Wife Mother Runner Mickey Milers Archives

2016 Hartford Half Marathon

October 11, 2016

This year for the Hartford Marathon weekend I ran the half marathon. I had been training for the Marine Corps marathon but deferred that race; but was confident that I had enough miles under my feet to have a decent half marathon finish time for this race. Diana and I were planning on running it together with a race goal in mind so we would have a decent finish time to use for runDisney corral placement for future races.

This was my friend, Portia’s first half marathon so I told her I would drive her up to the race so she wouldn’t have to worry about parking, finding where to go, and the best part is, my office is located just a block away from Bushnell Park so we could go there prior to the race to stay warm and use real bathrooms!

The morning of the race I got ready exceptionally fast and was actually on time to meet Portia in my driveway. I had oatmeal and two pieces of cinnamon bread with my tea for my pre-race meal and brought a banana to eat just prior to the start. Portia and I drove up around 6:20 and got to the parking lot a little before 7:00. I found Diana and then we went over to the carousel to meet up with some Mickey Milers to get a photo before the race and then I invited everyone up to my office to get warm and to get ready for the race.

At 7:30 we left the building to head back over to Bushnell Park where we could drop off Portia’s bag at gear check and head to the starting line. It was the perfect morning for the race with temps in the 50’s and overcast skies. We were at the start line with a few minutes of time to shake out the jitters and take some photos to commemorate Portia’s first half marathon.

When it was time to run Portia stuck with us for the first half mile and then we sent her off on her way. The crowd opened up at that point and Diana and I started our 30/15 intervals. I was feeling strong and we continued these intervals throughout the entire race except two small sections where the hills were steeper and we needed to keep a brisk walk instead.

Overall, we kept a great average pace of 11:49 minutes per mile with a finish time of 2:34:46. I am very pleased with that. I had been working on shorter, faster runs during my weekly short runs to try to increase my pace a little bit. That in conjunction with doing leg exercises have contributed to my success this race.

After the race I met up with my friend Anne at the park where we enjoyed our Harpoon UFO beer at the beer garden to celebrate a good race finish. The Hartford Marathon Foundation also had a special offer for race finishers to visit area restaurants and present your medal and get a free beer. So Anne and I went to the finish line to watch for some friends from the Be Our Guest Podcast relay team finish under the arch, and then we visited the restaurants offering these specials.

I was very happy with this race and my results and plan to continue to use this race for a PR course or training run towards a marathon in the future. I am also so excited for Portia. It all started with mojitos on Memorial Day on our back deck. From there she started her first journey towards a half marathon and accomplished her mission!

2016 WDW Marathon Half Marathon

January 18, 2016

The second to last race of the Dopey Challenge is the half marathon. Once again I set my alarm for 3:30. For this race I made oatmeal for breakfast to hopefully hold me over. I was so hungry during the 5K and 10K races; even after having a small breakfast before I went to the races.

Diana and I were running this race together. Mandy would be joining us for the full marathon the next day. I arrived to the Epcot parking lot around 4:45 and met Diana down by the corrals. The crowd size doubles from the 5K and 10K to the half and full marathon sizes. The 5K and 10K have around 7,500 people. The half and full have 26,500 people. That does impact your course time when starting in a later corral.

Thankfully it wasn’t raining for this race, but it was extremely foggy. I wore my Donald Duck costume for this race and Donald sent us off at the start.

Diana and I at the corrals

Since we had run this course several time with the previous year’s Dopey challenge and running the Princess Half marathon two years prior, I was very familiar with the course. Not to mention that the full marathon also runs most of the same route for the beginning of the marathon. I am pleased to say that this year the change in character stops made the race more enjoyable.

I listened to Jeff Galloway speak at the Expo on Thursday and he mentioned that for the 5K and 10K it was ok to run; but he said for the half marathon, plan to walk the first few miles, then incorporate your run/walk intervals for a mile, walk a mile, then do intervals again, etc. So I discussed that with Diana and that was the plan. Well when race day comes around, sometimes plans get thrown out the window. We ran most of the first half of the race. Below shows our splits from the half marathon.

The first two miles of the race we made ourselves run slower. There also weren’t character stops at that point; just props to take photos of along the way. Between mile 3 and 4 is where we started to do the character stops for Wreck it Ralph and Oogie Boogie. Mile 5 lead us into the Magic Kingdom and we did stop for some photos and then miles 6-7 are up cone alley. It was VERY congested up cone alley. This year I think the cones were set up differently and weren’t the tall cones that were lined right up against each other because people were hopping over the cones and running in the lane that was dedicated for car traffic. So we just continued to do our walk/run intervals up cone alley as best as we could with the amount of people in that area. I also found Mike Scopa heading into the Magic Kingdom and played some leap-frog with him during the race. I’d stop for a character stop and then he’d pass me. Then I would spot him and I’d tag him and told him he was it. It helped pass some of the miles along the way! I also found Sid Busch out on the course and gave him some encouragement. He is such a celebrity now among the running community.

Miles 8 and 9 didn’t have anything too exciting so we pushed ahead and around mile 10 we decided to walk the rest of the race in to save our legs for the full marathon. We had gone over the overpass of World Drive at that point and saw the crowd still coming up the road and we knew we weren’t in any danger of being swept. At mile 12 we took a photo with Vacation Genie and that was it for character stops in Epcot for us.

It was a good decision to walk at that point. I was starving, though. I definitely did not have enough fuel with me for that race. All I could think about was making an egg sandwich back at the hotel room when the race was over!

