2013 Tinker Bell Half Marathon

2:45 am.....it's early, but so worth it.  Our Team was supposed to meet in the hotel lobby at 3:15 am to walk over to the start corrals.  I was walking with Edna and Michelle- we were all in corral C, so we dropped our stuff off and then made a surprisingly quick stop at the porta potties and then made our way to our corral.  It was a little chilly waiting, but I had my sweatshirt and gloves and I was pretty comfortable while waiting for the start time.   Before we knew it the national anthem was being sung and shortly after that corral A was on their way and then corral B and then it was our turn!

My plan was to follow at 2 min run/1 min walk ratio for this race.  I started off down the road and then turned to enter California Adventure and made our way through the park and got to see parts of the new Cars Land (which was so much fun to visit later that day!) and they had the the colorful fountains from the World of Color show on for us as we ran by, and I stopped to take a quick picture.  When it was time to leave California Adventure, I received my first update text from runDisney about my 5k split. I realized that the timing was off for that split, so I sent a quick text to my husband to let him know that during one of my walk breaks.  That split said my pace was 17:54 and I knew that was not possible.  I had been checking my pace every now and then and the pace on my watch was showing an average of 13:11.  I felt good, I was not too worried about falling off my pace, though I did feel like I may be going a little too fast, but I didn't intentionally slow down.            

Next up was Disneyland!  It was really nice to run through the park since I wasn't planning on visiting the park during this trip.  I love seeing the parks at night, and since it was still dark out, I was able to see the castle all lit up.  Again, I happened to be at a walk break right at the castle, so I stopped to take a quick picture before moving along.

After leaving Disneyland, the course took us through Downtown Disney and then we rounded the corner near the Disneyland Hotel and there were the Red Hat ladies!  These by far, these ladies are the best cheering section of the race.  Possibly even the best cheering section of any race.  Shortly after that,  I got my 10k split text from runDisney saying that my 10k time was 1:25:03, with my pace being 13:41.  Definitely an improvement over the 5k split (they must have fixed whatever the original timing was).  I was still feeling great, and I was surprised to see how quickly this race seemed to be going by.  

I kept up with my 2:1 ratio plan and it was going great.  Most of this race is through the city after finishing with the parks.  runDisney does a great job of lining up schools to have groups out on the course to cheer us on, so going through the city isn't that bad.  Plus, there are some mountains out in the distance that are really pretty to look at along the way.  

Soon I received my 15k split (time 2:07:07, pace 13:38).  Still really feeling good.  I was really surprised to find that I was not hitting that wall that I usually do around mile 8-10.  It was also then that I was surprised to find out that finishing this half marathon under 3 hours was a real possibility.  I decided then that I was going to make it under 3 hours, and I knew if I stuck with my plan, I would be able to do just that.  

Many times along the way, I was met with TNT coaches that checked in on me, most yelling "go Team!" and me giving the thumbs up in response.  A couple coaches caught me on a walk break and I was able to talk with them and tell them that I was doing fine.  I met up with one around mile 12 and she asked how I was doing and my response was "great, this should be my fastest time yet!"  She congratulated me and I went along my way.  I crossed the finish line with an official time of 2:58:29- my newest PR- by 16 minutes!  And that is also a 31 minute improvement over last years time!

Immediately after crossing the finish line, my phone rang.  It was my husband calling to congratulate me.  It was so great to hear from him and all of my monkeys cheering me on from home.   I got my medal, water and my snack box and then went over to check in with my TNT Flex team.  I stayed for a couple minutes, checked in with a couple people and then I decided to head back to my room.  It was a great way to cool down from this race and I don't think anyone could wipe the smile off my face.  

Here are my unofficial mile splits from my watch:

Mile 1:  12:55

Mile 2:  13:30

Mile 3:  12:55

Mile 4:  13:16

Mile 5:  13:56

Mile 6:  13:29

Mile 7:  13:25

Mile 8:  13:40

Mile 9:  13:35

Mile 10:  13:18

Mile 11:  13:38

Mile 12:  13:18

Mile 13:  13:28

I was so pleasantly surprised to see that most of my miles were in the 13s and two of them were 12:55! I can't wait to see what comes next :)

The Last Couple Weeks

Wow!  It has been so busy around here!  I kind of thought that when school started and we were in a routine that things would be a little more calmer.  A little more sane....well, nope!

