This weekend is my birthday, and I’ll be turning the big 3-0. *GASP*

Yes, that’s right, ladies and gentlemen. On Sunday, I will no longer be a twenty-something. I will be 30.

For the past couple of years, the prospect of turning 30 has given me all kinds of anxiety. Truth be told, I’ve been terrified of it. Ever since I turned 25, I’ve had the same thought on my birthday every single year — “okay, I’m only 27, I’m not 30 yet…okay, I’m 28 now, but I’m still 2 whole years away from 30…”

Celebrating my 25th in my favorite place on Earth.

It wasn’t until the last few months that I decided that I’m okay with turning 30. And I’ll tell you why. (Other than the fact that there’s not a whole hell of a lot I can do about it, haha.)

It’s because I am in a better place now than I was at ANY point in my 20s. I am happier, healthier, and more self-confident that I have been EVER. In my whole life. There is absolutely no question about that.

A whole lot of things happened to me in my 20s. Some of those things were good – like, you know, running a marathon. But there was also plenty of not-so-good – like having an 11-year relationship with my high school sweetheart completely fall to pieces, finding myself alone for the first time since I was a teenager, not being able to afford my rent after he moved out of our crappy apartment, and digging myself into all kinds of debt. Good times, right?

But despite all of the typical 20-something drama, I can’t stop thinking about how, in so many ways, I am a completely different person now than I was 10 years ago.

My 21st birthday

I didn’t intend for this post to be all about my weight loss, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that it was, by far, the greatest accomplishment of my 20s. It changed my life forever. I began my 20s weighing well over 260 pounds, and I was MISERABLE.

Though this blog has lately become more of a running blog than anything else, it all started as a weight loss diary to chronicle just how freakin’ hard it is to lose weight…and actually keep it off.

My first progress photo…20 pounds down.

I spent my entire life as an obese person. Not overweight, not chunky, but obese. But when I was 22, I stepped on a scale for the first time in I couldn’t even tell you how many years, and a little lightbulb went off. I realized that if I didn’t change my life, that I could easily be 300 pounds by the time I was 30 – if not sooner.

So, I did it. After countless years of yo-yo dieting and eating my feelings and gaining weight and losing weight and gaining it back again, I promised myself that I was going to do it the right way and keep the weight off once and for all.

My last progress photo…90 pounds down.

I changed my relationship with food and I fell in love with working out (and, eventually, running). And I didn’t just become another weight loss success story. I became an athlete.

Of course, I did some other pretty awesome stuff in my 20s, too.

Like…

I studied abroad in England for a semester in college.

Oh, Wroxton, how I miss you.

And I saw some of the most AMAZINGLY beautiful places.

Ahhh, Venice…

I graduated from college (Fairleigh Dickinson, woot woot).

(Plus, I was a super huge nerd and was the features editor for the campus newspaper and won all kinds of geeky academic awards, haha.)

After a one-year paid insternship at New Jersey Monthly right after graduation, I had (many) unsuccessful attempts at landing a full-time job in the magazine industry. I was stupid enough to work for free as a peon intern at several different magazines for a year or two before I decided to stop kidding myself and follow my dream. I wanted to be a freelance writer.

The idea of going into business for myself was scary as hell, but it’s something I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to do. And, you know what? I actually friggin’ did it. I won’t be on the Fortune 500 list anytime soon, but I love what I do and I love working from home (in my jammies, lol), and I know the possibilities are endless. Meanwhile, I built my piano teaching business from 2 students to 20+ students, so I get to take a break from staring at my computer screen and hang out with kids every afternoon…and teach them how to play Disney songs.

My first byline, for New Jersey Business magazine — still write for them!

I made friends that are still some of my best buds today.

I also made some four-legged friends.

Riley as a puppy!

My little baby, Miles. <3

And I became best friends with my little sister. We pretty much hated each other for most of our young lives, and now I can’t imagine what I’d do without her.

Nothing says sisterly love like a little Frozen.

I earned my bo-black belt in Thai Kickboxing. I remember how intimidating it was at first — even though I had lost the weight, I still saw myself as “the fat girl” who didn’t belong in any sort of fitness class, let alone martial arts! But I faced my fear of being laughed out of the place, I fell in love with it, and I can’t believe how far I’ve come over the past 5 years.

I earned my black belt in Thai Kickboxing (and got to learn how to fight *real* people for the first time, lol).

I decided to give Taekwondo a try, even though I had pretty much convinced myself that I would NEVER be able to do it. And now I’m dangerously close to testing for my black belt.

I faced an entirely different fear and decided to sign up for my first 5K. It was that day that I realized that nobody was going to point and laugh at me and tell me that I should go back to the treadmill. I felt like a “real” runner for the first time.

I ran my first 10K. And almost cried. I couldn’t believe that I ran 6 WHOLE MILES!

I ran my first half marathon. It still amazes me to think of how terrified I was of not finishing. Even after all those months of training, I had no confidence in myself. I was sure I’d never see that finish line.

There are no words…

And then I REALLY did the impossible. Me, this former fat girl, attempting to run a marathon? There are some days I still can’t believe I did it…and as part of the insane Dopey Challenge, no less!

Now I’m training for my sixth marathon. So that I can have this experience again. Running NYCM was a MAJOR highlight of the last decade, that’s for sure.

Last but certainly not least :::drumroll, please::: I met this guy.

Our first race.

A year later, we moved in together. We’ve already had so many adventures over the past two years, and I didn’t even know it was possible to be this happy. <3

The moral of the story? If there’s one lesson I’m taking with me as I say good-bye to my 20s, it’s that I am so, SO much stronger than I ever thought possible. I am a fighter, and I am capable of absolutely anything. I don’t have to be afraid anymore, because no matter what it is…I know I can do it. Period.

It’s incredible to think about where I was — physically and mentally — in my early 20s to where I am now. It’s honestly hard for me to remember what it was like living life as “the old me,” but I know she is always with me. She likes to come back and haunt me when I find myself struggling the most…like, say, that last 10K of a marathon, haha.

I still have my own personal battles with body image, and it’s an ongoing journey to accept my body the way it is now — loose skin, stretch marks, and all — after so many years of abusing it with yo-yo dieting and being completely sedentary. But I’m closer now than I’ve ever been to being truly comfortable in my own skin, and that’s something I never, EVER thought would happen.

Posing for photos in a bathing suit? UNHEARD OF.

Now that I’m (almost!) 30, I have to admit that, despite all of the mistakes I’ve made along the way, I am proud of myself. I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished, and everything I’ve learned along the way. I’m proud that the big thighs I once hated and tried so hard to hide have carried me over countless finish lines and kicked my way through years of intense martial arts training. I’m proud that I managed to break a lifetime of poor eating habits and completely transform my relationship with food.

I’m a runner now, so that means I can lots and lots of pizza.

Most of all, I’m proud that even when things get hard, I know I can count on myself to never, EVER give up.

One of the hardest things I’ve ever done!

I am so appreciative of my health and my fitness and my career and my relationships, and looking back, I can honestly say I’m happy with the way things have turned out so far. I can’t wait to see what my 30s have in store for me.

Did you freak out/are you freaked out about turning 30?

