Virtual 261 Fearless Run

This Saturday, I plan on running 26.1K (16.2 miles) as part of the Virtual 261 Fearless Run that will take place all over the country. This is inspired by Kathrine Switzer, who was fearless in her pursuit to run. In particular, to run the Boston Marathon in 1967. She trained hard for months to run the race. but the race director had other ideas. He didn't want women in his race. He tried to pull her off the course, but was unsuccessful. Kathrine went on to finish the race and make history. Inspiring women all over the world with her fearlessness.

With Kathrine Switzer in 2011.

She has been an inspiration to me for many years. I've read her book twice! I've had the pleasure of meeting her on two occasions, at the Women's Half Marathon. She was there signing copies of her book and to run the race. She took the time to chat with me a bit and wish me a good race.

Saturday morning, I'll be hitting the road early, to run my 26.1K. I will reflect on how my running has changed over the years, how I've become a happier person since running and how Kathrine Switzer has helped to make the road a friendlier place for women runners. There is still time to join in on this great event. Find out more information here: http://www.skirtsports.com/event.cfm/id/Virtual-261-Fearless-Run

And, check out the 261 Fearless collection from Skirt Sports.
http://www.skirtsports.com/shop/261/

#REALwomenmove #SkirtSports #SkirtSportsAmbassador

If it's a weekend day, it's a race day!

The past few weekends have been busy. It seems like I've been running in a race every weekend since the beginning of February. Well, it's because I have! I had Ragnar Relay, followed by Scrub Jay 10K, Gasparilla 15K and 5K (same day), Hug a Tree 5K/Take Stock in Children 10K(Sat/Sun), Spring Fest 12K, Sarasota Half Marathon, Life in the Son 10K and Smoothie King 5K this morning. 8 weekends of running races! I am tired! :)

I'm not up to writing a race recap for all those, but I will do a few highlights. I always like to look back on the race, when I run it again, to get an idea of how it went and how to improve.

Scrub Jay 10K (Saturday 2/14): This was the first time I've run the Scrub Jay race. It's a trail race. In Florida, that often means sand running and we did have some of that on this course. Aidan ran the 5K and had a decent time considering he never trains for these things. It wasn't speedy for me, but I finished. 56:51.

Finishing the Gasparilla 15K

Gasparilla (Saturday 2/21): One day of racing this year. 15K first. Pretty cold out this morning. lows in the mid 40s. I wore my new Newtons, which ended up causing a lot of calf pain during and after the race. I really pushed it this year and was very happy with my PR finish time of 1:17:25. We had just enough time after this race and before the 5K, to stiffen up. The 5K was a little slower this year for me than it was last year. Time: 26:21. Both races were good enough for top 10% finisher mugs!

Melissa, me and Gina after Take Stock in Children 10K

Hug A Tree 5K (Saturday 2/28): Wasn't planning on running this, but I was given a free entry a couple of days before the race. Race was a couple of loops around Payne park. Sidewalk, gravel and grass running. One of my least favorite courses. Small race. Placed 2nd in age group. Time: 25:02. Take Stock in Children 10K (Sunday 3/1): Felt pretty sluggish this morning. The humidity was very high. I ran 5 miles before the race. I wanted to get a long run in before the half marathon in a couple of weeks. Felt pretty yucky right from the start of the race. I tried to keep it the pace around 8:20, but after a couple of miles, that was not going to happen. Just did the best I could. Time: 57:05

Waiting for Spring Fest 12K to start

Spring Fest 12K (Saturday 3/7): A cold morning today, which was a nice change over the weekend before. I actually felt pretty good, even though I was starting to feel a little burned out. I might have skipped the race, if it wasn't part of the Manasota Track Club racing series. Ran ahead of Roxy and Gina until they caught me around mile 5. I had slowed down, so it was nice to see them and get the push they provided. Ended up pulling a little ahead during the last mile to finish strong. Time: 1:01:49

Having fun after the Sarasota Half Marathon

Sarasota Half Marathon (Sunday 3/15): A few days before this race, I discovered the temp was going to be hot and humid, so I adjusted my goals. I had wanted to try for a sub 1:50 finish time. Based on Gasparilla, I really thought I could get it. But, the conditions were not going to be good for a fast race. I really slow down in the humidity. I hung with the 1:50 pace group for the first 4.5 miles. They pulled ahead of me as we headed up the bridge for the second time. I thought I might be able to catch back up on the down hill, but I had slowed to much running up, I couldn't run fast enough to catch up and I figured it wasn't a good idea anyway. When you are drenched in sweat by mile 3, it is not going to be a fast race. Slowed down a lot in the last few miles, but managed to pull out another sub 2 hour half, which was my #2 goal. 4th fastest time out of 56 half marathons is pretty good! :) Time: 1:56:35

