Wife Mother Runner #TeamCigna Archives

2017 runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon…The Second Half

February 6, 2017

This blog post is the second part to the first one I wrote last week highlighting the first half of the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 8, 2017. This was my friend PK’s first marathon and we really wanted to make sure he had a enjoyable experience. I think we were very successful in that. So much so that he wants to do the Dopey Challenge next year!

Something PK and I noticed during the first half of the race was the number of discarded clothes and socks on the side of the road. In past years the discarded clothing dwindled off after the first 2 miles. But this year we saw it as far as mile 10. The funny thing were all the socks we saw. I assumed that since people didn’t have gloves they used socks to keep their hands warm.

The second half of the race was going well. We ran through Animal Kingdom and the long tour of the Animal Kingdom parking lot and then to the long stretch of Osceola Parkway. I played my game of tag with Nick Takacs just outside Animal Kingdom; but didn’t see him the rest of the race. The temperature was ideal, the sun was out and we were having a good time. I found a few friends out on the road. I saw Jon Biel and his friend Sara dressed as Bob’s Barricades. Then a few miles up I found my friend Linda Bachand Jackson.

After about 3-4 miles of Osceola Parkway we made our way into ESPN Wide World of Sports. I was starting to do some mental math in my head and PK thought it was funny seeing me try to calculate the balloon ladies and our arrival time, etc. He never saw that side of me. I also knew that it was time to take in some sugar because I was starting to get a little mental in my head. I was also feeling a little bit fatigued so I wanted to make sure I was going to finish strong.

At some point during the second half we were talking about our strategy. He thought that maybe we would walk a mile or two near the end and then finish the end running. I was ok with that plan. But then, during our miles in ESPN, we got caught up with the 6:30 pacing group. We couldn’t really get past them; so when they ran, we ran, when they walked, we walked. It actually felt good. They were doing a 15/30 pace. We had been consistently using a 30/30 pace. So I suggested to PK that we follow them until we get to Hollywood Studios and see how we feel.

That was a great plan, because I remembered that back on Osceola heading to Hollywood Studios there is an incline. So if we stick to the pacer group that would help us get up the hill without walking the whole thing. It worked out very well. We made it to Hollywood Studios and continued with the group all the way to Epcot. I actually felt a lot better using their intervals because it kept us at a consistent pace and the intervals left me less fatigued. We made a new plan that at mile 25 PK was going to run ahead and I would meet him at the finish. That was the perfect plan because I wanted to savor that last mile through Epcot. Given everything the family had gone through since Thanksgiving I wanted to reflect during that last mile. I wanted to have time alone with my thoughts.

With just about 3/4 of a mile left I saw a small child wearing a Pokemon hat and I swore it was Lyla. It stopped me in my tracks. I totally felt that it was a sign of her telling me that I had the strength to finish and that I could do anything I wanted as long as I worked for it. So for the last 3/4 of a mile I was sobbing. I couldn’t wait to finish and see my family. As I rounded the corner after mile 26 I saw my family and blew them a kiss. Then I saw Fitz waiting to give out hugs and I got the biggest hug from here. It was so special to share that moment with her. I had finished my 3rd Dopey Challenge (aka the Grumpy Challenge). And I will continue to do the Dopey Challenge as long as my friends want to be crazy and do it with me!

Enjoy a recap of the entire race from start to finish!

2017 runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon…The First Half

January 30, 2017

The big race of the weekend was finally here! I was going to run the marathon with PK, Diana and our new friend Tami. It was PK’s first marathon and I was so excited for him! I told him that I would meet him at his hotel lobby at 4:10 a.m. He was staying right around the corner from me and right en route to the race, so it was perfect. So my alarm was set for 3:00 a.m. I had my tea, cinnamon toast and I packed a bag full of snacks.

I also had to put on several layers of clothing. I had on my long sleeve shrug, my Patriots shirt (in support of PK), a light jacket, a fluffy red sweatshirt and my XXXL men’s sweatshirt. I was also wearing my sign in honor of Lyla but I had to make sure that when I shed my layers I would have to re pin the sign and my race bib. It was crazy that in Florida I was dressing in so many layers. When I walked out to the car I was surprised that it wasn’t as cold as I was expecting. But I knew that waiting in the corrals I was going to feel colder.