After the race was over I drove back to the hotel and made the egg sandwich my mouth was watering for! Then I showered and wanted to hang out at the pool with my family. PK and Katie were going to be there for a little while so I wanted to spend time with them. After visiting with them I got cozy on the poolside chair and next thing I knew I woke up with my mouth hanging open, my sunglasses smashed against my face and drool going down my chin! I had fallen asleep for a long hard 2 hour nap! I looked around and saw my family’s items around but couldn’t find them anywhere! I finally located them and we noticed the dark skies were starting to roll in.

The plan that night was to go to Disney Springs to have dinner at Wolfgang Pucks and then head back to the room for an early night. We were watching the radar and packed our ponchos. Joe Pardo was also going to join us for dinner there. We arrived at Disney Springs around 5:00 but waited a long time for the boats to take us to from the West Side to the Marketplace side.

The balloon was tethered down because of the storms coming.

Half way to the Marketplace side they stop, which I wasn’t aware of. The kids had to go to the bathroom so we got off the boat there, used the restrooms nearby and put on our ponchos. We ended up walked through the pouring rain to Wolfgang Puck Express and met Joe. I had a cranky moment at this point in the day. I was frustrated with the rain, the boats at Disney Springs and I was hungry. So I had a moment of a mini meltdown. Once we had dinner I was better. We ordered the bar-b-que chicken pizza as a good pre-race meal with the protein and the carbs. After dinner my son wasn’t feeling too well. He had been battling a chest cough for several weeks and there were times during the trip where he just felt funky and wanted his mom.

Always my favorite view at night.

It was nice for Joe to meet my family. I talk about them all the time when Joe and I are at races and when we communicate in our every day conversations. After we said goodbye to Joe and boarded the boat to head back to our car I sat with my son on the boat and it cheered him up. I think it was also hard on him that I was going to be early and then not around when he woke up during the races. Once we got back to the hotel it was time for me to lay out my gear for the morning and call it an early night. I was in bed before 10:00 and I wasn’t feeling too anxious about the race. I did have a harder time falling asleep that night; but I blame that on the nap.

Coming up next, the big finale race of the weekend…the full marathon!

runDisney Wine & Dine Half Half Marathon 2015

November 25, 2015

The final event of the runDisney Wine & Dine race weekend is the half marathon. It takes place on Saturday night at 10:00 p.m. The starting line is at the ESPN Wide World of Sports and the race ends just outside of Epcot.

The day of the race I ran the 5k in the morning, went back to my hotel to shower and quickly drove to the expo to pick up my half marathon bin and race shirts. I ran into Brittany and Kendrick, Mark and Caryn there doing the same thing before our breakfast reservation.

After that I spent time with the Mickey Milers at breakfast at Kona in the Polynesian Village Resort. We had a 10:40 reservation but didn’t eat until close to 11:30 and left there close to 1:00. My plan was to go back to the Expo and do a little more shopping. Find a light meal and rest in my bed or maybe nap prior to heading to the starting line. That was my plan. What I actually did was meet Brittany and Caryn at their room to get the wine glass she bought for me the day before and then I went over to the Expo where I saw Dale, Jennifer, Robert and Donna.

I didn’t have a lot of time there because it was closing at 3:00 so I quickly shopped for a shirt with a wine glass design and found something at Raw Threads. I can always rely on finding something at Raw Threads and not have an issue with wearing it for the first time on a race day.

After the Expo I went to Disney Springs to do some shopping for the kids. There is still a lot of construction going on there but what is completed looks nice. There are pedestrian bridges that cross over the street from parking lots to Disney Springs.

It was very hot out so I was sure to hydrate. I picked up an ice tea from a shop and then refilled with water at Ghiradelli.

I was on a mission to find Tsum Tsum’s for the kids. So after going to World of Disney I was told they are in Once Upon a Story. I found some for the kids, and made my way back to my car so I could rest in my room. On the way back I got a message from Dale inviting me to join them for dinner at their hotel, Riverside to have pasta at 6:00 and then we can take the bus from there. That was a good plan so I could leave my car there for when we return after the Wine & Dine after party.

So after a quick rest to recharge my phone and my feet I got dressed and went over to Port Orleans Riverside to meet everyone for dinner. We got pasta with broccoli and shrimp and oil, which was just right for prior to the race. Then we all used a bathroom and went to the bus. We got in line at the perfect time because the line got very long and we were able to take the first bus to ESPN. Good thing because we were stuck in traffic for a very long time. This was very similar to when we were on the bus for Tower of Terror two years ago.

When we arrived we went through bag check and then found the rest of the Team Shenanigans members and the Mickey Milers. The Team Shenanigan members were dressed as Spaceship Earth and the characters within the ride. It was an awesome costume idea! We took pictures with everyone and then I needed to go find Diana and Christina.

As I was about to connect with them there was lightning in the distance and a strange change in the weather. It started to get very windy and the temperature dropped a noticeable 15 degrees. Suddenly everyone started to leave the runners gathering area and we were told that we were being evacuated and moved to shelter in the Wide World of Sports complex due to severe weather in the area.

This was a first for me and I think it was actually a first for runDisney to have to do this. We all shuffled from one area to the Stadium and the Jostens center to wait out the storm and wait for instructions. Diana and I decided to go to an area where we could actually see outside so we could watch the storm. We also wanted to find a bathroom. Since the women’s bathroom line was so long people started to use the men’s room. Then we were lucky to bump into Chip and Christina so we sat down and waited for further instructions. While we waited we kept checking the radar to see what all of the concern was about because nothing was really happening where we were.

