2017 was another running year.

I ran more virtual events than ever before. I spent my 40th birthday run/jog/walking a half marathon at Disneyland.

I wore my fitbit, of course. But, I switched my focus from 10,000 steps a day to concentrating on the number of miles I ran.

My plantar fasciitis was still a bit of an annoyance. But, it was better than in 2016. My guess is this is due to the fact that I was training for a marathon in 2016. I didn’t do as many long runs in 2017 – which would then make sense that I didn’t log as many miles in 2017 as I did in 2016.

I completed the You vs Year challenge sponsored by MapMyRun & Under Armour. The goal was to run 1017k in the year 2017.

* RUNNING HIGHLIGHTS: MONTH BY MONTH *

January

• Due to snow & ice, many miles were done on the elliptical
• Total miles this month: 60.29

February

• Finished HRC’s Mad Eye Moody 5K
• Total miles this month: 58.99

March

• Finished Yo Ho Ho Virtual 5K
• Finished Shamrock Run 15K
• Total miles this month: 46.01

April

• Finished Race for the Roses 10K
• Finished HRC’s 10K and SPEW
• Finished HRC’s Unmasked 10 miler
• Total miles this month: 66.98

May

• Finished Hippie Chick Half Marathon
• Total miles this month: 49.27

June

• Finished Helvetia Half Marathon
• Total miles this month: 43.02

July

• Finished HRC’s Eternal Glory 4 Miler
• Total miles this month: 33.28

August

• Finished She Believed She Could Virtual 10K
• Total miles this month: 34.55

September

• Finished the 5K, 10K, & Half Marathon in Disneyland
• Finished the Quest for the Lost Scroll Virtual 10K
• Finished HRC’s Platform 9 3/4K
• Total miles this month: 68.32

October

• Finished HRC’s Sirius Half Marathon
• Total miles this month: 84.48

November

• Finished Wobble Before we Gobble 4 Miler
• Total miles this month: 61.89

December

• Finished Virtual Santa Hustle 5K
• Total miles this month: 49.41

I RUN FOR BLING

This year’s medal count: 19

2017 Stats

5K Events: 4
10K Events: 5
Half Marathon Events: 4
Other Events: 4
Total Miles Run/Jogged: 656.5

2015 Total Miles: 440 miles
2016 Total Miles: 761 miles

I have signed up for a couple events in 2018 already. So, apparently 2018 will be a running year also. I will complete a half marathon or two (or three), but I would like to focus on speed. I know I can accomplish the distance. Now, I would like to go the distance a tad more quickly.

Happy Running!

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I gave myself a goal at the beginning of 2017. The goal was to sign up & complete all the virtual events hosted by Hogwarts Running Club this year.

This was my first experience with HRC and I’m quite impressed with the organization.

They host six events in a year, plus have a seventh challenge medal. The registration fees this year were reasonable at $25 per race. HRC is non profit and the majority of the registration cost goes straight to a charity of their choosing. Because of this, most of the registration cost is tax deductible.

For your $25 you are donating to a charity, receiving a medal in the mail, and can download a digital bib. There is also the option to purchase shirts.

They are active on Facebook for those who like the social aspects. They have multiple groups including the Great Hall and common rooms for each house. I am part of the Ravenclaw Common Room.

Charity Miles

Hogwarts Running Club uses the Charity Miles app to track mileage for special events like the House Cup. By using the app, not only are you helping your house, but you are earning 25¢ per mile to a charity of your choice.

* 2017 Events *

Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody Constant Vigilance 5k

Charity Partner: Limbs for Life Foundation

The first event of 2017 was the Mad Eye Moody 5k. The medal is fun – the eye spins around.

Whether during a run or on a stroll with the kids, I enjoy spotting Great Blue Herons. They make me happy, even though they aren’t terribly fond of people. When I see one while running, I consider it good luck. It seemed fitting that I saw one during my first HRC event.

I printed my bib and brought it with me to Universal Studios, then stamped the back of it at the Owl Post.

The 10K and Spew

Charity Partner: Harry Potter Alliance and their Granger Leadership Academy

It’s all in the details.
When your owl delivers your mail, the package comes with a quirky saying. Love that! Also, many of the medals come with a saying or decor on the back.

This bib was also printed and stamped in Hogsmeade at Universal Studios.

I bought a basic athletic shirt and used my silhouette and heat press to create my own Ravenclaw shirt to run in.

Unmasked 10 mile Run for your life

Charity Partner: To Write Love On Her Arms

Sportin’ my Ravenclaw pride socks.

Even though it’s on the dark side, I love this medal. And, the charity is for an important cause.

Sirius Half Marathon

Charity Partner: Mission K9 Rescue

An event dedicated to Sirius Black.

