I’ll start with a quick look at the expo. I say quick look because there wasn’t really anything there. The half and full marathons draw some 6,000 runners — about 4,000 for the half, and 2,000 for the full (along with a 5K and half relay) — so it’s definitely not the largest expo (although a few of my favorites, like Bondiband, were there)!

I didn’t love the race shirt or the sneak peek of the medal — and I also got the sense that this particular race weekend was going to primarily be geared towards the half marathoners, which I thought ended up being pretty accurate.

But it didn’t matter all that much then because I knew we had worked HARD for this race…and I couldn’t wait!

We left for the race around 6am on Sunday, since we live about 30 minutes from the starting line in Monmouth Park Racetrack. Fortunately, Todd figured out a “secret” way to get there via back roads, so we didn’t have to sit in the insane traffic that many other runners had to deal with in trying to get inside the complex.

It was nice and cool in the morning (mid-40′s), but I knew the temperatures were expected to rise to at least the mid-60′s (BOO). We headed right for the (INDOOR!) bathrooms so we didn’t have to use the port-a-potties. As always, the line for the ladies’ room was loooooooong, but we made it to the corrals with a few minutes to spare (an announcement was made that they were delaying the start of the race due to the fact that so many people were having trouble getting in…an issue I faced when I ran the half marathon in 2013.)

I was nervous because my legs had felt pretty tight and sore in the days leading into the race, but that morning, I felt READY.  We had both trained our butts off and our shared goal was to cross the finish line with a “4″ in front of our time. Given the way our training had gone, honestly, I felt we had this in the bag. In fact, there was a part of me that was sure we were going to crush that goal, and maybe even come in closer to 4:30.

We squeezed into a corral in front of the 5:00 pacer and started the race with a nice, easy pace of 10:30. The plan was to try to hover around 10:15/10:30 in the beginning of the race, and then evaluate how we felt in the middle to see if we should try picking it up (haha, yeah, right) or try to maintain a sub-11 as best we could for the second half. We saw our fellow Jersey runner friend Kim from Barking Mad About Running and chatted for a minute or so in that first mile. And then it was time to begin my 5th 26.2-mile journey.

The first couple of miles felt easy. A little too easy. I kept telling myself that we had a long way to go, but I still couldn’t help but feel optimistic that we were going to CRUSH this race. My only issue at that moment was that Todd and I were both complaining of side stitches, which I rarely get anymore, so I wasn’t sure what that was about. We walked through each water stop and I tried to massage my side, and that helped a bit.

The course is practically flat as a pancake, with just a handful of rolling hills (mainly on bridges), and although I was already heating up by the time we were finishing the first 10K, the chilly winds were helping to keep us cool. Better yet, we were running close to the 4:40 pacer, which thrilled me to no end because I was sure we could not only achieve a sub-five, but that we could definitely break 4:45! Ah, gotta love the optimism in the first half of a marathon.

It felt like there were tons of runners and a fair amount of spectators, but I knew that was probably all going to change once the marathoners split off around mile 12 and the half marathoners headed towards the finish line. Sure enough, after the split, Todd and I were practically running alone, with what felt like only a handful of fellow runners in our general vicinity at any given time.

Where have all the runners gone…?

We quickly discovered that our plan to delay any bathroom breaks until the second half of the course — with the assumption that the lines would be shorter — ended up being a very, very bad idea. Because guess what? There were NO FREAKIN’ PORT-A-POTTIES TO BE FOUND.

As usual, there were runners ducking behind bushes to do their business, but since this course is largely residential (you run through “shore towns” like Oceanport, Long Branch, Asbury Park, etc.), there were others that had no choice but to go on people’s lawns (as discreetly as possible, but, still). Since I have lady parts and it’s not so easy for me — nor would I want to do my private business on somebody’s private property — I got PISSED AS HELL. How are we expected to run for 4 or 5 or 6 hours without being supplied with any sort of bathroom facility? REALLY?!

Unfortunately, it was also somewhere right before the halfway point that I started to feel…not right. My legs were already feeling fatigued, but worse, it was my stomach that started acting up. My stomach was feeling a little crampy and I started to feel borderline nauseous, which never happens, so I wasn’t really sure what do about it. We were sticking to our usual tried-and-true routine of taking fuel every 4-5 miles (I had Clif Bloks and Honey Stingers gels and waffles with me), so I didn’t know what the issue was.

I tried to take a piece of the waffle somewhere in mile 14 and couldn’t get it down — which is NOT a problem I’ve ever had — and as much as I usually love in-race bananas, I held onto mine after the first banana stop because just the thought of eating solid food at that moment made me want to hurl.

That’s how I knew something was wrong. I can assure you that I never, ever have a problem eating. Before running, while running, after running, EVER. And I started to get very afraid that the nausea was going to get worse. It’s not like there were any port-a-potties to duck into, either!

