Typically for me, I need to replace my sneakers anywhere between 250 – 350 miles. I try to keep a date in my sports software like Endomondo or Gamin. But sometimes my sneakers tell me it is time to replace them. When they are getting old, I sometimes feel it in my knees, shins or calves. Lately I was having calf cramps and then realized I think it was time to replace my sneakers Taking a look at the bottom of my sneakers also tells me when/if it is time for a new pair. When you get a new pair of sneakers, Nike in my case, they have little knobs on the bottom tread. Those begin to wear down with use. As you can see, the pair on the left have some good wear on them. They have about 275 miles on them. It’s never a good idea to try something new on race day, but I knew that breaking in a new pair of shoes isn’t an issue for me, especially when I am wearing the same brand, so I used my new pair for the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon on Sunday and got a PR (for a hilly half marathon – a category of my own I made up!) I won’t say it was because of the shoes, but they do help! How do you know when it is time to get a new pair of sneakers?
Will you or did you register for the runDisney Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend today? Did you take advantage of the early AP and DVC registration opportunity? Will this runDisney event sell out yet another famous race?
Like the Avengers race that recently opened up for registration and sold out in record time (less than 2 hours), I believe this race is going to sell out even faster. This has been the race everyone has been waiting for; however, there are more complications involved with the logistics of it.
First of all, it is the weekend following the marathon weekend. If runners are participating in the Dopey challenge, 4 races in 4 days, they will then have to fly to Anaheim prior to Friday to pick up their race packets to participate in the 5K beginning on Friday. It also means 3 more early wake up calls for the races. If you live on the East Coast that shouldn’t be too hard, but your body is recovering from Dopey.
Second, you will be eating up a lot of your vacation time in January if you are doing Dopey then Star Wars. For Dopey, you have to be in Florida by Wednesday to pick up your race packets and run the first race, the 5K on Thursday. The races end Sunday so if possible, you could fly home for a few days then turn around and head to California for Thursday.
Third, you’ll be spending more money on airfare and hotel and food. These are the consequences for registering for these races!
Fourth, Disney did add another challenge to the mix a month ago when they announced the Castaway Cay Challenge. This is the cruise that leaves the day after Marathon Weekend and sails for 4 days, arriving pack to port on Friday. You can still hop a flight to California for Star Wars, but you will miss the 5K. This is also an additional pricey race to add to your list within the first month of 2015. The price for the Castaway Cay Challenge is $65 but that’s the race only. You still have the $1000+ cost of the cruise.
There are some positives about all of this. If you are addicted to the bling, then you will go home with 5 medals if you participate in the Star Wars Challenge after marathon weekend because you will have the 5K, 10K, half marathon, Star Wars Challenge AND a coast to coast medal.
Is it worth it? It would be to me, but I really can’t fork out the cash for another race registration and travel expenses. runDisney marathon weekend is becoming the largest race weekend event in the country, and it does bring in economic activity to the area. The same is also true when adding a race weekend event to California. That is a positive impact of these races for the surrounding areas. But given the time of year and the costs associated with all of the races, I just can’t do them all.
I was a fan of Star Wars when I was young, but my kids aren’t into it yet. So even though I am not registering this year, it may be something that I’d show interest in the future. It also depends on if it will be back in the East Coast or if it will remain in Disneyland. For those of you registering today, may the force be with you!
As I mentioned in my post on Saturday, I ran the Runner’s World Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon on Sunday, June 8th. Wow, that was a Hilly, HOT Race! There were over 4,000 runners from 47 states at the event on Sunday. The event raised money for the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston’s Children Hospital.
The reason why I decided to register for the race was because of the name. I was drawn to run the race that tackles the famous Heartbreak Hill. I never knew what gave the famous hill its name. It was actually named by a sports editor describing how Johnny Kelley was passed by Ellison Brown in the 1936 Boston Marathon. When Brown passed Kelley, it broke Kelley’s heart.
I set my phone alarm for 4:00 a.m. because I trusted that alarm to work. I got up, ate 3 pieces of cinnamon toast to get my stomach working and hit the road around 4:40. The sun was just starting to light up the sky as I headed North.
I had my tea and my favorite pod casts loaded up to listen to for the almost 2 hour drive. I think I got up there in a little under 2 hours. When I got to the Boston College parking garage it was 6:40 and there was a line of cars to get into the garage. I ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and put on my sneakers while I waited. I was getting a little nervous and I knew I still had to go to the bathroom before the race and was afraid there would be long lines.
As I walked towards the starting are to meet up with Gail, Kim, Alison and Janice I saw the athletic building and went inside and was happy to find real bathrooms. I was able to go and then met up with the girls with about 8 minutes before the start!
The race began on the Boston College campus, which was so beautiful! I had never been there before. The sky was so blue and the buildings looked so beautiful against the blue sky. The temperatures at 7:30 a.m. was already 72 degrees with bright sunshine.
I went through a few struggles during the race. It was hot and it was hilly. I was pretty well trained for it. I did my last long training run as Jeff Galloway has instructed me to the previous Tuesday, but couldn’t do the 14 miles he had me do. I had to stop at 12 miles because a storm was coming and I was having intestinal issues. Having an evening long run instead of my usual morning long training runs may be something that I will consider for future long runs because it frees up my weekend days.
While running the race course, I had many different emotions. I was enjoying running parts of the course that many marathoners run on for the Boston Marathon. But I was also thinking to myself that I just don’t have what it takes to qualify to run the Boston marathon. I know I always says you can do what you want when you never give up. But I am also trying to be a realist. I still have to remind myself that I can’t give up. That is a hard race course, but I also remembered that you don’t qualify on that course. You qualify on courses that Jeff Galloway recommends.