After about an hour we saw people moving back towards the corrals so we followed the crowd. It was finally time to race, but we were hearing people talking about modifications to the course. Then I received alerts via Twitter that the course is going to be shortened. The section leading from ESPN to Animal Kingdom was being eliminated. With the humidity being so high and it being so warm and late I was relieved.

So finally at 11:10 we were released from the starting line and onto the course. We ran from ESPN onto Osceola Parkway towards Hollywood Studios. From there we ran towards the back stage area of Hollywood Studios and then into the park. There was a lot of zigging and zagging inside the park and I was so teased to see the Osborne Light Spectacular. Just when I thought we were going to see them we were in a different direction. When we finally arrived at the Osborn Light Spectacular we spent a LOT of time in there taking in all of the visuals. I noticed that there were hidden Mickeys in the lights and a cast member said there were over 40 of them scattered throughout the lights. Diana and I started to look for them as we were taking a million pictures. I didn’t want to leave the area! Knowing that this was the last time they would be displaying these lights I wanted to enjoy them as long as possible. But we were in a race and had to get going so we could finish and then I was going to attend the party afterwards in Epcot.

We used a “real bathroom” before leaving the park since we knew that after finishing the race it would be a while before we could get to one, and the continued on to exit Hollywood Studios. We ran towards the path that connects the Boardwalk Hotel and Hollywood Studios (miles 23-24 during the full marathon) and made our way towards the Boardwalk. The path was extremely crowded with people. It was practically impossible to run in this area. We did the best we could to zig and zag between everyone but couldn’t really run again until we got over the bridge near the Swan and Dolphin hotels and towards the Beach and Yacht Club. The end of the race runs through the back entrance of Epcot, back stage and then past Spaceship Earth and back stage to the Finish Line.

I was glad this race was cut short. It was extremely hot and humid (even at night) and when we finished it was past 1:00 a.m. I think if our corral was released at the original start time we would finish close to when we did with the shortened route; but we would have felt more worn out and affected by the heat and humidity. There was a lot of water support on the course, which helped.

Diana was heading back to her hotel and her family because they were here for their vacation; and I went towards the exit area of the runner’s zone to find my Mickey Miler friends Dale, Dave and the gang so we could go to the After Party. I saw my friend Anne as I waited for the gang and we got a photo together and then I finally hooked up with Dale and Dave. After receiving our free drink from Disney we went towards the entrance to Epcot where we had to go through a bag check AGAIN. This process took quite a long time and was frustrating since we had already been checked at the beginning of the race. This was a situation we went through last year as well.

After we got through security we began our trip around the World Showcase. We first met up with Brittany, Kendrick, Caryn, Dave, Susanna and her husband, Mark and Chris. Then we decided to head to Canada for the filet mignon. After that we headed towards Ireland for the seafood shepherds pie. Then we headed towards France, Morroco, Japan, America and then to Germany to try to find some of the other Mickey Milers and get some German beer. We had a Shöfferhofer Zitrone Weizen-Mix, which is a lemon flavored beer and was quite delicious! Dave Dunkowski got a the beer flight from there but I just got one of the full size drinks. Stephanie Grace and her husband Shane found us and we hung out for the rest of the nigh then walked towards the exit of the park. It was close to 3:40 and the party ended at 4:00. We caught a bus back to the hotel and then I hit the sack for the night. I had a flight home at 12:40 so this would give me the chance to get at least 4-5 hours of sleep.

I had a great time and a fun weekend with friends a love the runDisney races. Being back home now I have to step up my training for the Dopey challenge taking place in less than 60 days!

40th Marine Corp Marathon Expo

November 2, 2015

The Marine Corp 40th Marathon was a very special marathon to me. The medal I earned from this race is going to go in a special place. It was one of the hardest races I have ever done. Harder than my first marathon. As I was reliving it and telling my husband about it, he told me it sounds like it was a traumatic experience for me. It kind of was.

Let’s start from the beginning. This is going to be a two part story. The first part is the Expo. I took a flight out of CT at 9:00 a.m. and arrived in Washington D.C. at DCA at 10:30. I tried to snooze a little on the plane. I was pretty tired. I set my alarm for 5:30 with all intentions of leaving the house by 6:30. I have TSA pre-check now so I knew going through security could be a little faster. I almost left the house at 6:30. That was, until I realized I was missing a few things. I had to go back into the house and tip toe around in my room to find the things that I was missing. One of them being my compression sleeves and the second one was a cord that was in my office. I knew I was going to wake up my husband as I had to go through the closet in our room to access the new addition where the office is. The main house and the addition are still not completely attached for general access. So we have a small entryway from inside our closet. Anyway…. I was on the road to the airport a little after 7:00 a.m. Ooops. Not to fear, I reached the parking lot by 7:45 and was through security and at a Dunkin Donuts before 8:00. Plenty of time to have a tea and wait to board.

I love travelling with my runDisney and Disney Social Media Moms gear!

The flight was easy and when I arrived I followed the signs at DCA to get to the Metro. I purchased a Metro card and then got on the train. I was lucky, the first stop is Crystal City where my hotel is. I got off the train tried to figure out how to get out of the Metro tunnel and then found my way around. I went to the Dunkin Donuts there and picked up a hot chocolate. I was feeling like I needed a little pep. I was also lucky to find a Rite Aid right inside the mall that is in Crystal City. This mall is cool. It’s all underground and is part of the Metro and hotel area. I was looking at the weather forecast and it was calling for rain for race morning so I wanted to grab some ponchos from Rite Aid while I was there. It was also a perfect chance for me to get some waters and snacks at an affordable cost rather than at the expo center or within the hotel. I checked at the hotel desk and was fortunate to be able to check in early. I brought everything up to my room, laid out what I could for my gear to make sure I had everything and didn’t need any special at the expo and then texted Kimberlee and Anne to find out where and when to meet.

