors, but I didn't need anything so we headed towards the exit. On the way to the exit you can also find the Speaker Series. We listened to a little bit of Jeff Galloway talk before we headed outside.

Free photos!

Something new this year was that they had exhibitors around Champion Stadium. We looked at some exhibitors and won a free gift. Nate made me a cheering sign outside too. While he did that I put his name on a sticker that said something like "Thanks for being there" on it.

We took off back to the hotel after that to drop off our stuff. We had lunch reservations at the Magic Kingdom that we needed to get to.

I did end up back at the expo on Friday to get more capris (it was colder than expected). I also got an I Did It! Dopey Challenge shirt and a Coast to Coast Challenge pin. I'm not doing Coast to Coast this year, but I have in the past. I also got a gift certificate for Marathonfoto so that I could get some race day photos to keep. Nate also signed up for Runner Tracking while we were there.

5k

10k

Half Marathon

Marathon

Dopey Challenge

Goofy Challenge

Overall my experience at the expo both day was quick and easy. It felt strange that there were some exhibitors outside, but it was okay. The Jostens Center was a little crowded, but nothing out of the ordinary from previous years.

Coming up…the Walt Disney World Family Fun Run 5k!

Drinking Water is a Must!

A couple weeks ago a girl who I went to high school with invited me to an event she is hosting. The event is help everyone in the event drink more water. I have been slacking on the water intake lately and was back to drinking soda regularly. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to get me back on drinking more water.

The challenge will last for 4 weeks starting January 1st. The ultimate goal? To drink 1 liter of water a day.

My friend Carrick gave me a new Bobble water bottle for Christmas. I was super pumped after the last 2 that I had got thrown out. This water bottle has a filter. I love this because I can just go into the bathroom at work and use the sink to fill the bottle instead of having to find time to run to a store to buy a bottle of water.

You just need to buy a new filter after 2 months/40 gallons of use. I have 2 filters from my previous bottle so I am ready to filter for half of the year! 

Back to the challenge!

The few days before the January 1st we were told to figure out what our daily average water intake was. Once we got our average intake we were to subtract that from 128 oz (or 1 liter) and divide that number by 4. Once we got that final number we are to drink that much more each week to reach the final week of 1 liter a day. 

Here's what my break out for the next 4 weeks looks like:

Week 1: 92 ounces

Week 2: 104 ounces

Week 3: 116 ounces

Week 4: 128 ounces

I know that the next week in Disney will be slightly more difficult to keep up on my water. (I promise I will nix the soda when I get back!) Water is really important for runners, especially when they are doing the Dopey Challenge! 

I hope that I can report back that I have done a good job of keeping up with my water intake. I'll be honest about how much water I have taken in each day and at the end of the week will report of this little blog. 

Goodbye 2014!

I'm not too sure how I feel about ending the year and talking about it. Yet here I am. Maybe because I feel like I need to. Or maybe because I want to see what was happening this year. I'm not really sure. 

Here's what went down in 2014!

Total Races:

 21

Virtual Runs: 

3

1 mile: 

1

5k:

6

5 mile: 

1

10k: 

3

6.5 mile: 

1

7 mile: 

1

10 mile: 

1

Half Marathon: 

6

Marathon: 

1

Challenges: 

3

 (BAA Distance Medley, Runner's World Hat Trick, Triple Threat Half Marathon Challenge)

PRs: 

5k (30:58), 

10k (1:09:40), 

Marathon (6:05:57)

I PR'd in all the major categories except for the half marathon (which I came pretty damn close to). 

Do I have any goals for 2015? I'd like to get a half marathon PR (I'm looking at you Zooma Half!) and I'd like to break a 30 minute 5k. 

Are these crazy goals? Nope. 

Can I accomplish these goals? Hell yes I can!

I leave for Disney in a few days. I'm ready to take on the Dopey Challenge. (As ready as I can be at least!) 

2015 I'm coming for you!

Last Run of 2014!

On Saturday, 12.13.14, I went up to Newburyport, MA to participate in the Ladies Night Out Run, Wine, and Chocolate Event. Danielle had mentioned this race to me at the BAA Half and got me interested. Somehow I talked my cousin into signing up for the run as well and from the moment she picked me up she was saying she hated me. As we got closer to Newburyport we noticed that it looked dark. The weather wasn't showing anything, but it started to snow. (Like big flakes of snow!) I wasn't too worried (I did hear something about hate again though).

We arrived in Newburyport and easily found a spot to park right near the start/finish line. Bib pick-up was inside Nicholson Hall. This was also where the after party took place. We got to stay inside and use a real bathroom and stay warm until the start. Just before 3 pm we were ushered outside for the run. We had been told that the race would be un-timed, but there would be a clock at the start/finish. I remember the clock showing :30 when we crossed the start. My cousin and I stayed with Danielle the entire run. My ankle gave out on me right after we crossed the start line, but I could keep going. While running I could tell that I've been lazy. (Nothing like your body reminded you what you'd like to forget.) My calves tightened up, but felt better as I kept going. My ankle did start to hurt a little, but I could deal with it. We crossed the finish line somewhere between 33 and 34 minutes. I can't remember the finish time to save my life, but I did look. After you crossed the finish line you received a red carnation (unless you were the first one to finish than you received roses). Once you got back inside Nicholson Hall you received a wine glass with a piece of chocolate. The party felt really crowded, even though the only people that were allowed in were the participants. We stayed for just a minute and didn't indulge in the wine or appetizers or even the chocolate fountain afterwards. I had a Christmas party to go to in Plymouth so we made our way back to the South Shore. Would I do this run again? I would, but only with someone else.

What else is going on? Besides working and the holiday, not too much. Preparing for Disney and the Dopey Challenge. Starting to build my race schedule for next year!

I signed up tonight for the Black Cat 10M & 20M. I'll be doing the 10 miler. If I was doing a spring marathon than the 20 miler may have worked, but 10 miles is enough! The run benefits the Allie's Scholarship Fund. Allie had gotten killed crossing the street at the age of 15. You can read more about the scholarship by clicking the link.







There is another race that I always wanted to take part in. It seemed fun and different. There were rumors that the race was over in 2014. Then it appeared on a list for 2015. The rumors started that 2015 would be the final year of the race. Sadly the race will not happen after 2015. I am super excited to say that I will be taking part in the final running of the Expedition Everest Challenge!

This is a night run in the Animal Kingdom park in Disney World. Animal Kingdom closes early so to be there at night is really cool. Not only is this a 5k, but also a scavenger hunt and an obstacle course! After you hunt for the yeti on the course you are let into a post-race party! I will be running this as a team with my friend Carrick. Might as well visit Disney for the first time and do the last running of this great race! This is the race that usually is open to register until almost race day. This year was different though. In just over an hour the race sold out! 

I'm excited to see what 2015 has in store for me!