I just wanted to drop in and let you guys know that I AM working on my recaps of Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, from the expo to the races to the parks and everything in between. I’ll have my expo recap up tomorrow! We had a blast, but as always, I’ll also share some candid opinions on both the good and bad of the Disneyland races.

In the meantime, here a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend to tide you over.

(Because you KNOW I’m all about the pictures!)

The expo:

The 10K:

The half marathon:

Dumbo Double Dare:

Coast to Coast:

Disneyland:

California Adventure:

Did you race last weekend?

Have a recap of your own to share? Let us know!

So, as many of you know, the reason I HAD to return to run the Princess Half again this year is because I HAD to have the brand-new Glass Slipper Challenge medal. I was excited to see what runDisney had in store for the 10K, and hoped that I didn’t find myself just a tad disappointed by lack of characters and excitement and “magic,” as I was after January’s Minnie Mouse 10K that I ran as part of the Dopey Challenge.

Even more exciting was the fact that this was going to be my sister’s first 10K! When I ran the Wine and Dine Half Marathon last November, she took on the Jingle Jungle 5K that morning as her first 5K…and I somehow managed to convinced her to run the 10K with me as part of Princess Half weekend.

We woke up around 4am and headed to Epcot around 4:30am for the race that morning, where we were met with the usual excitement in the “staging area.” We saw lots of other Elsa and Anna combos walking around, and I saw even more the next day during the half marathon (plus tons of Olafs)!

 We started in corral B, and they let us go just a few minutes after the start of the race. As I expected, the first few miles were pretty much a snoozefest. First off, it was, unfortunately, RATHER HUMID that morning, so I was already sweating within the first quarter-mile. Secondly, the beginning of the race pretty much winds through the parking lot and some stretches of highway and “backstage areas” near Epcot, so there’s really not much to see.

My plan from the beginning was to stay with Hopper for the entire race. I wasn’t running this for time, and I knew she didn’t feel completely trained for this race — it was sort of a last-minute decision, and we ended up getting her 10K bib through a travel agent just a few weeks before the trip — so there was really no reason for me to push it. Plus, we were wearing matching costumes. ‘Nuf said.

Of course, I told her that if we fell behind pace and happened to spot any balloon ladies that my ass would leave her in a second, because there was no way I was being disqualified from the Glass Slipper medal in the 10K, haha.  In any case, she was doing run/walk intervals and I was plodding along beside her.

Our other plan of action was that if we spotted a character up ahead in the distance, that I’d run ahead and hold our place in line while she caught up, which we did for our first character stop: Pocahontas and Meeko.

Even though the course wasn’t anything to write home about, the TRUE highlight of this race for me came within the first few miles. I heard “Let it Go” playing as we approached an overpass, and as we got a little closer, I saw that Elsa was standing up above the course with a microphone…and…best of all…it was SNOWING! Mind you, I kind of wanted to go to Florida to escape the mountains of snow I left behind in New Jersey, but this was just plain awesome.

Of course, I had to stop for a few pictures with her in the background — it seemed OK to stop in the middle of the race course just this once, since we ended up running with the back of our corral and there really was nobody behind us at that point. Elsa saw me posing for pictures and called out to the “princess dressed up like me” to do the “snowflake” pose with her. Of course, I look like an idiot, but I totally fangirled over it and it was my favorite moment of the race, not gonna lie.

As we made our way past the third mile and another character or two, including the White Rabbit, I knew we were getting close to Epcot. Hopper made us stop for a picture with the toy soldiers, since for some reason she’s obsessed with them.

We made our way through the backstage area and finally arrived at the World Showcase, which really doesn’t get old for me. It looks gorgeous at night and, to me, it’s ridiculously exciting to “run around the world.”

I noticed Hopper, who had been struggling a little bit, starting to pick up the pace — which I TOLD her would happen as soon as we got to a park. It’s sometimes hard to stay motivated, even during a Disney race, when you’re running on boring old highways…but you somehow magically forget your ailments when you’re actually running through a Disney park!

We made a pit-stop and searched for characters, passing up Jiminy Cricket (the line was INSANE) and opting instead to wait in the long line for Marie in France, whom Hopper is ALSO obsessed with.

Before I knew it, we were already making our way out of Epcot, but I was still looking forward to running on the Boardwalk, which was definitely THE highlight of the 10K during WDW Marathon Weekend.

It’s so pretty and I knew there’d probably be another character there (it was Goofy in his baseball uniform, so we ended up skipping it).

After we left the Boardwalk, we were both pretty hungry and I know she was anxious to be done. Still, she really never ran much further than, say, 4 miles before, so to make it this far was a huge accomplishment! I can’t speak for Hopper, but I can say that I was having a blast, and whether we were running a 9-minute mile or a 19-minute mile, our finish time could NOT be further from my mind.

We were running quite a bit slower than my usual pace, of course, but we still weren’t anywhere near the back-of-the-pack, so I knew that her ultimate fear of being swept from the race course was definitely not going to happen.

All that was left to do was have fun and enjoy the moment.

By the time we reached Epcot (and passed up another photo, with Donald), we had been on the race course for about two hours. Which would, of course, explain our hunger.

Moral of the story? The thought that I could inspire someone else to run — even if it’s a little bit against her will, haha — means more to me than any time on a stupid clock or the biggest, shiniest race bling the runDisney folks could ever possibly bestow upon me.

Even if she never runs again — which I doubt, since there’s been talk of signing up for Tower of Terror 10-Miler this fall! — and even if she struggled and didn’t feel properly trained for this race, she STILL accomplished something huge that day…and I was a proud big sister, as cheese-tastic as it is to say.

And since we’ve both had very similar struggles in our lives when it comes to our personal health and fitness, I couldn’t be happier to serve as just a tiny portion of the fact that she completed a 6.2-mile race that morning!

I probably don’t even need to tell you how freakin’ excited I was to see the 6-mile marker. And, no, not just because we were almost finished…but because it just so happened to be FROZEN!

At long last, the finish line was in sight, but first, we couldn’t pass up a quick photo with our Fairy Godmother…

…before we crossed the finish line together!

It was time to collect our medals, and I was excited to have completed the first leg of my Glass Slipper Challenge. I KNOW Hopper enjoyed it because I know she was anxious to have her first “real” medal — not that the Disney 5K medals aren’t “real,” she just wanted something a little less…rubbery.

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Immediately after the race (and, um, stuffing our races with the runDisney snack boxes), we set forth with our plan to get a very special picture. Yes, that’s right…we were going to brave the insane lines in Norway and actually try to get our picture with Elsa and Anna dressed as, well, Elsa and Anna.

See, now, it was my understanding that they started greeting at 9am, even though World Showcase technically doesn’t open until 11am (apparently that WILL be the case soon…just not yet). So you can imagine my surprise to discover that even though we were among the first people in line at the turnstiles at Epcot before park opening, and I raced to Norway to hold our spot among the first 15 or so people in line, that what we actually had ahead of us was AT LEAST a two-hour wait because the Frozen sisters wouldn’t be making their grand appearance until 11am.