It’s great for me to run with friends because they push me or pull me (I’m usually in the back of the pack). But I am able to get a faster time when running with them. We started out a little fast, and then with the heat, we slowed down our speed a bit. I was still a bit behind everyone but I was feeling ok. I was able to keep up. Then we hit the last part of the race and Gail kept reminding me of the Hills! It became a running joke throughout the race. The day before I sent them a message to see how the 5K and 10K were. Here’s where the conversation went:
So all throughout the race, Gail would turn around and say, “Hey Pam, did we tell you it was hot and hilly?” It was funny. I had no idea how hilly it was going to be. So yea, a PR wasn’t going to be possible for this race whatsoever. BUT, I did finish at 2:41, my last hilly half marathon that I did in 2002 was a 2:42 finish time and that’s when I was running my fastest.
This half marathon is my 4th state (CA, CT, FL, MA) and it was one of my hardest recently. I felt a lot more wiped out from it. More than when I got my PR at the Providence marathon. The dehydration really takes a lot out of me. I did have my Nuun with me on the race course and was drinking water at the water stops. I hydrated a lot the day before, but it was a hot race. That’s how they are sometimes. Because of that, I do feel more sore today and the hills didn’t help.
I did have a good time running this race. It is good to push myself and I always seem to do better when running with my friends. I’m looking forward to my future races and hopefully improving more and more! I also love the races because I can see other runDisney friends, too! We heard Rudy Novotny call out Michelle Scribner-MacLean’s name so we were able to see her cross the finish line and get a picture!
After the race I was able to shower at Gail’s hotel and then we went to lunch at a little Tapas restaurant in Waltham called Solea. The restaurant had windows that opened right up to the sidewalks and it was the perfect day for a lunch indoors/outdoors. The food was fantastic and it was fun to sit and eat, drink and chat!
We said our goodbyes and I hit the road with Kim to head back to CT and have a cookout at home with my parents. It was a busy weekend but a fun one! I enjoy getting in some local races in the states around CT in addition to the Disney races. It’s great that Gail’s work allows her to travel to Massachusetts and we can hook up with Kim for races in the area.
Today is day 1 of the Runner’s World Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon and Festival taking place in Newton, MA. I am running the half marathon tomorrow. The race weekend is filled with 3 races – 1 5K, 10K and the half for a Hat Trick. Or you can do the 5 and dime which is the 5K and 10K race. I couldn’t participate in the Hat Trick because today is my son’s 7th birthday and I wasn’t going to miss that!
The races are being held at Boston College and run through Newton along the roads that are part of the Boston Marathon. The ever popular Heartbreak Hill is also a star of the show during this event. My friends Kimberly, Gail, Alison and Janice are there along with others that I know from the runDisney races like Michelle Scribner-MacLean and Danielle Nardi. I hope to see Michelle tomorrow. I know Danielle is only running the 10K today so we won’t get the chance to see each other.
I’m looking forward to running this race; however, the girls who ran today said it is hot and hilly so I can’t plan on getting a PR there. Which is fine. As much as I wanted to earn my 3rd PR in my 3rd race this spring, I will also enjoy running with friends and having a good time. I have to rise and shine around 4 a.m. so that I can drive the 2 hours to get to Boston College. I guess I shouldn’t complain, its better than the 2 a.m. wake up call at the Disney Races!
On our trip this year we wanted to do things we never did before. We asked our son if he wanted to do Pirate’s League. He typically doesn’t like to get his face painted, but we showed him pictures of what they do there and he showed a little interest so I made the reservation and knew I could cancel it if need be. While we were on vacation he saw picture advertisements of it on the bus and liked it. So we kept his reservation.
We went on a Thursday afternoon and it was a VERY HOT day. However, this was a good time to do it because it takes place indoors in the air conditioning. When you arrive, you select from a look that you want to acquire. Then you wait until your name is called.
Once you are brought into the League, you have to select your Pirate name. The cast member asks you a few questions, puts some numbers in a box and asks the child to spin the crank three times. Then they look up the code in the book and assign you your pirate name. My son’s name was Mark Goldstealer.
After you are assigned your name, you go to the waiting area. The waiting area was fun. You sit in the middle of the room and watch all the other scalawags get converted into pirates. Then when a new pirate is created everyone yells out “YO HO!” Then your new pirate name is called for you to get into a chair. My son was so anxious to hear his name called. He couldn’t wait to do it!
He chose a pirate with a beard and he looked sooo different after they put the makeup on him! His eyes were looking so mean! He certainly was transformed from my sweet little boy to a rough and tough looking pirate!
After he is transformed he must recite the Pirate’s creed. Then he is presented to the world as the new Pirate Mark Goldstealer!
After saying his Pirate Oath he is given a sword and a certificate and is lead into the secret room to have pictures taken and he is presented with a secret gold piece of treasure!
It was really adorable and my daughter told me next time she wanted to do it. I want to do it as well! I think that would be a fun thing to do as a family.
After the Pirate was created we took Adrienne over to Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. Stay tuned for that blog post coming soon!
It’s never a good idea to try something new on race day, but I knew that breaking in a new pair of shoes isn’t an issue for me, especially when I am wearing the same brand, so I used my new pair for the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon on Sunday and got a PR (for a hilly half marathon – a category of my own I made up!) I won’t say it was because of the shoes, but they do help! How do you know when it is time to get a new pair of sneakers?
After the race I was able to shower at Gail’s hotel and then we went to lunch at a little Tapas restaurant in Waltham called 
