Today's Inspiration

Bad runner, bad bad runner....

Yeah...my running has been about as consistent as my blogging. And I'm not proud of either. Life has not been kind to me lately from a running stand point and my guilt has prevented me from facing the fact that I have been slacking - and looking at my blog would force me to do that.

I did participate in the Chiefs 5K with my family back in May - it was untimed and I forgot to charge my Garmin so I have no idea how I did. But, I ran with my 6 year old while pushing my then 2 year old, so it wasn't about time or a PR - it was about crossing the finish line with my kids. It was a great moment and I can't wait to do it again next year.

I also ran the Color Run with my extended family in late May. Yeah- really no point in timing this race and besides, who would want to. I spent more time picking up colored dust from the ground and throwing it on my niece and my sister - no reason to worry about time when there is much fun to be had. In fact, we didn't even run this race. We walked and talked and had fun - it was worth it.

My 14 in '14 calendar has changed quite a bit - realized I had some conflicts with original dates planned so I'm desperately trying to get it hammered out. I have let myself down with my overall training and health - don't want to do the same with my ultimate 2014 goal.

14 in '14
February 23: Disney Princess Half-Marathon - 3:33:53
March 15: KC Big 12 5K & Fun Run - 38:50
April 12: Rock the Parkway Half-Marathon - 3:05:53
May 10: Kansas City Chiefs 5K (fun run, not chipped)
May 31: Color Run (fun run, not chipped)
August 9: Farmstead Stampede OP5K
September 1: Leawood Labor Day 5K
September 14: Plaza 10K
September 21: Panera Bread Diabetes Dash for Life
October 4: Kansas City Zoo Run (4 mile)
October 18: Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon (running the half)
November 15: Longview Half Marathon

So yeah, I need to find two more races. I should be able to - I may sign up last minute for a 4 mile race on Friday morning - which should go swimmingly since I haven't run in a while. But, I think I may just go ahead and do it. I need a little kick int he butt - I need a major confidence booster too. I've been feeling pretty crummy lately - and it's so weird to think that it might be because I haven't been running in so long. But, I also haven't been able to take time to do something for me in a long time either - I haven't been able to be selfish. So maybe I will make that change this week....

14 in '14 Goal - Update

After the Princess Half Marathon, I decided to set a goal of running 14 races in 2014.  I documented this goal in an earlier post and figured I should do an update to my race schedule. I work for the Kansas City Chiefs on game days so I wasn't able to sign up fill out my calendar completely until they released their 2014 schedule. Well, it came out last week and now I'm ready to finalize my calendar and empty my bank account. :-)

14 in '14
February 23: Disney Princess Half-Marathon - 3:33:53
March 15: KC Big 12 5K & Fun Run - 38:50
April 12: Rock the Parkway Half-Marathon - 3:05:53
May 10: Kansas City Chiefs 5K (fun run, not chipped)
May 31: Color Run (fun run, not chipped)
June 21: Jazz in the Woods 5K
July 12: Rock the Crossroads 5K
August 16: Rivalry Run 5K
September 1: Leawood Labor Day 5K
September 14: Plaza 10K
September 21: Panera Bread Diabetes Dash for Life
October 4: Kansas City Zoo Run (4 mile)
October 18: Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon (running the half)

I have 13 races currently on my calendar. I'm not worried at all about finding number 14. The problem I'm facing right now is that I'm considering making number 14 the Longview Half. It's an inaugural race - but I have a Chiefs game the next day and I'm just not sure how my body is going to feel. It's capped at 2,00 entries so I can't wait too long to make my decision. We'll see....

Half #2 done - and I Rocked that Parkway

It's taken me a little too long to get this recap written but I finally forced myself to carve out a little time and work on it. Before I had even completed my first half marathon - before I knew if I was even going to enjoy pushing myself to achieve that distance - I signed up for two more half-marathons here in Kansas City the day before the price increased. I had heard from several people that Rock the Parkway was a great half-marathon so I added it to my race list and paid my money.

5th Anniversary of the race

My sister went with me to the expo the day before. We enjoyed walking around and checking out the booths. I hadn't planned on making any purchases, but a local running store's booth had a couple sales I couldn't pass up and picked up a handheld water bottle for the race and finally got myself a pair of compression calf sleeves. Since the husband was out of town again, my sister took my kids for me Friday night so I wouldn't have to worry about getting them up early in the morning and planned on coming down to the race at some point to cheer me on.

I got the race early so I could stretch out and relax. I was really happy I made that decision once I realized my shirt was on inside out and I had to hide behind a dumpster to flip it around...sigh... I took time to collect my thoughts, get my head in the right spot and just enjoy the sun coming up and the excitement that continued to grow as more people arrived for the races. I also had the chance to meet up with a local runner, and fellow Swirlgear ambassador, LaStacia who I met through the Swirlgear FB page. We had planned to get together for a photo with another ambassador Laura and I'm so happy we did - I didn't have a lot of photos from that race.