So, of course, that’s when my head started with its usual shenanigans. Here I was, only halfway through the race, and I felt like crap. There were hardly any spectators — or runners, for that matter — and running through residential areas on training runs (I prefer parks) bores me to no end, so the fact that it felt like we were just running up and down side streets at this point made things even worse.

My stomach felt weird and a fatigue took over me that I usually don’t experience until much, much later in a marathon. Was this “the wall,” and was I hitting it when we still had 10+ miles to go? Meanwhile, by mile 15 or 16 that 4:40 pacer was long gone, and I knew we’d never catch her…and I let it get to me.

So then began the panic attacks. I am typically not a crier — at least not in public — but for some reason, every time I run a marathon I end up having a meltdown at least 2-3 times along the course. And I don’t mean like a single rolling tear down my cheek. I mean like I have to stop running because I’m panicking and I can’t catch my breath and I feel like the whole world is ending and my body is falling apart and there’s no way I’m going to make it.

This is the first time Todd got to experience this particular phenomenon (lucky him). I never have a problem during runDisney races (of course), and our only other marathon together thus far was his first (the Rock n’ Roll USA in DC last March), so I was way too worried about him to let myself freak out.

Well, this time, it happened by mile 15…and then again around 18…and then again around 22. I was just DONE. We were fighting just to keep an 11ish pace, and all I wanted to do was stop and walk because I allowed myself to think that I wasn’t going to be able to finish this race. I couldn’t catch my breath, and a constant stream of negativity was playing on loop through my mind…and I hated myself at that moment because I keep letting this happen. Todd kept assuring me that we “banked” plenty of time since we performed so well in the first half (we finished just under 2:20), and that I didn’t have to stress about meeting our time goal.

WHY do I continually let myself fall apart the moment I start to struggle, and WHY can I never just have enough faith in myself that I WILL make it to the finish line? I mean, really…how many times do I have to run a freakin’ marathon before those little voices go away?! This getting ridiculous now!

Meanwhile, we both needed to use a bathroom, and there were NONE to be found. We found one port-a-potty on what appeared to be a construction site, and were behind one other runner waiting in line, but then she told us there was no toilet paper and that it was exceptionally gross (goody), so we moved on. Fortunately, we finally stumbled across two port-a-potties near another banana stop around mile 18, so we stood in line and wasted about 5 minutes with a few other runners who were also disgruntled that there were no bathroom facilities on this course.

I hoped that a pit stop and a quick break (because even sitting in a disgusting port-a-potty feels heavenly during a marathon) would help alleviate some of my discomfort, but I continued to struggle every step of the way. My feet were starting to burn now, and some of my toenails were rubbing against my socks so it felt like I was about to lose them. My legs weren’t TOO tight, but they were definitely heavy, and I just felt…tired. Exhausted. OVER IT.

And then the 4:55 pacer appeared behind us as we were rounding the corner for the out-and-back section of the course (somewhere around mile 20), and I FREAKED. Here was the culmination of everything we worked for in human form, and it was literally chasing us down. I panicked. Again.

Todd kept trying to calm me down. Here I was acting like a complete baby, and he continued to be so calm and sweet and supportive. He kept saying stuff like “we’re in this together” and he “believes in me.”

As much as I appreciated that, and I SO needed him there, I kept telling him to leave me. It was something we had already discussed, and though I would have been disappointed, I also would have completely understood if he ran ahead. I didn’t want to be the reason that he didn’t meet his goal, because he worked so hard for this race and he was doing SO much better than I was. Ironically, we were joking in the weeks before the race that I would be the one leaving him, since that’s the scenario that usually plays out during long runs and races longer than 13.1 miles.

But he wouldn’t leave me. He said it’s “just a number” and he’s not missing the opportunity to finish this race with me, no matter what the clock says. (Interestingly enough, that’s usually MY viewpoint; he’s typically a little more competitive when it comes to finish times.) He was making me feel better, but I still felt guilty for ruining what was supposed to be our triumphant sub-five finish.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day, but the sun was beating down on us now and I felt hot and sweaty and just DRAINED, no matter how much Gatorade I drank (race organizers may have forgotten about the port-a-potties, but the course did NOT lack water stations, I’ll give them that). I took a few bites of banana when they were offered, and I forced down a couple of gels, but my usual mid-run hunger was not happening that day; clearly, my “unsettled” stomach was going to stick with me for the remainder of the race, and I’d just have to try to ignore it.

In those final miles, I remember running with my eyes closed a few times because it literally felt like I was falling asleep standing up…almost like my batteries were “on low.” Speaking of batteries, guess what decided to DIE in the last 10K? My fully-charged iPod. Todd saved the day yet again…he let me take his. Because he knows I will die without the distraction, whereas he runs without music all the time. Have I mentioned yet how glad I was that he was with me for this one?! Seriously.