Super. It was 9:05 and the meet-and-greet wasn’t starting until 11, and based upon my vast experience with standing in line for characters at Walt Disney World (particularly “face” characters, who take FOREVER because they want to play and interact with each person who comes to see them), I knew we were looking at a solid three-hour wait — if we were lucky. Characters tend to work in 40-minute shifts, and given the number of people in front of us, I figured we’d never catch them during their first shift at 11am.

So I went to get us some Starbucks and we sat and ate and chatted with people around us, and finally it was 11am and the line started moving. Just barely. A little bit at a time. An hour went by and we still had several people in front of us before the ladies went on their first “break.”

I’ll fast forward a bit and tell you that it wasn’t our turn to meet them until after 12:30 — after a three-and-a-half hour wait.

Mind you, I can’t complain, because this was our choice to be this dumb…but good lord.

Was it worth it? In a word…yes.

Also, they did seem to enjoy our costumes greatly.

Of course, I just feel sorry for them having to smell us…

We spent the rest of the day in Epcot in our matching 10K shirts and Sparkle Athletic skirts.

Our evening also included a lovely celebratory dinner at Les Chefs de France…where we ate a lot of cheese. It was a fabulous ending to our first half of the race weekend, if I do say so myself.

Overall, I’d say the Enchanted 10K crushed Marathon Weekend’s 10K — the course may have been the same, but there were several more characters and runners (and spectators) just seemed a bit more excited in general. Also, as previously mentioned, I thought having Elsa on the course was PURE GENIUS.

Next up, my recap of this year’s Princess Half Marathon!

Your turn…what did you guys think about the 10K? 

Have you ever run a race with a friend or family member?

Have you ever inspired someone else to start running?

It was an awesome weekend, and I can’t wait to share the details with you guys!

I’ll be posting recaps this week and next week, but in the meantime, here are some highlights (and pictures!).

The Expo:

The expo was pretty quiet when we got there in the early afternoon on Thursday, and they had tons of goodies, from official runDisney race merch to everything a woman could ever want to look cute while running, from sparkly skirts to headbands to shoe charms and running-themed jewelry. Which may or may not be such a good thing for me…

The 10K:

I am proud to report that my sister, Hopper (not her real name, haha), did finish her first 10K! It was a little bit of a struggle, especially since it was SO DISGUSTINGLY HUMID, but we had a blast.

And, best of all, after the race we got to take THE picture of the weekend…

In case you were wondering…no, it’s not easy to meet Elsa and Anna. They’re basically THE rock stars of Epcot now, and you pretty much have to sacrifice your first-born child to get a photo with them (or, you know, stand in almost a 4-hour line…even when you get there RIGHT at park opening…) But that’s a whole other story — stay tuned!

The Half Marathon:

I’m not gonna lie; this was not my best race. Obviously my Disney race times are never anything to write home about, but overall, I did struggle for a good portion of the race.

Once again, I’d like to blame the heat/humidity, because this Northern princess does NOT do well in the heat in general, and has been training through snow and ice for the past 3 months.

But it didn’t matter because a.) I had SO much fun running through the parks and taking tons of pictures and meeting characters and b.) No matter how I felt (physically) that day, there’s no denying how unbelievable it felt to return to run my first half marathon again and think about how far I’ve come in just one year.

The Overall Trip:

First of all, what woman doesn’t enjoy being treated like a princess? There is nothing like walking around the parks and seeing everyone proudly sporting their medals and their tiaras and tutus and sparkly skirts and having the opportunity to congratulate each other. Not only is it one of the most fun races I’ve ever done, but the entire weekend is so supportive and it absolutely did help remind me of why I fell so hard for running in the first place.

My sister and I had plenty of time to take in our favorite attractions and, of course, we were sure to spend time with some of our favorite princesses.

More coming soon!

Did you run this weekend?!

What’s your favorite part of the Princess Half?

Would you ever want to run the Princess Half?

Later this week I’ll be off to Disney (yeah…again…) for the Princess Half Marathon Weekend, where I’ll be taking on the Glass Slipper Challenge: running the inaugural Enchanted 10K on Saturday, and the half marathon on Saturday.

And, hopefully, I’ll be headed home with these little beauties right here.

Photo credit: runDisney

I’m going to try to post some full costume photos before I leave, but in the meantime, here’s a little preview!

My sister and I will be running the 10K together — it’s her first 10K! — as two of our new favorite princesses. Since I’m kind of totally OBSESSED with Frozen and I may or may not have the entire soundtrack memorized because it’s all I run to these days…

As for the half marathon, I ran as Ariel last year. The Little Mermaid has been my favorite movie since I was, oh, three years old, and I may or may not have an Ariel shower curtain in my bathroom today, as a 28-year-old woman.

This year, I’ll be going as my second favorite princess. A little hint for you…

The 10K costumes are completely homemade by my sister. I have to give her a shout-out, because she basically taught herself how to use our grandmother’s old sewing machine and the finished products are entirely her “vision.” I think they’re looking pretty awesome!

My half marathon costume is store-bought with a few minor adjustments (and running clothes underneath, of course). Mainly because a Princess Jasmine costume would be REALLY hard to make. Also, I’m not one to run around half naked, so I had to find a flesh-colored active tank to wear underneath, and I’ll also be wearing running capris under the pants because even though they basically feel like PJs and are SO comfy, I can’t even imagine the chafing that would occur after running a couple of miles in them…oh good lord.

All in all, it should be an interesting experience, and it’s not exactly the type of weather where I can run around in these outfits to “test” them out. But I figure I’ve already run a half marathon with a giant plastic bowl on my head (and, no, I never went for a test run in it!) so, I’m sure it will be fine.

As far as the actual races themselves, I have to say, this weekend couldn’t have come at a better time. Because I am still in a FUNK.

Last week, I did what I told you guys I planned to do — I ditched my Garmin, I ignored any and all training plans, and I ran whenever and for however many miles I wanted…well, other than Sunday, when I joined Todd for his scheduled 12 miles.

I made it through all 12 miles, and it wasn’t TOO bad, but I have to say…I didn’t love it. At all. Especially not after, say, mile 8 or 9. Not to sound like a Negative Nancy or anything, but I’m really, really tired of attempting to navigate through mounds of snow and patches of ice, I’m tired of training in the bitter cold, I’m tired of having to slow down so much that training runs that should take 2 hours end up lasting almost 3…and I’m still tired of running in general right now, to be completely honest.

I also took a whole lot of rest days last week — more so than I ever normally would. I had to miss a couple of martial arts classes due to scheduling issues, and we were slammed with more snow…and when you’re literally snowed inside it makes it a real giant pain in the ass to do anything.

I basically plan to do the bare minimum to get me through this weekend’s races and the marathon next month. That’s so not “me,” but with the way I’m feeling about running lately, I just don’t see any other way to do it. My goal is to have FUN at Princess — which is pretty much a given when I’m in Disney! — and to cross the finish line in Washington, DC in an upright position.

And, after that, I know I’m going to have to scale back. I miss that feeling I used to get when I’d lace up my running sneakers so, so badly. I think I need to give myself a chance to REALLY recover from back-to-back marathon training cycles and all the stress and the pressure and the anxiety that went along with it all, and let myself rediscover why I fell in love with running in the first place.