LaStacia, myself and Laura

As I was preparing for this race, I decided I wanted to try running with a pace group. I knew very little about them but had heard such wonderful things about the pacers during PHM that I decided to do a little research. It didn't take me long to decide that might be the best option for me in this race - especially since RTP has a 14 minute mile minimum. I knew my moving time at PHM was around 3:14 (finishing time of 3:33)- so I decided to try to run with the 3:05 group.  My decision was further supported when I realized that one of the pacers for the time was a high school and college classmate from my little hometown in southern Kansas, someone I hadn't seen in possibly 15 years.  We're FB friends, so I reached out to him in advance to inquire about his pacing strategy and to let him know I was thinking of joining his group. Bonus - I forgot my Garmin at home that morning, so running with pacers was fantastic. 

When I headed into the corral I was excited to see Steve again, to meet his fellow pacer Becki and chat with the other ladies who were going to start the race with the pace group. Unfortunately, I would only see one of those women again, right after I crossed the finish line, but they were all a little faster than me and took off not long after the first mile. 

When the race started, the pace was a little slower than I was prepared for. It took some adjusting in my mental state, but I kept telling myself it would help me in the end and to stick with it. I ran almost the first 2 miles and then began walking when I felt like I needed to. I sped up a little bit to a more comfortable pace, but stayed pretty close to my pacers. After we passed the 5K mark, I found myself speeding up just a little bit more.  The 3:00 pace group was right in front of us and I decided as long as I could stay in between both pace groups, I would be doing well. And, up until mile 12, I managed to do that.

Overall, the race is fantastic. Quite hilly, but beautiful. The other runners were great - people were smiling and encouraging. And wow - the volunteers and spectators that lined the course, all 13.1 miles, were incredible. Hats off to them - they have no idea how uplifting it is to see them standing there, cheering loudly, ringing cowbells, etc. Not to mention, the signs were pretty fantastic the entire day.

My favorite signs of the day.

Around mile 4 we passed the Meyer Circle Fountain, and I couldn't help but stop and take a photo. At mile 5, we ventured off Ward Parkway and ran through a couple miles of residential area. During this run, I met up with the 3:00 pacers and managed to stay with them for a while. Then we hit more of those wicked hills and I had to slow myself down and power walk through them. 

Meyer Circle Fountain

By the time we got out of the residential area and back on Ward Parkway, the wind was starting to pick up. Steve had warned a headwind would find us on the last half of the race, but I was hoping he was wrong. Welp. I was wrong. A headwind arrived around mile 7 and I knew it was going to be a rough finish. I cheesed it up for the camera at mile 7 and prepared myself for the tough second half of the race. 

Halfway down, and I'm feeling good

I was feeling good and smiling. I really was having fun. I noticed a gal running next to me and she was struggling. I heard her asking a volunteer where the next water station was - I knew we were at least another 1-2 miles away. I ran over, handed her my bottle and told her to help herself. She protested a little, but I told her I was fine and would refill at the next station and that I wanted her to get a drink. She gave in and I'm so happy she did. I sure hope she finished the race. 

We had a wicked climb approaching mile 8 and the course finally began to flatten out, maybe even go downhill a little. I was slowing down and the 3:00 pacers were nowhere in sight - and with it my brief thoughts from earlier of a sub-3 hour half - but neither were Steve and Becki so I was still feeling confident and strong. I wanted to finish no worse than 3:05 and knew as long as I stayed in front of them I would. And then, it happened...again. Around mile 9 or 9.5 I got incredibly sick to my stomach, just like at PHM. With every step I took I thought I was going to throw up. Add in the fun of the strong headwinds and the final 5K of the race was miserable. We passed by the fountain again but I paid little attention. I was more worried about finishing on my feet, finishing in 3:05 or under and not throwing up. I began searching out people in front of me to pick off one by one, challenging myself to not just get in front of them but to put distance between us once I got passed them.

Mile 9

I sent Mark a text at mile 10 and asked him to remind me why I want to run half-marathons. I was also sending my sister mile updates as I ran so she could find me on the course. The last 5K I walked more than I ran, and more than I wanted to. But, I was going to finish no matter what. Steve and Becki caught up to me around mile 11.5 and I explained to them why I was struggling. They continued to encourage me to keep going and I did my best to stay with them. At one point, Becki pointed up at a group watching us from a structure above - I guess they were yelling my name (thanks to my bib) and cheering me on. I wish I would have heard them but I didn't. All I could hear was my own thoughts, telling me to keep pushing, keep running. Steve and Becki got in front of me a little but I was determined to keep them close. Then, around mile 12/12.25 I saw the most glorious sight I could've seen - my little man in his Superman shirt waiting for me. He saw me at the same time and started waving - and then he took off running - and it was fantastic.

My biggest fan - I just love him.

My sister, my niece and Logan were waiting for me and cheering. They had made signs and were jumping up and down. My brother in law, daughter, nephew and other niece, were down the course closer to the finish line waiting. This hug was the perfect fuel to get me through the rest of the race. I took off running toward the finish line and they crossed to the other side and ran along side yelling at me to keep going. I almost yelled at them to shut the hell up at one point, but used my better judgement and just kept running. 