Almost there…

As we made our way to the boardwalk, my spirits picked up just a little bit because I knew we were so close (and, yet, still so far!), and plus I like running by the ocean. There were also a couple of photographers hanging around so I was sure to put on my best pretend smile.

Photo credit: NJ Marathon

The 4:55 pacer caught us again and passed us for good, and I was mad because I knew there was no way in hell we’d ever catch him. I kept compulsively checking my Garmin to monitor our potential finish time, and knew that we were going to cut it so close…and I hoped that if we could just keep the 5:00 pacer at bay, then we’d be okay (meanwhile, of course, I had NO idea what time they actually crossed the starting line and whether or not they were even on their pace).

But it didn’t matter because they represented my goal slipping away and I felt guilty because I had ruined Todd’s race and now we were going to have to fight just to squeak by under five hours. (Note to self: I will never be able to run with a pacer. It clearly screws with my head just a little too much.) I KNEW we were capable of doing so much better, and I was frustrated to be struggling so much when I was so sure I did everything “right” during my training.

Whoooooo’s in pain…?!?!

Finally…FINALLY…I knew Long Branch’s Pier Village was up ahead, and there were a handful of spectators in those final miles so their cheering helped a little. With just about 2 miles to go, according to my calculations (which I couldn’t rely on since I had some SERIOUS marathon brain going on), we could still make our sub-five goal as long as we stuck to our current pace and didn’t take any more extended walk breaks.

When we passed the 25th mile, I dug deep and we both managed to drop back down to around a 10ish-minute mile, partially because I desperately wanted to be done and partially because if I suffered that much and came in with a time of something like 5:00:01 I would have proceeded to drown myself in the ocean.

As we approached the finish line, we scanned the crowds for our parents, and spotted his (I never did see mine) holding signs and cheering for us. I swear, Todd’s parents sometimes seem even more excited about our races than we are, and they’re always super supportive and totally our biggest fans. I was so excited (and relieved!) to see them!

With the finish line up ahead, as per my usual M.O., the nausea, the pain, the frustration, the agony…all of it…was gone. WE MADE IT.

The clock said 5:05. I KNEW we started 10 minutes after the official start of the race, so we both knew then for sure that we HAD it.

We crossed the finish line in 4:57:34, and I was too relieved that it was over to care that we had come thisclose to missing our goal.

We got our medals and proceeded to sit on the ground for several minutes because it was absolutely necessary. That’s when I realized that apparently my camera had turned on in my running belt, so the battery was dead, which just felt like the cherry on top of what was already a disastrous race. So we relied on our friends at MarathonFoto and our phones.

A fellow runner approached us as we were sitting on the ground and made a comment about how they were watching us and saw how much Todd helped me get to the finish line (which meant I REALLY must’ve looked like a hot mess out there, lol). But, yeah, that pretty much sums up this race. I did it for him in D.C., and he did it for me this weekend. It’s how we roll.

We got our goody bag (the idea of eating anything from it was completely out of the question, because I STILL felt a little nauseated) and made the long, slow march to find our parents on our sore, stiff legs.

There’s a finish line festival but I was a little too out of it to really enjoy it, and I was disappointed in that the swarms of spectators that I remember from running the half marathon in 2013 were completely non-existent when it came to the full marathon. Everyone had already gone home, so there wasn’t much of a “festival” at all. It sort of felt like the event should be called “THE NEW JERSEY HALF MARATHON (and also a marathon).”

We hung around a bit to cheer on some of the runners coming in after us, but I couldn’t help but notice that most of the vendors were already starting to pack it up — not cool for those coming in closer to 6 hours, especially with a course time limit of 6:30, might I add. Then we all packed it in and went out for dinner, and by that time, my appetite was starting to come back.

Would I run the marathon again? Honestly, probably not. I think Todd and I have been spoiled in that we’ve run marathons with a whole lot of hoopla (like, you know, the New York City Marathon and the Walt Disney World Marathon), so to arrive to a practically empty “finish line festival” was a little disappointing. The post-race goody bags were pre-packaged, which was nice, but the half marathoners apparently used up all of the heat sheets because none of the marathoners finishing with us got one.

The fact that there were twice as many half marathoners as full marathoners — and that we all got almost the exact same race shirt and medal — was also a little disappointing. I’m not at all saying that finishing a half marathon isn’t an enormous accomplishment, but to me, it just doesn’t seem right to have a half and a full marathon on the same day and not differentiate at all between the two events. Even the official “finisher” shirt says 26.2 AND 13.1.

As disappointed as I was in how my race went down, I was SO proud and excited for Todd’s performance. We have both come a LONG way from our first (non-Disney) marathon finish in 5:20, and I am beyond thrilled by how much we’ve improved in the little over a year that we’ve been running marathons!

Still, I’m glad that we were able to conquer another 26.2 miles in our home state. And, of course, no matter what…running a marathon will always, ALWAYS be a huge deal for me. A HUGE deal.

