Wife Mother Runner Mickey Miles Podcast Archives

2016 WDW Marathon Weekend Is Less Than a Month Away!

December 9, 2015

Well it’s less than 30 days away now! For me, the Dopey challenge is close to half way completed 30 days from now. I will have been through Day 4 of the challenge on the half-marathon portion of the event. The funny thing is, you aren’t halfway through the mileage until around mile 1.9 of the marathon on Sunday.

The runDisney Official Event Guide is now published and has all of the information you need to know for what to do, where to go, what time the Expo takes place, when and where the kid races are, Pasta in the Park info and so much more!

What I was waiting most for was the map of the marathon course. Now that the Richard Petty Speedway was demolished that removed some distance off the course we used in the past. My friends in Team Shenanigans put together screens comparing the 2015 and 2016 course maps.

From what you can see in the Magic Kingdom portion of the course, it appears that we will be running through the castle and Towards Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and then out through the back side of the park and towards Cone Alley and the long road towards Animal Kingdom. There is also a little out and back portion in there on the way to Animal Kingdom created to make up some of the distance. I’m just grateful we aren’t making up the difference in ESPN Wide World of Sports. Although I have to say that last year it didn’t feel as long and dreadful in that part of the course as it did the two years prior.

I’m getting excited to know that in less than a month I’ll be racing in Florida. I was listening to the Mickey Miles Podcast today where Jeff Galloway was answering questions and he answered the question I had posted to the Mickey Milers Team page. I asked what to do about my training since Marine Corps was my longest distance since October and then in November I was up to 10 miles (plus the 12 i did last weekend). Jeff’s recommendation is to do a cluster of runs to simulate Dopey beginning on December 17. He said to do 3 miles, then 5 the next day, walk 7-10 the following day and then on the last day get in 23 miles with either most of it walking or walk a mile, then run with 15/30 intervals. So I am going to think about this suggestion and compare it to what I had in my mind which was to do a longer run that weekend of 15-17 miles (mostly running) and perhaps I’ll tack on the last 3 miles as a walk to get the 20 miles under my feet for the endurance. I know Jeff knows best. But many of my fellow running pals are getting training burnout. But we all know what happens when we don’t train like we should (see my Marine Corps Marathon recap).

I’m starting in Corral I and the corrals go up to letter P so that give me about a 20 minute buffer between when we take off and when the last of the pack takes off. I’m not worried about finish time with the race this year. I just want to have fun. And it wouldn’t be fun if we didn’t see the balloon ladies at the races!

I just registered my kids today for the Kids Dash races for Friday. I usually register them for Saturday based on when they fly down; but in the past that was crazy for me to rush back from the half marathon, pick everyone up at the hotel and then get over to ESPN. So it will be nice for a chance to do the 10K and then shower and head over to ESPN for their race. This is becoming a tradition that I would like to keep doing with them while I can. It’s easier to get them up for an 11:00 race than it will be to get them to a 5K that takes place at 5 a.m.!

Now I have to start putting together my costume ideas! I already have one planned with my mom! She and I are doing her first Disney race at the 5K. We have been sharing ideas back and forth from Etsy, we both have the same Minnie ears and Team Sparkle Skirt so now we have to find coordinating skirts. I have another one planned with Christina and Diana and that leaves the half and full marathons to plan for. I have to really get going to put something together. Let the fun of packing and planning begin!

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!

My 2014 Year In Review

January 1, 2015

I usually do my previous year reflection while I am out on a run, but since I went for a run Tuesday and did some speed work during that run, I didn’t go for a run Wednesday. With Dopey coming up, I am in taper mode and I wanted to be careful that I don’t hurt myself. Considering I am in taper mode, I feel like I have been out for more runs lately because I am off of work and I enjoy getting out there. This Christmas I got my family Fitbits to use and I now have one myself so I have been actively making sure I am getting in my steps so I can earn my mileage on my non-running days as well. I love it. If I am behind on my steps I head outside to the driveway and get in some steps or I make sure I am active in the house and start doing laundry or the other night I began packing my kids’ clothes for their surprise trip to see me for marathon weekend. I am doing what I just heard Jeff Galloway recommend doing on a Mickey Miles podcast episode. which is to get out of the subconscious mind and into the conscious mind and make smart decisions on my eating and activities.