It was close to noon so I went back down to the Metro and took the train to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. I had to walk a few blocks from the station to the Convention Center and then quite a distance along the convention center to the actual hall where the Marine Corp Marathon Expo was being held. There were two other large events taking place at the Convention Center, so it was easy to get lost if you didn’t follow the signs.

The Metro is very cool underground.

The Marine Corp Expo

Anne spotted me as I got to the bottom of the escalator and we went to pick up my bib and shirt. It was exciting to receive my bib and shirt from the Marines.

It really added to the excitement of the event. The expo was quite large. The first place we went was to the Brooks Official Merchandise Area. My friend Jennifer had picked up a jacket for me that morning because things were selling out quickly. In addition I purchased a visor, a pin, a glass and a windbreaker from the Brooks Official Merchandise Area. This race was a big deal to me and I wanted to purchase some nice things to commemorate it.

I was planning on meeting Sid Busch at the expo around 2:00. I gave him a call and he said that he was at home resting. He had been on his feet all day the day before giving out shirts and then volunteered again Saturday morning so he really needed to take a break. He had just run his 200th marathon the weekend before in Baltimore so he was feeling the effects of it along with being so busy for the past two days. We made plans to find each other at the race start.

Anne and I were keeping our eyes open for Kimberlee. She landed later than I did and also checked into her hotel which was near the Convention Center. While we waited for her, Anne and I explored the Expo floor. I ran into Susana Cruz from the Mickey Milers. I met her out in Chicago when I was there to run the Rock and Roll Chicago Half Marathon.

After pictures with Susana, I was shopping around and found a cute Running Skirts Camo skirt that would match nicely with my grey Mintz + Hoke shirt so I purchased it to wear instead of the Sparkle Athletic skirt I packed. I also had a mission to find Jeff Galloway, Sweaty Bands and Sparkly Soul head bands. As we shopped the expo floor we found Jeff and Barbara Galloway and I had him sign my bib and take a picture with me, as I always do at the races he is visiting. Not long after that we met up with Kimberlee.

We weaved up and down the rows of the Expo floor with her so she could also shop the vendor booths. During our shopping I came across Fitletic and decided to purchase a new fuel belt that would be large enough to hold my new larger iPhone Plus 6s and also have room to store fuel. That had been on my shopping list as well because I didn’t want to wear a Spibelt plus and additional belt for fuel. We also found Kimberlee’s favorite booth, Beecause Charms. She has the cutest charms on her sneakers and I was never a charms person; but once I got my eyes on the Marine Corp Marathon Charms, along with red, white and blue stars and then when you purchase those plus an American flag charm, proceeds from the purchase of the American flag charm goes to wounded warriors.

Just before we left we signed the Pace Car! That was a first for me. We weren’t sure when and where we were going to see the pace car, but we signed our names on it, along with 24,000 other people! We all realized it was getting late and I had to get from the Convention Center to Crystal City for my Mickey Milers Pasta dinner at Portofino. It was already 4:15 and I had to take the Metro to Crystal City where my hotel was and walk a few blocks to the restaurant. We took some last minute pictures and then headed off to our night’s events.

My train was delayed at the Metro so I texted my Mickey Milers friends and let them know to not wait up for me but I’d be there as soon as I could. I eventually arrived a little after 5:25 and ordered linguine and meatballs. I figured that would be a safe dinner choice. We enjoyed the company, I sat with Chris Smith, Susanna Cruz and her husband, Dave Dunkowski and his girlfriend, who had just become a grandmother at 5:37 that evening, and Eric and his daughter. Dinner took a long time to come out of the kitchen and we didn’t leave the restaurant until around 8:00. I walked back with Chris and Meghan Gorny and we made plans to hook up at 5:15 in the morning to walk to the shuttle.

By the time I got to my room and got ready for bed I was exhausted. I got my food and tea ready for the morning, got the rest of my gear laid out and I was in my bed by 9:00 saying goodnight to the family. I was asleep by 10:00 with the alarm set for 4:00 a.m.

My final outfit with the new Running Skirts camo skirt.

I really enjoyed the Expo and the Mickey Milers Pasta dinner. It was a nice day prior to the race. It was fun to hang out with friends, explore the goodies at the expo and find some new gear.

Front of the Marine Corp Marathon Shirt we received with our bibs.

Back of the Marine Corp Marathon Shirt we received with our bibs.

Some of the goodies I purchased at the Expo.

Stay tuned for my race recap of the hardest marathon I ever ran to date!

I Completely Stopped In My Tracks Today

August 12, 2015

I went out for my run this morning and it was warmer than I was anticipating it would be. But I was determined to push myself a little harder and work on my speed. I was happy with my first mile’s pace of 11:35 and my last mile’s pace of 11:13. Granted I used to be much, much faster, but that was when all I ran were 5K races.

As I was working towards my next mile my phone chimed that I had a message. My kids were sleeping over my parents’ house so I stopped, paused my watch and checked my phone. It wasn’t the kids. It was a friend of mine filling me in on some news she was waiting for. It wasn’t the news she wanted to hear. After I read the message I just stood there for several minutes. I responded with some encouraging words and offered any help that I could give whenever or however they need it. But I was still stunned. I didn’t expect to hear back so soon and I certainly didn’t expect the news to be what it was. On the bright side they said they are taking the news really well. They were making plans on what the next steps were going to be.