PK and I drove to Epcot, had to park in one of the spots that was the FURTHEST spot away and we walked the journey to bag check, the runner’s area and then down to the corrals. Just before we entered the runners area I spotted Jacqui Kapinowski on her way to the wheelchair start! I was so happy to see her and she told me she had just been talking to Harry about me recently! I met Jacqui during Princess Weekend in 2014, and she was my first exposure to Achilles International, which I am not a volunteer for.

With this being his first marathon and his first Disney marathon he was surprised, like I was my very first time, at how much walking we had to do before even getting to the race. We got down to the corrals and hooked up with Diana and Tami. Thankfully we weren’t there too early. I believe we were in the corrals for about 20 minutes before they started moving us closer to the start. But just before they did we all go the pre-race porta pottie jitters so we all rushed over there just in time. I was right, it was cold in the corrals so we used the space blankets and I was glad that I had my throw away sweatshirt, gloves, and ear warmers. I talked PK into bringing his gloves and hat as well for the race.

PK, Tami, Diana and I trying to keep warm in the corral

Our corral took off at 6:23 a.m. and we were consistent with doing our walk/run intervals the first several miles of the race. PK and I planned to run ahead of Diana and Tami to the character or picture locations and then we would all decide if we wanted to wait in line or keep going. Since the first few miles were things that we had already seen in past years, and we wanted to increase the buffer of time between us and the balloon ladies, we skipped the first few stops. We did stop for Lightning McQueen and that’s where I ditched my first layer. Diana and Tami ran ahead and PK and I stopped for Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas.

My favorite thing is always running under the bridge that is the waterway to the Contemporary with the DJ and his big hands encouraging the runners. He never disappoints. We made our way towards the Magic Kingdom and waited just near Main Street for Diana and Tami and then we all ran down Main Street together.

While in Magic Kingdom, we used the real bathrooms, then Diana and Tami ran ahead while PK and I stopped for all of the character stops. We did end up finding each other around mile 10 at Bear Road (aka the water treatment plant). Just in time for Diana to get her picture with Wreck It Ralph! She was disappointed that earlier in the race they weren’t at the location we were used to seeing them at.

I found Sid around mile 6

On Bear Road there was a section of the race that had vintage ride cars. This was great. There was the ship from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, a Rocket from Star Jets, a car for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Snow White, and a cart from The Skyway. This was one of my favorite picture spots. I heard Rudy announce that this was going to be around mile 10 and it was incredible to see these epic extinct rides!

After this point in the race we were approaching the out and back loop. i was unaware that this out and back was going to be so long. Last year it was a short distance until the turn around. This year, we had to make up some distance due to the construction going on in Hollywood Studios so the extra distance was on a long stretch of road behind Animal Kingdom. I was a little frustrated when I looked ahead and saw how far it went. But I put my head down and trudged forward. Again, we saw Diana and Tami at this part of the course.

We turned into the back of Animal Kingdom and this is where we were at the halfway point in the race. Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog post, the second half!

2017 WDW Marathon Weekend Day 3 – 10K

January 16, 2017

The second race of the Dopey Challenge is the 10K. I set my alarm a little earlier for this race because it starts at 5:30. I was up at 4:00 and had the trouble I had last year with the exit ramp being closed. I ended up driving to Magic Kingdom and back around to World Drive in order to get into Epcot. Once I was able to park I went to the corrals. I arrived in time since I was in Corral E. It was a beautiful morning, temperatures were in the lower 50’s with sunshine anticipated at the finish. I tried to locate Diana and Tami and came across Sid Busch and Nick Takacs. When the corrals were releasing for the start Diana and Tami caught up to me.

It was my first time meeting Tami so we didn’t have a set strategy for our walk/run method for this race. We were just going to wing it. The first three character stops were crowded and we didn’t want to lose time standing in line so we ran past them. The character stops were Scrooge McDuck and Launchpad McQuack. I have yet to get my picture with them. The second one was Lilo and Stitch. The third was Mr. Incredible and Elasta-Girl.