Life in the Son 10K (Saturday 3/21): Again, this is a race I would have skipped, if it wasn't in the MTC racing series. I wish I could have changed to the 5K, but only the 10K would count for the series. Within a mile, I knew this would not be my best effort. Didn't help that I started out super fast. About a quarter mile in, I looked at my watch to see I was running a 6:55 pace! A bit fast for these tired legs. I slowed down and just tried to keep it around an 8:30 pace or faster for the rest of the race. Legs felt like lead, but I got it done. I hung out for a couple of minutes, to see how I placed (5th in age group) before heading down the road to get to Aidan's baseball game which started at 9 am, an hour after race start. Time: 52:46

Smoothie King 5K (Sunday 3/29) So, what's one more race. That's what I thought to myself when my boss told me she had a comp race entry for this race, if I wanted it. So what if I've already run races the past 7 weekends? Or, that I ran over 50 miles this past week, as part of the mileage challenge at Fit2Run? I went into this mornings race, not expecting to get in a fast race, but I was going to try for it anyway. The weather was perfect. Low 50s. We won't be having many more of these days before next fall. So, I went out fast. The course was out and back and flat. I pushed it hard the first mile, 7:40, but knew I would not be able to hold it. I eased up a bit during the last mile, so that I would have something in the tank for a strong finish. Pushed it hard when I got close the end. Not a PR, but one of my faster times. Good enough for 3rd in age group. Time 24:24.

Time to take a break! I've got Ragnar Trail Atlanta in 2 weeks, but I don't consider that to be a race. One month until my next 5K. :)

What it takes to create a Flat Jenna

A few race ready Flat Jenna's.

A few years ago, I saw a friend post a few photos of their race outfit, the night before the race. It was called a Flat person, as there was no body in the outfit. I thought it was a pretty cool idea. A great way to make sure you have all your gear ready to go for the next day and not have to worry about it in the early morning hours before the race. This was the start of a fun pre-race tradition: creating the Flat Jenna.

Most of the time, Flat Jenna is by herself. Sometimes, while at a race out of town, Flat Jenna will have company. Flat Carolyn or Flat Gina usually, but sometimes other Flats will join in. This may be just me, but I usually think about my race outfit in the days leading up to the race. Do I need a new skirt? Do I need a new top? Visor? Is what I want to wear clean? What shoes? The bigger the race, the more I think about it. For the Sarasota Half Marathon, I knew right away that I wanted to wear my Half Fanatics tank top. It was going to be a warm and humid day, so a tank top was a definite. Plus, this would be my last half marathon until the Fall, so I wanted to show off my Fanatic Pride. This would be half marathon #56! The skirt to wear with the tank top, took some thought. I admit, I have a Skirt addiction. Over 30 skirts, which include Gym Girl Ultra, Happy Girl, Lotta Breeze, Race Belt Skirts and Cover up skirts. I decided to wear my newest skirt, the 261 Switzer Skirt. In addition to the pockets on each under short, there is a small zip pocket in the back of the skirt. The black and grey color would go nicely with my bright blue and yellow tank top. I pulled out the blue compression socks, Newtons, race belt, visor, blue hair flower, Gu’s and race bib. I arranged them all on my bedroom floor with the Skirt and tank, to take the Flat Jenna photo. The final step is to post the photo to Facebook. I love to read through all the comments, most of which are wishing me good luck for the race. Love to have those positive vibes with me as I run a race.

So, that’s how I get my outfit ready for race day. Why not have a little fun with all your pre-race gear. Next time you are getting ready for a race, create your out Flat person!

Ragnar Relay Florida Keys

Team Ultra Pavement Divas.
6 runners, 196 miles from Miami to Key West
February 6-7, 2015

Quick recap of a fun, long weekend. Roxy, Carolyn, Gina and I loaded up the van Thursday morning and then headed to Miami. We picked up Sondra and Holly at the Miami airport, before going to the Ragnar start village. This is the first time I've checked in the day before. Made it so much less stressful to get it all done the day before. We then headed to our hotel to check in, then walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Early to bed. We had a 6:30 am start time.