To respect the privacy of the friend and their family I won’t discuss who is going through this difficult time; but it made me miss my kids and want to see them as soon as I can. It also made me stand there and reflect on everything I have to be grateful for. I looked at the blue sky and the cornfields in front of me, felt the sweat dripping down my back and face, and knew that my legs were strong and were going to run be back home.

I also decided at that exact moment that I wanted to recruit my family to participate in the Virtual Give Kids The World Gingerbread 5K run. I discussed it with the kids during dinner tonight. Adrienne remembered that Give Kids The World Village is the place where children who are very sick get to have ice cream for breakfast and are treated to every holiday during their week’s stay at the village. Kevin asked how far it was and gladly accepted the challenge.

I made it a priority to visit the Give Kids the World Village when I was in Disney last February. A few of my Mickey Miler team members and I pooled together some money and I went to Target to purchase some toys and supplies that they Village needs. I felt so honored to be able to bring the items there; but I also felt grateful for all the good I have in my life.

Will you join me in the virtual run? You can register here. If you raise up to $100 you get the great purple shirt sent along with your medal!

I am also a member of the Mickey Milers Team who also raises funds for Give Kids the World. Please feel free to donate with the button on the right side of my blog page.

This past weekend the members of the Mickey Milers Team participated in the Small World Challenge. They raised money and rode the Small World rides on both the West Coast and the East Coast for hours they were sponsored for, or some rode for the entire day from park open to park close. We have a passion for the charity and hope you can help!

Team Chocolate Milk Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon Race Recap

July 26, 2015

The race morning was finally here! What I love about travelling to other states is when I travel through different time zones and the wake up time for the race isn’t as early as it feels! I woke up before 5:00 a.m. CT and had my tea and oatmeal and got ready. I was supposed to meet Susanna at the Bean but I had to walk from my hotel and when I arrived it was almost 6:00. I also had a funny situation happen to me… I couldn’t get out of my room! The hotel was very old and the paint on the doors made the door stick so I couldn’t pull it open! I started to get a little scared that I’d have to call someone to help me get out, but I finally got it open. (This stuff seems to only happen to me).

When I walked out of the hotel I immediately felt the rush of heat towards me. It was extremely hot and humid. There were heat warnings for the day that it was going to be up in the high 80s with high humidity. I planned ahead of time by making sure that I filled my fuel belt with Nuun. I met up with Susanna and Liz Driscoll but was too late to get my photos at the bean.

So when I am at the start line area Susanna and I headed over to the VIP area. I met up with fellow Team Chocolate Milk runners and got some pictures. I met Jean Draper, Peter Dettmer and Loren Rappaport Sanders there. It was great to finally meet some team members. The VIP tent was a great experience. There was food, a gear bag check area, couches, water and drinks, porta potties and lots of race support.

Jean Draper and I

Loren Rappaport Sanders, me and Jean Draper

Peter Dettmer and I

It was time to lineup for the start of the race and Susanna and I started in the same corral together.

At the start line

Our plan was to run four minutes and walk one minute for the beginning of the race and see how we felt during the race. I hadn’t done for and one in quite some time so I wasn’t sure how I would hold up but it worked out nicely for the first 4 miles. Then it was just too hot so we dropped it down to 30 seconds walk 30 seconds run. I was happy that I was able to maintain a 4/1 ratio but in conditions that warm I wouldn’t have been able to maintain it for the entire race.The race went through most of downtown Chicago and luckily the buildings provided shade. It was also great to find bags of ice at the medical tents. We put the ice on our necks and heads to help cool us down. We needed to do everything we could to keep cool. Around mile 6 I noticed that the runners were quieter. Everyone was digging deep to work through the heat and get through the miles. At that point in the course there wasn’t much entertainment.

At mile 7, we spotted Loren. Susanna and I went to gather her up and have her run with us to the end. Loren was struggling with bad calf cramps. She got some medical grade Gatorade at the med station and was walking when we saw her so I told her to join us doing the 30/30 intervals. She did and she said he was liking those intervals a lot. It helped loosen her up a little and you saw her spirits lifting. We told her that around mile 8.5 our Mickey Milers team supporter would be out with frozen water and oranges. I couldn’t wait to get some of those oranges! We found Charlie Gessner right around the point where Laura was and had a little visit with her while we refueled with some oranges and frozen water. It’s great to have supporters out on the course for us. Especially when they were a chicken hat despite the heat!

Loren, Charlie, Laura, Susanna and I with our great support Laura Smith Ozo!

After a little pick me up we headed back on the road to getting closer to the finish. We came up to the Mile of Music I believe around mile 11 which was a good pick me up for me. I wish ALL 13 miles had that type of entertainment! We also picked up another runner at mile 11 who was running her first half and was disappointed that her first half was so challenging. She stuck with us till the end and at the last .25 she made her push to the finish. We helped Loren keep it going despite the cramping still acting up. She wanted us to leave her; but as promised, we leave no one behind!

This race was one of the hardest. Any summer race is hard; but this is up there on my list of hot races. We were smart about it and didn’t push too hard. There were a lot of runners down on the side of the road or at the med tents. When we finished Loren and I got pictures at the Team Chocolate Milk tent and enjoyed a refreshing chocolate milk; and then I had to say goodbye to the girls and rush back to my room to shower and pack and catch the train to my flight home.

I made it to the airport with little time to spare. Security took a while to get through and then just as I went through, it was time to board the plane, and silly me, I was standing in the wrong boarding line! I was in the Raleigh, NC boarding line. Thankfully I realized it before it was too late and got on with just a middle seat as a choice. Poor guys sitting next to me had to listen to my snoring because the minute we were up in the air I passed out. I felt extremely exhausted. I think the heat just got the best of me. Fortunately I didn’t get heat sickness where I had a dehydration headache. I attribute that to using Nuun during the race to keep up with my electrolytes. But the heat did take a lot out of me. I also felt like that when I landed and my family picked me up at the airport. We went out to dinner and ice cream and I couldn’t wait to got to bed!