As I was running the course I saw Mike Scopa on the road so I told the girls to go up ahead and I would catch up with them. I chatted with Mike for a while. We walked and ran while talking and catching up. He hadn’t planned to run this race at all, so he scrambled up some running gear and ran the 10K. We talked about what we thought might happen for the half marathon scheduled to run the next day. There was bad weather being forecast for the morning, and especially during the time the volunteers had to start setting up. So there was concern that they may delay the start, cut the course short, or even cancel the race all together. It was good to see Mike and then I ran up ahead to catch back up with Diana and Tami.

We entered Epcot but didn’t stop for characters there either because the lines were also long. Especially the line for Colonial Goofy, Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck. In fact, we didn’t stop for any characters along the 10K course. In Morocco was Vacation Genie, on the Boardwalk was Pluto and heading back to the backstage of Epcot was Pooh and Tigger. We did find friends along the way. I ran into Linda Bachand-Jackson just as we were exiting the International Gateway and I walked with her a bit towards ESPN; and then after seeing the Mickey Milers and BOGP cheering squads I found Kimberlee near the Beach Club.

I NEVER get the chance to see Kimberlee when we are in Disney so I took this opportunity to walk with her to the finish. SHe was having issues with her IT band so I told Diana and Tami to go ahead and I walked in the rest of the way with Kimberlee. I figured I would save my legs for the half marathon anyway so I didn’t mind.

Despite not stopping for characters we finished in 1 hour 45 minutes. I think my pace last year was 1 hour 48 minutes. But I was in no hurry. I just wanted to be safe and conserve my energy and my legs for the second half of the race weekend. Little did I know what was going to happen the following day (more on that in a future post).

Diana, Tami and I went to the line for Dopey photos and I was back to our hotel by 9:15. I had to hurry to eat and shower because I was attending the Cigna blogger event that was taking place at Hollywood Studios and needed to be at the Floridian Convention Center for 11:30 a.m.

2017 WDW Marathon Weekend Day 2 – 5K

January 15, 2017

This year my husband, children and father joined my mother and I for the 2017 WDW Marathon Weekend 5K race. We woke up at 4:00 and I got the kids up around 4:20. They weren’t too keen about waking up that early; but the race start was 6:00 a.m. and I wanted to be on the road by 5:30. Everyone ate a little something to hold them over until the race was over and we were in the car by 5:30. I was running all of my races in honor of our friend Lyla.

Pre-Race Events

We took some pictures before the race and then the kids had the experience of witnessing hundreds of porta potties lined up in the runners area. It was funny to see their reaction to that. My mom and I were also dancing with the DJ playing, but my daughter thought it was silly of us to do that! I hope that age isn’t coming where the kids are becoming too cool for their parents!

The Race Start

When you register for the races, you have to submit a proof of time or an estimate of your pace. Based on that, you are placed in the appropriate corral. We had a variety of corral locations on our bibs, so in order to stay together we had to go to the lowest corral. For us, that was corral F.

As the corrals were being released each corral was released in a wave. So the kids were separate from us and we had to pull them back to our section. This is something new I hadn’t seen in past races. We finally started at 6:48 a.m. We walked the race and my daughter was a bit of a grump until we got into Epcot. It was a very cold morning and her feet were cold so she was struggling a little bit. But that changed once we got into Epcot!

Characters On Course

My son and husband were a little bit ahead of us. My son wanted to jog a little bit. We stopped for the first character stop with Thumper and Blossom. Then once we got into Epcot we stopped for a picture with the Vikings. As you can see, my mother wasn’t ready for that picture! Once we were in Epcot Adrienne cheered up and seemed to enjoy more of the race.

My mom was making this face because my dad was stepping on her foot!

As we continued through Epcot, which is so beautiful that time of day with the sun rising, we skipped past the other character stops. The characters in the countries were Minnie Mouse in Italy and chip and Dale in Morocco. But we could NOT skip the Donald Duck stop in Canada.

