Race Report: Princess 1/2 Marathon

I knew this was going to be a magical race when I saw my race bib. I didn't realize it, but when you register they ask for your favorite princess, which then becomes your race bib color. Plus who wouldn't love a bib that says Princess Elise?!

Having a low number for my bib number is always a bit intimidating because it's based on your expected finish time. So in reality I should be the 137th finisher. Kinda cool to imagine, but that usually doesn't happen.

After working two full days and getting half a day at the pool, I was ready to race. I hadn't done a run workout since the previous Sunday, so my legs were ready to move. But that doesn't mean I did nothing all week. I swam one day, biked one day, and jogged to the park one day. I taper hard.

Racing at Walt Disney World is tough because of the early start times. Race started at 5:30 am, but we had to be out of our hotel at 3:30am. That's rough, especially when not acclimated to Eastern Standard Time. Temperatures were expected to be high that day like they had been for the rest of the week, but instead it was cool and humid. I'm not talking about a little humid. I'm saying 99.9% humidity.

After getting bused to the start line, we had to walk at least a mile to the real start line. At least it warmed my legs up. It wasn't cold anymore and I felt ready to crush my PR.

I was in Corral A so I got to start on the starting line again. We began and I tried to hold back a bit. I asked around to see if anyone else was trying for a 1:40. No one responded since everyone had music in their ears. So another lonely race it would be. And let's not forget about warm. I've never ran in such humidity before. I was soaking wet by mile 2. Thank goodness I was only wearing a tank and skirt.

The race course was kinda boring. Pretty much you run for 5 miles to Magic Kingdom, run through it for 2 miles or so, then run back to Epcot. Every mile along the way there would be a float or character to take pictures with. Other that that, you were running on asphalt roads with nothing else to see. There were quite a few "hills" on the course. These hills were overpasses, so they weren't super steep but they were long. At mile 10 there was a longish, circular uphill. The Armyman character said this was the last hill, but he lied. There were still a few more rollers after that. I didn't expect so many hills, so I powered a bit too hard through them. I wanted to keep my 7:30 pace, but I was dragging just a bit.

I passed by my friend Kelly around mile 5. We ran for about 1/4 mile together then she stopped to puke. I felt bad, but there wasn't anything I could do. So I kept running. My slowest miles were in the theme park because of all the turns in there. Maybe having such a boring course was beneficial to me after all.

I got to the Mile 11 mark and saw that I needed to finish in 15 minutes to be under 1:40. That would mean a 6:40 pace for the last 2.1 miles. I knew it would be almost impossible, but I tried anyway. Thanks to all my training, my last two miles were my fastest. It's nice to know that's working. I crossed the finish line in 1:40:49. Yes it's 50 seconds slower than I wanted to be, but it was a 1:20 minute PR. I couldn't be sad about that.

I hurried through the finish chute so I could get my two medals. Yes, I said two medals. One for this race and one Coast to Coast medal. That means I finished two RunDisney 1/2 marathons in one year.

I don't think I've mentioned my costume yet. Carrie, Kelly, and I did matching costumes again. This time, Star Wars. Kelly was Princess Leia, Carrie was R2D2, and I was Han Solo. Yes, this is the closest I'll ever get to Harrison Ford.

Official Time - 1:40:49 (7:39 pace)

PR by 1:20

12th in age group

53rd woman overall (out of 21,222 women)

Mile 1 7:47

Mile 2 7:28

Mile 3 7:43

Mile 4 7:32

Mile 5 7:42

Mile 6 7:56

Mile 7 7:51

Mile 8 7:43

Mile 9 7:49

Mile 10 7:43

Mile 11 7:43 

Mile 12 7:27

Mile 13 7:16

Mile 0.17 1:11

Soon to be a Princess

Right now I'm in Florida, just counting down the hours until I become a Princess. I've ran both Disneyland races in Southern California, and now I've finally made the jump over to Florida to run at Walt Disney World.