The medal has a bit of a stained glass effect. The back is engraved with one of my favorite quotes:

If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.
– Sirius Black

The Eternal Glory Four Miler!

Charity Partner: Back on My Feet

A four mile event highlighting the Goblet of Fire.

You get to pick the name and number that goes on your digital bib. My number is always 262 – for the 26.2 miles I completed during the Portland Marathon. I chose a different name for each event.

Platform 9 3/4 Year Four

Charity Partner: Antarctic & Southern Ocean Coalition

Another amazing medal. The light on the train really turns on and off.

The bib is designed to look like a train ticket.

Again, I love all the attention to detail.

* Time Turner *

The Time Turner happens in October. This is when HRC turns back the clock and reopens registration for previous events. You can also sign up for the Challenge medal and the Perfect Prefect pin.

Challenge Medal

The Challenge medal was available to HRC members who registered for at least three of the 2017 events.

The fun part about being in the Facebook groups are the added encouragement and challenges along the way. For instance, The Ravenclaw Common Room provided us an optional challenge for earning this medal. Our “position” during our “Quidditch match” was based on our monthly total miles.  I ended up being a beater because I ran between 50 & 99 miles. You can be as active or inactive in the optional challenges as you would like.

The Patronus 5k

I had already registered for all the 2017 events. So, instead I registered for 2015’s Patronus 5K during the time turner.

I registered for this event in October, but technically there was no race date. I hadn’t gotten around to completing it until the first week in 2018. I brought the medal with me on a girl’s trip to the Dominican Republic as motivation to run at least once on the trip. And, I did. I ran only the one time during that week.

Possible Fun Fact: Pottermore helped me discover that my patronus is a ragdoll cat.
A cat? That hardly seems correct. I don’t dislike cats, and ragdoll cats are beautiful. But, I’m more of a bird and aquatic animal person. Or, goat. I do love goats. We don’t even have a pet cat because we don’t want one in the house and the two we tried having outside both got eaten by coyotes. So, no cats for us. Yet, my patronus is a cat. Weird.

Perfect Prefect

I never thought it could be – but yet, it’s true. I am a Perfect Prefect. I highlighted my name on Ravenclaw’s Wall of Fame.

To be a Perfect Prefect you must register for all six events and the Challenge medal. The pin is free, as long as you tell them you want it.

HRC Cheer Squad

The Cheer Squad at this year’s Disneyland Half Marathon weekend. I don’t know these women personally, but I was more than happy to have their support during the 5K. The heat and humidity during the half marathon was brutal. The Cheer Squad had ice! I am not exaggerating when I say that it almost brought me to tears. I was miserable by this point in the race. I truly needed that ice to cool down. More than that, it just felt good knowing someone had my back. It was the encouragement I needed to finish.

Universal Studios Hollywood

To celebrate our son’s birthday, we surprised the kids with a quick trip to LA primarily to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I brought my Ravenclaw shirt to wear and created shirts for the rest of the family. All the boys, hubby included, are Hufflepuff and my daughter is Gryffindor.

We went early in the year, so I only had 2 event bibs to bring with me. I brought them for the sole purpose of stamping them with the Hogsmeade postmark.

I enjoyed these virtual events so much that I already preregistered for all 2018 events. So, yippy! I should be a Perfect Prefect in 2018, too. I can’t wait to see the themes for each event. The first event has already been announced – the Nargle 9K.

Because I’m a sucker for things I adore, and excuses to run, and themed events, I recently joined HRC’s sister group based on Gilmore Girls, the Chilton Running Club.

There is also the Whovian Running Club, if you are a Doctor Who fan.

Now to work on my 2018 Perfect Prefect status!
Happy Running!

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This was it. This was my day. My 40th birthday spent doing a half marathon in Disneyland.

Packet Pick Up & Expo

I was so excited doing my first half marathon during the Tinkerbell weekend I took a similar photo on the carpet. Then, I took one during the Star Wars weekend. So now apparently it’s my thing.

Here’s my Disneyland Half Weekend shot:

The Start

The start, as always, had an excited vibe. However, it was hot. Too hot. The announcer said the feels like temperature was 87°. It wasn’t even 5am yet. Blech!

Running through California Adventure

I stopped a number of times throughout DCA.

• I had seen Mike & Sully during the previous 2 races, but didn’t stop. I’m glad I stopped this time.

• Since my daughter is a gymnast, I stopped to take a pic of the girl flying around the Toy Story bar.

• The crowd of runners on Hollywood Blvd.

• Cowgirl Jessie must stop for a photo op with a horse.

Running Through Disneyland

• One of my favorite photos from the entire weekend is this one with Minnie & Mickey

• At one point, I was hoping to get my Castle to Chateau medal and run the event later in the month in Paris. This pic with Remy will have to do instead.