Mon., Feb. 10: Rest

Tue., Feb. 11: 4 miles on the DREADmill with my sister and Taekwondo class

Wed., Feb. 12: About 4 miles (I was Garmin-less, but ran for about 40-45 minutes or so around town)

Thur., Feb. 13: Rest

Fri., Feb. 14: Rest

Sat., Feb. 15: Gym workout with Todd (I pretty much loathe strength training, so he tells me which machines to use and how many reps…I whine and moan and groan because I’m bored…he ignores my desperate pleas to go home…rinse and repeat…)

Sun., Feb. 16: 12 miles

Total weekly mileage: About 20 miles

So, yeah, I’m not thrilled with my training overall this week, but I’m making the best of my current situation and the crap-tastic weather and I’m doing the best I can — that’s all you can really do, right?

I know returning to Princess will help. It’ll be a fun girls’ weekend with my sister, but I’m also really excited to run my “first” half marathon all over again. It will be a chance to reflect on everything I’ve accomplished in the past year since taking on the Princess Half in 2013, and hopefully that will help remind me of all the warm-fuzzy feelings I used to have for running before I stupidly decided to train for two marathons back-to-back!

How do you deal with training in less-than-perfect weather conditions?

Do you ever run in costume?

Who else is running Princess this weekend?!

By the morning of the half marathon, I was pretty tired. And sore. Not so much from the races, but from walking the parks all day AFTER the races. You see, I know I should have taken it easy, but when I’m at Disney World, I have a really hard time resisting my usual urge to tour the parks commando-style…and we really were spending the entire day in the parks.

What saved me? I made sure to plan for an 8-8:30 bedtime in our itinerary (yes, I had a park-touring itinerary) for the nights before the half and full marathons, combined with several other strategies for surviving back-to-back races in one piece (which I’ll talk about in a separate post)!

What also helped is that I typically decide to shell out the money for a rental car when I’m on Disney property for the convenience of not having to rely on bus transportation — and during a race weekend, it pays off because I could “sleep in” (HA!) just a little bit later. Of course, I didn’t want an episode like the previous morning, where I almost missed the start of the race, so I made sure we got to Epcot in plenty of time…and Todd, hilarious as he is, made sure to make a big production out of laying out my bib and safety pins the night before.

The half marathon was going to be extra special because I wouldn’t be running alone. It was going to be Todd’s very first runDisney experience, and of course, I coerced him into dressing in matching costumes, with the promise that they consist of actual running clothes that wouldn’t be uncomfortable for a 13.1-mile run — which I thought was more than fair.

And what better character to channel on our first runDisney experience together than everyone’s favorite duck? And his girlfriend?

I was ridiculously excited to share the magic of running through Disney parks with him…honestly, having him run with me on this trip was (almost) as exciting as conquering the Dopey Challenge in general, not gonna lie.

We got ready and were out the door a little after 4am to make the drive over to Epcot, where we were greeted with the usual DJ music and various other excitement — including, THANK GOD, a snack stand where I could caffeinate myself. I didn’t get a chance to drink any coffee before the 5K or 10K, and ended up with a splitting migraine after both races. (Withdrawal, much?)

We then began the slow walk to Narnia to find our corrals. RunDisney isn’t kidding when they warn you about a 20-minute walk to the starting line! Though we submitted almost identical half marathon proofs of time (2:02 and 2:03), Todd was just running the half, so he was placed in E, whereas I was in G, so he joined me so we could start together.

We waited impatiently for each corral to be released (just a minute or two of each other), until it was our turn for the fireworks!

And then we were off. We had previously discussed my need to keep a slower-than-usual pace to conserve energy for the marathon and, of course, my penchant for collecting character photos, so this was definitely not a race we were running for time. Plus, as Todd said, his legs weren’t exactly feeling “fresh” after walking all over Disney property every day since landing in Florida on Tuesday morning.

Unfortunately, that morning was also brutally humid, and I was, once again, practically drenched in sweat by the end of the first mile. Gross.

Still, we were keeping a very comfortable, easy 11:30 pace, and after stopping for a potty break at the TTC, I was anxious to make our way to the Magic Kingdom!

We did pass up photos with a few characters along the way, like Jack and Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas (never got into the one), and the pirates because a.) I’ve already taken my picture with them and b.) neither of us are huge fans to begin with.

Truth be told, I was already a little disappointed by the lack of characters in general…I kept thinking back to my first half marathon, the Princess Half in 2014, and just how many more characters there were (and hoopla in general).

However, running down Main Street is still pretty much the most exciting thing in the world to me, so by the time we had entered our first park that’s all I was thinking about!

So…you know I had to stop for some photos. Please ignore my pit stains. And various other sweat stains.

(I told you it was HOT!)

My other favorite part? Actually running THROUGH the castle!

Of course, before we did that, I once again had the joy of running through Magic Kingdom. My favorite place in the world. Honestly, that one mile we’re in the park makes the entire experience worth it for me, as cheesy and ridiculous as that sounds.

We ran through Tomorrowland and grabbed a picture with Buzz.

As we ventured into Fantasyland, I had to stop for Pooh…since I heart him.

And then, given our costumes, we HAD to get in the ridiculously long line behind the castle for — you guessed it — Donald and Daisy Duck.

After waiting several minutes for our turn, we were finally next in line…and Donald decided it was time to go on his break. OF COURSE!

Very much wanting a picture of Todd and I dressed as the ducks actually posing with the ducks, I asked the cast member if we could step off to the side to wait for Donald to return…and then pretty much everyone and their mother followed suit.

The line became non-existent for Daisy Duck — so much so that the cast member had to continually call out to see if anyone wanted a picture with “just Daisy”…and nobody budged. Haha.

Donald finally returned, and we got our picture (which came out kind of crappy on my camera, and I can’t for the life of me find it on Marathonfoto and am getting absolutely no help from them…but that’s another story for another time).

After running through the castle, we stopped for a few more photos.

We also saw Woody (ANOTHER missing picture…not happy about that, either), and then made our way back out of the Magic Kingdom. We headed out to what I knew would be my least favorite part of the course.

It’s tight, it’s crowded, it’s boring…and you really have to make a concentrated effort to weave around the walls of walkers. Granted, I realize that because we stop so often, it’s my own fault for getting trapped behind those running at a slower pace than I normally do, but it’s still not the safest thing in the world to have thousands of runners with absolutely nowhere to run.

Fortunately, I spotted some of my other favorites along the way to help keep me distracted.

And there were some parts of the next several miles that were more scenic than others, like the golf course, which is always nice.

It was within the last couple of miles that I felt myself starting to struggle a little bit for the first time since starting the Dopey Challenge. The 5K and 10K were pretty much a breeze for me, but that morning’s humidity and my third early wake-up call and consecutive day of running were starting to take their toll.

My feet hurt and I was hot and drained and I was looking forward to that finish line…and, truth be told, starting to worry how I’d feel the following morning when it was time to take on my first full marathon.

Fortunately, once we made our way back to Epcot, I forgot all about any discomfort I was in. Funny how that happens.

We were still keeping a pretty consistent pace, and I was excited to run through another park!

I tried to focus on savoring the last mile or two of the race and not let my fears about what the next day might bring ruin it for me. Because believe you me…I was enjoying this moment!