My niece picked a flower for me and handed it over as I passed by

I ran, ran as hard as my legs would let me that last .6 miles or so. Those who had already finished were cheering us all on and I just loved it. It's so humbling to have those people stick around and cheer for you - they probably finished 90 minutes earlier, yet they want to help encourage everyone to cross the finish line. As a slow runner - and a new runner - it's one of those things that continues to impress me about the running community and helps my love of running to continue to grow. 

As I got closer to the finish line I noticed Becki had slowed way down - almost to a stop. As I approached her she told me to keep running - she wanted me to cross the finish line ahead of her. And I did - but wasn't sure if I met the 3:05 time. I hoped I had, but wasn't sure. I turned after I crossed and hugged Becki - what a wonderful thing she did by waiting just a couple seconds for me. I probably would have cried if I hadn't been so tired. I happily accepted my medal, fist bumped with Steve and walked over to my sister and my family. 

Almost to the finish line. My music had stopped, so I pulled my headphones out of my ears - love the Dopey look I'm rocking here.

BOOM! Half-marathon #2 in the books. 9 months after I started running.

I ran up to give my daughter a hug and saw the signs each of the kids made me. We walked over to get some water, food and my printed receipt. That's when I realized I managed to come in at 3:05:53 and I almost cried. It was a PR by more than 28 minutes from PHM (9 minutes if you use the "moving time" my Garmin reported) and I was incredibly proud of myself. 

This is a race I will definitely do again - even though I got sick (and I have some new ideas on how to keep that from happening thanks to suggestions from this incredible running community) I really enjoyed this race. The course was beautiful, the people friendly and the experience was awesome. I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a half-marathon to do in the area - and I'll be one of the first to sign up as soon as the 2015 registration is open.

I spent a lot of time thinking during this race. I know I will never be the fastest person on the course. I will never come close to winning my age group in any race at any distance. But, I'm lacing up my shoes and I'm walking out the door. I'm crossing the finish line and I'm having fun. And at the end of the day, that is what is most important. I'm proud of myself and accomplishing things I never thought I could - or would. It was during this race I realized that I'm a half-marathoner------ and no one can take that title from me.

Today's Stats:

13.1 miles
3:05:53 minutes
14:17 avg min/mil

4752 out of 4932 total
614 out of 644 F 30-34

Race Recap: Big 12 5K Fun Run

I had not run a single step since the Princess Half. Mark has been out of town and I've been so busy with work that I just haven't been able to. The family has also been passing a lovely bug between each other so I wasn't feeling real strong or healthy. Then it hit me - I have another half-marathon in a month. I needed to get out there get my training started again. So, I signed up for the Big 12 5K Fun Run & Family Stroll this past Saturday.

The race took place down at the Power & Light District here in KC. It's my second time running in this area, but it was a completely different course. The race was timed and finisher medals were handed out - which is always a great perk!

Logo taken from the website

I got there early to pick up my packet since I wasn't able to go the day before. I'm not a big fan of picking up the day of, but sometimes it can't be helped. Luckily, I got there early enough that I didn't have to wait in line, had time to walk back to my car to drop off my shirt and the extra stuff.  I also haven't had to tie a chip to my shoe since my race in October, so it caught me off guard for a second when the chip fell out of the packet - another reason I was happy I got there early. I headed back to the race area and stretched, walked around and tried to get my mind into race mode.

My hope was to settle into a 12:30-13 minute pace - I really, really, really wanted to PR during this race, but it's been a while since I ran so I wasn't sure. We took off and I comfortably found my pace - looked at my Garmin and it was around 11:53 - I was excited and scared at the same time. I was afraid this was probably too fast for me, but I felt good so I kept going. Big mistake. I went out too fast, again.

I ran the first full mile - but my breathing began to act up on me and I had to stop and walk. I couldn't get it under control no matter how hard I tried - I need to go chat with a doctor about this. I had to walk for probably close to .5 miles just to get myself calmed back down. I started running again and made myself stay around a 12:30 pace - I felt better, but my mental state was shot. I was so upset with myself that I couldn't get back in the game.

Around mile 1.75 I noticed a family running together. As I looked at the mom, she was wearing a Dopey Challenge shirt - I ran over, congratulated her on completing the challenge and told her I just got back from Princess Half.  She told me congratulations and we kept running. (For those who don't know, Dopey is a combination of the WDW Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K - in four days. Insanity.)

We went up an overpass and on the way down saw the mile 2 marker. I was feeling pretty good and just tried to keep running. I knew a PR was out of the question, so I focused on finishing as strong as I could. Then, around 2.5/2.75 the organizers of this race decided to have some fun with us - I swear we were running straight up hill. That was the most brutal hill I have ever run up - okay, sorry, walked up. There was no jogging by this chick. I walked that sucker. I was shot - there was no way.  Hills tend to have the biggest impact on my breathing so I didn't want to make things any worse. Came back down that hill, up another small one and saw the finish line. I ran as hard as I could across the finish line, but was so happy to have this race over. 

I walked around for a little while to cool down, found someone to take my picture and then drove on home. Overall, the race was fun. The hill was ugly - but I think that if my breathing wouldn't have acted up on me I would have been able to run at least the first 2 miles. I need to get that figured out and I will. 