So about 2014… it was a good year for me. From January to present I have accomplished many things! In January I did my second marathon (which was my second runDisney marathon) and met more runner friends. I ran the 10K with Mandy and met her friend Diana Boucher (who is from CT!) For the marathon, I ran it with Kimberly Markey who had her last chemo treatment just prior to the race weekend and was doing the Dopey challenge. I also ran it with Alison Nicklas who is a friend of Kim’s that I had met at the Cheshire half marathon in 2013 and ran with her at various times. At that race I met Gail Savidge and had the opportunity to run races with them all throughout the year in various locations like Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California and Florida! At the 2015 WDW marathon weekend Gail (aka Perfect Goofy Gail) will be earning her 10th Goofy medal so this race weekend is a big deal for her! I also met Linda Ambard at the starting line of the Marathon. She was being profiled by runDisney for their “Why I Run Disney” stories, which Kim was also profiled in. Oh I also had the chance to meet Chris and Heidi Powell in the Magic Kingdom!

Gail (left) Kimberly (center) Alison (right) me and Becca Gibson Kyler (pink shirt front)

Diana and Mandy at the 10K

The Powell Pack

In February, I ran the Princess Half Marathon in Florida which was one of the most fun half marathons! I got to meet Jindy and shared a room with her and I met Gail’s friend Rebecca Bastian one night at dinner and also gained a new friend. I had the chance to meet Eddie McCoy in person and I ran the race with Eddie, Kim, Gail and Dave Dunkowski (another new runner friend). We sprinted from picture stop to picture stop and had the best race photos! I was in training mode for May for the Providence marathon but was still recovering from issues that I seemed to have developed during marathon weekend in January with my hip/quad muscles. I was being careful and trying not to make things worse. But speed was not something I had at the time.

In March I was training for the Providence marathon in May, and March was my birthday month. Nothing too exciting happened in that month for me. I didn’t have any races on my calendar for March because I was focusing on my training. My job was getting very stressful and intense. I recall working many, many hours and having trouble with the balance of work and family. It wasn’t a good time.

In April I was happy to welcome Spring as usual. I ran an innaugural race in Middletown, The Harvard Pilgrim Middletown Half & Legends 4-Miler. Jeff Galloway, Amby Burfoot and Bill Rodgers where there! I went to a seminar Jeff was having the day before the race and on race morning I got Jeff, Amby and Roger’s autographs on my bib! The day after Easter I went up to Boston to watch friends who were running the Boston marathon. Eddie McCoy, Linda Ambard and Michelle Scribner-MacLean were the three people that I knew of who were running that race. I did get the chance to see Eddie run by me briefly at mile 20 and then I went over to mile 25/26 to watch for Linda and Michelle but I didn’t get the chance to see them before I had to catch my train back home. It was so amazing to be at that race and to be a spectator for such a large event. I do want to run Boston one day; but I don’t know if I will run it by my own qualification. It will be a major life commitment for me to qualify for that race. I did run my own Boston marathon event as a fundraiser and a long training run for Providence on Good Friday. I even earned a medal for it!

In May was my chance to get a PR for a marathon. I ran the Providence marathon with Gail Savidge who helped me get my PR. Kim and I drove up to Providence and met Gail who flew in from Arizona. We stayed at a hotel right near the start line and ran the event together. Kim was recovering from her hysterectomy surgery so she was forced to do the half by her coach and doctors and Gail and I ran the full. I was so excited that I got my PR! I think it is so awesome that you can meet friends at races and continue to run with them in other races in the future. I felt really good during that race. I think I may do it again in 2015. We took our annual family trip to Disney and while I was there I met up with Becca twice to do some runs around the hotel. That was great to meet up with her while I was on vacation and get in some casual runs with her. I love making new running friends!