Clearly, no matter how much I have changed, the “old me” is always hanging around to tell me that I can’t do it. It frustrates me to no end that I can still so easily slip back into my old mindset. But I guess if running marathons is the only way to prove myself wrong, then so be it. My struggles with obesity will always be part of my story, but crossing the finish line of yet another marathon is just another step towards leaving that 265-pound version of myself in the past.

And, as always, I will definitely be taking some new lessons learned into our new round of training for the New York City Marathon. I don’t know exactly what caused me to feel sick during this race — I know it could have been much, MUCH hotter and I can’t complain about the beautiful day, but I suspect the sudden warmer temperatures and hot sun after months of training in frigid winter temperatures probably shocked my system a little bit. Especially since, in general, I do NOT do well in warmer weather.

I DO know that I clearly need a longer taper (we tried a shorter plan this time around), and I likely took on a bit too much in the final weeks before the marathon. The fact that I was busting my butt for weeks to earn a new half marathon time to submit for Wine and Dine probably didn’t help, either. It all probably caused “the wall” and my good old friends “dead legs” to find me a little sooner than I would have hoped.

I think the most important lesson I’m taking from this race is that it’s becoming increasingly clear that my mind fails me in a marathon LONG before my body does. Apparently, I need to spend as much time training my brain for a marathon as I do training my body! If I can work on not letting my self-doubt overcome me, then there’s no telling what I’ll be able to accomplish in marathon #6.

Have you ever met a race goal but still been disappointed in your performance?

Todd and I spent the day Saturday visiting some attractions in South Jersey that I’ve never been to — the Adventure Aquarium and the Battleship New Jersey — before making our way into Philly in the mid-afternoon for CGI Racing’s The Love Run expo.

The expo was held at Citizens Bank Park, and I should probably tell you that it was a pretty freakin’ COLD day. The temperatures were in the 40s, and it was super windy.

It was even cold for these guys!

That being said, allow me to paint you this little picture: though there were a handful of vendors inside, and our mug and bib pick-up was indoors, the main expo area continued outside by the baseball field…where several vendors were attempting to sell their wares in the blustery cold.

As I’m sure you can imagine, people weren’t doing a whole lot of shopping. I knew the expo would be small — which it was — but the fact that it was also held outside on a chilly day meant that there weren’t many runners lingering around. We were there to get our race shirts and get the hell back inside.

Well, okay, fine…I also grabbed a “Love Run” Bondiband and FINALLY broke down and invested in a Running Skirt (50 percent off!). I’ve been dying to try them, and their booth is always mobbed…so I felt this was my chance to get some one-on-one time with the skirts, try it on, and take it home to see if it works for me (it is one of my great missions in life to find a running skirt with shorts that do NOT ride up).

We stayed outside of Philly this time around to save some moolah, so we had an early dinner at the Cherry Hill Mall (gotta love California Pizza Kitchen) and got to bed early, since the race would start at 8am the next morning and we’d have to drive into the city.

Well, despite the fact that I got plenty of sleep, my foot hadn’t been bothering me much for the last couple of days, and I was actually feeling quite confident about the race, I woke up feeling…well…not quite right.

Little did I know that my monthly visitor would decide to make its grand appearance a few days early. I was scheduled to run 13.1 miles in an hour and a half, and here I was suddenly and unexpectedly hit with a wave of cramps and bloating and, let’s be honest…RAGE.

UGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I apologize in advance for the all of two male readers I probably have, but I have to tell you that I was PISSED AS HELL because I can never, ever run on the first day of my period. I trained so hard for this race, and here was something I couldn’t control being thrown in the mix to make it even harder for me. I knew I was in for a morning of agony, and that if it got bad enough, that I could might have to kiss my race goal good-bye. I popped a couple of pain killers because I was desperate — something I also never do before running — and hoped that maybe the cramping would subside.

I grumpily got dressed in my race outfit and soon it was time for us make the drive into Philly to get to the starting line, so we parked in our usual parking garage that charges about $9,000 per hour, wrapped ourselves up in some handy dandy throwaway blankets ($2.88 at Wal-mart…SCORE!), and walked to the starting line…but not without making a quick potty stop to use the “real” bathrooms at a Sheraton, of course!

As per our usual race-day M.O, we JUST. MADE. IT., and just a minute or two after squeezing into the starting area, it was time to go!

As you all know, this was my BIG HALF MARATHON for this season. After well over a year of struggling to finish a half in anything under 2:20, I really hoped that the last two months of pushing myself big time would pay off on the course that morning. I desperately wanted a good finish time to submit for corral placement for Wine & Dine, since my ridiculously old PR from TWO YEARS AGO of 2:03 finally expired…and beyond that, I really wanted to prove to myself that I was still capable of running the times I used to when I first started. You know, before I got all slow and tired from my incessant bouts of marathon training.