Before I knew it, I saw the mile 13 marker…and it seemed more than appropriate to stop for one last photo.

And, yes, you are reading that time correctly. We were released about 20 minutes after the official start of the race, so our finish time hovered in the 3:25 area, when we’re both pretty solid 2-hour half marathon runners (in fact, one of us…not me…has already broken 2 hours).

But I couldn’t care less about our finish time. I run every other race for time, and there was no way I was passing up a picture with Donald and Daisy or various pictures of us in front of the castle. I had an amazing time “running Disney” with Todd for the first time, and have absolutely no regrets about just how long that actually took.

After collecting our medals, we posed for just a few more photos. Surprise, surprise!

And then hopped in — believe it or not! — yet another long line for Chip and Dale.

We headed straight back into Epcot, cleaned ourselves up (I swear, Shower Pill wipes are the best invention EVER) and enjoyed everything that we had missed on our visit after the expo, including a yummy dinner at Biergarten.

(Oh, and, yes…we did wear the ridiculous duck hats for the rest of the day).

We skipped Illuminations since we had already seen it on Wednesday, and headed back to the room by 7pm.

I had been stressing out about my first marathon for months. The night before my first half marathon, I couldn’t sleep. At ALL.

I fully expected yet another restless night of staring at the ceiling, wondering if I had already done too much harm to my legs and feet, wondering if I had trained enough, wondering if I was ready, wondering if I would ever see that marvelous 26-mile marker.

But then my head hit the pillow…and I was OUT.

Next up…FINALLY…a recap of my first full marathon and the conclusion of the Dopey Challenge!

After arriving at The World on Tuesday and spending three full days on my feet, I’m not gonna lie — my legs were already feeling sore. I also haven’t mentioned the weather for the weekend just yet — Friday morning was QUITE warm. It was FRIGID (30 degrees) the day we arrived, and then the temperatures started climbing again — and by the morning of the 10K, it was pretty freakin’ hot.

I woke up slightly later than I did the morning of the 5K, so I threw on my Goofy costume as quickly as I could. As I was leaving the resort, I realized I was forgetting one teensy little detail. My race bib! It was already about 20 minutes to 5, and the race started at 5:30, so I raced back to the room only to discover that the bib was nowhere to be found! We looked for it frantically and I could NOT find it anywhere!

Five minutes went by, then 10, and almost 15 minutes later, I found the stupid thing rolled up and stuffed on the back of the shelf behind where we were keeping our assortment of snacks for the weekend. No idea how it got there. UGH. I grabbed it and ran out the door, momentarily forgetting that it had rained the night before…and the ground was still wet…and it was very, very slippery…

I’ll bet you can guess what comes next. Yep. I face-planted. My legs flew out from under me and I went down on my knees — HARD — and my chin slammed against the ground. For a moment, I panicked, thinking I broke a kneecap or really hurt myself. It was now almost 5 in the morning, so I was also panicked that I might not even make it to the start line!  I picked myself up and my knees were sore and achy (and BRUISED) from the fall, but otherwise, I felt okay.

I hopped in the car and drove as fast as I could to Epcot, making it into the parking lot as they were closing down the entrance! I then somehow squeezed into the corral area just as they were announcing the two-minute warning to get into your corral before they closed. I MADE IT! (Barely).

Sadly, the actual race wasn’t nearly as eventful as my morning had been. The first few miles were pretty boring, with only a handful of characters. My knees were still hurting from my oh-so-graceful performance earlier that morning, but fortunately, they stopped bothering me about halfway through the race. The heat and humidity were also slowing me down; I was sweating like a pig by the first quarter mile.

Of course, no matter what, it was a Disney race…so you know I was having a good time.

Overall, there were hardly any characters out at all, which was disappointing…and, a little surprising, since I ran the 10K in Disneyland over the summer and there seemed to be a character every half mile!

Running around the World Showcase at Epcot is always fun, and the sights as we made our way onto the Boardwalk were beautiful. It was definitely a favorite part of the course for me!

I still make a concentrated effort to keep my pace pretty slow to conserve energy for the weekend’s races, and of course I had to stop for a few character photo opportunities along the way.

I was especially excited to see Goofy near ESPN!

I also had to stop for Chip and Dale, who were out towards the end of the race.

Before I knew it, we were headed towards the finish line, and the 10K was over.

I finished around 1:30, which sounded about right for my character photo stops and slower overall pace. I was happy to be halfway through my Dopey Challenge journey — even though it was, technically, the “easy” part.

I collected my medal, and started to scarf down my box of snacks, courtesy of runDisney, for the second day in a row.

And then, of course, I saw another insanely long character photo line for Minnie Mouse. Since it was a Minnie Mouse-themed 10K, you know I couldn’t resist.

After I finally got my picture with Minnie Mouse, I headed back to the resort and Todd and I made our way to Animal Kingdom for the afternoon! We had a 4pm dinner at Tusker House and then headed back to the room for an early bedtime.

I figured it was imperative to get as much sleep as possible the nights before the half and full marathon — I had no trouble at all passing out by 8:30.

Next up: a recap of the Walt Disney World Half Marathon!

I’m taking that back. Because yesterday, I ran what was — by far — my most harrowing race to date.

Our story begins on a FRIGID Sunday morning in Brooklyn. As many Northerners know, yesterday’s temperatures were absolutely ridiculous. We had signed up for NYCRUNS‘ Chanukkah Chalf several weeks ago, and little did I know that the morning’s temperature’s would be in the TWENTIES. The Chanukkah Chalf was part of the Running Festival of Lights, which included the Chanukkah Gelt 5K and the Oy Vey 10K earlier that morning.

But it wasn’t the 28 degree temperatures that concerned me most. The day’s forecast also called for almost 30 MPH winds.

And guess where this particular race was being held? ON THE WATER. Yes, that’s right. The course was essentially an out-and-back that you’d run twice, right along the water in Shore Road Park near the Verrazano Bridge.

Oh, and there were no clocks or mile markers along the course. Why? Apparently, they blew away. The port-a-potties were also blowing away. And there was no finish line banner. I’m sure you can guess why.

Was it a picturesque location for a race? Sure. But it was the last place I wanted to be on this particular morning.

Okay, so now that I’ve painted that little picture for you, here goes nothing.

We started our drive around 8:30 on Sunday morning for the 10:30 race start time, and found street parking. On the walk to the park alone, I knew this race was going to be special. And not in a good way. IT. WAS. FREEZING.

Meanwhile, this genius decided that I didn’t need gloves — I do have a pair of running gloves, but tend to rip them off after the first mile because I HATE the feeling of hot, swollen hands, so I typically go without them. That was my first mistake. I could physically feel myself being pushed by the wind just on the walk, so I could only imagine what the race had in store for us.

We grabbed our long-sleeved shirts and bibs, and I helped myself to some hot chocolate before the race (I know this is a silly thing to complain about but, no offense, it was by far the worst-tasting hot chocolate I’ve ever had). They did have the post-race goodies out before we started, which was nice — your typical bagels and Gatorade, but also gelt, since this was a Hanukkah-themed event. This amused me much more than it did Todd, since I’m not Jewish and never actually had gelt, haha.

