Goofy Challenge Race Recap

The weekend I had been thinking worrying and training about for months finally arrived and it was all worth it!

Half Marathon
Although the Disney World Marathon weekend is scheduled for the coldest weekend in January (historically) this year was an exception. Not what I wanted for running long distances, but it could have been worse.  Morning temps were in the upper 50s and warmed up to mid 70s.   Because we start so damn early, we run a good portion of the race in the dark which helps on warm days like this.

I don't know if it's the starting time, 5:30am, the number of runners 24,000 for the half and more for the marathon, or the distance you have to walk to the starting line, 20 min walk, but you have to get up so early for these races!  We had a 2:30am wake up time with the goal of leaving the house by 3:05am in an effort to get to the parks by 3:30am and beat the traffic.  The pre-race traffic jam stresses me out and I would rather have a calmer start to the day so it's worth it to get up 30 minutes earlier.

There are many opportunities to run half marathons and marathons, but only one place where you can stop along the way and get photos with all the characters you grew up with. Our goal for this race was to take it easy and take lots of pictures and that's just what we did.

The Mary Poppins pic is my favorite! 

We finished the race in 2:23:46 with one-third of the challenge completed. Then we headed back home to refuel, relax and get ready for tomorrow's race.

Marathon

Waking up at 2:30am for the second night in a row wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it did make me think of the movie Groundhog Day.  Using the same routine, we got to Epcot without too much trouble, but the crowd arrived earlier today.  The big change we made was to head out to the starting line as soon as they opened the chutes.  It was so much better than the giant crowd were  wedged into the day before during the walk out.

Our plan today was to run-walk in 4:1 intervals, take more photos and enjoy the race. The first walk break always feels awkward, because you don't need it then and everyone is hustling past you. We pretty much stuck to that schedule except for photo and bathroom breaks until later in the race when we walked more than ran. 

We didn't want to kill ourselves to finish with a great time.  It was a relief to not worry about the time, something I am not used to, but very freeing. Unlike yesterday, I brought some extra food with me to eat later on in the race. Consuming only Powerade and water for that many miles is not enough for me and I am not a GU person.  I packed Honey Stingers, a Cliff Crunch and some pretzels. 

  

                                                             

The villains photo is my favorite from this day! Gaston cracked me up.

Belle looks sweet, but I think she woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, because she was a little abrupt.  Not very Belle like.

   

Because this was the 20th anniversary of the marathon there were some special happenings at mile 20. My photos don't do it justice.  It was refreshing to have a little excitement at the point in the race you really wish you were closer to the finish line than you are.  

I was very hot and tired by the time we crossed the finish line in 5:31:29.  

We met our goal and completed the Goofy Challenge!  I can't believe I ran 39.3 miles in two days. It was not easy and it took many hours of training, but I'm glad I did it and I'm glad its over. It is definitely a crazy thing to do, but it is such a big deal during this weekend that you feel like a celebrity when people see your Goofy bib and share words of encouragement.

It was an experience I will never forget!

Gearing Up for Goofy

Only 8 days until the Goofy Challenge begins!  I am both nervous and excited.

This will be my second time running a marathon, but that does not make me feel any more prepared because the first one was exhausting and I didn't run a half marathon the day before.  In fact, I remember saying to myself that day that I couldn't imagine running those distances in back to back days.  Yet, here I am about to do that exact thing. Why did I think this was a good idea?  I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could.

 Next Saturday I will run the half marathon and on Sunday I will run the marathon at Disney World. Although this will be my longest distance race, my training plan is not more demanding than my marathon training 2 years ago.  The biggest difference has been the addition of two long runs on back to back days.  Other than that, I have only been running two days a week for 30-45 minutes.  It doesn't seem like enough, but I am trusting the plan. After all it is from Jeff Galloway who knows a thing or two about running.  My goal is not to PR both races but to finish them in an upright position.

I plan to take it easy on the half and enjoy the run and then run a 3:1 run/walk ratio for the full. I just want to finish!

My husband (dessert man) and I will be running this race together.  It will be nice to share the experience and encourage each other along when the going gets tough.  

Right now, the weather forecast is not ideal, but that can change.