So now, I'm ready to really get into training. I've decided to join a pacer group during Rock the Parkway - they will run 3:05 (the slowest pace group they are allowing). I know that's a 13 minute pace, which I know I'm capable of doing. I also know that they will run for most of this race - stopping only through water breaks. It will be tough - but if I can do it I think it will work wonders for my mental game. 

Today's Stats:

3.1 miles
38:50 minutes
12:38 avg min/mil
981 out of 1418 total
101 out of 157 F 30-34
Goals for next run
Probably won't be able to get out until Thursday. Going to get in at least 3-4 miles - try to run the full distance at a 13 minute pace. 

My goal for 2014 - 14 in '14

I decided to set a goal for myself this year.  One that I may not be able to keep up year after year, but figured I'd give it a go this year.  I've decided to try for 14 in '14 - 14 races this year.  Last year I ran in six races but didn't start until May. I figure hitting 14 this year shouldn't be too hard - especially since I've already signed up for quite a few.

Here's my race schedule so far:

February 23: Disney Princess Half-Marathon - 3:33
March 15: KC Big 12 5K & Fun Run
April 12: Rock the Parkway Half-Marathon
May 10: Kansas City Chiefs 5K (fun run, not chipped)
May 31: Color Run (fun run, not chipped)
September 1: Leawood Labor Day 5K
September 21: Panera Bread Diabetes Dash for Life
October 4: Kansas City Zoo Run
October 18: Waddell & Reed Kansas City Marathon (running the half)

Nine races so far -that's not too bad. A couple of those above I haven't signed up for yet, but plan to participate as I did them last year and they were great races. I'm not too worried about not meeting my goal - shouldn't be too hard to find five more races to participate in. The problem may be that I find more than five - and I'm not sure my bank account will be happy with me for that. I want to add a couple 10Ks to this list as that has become a distance I enjoy running. I still can't believe I have three half-marathons on my schedule - that's just crazy.

Ready for it to warm up a bit and for Mark to get home so I can get back out and start training for Rock the Parkway. I'm actually looking forward to that race - I don't know what's wrong with me. :-)

Disney Princess Half-Marathon 2014 - Race Day! Part 3

The final installment of my Disney Princess Half Marathon experience. I know it's been a long blog entry, but I wanted to record as many memories as I could before time begins to fade them away.  If you missed any of the previous entries, part 2 is here, part 1 is here and my expo thoughts here.

After taking time to Let It Go, I knew the toughest stretch of this race was ahead. This wasn't a part of my mental negativity rearing it's ugly head - it was the truth. The road narrowed significantly and the people were still there - so many runners. I did my best to stay middle to right - raised my hand and look behind me before I stopped to walk. I'm sure I didn't do as good of a job as others would have liked, but when you're elbow to elbow, you do your best.  I've heard stories of some nasty Princesses during the race- but I didn't encounter any. Lots of "excuse me", "on your right/left", "ooppss, sorry." Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and pleasant - that made me so happy. I didn't want any negativity impacting my race and feel so lucky that I didn't experience any.

We passed Mary Poppins & Bert (long line, but I really wanted to stop...oh well....).  Somewhere between the halfway point and mile 8, we passed a golf course.  The Genie was hanging out so we stopped for a photo. I also stopped for a photo at the Mile 8 marker since it was the only Beauty and the Beast reference on the entire race course.

Ain't never had a friend like him - loved this photo opp

At least I can tell which one is the Beauty and which is the Beast in this photo. Jeez, it was humid.

Around mile 9, volunteers were handing out Clif Shots for us to refuel with.  I use Clif shots and blocks during my runs, so I grabbed a few to put in my Spibelt.  Kacey had admitted earlier in the morning that she didn't like them - they didn't set well in her stomach. As we moved through the Clif Shot area, she mentioned that she was really starting to struggle and was hoping maybe one of these would help her. I told her I was perfectly fine walking for a while (my walking intervals were beginning to outnumber my running ones anyway) - so we slowed down.  What I couldn't believe is there wasn't a water station nearby after the Clif Shot stop. I can't take the shots without water - so please don't ask my why I made the stupid mistake of taking a Vanilla shot. I don't know if it was the shot or the vast amount of water and Powerade in my system in an attempt to stay hydrated, but suddenly, I felt sick to my stomach. 

Kacey and I made one last stop - A Bug's Life is my all-time favorite Pixar movie, so I couldn't pass up a chance to have a photo with Princess Atta. I wanted a photo with Mrs. Incredible across the street, but the line was just too long, so we stuck with Atta.  This would be the final time I would stop with Kacey - and keep her in my sights. 