You will notice the lack of pre-race photos, which I know is so not like me. The reason? I couldn’t manage to use my fingers, which were already swollen and frozen stiff.

As we were jumping up and down with about 250 other runners before the race to stay warm — according to NYCRUNS’ Facebook page there was about a 20 percent no-show rate of (intelligent) people who decided to eat the $35 registration fee –  we saw some 10K runners coming in and being sprayed by water that was being blown over the railing and onto the race course. Ah, the sight of things to come.

I’ve never been so anxious to start running in my entire life. The only thing I could think about was experiencing that delightful feeling of warmth once we got started.

I should probably mention a quick side note here. Not to share TMI, but I was hit with some kind of nasty 24-hour bug (or food poisoning or who knows what) on Thursday and spent the entire day with my head in the toilet. I felt okay the next day, but played it safe by sticking to soups, crackers, and ginger ale. I still felt fine, physically, on Saturday, but didn’t have much of an appetite. I tried to force myself to eat, knowing that I’d need my energy for Sunday morning’s race.

Needless to say, I had arrived at the starting line without a full tank of gas, and I had no idea just how badly I was going to need it.

Once we got started — with the wind BEHIND us, might I add — I knew by the third mile that I just wasn’t feeling like myself. I was lethargic and didn’t experience that usual burst of energy I have in the early miles of a half marathon. I honestly felt as though I didn’t have any energy whatsoever.

I gave Todd full permission to leave me at any time, knowing that there was no way I’d be able to pull out any impressive performances in this race. Knowing that it was a super-flat course and the temperatures would be cool (HA!), I think we both had high hopes to PR and finish our 2013 half marathon season on a high note.

But then we completed the first turnaround, and with the 30 MPH winds now forcing their way against us, every step became a struggle. Honestly, I write for a living, and yet I am having a hard time finding the words to describe what we experienced yesterday. The frigid winds were now whipping against my face, and I could literally feel it pushing me backwards. My hands? Frozen? My face? Frozen. My toes? Frozen.

By mile 4 or 5, we both decided that we had a brand new goal in this race: to finish it. Todd knew I was struggling and told me more than once that if I wanted to throw in the towel, he’d be right there with me.

But I can’t quit. It’s just not who I am. Truth be told, there were several points in the race where I really, really wanted to get in the car and drive back to New Jersey and climb under the covers and never talk about this race ever again. But I couldn’t. I knew I had to finish, no matter how brutal the conditions or how poorly I felt.

I kept thinking that people who sign up for the Dopey Challenge don’t quit halfway through a half marathon. You just don’t. So I kept plugging away.

After we turned around to run 4 miles back towards the bridge again, we experienced a little bit of relief because the wind was behind us. But that didn’t stop us from being pelted with the icy, frozen chunks of water that were being blown over the railing. We also stopped for water a few times — the poor volunteers had to pour one cup of icy water at a time, because the paper cups were flying everywhere.

One complaint I did have about this race is that there really were no spectators or course support — completely understandable, given the weather conditions — but I do have to give a shout out to the volunteers who braved the weather without the benefit of running to keep themselves warm. I don’t think I ever appreciated the role of the race volunteer more than I did yesterday.

Still, it felt more like any normal training run than an actual race. Without mile markers or clocks or spectators, it was a run in the park. And one that wasn’t particularly enjoyable. Truth be told, I found the course pretty boring (then again, I loathe loop and out-and-back courses in general), even though it did offer nice views.

We did end up stopping for some photos along the way; it was the first time in a non-Disney race that I saw people stopping to pose for pictures, and I’m thinking it had something to do with a lot of us in the back giving up hope of achieving any impressive race-day goals.

On our final turnaround, with 4 miles left to the finish, I can’t tell you how many times we stopped to walk — which is SO not like either of us in a race. I felt like I was in a cartoon, where you run and dust flies up behind you but you don’t actually go anywhere. But then walking would lower my heart rate, and I could feel an icy chill spreading all over my body in my sweaty, wet clothes, so then we’d “run” — it felt more like a shuffle — a little longer and stop again.

There were parts of this race where I was laughing at how ridiculous the conditions were. There were parts of this race where I wanted to cry and curl up in a ball and ask one of the nice volunteers to please call an ambulance just so I knew I’d have a guaranteed (heated) ride back to the car. There were parts of this race where Todd and I walked and talked like we were taking a stroll in the park.

But then, more importantly, there were parts of this race where I kept thinking that it was all just another opportunity for me to prove to myself that I’m capable of more than I ever thought possible. I kept seeing a runner wearing last year’s Walt Disney World Marathon shirt run by, and granted, it was obviously just his particular wardrobe choice for the day, but I took it as a sign — corny as it sounds.

The path to the Dopey Challenge and my first marathon hasn’t been an easy one, but at the end of the day, I AM doing it. It is something that continues to challenge me, mentally and physically, but I can’t quit now. And as hard as it was, I was going to take that same stubbornness and somehow find the strength to finish this race.

Those last two miles were absolutely brutal. But step by step, we kept moving forward and braving the winds and the bitter cold and being splattered with icy water.

And finally — FINALLY — we made it to the finish line! In 2:30. My very worst half marathon time of all, not including my first at the Princess Half.

But I didn’t even remotely care about my finish time.

As competitive as he is, I don’t think Todd did either.

We were immediately wrapped in heat blankets (which didn’t do a whole heck of a lot, unfortunately), and handed our medals. I scarfed down a bagel like I’ve never eaten before in my life — my appetite had returned in full force — and we attempted to take a few pictures. I was pretty miserable at this point. I was ecstatic and proud to have finished the race, but I literally couldn’t feel my fingers. Hence this beautiful photo attempt.

We were both crabby and tired and cold, so we headed back to the car. It took at least 30 minutes for me to completely thaw out once we made it back. As proud as I was of both of us for conquering this particular race experience, neither of us were happy campers.

I did notice that a few minutes after we finished the race, the volunteers started packing up to leave. They took everything with them, including the bags of dozens of leftover bagels and all of the remaining coffee and hot chocolate. I felt really badly because we were definitely not the last people on that race course, and there were some runners who technically didn’t meet the three-hour course limit — so they didn’t have anything waiting for them at the finish line. I know the volunteers were probably frozen solid and definitely deserved to go home; I just think some extra leeway could have been granted in this particular case for those of us who didn’t perform quite as well as we had hoped given the conditions.

Am I glad I did this race? In a way, I really am. Even though it wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had on a race course — if Todd wasn’t with me, I’m really not sure if I would have made it — I still appreciate a challenge. Anything that makes me feel as though Dopey is within my reach is worth doing right now, and I figure if I can survive yesterday’s half marathon, then maybe I am just a little bit stronger than I give myself credit for sometimes.

Because anyone who showed up to that race and crossed the finish line is truly a badass. Or just downright crazy. Whichever way you want to look at it.

Have you ever run a race in wintry conditions?

This weekend, I tackled the Runner’s World Hat Trick: a 5K, 10K, and half marathon in the same weekend.

The good news? I survived!

The bad news? The half marathon was, by far, my most difficult race to date.

Hands down. No question about it.

