December Challenges

I picked two challenges for December....

Flat Mama Friday

For my annual trek to the Navesink Challenge!

Happy Thanksgiving

No Training Update today, Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Wordless Wednesday

Last day of Girls on the Run!

Somerville Girls on the Run 5k

This morning, ten weeks of training my 3rd through 5th graders ended with the Somerville Girls on the Run 5k. They were so excited to run, and I was excited for them.
If you ever plan to run a GOTR 5k, there are some things you need to know before you start.
NONE of these girls know any kind of race etiquette. The will zig zag in front of you, stop short in front of you, start walking with no warning. Moms and dads, too. Picture ops in the middle of the course were the order of the day.
If you go into it with that knowledge in mind, you will not be frustrated, and you will be better able to enjoy the race and notice a few other things.
Happy girls running with their friends, brothers, sisters, moms, and dads.
Happy girls learning about the joy of the race, the spectators, the finish line, and the bling. Tutus, costumes, spray painted hair, glitter, smiles, joy.
No PR, that's pretty much guaranteed unless you line up in the front. But, if you do line up in the front, you miss those smiles.
I gladly gave up the race today, and just enjoyed the joy around me. I finished in just under 38 minutes, and got to watch my last girl finish her race, a smile plastered on her face as she finished.
I will miss these girls. I have had some of them for three seasons now, and will miss coaching them in the years to come. I'm hoping that there are chapters in South Carolina when I get there!
Have you ever run a GOTR race?

Manasquan Turkey Run

Today was my first of back to back weekend races, the Turkey Run Five Miler.
I woke up this morning with a stomach ache from something I ate last night and I really thought I would have to bail. Luckily, the race starts at 11, so I had time for my stomach to mostly settle.
The hubs picked up my bib and tee for me last night, so I didn't have to worry about that either. I still went pretty early, because parking can be a nightmare.

I ran into friends right away, and we hung out until it was time to walk to the start. It was surprisingly warm, it's usually a much colder race, so I stowed my gloves in a pocket right away. The race isn't chipped, so I started my Nike app when I thought I might be crossing the start.

So, yesterday I might have done about 80 squats for the first time in awhile. And then I might have gone to karaoke night at our club with some friends and danced. A lot.

Was this smart? Absolutely not. My.thighs.hurt.

It took about a mile before they loosened up. Add to that the fact that I'm still not running regularly after my 6 weeks off and what you have is a hot running mess. My legs felt like crap. I was using my app instead of a watch, and my phone was in my pocket so I couldn't see my pace. 

I was surprised at each mile marker to see that my pace was consistently just under a 12 minute mile. Not bad for someone who hasn't been running!

I managed to finish in 59:19 which is way slower than usual, but I'll take it!

Tomorrow is the Girls on the Run 5k, which will be easier I think.

Flat Mama Friday

This weekend I have two races.... the Turkey Trot, which is a 5 miler, and the Girls on the Run 5k, which I am a coach for!
Are you running any Turkey Day races?

Wine n Dine Half Half Marathon Recap

A couple weeks ago, amidst all the craziness that is our epic adventure of preparing to move to South Carolina, I hopped aboard a Jet Blue airplane with my friend Shannon, and met up with my other friend Colleen so.that we could all run the Wine n Dine half marathon together.
There was much eating and drinking, and I even got up to run the 5k....

It was hot and sticky mess, but I managed to finish it in a decent amount of time and collect my cute rubber medal. I got back to the hotel, showered, and chilled while I waited for my roomies to wake up. 

Colleen and I hit the Animal Kingdom to ride the Dinosaur ride and Shannon met up with her dad for the day. Colleen and I napped a bit, Shannon did not. She is my hero. We got dressed and got on the bus, only to see lightening off in the distance. Another runner told us to have no fear, no storms in the forecast, we would be fine.

We ditched our bags, hit the potties, and then chilled on the tarmac until go time.

Except the storm did come. Sort of.

It got very windy, and stuff was blowing everywhere. A little smattering of rain and then we were told to walk to WWOS to take cover.

Ummmmmm really?

Yikes.

So we all trudged over there. 