As we were in line we were warned that if we remained in line, the sag wagon was coming and we were at risk of not finishing. My parents were nervous about that; but I told them we’d be ok and we could out-walk them. Just near the fountain was Space Goofy, but we didn’t stop for him.

The highlight of the race for me, was spotting Mike Green on the course. I had written a blog post about him the week before the race. I had a chance to introduce myself to him before I had to catch back up with my family. I was so glad to see a member of Team Cigna out on the race course. We finished at 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Will We Do It Again?

Despite the early wake up and some of the groaning my daughter did early on the in the race (which I completely expected in advance), it was a good time and both kids want to do it again!

Have you done any of the runDisney Races with your family? Did you know you don’t have to run the entire distance? The 5K is a family friendly race that everyone can participate in!

2017 WDW Marathon Weekend Day 1 – Expo

January 14, 2017

This year’s race weekend began with a surprise to our children. As usual, we like to pull off the trip as a surprise to them. We usually do it on the same day as our departure, but we had to surprise them the night before to allow us to finalize all of our packing.

We had a 9:55 a.m. flight with my parents, and were on the same flight as Kimberlee and Diana. This was the perfect flight time because it allowed us to land at 1:00 and get over to the expo and check into our hotel room by early evening so the kids could swim.

We took advantage of Amazon Prime Now to deliver groceries to our room. This was the first time I used the program and because of that they took $10 off of our first order. We arranged our list a few weeks ahead of time and set up a delivery window for when we knew we would be at the room. However, you are not required to be there in order for the delivery. They also have a great feature that notifies you when the order is out for delivery and you can actually track the location of where the driver is.

I was very surprised at how the food was packaged and I received everything on the order. They keep the cold items in a cold pack bag with cold ice packs as well. We will definitely take advantage of this service in the future as well. There are some items that Amazon Prime Now didn’t provide so I had to make a quick trip to Walmart. Thankfully, when we stay at the WorldQuest Orlando Resort, Walmart is just a 5 minute drive from our hotel. This came in handy later in in the trip (more on that in a future post).

The expo trip was easy. We picked up my Dopey bibs and shirts and then had to pick up the 5K bibs and shirts for my family. I had the chance to see Mike Rahlmann and his family picking up their 5K bibs and then I made a quick trip to the merchandise area to look for a sports bra. I apparently hadn’t packed appropriately (more on that later as well!) The kids were waiting to go to the hotel to swim so we left the expo. I knew I’d head back there in the upcoming days to browse.

After our trip to Walmart I cooked Sloppy Joes and pasta for the family and we all had dinner and made it an early night. We had our first early wake up time for the Dopey Challenge and my family’s first 5K in Disney.

Stay tuned for more WDW Marathon weekend recaps!

More Inspiration For runDisney Marathon Weekend 2017 – Mike Green

January 3, 2017

The next inspirational athlete who will be running the runDisney Marathon Weekend 5K is Mike Green from Houston TX.

Mike is a U.S.military veteran and retired police officer of 25 years who recently found a new, rewarding way to serve his community and stay healthy at the same time. By participating in the YMCA’s Enhance®Fitness program made possible by a Cigna Foundation grant, Mike has improved his health, increased his strength and endurance which opened the door for him to discover and achieve new goals. In recognition of Mike’s milestone, this January, Mike will participate on Team Cigna in the Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend 5K. As part of Cigna’s commitment to the health and well being of people at every stage and phase of life, Cigna is sending Mike and his wife to the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, an annual 4-day event that combines family, fun and physical activity, to be an ambassador for the EnhanceFitness program.

“After I retired, without a way to serve my community I felt lost. My health was also not at an optimum which added to my challenges.” Mike took three different blood pressure medications to manage high blood pressure and manages post-traumatic stress disorder, a disability from war. That’s when Mike, a longtime member of his local YMCA, decided to make his health a priority and turned to his community at the YMCA and friend, YMCA associate director, Lharrisa Jacobs, for support and ideas how to achieve his health goals.