And that’s including running with tendonitis flare-ups and the biggest blister ever during the Long Branch Half Marathon, in the pouring rain during the Superhero Half Marathon, and in 90+ degree temperatures at both the Princess Half Marathon and the Disneyland Half Marathon.

But…more on all of that in the next recap.

Todd and I arrived for the expo on Friday afternoon to pick up our shirts — and a hat, for anyone signed up for the Hat Trick — and check out the vendors. I knew it was going to be a bit on the smaller side, but this was, really, a pretty small expo.

The Runner’s World Half is only in its second year, though, so I’m sure it will continue to grow. They did have a few of my go-to vendors, like Bondiband (of course!), and some new favorites…I’m totally obsessed with Belvita breakfast biscuits now.

Afterwards, we grabbed dinner at a little Italian place in town (Sal’s Brick Oven Pizza) and then attended an informational session about the race courses and the weekend festivities before heading back to the motel — we stayed at the Red Roof Inn in Allentown. Which, for a motel, really wasn’t too shabby at all!

The information session — “Race Weekend FAQ: How to Run the RW Half” — had me feeling a little nervous because there was a whole lot of hill talk going on, but I wasn’t too worried about it. My goal in these races? To finish strong. I wanted to prove to myself that I could tackle the first of the three distances that will be included in January’s Dopey Challenge.

I wasn’t setting any time goals (although I WAS planning to run a fast 5K)…I really, really just wanted to show myself, without a shadow of a doubt, that I could conquer the three races in the same weekend. I figured that if I let myself believe that running a 5K, 10K, and half marathon back-to-back wasn’t any big thing (yeah, right) that I could focus all of my energy over the next several weeks on training for the full marathon.

On Saturday morning, I woke up feeling pretty good for the 5K. I planned to finish the 5K as fast as possible and then pull back a bit for the 10K so as not to wear myself out TOO much for the half marathon the next morning.

The 5K began at 8am, and when they sent us off, I basically tried to run like all hell. I really wanted a new PR; I haven’t been running all that many 5Ks lately, so I haven’t had many opportunities to crush my best time — 26:17 — which happened back in April.

Little did I know that the 5K course wasn’t even remotely flat. I still managed to maintain a pretty solid 8-minute/mile pace for the first half of the race — which is fast for me — but then in the second half, I could feel the hills starting to slow me down a little bit. When I neared the finish line and saw 26 minutes on the clock, I booked it, hoping that I could still PR.

My official chip time? Believe it or not…26:17. What are the odds?! UGH…oh well, better luck next time.

Then I had about an hour to prepare for the 10K, which started at 9:30am. It was FREEZING cold, so Todd and I huddled with a bunch of fellow runners in the Visitor’s Center near the starting line. I wasn’t exactly feeling pumped to run another race, but I wasn’t feeling especially fatigued, either. I downed a Luna bar and banana, guzzled some Powerade, and prepared myself to take on another 6.2 miles.

While the 10K course traversed some of the same sections at the 5K, we also ventured off to see a bit more of Bethlehem. And, much to my dismay, I was once again greeted by a whole lot of hills. And I don’t mean “rolling” hills. I mean the kind of hills where you can’t actually SEE the top. I mean the kind of hills that seem to stretch on forever. I mean, the kind of hills that make me want to say “screw this” and walk off the race course and grab a cup of coffee and watch all of the other crazies run by.

Mind you, I’m really, REALLY not consistent when it comes to training on hills, but I consider myself a strong runner (albeit not the fastest in the world)…so I knew that while the tricky course may force me to slow my pace down a bit, I’d be just fine.

I managed to hang on to around a 9:15-minute/mile pace for the majority of the race, and crossed the finish line in 59:47. I also bumped into Kim from Barking Mad About Running again…our SECOND non-Jersey race where we happened to spot each other! Oh, and we happened to be wearing the same red Sparkle Athletic skirt! Photos coming soon.

The best part? Not gonna lie…running under the flaming arch at the finish line.

Both races were pretty close to how I might normally expect to perform in a 5K and 10K — nothing special, but nothing disappointing either — so I was satisfied. Truth be told, I was thrilled that I just tackled what was essentially 9+ miles over the course of an hour and a half, and finished feeling pretty good, mentally and physically.

I collected my second medal of the day (which, mind you, was the same as the 5K medal), took some pictures, and freshened up a bit to prepare for the full day of running that we had planned! As part of the weekend festivities, you could register for a whole bunch of different seminars, movie screenings, and other events taking place throughout the day, and Todd and I signed up for practically all of them…so we had quite a busy schedule ahead of us!

The seminars we attended were:

Ask the Sports Doc: How to Stay Injury Free. This one freaked me out a little bit. The message behind it all was really making sure to listen to your body because it’s ridiculously easy for a small injury to turn into a serious injury… and I tend to be the type of person who will ignore a twinge or a pain and stick to my training plan, no matter what. I definitely learned a thing or two, and I’m doing my best not to ignore the aches that have developed as I’ve been increasing my weekly mileage for Dopey.

How to Get Faster and Go Longer. As it turns out, Amby Burfoot couldn’t attend due to illness so Jonathan Beverly, the editor of Running Times, led the discussion. They had lots of practical tips to offer when it came to improving as a runner — everything from holding your torso upright while running to putting blocks under the foot of your bed to incline your feet overnight and aid in recovery. Who knew?

My Life on the Run with Bart Yasso. Bart basically showed us a ton of photos (some were highly amusing, might I add) and talked all about some of his more memorable races and where running has brought him over the course of his career. It was cool to see photos of the different parts of the world he’s visited (including Antarctica…which has PENGUINS!) and hear stories about the people he has met — and all through a love of running. I haven’t run in Africa or completed any ultra-marathons, but I can say that the sport of running has changed my life in more ways than I ever thought possible, so I really appreciated the message behind it all.

We also caught the keynote speaker, Dave McGillivray, who is the race director of the Boston Marathon and basically talked all about his beginnings as the shortest guy who ever wanted to play basketball. Since then, he has raised a ton of money for charities through running (he pulled a Forrest Gump and ran across the country, for crying out loud), and runs the Boston Marathon every single year…in the dark…on his own…after the course has closed. I could definitely relate to the whole “getting picked last” concept in school, seeing as how NOBODY wanted “the fat girl” on their team, so I’m always inspired by personal transformation stories. If you had told me 10 years ago that someday I’d be a runner, or that I’d be training for a marathon, well…there’s not a chance in hell I would have believed it.

Our final stop of the day was the “Dinner with the Editors” pasta dinner, which, let me tell you, turned out to be pretty much the coolest thing ever. We had an opportunity to chat with the editor-in-chief of Runner’s World, David Willey, and he ended up picking my brain on everything from what I like about the magazine (um…everything?) to my personal use of running-specific social media sites like Daily Mile. And, of course, I had to throw in a small mention of how I happen to be a freelance magazine writer and have been trying to break into their magazine “like nobody’s business,” so…who knows?

He told me to keep on trying, and that is definitely what I plan to do…because runners never give up, right?

Half marathon recap coming soon!

Have you ever/would you ever run two races back-to-back?