My ultimate goal? I wanted ANYTHING under a 2:05. That used to be my old “standard” half marathon time, and now that well over a year as passed since I’ve run anything even close to a 2:05 (or, hell, a 2:10 or 2:15), I really, really wanted it.

As you also probably know, my plan was also to *ATTEMPT* to negative split. I still had yet to successfully do it in a race, but with all of my recent practice on training runs, I thought I might just be able to pull it off. Todd and I had already agreed that we would both run our own race, so I immediately went out at a comfortable 9:30/mile pace, and made it my personal mission to stay there until the second half of the race, where I felt pretty confident that I could pick it up.

Photo credit: chessiephoto.com

Well, the first few miles went swimmingly. The Advil I popped that morning seemed to be working, and physically, I felt pretty strong. There was lots of spectator support and even though there were some 10,000 runners, I felt I had ample room to run. It was fun running through the city and passing so many historical landmarks, and even thought I knew running by the Schuylkill River might not be quite as exciting, it was still pretty scenic.

It was a sunny, gorgeous day, and with temperatures hovering in the 30s, it was my PERFECT running weather. I was mostly on my own, because Todd goes out more conservatively than I do…I knew he was behind me, but I just wasn’t sure how far back at any given time.

I felt I had a 2:05 in the bag. In fact, I thought I might even be able to break 2:03 and PR. For a moment, I remember feeling REALLY ambitious and wondering if I might even have a sub-2 in me that morning.

Photo credit: chessiephoto.com

I knew from reading fellow blogger recaps that there would be a hilly section of the course around mile 5, so I basically spent the first four miles being nervous about it. And I apparently had good reason to be…because the hill pretty much ate me alive. I had a feeling Todd would catch up with me on that hill — he did! — and unfortunately, it ended up costing me a little more time than I hoped it would. I had a tough time recovering afterwards, and since we still weren’t even halfway, that’s when I started to feel my usual negativity start to creep in. You know, of the “I can’t do this” variety.

I took a very brief walk break through one of the next water stops and my legs felt a little better. My pace picked back up to around a 9:20, and I willed myself to stop being a baby, get my head in the game, and to think positively. I passed the halfway mark and found myself feeling pretty good. That’s where Todd caught up to me again and told me he was going to “step on the gas now” which made me a little mad because I a little bit thought that I might actually beat him in this race. For the first time ever. Hahaha, silly me.

We’re fortunate in that I’m only slightly slower than him, and our paces are so close that we can successfully train together…but even though I typically finish our long runs a little faster (and in better physical shape than he is, lol) he somehow ALWAYS manages to crush me during the actual race. I don’t know how he does it!

He took off and I felt jealous that races seem to come so easy to him and I hated the fact that I was a woman and had to deal with periods and that he was having a fine and dandy time that morning and could just magically pick up the pace whenever he wanted. Needless to say, I was grumpy again. So I gave myself a lecture about how it was important to run my own race and, once again, to stop being a little baby.

In mile 8, I discovered a bit more hilliness that I was NOT expecting. I’m not sure if it’s true, but I heard they may have changed the course a little bit from last year’s inaugural race…and, much to my dismay, it wasn’t as flat as I thought it would be. By mile 9, I found myself getting discouraged because my legs were a little tired from the rolling hills, even thought I was still feeling pretty comfortable in my pacing. I tried to push it just a little bit more, and hovered closer to 9:15 for awhile. My hope was that I’d break 9-minute miles in the last 5K, which is something I can typically do on shorter runs.

Then mile 11 came, and my pre-race womanly issues came back and hit me like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, my stomach really, really hurt, and that was on top of the fact that I was getting tired and my legs were heavy. I was THISCLOSE to packing it in. I wanted to walk until the cramping stopped. But I knew if I did, I’d NEVER recover, and I could kiss that 2:05 good-bye.

So I made a decision that maybe I wouldn’t be able to run as fast as I planned to for the rest of the race, but that I would still go as fast as I could. I fought through it and managed to drop to around a 9:05 by mile 12. With just one more mile to go, I wanted the agony to be over as quickly as possible, so I went as fast as my legs would carry me as we made our way back into the city. I knew there would be spectators and excitement and the glorious finish line to greet me, and I couldn’t wait.

As soon as I saw the finish line in the distance, I saw that the clock already read 2:05. I felt crushed and defeated, even though I couldn’t actually remember just how much time had passed before I crossed the starting line. Seeing my goal slip away, I pushed as hard as I could — just in case I still had a chance — and finally crossed the finish line.

…with a chip time of 2:04:15!!!!!!!

Photo credit: Chessiephoto.com

I felt like crap afterwards, so I couldn’t properly bask in my accomplishment. It still frustrates me that I KNOW I could have performed even better and probably even PRed if I wasn’t menstrual, even despite the slightly hillier second half of the course. Also, I didn’t exactly negative split — my results clearly indicate a pretty solid 9:28 pace — but I’ll bet if the course was a little flatter I would have!