Sondra, me, Holly, Carolyn, Roxy and Gina

It was still dark when we arrived at the start area. I waited near the start line with Holly, our first runner, while the others stood over by the area the runners would head past after the start. With a lot of cheering, the runners where off! We all met back at the van and got right on the road. Holly was running leg one and two. So we had a bit of time before we needed to meet her. We found a Starbucks on her route, so stopped there to get coffee and use the bathrooms. We waited on the sidewalk for a while, but didn't see her. We worried maybe we had missed her. So, we decided to go ahead and get to the exchange. Carolyn got ready, as she was the next runner. We didn't have long to wait, before Holly came running in, passing the slap bracelet to Carolyn. Carolyn ran two legs, then passed off to Sondra, who ran two legs. This took us to the first major exchange, where 12 person teams would hand off from van 1 to van two. This is were I started my first run. I got ready, did a little shopping at the Ragnar booth, then waited for Sondra to come in. We saw a few other Sarasota teams there, which was really fun. Finally, at just before 10 am, Sondra came in and it was my time to run!

Run 1: My first of 5 legs, was 5.4 miles long. Thankfully, the weather was perfect. 68 degrees with low humidity. I took it easy, often being passed by other runners, but my plan was to conserve energy, since I had so many miles to run. Every time someone passed me, I would have to tell myself that the runner wasn't running an ultra, I was! This run was pretty uneventful. Not much to see, as we were running down busy Miami streets. I had to stop at a few lights, one of them had me stopped for about a minute and a half. But, I finished my run in 52:02, which I am happy with. Pace: 9:38; Splits - 9:15, 9:28, 9:29, 9:28, 10:29, 3:50.

Gina ran one leg next, then Roxy and then we were back to Holly. While Holly ran, she had a long run, we stopped at a Publix to get food and ice. I made a big mistake here. While the others got sandwiches and salads, I didn't get anything! Big mistake, that I would feel later during my midnight run. We rushed to get to the next exchange before Holly, but unfortunaltly, she got there before us. We dropped of Carolyn, then pulled over and waited for Holly to jump in. Sondra ran after Carolyn, finishing at the Homestead Speedway, were she passed off to me at 3:40 pm.

Sondra hands off the slap bracelet to me.

Run 2: This was my second time running this leg, which is 8.8 miles long. Last year, I left the speedway closer to sunset. This year, I was so happy to be leaving much earlier, since it takes you through a rough section of Homestead and then down a dirt road, that is completely dark once the sun goes down. This year. I got to run down the dirt road while it was still light. So happy! I took it easy again, knowing I needed to save something for my midnight 10 miler. Even though it was late afternoon, the temperature was still wonderful. Low 70s. The one more mile sign was on the road next to the Everglades Detention center. Other runners said they heard prisoners yelling at them, but I didn't really notice anything. Didn't see anyone in the yard, either. The last quarter mile or so was on the grassy shoulder of the road. So happy to see Gina up ahead, passed of the bracelet to her. Time: 1:29:50; pace - 10:17; splits - 9:43, 9:52, 9:51, 9:58, 11:31, 10:00, 10:41, 10:21, 7:47

Dirt road section. Lots of discarded furniture.

About to hand off to Gina.

Gina ran the first tough section of the dirt road that is part of the water management's property. This is part of the everglades and will take us straight to Highway 1. She hands off to Roxy, just before sunset. Roxy has the toughest part, since her run is around 8 miles, all on this rocky road. Roxy ends up running faster than we thought she would. After finally finding a parking spot, we start to walk to the exchange, when we get a text that she is there already. I rush up to meet her, while Carolyn goes back to get the van and meet us at the exchange. She finds Holly, passes off the bracelet, then we pile into the van. Even though we are very close to Key Largo, we have to drive North, to Florida City, to turn around as there is a barrier between the north and south bound lanes. When we leave the exchange, we are on the north bound side. We stop at a gas station for snacks and a bathroom break, before heading back south, to Key Largo. We get to the next exchange in plenty of time, getting to hang out and cheer on other runners. There is a brief rain, but thankfully it moves past, before Holly comes in and passes off to Carolyn. Holly was lucky, never getting hit by the rain. Carolyn's run is long, so we stop at the Starbucks in Key Largo for some coffee. It's going to be a long night! Sondra is next again, and has a rather long run. I get really nervous about my run, but try not to freak out. We hang out at the high school, the location of the next exhange. Lots of people are sleeping here or taking advantage of the showers. Roxy waits with me at the exhange point. Sondra takes a bit longer than she thought, but eventually, just after midnight, I set off on my third, and longest, run.