In June I did another race that was new. Runner’s world was doing the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon hat trick event. I couldn’t do the 5K and 10K on the Saturday of that event weekend because it was my son’s birthday and the kids had a baseball game Saturday night that I didn’t want to miss. But I did plan on sleeping at home and waking up early to drive up to Boston University and run the half marathon with Kim and Gail and Alison. It was a “hot and hilly” half marathon! But I actually ran the Heartbreak Hill that is so famously talked about with the Boston marathon. It will always be a joke to Kim and Gail when I asked if I can get a PR at that race, because they ran the races the day before the half and it was HOT and HILLY!. I also had the opportunity to attend a Social Media Mom’s Disneyside even on the Road Conference in Philadelphia, PA. Kim drove us down there. That was a great time!

In July, I didn’t have any races on my calendar and I was trying to train for a triathlon with some swimming. But I was only swimming in my pool, no open water swimming. I had done some biking in the spring, but in July I was not on my bike. I was maintaining my mileage because I would be ramping up for the Dumbo Double Dare races so I didn’t back down much during the summer months. I mainly did my evening runs and then on weekends I would set my alarm and get up very early and do my long runs while everyone was still sleeping. Then I would have the rest of the day with my family and it wasn’t taking up too much of my weekend time.

During the summer we volunteered at the North Haven Animal Shelter to help out walking the dogs and playing with the cats. I wanted my kids to experience a summer filled with memories so that when they grow older, they can look back and remember their summers as a kid and all of the fun things that they had a chance to do. We went out for ice cream, had fires and s’mores in the back yard with the neighbors, went for walks, saw fireworks, swam, and went to camp. It was a great summer! I didn’t want it to end.

In July some major shifts happened in my work life. I received an email in late June that the President of my company was retiring. It wasn’t his choice to retire and everyone knew that. The moment I received that email I knew it was time for me to leave the company. I made a few changes to the resumes I had posted online to include the SharePoint experience I had and within days I was contacted by someone about a job in Bloomfield. She wanted to talk to me on the phone. On July 3 I talked to her on my cell phone out in the parking lot of my work for an hour. It was a very hot, summer day but I stood out there in the shade and talked to her very casually about why I am looking for a job and to see what she had to offer. Little did I know that it was going to end up being something I truly wanted. We planned to meet in person and I went to their facility several times in July to meet her and the other team members I would be working with.

In July, I also applied to be a member of Team Chocolate milk. I made a video and submitted it for review and it was selected to receive votes. I asked everyone I knew to vote for me every day for 2 weeks and they did! My son especially enjoyed voting for me each night from his kindle. They knew that it was important for me to get onto this team.

In August I was pretty confident that I would be leaving my job at Honeywell and I knew for sure that I wanted the job that I interviewed for in Bloomfield. I had several other calls with other companies, but the Bloomfield job was looking solid. I was getting anxious. The job had fallen into my lap and I was pretty sure I wanted it. I just couldn’t believe that after 24 years with the company I would really be leaving it. It was a 2 mile commute, I had flexibility to get my kids off to school and I had 4 weeks vacation. But I was very unhappy with the atmosphere there. I enjoyed the work I did and I really enjoyed working for and with Jack; but I wasn’t happy. We went to New Hampshire for our summer vacation and stayed up there for 10 days. It was a challenging trip. I was anxious about the job and Kevin was at a point in his career and life where he just wasn’t himself. It was a challenging time for me, but I was trying hard to make sure the kids were still having their #EpicSummer2014. While we were in New Hampshire I received an email that I had made it onto Team Chocolate Milk! I was so excited and my family and I celebrated.

I had one final interview scheduled for after I returned from New Hampshire and I was mentally checking out of my current job. I knew I didn’t want to stay. Waiting isn’t easy for me. I am not a patient person.