Photo credit: chessiephoto.com

On the other hand, I am overjoyed to know that I can still perform at the level I once did, even despite all the time that has passed and the fact that I had pretty much convinced myself that if I wanted to run marathons, then I could never be “fast” again. It was clearly a load of malarkey and an excuse I was telling myself to ignore the fact that I wasn’t training properly.

So, now I KNOW I have a PR in my (VERY) near future, and I KNOW that a sub-2 is within my reach. I also know there is a lot I need to work on, but I figure I have to be doing something right to go from running 2:20ish half marathons last year to running closer to 2:00 again!

Todd found me a couple of seconds after I crossed the finish line. He did AWESOME, by the way — 2:01:53 — and even though I still hate him a little bit for it (kidding!), I’m also super proud of him. Actually, I’m proud of both of us! We made quite a comeback from our performances in races as of late. I know we stopped for a lot of pictures and all, but it took us seven hours to run the Walt Disney World Marathon just two months ago! It’s exciting to know that all of your hard work is paying off.

Anyway, after we munched on whatever was in the post-race goodie bags (a “soft” pretzel that was harder than a rock, and a particularly yummy PB&J uncrustable), we spent the rest of the afternoon perusing some Philly landmarks.

And, of course, there was no way I was leaving without a picture in front of the Love sign!

 Overall, I would put this race in the “win” column. I did have to deal with some unpleasant issues that morning, but despite all of that, I still somehow managed to reach my sub 2:05 goal. Apparently, runDisney corral placement is a big motivator for me, haha.

Have you ever run a race just to try to improve your corral placement for a future race?

Has sickness/womanly issues ever affected your race performance?

We drove up to Hershey, PA early on Saturday morning, and arrived at the expo around an hour after opening. With approximately 4,000 runners, I knew the expo was going to be pretty small — but even that seems like an understatement now.

There were only a handful of vendors, packet pick-up was a breeze, and the “official” merchandise — which you know I’m usually a sucker for — was pretty pathetic. We were in and out of there in less than 15 minutes. (But, of course, not before stopping for the first of many, many photos with our chocolatey friends!)

We spent the day walking around Hersheypark and Chocolate World (we saved the actual activities for AFTER the race on Sunday, however, since they all require lots of sitting down and remaining motionless, haha).

We also purchased the finishing touches for our race day ensembles; I basically packed our “Will Run for Chocolate” Bondibands along with a million different colors of Sparkle Athletic skirts, Pro Compression socks, and, of course, the orange pants I purchased for my Daisy Duck costume but decided were “too orange”…and as soon as I saw a sparkly Reese’s shirt in one of the gift shops, the decision was made.

We had dinner at the Chocolate Avenue Grill (YUM), and headed back to our motel, the Howard Johnson on Chocolate Avenue.

A quick note for anyone considering running this race in the future: LEAVE. EARLY. The trip to the Hersheypark Stadium that should have taken all of 5-10 minutes actually took closer to an HOUR. The race instructions recommended arriving by 7am for the 7:30 start time, but they didn’t offer a whole lot of warning in terms of just how jammed the roads and parking lot entrance were going to be. We were still sitting in traffic on one of the roads that was going to be used for the first mile of the race at 7:20!

Somehow, we made it into the complex, found a spot, ran for the bathrooms for a quick pre-race potty break, and began the races along with hundreds of our tardy friends about 5 minutes after the official start of the race. Thank god for love chip timing.

The race starts out through the stadium parking lot, which they somehow magically cleared of the traffic jam we had been sitting in just 10-15 minutes ago. We started out slow and steady; I already knew this race was going to be hilly based upon blog recaps I read before the trip, and so I was mentally (and, I hoped, physically) preparing myself for a challenging course.

The good news? It was downright COLD! It was actually in the freakin’ 40′s, and all kinds of windy, and I LOOOOOVED it. It’s been a long time since I ran a race/long run in such chilly temperatures, and it felt fantastic. Of course, I was already warmed up and regretting the long sleeve shirt by mile 2…but, still.

The course takes runners through a bunch of residential areas of town, including Chocolate Avenue, and within the first couple of miles we were heading into Hersheypark. It was definitely fun running through the park (although, it’s no Disney World, of course). I guess this is just the runDisney addict in me, but I was kinda sorta hoping there’d be photo opps with chocolate characters along the course. Not even gonna lie. Haha.

There were a handful of random chocolate bar characters along the way, like Rolos (who eats Rolos?!), but they were placed practically right on the race course and it would have been impossible/unsafe to the other runners to stop for pictures — so I settled for a high-five. Of course, we did manage to stop for photos once or twice.

There were bands playing and lots of excitement, and yeah, I was definitely getting lots of attention for my bright orange costume. Naturally, we were among only a few runners wearing “costumes” — since, once again, this was definitely not like a Disney race! Spectator support was pretty great along the course, and everyone was shouting things like “Go candy!” and “Reese’s and Hershey!” at us. Gotta love it.