This was a great race and I plan on going back next year to run it. I am hoping to convince some of my other friends to join me! What an incredible city and I did enjoy the Rock ‘n’ Roll Race. Now that I see you can receive bling for running multiple Rock ‘n’ Roll Races, I am going to have to look into more of the R’n’R races!

Thank you Team Chocolate milk for the race entry and gear and for the experience to run in an incredible city!

Watch the video recap of my race day!

Team Chocolate Milk Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon Expo

July 24, 2015

As a member of Team Chocolate Milk, I went to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon last weekend. My first stop after landing in Midway and taking the train into the city was to go to the Expo to pick up my race bib and my VIP packet from Teach Chocolate Milk.

My first surprise when I landed was that there is a train that runs directly from Midway to the city. I had made a reservation for a rental car and when I saw there was a train, and it only costs $3 to ride it I cancelled my car reservation and got a ticket for the Orange line! That was so convenient. Especially since I have never been to Chicago before. I am so glad I took that train because once I saw the way people drive in that city I would have not been a happy camper, especially on the return trip to the airport when I had very little wiggle room to make my flight home (more on that in my race recap post).

I arrived to my hotel around 2:30, checked in and dropped off my luggage. I left the hotel to walk to the Expo and used my google maps to help me find my way. It estimated that it would take me 45 minutes to walk 2 miles! I found that hard to believe and now that I know that I could have just taken a right out of my hotel to get there rather than the left and right, and left and right, and left and right (see the pattern here?) that my google maps told me to take.

What a mess! I did get to see some beautiful sights of Chicago; but there were also some dark clouds starting to consume the buildings when I looked behind me. I checked my weather radar on my phone and there was a decent size thunderstorm coming right towards the city. I started walking faster, walked past the Chicago Aquarium, Soldier Field and then made it to “McCormick Place”. Just as I was about 15 minutes away from where I needed to be the skies opened up and a traffic director told me to get under a bridge overpass for safety because of the lightning. Great! It was now coming up on 3:00 and I was going to meet a fellow Mickey Milers team mate Susanna Cruz at the expo and she was already there. I stood there for about 5 minutes and then snuck out because the rain had stopped. By then I was a drowned rat. I continued on the route to the expo, but ended up in the basement of the Expo building which is a big old parking garage, but there weren’t cars in it!

I continued to walk through this deserted area and decided I should video the experience in case something happened to me! I was a little nervous. Here I was a little country girl from Connecticut wandering around in an empty parking garage in a city I have never been to before! Finally I had seem some people. I felt a little relief. I kept walking to the other end of the long and empty garage and found myself in a parking lot. Now the thunder and lightning was getting more intense. I was lost and I was scared. Susanna called me and asked me where I was. I had NO idea! She asked for some help and I did see 2 people and they told me how to get into that building… I had to go BACK into the garage! Once back in there I saw 2 more people who told me to go inside the doors and up 3 floors and then I’d find the expo. Phew! I made it! I found Susanna and hugged her and checked in for my race gear.

I checked in with Team Chocolate milk and picked up my VIP bracelet and then Susanna and I walked around the expo, played games in some of the booths to receive some free gifts and I purchased a Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon shirt. The expo was decent. We stayed there until it closed because it took me forever to arrive! But compared to other race expos I have attended it was a good expo.

After the expo we went out to dinner at the Cheesecake factory. The storms had passed and we were able to sit outside for dinner. It was a beautiful night and I was really enjoying my time with Susanna. This is what I love about racing. It’s not just the races, it’s the friendships you make at each event. After dinner she gave me a tour of the city and we walked around at Millennium Park. I was blown away by the beauty of the city, the cleanliness and how their park was such a welcoming atmosphere for families to come and walk around, play mini golf, enjoy a symphony at their outdoor theater while sitting on the large lawn with a blanket and a picnic dinner or perhaps some wine and snacks. It was so beautiful! Especially as the sun was setting. There was a splash pad area for children to enjoy the water and also lots of art. Chicago is now my new favorite city. I thought I loved NYC, but I’m sorry, there is something special about Chicago.

We said goodbye to each other around 9:00 after she dropped me off at my hotel and I went to my room to say goodnight to my family and start to lay out my gear for the race. It was a fun and exciting time, even if I was only just there for a few hours. I was loving every minute of it!

Stay tuned for the race recap in my next blog post!

As a member of Team Chocolate Milk I was given a free race entry to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon and running gear.

Today I Needed A Reset

June 10, 2015

Do you ever feel guilty or overwhelmed because you weren’t doing the things you want? Hello? Isn’t that pretty much all of us 99% of the time? Well something happens in June where all of a sudden the calendar has something set on 6 out of 7 days of the week. And the one day you don’t have plans it’s time to catch up on what you had to ignore while being out busy all the time. Or at least that is how it has been for me this month.

I feel like since we landed after vacation we haven’t stopped. Birthdays, baseball games, races, work and life. It’s all good stuff but I feel like I haven’t been able to balance it all lately. And what I have been doing is hit the snooze button. But I keep justifying it in my brain by saying that I need the extra sleep because I am so busy.