I will run 7 miles tomorrow and then a couple 30 min runs next week and that is it!

Other than that, I need to decide what to wear and what to eat on those days and prepare ahead of time anything I can.  I don't think we're going to feel like doing a lot of cooking that weekend.  

We have been planning this race since April and I don't wan't anything to get in our way of finishing it when we are this close.

2012 Disney Princess Half Marathon Recap

Although I have run many races at Disney World, this was my first time running the Princess Half.  Last year I volunteered at the race and it stoked my fire to run it this year.  Plus it was part of my plan to earn Disney's Coast to Coast Medal.


I headed to the Expo after the Meet Up. I arrived just after it opened and there was a line to get in.  I had never waited to get in before. While waiting they had this photo op.  I didn't have time to wait in that line too since I had to get to work.

The place was packed, and there was a lot to see.  I told myself I was just going to pick up my packet and NOT browse...
That didn't work out exactly how I planned. I saw a great blue Coast to Coast shirt and was set to get it until I saw the length of the line.  I didn't need it that badly.  The Luna Bar booth had yummy samples of their Mint Chocolate Chip protein bar.
I ended up buying a shirt from Foot Locker and then had buyer's remorse.  I should have stuck to my original plan.

I am very happy with the t-shirt we got for participating! And they have made changing sizes so much easier.  Once again I ordered, the wrong size and had to switch for a larger one.  I was excited to see I would be in corral A! It is so much nicer to be near the front.  Shorter lines for photos, less people on the course and less waiting until start time.  All good things!

I was also given my bracelet for the Coast to Coast Medal.  They had to put it on me right then, so I sported my "I went to a bar last night" bracelet for a few days.

Race day started for me at 3:15am.  I wanted to leave the house by 3:30 in hopes of beating some of the traffic headed for Epcot.  I've been in worse, but it was still a hectic ride once we hit Disney property. I hate that part, it can be stressful, but I like to sleep at home before a race and didn't want to pay to for a room. 


 I waited in the car until I had to make my way to the starting line and gave myself 20 minutes, but it was so crowded and the group was not moving. Our path was blocked by people waiting in line for the rows of bathrooms along the way. It ended up taking me much, much longer. The national anthem began playing and I had not yet made it to my corral! 


I made it with a few minutes to spare.  I worked my way to the front half with the 1:50 pace group in sight.  I didn't think I could run it in that time, but I wanted to see myself in comparison. Within the first mile,  they were already out of sight.  They ran so fast and I thought I had a quick starting pace for me.


There were tons of photo ops in this race, with almost any character you could imagine.  Some I hated to run by without taking a picture, but I told myself that I was running for a time and couldn't stop.


My goal was to beat 2:00. I ran my last half in 2:06 and knew I needed to start off a little stronger.  The first 5K felt good, but when I hit the first hill coming up from the underpass at about mile 5 I felt so winded!  I knew I needed to slow down and catch my breath. It took a while to recover and I felt slow throughout the Magic Kingdom.  At this point, I figured I had lost my chance to beat 2 hours, so I decided to stop for a photo outside the castle.  If I didn't make my time, I wanted to have pictures.   I have seen some really great castle photos before, but I know now that they don't look good in the dark. I suppose that's a downside of an early start time.  I did get a few good photos, though.

I spent miles 9-12 with the 2 hour pace group.  I knew I started a little before them, and really needed to stay ahead of them, but this was the best I could do.  The pace runner was great and kept the group updated on how much longer to the next mile, upcoming water stations and details of the course.  It helped me keep going until we reached the second hill somewhere near mile 12.  I made it up the ramp and then walked through the water station.  When faced with the second hill, I started to walk and just then a passing runner told me not to walk and run the hill with her.  I did.  Princess Emily saved me from exhaustion and got me through that hill.  She was a lifesaver!  I had fallen behind the two hour pace group, but did my best to keep a decent pace for the remaining miles.  

I was so tired!  I just wanted to be done.
  

I gave one last push to the end and ended up finishing with 2:00:03 four seconds past my goal!  If I had known I was that close, I wouldn't have stopped for photos!  Although unofficial, it counts for me.  Now I won't have the pressure to make that time.