Sondra slaps on the bracelet.

Run 3 - 10.06 miles through Tavernier: As seen in the splits below, this was pretty rough almost from the start. My first two miles where slower than I had been running. By the end of the second mile, I started to feel dizzy and I knew it was from lack of food. I ate a Gu, and walked while I waited for the energy from it to kick in. After a while, I started a slow run again. At some point, I saw Gina on the other side of the road, asking if I needed anything. I told her I didn't, but that my pace was going to be a lot slower than I predicted. A little later, I saw some Sarasota friends, that were on another team. They cheered me on as I ran by. We had just crossed the road and had to run in a dirt and gravel section next to the road, since there wasn't a sidewalk. Thankfully, this was a short section. I also had a short hill/bridge to cross over. The night life at the local bars was hopping. I passed a few drunk people out walking. They looked at me like I was crazy. Yeah, I am a little. :)  I was so happy to see the one more mile sign! Stopped for a quick photo, before finishing up and handing off to Gina. Time - 1:56:45; Pace - 11:36; Splits - 10:07, 10:23, 11:54, 11:11, 11:40, 10:53, 12:13, 11:45, 11:56, 14:31, :08

While Gina was running, I ate a little something, drank water and stretched out on one of the longer seats. While Roxy was running, I tried to sleep, but she was having a rough run too, and kept sending me text message updates. I wanted her to know we were thinking of her and keeping track, so I replied to her the 3 times she sent me a text. Still, the hour long light nap seemed to help. By the time Carolyn was out running, we decided to stop for breakfast at the same place Gina and I had gone to the year before. Roxy slept in the car, while the rest of us had a great breakfast. Just what I needed. The food and coffee helped a lot. By the time it was my turn to run again, I felt so much better.

Running next to the old Bahia Honda Bridge. Wish we had been
running agains traffic, so I could have seen the bridge better.

Run 4 - 4.74 miles, starting at 9:32 am finishing on Big Pine Key. The sun was up, but thankfully, the temps were still on the coolish side. The wind was pushing from the north, So, I had a nice push at my back for the entire run! I was feeling pretty good, stopped once to take a photo of my favorite bridge at Bahia Honda State park, before finishing off my run. Instead of passing off to Gina, I passed off to Holly, who was taking on this longer run. Roxy was going to run it, but her foot was really hurting. She wanted to skip her next run, but try to finish off our journey with her last run, which would take us to the finish. Time - 45:31; Pace - 9:36; Splits - 9:18, 9:28, 9:38, 10:16, 6:49.

Run 5 - 4.73 miles run in the Lower Keys, starting at 1:44 pm. My last run! We had to drive to the next stop fast, to get to it before Gina got there. She had taken over Sondra's last run, so she would be passing the slap bracelet to me. She had just over 2 miles and traffic was backed up. We were sitting in the van, in traffic, when we saw her run by us. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait very long. I jumped out of the van, running up to meet her, and then setting off. I didn't even have time to turn on my Garmin! But, I got a signal right way, so only lost a minute or so. The wind was still pushing me along, which I was really happy about. I did manage to pass a couple of people, which was cool. This was my one and only double leg, so when I finished this leg. I had to stop and wait for the police officers to let a group of us cross the road, and then continue my run. That sucked! I got there, but then he made us wait for the 3 runners that were way behind us. Meanwhile, the other two guys that were standing with me, got to watch their runners do a virtual exchange and then take off. Oh, well. Lost a minute or so. I really enjoyed my last leg. Tried to give it all that I had left in the tank. Finished with a nice strong push, to hand off the bracelet to Gina. Time - 44:31; Pace - 9:24; Splits - 9:40, 9:25, 9:18, 9:26, 6:41

Keeping cool with our ICEpodz while drinking
our Whatt-ahh. The BEST water!

We drove down to the next exchange, were I was able to change into dry/clean clothing, then watched Roxy take off. We were on our way to the finish area. Not long after we found a parking spot, we got a text from Roxy saying she was a mile away! We all jumped out of the van and fast walked it over to the meeting area. We would all run in together. Once we saw Roxy, she pulled on her team tank top, then we all ran in to the finish together. What an amazing time!