Labor Day weekend came around and I was heading to California for the Dumbo Double Dare. I was hoping to have news of the job by then, but I didn’t. I got out to California late Friday afternoon and met up with Kim, Gail and Becca. I also discovered on this trip that flying was giving me migraines. This one I got from the trip out west was so severe that I almost threw up the morning of the 10K race. It was real tough, but once I got running I started to feel better. I love California and the Dumbo Double Dare races. I helped Becca earn her Coast to Coast medal during the half marathon. It was her first coast to coast and she had tears at the end. It was great. I love helping people reach their goals. She had been through a tough summer with her back and wasn’t sure how she was going to do with the race. She did great!

I became a Jamberry consultant in September. I came across it from Facebook while looking for nail wraps for a race and decided that this would be something that I would be interested in doing because all of the parties can be hosted via Facebook and it is a product that I am very interested in. I am still selling the Jamberry wraps and have used it in many ways as fundraisers for a student in my son’s class who has cancer and also for Give Kids The World. I love that something I enjoy can be used in a way that can also benefit others! It is a great company to work for and the amount of time you put into it determines how successful you can be. They have great training tools and their products practically sell themselves!

September came around and I waited for news if I was getting the new job. The kids started their new year in school. Adrienne was a kindergartner now and Kevin was in second grade. I can’t believe it. They are both in school five days a week and it’s great because I am able to work outside the house five days a week. I finally got offered the job I wanted on September 8th and gave my notice on September 9th because my boss was not at work on September 8th. My last day of work was going to be September 19th. I was ready to move on. I planned on finishing work and then starting my new job on October 1. During my time off from work I had to find a new car and then my husband ended up having knee surgery for a torn meniscus. So I didn’t really take much time off for myself to “hang around”. But it was still good to have the break between jobs.

Goodbye Honeywell friends!

October 1 I started my new job and loved it from the start. I worked 2 days and then had to get on a plane on October 3 to head to Florida for the Tower of Terror 10 miler. On the way to the race I sat with a very nice couple on the plane and noticed that the man there had on the runDisney Mickey sneakers. So we got talking and they were also going to Florida for the race. They told me they owned a store in Middlefield and we kept in touch and I saw them the night of the 10 milers. When I returned home I went to their store several times for ice cream with the kids and to go Christmas shopping for my family. Isn’t it awesome how races can bring many different people together?! I also had a stomach-upsetting headache when I landed so I knew I had to get this problem resolved. I joined the girls as their escort for the 5K because I wasn’t running that race and took pictures and watched all of the runners while I was there. That night I ran the 10 miler with Kim, Gail and Becca and had a great time again with all of the picture stops. After the race we went to the after party and then went back to the house where I showered and turned around and drove to the airport (without sleep) to head home for a party back home. My daughter turned 6 in October and I can’t believe how much she is changing! She is so confident now and is doing very well in school. We had a party for her and at the karate studio with her classmates and it was a big success! For my training I was increasing my mileage but was also working my new job and the days were getting shorter so I was starting to feel the challenge of needing to get my runs in but I knew I may have to start using the treadmill. I dreaded it, but came to terms with it and had some successes. I did my long runs on the weekends again like in the summer and it all worked out nicely.

Bob and Mary Perrotti (They are from MIddletown and have a shop in Middlefield 10 minutes away from my house!)

November came around quickly and I had the Wine and Dine race in Disney World. I knew Bob and Mary were also going to the Wine and Dine race but I didn’t run into them there. I didn’t get to hook up with Kim Gail and Becca either, but I did see Joe Pardo and his wife Melissa and my friends Mandy and Kenn Remo at Epcot that night! I was on Joe’s podcast in the summer for one of his episodes. He is so awesome. Very friendly and welcoming and his wife is so supportive of his podcast and all the people he meets! I ran the Wine and Dine half marathon with Mandy and Diana and it was horrible pouring rain for most of the race. This was my first Wine and Dine half marathon and I was disappointed that I didn’t get to experience all of the picture stops and the after party. I planned on staying for the after party, but the weather was so terrible and cold, that I didn’t want to stand in line for the food and drinks in the cold rain. I went back to my room, slept for 3 hours and headed to the airport to get back home to my family for another party! My job was picking up during the months of November and December and I am really enjoying it. I learn something new every day and I think I am becoming a great help to my co-worker. I keep thinking about my one word resolution for 2014 which was “Grow” and feel that it is so appropriate for the year and everything that I have been going through.