Sunday I will be running the Princess 1/2 marathon and collecting not one, but two new shiny medals (I qualify for the Coast to Coast medal). I love this distance of race and have been training hard to improve my time. Hopefully I won't come down with the flu like I did during the last two Disney races I've ran. BUT I will be working all weekend, so my feet will be a bit restless. Guess I will need to wear compression tights to bed.

Wish me luck! I'm hoping for a big PR.

Race Report: Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon - Vegas!

I already knew this race wasn't going to be a PR, but a girl can hope, can't she? Just a week after Ironman and a busy weekend of working on my feet, what was I thinking running a half-marathon?!

I'm addicted to racing. That's the reason I raced. And my friends pressured me. But I couldn't pass up a chance to dress up as a bride, I mean a runaway bride!

My running costume: white Team Sparkle skirt, white tank with handmade flyaway sleeves, gunmetal Team Sparkle visor, veil pinned into hair, blue garter, white SKINS compression socks, and pink New Balance running shoes. 

Night races are always interesting. I never know what to do or eat before. We drank hot chocolate as we laid in bed all morning. That's what three moms away from their kids do on race morning.

I wanted a sub-1:40 marathon, but realistically that wasn't going to happen. Just a few days after finishing an Ironman, my legs were toast. But my heart still wanted that PR. Sorry heart, this wasn't the day.

The race began just as the sun was setting. It wasn't cold, but WOW it was windy. We ran one mile south on the strip and then U-turned to a nasty headwind. I've never raced with a headwind before. I heard later that the wind gusted up to 50 mph. It was like running on a hamster wheel. So much effort to just run in place. I knew nothing special was happening that day. It was straight into a headwind for about 7 miles. And when we finally turned around to run south on the strip again, the wind was blowing every which way. My veil visor blew off my head several times and one time I chased it backwards down the street. It was just ridiculous! My goal soon turned into sub-1:50. I don't know why, but it just sounded good. And I barely made it by seconds. It was my second slowest half-marathon ever. My legs were so heavy and I could barely wait to get back to our hotel. Luckily, we stayed at Treasure Island which is right where the finish line was. Yeah! Compression tights and dinner. One happy girl, despite a slow race. Still proud.

What To Do and NOT To Do Before a Race

Skyler and I have done a lot of racing over the past seven years. And we've learned many, many lessons along the way. Yet, we still do dumb things and make mistakes. 

You can't take every race seriously, right? Well, I'm a bit too competitive to race for fun, so I try to minimize my mistakes as they come because they will.

Last month my girlfriends and I traveled to Las Vegas to work our booth at the Rock n Roll marathon expo. Why not race since we'll be there anyway? One of us just came off intense marathon training, one of us just did an Ironman (me), and one of us hasn't done any run training for months (oh, besides a marathon). We're destined for disaster, but who cares. Here's our guide of what to do and not to before a race.

DO take a road trip to Vegas with your best friends. No husbands or kids allowed.

DO eat healthy. The gyros from the Mad Greek Cafe in Baker were delicious!

DO stay in a fancy hotel next to the expo and finish line. No one needs to do any extra walking.

DO NOT: Eat at Max Brenner. No healthy food here. Over-indulgence awaits you, but at least it's three days away from race day.

DO eat the whole menu at Max Brenner. DO NOT do it before a race or without Tums. (P.S. Best mac & cheese ever!)

DO NOT eat lots of desserts...unless you can pretend you aren't running a half-marathon in three days. Hot chocolate was yummy, everything else was just ok. 

DO NOT work at an expo two days before a race. Being on your feet is a big no-no. 

DO dress like a bride as much as possible in Vegas. DO be prepared to get hit on a lot.

DO NOT work two days at an expo before a race. 10 hours on your feet for two days in a row is bad race prep. But if you're going to do it, at least look cute.

DO go shopping. A new bra and make-up can really boost your self-confidence. BUT you aren't supposed to do a lot of walking, so make sure someone pushes you in a wheelchair.

DO NOT eat at I Heart Burgers the night before a race. This is the worst possible pre-race food, but the best-tasting post-expo food. Dilemmas...

DO lay in bed in compression tights and socks for 18 hours straight. That's what happens when you go to bed and don't have to wake up for an early race. I might like this night race plan.

Coming up....the race report.