So, would I run an Ultra Ragnar again? YES! It was fun. For the most part, I liked running more and I know now that I need to eat, as well as keep hydrated. I need to catch a nap, whenever I can. I probably won't run this Ragnar again, this was my third time, but I would love to run another one as an ultra team. I'm really looking forward to Ragnar Atlanta Trail run in April.

Sporting our Gold first place medals!

Suncoast Half Marathon

January 25, 2015
55th half marathon

Suncoast half marathon has been around for a few years, but this was my first time running it. It's in Lakewood Ranch, so it's local, I've just always had something going on the same weekend or was in recovery mode. Last year, I volunteered at a water station with the Sarasota Storm. It was great seeing so many friends running the race. Most had a great race, because of the flat course. So, instead of running the Clearwater marathon, the weekend before ( I was able to defer) I signed up to run this half.

Race morning, was cool, but not as cold has it had been predicted. Temps started out around 50. I decided to wear a short sleeved top, with my skirt and gloves. I should have gone with a tank top, because I warmed up. Gina and I hung out in my car for a while before the race. With about 15 minutes to race start, we walked over to porta poties, then got in the starting coral. We didn't have long to wait before we were off!

My plan going into this race was to run at my goal race pace, but if I started to feel any pulling in my calf (which had been sore for since the goofy challenge) I would pull back and save my legs for Ragnar in a couple of weeks. I started out feeling pretty good. I got ahead of the 2 hour pacer and could see the 1:40 not to far ahead. We leave Main Street, heading north on Lakewood Ranch Blvd. I feel great for the first 5 miles, as seen in my mile splits. But by mile 6, I start to feel tightening up in my hips and lower back. What a bummer! Splits for miles 1 through 6 - 8:08, 8:10, 8:05, 8:12, 8:14. 8:31

As the miles go by, my hamstrings and hips tighten up even more. Guess I wasn't as recovered from Goofy as I had hoped. I tried to keep the pace under 9 minutes per mile, without feeling like I was putting my calf in any stress. The course itself, is pretty boring. Lots of turns in, out and around the neighborhoods in Lakewood Ranch, which all look the same. I tried to take the tangents as much as possible, but I still ended up with a little over 13.1. Splits for miles 7 through 13.25 - 8:28, 8:42, 8:53, 8:45, 8:46, 8:47, 8:52, 1:58
Finish: 1:52 ( my second fastest time), 4th in age group!

Gina, me, Jackie, Lynette, Carolyn and Liz.

Manasota Track Club Annual Banquet

January 24, 2014

I was so surprised to be awarded the 2014 MTC Female Runner of the Year award!

Disney Goofy Weekend

Half marathon and marathon over two days
January 10 and 11, 2015

Fun times at the expo

With Bart Yasso

Carolyn and I arrived at the ESPN Sports complext around mid day, for the Disney expo. As we headed up to the main building, we saw vendors outside the ball park. This was new. Normally, they are all inside the main building. We looked around a little, but decided to check it out more, on our way out. We made our way to the special bib pick up area for Goofy and Dopey runners. Since Dopey runners had already run two races, there were only goofy people picking up. We walked right up to the booth, got our bibs, then headed over to have our photo taken. Disney was taking our photos, to make sure we ran with our own bibs! No photo, no Goofy medal! After the photo, we headed downstairs to get our shirts, then we headed outside to go to the main expo building. Once inside there, we made our way to the back of the room first, to check out what was left of the official race merchandise. Not a great selection! Thankfully, we had given our friend, Silvana, money, so she could shop for us on Wednesday, when she and Heather got to the expo. We both got the goofy tank tops we really wanted. They only had one hoody left, though, so I let Carolyn have that. I bought a half marathon tank top and a special runner micky figurine. That's it! I would have bought a visor if they had one. After wondering through the rest of the expo and getting a little shopping in, we headed over to our hotel. Thankfully, we were able to check in, even though we were an hour early. We relaxed for a bit before heading out to meet Emma and Jackie for dinner. Lots of great laughs and a yummy dinner later, we were back in the room, getting everything ready for our 2:30am alarm.

Pre half marathon. It's cold!