Diana Boucher, me, Mandy Remo, Christina Palombo

On a Saturday in November my parents and I took the kids to NYC on the train to see the city. They loved it. We went to the Central Park Zoo, ate at a burger bar in Rockefeller Center, saw the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry and rode the subway. They were such excellent travelers and never complained about all the walking. I knew that we had to return before year end to show them the Christmas lights in the city.

The weekend before Thanksgiving I took a train to Philadelphia to run the Philadelphia Marathon. I met Jennifer Tara there and we roomed together. She was going to run the half marathon. We met Joe Pardo and his wife for dinner and had a great time in the city. Again, I can’t say how much I love making new friends through running and being able to hook up with someone and making a new friend at each race. I had planned to run the full with Danielle DeCarolis. She is a fellow Mickey Miler so we met up the morning of the race in the corrals. You can read my race recap for the full event’s details. I am looking forward to seeing Joe and Jen and Danielle at marathon weekend. For Thanksgiving I didn’t do a turkey trot this year. I did my own Turkey Trot at home in my neighborhood and then we went to my nephew’s house for dinner. It was a quiet but relaxing Thanksgiving.

December came along and I wanted my kids to have an Epic Christmas so we made sure to make plans to do fun holiday things. We went to Gillette Castle to see the lights, we saw lights around town, had breakfast with Santa, my son sang in concerts with his chorus, we put up our tree Thanksgiving weekend and we took them out of school one day to go to NYC. This time my husband was able to join us. It was so much fun to see the city lit up for the holiday. We also watched some of the older Christmas movies like the National Lampoon’s Christmas vacation and they absolutely loved it. They are at a great age to do things that we had done when we were their ages.

2014 was a good year. The kids and I tried new things like Rock Climbing, bike riding at the beach, they went on trips to cities they haven’t been to before, and Adrienne broke her foot. I ran many races in many places and I got outside of my comfort zone and I feel so happy. I am looking forward to another good year in 2015. I believe it is what you make of it. I know that this year I want to focus on achieving the goals that I set and to learn more. What are your goals?

Always smiling! This was 3 days AFTER the accident happened. We went rock climbing and she earned a stripe in karate before we found out it was broken.

Runner’s Holiday Gift Ideas

December 23, 2014

Yes it is just two days before Christmas, but if you are like me you may be behind on your shopping this year and need some last-minute ideas for someone! Well I have a few ideas for you that you can click a few clicks on your mouse and print out a page or two and you will be covered for this Christmas! I love getting new running gear. I especially love getting it as a gift! Here are a few great ideas for your runner in your life Some items that I’d love to receive for Christmas or possibly something you’d like to give to your runners are:

Entry into a runDisney race. You can give a non-Disney Gift card, like a pre-paid Visa or Mastercard for any monetary value and the runner can use that when registering for their runDisney race of choice. Then for the Expo you can give your runner a Disney Gift card to use for the official runDisney merchandise, food during the racecation or even towards the hotel room. If you shop with your red card at Target you can save 5% on the purchase of your Disney Gift Card, too!

An Airline gift certificate. I’d love to get some free Southwest credit to use towards my races!

Entry into a virtual race or an actual race. I was planning on going to the Jeff Galloway’s Inaugural 13.1 race in Atlanta this year, but due to some circumstances at home, I had to put that race on hold this year. However, I can participate in the virtual race and will still receive my medal! Click here for more details.

Jeff Galloway also offers race retreats. Why not take a little retreat somewhere to relax AND run and learn with Jeff and Barbara Galloway?!

