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.

5 things I'm Loving...

1.  Keeping track of the food I eat is a pain for me.  I know it helps me to manage my weight, but finding the calories for every little item all day used to be tedious until I started using My Fitness Pal.  I have the app on my phone and it is so easy to use.  The food database is gigantic and I have been able to find all the food I eat quickly including what I eat out at restaurants.  My favorite feature is the bar code scanner which automatically adds that item to my food diary.  I like this so much better than tracking with Weight Watchers.


2. Fun Theory has the best ideas to change behavior for the better.  You may have seen the clip of the staircase they make into a keyboard to encourage people to take the stairs instead of the escalator.  (If not, that video is there too.) Here is a new one I just came across- The World's Deepest Bin.

Source: youtube.com via Jane on Pinterest

3. I struggle with finding the right gift for my family and friends to the point that I put it off to the very last minute. This list of 25 items under $25 for the fitness lovers helped me out.  I really liked the bike basket, but it appears other did too - It is sold out. Check it out, maybe you'll find a good idea for someone on your list (or yourself).

4.I plan to get in some reading over the holiday and  found this great list of hard to put down books.  I have read quite a few, but found some to add to my Books to Read list on Goodreads.  I love getting book recommendations and this site is great for that. (If you want to see my book lists, be my friend on Goodreads. My user name is kelleywf)

5.  I just made this Cranberry Orange bread again and have been reminded of how much I like it.  I couldn't stop eating it.  The orange glaze puts it over the top! It's a great way to use up any extra cranberries you have hanging out in your freezer too.

Turkey Day Run with the Family

For the second year is a row my family spent Thanksgiving in the Charleston, SC area which included running the Thanksgiving Day 5K again as well!  We loved the race last year and this one was just as fun.

My brother and his family, my sister, my children and me

Held in downtown, historic Charleston, this race has a scenic course and a great after party at Marion Square which includes fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a beer garden, live music, Mr. Pig from Piggly Wiggly and  Mr. Turkey.  We enjoyed all of these amenities!

 Mr. Turkey

Every year the race gets larger - 6,000 runners for this one.  Even though it is a run for everyone, they do have timing chips and prizes for the fastest.  The majority of the field is casual runners with dogs and strollers - very family oriented.

The results are posted right away and they give you cool information like this:

We had walkers, some, more serious runners and a few run/walkers in our group.  It is so much fun, that no one wanted to miss it even if running isn't their thing. My daughter Cate even ran a PR!  I ran/walked this one with my other two children.

Me and my children 

The race starts and ends at Marion Square and takes you down to The Battery (waterfront).  It was a cold sunny morning, but we warmed up once we got moving.

The Battery

We saw these two in full costume including platform boots- Who knew they were runners? 

The only time the race felt crowded, was at the after party, but people didn't stay long (I guess they had food to cook or something).  They served my favorite beer (or the athletic beer as my sister says) Michelob Ultra.  Most of us gobbled up a doughnut either before or after the race except for my sister-in-law who didn't get one because the person in line in front of her got the LAST one.  I guess that has to happen to someone, but what a bummer!

My sister and brother and me

I am voting that we return to Charleston next year too and make this run a regular event!

5 Good Things

1. 30 Day Photo Challenge This photo-a-day event challenges you to slow down and look at your world in a different way.  Whether you're an expert or beginner, you can sharpen your photography skills and experiment with all the cool features of Instagram.  Let your creativity bloom!

2. Gooey butter cake is my go to recipe for a quick, sweet treat  and now you can make them into cute cupcakes too!  How awesome is that?

My version

3. Love free ebooks? Then FreeBooksy on Facebook is for you!  Like them to see what ebooks are free daily. A variety of titles are offered for a limited time, and I have found some great reads.

4.  I have never been a big fan of yogurt, although I know its good for me, until recently when I came across a new brand. It is super creamy and very much like a dessert.  I first found Noosa at Whole Foods, but I now get it at Target for a more wallet friendly price.  Strawberry Rhubarb is my favorite with Raspberry coming in second.

5. Finally, after 2 months, our new house that is being built looks like a house!  After not seeing much progress until now, this was a sight for sore eyes.  We may actually have a new house in the near future. (Fingers crossed)!

My visit to the Sprinkles Cupcakes ATM

While in Chicago for the marathon, I couldn't miss an opportunity to get some scrumptious cupcakes from the downtown Sprinkles shop.  (In fact, I ate cupcakes twice during my 3 day stay)

Yes, they were as good as I remembered, but they had an extra treat at the shop that I had to experience - the Cupcake ATM.  That's correct, a machine that dispenses freshly baked and boxed individual cupcakes 24 hours a day!!  What could be better than that?  I don't know.

For those of you who can't imagine how it works, here's a video of my experience. It starts with a cupcake song...

Here's what came out.

It's probably good I don't have one nearby, it could get out of control, but I wish I did anyway.

Voluncheering at the Chicago Marathon

We got the awesome Nike jacket & hat for volunteering!

This is how our day started the morning of the Chicago Marathon (10/7/12). Up and out by 4:30am to check in for our volunteering duties at Aid Station #7 in Old Town - Mile 10.5 along the route.

 Others would wake up to find their car not where they left it the night before.  The tow trucks were busy clearing the streets for the runners and there were lots of cars to move! I guess they didn't see  the zillion signs telling them not to park there.

We were assigned to the first table of the station and had to prepare four stacked layers of Gatorade.

Gatorade table crew

By the time we finished, the sun had risen, but not the temperature.  It was a chilly day!

 We anxiously awaited the elite runners.  Fifty minutes after the start they were hitting mile 10.5. They were right behind the pace truck!

None of them grabbed any Gatorade, but our station was a long one and they may have grabbed something later down the line. 

Source

Once the runners started to pass, they did not stop!  I think 40,000 in all, but there was one runner in particular we were there to support - my daughter Cate! 

This was her first marathon and she was looking strong when she passed our station!

Being the first table in the station, our drinks were first to go, so within an hour of the first runner, we had given them all out. We had front row spots to see all the action of the race and it was a great experience! The time flew by and before we knew it, our shift was over.

We traveled to Chicago to spend the weekend with Cate and cheer her on during the race. Volunteering was a last minute decision, but it made the day even better.   Everyone we worked with was so nice, (most of them runners) and they do this year after year.  This most likely will be a one time event for us, since we don't live in Chicago, but I would recommend it to anyone nearby.

Elvis entertaining the runners along the route

We consulted the map to see where we could catch up with her again and headed to mile 21 and Chinatown, a part of Chicago I have never been to.  We got there well ahead of her, but found a great spot on the sidewalk to watch the runners and wait for her to pass.

While waiting, this piece of bacon ran by and then in the distance we saw her!  She looked great, running strong and steady not even looking tired!

We gave her encouragement to keep it up for the last 5 miles and hopped back on the train to head to the finish line.

Cate crossed the finish with a PR and a sense of satisfaction.  I am so proud of her!! This was quite a moment to see my daughter accomplish such a feat after all the hard work and training she put into it!
That same day, she even considered the thought of running another!

Our day at the marathon was long and cold and fabulous!!