I picked up my Princess medal and then got my Coast to Coast!  It is beautiful! I am so excited to have it.

The after race snacks included those delicious Mint Chocolate Chip Luna bars, fruit snacks and this snack box with crackers, hummus, edamame and trail mix.

My husband brought my Tinkerbell medal for photos and made this awesome sign! He is my biggest fan and always gets up early and comes to cheer me on in races if he is not running in them too. 

I'm glad I had the experience of running the Princess Half.  It is the most relaxed Half that I have been in at Disney. I would say the majority of runners were there for the costumes, the pictures and the socializing.  If I do it again, I will take many more photos and just enjoy the run. 


5K Pace - 9:11
10K Pace - 9:08
15K Pace - 9:08
Finish Pace - 9:10

Princess Half Marathon Meet Up

For once, I happened to be in the right place (twitter) at the right time (Thursday @ noon) and scored a spot in the pre-race meet up sponsored by Run Disney!  I guess this has been happening every year, but it's the first time for me.  I wasn't sure what it would be like, but I was very excited to find out.

We all received RunDisney shirts to wear.

I met the group at Epcot Friday morning at 6:30am to run a couple miles with Jeff Galloway, Rachel Booth, Suzy Favor Hamilton, Betty Wong and about 80 other Princess runners. 

We had the choice of walk/running our miles with Jeff Galloway or running with the Olympic runners (Suzy and Rachel). Even though I didn't want to run too hard, I decided to go with the smaller group that would run the 2 miles. 


I ran about a 9 min pace and was no where near the front. They were too fast for me. I fell into line with a few others whose pace matched mine and we got to talk and enjoy the scenery as we ran through the deserted park.  It was beautiful and peaceful. Not something you get a lot of opportunities to experience. 

Both groups ended at the Beer Garden in Germany.

Once inside we were treated to a buffet of muffins, danish, fresh fruit, bagels, coffee, juice and water. Each seat was decorated with a tiara too! I went with my go to PB and J on a bagel.


Next we heard from the featured runners:  

Jeff Galloway was up first. He is such a friendly guy. He believes running should be more than trying to get from point A to point to point B as fast as you can. I so agree!  Where is the joy in that?  Realistically that approach is only going to leave me frustrated.  I want to  find the joy in each race and appreciate what I am able to do instead of being disappointed in my shortcomings.


Rachel Booth, an Olympic runner, talked about what running is like for her as she juggles a family, part time work and her training. 

Lori Lovell from Disney Mom's Panel shared how she loves running through the castle. The panel is made of everyday people like Lori who answer at least 25 questions  a week. 
Next was Betty Wong, Editor in Chief of Fitness magazine.  She gave us all a copy of the current edition and talked about how to lose weight while running.  She said that upping the intensity is what makes the difference.  For instance, if you typically run 3 miles in 30 minutes, try to do 4 miles in that time. Weight training is important too.

Suzy Favor Hamilton was a hoot!  She is also an Olympic athlete and is very outgoing!  She shared some personal stories including her struggle with depression and by the end  had every one up and dancing to Firework by Katy Perry.

Our final guest was Minnie Mouse dressed in a royal gown of pink from head to toe.  She was dazzling!





The morning ended with us getting some photos with other Disney royalty and receiving a 1 day Park Hopper ticket!  This was such a great morning from start to finish!

Rapunzel

Snow White

I had the chance to meet some great people who all love to run!  I also got a chance to meet face to face with some twitter friends.
  
It was a privilege to be included and we were treated so nicely. I thoroughly enjoyed myself!  If this sounds like something you would like, keep your eyes and ears peeled for next years so maybe you can attend too.

Disney Land Neverland 5K recap

I got to participate in the first nighttime run through Disneyland as part of the Tinkerbell race weekend.
The race started at 10:30 pm in the park by the castle.  They had us all lined up down main street prior to the start.  Just before we began, Tinkerbell flew in and around the castle.  That was a spectacular sight!