January 10, Half marathon: 2:30 am is a ridiculous time to get up, but that's what time we needed to. I get ready pretty fast, so I was able to drink a cup of coffee and check out the internet, while Carolyn got ready. We left the hotel around 3:15 am. The drive over was pretty easy. Just one wrong turn. :) We arrived early enough to get a good parking spot, close to the entrance to the waiting area. We hung out in the car for about half an hour, before getting out into the cold. Temp was in the low 40s! So cold! I was not prepared for this! I had one thin toss away sweater. No pants to put over my skirt. Thankfully Carolyn had an extra pair of gloves for me. We made our way through the security bag check, quickly. This was new since the last time I had run a Disney race two years before. After the bombings at the Boston Marathon, they added this extra security check point. Once we got into the waiting area, we took some photos, then took our bag to bag check and then started the long walk to the corral. We made a pit stop at the Porta pottie one more time before getting into our G corral. We found Katie and her husband, David, a few minutes after searching. We had a 30 ish minute wait before we were able to start. After the first wave went off, I started to make my way towards the front of the corral. I was going for a PR today. I figured it was a good time to try. My biggest issue was going to be dealing with the crowds. Finally, we were at the front and I was really close to the start line. After a blast of fireworks, we were off!

I sprinted out fast, happy to be free of the crowd. It was great starting forward, I didn't have to weave around anybody. Yet. Within minutes, we hit the back end of the F corral. Lots of people walking, many people across. Then we got to the first water stop. I ran down the center, I didn't need any water withing the first mile. By 1.5 miles, I hit a huge crowd of runners. I was off to the right, but could not get around everyone without running in the grass. So, that's what I did. I just kept telling myself to pick up my feet. I didn't want to trip over anything. When I could, I would hop back onto the pavement, only to have to get back on the grass again a little later. Once we left the narrow road and entered the 3/4 lane road, I was able to get away from the masses again. These first few miles are pretty boring, but it was still dark, so not much to see anyway. We passed the first character spot, Jack Sparrow, before heading to the park entrance to Magic Kingdom. This is were all the cars enter, to make their way to the parking lots. We still had a few miles to get to the actual park. At some point between mile 4 and 5, we hit the big hill. It's a steep down hill and then a steep uphill. This slows me down just a little. It's my slowest mile so far. Just before entering the park, I toss off my zip up sweater. I had it unzipped for a while now. I didn't want to get to warm and sweaty, because I knew I would really feel the cold once I took it off, if I was already sweaty. Plus, I knew there would be a lot of photographers in the park and I didn't want to be wearing the ugly sweater. :D I eat my first Gu and drink some water. I know I haven't been drinking as much as I should. A common problem for me when it's cold out. Running in the Magic Kingdom is awesome. My favorite park is running down the Main Street towards the Castle. There are tons of people on the side, cheering us on. The castle looks awesome, decorated with lots of ice lights. We have a little more running left in the park, before we head out. Miles 1 through 6 splits - 8:13, 8:14, 8:15, 8:16, 8:32, 8:35

As we head out of the Magic Kingdom, the scenery becomes boring again, but the road opens up, so I have more space. I feel my pace slowing a little, but overall, I am still feeling good. My face is still a bit numb, which doesn't go away for the entire race. I'm lucky I had some nice looking photos, considering I couldn't feel my smile. I take my second Gu around mile 10 and grab some water from a water stop. There is a crazy tight curved ramp, leading to an overpass. I go ahead and take the inside tight curve, but the slant sucks. I'll feel all the slanted roads while running tomorrow. As head head into Epcot, I know the end is close, I've run this same course more than 5 times now, so it's very familier. We run by the giant ball, loop back around and then head out of the park. A couple of little turns later, I see the finish line just ahead. I keep to the right, give Mickey Mouse a high-five, then cross the finish line. I look at my watch to see a PR! So happy!! Miles 7 through 13.1 (13.25 on Garmin) splits - 8:28, 8:19, 8:30, 8:39, 8:40, 8:40, 8:28, 1:57

Finish time: 1:51:51 (official)

January 11, Disney Marathon: Carolyn and I took it pretty easy after the half. We had a good dinner with friends, but I think my one big mistake was not hydrating enough during the day and then drinking a beer with dinner, which I never do! So race morning was very similar to the previous morning. We got to the parking lot about the same time. This morning, we met Jackie, Soli and Emma in the staging area. We chatted for a bit, before Carolyn and I started to walk over to the corrals. I guess we left a little later this time, because the porta potties had much longer lines. We got into the corral late, but still managed to find Katie and David again, plus we Kathy. We got to talk for a little bit, before the first wave took off. Then, we made the slow progression to the front. Carolyn and I planned to try to stick together today. We wanted to take photos and just run it at an easy pace.