• I was slightly disappointed that my only photo op with Woody, during a Toy Story themed race, was this one of him up on the balcony of The Golden Horseshoe.

• Runners on Main Street

Running the Streets of Anaheim

•  It was crazy hot, but the sunrise was lovely.

• After stopping for all my pics in the parks, I ended up with the corral I run/walk 3 hour pacer. I kept with them for awhile, but eventually went about my own pace. I did enjoy the bit I was with them. I will have to keep it in mind for another event.

• During the run, the red flag came out.

• As always, I enjoyed all the entertainment along the way. This time we had a Polynesian group, a Mexican group, and a car show featuring Lightning McQueen.

• The Hogwarts Running Club had ice in a cooler for the runners. So, so awesome! I was sweaty and obnoxiously hot. I grabbed a refreshing handful of ice and shoved it down the back of my shirt.

• I can’t stop for every sign that catches my attention, but I had to stop for this one with Chandler.

• This was a different course than my previous RunDisney half marathons. This time, we ran through Angel Stadium. I’m not really a fan of ball sports, but it was a nice change to run through the stadium.

The Finish!

I’m always happy when the finish line is in sight. But, I was especially thrilled this time. Given the choice, I would absolutely run on a 30° day before running on a 90° day. Run/walk/jogging for 13 miles in high temps and high humidity is not my idea of a good time. To be nearing the finish line was a huge relief.

I love/hate the photo on the left. It’s one of my favorite finish line photos ever. I typically look like a dufus. This one, though, is a lie. I appear to be in great spirits – in reality I feel miserable and half dead.

After finishing the race, I headed to the medic tents for ice. I walked more during this half marathon than I ever have before. Unfortunately, I’m not a good fast walker and I know my posture was horrible – resulting in back shoulder pain. I placed the ice on my achy back shoulder and also on my face to cool me down.

By the time I got a pic with my medals I felt much better and ready to conquer the rest of the day.

I earned 4 medals that weekend: a 5k, 10k, half marathon and the double dare challenge medal for completing both the 10k and half.

— More than Running —

My 40th Birthday

I don’t usually celebrate my birthday, not even with a family dinner. That works well for me.

However… I was in Disneyland and somehow 40 seems like such a milestone. I totally enjoyed the day in every way I could.

• I got my birthday button, which looks amazing.

• I found a cake and balloons in Mickey’s house and pretended they were for me.

• By coincidence, we were having a little snack break at Refreshment Corner when Alice & the Mad Hatter came by to play musical chairs. I absolutely talked my friends into participating with me. One of my favorite moments ever! To top it off, the Mad Hatter sang me a short, silly birthday song.

• I made us shirts for the occasion. Mine said, A Very Merry 40th Birthday to Me. The others said, A Very Merry Unbirthday to Me.

• A friend of mine had her 35th birthday during the trip. We celebrated our special days with a margarita from Rita’s Baja Blenders in California Adventure. I like margarita’s, but I didn’t really care for this one. I did enjoy the company and atmosphere, though.

This was certainly a RunDisney event / Birthday I will never forget.

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Last year I took the plunge and decided to try the Helvetia Half Marathon. I had such a good time, I did it again this year.

The Start

My friend and I had been training together, so we started the race together.

The Course

The course was similar to last year – first the flats, then up the hills, down the hills and back to flattish.

Since my friend is a bit faster than me I thought at some point we would separate and meet back up at the end. But, due to health concerns she didn’t mind slowing her pace a little. Also, I felt good and was able to keep a decent pace the entire course. I did less walking than is typical for me. And, my friend encouraged me out of my comfort zone to really fly down the hills.

This pic cracks me up. I felt like I was going strong and looking good… then I saw this pic of how I really looked…

The Finish

Wowee! That last mile was tough. Had I been by myself I totally would have walked a bunch of it. Thankfully, I had a good friend pushing me through all the way to the end.

I PR’d last month on a flat course. It didn’t even cross my mind I could PR on this hilly course. Thanks to Darci, I did! It was an amazing feeling.

Beer and burgers were waiting at the end.

The Swag

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This is me dreaming big.

I love to travel. I run. I could really never have too many Runcations.

On my bucket list is traveling to all 50 states in the US. Add in the running thing and I have one more reason to visit the states, with the added bonus of keeping fit.

We have 3 busy kids and a farm, is it realistic to think I can actually accomplish this goal? I don’t know. But, it doesn’t hurt to dream and try. I’m turning the big 4-0 this year. I figure I still have a good 40 more years to cross off every state.

I’m off to a slow start with checking off 4 states. But, a slow start is better than not starting.