“Earlier this year I joined the EnhanceFitness program at my YMCA provided through a Cigna Foundation grant. By keeping myself healthy, increasing my strength and endurance in the EnhanceFitness program, I’m now able to compete in community 5K runs for charity to help raise money for education scholarships and other community causes,” said Mike. He also mentors other participants in the program as a way to give back.

“Through EnhanceFitness, I feel better, have more energy and have new and rewarding ways that I am able to continue serving my community.”EnhanceFitness is a proven community-based senior fitness and arthritis management program designed to help improve health of older adults through increased physical activity and strength exercises in a fun, social environment. EnhanceFitness is nationally recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Council on Aging and several other federal agencies.

Measurable health improvements like reduced risk of chronic disease and falls are benchmarks tracked and results of the EnhanceFitness program. Mike is one of 13,569 EnhanceFitness participants.As a result of participating in the EnhanceFitness program at the Greater Houston YMCA, Mike’s blood pressure is now within a normal, healthy range; his doctor reduced his blood pressure medication from three pills to one and Mike is no longer pre-diabetic. Mike’s improved core strength and balance empowers his independence and enables him to walk with stability and confidence across uneven ground and sidewalks without his cane, and he no longer needs to wear a brace on his left ankle. Since joining the program, he reports no falls—a marked improvement.

“The Cigna Foundation has been the stronghold for the EnhanceFitness program at the YMCA. Cigna Foundation’s support of the EnhanceFitness program along with the dedication of the YMCA instructors have helped me get to this point,” said Mike. The Greater Houston YMCA is one of two YMCA’s in the U.S. to launch the EnhanceFitness program earlier this year as a result of a Cigna Foundation World of Difference grant. The classes are specially tailored to support health and well being for older adults. This isn’t one-size-fits-all. Members are encouraged to participate at their level, and the instructors are trained to know how to support individuals’ ability levels and meet them where they are.

“The Cigna Foundation is dedicated to helping individuals live healthier, more secure lives; and for our seniors that means healthy aging through physical, mental and social well-being,” said David Figliuzzi, executive director of the Cigna Foundation. “We’re proud to partner with the ‘Y’ to help seniors in Philadelphia and Houston become more active, energized and empowered for independent living through the EnhanceFitness program.”Mike shared, “When Lharissa invited me to participate in the 5K at Disney World on Team Cigna,I was very excited to have this opportunity. I’m looking forward to representing the YMCA and hopefully inspiring others to keep achieving your goals and discover new ones.”

Mike supports other EnhanceFitness members along their journey to success.“I tell other members, be dedicated to the program and it will be dedicated to you. Do what you can, and you will get there.”After Mike crosses the 5K finish line in Walt Disney World, he looks forward to accomplishing new goals like running in community 5Ks to raise money for educational scholarships, and mentor other members in the EnhanceFitness program along their road to health and wellness.

2017 runDisney Marathon Weekend Race Inspiration – Nicole Gaines

January 2, 2017

This year, as in several years past, Cigna is the sponsor for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. I had the pleasure of being invited to the blogger meetup event taking place this weekend. Prior to the races this year, I want to share some inspirational stories with you to give you some encouragement if this is your first race, or maybe your 50th race. Nicole is part of Team Achilles, which I also volunteer for. I hope to meet Nicole in person this weekend.

Nicole hiking Mt Ellinor after concussion

The first story I will share with you this week is of Nicole Gaines. Nicole is a Cigna customer and Achilles athlete participating in the Walt Disney® World Marathon 5K. Nicole Gaines, 33 years old from Troutdale, Oregon, is an active mother, wife, and registered nurse whose passion is caring for infant patients in the NICU and family birth centers patients. When she isn’t caring for patients or spending time with her family, you’ll find Nicole on the mountain slopes volunteering on ski patrol or teaching wilderness medicine to mountaineers and skiers.

But, on January 8, 2016 her active lifestyle came to a halt when she suffered a traumatic brain injury during a skiing accident. Nicole was also left with sustained injuries to her (left/right) shoulder and bicep tendon. In the days following, she went to an Urgent Care center and started physical therapy, but six weeks later when her symptoms of not being able to keep her balance, stay focused or have a coherent conversation persisted, she saw a concussion specialist who did an MRI and diagnosed her with post-concussion syndrome.