I started my Jillian Michaels over again....ready for another 90 days of this challenge.  I'm loving that while doing the first couple weeks I feel so much stronger than the first time I did this challenge.  I love how much stronger I am feeling.  I really do like this program. So much that this is the third time I have done this program.  But the really nice thing about it (besides the fact that it is just 30 minutes a day) is the variety.  I have not been doing the cardio workouts because I have been running, so I just have the strength workouts, which I really like.  I will be doing a full 90 day before and after of inches and pounds lost.

I've been running 4 times a week, following the plan laid out for me by my TNT coach.  She's been great at working with me to meet my goals for the Tinker Bell half marathon in January, while also taking into account the half marathons that I have planned for this fall.

Speaking of half marathons this fall, I have two more coming up.  The first one is in less than two weeks!  I'm very excited to be running in the Inaugural Crawlin Crab Half Marathon on October 7.  I'm loving the cool, fall weather that we are starting to have in Virginia.  I am hoping that we are in for a great race in a couple weeks.  Next up will be Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon.  I'm really looking forward to being back at Disney to run, and this will be my first nighttime race.

I've been back to meal planning, which has been so helpful with helping me keep a little more balance in our busy schedule.  So far we've been pretty good at following a plan.  I have to say- I love how much easier our evenings seem to be when we have a plan.  And I am finding that my crock pot has become a permanent addition to my countertop- I've been using that most- I love being able to fix it and forget it!  Last nights Crock Pot Chicken and Rice was another big success.  I'm really lucky, my kiddos love broccoli, so I can pretty much make that our side vegetable every night and they'll eat it up. But, when I try out new ways to cook chicken, it can go either way.  This one they liked- the littlest one especially loved the rice part!

Other news- my great pal at Run Find your Happy Pace and I decided to start our own business Running Happy.  We make non-slip headbands and also extremely adorable runner decals!  Stay tuned for more....and if there is something you'd like to see us carry, suggestions are welcome :)

So, the kiddos and I are finding our balance again amidst school schedules, after school activities, homework, running, JMBR, and meal planning.  I am still working on what seems to be my best weekly schedule so that I can use my time wisely and not end up just wasting it....those 12 hours to myself a week really go by fast!

Hot, Humid, and Slow!

That was the story of the Rock n Roll Half Virginia Beach Half Marathon!  I'm happy I did it (now that it is done!), but it was a really rough half.  Not just for me.  I've been reading comments on RnR VB's Facebook page, and that seems to be the overall story.  I was very thankful for the overcast sky- the sun only peeked out for a few minutes, and you could definitely tell a difference in temperature during those few moments.

It all started with a 4:15 am wake up call, I've learned to lay out all my clothes the night before so that I don't forget anything, got dressed and then headed out to take all of the carseats out of my car so that I could fit all the adults in :)  It was then that I discovered the humidity was a bit suffocating.  I'd been watching the weather for the past week, so I knew it wasn't going to be a very 'nice' day for a half, but I wasn't expecting it to be quite so humid for the start.

We got to the shuttle pick up point and then rode the shuttle over to the start line.  Took a few pictures, had a porta-potty stop, and then made our way to the start corrals.  As they were starting the corrals, the advice given to everyone was not to try to make this a PR race.  It was already that hot and humid.  I took that for what it was- great advice!

I started off with my sister and my friend.  We ran along for a while and eventually all fell into our own pace.  RnR races are usually very well organized, and for the most part, this one went off without many issues.  Only a couple stick out to me....the first water stop seemed behind in getting set up, so I did have to wait a bit for water there.  And the water stop at mile 5 was out of cups when I got there.  I heard they ran out of cups really early.   The course support didn't seem to be as good as last year- more people just standing and watching, not as much cheering.  That is, until I got to the neighborhoods- the locals were a bit more supportive.  Positives....I loved the wet sponge around mile 11, and really didn't mind running through some hoses that many friendly neighbors were providing.