I have found at least one half marathon in each state as a possibility. Some are events I’ve been wanting to participate in for awhile. Some I found while researching for this list. Also, I’m not against doing a virtual run, if that what works. It’s my bucket list; my rules.

Alabama
Mercedes

Alaska
Alaska

Arizona
Sedona
Rock n Roll Arizona

Arkansas
Little Rock

✓ California
✓ 2015 – RunDisney Tinker Bell
✓ 2016 – RunDisney Star Wars
✓ 2017 – RunDisney Disneyland
Surf City
San Francisco
Big Sur
Yosemite
Humboldt Redwoods
Carlsbad

Colorado
Run the Rockies
Steamboat Springs
Estes Park
Rock n Roll Denver

Connecticut
Faxon Law Fairfield

Delaware
Rehoboth Beach

Florida
Fort Lauderdale A1A
Key West
Space Coast
RunDisney Princess
RunDisney Wine & Dine

Georgia
Thanksgiving Day
The AthHalf
Rock n Roll Savannah

Hawaii
Maui
Kauai
The Hapalua

Idaho
Famous Idaho Potato
Redfish Lake Lodge
Idaho Falls
Sun Valley

Illinois
Lincoln Presidential
Rock n Roll Chicago
Chicago
Run Mag Mile

Indiana
500 Festival

Iowa
Marathon to Marathon

Kansas
Garmin In the Land of Oz

Kentucky
Run the Bluegrass

Louisiana
Rock n Roll New Orleans

Maine
Bar Harbor
Shipyard Old Port

Maryland
Baltimore

Massachusetts
Boston’s Run to Remember
Martha’s Vineyard

Michigan
International

Minnesota
Minnesota
Garry Bjorklund

Mississippi
Mississippi River

Missouri
Rock n Roll St. Louis
Rock the Parkway

Montana
Missoula

Nebraska
Lincoln

✓ Nevada
✓ 2015 – Rock n Roll Las Vegas

New Hampshire
Rockfest

New Jersey
New Jersey
ORC Seaside

New Mexico
Santa Fe Thunder

New York
United Airlines NYC
Rock n Roll Brooklyn

North Carolina
Southern Fried
Rock n Roll Raleigh

North Dakota
Fargo

Ohio
Capital City
Akron
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus

Oklahoma
Route 66

✓ Oregon
✓ 2016 – Vernonia
✓ 2016 – Helvetia
✓ 2016 – Bridge of the Gods
✓ 2017 – Hippie Chick Half Marathon
✓ 2017 – Helvetia

Pennsylvania
Hershey
Rock n Roll Philadelphia

Rhode Island
Providence
Jamestown

South Carolina
Kiawah Golf Resort

South Dakota
Run Crazy Horse

Tennessee
Rock n Roll Nashville

Texas
3M
Alamo 13.1
Chevron Houston
Rock n Roll Dallas

Utah
Salt Lake City
Ogden

Vermont
Covered Bridges

Virginia
Rock n Roll Virginia Beach

✓ Washington
✓ 2016 – Virtual National Park Service 100th Birthday
Rock n Roll Seattle

West Virginia
Hatfield McCoy
Parkersburg

Wisconsin
Madison Mini

Wyoming
Jackson Hole

Bonus:
Washington DC
Rock n Roll DC

4 Down, 46 to Go

More Places, More Races
Disneyland Paris
Victoria

Well, this outta keep me busy for awhile.

ALWAYS DREAM BIG!

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The Hippie Chick event is a women’s event, which takes place Mother’s Day weekend. It is part of the Hood to Coast race series, which always has good events.

I have a soft spot for the event because it was the first race I signed up for when I started running. That year I finished the quarter marathon. The next year I did it again, beating my previous time by 23 minutes. The year after that, I skipped the Hippie Chick for Disneyland and finishing my first half marathon. Which brings me to 2017, 4 years after participating in my first run event. At the time, I didn’t know how far I would go with my running. But I have stuck with it, ran multiple half marathons and even one full marathon.

SWAG

The swag I received at packet pick-up included a tshirt and snacks in a cute little bag. Plus, I got a towel for registering early.

PRE-RACE

One of the fun things about participating in a larger event are visiting the vendors. In this case, it was especially awesome. Franz, the bread company, had a wheel to spin and I won donuts. Not a bad way to start the morning.

Since it was raining pretty good, I sat in my car and ate half a donut. Yes, yes I did.

THE START

I’m not sure how many women ran the half, but it didn’t seem too crowded.

The rain stopped for the few minutes I waited to start and for the first few minutes of the race. For a second, I thought the rain for the morning had passed and the event would be dry. Ha!

THE COURSE

I knew the quarter marathon was flat, I was hoping the half was too. It was. I’ll make up for it next month when I run the hilly Helvetia Half.