Well today I felt like it was starting to crush down on me. I set my alarm for earlier but didn’t follow through on it. I did the treadmill instead but all day I knew I was going to hit my roads for some therapy. I took a walk during a work break as well to get some fresh air. But when I got up today I had a headache and neck ache and my body was telling me I needed my therapy. I had been missing it. It was time to get back to it. And despite getting home around 6 I changed and hit the road. And it felt so good. There was a pretty bird just sitting on the side of the road. I just had to stop in my tracks and take its picture. It wasn’t moving at all. I just sat there. But it wasn’t there on my way back. I think it was telling me to take my time and enjoy all of the nature out there. It was very warm out and I was drenched in sweat but it never felt better. There was a fragrance of flowers in the air. There was a light breeze. The sun was warm but the shade was cool. I hit my reset button. I even did some cadence drills while I was out there. Now I have to continue that momentum.

Dopey Challenge – The Half Marathon

January 24, 2015

Day 3 of the Dopey Challenge and I was feeling so strong! I can’t remember now what time I woke up, but I think it was around 2:30. I had tea and cinnamon toast for breakfast and my dad left a note for me near my tea cup that morning. It was cute! The night before I had a turkey sandwich rather than Raisin Bran so I didn’t anticipate any intestinal issues during the race.

It takes me about an hour to get ready, just so I can wake up and get my body going. I planned to leave the hotel by 3:30. I wasn’t sure how traffic was going to be for the half and the full because these were bigger races and the Event Guide said that some areas will be more congested. Going into it knowing to anticipate traffic, I had allowed myself enough time. I arrived in about 12 minutes after leaving the hotel. I sat in the car for a few minutes and contacted Diana to know where to meet. I walked to the runner staging area and met up with Diana and Mandy and we made a smart move to use the porta potties (with the shorter lines) and head down to the corrals.

We got down to the corrals early and had plenty of time there to wait for the race to start. We were excited for this race. I think more so than the marathon because it was “just a half” and everyone was feeling good so far. This race allows you to run through the Magic Kingdom so I was excited for it. This was my first time that I would be running the first part of the Goofy Challenge also! I feel like my first Goofy was overshadowed by my first Dopey Challenge for sure. But I am still excited that I did get my first Goofy nonetheless.

It was a great race! I saw many friends wile out on the course, got emotional as I ran up Main Street and finished strong. Mandy and Kenn were planning on walking most of the race because Mandy’s IT band was giving her issues. Well their walk is equivalent to my run! So Diana and I stuck to a 15/30 type ratio most of the race. We did walk during many segments of the race because of crowds and also to make sure that we were saving our legs for the marathon the next day. As we were approaching the back of the race track Wreck It Ralph and Vanellope were out and Diana FREAKED out! We got in line for pictures and told Mandy and Kenn to go ahead and we’d catch up with them. It was great. Diana got some great pictures and she bascially floated for the next mile. We ran most of that area towards mile 3 and the next water stop then got to the congested area heading under the water towards the Contemporary. That’s one of my favorite spots. I don’t know what it is, but I love the DJ with the big hands and the energy that seems to radiate from going down the bridge towards the Contemporary resort area and into the side of the Magic Kingdom. I think for me, it is the excitement of getting closer to the Magic Kingdom.

As we ran down Main Street I was overcome with emotion. I think it was because of the music that was playing and seeing the castle there. To me it almost felt better than the first time I ran down Main Street for my first marathon. I think it had to do with doing my first Dopey challenge and feeling so strong. As we approached the castle I saw my friend Joe Pardo and we took pictures! Then I saw Mike and Michelle from the Mickey Miles Podcast! It was great.

The usual bathrooms off of Main street on the way to Tomorrowland were closed for refurbishment so we went to the bathrooms near Space Mountain. That was a good move. We were texting with Mandy and they weren’t too far ahead of us so I knew we’d catch up with them. As we were going through the castle I was surprised to see Elsa, Anna and Kristoff up on the castle. That felt wrong to me, because that is Cinderella’s castle. But they also couldn’t be on the ground or else no one would get through the picture stop; but it still was a little disturbing to me.

We went through the castle and headed towards mile 6 where we found Mandy and Kenn. Then we exited the park and went to Cone Alley towards the Floridian. Again I was feeling very strong and was enjoying this race, even in cone alley! As we passed the Floridian I saw more Mickey Milers on the course and grabbed pictures of them along the way. The sun was out that day but it wasn’t too hot for us. I felt that the temperature was just right for the race. I also thought there were a sufficient amount of character stops along the race, too. We didn’t stop at too many of them because I had to finish the race in time to go pick up my family to take the kids to ESPN for the Kids’ races.

We ran up the street that leads to Epcot and around the ramp and over the street that leads to Magic Kingdom and saw how far back the people were. There were plenty of people behind us even though we were taking the race slower than usual. We were in no danger of being swept. Just near the 12 mile mark Mandy and Kenn use a restroom stop and Diana and I continued on our way. I didn’t have much extra time to work with so I had to head to the finish. Close to the finish I ran into Eddie McCoy who was cheering us on! We ran through Epcot and towards the finish. We were pretty pumped up, too!

We finished the third of four races and were in great shape for the marathon the next day. I knew at that point that my Dopey training had been successful and that this Dopey challenge was not going to be my last.

After the race was over I rushed back to my car, went to my hotel and picked up the family to head to the Kids’ races. I will write a separate post to recap the Kids’ races, but in summary, they LOVED it! Before we left ESPN I went to the Expo one last time. I talked to Jeff and we took a picture, 3 race were done and I only had 1 left! I also picked up a bigger race belt to carry more things in the pouch for the marathon. I didn’t want to use my fuel belt and my spi belt wasn’t big enough. I found a great pouch with 48.6 on it that was the perfect size. We grabbed food on the way out of the expo to eat back at the hotel and made our way back home for a shower and some relaxation time at the pool.