My favorite non-human princess

I didn't feel well. Around mile 9.5/10 it hit me hard and progressively got worse. I tried to keep Kacey in my sight, but I couldn't keep up. I concentrated on the road ahead and continued to put one foot in front of the other. We came upon one of the overpasses I had heard about- I do think it's pretty evil to place "hills" on the final 3 miles of a distance race, but oh well.  Had I not been feeling so crappy I think I would have been okay. My legs, feet, body felt good overall - my gut did not. A Toy Story soldier sat at the top of this overpass - I had planned on stopping for a photo, but I didn't. I was so afraid of throwing up.  I got to him just as Kacey got her photo - she saw and I told her to just go. I told her I couldn't keep up and wanted her to just run. And she did - the Clif shots didn't bother her at all it seemed which is great. I'm so happy that she just kept running and didn't try to wait for me. She paced me in the race - I finished because she helped me maintain a good, solid pace. I didn't make any silly character photograph decisions and had someone to hangout with during the run. I later learned she finished 6 minutes ahead of me - I was pretty happy to see that as I had assumed she crushed me by 15-20 minutes. At least I was able to keep up a little bit - it really helped how I felt about my race overall, especially my final 5K, knowing that she was still just a little bit ahead of me. I know she got to run her race and I ran mine - and that's more important than anything as far as I'm concerned. 

It was also around this time I pulled out my phone. I hadn't looked at it since the half-way point but realized that I wasn't going to make a couple of the Fast Passes I had set so I went online to fix them via the really cool My Magic app (priorities you know). Anyway, I saw that I had a new text message, less that 5 minutes old. It was from my sister. How she knew I needed encouragement at that point, I'll never know. Her message was simple - it said "Run, Janae, Run". I sent her a response letting her know I was at Mile 10 and struggling. Her response - "You Can Do It. We Believe in You. Only a Little Bit Left." That was truly magical. I needed a little pick me up and my sister was there. I sent Mark a note letting him know I was at Mile 10 and struggling - he responded with "You'll Be Okay, On the Home Stretch. Finish Strong - I'm Here Waiting." Cue tears. I am so blessed.

We had 2 more overpasses to conquer in that last 2-2.5 miles.  The second one was around mile 11 - I stopped at the med tent and asked for some Tums. Those were the best two antacid tablets I have ever taken - I felt better almost instantly (placebo affect maybe?) and kept on trucking. I could hear women around me shouting out encouraging comments to each other - I loved it. We rounded a tight corner to hit our final overpass - and at the top I realized we were extremely close to EPCOT - close enough to see their entry point! It all started to hit me - I was going to finish. 

I see EPCOT!!! The finish line is around the corner!

I saw no sight of the balloon ladies - there was still a mass of humanity running behind me. I was going to finish - I was going to do it. We hit the Mile 12 marker and I just put my head in my hands. A gal running next to me asked if I was okay - I told her it was my first half marathon and I can't believe I'm going to finish. She reached over, gave me a big hug, and told me I was good now - I could take my time, take it all in and enjoy from here on out. I never saw her again - have no idea who she was - but I hope she knows how much that meant to me. Mile 12 was on the EPCOT property - and the crowds were out again. So many people cheering and yelling - so many signs.  My favorite is below - especially since this entire vacation was born out of my desire to run this race.

Apparently yes, this is what I call a Disney vacation.

 We kept running towards Spaceship Earth (the big EPCOT ball) and through back alley.  We saw Sophia the First before getting into EPCOT, but I had taken my picture with her a couple days earlier so I kept running. Instead, I asked a really nice cast member behind the scenes to grab a photo of me in front of the ball.

We curved to the right after entering the park and I saw a photo line - the Fairy Godmother! I'd never had my picture with her in all my years of traveling to Disney World - and it was, after all, her race weekend. So I hopped in line - time be damned - I couldn't get swept now!! I also realized at this point that my iPod had cycled through my playlist. I'm not sure when that happened, but I decided against restarting it. I shoved my headphones down my shirt and decided to enjoy the last .75 miles. The photo line was quick and I got my photo - I took a minute to thank her for a magical race and kept on running.

We ran all the way out to the lagoon and then back around towards the ball.  The park had opened by now (because I'm that slow) so there were park guests that were watching us run, cheering for us and watching us with amazement and horror. I high-fived cast members while running past - I kept running as much as I could. I was also so excited to see the infamous Gospel Choir I'd heard so much about. They were fabulous - such a fantastic way to end a long 3 hours. 

After passing the choir we ran through an exit gate - a cast member was cheering, telling us the finish line was just around the corner. Now, we'd been hearing this from people since Mile 10 so I was inclined to tell her to shove it. But, I realized she was right. We were there. I came up to the Mile 13 marker and had to stop for a photo. There were princess' hanging off the bike fence trying to get in a photo with it or a better photo of it. We princesses are a bunch of Frozen addicts.... At that point and time, you're just so tired and delirious it and effectively "over it" that you don't care what you do anymore.

The finish line is just behind this sign.

After passing this sign I made the decision to run. Run however fast and hard I could. No more walking - I was going to finish this race by running. And I did. I posed for photogs along the way and smiled. A lady a few feet away from me either tripped over her own two feet or someone elses, but she went down- hard. I started to go back to help, but she was surrounded in no time with people to help so I focused my eyes forward so I wouldn't be the next to go down and kept running for the finish. They had Goofy hanging out on my side of the course and I wanted to stop for a picture, but handlers were shooing us away (booooo) while he gave out hi-fives, so I just kept running. I don't remember much about finishing. Just that I raised my arms in the air and smiled - I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. So, I smiled. 