On the way over, I dropped almost $50 on the ground when I took my phone out of my Running Buddy. I panicked and started asking loufly.if anyone found money. A few others repeated it, and someone came over with my money! Holy heck, whoever you are, I still love you!

So we waited about an hour, in the not so air conditioned builong where the expo was held, and then they said we could run. Well, now we are tired and hot, and not really wanting to run. We trudged back to the start. Peed again. Gir to our corral. Now it's about 11:00 and we are tired. And hot. 

We start plotting how we will run 5 or 6 miles and just get swept if we are too tired. And then and angel gives us the news.

They have cut out Animal Kingdom and the race will be about 7 miles.

Hooray!

This would have been my 40th half but I didn't care. I would finish now, and that was all that mattered!

The race itself was lovely. The course support was spot on, the characters were out in full force, the Green Army Man yelled at Shannon for walking. The Osborne Lights were amazing and I just loved running through them when it wasn't pouring! 

Overall we had an amazing time. It was super hot and humid, so we took a lot of breaks and brought our own water, although we didn't really need to. The course was well marked and the volunteers and cast members were so supportive. 

I somehow lost my girls before I hit the lights. I tried walking, but they were pretty far behind, which made me sad. I have no idea how it happened. I ended up finishing about 6 minutes ahead of them, so I got my stuff and waited for them to finish. After I changed, we all walked to the free wine area together.

We hit the after party and I can honestly say we stayed until closing. Full disclosure? Wewe're walking so slow that we had no choice! We hit England and had chips and soda and then we walked back to the busses and headed back to the hotel.

I am definitely too old to stay out all night. It took me a week to recover. 

So now I will tell you how I feel about Disney's decisions. We all signed waivers, we all know that you can't run a race if there is lightening. All the moaners and groaners need to pull up their big kid pants and own up to the fact that sometimes life sucks. Last year I ran this race in a monsoon. It sucked. This year there was a storm. That sucked. Once you delay for awhile, things change. Roads need to be reopened, and therefore courses need to change. At that point, a shortened course was perfect for us. Disney had to keep thousands of people safe.  And not just the runners. They had volunteers and cast members out there as well. Medical tents blew over. Things blew away. People could have gotten hurt. They made the right call. 

I had a great time with my girls that weekend and now we can say that we ran the only course Disney ever shortened. So here's the the half half marathon. The Shake n Bake. The magical evacuation. Raise your glasses high and toast!

Will I ever do Wine n Dine again? No. A monsoon and a delay added to my old old body, and I know that I won't do it again. But I still see a Star Wars race in my future, and I'm training for the WDW half and Tinkerbell even as you're reading this.

All hail the Run Disney races!

Wordless Wednesday

House hunting has kept me so busy, I will post about Wine n Dine soon!

Thursday Training Update

Soooooo there really wasn't any. I'm not gonna lie, Disney is a workout all by itself!
Thursday we arrived in Disney in the afternoon, and basically passed out on our beds while our phones charged. We met up for dinner and then hit up Pirates of the Caribbean. Doesn't sound like much but I had well over 10,000 steps!

Friday was the expo. We shopped, then went across to pick up our bibs, then back again to get our race tees. Then we went to EPCOT for the first time and started our goal of eating around the world.

Saturday was the 5k and the Half Half. Lots of steps to be had, and the running ran over into Sunday. We hit EPCOT both days. 

Monday was probably my least active day. We hit Hollywood Studios before going home, and there is a lot of sitting and watching there. I didn't hit 10,000 steps until we got to the airport!

Tuesday I rested, worked, and straightened the house. No excitement there.

Wednesday I worked, straightened the house and coached Girls on the Run. We walked the dogs to help me hit my steps.

What's your favorite park in Disney? Can you tell that EPCOT is mine?

Wordless Wednesday

Wine n Dine in Pictures

I have a recap planned, but I want to think about it a bit before I post. Thanks to Run Disney for keeping us safe!

Flat Mama Friday and Race Swag

I may have shopped a little.

Wordless Wednesday Disney Bound

Mighty Nut Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Deb E! Check your inbox!

Rock N Roll Philly in Pictures

More to come, once I process it all!