We started out at a conservative pace in the early portion of the race — around a 10:45/11-minute mile or so — but I noticed that as the miles flew by, I was actually getting slightly faster…to a 10:30, a 10:15, and I even saw — believe it or not — a “9″ in front of my pace for a couple of miles. I haven’t seen that kind of pace (at least not for any significant length of time) in MONTHS! Also? I never, EVER negative split, and didn’t think it was physically possible for me to pick up the pace in the second half of a race…so I was pleasantly surprised with how we were doing, and was thrilled to see paces like 9:15 and 9:30 in a race again.

Also? I was feeling awesome. Yeah, I was running on tired, heavy legs that have already endured months of marathon training, and there were, indeed, a number of fairly steep hills to climb that I didn’t especially care for, but overall it was turning out to be one of the best half marathons (non-Disney!) that I’ve run in a long time. I was surprised by how good I felt, and I have to say, it served as another boost of confidence to know that I am READY for NYC.

A significant portion of the second half of the course takes you through the MASSIVE campus of the Milton Hershey School, where there were hundreds of students waiting to cheer us on and give us high-fives. It was a beautiful campus and the energy of the kids (and their cheers for REESE’S!) kept me going.

Before I knew it, we were already in mile 11, and headed back towards Hershey Stadium. Instead of water, one of the stops had volunteers hanging out mini Hershey’s chocolate bars. Now that’s MY kind of race fuel.

We made out way into the stadium, and ended up crossing the finish line in 2:23.

Obviously, it’s not my best half marathon time, but it also wasn’t my worst.

Given that we took the early miles slow and easy, and stopped for a photo or two along the way, I was THRILLED with our finish.

We were expecting to receive a cheesy medal featuring a Hershey candy, as finishers have received in the previous four years of this race. But I guess since it was an anniversary year, we were handed a pretty solid piece of bling that depicts some famous Hershey landmarks, like the Hershey chocolate factory stacks and Chocolate Ave. Not too shabby.

We got a little snack bag and heat wraps (which I still find completely useless, BTW) and stood in line to take a quick photo in front of the half marathon backdrop…

…and then I felt it was very important to begin re-fueling.

We got cleaned up (via ShowerPill wipes, of course) and spent the rest of our time in Hershey at Chocolate World. Where we:

Learned about chocolate…

Watched 4D movies about chocolate…

Created our own chocolate bar…

Posed for pictures with chocolate…

..and we took the trolley tour around town to learn more about the history of Hershey and the “Milton Hershey story,” which was awesome. Oh, and plus, they gave us some more free chocolate. Just like every other attraction at Chocolate World. This couldn’t have been a more fattening weekend…good thing we burned a couple of calories during the race, haha.

Also, I gotta tell you, I think this is one of the best deals we’ve had yet when it comes to race fees; the race itself was very affordable, and on top of it, you get two free tickets PER RUNNER for Hersheypark, which are normally $35+ per visit! Plus, we never had to pay for parking (we just had to tell them we were going to the expo), and in addition to the usual fare, the post-race goody bag had candy (obviously) and other goodies, including a GIANT cookie from the Hershey Lodge. Not bad at all. Other than the parking madness on race morning, I also thought it was very well-organized and staffed with plenty of enthusiastic volunteers. Would definitely recommend!

Overall? It was one of my favorite “race-cations” to date, and I felt it was the PERFECT way to wrap up my grueling season of NYCM marathon training. It served as a perfect reminder that running — and racing — are still truly FUN to me, and that running isn’t always about the physical pain and mental agony that comes with those 16- and 18- and 20-mile marathon training runs.

Plus, running gives you a perfectly acceptable excuse to gorge yourself on chocolate. And drink chocolate martinis.

Have you/would you ever run the Hershey Half Marathon (or a race through a theme park)?

But in the meantime, I’m participating in a Disneyland Blog Hop this week with a bunch of other bloggers who will be filling you in on everything you need to know for Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend! I selected the topic of the Disneyland Health and Fitness Expo. Mainly because I LOVES me a good race expo, but also because I feel like my compulsive need to get my hands on the latest and greatest race merch has made me something of an expo expert. You know, like, if that was a real thing. So I’m going to share the deets of the expo, and hopefully I’ll also have at least one or two useful tips here.

If you’re interested in reading my full recap of last year’s Disneyland Half Marathon expo, you can check it out here. To sum up, I arrived early, but not quite early enough…the demand for the runDisney New Balance shoes was HIGH, and despite the lines that staff attempted to organize outside the Disneyland Hotel — one line for bib pick-up, one line for general expo entrance to the runDisney merchandise area, one line for the shoes — when the expo opened at 10am, it was PURE CHAOS. I fought swarms of people to get my hands on the coveted Dumbo Double Dare merch, and then stood in line for — I kid you not — TWO HOURS just to purchase said items.