From Marathonfoto.com - hopefully they don't get mad at me for posting this.

We were funneled down the chute and I found the ladies sprinkling finishers with pixie dust. I may have been sweaty and gross, but I wanted my glitter. We kept walking and volunteers were handing out these glorious cold cloths for us to put around our necks - they felt so good. A couple times I thought to look for Mark in large finish line crowd, but I couldn't focus. So many people, so much going on - I knew he was waiting for me somewhere and that I'd find him soon enough. 

Then we were given our medals. I very happily accepted mine, put it around my neck and stared at it for a second. I still couldn't believe I had done it and was the proud owner of this little piece of hardware I had been dreaming about. They also gave us this really cool purple mesh bag, a bottle of water, bottle of Powerade and our snack box. I took it all, but didn't care to eat or drink. My gut still wasn't 100% and I just wanted to find Mark and go to the hotel.

After wandering around the post-race area I finally found the exit over to the reunion area. I knew Mark was waiting for me by the engraving line - but it took me a while to find that booth. After locating it, I saw Mark. He was on his phone calling me actually - he knew I had crossed the finish line about 10 minutes earlier but didn't know where I was. I tapped him on the shoulder and gave him a kiss - it was so good to see his face. He had bought me a rose with a little gold Mickey setting in the petals- it was perfect. I was hoping he'd buy one for me, but was still so surprised when I saw it. I told him I really didn't want to stand in line to get my medal engraved - I just wanted to go take a shower. I had him grab a photo of me with my medal real quick to send back home and then we stood in line for the hotel buses. He had brought my flip flops, muscle milk, water and my foam roller per my requests - but all I wanted was my flip flops. From the bus, I called home and let my dad know that I had finished the race and would call them all later. 

Heh - I don't look too bad for 13.1 miles

It's a beauty, isn't it??? The rose was so sweet too. I'm drying it & saving it for my shadow box.

As soon as we got back to our room at Art of Animation, I collapsed on the bed. Mark told me to get up and get in the shower or I'd never make it to Magic Kingdom. I reluctantly got up and took a shower - a nap sounded so much better, but we had big plans at the Magic Kingdom and I wanted to show off my medal. It was so great spending the day at the park wearing my hard earned medal. Cast members would congratulate me - call me princess - other runners would come up and talk to me about the race and we'd congratulate and/or commiserate together. 

So - would I ever do this race again????? Maybe. It has nothing to do with the race or the experience. I loved it - I really did. But, I don't want to lose the magic. It has special memories for me - sights, sounds, thoughts that I don't want to replace with new ones. And, it is pretty expensive after you figure in the registration, the flight, the rooms, the tickets, etc. My mom saw the bling though and has a bit of an itch to give it a try. She's always wanted to do the 5K they hold - but she really likes the half medal, and the thought of the Glass Slipper Challenge and possibly getting four medals really intrigues her. Yesterday, however, she was beginning to question whether she could do that much running in a weekend and thinks maybe the 10K would be enough. If she's serious about doing this race in any way, I'll go back. I'd love to do this race with my mom - I think we'd have a great time. We'd probably make a quick trip of it - just a few days, not a full week.  I'd also sign up for Glass Slipper this time around - why not?  Run the 10K with my mom and then have her there to support me during the half-marathon if she decides not to run it. 

But, who knows. In the meantime, I'm perfectly happy with my 2014 Disney Princess Half-Marathon experience.  It was the experience of a lifetime - something I'll never forget. It was a huge accomplishment - something I did by myself, for myself. I can now call myself a half-marathoner. I have the pictures, I have the memories, I have the medal - and now I have the blog post. Long as it was, it's my diary of memories. Something I can look back on fondly to remember the little nuances of the race. 

And now, onward. I have another half-marathon coming up on April 12 and need to get back to training. I'm curious to see if I really do enjoy running 13.1 miles, or if it was just the characters and the location. 

It was a magical vacation. 

Disney Princess Half-Marathon 2014 - Race Day! Part 2

Continuing on my Princess journey - if you missed Part 1 check it out here

As you pass by Contemporary Resort and approach the Magic Kingdom, you run under this little bridge and head back up with Space Mountain fully in view. I've seen multiple photos of this bridge from the different blog posts I've read about all the RunDisney races at Disney World with the guy dancing on top with the gigantic Mickey gloves. I felt like my blog post would be lacking if I didn't include a photo of him as well.

This guy is so great! I want a pair of those gloves.

The course sends you towards Space Mountain, but you don't actually enter the Magic Kingdom from the front. You run back through some alley ways, employee only areas - there's no view of the castle or Main Street USA, but you know you're close, you know you're on property and the excitement just continues to grow. There were cast members hanging out and cheering us on in this area - in fact, they were throughout the park offering support and encouragement, cheers and hi-fives.  I know Disney excels in customer service - but this was just so cool. It's around 730 a.m. and there they are, hanging out, waiting for us. It was around this point I took my headphones out. I wanted to take in the entire experience - I didn't want to miss anything.