I recently purchased a great new piece of clothing to add to my gear. A fly shrug. It was perfect for the Wine and Dine half marathon (race recap coming soon!). It was a rainy race and I wasn’t sure how the weather was going to be in regards to temperature. So this was perfect in case I needed to take it off to cool off. I also used it for the Philadelphia marathon and again it was a perfect addition on a cold morning in addition to my short sleeve shirt and arm sleeves.

Fleece lined running tights are awesome for the winter. I love mine! I was lucky enough to find some at Target and at Kohls for a rather inexpensive price.

iTunes gift cards are a perfect stocking stuffer to add music to the runner’s playlists or to download special running apps. You can purchase the gift card online, print it out or even email it to your runner recipient.

If you have time to get to a store, find your runner the Garmin 220 is amazing. I love mine! It is everything I needed for my first Garmin watch. Now that I am doing some treadmill training I do need to invest in the show pod to help me keep track of mileage while running indoors.

Fitbit. I don’t have one (yet). I am hoping I get one for Christmas! I want the FitBit One because I don’t want to wear a wristband all the time to keep track of my steps and activity. Target and Kohls has these items, most stores sell them, actually. So get out there and get one for your runner! They will love it. Runners enjoy stats and monitoring their progress. You can use this in addition to your Garmin to see your total activity for a day, PLUS you can see how well you sleep at night, too!

Runners Box. Don’t you love getting free stuff in the mail?! Well you can (sort of). If someone purchases a runners box subscription for you, you will receive a new box in the mail every few weeks with different runner items to try out. The prices range between $21 – $30 for a bi-monthly to yearly subscription. You can purchase a one time gift box or a yearly subscription. What a great idea! The gift that keeps on giving! I will be mentioning this to my husband today in case he needs any last-minute ideas. Thank you to the Mickey Miles Podcast for mentioning it in their holiday gift guide pod cast (episode 225).

Last but not least, if your runner likes to wear costumes for their races, you can add an accessory to their costume with a Jamberry gift card. You can give them a gift card so they can purchase custom Disney wraps to use with their costumes or even just to purchase the stock nail wraps that come in hundreds of different designs! Check them out on my site at http://pamfrost.jamberrynails.net. Or like my Facebook page to see the Disney designs. You can purchase a gift card and print it out immediately to stuff in the runner’s stocking. Can’t go wrong with that!

Happy Holidays!

Training for the Disney Tower of Terror 10 Miler

September 17, 2014

The Disney Tower of Terror 10-miler race is the first night race of the Fall season. It begins at 10:00 p.m. at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and runs toward the Animal Kingdom, back around to the ESPN Wide World of Sports and ends back through Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I ran this race for the first time last year and loved it. However, I did not understand with confidence, how to prepare for a night race. Now that I have done it, I know what to do to prepare.

The mileage wasn’t an issue for me because I was preparing for the WDW marathon weekend. But if this is your first time doing a night race, I recommend that you put in the miles prior to the race so that you don’t have to worry about running a night race PLUS running that distance for your first time. Prior to the race weekend I had listened to the Mickey Miles Podcast Episodes 102 and 103. Jeff Galloway had discussed with Mike and Michelle some tips on preparing for running a night race. He did mention scheduling a long training run for the time of day similar to your race. Where I live, it is a very rural area, and I just wasn’t comfortable doing a 10 mile run on my dark country roads in the open fields. I also didn’t want to do a 10 mile run at 10:00 at night on my treadmill. However, I don’t think it is a bad idea.

Another important element for preparing for the night race is your nutrition. I feel that this is equally as important as the actual running mileage you put in for the race. In my experience the third most important thing is resting prior to the race. Last year, I made it a point to eat a turkey sandwich late in the afternoon and rested in my hotel room for several hours. I could not fall asleep, but I was off of my feet and resting (not walking around the parks).

Hydration is also a critical component to having a successful race. Even though the race takes place at night, it is usually still quite hot and humid in Florida. We were pretty sweaty early on in the race. So it is important to have a lot of fluids throughout the day and also during the race.