It rained. And, rained some more. So, I didn’t take many pics. At one point I looked down and saw soap suds on my capris. What? I thought it was a fluke and wiped them off. Then a bit later, there were bubbles on my other leg. This time I decided it deserved a photo. Weird. Why isn’t our washing machine rinsing our clothes better? Apparently I need to run in a downpour to get all the soap out.

At the turn around point, there was a guy spinning fire. That was something I hadn’t seen as on course entertainment previously.

Mile 10 is always my gauge of a race. I don’t often run over 10 miles on my training runs, so I’m usually about ready to be done by the time I reach that mile marker. I thought I might be able to PR at this event. I was hopeful if I could hit mile 10 in under 2 hours then there was no good reason I couldn’t PR. It was exactly the motivation I needed to finish strong. I did reach mile 10 under 2 hours, so I knew I just needed to keep up my pace and I would PR. And, I did! I was pretty stoked last April when I my PR’d. I beat that time by 10 minutes.

The last few miles the rain finally let up. It didn’t really matter by then, I was already soaked. But, I was glad it stopped.

THE FINISH

Because the Hippie Chick is a women’s event, finishers are awarded necklaces as opposed to medals. When I earned my first one I thought I might actually wear it. I don’t. I’m not a jewelry person. But, I do have the necklaces with my other bling.

Vendors and band on the field at the finish line.

After the race you can grab pancakes, oranges, and chocolate milk.

You can also get a mimosa and ghiradelli chocolate bars. This was an excellent way to end my already exciting day of PRing.

That’s a wrap. Another half marathon in the books.

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In August I completed the Bridge of the Gods Half Marathon. It was an event I’d heard about and thought about doing. So, when my friend, Molly, asked if I would do it with her for her first half marathon, I said, “Of course!”

The actual Bridge of the Gods spans the Columbia River connecting Washington & Oregon. Recently the bridge has gained popularity due to Cheryl Strayed ending her Pacific Crest Trail journey here as she describes in her book, Wild.

THE SHUTTLE

Parking for the event was on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. However, the start line was on the Washington side. Near the parking areas were buses to shuttle us across the bridge.

THE START

The start line, in Washington. We met Molly’s cousin there and gave our well wishes and awesome race vibes to each other.

This was a first sight for me. There was a drone taking pics at the start line.

THE COURSE

And, we’re off.

The openness of the metal grates while running across the bridge was an odd feeling. It was my favorite part of the race.

That small island off to the left is the finish line location.

Running past the Bridge of the Gods Trailhead along the Pacific Crest Trail.

I wasn’t aware there was such a nice trail along this section of the Columbia River. It was great.

We made it to the Stairway of Heaven. Not gonna lie, this was about the point where the fun ended.

The trail was well marked and well maintained. But, I was just not feeling it that day. Well… I should say I was feeling it too much. I’d been hill training, but those elevation changes hit me hard. I didn’t sleep well the night before. I didn’t eat quite as many calories that morning as I typically do on race days. I started my period that day. Possibly a combination of all these things contributed to the rougher than normal race. I’m not sure. But after the first few miles, it sucked and my body was paying for it.

The view of the Columbia Gorge was beautiful. The weather was perfect.
In the top photo you can see I-84 & the powerhouse at Bonneville Dam.

Oh, thank goodness we made it to the half way mark! I’m smiling, but cringing inside.
I did/do love the new tank I bought from Sparkle Athletic. I don’t often run in tanks, but I kinda liked it.

I didn’t take any photos on the way back to Cascade Locks. I was too busy struggling to get myself up and back down those damn hills.

Once, though, we saw the bridge it was such a beautiful sight I had to snap a pic.

This place has the best ice cream cones. It’s a must to stop and enjoy one anytime you travel through Cascade Locks. I absolutely thought about getting one and continuing the race with it. I wasn’t going to get a PR. I might as well have enjoyed some ice cream. But, I didn’t.

Crossing the pedestrian bridge to Marine Park and the finish line!

THE FINISH

I always run across the finish line, but this time I was too tired to even care.

It was a challenge, but we did it!

This event goes down as my worst half ever. I felt horrible and my finish time was slower than even my first half at Disney.

The good news is that we never gave up and we finished.

I’m so ticked off at my performance that I want to go back and kick this course in the ass next year.

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The Helvetia Half Marathon had been on my bucket list for awhile now. However, the course made me nervous. I had heard it’s hilly and difficult.

A friend was interested in doing it and asked if I would do it with her. Of course, I said I would do it – hills and all.

Since I knew there were hills, I did a bit of hill training prior to the event. Not a lot – just about once a week.