Suddenly, we crossed through a gate and it was incredible - there it was. Main Street USA. And the people. Good gravy, the people.  They block the street off down the center - we ran towards the castle on the right side and the crowd lined the streets 5-6-7 deep on the holding signs and ringing cowbells. It's hard to describe the experience.  I grabbed some video of my run down Main Street.  Yes - I'm a dork. I always forget that you can't turn your camera to portrait when you're filming..... but I managed to remember a couple seconds in on this one. 

After running down Main Street, they send you to the right and straight to Tomorrowland. After running through, Kacey needed to make a pit stop herself.  I took advantage of the break to send a few text messages and grab a couple photos. And dig a pebble out of my shoe that was bugging me.

The castle is that way ladies - keep going!!

A look at where we had just come from - Tomorrowland

When Kacey returned, I informed her that my Garmin was reporting we were maintaining a 13+ minute pace, even with the 2 bathroom stops. We were both relieved to see that and decided to stop for photos if the lines were short enough.  After leaving Tomorrowland, we entered Fantasyland. We hopped in line to meet the White Rabbit - my photo came out blurry, but I've seen several people comment online that their photos were blurry too, so I'm guessing the cast member assigned to that spot was struggling taking photos. As we rounded the corner from the White Rabbit we could see the castle again - and this time, we were heading through!  

 As you approach the castle, you can hear the trumpters up top playing the revelry theme. I heard some people got the Rocky Theme too - but I was perfectly happy with a Royal Revelry. I remember looking at Kacey and in a very cheesy way saying "Here We Go."

If you haven't figured it out yet, I read a lot of blogs on past Princess Half Marathons to try to help me get a small idea of what to expect. One of the biggest complaints I had read about the past year or two was how crowded it was while actually running through the castle and that you could barely run. I'm so happy to report that we didn't experience that. Sure, there were a lot of people, but you can tell from my bumpy video that we had plenty of room to jog and move and enjoy the experience. After exiting the castle we made the hard left and found a short line to stand in for our official castle photo.

Oh yes, I'm beginning to feel like a princess.

We took off towards Liberty Square where we met Louis from The Princess and the Frog and then to Frontierland where we saw Woody. We were hanging out around a 16+ minute pace right now and we knew the long stretch was ahead of us, so we bypassed the princess photo set up and rounded the corner outside the Magic Kingdom. 

Hey Louis - I play the trumpet too!!

Hey there Cowboy! 

Not too far outside the park, we hit the halfway point. Each year, they have a contest to vote on what the song for the halfway point of the race would be. For a while, I was pretty sure Katy Perry's "Roar" would win easily when the time came to vote. And then "Frozen" came out and it became clear that "Let It Go" would be our song - I'm sure the vote wasn't even close. And so there I was, halfway through my first half-marathon and the emotions began to take over. You see, "Let it Go" is my Kennedy's favorite song right now. She sings it all the time - I am not ashamed to admit that I will belt it out as loud as I can when it comes on the radio myself. It was at this point that I realized what I was doing, just how incredible of an accomplishment it had been so far, and just how much I love and missed my kids. I got very choked up - it took everything I had not to break down completely. We stopped for photos in front of the halfway sign and I didn't care who was around - I sang along to the song as loud as I possibly could, arms in the air, even dancing a little bit. This was my celebration time - and I knew that I needed to enjoy this while I could because the hardest was yet to come. 

Oh, don't worry - I will!! Tired, sweaty and probably off-key, I definitely sang along. 

Part 3 coming soon....

Disney Princess Half-Marathon 2014 - Race Day! Part 1

I knew it would happen, so when I woke up at 1 a.m. in a panic that my alarm hadn't gone off, I really wasn't surprised. I laid in bed and played on my phone until my alarm went off at 2:15 a.m. I kept waiting for the nerves to kick in, but they never did. I was calm, strangely calm. I think I knew I was going to finish - I think I knew I was going to be fine.

I had laid out my clothes the night before so I was ready to go. Cleaned up, put a little make up on and ate a bagel with peanut butter and jelly and a banana. I contemplated taking a long-sleeved shirt but after walking about 100 feet outside, decided against it and went back to the room. It was a good decision as the heat and humidity would be a factor later on. I kissed Mark good bye and told him I'd see him at the finish line.

Flat Janae laid out and ready to go. I'm not a huge pink/sparkle girl so this was a perfect outfit for me. I could still dress up but be comfortable.

I got a kick out of seeing all the other women staying at Art of Animation heading towards the bus stop. Along the way, I met a wonderful lady from New York who runs almost all the Run Disney races. We chatted the entire way to the bus, sat together and then chatted up until we got to the race reunion area before saying farewell and good luck. I was so happy to have met her - she kept me from thinking about what I was about to do and made the long bus ride and short walk to EPCOT fun. 