Kathy, Katie, me and Carolyn. Wasn't as cold today, so used the garbage
bags for the hour or so we had to wait before we started the race.

Once we got going, we kept the pace around a 10 minute mile, which felt pretty good considering how hard I pushed it the day before. We skipped the first couple of photo opportunities, since it was so dark still and the characters were not that big of a deal to us. As we headed into Magic Kingdom, I told Carolyn to stay to the left. We got to high five some of the crowd that was out there cheering us on. We we got to a great photo spot, with the castle behind us, we stopped for a photo. We stopped for another photo as we came out the otherside of the castle as well. This lead to the 12:29 mile! Miles 1 through 6 splits - 9:58, 9:45, 9:53, 9:48, 9:57, 12:29

Just after exiting the Magic Kingdom, we come up to the spot that has Snow White, the Prince, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. So, we stop to wait in that long line for a photo. Just before we get to the front, the Prince and Snow white take a break. :( We do get a photo with the other two. Then, we head out towards the race track. Once we enter the track, I start to feel a little light heade

d. I realize I need to eat something right away. I tell Carolyn I need to stop and walk while I eat something. I eat half a bag of Power Bar gel chews, drink some water and walk for a couple of minutes. We then start to run again. It takes a few minutes to feel better, but once the sugar rush kicks in, I do feel better. For a brief time. My next issue is my stomach. As we get closer to Animal Kingdom, I tell Carolyn I'm going to need a restroom! I hold out until we get to the park, so I can use a real restroom and not a porta pottie. Thankfully, just after entering Animal Kingdom, there is a restroom to the left. Miles 7 through 13 splits - 15:40, 10:34, 10:02, 10:49, 10:14, 11:02, 12:34

Me, Sarah and Leah

After the pit stop, I felt better for a little bit of time. We had a couple of slow miles again, while we stopped for some photos. Thankfully, most of them had very short lines. Just before mile 17, I found Sarah and Leah at their water stop. It was great seeing them! I stopped for a quick photo, before catching up with Carolyn, Once we headed into ESPN, I felt the need to use the restroom again. :( This is one of my least favorite parts of the race. We spend a lot of time in this area. It just seems to take forever to get to the ball park. We miss a restroom earlier on, but manage to find porta potties just before the entrance to the ball park. I head in, then have to wait a little for Carolyn, who had to wait to use mine. Even after this pit stop, I am feeling dehydrated and yucky. As we leave the ball park and run through the next water station, I tell Carolyn to go ahead. I need to walk more. So, I don't see her again until the finish. We hit mile 20, just after leaving ESPN.Miles 14 through 20 splits - 10:28, 12:40, 11:10, 10:32, 11:38, 10:17, 14:55.

The last almost 7 miles are long and rough. I manage to pick up my pace while running, but still have to take more walking breaks than I would like. And, the walk breaks become more frequent. When I hit any sort of hill, I walked it. Somewhere around mile 22, it started to sprinkle on us. Then we got a light rain. As we head into Hollywood Studios, there are tables handing out little chocolate squares. I grab a couple of those. Yummy! Can't make my stomach feel any worse at this point! I stop for a photo with Mike, from Monster's Inc, and then take a few "selfie" photos with the giant Micky magicians hat, that is being taken down. We head out of Hollywood Studios, we take a scenic route to Epcot, along a river. Just before entering Epcot, I see Della, April and some of their friends, cheering on runners. I call out a greeting, hold out my hand for high fives as I run by. What a much needed boost! We head into Epcot, running around the different countries, before running by the Giant ball and heading out of the park. Once again, it's the same couple of quick turns and then the finish line is in sight. I tried really hard to get in under 5 hours for the race, but the extra distance from pit stops and weaving, added a half mile to my overall distance. Otherwise I would have come in just under 5 hours! Miles 21 through 26.71 splits - 10:27, 11:36, 12:33, 12:58, 12:33, 11:10, 7:46 (for .71!)
Finish: 5:03

Katie and me with our bling.

Goofy bling, Marathon bling and Half Marathon Bling.