This was my first half marathon completed with a running partner. I thought we were well matched, pace wise. Although it was still a workout, the time seemed to pass more quickly having a partner to chit chat with.

THE START

The start was at the stadium in Hillsboro and began like any other start. As far as I could tell, things ran smoothly.

THE COURSE

The first mile or two were fairly flat.

Then gradually the hills came. We did run/walk intervals, walking up the majority of the hill sections. The course meandered passed Helvetia Tavern, Roloff Farms and the picture perfect country church. It was a beautiful place to run.

I was thrilled when we made it to mile 10 and I still felt good.

THE FINISH

We did it! This was my 6th and my friend’s first half marathon. I am proud of how we did. The course was challenging, but we handled it well. I’m certain our hill training helped us power through.

At the end of the race, we were rewarded with a Helvetia burger. I was starving and it was fabulous.

I was worried about this event mainly due to the hills. But, I had trained and felt good through the entire race.

For the first time, I completed a half marathon distance and wasn’t sore the next day. My body was tired. I could tell it had a good workout, but I wasn’t sore. That’s amazing.

Woo hoo, another successful half for the record books!

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Doh! The big day. A Disney Half Marathon. And, not only that is was the second race of the Rebel Challenge. The Star Wars 10K + Star Wars Half Marathon = Star Wars Rebel Challenge. 2 races in 2 days. 3 medals.

I woke up at the should-still-be-sleeping time of 3:30am. I didn’t do much for costumes. But, I did decide to wear orange. I don’t know a lot about Star Wars, but I did see the Rebel pilot suits were orange. Plus, it seemed like good luck since I wore the same orange shirt and skirt during the Tinker Bell half.

Waiting to Start

I don’t know how to explain it, but the energy with this crowd was different than the last two days. You could just feel the excitement of everyone.

I was placed in Corral B for the half.

When our corral was just about to go, I spotted the balloon ladies. Oy! Just the reminder I needed to keep movin’. I had no desire to repeat the 10K fiasco.

The Start

MapMyRun logged my start time at 5:41am. These people were definitely ready to move. I was barely able to snap a pic of the starting moment.

Running Through Disneyland

I moved through here fairly quickly. I stopped to take a few quick pics, of course. But, other than that kept moving. I didn’t wait for character pics.

Running Through California Adventure

BB8 had a 25 minute wait line. Nope. Didn’t do it. My pace dwindles quite a bit between a 10K and a half, so I didn’t feel I had the time to spare. I snapped a quick pic as I ran by, though. I did the same thing with R2D2.

Running the Streets of Anaheim

By mile 5, we were out of the parks and running the streets. The crowds were awesome. There were a few cheer teams and bands, and a number of people dressed as Star Wars characters.

I don’t know enough about Star Wars to know who this group was. But, they were fantastic. They were somewhere between miles 8 & 9 and were just the pick me up I needed. Honestly, I was getting kinda bored and still had a few miles to go. They totally got me outta my slump. So, I thank you guys, whoever you were.

The Final Stretch

We came down the final stretch from a different direction than the previous two races, which was a fun change. We don’t have palm trees in Oregon, so running down a street lined with them is exciting. I remember loving it during the Tinker Bell Half, too.

The Finish

I did it!

I knew I would, but I was still nervous about it. I don’t train as much as I probably should. I was also unsure how running the 10K the day before would affect me during the half. I was concerned my legs would be tired, but they weren’t. I made a good decision by choosing not to play at the parks after the 10K. Instead we spent the day hanging around the hotel and Downtown Disney. If I were to do this again, I would absolutely make that decision again.

My time was about 10 minutes faster than the Tinker Bell half, but about 2 minutes longer than the Rock n Roll Las Vegas. I average a 12:00 mile during a 10K. So, I give myself the goal of a 14:00 mile for a half, including photo stops. My pace this race was almost exactly that. However, that doesn’t quite get me to my ultimate goal of completing a half in less than 3 hours. I have to shave off almost 11 minutes to beat the 3 hour mark. That’s nearly one minute every mile. I have some work to do.

By finishing the 10K (by the skin of my teeth), and now finishing the half earned me the extra Rebel Challenge medal. Woo hoo! I brought home 2 medals that day.

Snacks & Stuff

The snack box and drinks were exactly the same as the 5K and 10K.

3 days. 3 races. 4 new medals & 4 new shirts.

This was a must. I wanted my medal pic with the castle in the background.

To Sum it Up

I’m totally thrilled with how the entire weekend went. It wasn’t absolutely perfect. But, what is?

We didn’t have any issues with our flights. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, which was a first for us. It was great, of course. We also did a character breakfast, which we hadn’t done before. Packet pick up was easy peasy. I collected more pins. Pins! Bonus – I converted my kids into loving pin trading. I came to finish all 3 races and feel good when I was done. I did that.