A few months back, through a Facebook group dedicated to the Princess Half, I met a gal named Kacey. Somehow we started chatting, realized our 10K times were pretty similar and decided to run the race together. This ended up being a HUGE blessing for me, but I'll explain that later. We were going to meet up at the race reunion area before heading to the corrals so I sat on the ground and stretched for while waiting on Kacey. After she arrived, she made the suggestion of hitting the porta potties before going to the corral. I'm not a porta pot girl, but felt like she was probably smart in her suggestion and decided to suck it up - it was a helluva a good decision too! With an hour to go until race time, they began calling us all to our corrals. I thought that was a bit excessive, until I realized we were going to have a 20+ minute walk to our starting corral. Holy cow - those blogs I read from last year's race weren't kidding - it's a crazy long walk. The humidity was high and evident - we saw one runner already down on the ground before we even got to the corral. I quickly began to evaluate my strategy. Kacey and I found our corrals and sat down to stretch and relax a little more - and discuss plans. We decided to skip all character photos until we got inside Magic Kingdom -Kacey wanted to give us enough cushion that we could finish the race at an even pace without having to worry about playing catch up the entire time. What a smart gal - she was spot on with that assessment we soon discovered.  Kacey runs - I run/walk. I told her that no matter what, if I began to hold her back she needed to just keep going and not worry about me - I didn't want to impact her race. Again, a smart conversation as this would later prove to be a true statement. 

We casually chatted with people around us and also enjoyed the pre-race festivities on the big screen. Oh yeah, and the surprise for the military wife - absolutely incredible!!! Loved, loved, loved that. Bravo Run Disney.

Before we knew it they were sending corrals off.  At 6:01 a.m. - we crossed the starting line.  The fun was about to begin...

The starting line as Corral I gets the green light to GO!

I let Kacey set the pace since she would be running - she settled in comfortably around 13 minutes and I had no problems staying with her. I actually ran at least the first mile - possibly close to the second mile (I really don't remember). I started my run/walk - not with intervals unfortunately - it was still dark, it was humid, and I didn't want to continue looking at my watch. I would walk until I felt good and start running again. I managed to keep pace with Kacey as she continued to run, and if I fell back a little bit I kept her in my sights. The crowd that had gathered down the first quarter mile or so was crazy - people cheering, tons of cow bell - it was fantastic. When we got passed the cheering crowds, a local high school band was in the median of the road playing and cheering for us - I loved that they were out there so early in the morning to kick off our race. 

The mob of people never seemed to cease. We did a lot of bobbing and weaving - slowing down and then picking the pace back up. I didn't let it frustrate me though - I knew it was coming and expected as much. But, it was still a little shocking that there were so many people. Kacey and I both had headphones in and were zoned in to music but would tap each other to get attention if we wanted to say something. I felt a tap on my shoulder and she was pointing ahead - the Mile 1 marker sign was in view! I felt good - my breathing was not bothering me at all. BUT, I had no feeling in my feet. For the first 3 miles both my feet were numb - I have no idea what happened, or why it happened, but it scared me a little. I tried to just keep going and not think about it. I also began to realize that my trip to the porta pot early may not have been a good idea - I had broken the proverbial seal. I had to go again - bad. I didn't want to stop and slow Kacey down yet - I wanted to get to the Magic Kingdom before stopping - but I was getting increasingly concerned that I wouldn't make it (TMI - I know...but hey, it's a recap.)

Somewhere between miles 1 and 2 there were these cool birds that people were flying around in the sky, similar to kites, and fittingly the song "Let's Go Fly a Kite" was playing.  CMNH (the official charity of the race) also had a big set up around mile 2 with groups of people cheering us on. As we approached mile 3 we saw our first characters - Jack Sparrow and his ship.  The line was insane - and I had no desire to stop for him anyway - so we took a peek and kept running. I got a kick out of watching a guy in front of me hop off to the side and into a batch of trees behind the pirate ship - apparently he couldn't wait for a real bathroom in the Magic Kingdom. 

We also came up on a photo I really wanted - the heroes. The line - holy crap, the line. There was no way. Kacey and I decided to cross our fingers the line would be shorter on the way back and kept right on running. If I do this race again, I may stop and make it my only character stop on the course. 

Soon, we saw a glorious site - the ticket area for the Magic Kingdom. I stopped to grab a photo - but as you'll see, the humidity was so thick the photos make it look like it's raining.

YEA!  The Castle will be in my view soon. 

After we crossed through the ticketing areas we approached the Walt Disney World Speedway. They had an Exotic Car and a RPDE corporate car out front with a couple company drivers for photos. I was fairly disappointed there was no Lightning McQueen or Mater - I stopped to grab a quick photo of the set up and kept running. After a while, we came up to an entry point - with bathrooms!!!! I told Kacey I had to stop and ran right to the men's room - the line was shorter. This was a highlight of my race - the gal in line in front of me and I came oh, so close to squatting over a urinal - we didn't want to wait. And then it happened - guys walked into the bathroom, a little surprised to see what was in front of them. I told them not to worry, we wouldn't peek - they apparently weren't worried either. (Again, I know it's TMI - but I'm recapping my race - I don't want to forget anything - this is my diary as well).

We also passed by another photo stop I really wanted to make - the Villains. I knew the line would be long for this one too - and Kacey and I were keeping a good 13 minute pace, so we stopped to grab photos of them candidly but didn't get in line. 

Kacey and I took off with the crowd and headed to the right, around the lake and past the Contemporary Resort. I looked ahead and realized - this was it - the castle was coming.  

Stay tuned for Part 2....