We took off running to the song of  Following the Leader from Peter Pan.  This was a fun run and not a timed event.  There were 4000 runners, but I arrived early and got a spot near the front. As I was waiting for the race to start I figured out that Disney made quite a bit of money for this little race. Each person paid $99 for this race. Rounding that to $100 per person that makes $400,000 for Disney!  Not too bad for a couple hours work.

 We ran throughout Disney Land, through the Castle and then into California Adventure where the race ended by the Ferris wheel, which made for an awesome backdrop for finishing photos.

I ran a comfortable pace for this race, as I wanted to save my energy for the half marathon on Sunday. I finished with a time of 29:22.  It was fun running through the parks and seeing some behind the scenes places too. The parks looked beautiful all lit up and the temperature was perfect too.  

The hardest part was staying up for the start, that was a 1:30am start time for me and it felt like it.  This was day one for me on the West coast.  Needless to say, I was tired after the race and went straight to sleep.  

Tinkerbell Half Marathon Race Recap

The Tinkerbell Half was a sea of green and glitter with a lot of wings-  definitely a sparkly event!

The race is the West coast version of the Princess Half, marketed to women.  Eleven thousand ran and only 920 were men.  I was lucky enough to get placed in corral A and that was very exciting.  I have never been that close to the start before and I got to see all the pre-race action on the stage which helped pass the time. There were two celebrities running the race that were introduced, Sean Astin from Lord of the Rings and Megyn Price from Rules of Engagement.  


Starting temperatures were around 46 degrees which is great running weather, but a little chilly when you are just standing around.  Deciding what to wear was tricky and having to pack it in advance was even more difficult.  I am not used to traveling for races and am not a good packer. I decided to go with arm warmers, that I could take off if I got too hot. I was going bright and pink!  (Compression socks were a last minute addition as my legs were tired from my park hopping the day before)  It ended up being a good choice, and I probably could have taken my sleeves off, but I wasn't sure how easily they would come off over my garmin.  (I know this is a big No No, but this was my first time wearing them, and I hadn't practiced taking them off, so I kept them on for the entire race.)

The beach ball pillows were part of the decor and there was a sign in the room that stated "should you choose to allow the beach ball pillow to travel home with you, please be advised that you will be charged $65".  I suppose a few have walked.


Because Disneyland is so compact, I was able to walk out of my hotel at 5:05am to make it to my corral by 5:15am.  It was just down the road - couldn't be more convenient than that!

In the lobby before heading out to line up.

The race started in the dark at 5:45am.  The first few miles had a few hills, nothing too steep or too long, but I would rather have them in the beginning them have to tackle them at the end.  The beginning was very crowded and it was hard to set a decent pace.  Little did I know it would get more crowed before it got better.  When we entered the parks the path got more narrow and curvy.  

Running down Main St.

I had decided I would not have any expectations about this race, but would run the best I could based on the conditions and how I felt.  This was a freeing feeling.  This would most likely be my only race in Disney Land and I knew the little bit of extra time it took to take pictures would be worth the memories I would have.  I did not stop for every photo, but there were some characters I had not seen on a race before and I couldn't resist.  Unfortunately, I was most excited about my photo with Tarzan and Hercules and that one did not turn out.  But here are the others.

Aurora & Phillip

John Smith and Pocahontas

Wendy and Peter

After running through both Disney Land and California Adventure we headed out the streets on Anaheim.  The remainder of the course was flat and wide.    The course had some good entertainment along the way: marching bands, cheerleaders, DJs and some awesome spectator sections including a large turnout from the Red Hat ladies.  They were awesome!

The last few miles of the race took us back to the parks and some more photo ops. The race finished in the parking lot next to my hotel.  Lucky me!

I ran a good race with negative splits and had a good time.  Would I have liked to run faster? Always! but I know there is more to this whole running thing for me than just a fast time. 

Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck met us at the finish line. 

Here is the breakdown of my race:

The food at the finish was good, Luna Protein bars (I am loving the peanut butter one), Cliff Fruit ropes, water, bananas, oranges, bagels.   The medal is awesome too!   I only wish the t-shirt had been of softer material, it is not the same quality as the other Disney marathon tees.


Part one of my Coast to Coast medal is done.  Part two is the Princess Half on February 26!