The one looming bummer in the whole thing was that my hubby & kids didn’t get to do the 5K. I knew Disney races sold out, but I wasn’t expecting it in just a couple hours. I didn’t even sign up for the 5K during the Tinker Bell weekend until a day or two after registration opened. Them not doing it sucked for two reasons. One, I loved the Run Disney experience so much the first time, that I wanted my kids to experience it too. And second, I’m not even a Star Wars fan. I chose this weekend because of my kids. I earned all this Star Wars stuff and I don’t even know what half of it is. However, I did learn a lot about Star Wars this weekend.

Thoughts on bringing the kiddo’s: During the Tinker Bell weekend I came kid free. That was the first time I’d left my kids for so many days. However, I was there to run. And, that’s what I wanted to focus on. I’ll admit, it was great. I had a fabulous time as an adult with my friends at Disneyland. This time, though, I had wanted my kids to experience it with me. As it turned out, they didn’t get to actually experience the run, but they did get to cheer me on. It was great having them near the finish line hooting and hollering for me. And, of course, a day at Disney with your kids is magical. I certainly can’t complain about that. But… race weekends are crowded. I prefer Disneyland on less crowded days. It’s quite expensive for a family of 5 to do a Disney trip, with or without extra stuff. So as much as I loved them being there and even though it all worked out well, I’d prefer to go with my kids at off times – which aren’t race weekends. However, I’d still love to participate in race weekends.

I thought so the first time, and I still think so, Run Disney puts on great events. It’s amazingly calm even with thousands of people running about. I will say, though, they need to get rid of that rubbery 5K medal. It’s cheesy. I happen to love the one from the Neverland 5K. But, being made of rubber when the others are decent medals makes it seem as though a 5K just isn’t good enough. A 5K is good enough. Any distance you get off your buns is worthy.

Unfortunately, my Run Disney days are over for awhile. I’m going to be rooting for all of the participants in the upcoming races, but I’ll be totally jealous, too. If I were to dream, though, I’d love to do the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend or any of the Walt Disney World runs to earn a Coast to Coast medal. Until then…

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In May, I ran my first half marathon – it was the Tinkerbell at Disneyland. That was an accomplishment I was super proud about. Who knew I could do such a thing?

And now I can say I’ve completed two half marathons!

Besides a Disney event, the other event calling my name was the Rock n Roll half marathon in Las Vegas. I thought it would be a year or two before I’d do it, but it ended up working out to go this year. So, two RunCations in one year. Amazing! It’s getting slightly addicting. Somehow I convinced two of my very best friends to tag along with me. They aren’t runners, but they are always up for a girls weekend away.

It was a quick trip leaving early Saturday morning and arriving back home early Monday morning. We’ve all been to Vegas a number of times, so a quick trip was perfectly fine.

Heading to Vegas

Believe it or not, the carpet throughout the Portland International Airport has become a thing. The old carpet was being replaced and it became a game to find sections of the old carpet and take a pic. The old PDX Carpet was even the Grand Marshal in the Starlight Parade and has its own Instagram hashtag. There’s not much left of the old carpet, if any at all, so our obligatory pic is with the new carpet.

The Expo

First thing we did once landing in Vegas was take the monorail to the Expo.

I grabbed my bib, bag and shirt – which was a simple process. Walked through the Brooks/Rock n Roll merchandise area. Bought a shot glass. Exited into the main vendor area. And left. I would have liked to check out the vendor area more, but I could tell my friends were bored already so we moved on.

The Strip

We spent the rest of the day and most of the next day wandering the strip.

The only extra thing I did was the CSI Experience. It’s in Vegas, so of course it wasn’t cheap, but it was a fun way to spend an hour. And, we did solve the crime.

Our Hotel

This was our first time staying at the Monte Carlo. I don’t have much to say about it. It was a typical Vegas hotel room. However, we did get one with a view of the strip – so that was freaking awesome.

Race Attire

In my head I had a fabulously blinged out Vegas/Elvis costume planned. However, time and reality toned down the entire idea.

Here is what I ended up wearing – still Elvis inspired, but not so much in the bling department:
Shirt: From Kohl’s, with an added red “scarf” sewn on by me
Pants: Nike
Elvis Glasses: From Amazon

Before the Race

The strip was closed well before the start time, so many people walked down the road to the entrance. Many people, myself included, were taking pics standing in the strip with all the famous hotels in the background.

I got to the pre race area a little later than I would have liked, but it worked out fine. I watched the end of Kid Rock’s performance, tinkled, then it was time to head to my corral.

I knew these dark clouds rollin’ in couldn’t be good…

The official start time for the race was 4:30pm. However I was placed in corral 39, so I had a long wait until I made it to the start line.