At work, Nicole’s injuries limited her ability to perform regular duties. Her main barriers to returning to work were vision challenges, memory issues, and fatigue as a result of her head injury. She took time off work to recover. Nicole continued with physical, occupational and speech therapy for eight months. During recovery, her husband and daughter were a huge support—driving her to and from her appointments and helping her with simple tasks at home such as cooking and cleaning.

By April, Nicole felt ready to return to work part-time doing back-office tasks and following up with patients over the phone. But, she was still unable to meet the cognitive demands of the shift, so Nicole was asked to take more time off work. That’s when in mid-June Nicole met Cigna vocational coach, Robin Randol, and the two teamed up to help Nicole reach her health and return to work goals.

Nicole vision therapy

Robin provided Nicole with screen magnifiers and screen readers to assist with vision issues, coached Nicole with nutritional and sleep hygiene best practices as well as computer use best practices to alleviate concussion syndrome triggers and fatigue, and provided cognitive strengthening strategies. “Robin has a deep background in working with people who have had brain injury,” said Nicole. “Robin’s expertise and the resources she’s provided helped normalize my struggle so I can worry less and stay focused on getting healthier and stronger.”

Robin also provided job placement and resume assistance to help Nicole connect with other RN opportunities, not 12-hour shifts, to help with her recovery. This September Nicole started a new RN position in employee health at a local hospital where she’s much happier working with patients again, has better hours and a better commute which support her while her brain continues to heal. To help Nicole strengthen her physical and cognitive stamina, Robin introduced Nicole to Achilles International, a non-profit organization Cigna partners with to help people with disabilities achieve their goals. Nicole worked with an Achilles personal trainer who provided a customized exercise program to help her increase physical activity gradually.

“Increasing physical stamina has made a big difference in my cognitive stamina,” Nicole said. “By doing my Achilles walk/run exercise program, I have more energy throughout the day which helps my cognitive stamina as well. I wasn’t a runner before my accident, but I love running and am making long-term health improvements.

”In recognition of Nicole’s desire and dedication to regain her health, Robin invited Nicole to participate as a sponsored Achilles athlete in the Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend 5K in Orlando this January.“When Robin invited me to participate in the Walt Disney World 5K, I was excited to join Team Cigna with other Achilles athletes whose stories have motivated me along my health journey. I hope my story can motivate others too.”

Nicole and daughter Kaytlin will participate in the 5K together. After completing her 5K, Nicole looks forward to her next goals: returning to work without restrictions, volunteering and being back on the mountain slopes. “My dream is to be fit and recovered enough to climb Mt. Rainier next year. Doing this 5K is a great start in making that a reality.”

Nicole 11-2015 Mt. Hood

2016 runDisney Dopey Challenge – Full Marathon

December 30, 2016

This post may seem a little late since the Dopey Challenge for 2017 is just less than a week away; but this post may just get you excited for what you have to look forward to if it is your first Dopey Challenge. If it is not your first Dopey Challenge, then it will help you refresh your memory of the course and picture locations and also get you psyched up for the final race of the challenge.

The full marathon is the final race of the four race challenge. It takes place on Sunday and begins at the early hour of 5:30 a.m. I believe I woke up for this race at 3:00 a.m. and was on the road and entering Epcot just as they were closing the roads for the race at 4:30 a.m. Once I arrived and parked I had to track down my friend Diana so we could meet Mandy at the corrals. Once I located her we walked straight to the corrals with very little wiggle room for hanging around in the corrals before the fireworks were going off and the wheelchair races were being released. I didn’t mind though. It meant less standing around waiting for the race to start. However, I don’t recommend cutting it that close to race start. But this was my second Dopey Challenge and 4th Walt Disney World marathon so I was familiar with the process.

Here is a video recap of the 26.2 miles and the ending of the 48.6 mile challenge.

Are you doing the Dopey Challenge this year? Is it your first time? Let me know if you have any questions!

Tag: #TeamCigna

Pre-Race Events

The Race Start

Characters On Course

Will We Do It Again?