When it was time to head out to the race, we hung out in the corral area for a while prior to lining up in the corrals. I had some apple sauce prior to the race. Mentally, my challenge was realizing that it was 9:30 p.m. and I am usually getting my family and I ready for bed, and here I was preparing to begin a 10 mile race. That was a little bit of a head trip. Once the race got going, the adrenaline gets pumping and you don’t realize what time it is. I really enjoyed the race and the location of it. Running at night was really fun. For some reason, I feel like I run faster in the dark. I can’t explain it, but it is the way I feel.

I was hungry after the race. That was weird, because by the time I got back to my hotel it was after 2:00 p.m. and I didn’t necessarily have “food” to eat. Not to mention that I had to shower and get some sleep before waking up early for my flight home.

The points to take out of this when preparing for the Tower of Terror 10 miler is to be aware of what you eat the day of the race. I had a hearty breakfast of pancakes the morning of the race. During the day I made sure I wasn’t eating anything that would cause me any upset late in the day, and in the late afternoon I had a turkey sub with chips. I felt successful with my food intake the day of the race. In regards to resting, I also feel that I made smart choices by making it a point to be in my room, off my feet and resting. If you make a priority to do these things you will be successful in this race.

Read my Tower of Terror Race Recap from 2013.

Learn More About Michelle Scribner-MacLean from Mickey Miles Podcast

May 5, 2014

I love to listen to podcasts when I run. As you know, some of my favorites are the Mickey Miles Podcast, Be Our Guest Podcast, Laugh or Go Crazy, Two Gomers, and the DIS Unplugged. I decided while on a run that since I listen to these people (friends) all the time in my headphones, I’d love to start more of a dialogue with them and learn more about the voices behind the podcast. I recently interviewed Mike Rahlmann and Rikki Niblett from the Be Our Guest Podcast because I know Mike attends the races, but learned via Twitter that he registered for the WDW marathon. That surprised me so I reached out to him and learned that he was bit by the running bug and Rikki is also going to run the 10K during 2015 Marathon Weekend.

I have had the pleasure to meet Michelle Scribner-MacLean and Mike Scopa at various meetups at runDisney races and

they are the friendliest most welcoming, personable people to meet. I had never been to a meetup before, so my first one was in Disneyland during the Dumbo Double Dare in 2013. It was Mike and Michelle’s first time hosting a Mickey Miles Podcast meetup and it was a big success! There were a lot of people there and Mike and Michelle were so gracious to stand in the hot humid sun to talk to their fans! I also attended their meetup during Princess weekend this February also. And I ran into them one night in Epcot during marathon weekend in January. It’s nice to just run into people and they remember who you are! That means a lot to me!

Just a few weeks ago I went to the Boston Marathon as a spectator to cheer on Michelle and other friends. I like to support those who are reaching for their dreams. Unfortunately I had to catch a train home and just missed Michelle by about 20 minutes! I really wished I could have seen her!

I asked her and Mike if I could interview them for my blog and of course, they said yes! Here is what Michelle shared with me:

Have you always been interested in running?

Absolutely not. I have always been active. As a kid I did baseball and tennis and as a teen I did field hockey and was captain of my tennis team in high school. Running was a punishment or something I needed to do to get do the real sport that I wanted to do.

What was your first race?

My first race was a half marathon — Disney 2010 in January. It probably would have made more sense to start on a local race but Disney felt like a safe place to start.

What was your first non Disney race?

I did the Turkey Trot on my town (probably 2011)

Do you have a dream race?

In terms of location, running in Hawaii would be amazing. I’d love it if runDisney would branch out and do running vacations in different locations.In terms of my dream running team…any time I run with friends and family is the best.

You have been running with your son Liam lately. Do you think you will run a marathon with him?

I love running with Liam (and he’s signed up for some 10Ks this summer). His goal is to run a half in two years. He’s not great about practicing but he’s enthusiastic about running and loves running Disney.