Waiting is the worst part. But since I’m not fast, it’s expected and I usually am prepared for the wait. This time, though, it was particularly rough. I wasn’t dressed for cold weather (rookie mistake), and it was cold. Then the rain came. Not a drenching mass of pouring rain, but enough to make the cold seem even colder. Plus, I’ll admit, the rain just made me grumpy. I live in Oregon; I’m used to rain. But, I didn’t travel to the desert to stand in the rain. Then the wind joined the cold and rain.

Finally, around 5:35, my corral made it to the start line. It was still cold, rainy, and windy, but at least we could finally get going.

Miles 1-2

The first attraction to see was the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. It’s at the far end of the strip, so I’ve only seen it once before. Seeing the sign slightly regained my excitement.

The blustery weather stayed with us throughout this section and it seemed to take forever to make it to the main part of the strip.

Miles 2-6

These were the good miles, from about New York, New York to the Stratosphere. The rain had stopped, although wind gusts still came and went. The scenery was fabulous. And most importantly, I felt good.

There were a number of photo ops, although none with Elvis like I was hoping. I did find a “Run now, Tequila later” guy, though.

The Eiffel Tower at Paris had gone dark due to the recent events in France.

Maybe I missed something, but I only noticed a couple stations playing music, no actual bands playing until about Mile 4 when I ran by the KISS stage. And, I’m pretty sure that it wasn’t Kissed Alive playing like what was advertised. I enjoyed whoever was playing, though, for the short time I stopped and listened.

Miles 6-11

Around mile 7 my hips started bothering me, so I started walking more. I’m not sure why. I haven’t had hip pain while running in a long time. Since it was cold, maybe my body stiffened up in that hour while waiting to cross the start line. ??? Being in pain makes the moment less enjoyable, but I tried to keep positive.

After the Stratosphere, we went into an older section of Vegas. We went by many wedding chapels and the Pawn Shop from the show Pawn Stars. We went through a neighborhood and ended up on Fremont Street before making our way back to Las Vegas Blvd.

Thankfully, the rain didn’t return. However, strong wind gusts would come plowing in occasionally. I don’t know exactly how strong they were. I’ve read some reports of 25mph all the way up to 60mph. I can tell you, though, it was strong at times, making it difficult to continue running. About 30 feet in front of me a metal gate that was being used to block a road was picked up and blown across the entire road right in front of a group of runners. Thank goodness they were paying attention and dodged it.

I was happy to hear 3 or 4 bands playing throughout this section of the race.

Miles 11-13.1

Unfortunately my phone died during this section, which means I don’t have any pictures of the finish. Boo! My hips were still bothering me, but I did pick up my pace hoping to make my phone last all the way to the end. No such luck.

I don’t remember a whole lot about this section except being thrilled once I passed the Stratosphere and the main part of the strip was getting closer.

A little more than 3 hours after crossing the start line, I crossed the finish line. Woop, woop!

The finish section was long, but I didn’t mind. It was like a built in cool down. There were lots of snacks available and a much needed heat sheet.

Celebrating

Remember that “Run Now, Tequila Later” sign? Well, I finished the run part. Now was time for the tequila (or two) part.

I probably didn’t express it, but it meant the world to me that my girlfriends came with me to Vegas.

Swag

I run for bling and I absolutely love the medal! The shirt is awesome, too.

Rock n Roll Finisher Badge

I was emailed a bunch of badges from the Rock n Roll series. I am nerdy enough that I thought they were all awesome. My favorite, though, was the one saying I finished 13.1 miles.

FitBit Info

It’s interesting to me to see my heart rate throughout the course. It’s exactly as I remember it. The first half is fairly steady, then the second half clearly shows many walk breaks.

To Sum it Up

I’m not going to lie, I preferred the Tinkerbell Half to this one. I think there are a few factors weighing my decision. One – I’m a morning person. I prefer to run in the morning. The Tinkerbell was in the morning. I was sleepy tired by the time the Rock n Roll race even started. Two – The wait time for the Tinkerbell was 26 minutes. Rock n Roll was 65 minutes. Three – The weather totally sucked at the Rock n Roll. I was tired, cold and wet before I even embarked on the 13+ miles.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the Rock n Roll event. It was a good experience and I loved running down the strip. I even enjoyed the section off the strip. By then I was hurting, but I still enjoyed the atmosphere. The lack of bands was disappointing, but maybe I went there with false expectations. I came home with aching muscles, an awesome medal and a fabulous feeling of accomplishment.

Apparently I’ve already forgotten about the less than ideal weather and achy breaky hips because once home I signed up for 3 more half’s, on top of the one I was already signed up for in January.

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