]]> http://thefinalforty.com/race-recap-runners-world-5k-and-10k/feed/ 15 http://thefinalforty.com/race-recap-ing-hartford-half-marathon/ http://thefinalforty.com/race-recap-ing-hartford-half-marathon/#comments Wed, 16 Oct 2013 15:42:31 +0000 Jennifer http://thefinalforty.com/?p=3220 Hey, guys! Here I go again with the delayed post. There’s something about weekend race-cations that throw me completely out of whack for a few days afterwards….

Anyways, Todd and I (once again) decided to go on a last-minute, impromptu trip for a race this past weekend, and this time it was for the ING Hartford Half Marathon!

We arrived in Connecticut in the afternoon on Friday for the expo, which I must say, was far superior to the expo we had just experienced in Providence. There were some great vendors, including some new favorites, Ola Granola and Kings Hawaiian (their rolls are SO good), and of course I spent just a teensy bit too long at the official merchandise booth.

Afterwards, we spent some time at the Connecticut Science Center, which stayed open late for the holiday weekend. I’ve frequented the Liberty Science Center here in New Jersey, and it’s comparable, but this was a lot of fun!

I love museums where you’re encouraged to play with things, not gonna lie.

Also, I sort of have a thing for dinosaurs…so, it was perfect. Haha.

Then we scarfed down some pizza at a Pietro’s Pizza nearby, and headed back, since the race was scheduled to start at 8am the next morning.

We stayed at an Extended Stay America this time; again, a little bit outside of the actual downtown area where the race was being held, but we didn’t have any issues getting to the starting line. There was free parking for runners at the Aetna building, which was appreciated, and conveniently located right next to a Dunkin’ Donuts which had no line for coffee and a LONG line for bathrooms. Anything to avoid a port-a-potty, haha.

It was a really beautiful morning — nice and cool, just the way I like it. I was excited to sport the new shirt I purchased at the expo — this year marked the race’s 20th anniversary! — but I knew I’d end up regretting wearing a long-sleeved, black shirt when the temperatures warmed up in the later half of the race (fortunately, it wasn’t too bad).

My other concern? My knees have been bothering me a little bit lately. I recently replaced my running sneakers (my old ones were, well…old) in the hopes that that might have been the issue, but I’m guessing it’s probably from my increased mileage for the Dopey Challenge. I’m in the thick of my Hal Higdon training plan now, and even though I regularly switch days around and don’t follow it exactly, I have been getting in all of the mileage scheduled for each week. And it’s not for the faint of heart, let me tell you that much.

So, needless to say, I wasn’t setting any time goals for this race. Does it bug me that my PR (2:03) is STILL from my very first (non-Disney) half marathon way back in April? Yes. But I know that no matter what the clock says, I AM improving. The 13.1 mile distance is no longer even remotely intimidating to me, and I swear, every race seems to fly by more and more quickly. I really do feel stronger after each finish line I cross, regardless of what happens on the course that might prevent me from achieving my optimal time goal.

This time, by the way, it was my stomach. Never a dull moment for me, I swear. I started the race feeling pretty great; my knees, while a little bit achy, weren’t bothering me too much. Once again, I lost Todd, who prefers a conservative start, but I figured he’d catch up with me somewhere around the halfway point.

Unfortunately, it was right around mile 5 when I HAD to make a pit-stop; I never, ever stop for bathroom breaks during races (except at Disney), but I had to pee and it had gotten all kinds of uncomfortable for me, so there was no way I was going to make it 13.1 miles. Then I was riddled with some cramping for the rest of the race; nothing too serious, but still enough to force me to slow down my pace.

What’s really funny? Todd did see me on the course. Going into the port-a-potty. Haha. So we never actually got to run together during this race, which kind of sucked, but I wouldn’t want to hold him back anyway. It wasn’t my day, but he, once again, beat his previous time, so I was thrilled for him! (And jealous, since he now has officially beaten my PR…not cool, man).

The race did have a few hills (nothing like what we had to climb in Providence, though), but it was overall a pretty good course — we ran through a really nice park and the finish line through the arch was exciting. Also, some folks from ING handed out obnoxious orange sunglasses somewhere around mile 9, so I, of course, had to add those to my race-day “costume,” haha (still waiting on race photos).

Our official times were 2:07:38 and 2:02:11. Not my best performance, but also not my worst, so I’ll take it!

The bottom line is that in addition to all of these half marathons we’ve been running “just for fun,” I’m also attempting to squeeze in my increasingly longer runs for Dopey…so I just ran 15 miles last weekend, and now have a 16-miler hanging over my head. My ultimate goal is to cross that marathon finish line in January in one piece, so if that means that I can’t break any world records in my races this fall, then so be it.

Speaking of which, I have some super exciting news to share. As it turns out, I will not be completely alone during my 48.6 mile journey this January. We managed to snag a spot for Todd to run the sold-out half marathon through Marathon Tours (we also booked our stay at the All-Star Sports Resort) and I am so ridiculously excited! Not only will we get to experience Walt Disney World for the first time together, but it really is such a relief that I’m going to have him there for the first part of the weekend. I’ll need all the support I can get (I’m also hoping my sister will be able to get the time off work to be in my “ChEAR Squad” again for the weekend), and I know it’s going to be such a blast running through the parks together! And hopefully in matching costumes.

The other good news? Since this race was part of the Hartford Marathon — which, by the way, made me feel a bit inadequate, “only” running 13.1 miles that morning! — I found myself getting really swept up in the excitement of it all. You know, the whole “running a marathon” thing, I mean. After we crossed the finish line and got our (rather colorful!) medals, swag (a water bottle and some other goodies), and food, which included grilled cheese, tomato soup, and apple crisp in addition to the usual bagels and bananas — not too shabby! — we spent some time in the park perusing the post-race vendors.

It was a lot of fun; definitely a great way to prolong the race excitement a bit.

More importantly, we watched the marathoners come in for quite awhile, and I found myself getting so unbelievably pumped for my first marathon. I know I have many more weeks of hard training ahead of me, but it was really the first time that I felt truly READY to take on this challenge.

Granted, I’m still nervous about the fact that I’m taking a leap of faith and running 26.2 miles for the first time in the same weekend as a 5k…and a 10k…and a half marathon, but that overwhelming fear that I CAN’T do it has really started to subside. Successfully tackling my longest run to date last weekend certainly helped, but also seeing so many runners cross that marathon finish line this past weekend was super inspiring to me. There were runners of all ages and shapes and sizes, and I knew just how hard each of them had worked to get to that finish line…and I know that I CAN do this, too.

After the race, we spent the rest of our time in Hartford visiting the Mark Twain House and Museum and Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, and then headed for home.

Next up is what I hope will be fantastic training for Dopey — the Runner’s World Hat Trick! I’ll be running the 5k and 10k (pretty much back-to-back) on Saturday, and then the half marathon on Sunday.

We’ve also signed up for a ton of seminars — including one on how NOT to get injured, so I’m definitely looking forward to that — and the “Dinner with the Editors” on Saturday night. This is all especially meaningful for me because, as many of you may know, I’m a freelance magazine writer…and Runner’s World is absolutely and 100 percent my “dream” magazine to break into right now!

When did you know that you were READY to train for a marathon?

Anyone else going to be tackling the Runner’s World races this weekend?