All in all, it was a  good experience.  Definitely not my favorite half so far and not a new PR like I was hoping for.  But, training through this summer has proved to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated, so I had gone into this race not expecting a PR.  I am really looking forward to my next half The Crawlin Crab...in just 4 weeks :)  Maybe that'll be a new PR...

Just a few pictures:

My friend kelly from Ohio 

 Darlena from Run Find your Happy Pace

 Half Marathon #7

Kelly, sister Katie, Darlena, and I

Shamrock Half Marathon

Today I completed half marathon #3 of my deployment challenge. I really enjoyed this race. It was a little chilly waiting for the start, but overall the weather was really nice during the race. I was doing really well the first 8 miles. But I must have pushed too hard, and ended up walking the majority of the miles from 8-12.5. I'm still very happy with my end time (3:17:13- a new personal record). It is very close to what my goal was for this race, but not quite- I was really hoping for 3:15 or better this time. I maybe could have pushed a little more in my walking miles, but lesson learned- I will try harder next time. The best part of my race (except finishing!) was getting cheered on by my friend on the course. Her encouragement came at just the right time! Here is how my miles break down:

Mile 1 ~ 14:01

Mile 2 ~ 14:38

Mile 3 ~ 14:40

Mile 4 ~ 14:19

Mile 5 ~ 14:27

Mile 6 ~ 13:57

Mile 7 ~ 14:09

Mile 8 ~ 15:33

Mile 9 ~ 15:44

Mile 10 ~ 15:55

Mile 11 ~ 15:59

Mile 12 ~ 15:33

Mile 13 ~ 15:16

2012 Tinker Bell Half Marathon

Not sure where to start with this one. Not because it was bad, but because it was so great! I was well rested, even woke up before my alarm went off. We could hear the music from the pre-race party from our room (I'm glad we were in the race, I would not have been happy if I was a guest at the hotel and got woken up at 3:30 in the morning!). Because our hotel was literally right at the start line, I was able to walk down and get right into my corral. I got down there around 4:45 am, and was able to be right at the front of my corral, which is where I wanted to be. Waited for a while, met some other single runners, chatted and then finally it was time for the first corral to start!

View of the start/finish line from my hotel

Check out all the runners (12,000 total)

At the start line waiting for them to send off my corral

We took off down the street and then entered into Disneyland. Ran down mainstreet towards Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

After running through Disneyland, we headed back out and down through Downtown Disney. It was so nice to see people cheering everyone on. There were signs everywhere and people clapping, cheering, cow bells, everything. Most of the signs were for a certain person, but there were some that were for everyone. My favorite sign of the race- "Worst Parade Ever" it just made me laugh- and with many more miles to go, I did need to laugh! Not long after the parade sign as we left Downtown Disney and ran past the Disneyland Hotel, we were met by the Red Hat Ladies cheering us on. These ladies were amazing! There were so many of them and they were easily the best cheering section on the race! Lots more running around the streets and finally we entered into California Adventure- this would have been about mile 11.

Sorry about the finger, hard to walk fast and get a good picture :)

Leaving California Adventure meant it was almost over. I was almost there! Rounded a few more corners and there was the finish line. I'd made it :) I'll admit it, I cried a little- I wasn't hurt, but I was so proud. I finished the first half of my deployment challenge to myself. I hadn't been swept off the course, I had made it- finished in 3:31:03- average pace 16:06. That is a number I am happy with- for now. Next month, new race, new PR goal!

Getting this was important to me:

Most important to me though was finishing and the pride I felt in myself.

My Mile Times:

Mile 1 ~ 15:04

Mile 2 ~ 15:33

Mile 3 ~ 15:08

Mile 4 ~ 15:20

Mile 5 ~ 15:15

Mile 6 ~ 15:48

Mile 7 ~ 15:39

Mile 8 ~ 15:31

Mile 9 ~ 16:05

Mile 10 ~ 16:42

Mile 11 ~ 16:27

Mile 12 ~ 16:25

Mile 13 ~ 16:28

My plan was to go out fast (not as fast as I could, but just faster at first) to allow myself a cushion for later on. I wanted to make sure I was under the pace. I didn't care if I was the last one to finish as long as I was able to finish, and I was. Next up- Princess Half Marathon!