That day we decided to spend some time at the pool since it was nice and sunny and warmer out. The kids couldn’t have been happier to finally get into the pool! I relaxed by the pool and cat napped for most of the afternoon. That was actually harder on me because my body was relaxing; but I wanted to go to the Magic Kingdom for dinner and to do a few rides. Sometimes it is better to not let yourself fall asleep.

We did go to the Magic Kingdom, rode the train to Frontierland and I grabbed a kid’s turkey sandwich from Pecos Bills for dinner. Then we rode a few rides and went back to our hotel early so that I could get to bed for the marathon the next day. I knew I was pushing it by being at the park that night; but I really wanted the kids to enjoy the vacation and I was feeling strong. My feet were a little achy; but I knew sleep would help and I’d be ok. When we got back to the hotel I managed to get my race stuff ready for Sunday and I don’t remember many of the details; but I was snoring in bed before everyone else was even ready to go to bed!

Next up… the last race of the Dopey Challenge!!!! I was so close to earning my Dopey medal! I was very excited!

First Dopey Consecutive Training Runs

September 25, 2014

This week Jeff Galloway had a 4 day consecutive training run on my schedule. I had to do a 3 mile, 4 mile, 6 mile and 20 mile run. Thankfully for me, I am off of work (between jobs) this week, so I had the time to get in these runs. I am also fortunate that my husband is home so I could do these runs early in the morning. I chose to do them early in the morning because I always feel better when I begin my day with a run. It makes me feel more energetic and I also don’t have to worry about trying to fit it in later in the day. I went out each day at around 6:40 a.m. The sun rises late now so I wait till after 6:30 to head out. The weather this week was so comfortable for running early in the day. The scenery was so beautiful as well! Here are a few pictures from my second run day (the 4 mile day).

My doggie friend who sometimes joins me for a little bit of the run. He wasn’t in the mood to run with me. He ran away instead.

The fog was slowly melting away as the sun was rising and warming the air.

I have been battling a problem with my shin due to my orthotics being 4 years old. When I first started running I thought I had severe shin splints. I stopped running for several weeks, tried calf sleeves and finally gave in and used my custom orthotics. Come to find out that was the answer to my problem. But recently that pain was coming back, so I went to my chiropractor and we decided it was time for a new pair to be made. I put a lot of miles on mine and I am hoping this will solve my problem. I also ordered new sneakers, so I am hoping I can make it all correct again. So during the week I have been careful to ice my leg often during the day. Tylenol made a big difference after my run and I wore KT tape and calf sleeves during my run. After taking Tylenol the pain was gone for several hours. I was told by my coach, Jeff Galloway, to walk all of my runs for this training assignment. I started my runs by walking to warm my body up and I would see how I felt and make my determination on whether or not I could handle the runs. Thankfully after I warmed up I was ok to run. I actually felt better the longer into my run and also when I ran longer intervals. Each day I started the run the same way, a long warm up walk and then gently ease into running. I used 30/30 intervals. After the first 3 miles the pain was pretty much gone. Seems like once the muscles warmed up the pain would go away. As the week went on I was looking forward to my morning shorter runs, but the 20 mile run was on my mind. I was beginning to dread it. I saw on the Mickey Milers page that people were talking about the latest episode from MIke and Michelle about running feeling like a job. I was looking forward to listening to that episode. I loaded it to my podcast and it was the first thing I listened to as I started my run today. I was feeling the exact same way as Michelle. I enjoy running, but preparing for Dopey was difficult for me. I could handle the short runs. I was nervous about the long run. I was mostly nervous because of my shin/arch problem. I gained confidence that I could do 4 consecutive runs with the last run being the marathon, but I am feeling scared about the Goofy portion of the Dopey Challenge. I did the 6 mile with the 20 mile run the following day and ran all 4 days. My body held up for it. So I know I can do it. During January the races will be with friends in Disney with photo ops and I won’t be running the races for time. I’ll be running them to finish and to enjoy myself. So this gives me confidence. I just need to get my leg back to normal and keep healthy for the rest of my training. For the 20 mile run I walked the first 2 miles to warm up. Then I began to add some running with 15/30 intervals. I did well for the next 8 miles. By mile 10 I didn’t feel anything with my left leg. I was also relieved that I only had 10 miles left. It was supposed to be a very rainy day (Nor’easter storm forecasted), but the rain held off for the first 7 miles into my run. When it did begin to rain it wasn’t bad. It was a gentle rain that was very peaceful. I continued with my 15/30 intervals through mile 13, then I started to walk some more. I decided to change part of my route so that my husband could meet up with me with water and pretzels. I met him at mile 15 and took a 10 minute break to have some water. I didn’t need a lot of water and fuel on this run. It wasn’t hot so I didn’t go through my fluid quickly. I also didn’t use Nuun on this run. I just used water, gummy bears and pretzels. By mile 17 I was walking a lot. Then at mile 18 I was able to put in some more running until I got to my street. I had to burn the last mile by running in my driveway and up my street a little bit so I could earn that last mile. I didn’t want to cut my run short. I am happy that I got it done. I had no expectations on the finish time that I wanted, and am feeling good. Just a little tired from being so busy all week and running 4 days in a row with a long run. In my mind I am accepting that I can do the Dopey challenge. It may not be pretty but I know that I can get it done. The key will be RESTING each day after the race and taking naps. Here are some pictures from my 6 mile run. It was another beautiful fall morning. I stopped to savor the peaceful morning and to embrace the alone time I had. How can you beat views like this to begin your day?!

Tag: Mickey Milers