Now that you have accomplished the Boston Marathon (yay!) do you wish to do it again?

As someone who grew up 10 miles outside of Boston, the marathon has always been something I’ve revered but never aspired to. The events of last year and the opportunity to run for my mom’s hospital (Spaulding Rehab, who did a lot of the rehab for the bombing victims) made it important for me to run this year. Doing the Dopey last year gave me the confidence to be able to do it. Boston was my third marathon and, by far, the most difficult. Having said that, I would do it again in a second. The crowd was amazing and the feeling of running down Boylston Street was really indescribable. I was very proud of my city.

Do you have a favorite moment from that day?

Seeing the crowds, generations of families, with “take back our finish line” posters was really cool. However, my favorite part of the day was the hugs and the look of pride that I received from my family and friends who were there to to cheer me on.

Do you listen to podcasts when running? What are your favorites?

I rarely listen to podcasts while I’m running (I usually listen to music). If it’s over 13 miles I’ll listen to WDWToday, This American Life, The Moth, and books on tape.

How did you and Mike become friends and decide to do the podcast?

Mike and I were both writers on AllEars.net. It turns out that we had a lot in common: running, teaching, and love of Disney. We also lived near each other and became friends. He coached me through my first half marathon and a few years later we started TeamAllEars to raise money for breast cancer research, help foster the love of running Disney, and to encourage new runners. We wrote many blogs about running and had lots of discussions with new runners. The podcast was born out of this and the desire to help folks learn about running Disney races.

I love new gear just like you do. What is your favorite gear you use?

I’m a “gadget girl.” I love my technology gadgets. My favorite is my Garmin 220.

I am also using Jeff Galloway for ecoaching. What was the most valuable thing you learned from him?

It was wonderful to work with Jeff. It was nice to have a “go to” person for my questions and he was so supportive.

I train teachers and he’s a born teacher. The thing I learned is that running, like teaching, is a craft. You can always learn more, always improve if you want to.

Thank you Michelle for answering these questions! I love it! I do wish I could have given you a hug that day in Boston! But I am very proud of you and so happy you enjoyed that special day and major accomplishment! Keep up the great work! You and Mike are doing a great job keeping us informed of runDisney events and also of running information that we can find useful and entertaining.

What I Learned From Tara Gidus The runDisney Nutritionist

April 25, 2014

On my Boston Marathon World Run I listened to my favorite Mickey Miles Podcast in the beginning of my run. Tara Gidus was on again giving nutrition advice and answering questions. She was so resourceful the last time she was on prior to Dopey weekend and I learned so much from her. This time I learned even more!

I want to purchase her book “Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies” and maybe one day hire her as a nutritional counselor for me.

What I took out of the latest podcast from her:

Eat within an hour of waking up
Drink your water
Take a supplement like Vitamin D at least 1000 of it.
Calcium is another good supplement to take
Prior to a race have your breakfast such as toast with peanut butter, a bagel, banana, oatmeal. Then while waiting for the race to start, munch on something simple like Frosted Flakes.
Eat small meals throughout the day. They should last you about 3 hours until you feel hungry again. If you don’t feel hungry it means you ate too much.
Frozen diet-type meals (Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers) are a great option for a snack because they are low in calories and have just about everything you need for a small meal.
Have a smoothie with protein each day as a small meal and you will easily take in 20+ grams of protein your muscles need to recover.

A big thing she mentioned that sunk in with me is when you are training for a long run or a marathon, it’s OK if you gain a few pounds prior to that event. That means your body is storing the glycogen you need to fuel you for that race, as long as you are eating more good carbs. So the water and glycogen is being held in your cells. After the race, those pounds should come off when you return to your non carb-loading diet.

Tara is the runDisney Nutritionist and you can read more about her tips for fueling for your runs on the runDisney site. For more tips and details from Tara’s helpful Podcast, download the Mickey Miles Podcast episodes 161 and 162.

Tag: Mickey Miles Podcast