But I thought I’d take this opportunity to share a few details about this year’s expo…and, more importantly, some ideas for maximizing your time (and money!)

First, the basics:

The expo will be held in the Disneyland Hotel Exhibit Hotel, and the hours are:

12 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 28

9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 29

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 30

Arrive EARLY

Now, of course you must attend the expo in order to pick up your race day essentials — you know, like your bib — but let’s be honest. It seems very few people head straight to the expo just for packet pick-up. Unlike other major races, nobody really seems to care about attending the expo just for the sake of picking up your bib. In the world of runDisney, it’s all about the STUFF.

Want the 2014 New Balance sneakers? Want a Dumbo Double Dare hoodie or magnet? Want that Disneyland Half Marathon wine glass or limited edition Dooney & Bourke purse? My advice to you? GET. THERE. EARLY. I always save my packet pick-up for last, and at a runDisney expo, that’s my unwavering advice to you. If you WANT the opportunity to buy the goodies or shop the expo before the crowds have poured in, I wouldn’t worry about getting your packet right away. It’s not going anywhere!

The 2014 New Balance sneakers. Photo credit: runDisney

If you can’t arrive on the first day or two of the expo, unfortunately, a lot of items do run out. But, you will also enjoy lighter crowds and shorter lines, so if spending your hard-earned money on tech shirts or mugs with running mice or flying elephants isn’t your cup of tea, you may want to wait!

I have some SERIOUS problems…

Divide and Conquer

I’m not sure if the New Balance situation will be the same for this race, but there is one trick I’ve found VERY effective if you happen to be attending the expo with someone else (like, perhaps an unsuspecting boyfriend who has no idea what he’s in for). Consider splitting up, just for the early part of the expo, so that one person can head directly to the runDisney merch and another can get on line for a Dooney bag or whatever else your heart so desires. You’ll save time and headaches that way, and then you can reunite to enjoy the rest of the expo in a leisurely fashion.

This year’s Dooneys! Photo credit: runDisney

Come Prepared

I never arrive to an expo empty-handed. For starters, I always try to have my printed race waiver ready to go (although accessing it and printing at the expo is a breeze). Keep in mind that you may be there a while, so I always come with a bottle of water to stay hydrated and snacks (assuming the free Clif samples aren’t sufficient enough, haha) to keep me going.

Be sure you have your photo ID and anything else you’ll need to pick up your race-day essentials, like printed waivers for your chEAR Squad. Your race To Do list will begin on the bottom floor of the hall with bib pick-up, and your race shirts and gEAR bags will be on the main floor. If you’re running Dumbo or getting  your Coast to Coast medal, you’ll also receive your wristbands that you’ll need to wear in order to claim your extra bling at the conclusion of your race!

Enjoy the Experience

After the runDisney madness — again, assuming you’re into that sort of thing — be sure to check out the WIDE array of other vendors. To me, a race expo is basically like I’ve died and gone to heaven…there are just rows and rows of gadgets and accessories and apparel and snacks dedicated to my addiction. And believe me when I tell you that runDisney expos are definitely among the BEST!

This year’s expo boasts some 40 vendors, including a lot of my personal favorites, who often have themed goodies to offer! You’ll find clothing and accessories at the likes of Bondi Band, Raw Threads, Sweaty Bands, sparkly race costume options at Sparkle Athletic or SparkleSkirts, and training essentials like PRO Compression, KT Tape, and The Stick.

In many cases, MarathonFoto offers some sort of pre-purchase deal for your race photos, which, while still expensive, I find to be worth it if you definitely plan to purchase a CD of your photos after the race. While the Disneyland expo isn’t QUITE as female-focused as, say, the Princess Half, you’ll still find lots of girly goodies like jewelry and BeeCause Charms for your favorite running sneakers. Definitely check out Sport Hooks because I looooove their Disney-themed medal hangers.

Navigating a ginormous race expo can be exhausting, and there’s no better way to take a brief mental (and physical) break than checking out one of the awesome speakers, who will talk everything from race-specific tips to general training and nutrition advice.

Oh, and of course…don’t miss the photo opportunities.

What’s your favorite part of a race expo?

Anyone else have tips/advice on navigating a runDisney expo? What did I miss?

What has been your favorite runDisney expo experience?

RULES:

• You must link back to the person who nominated you
• You must answer the 10 Liebster questions given to you by the nominee before you
• You must pick 10 bloggers to be nominated for the award
• You must create 10 questions for your nominees
• You must go to their blogs and notify the nominees

Here it goes.

If you could run any race in the world what would it be?

Other than the New York City Marathon (which I’m so excited I actually get to run in November!), the Boston Marathon. I’ll never qualify based on time, but would absolutely consider running for charity in the future. Next runner-up? The London Marathon. I studied abroad in college and lived in England for a semester, and I am dying (DYING!) to go back.

What is the best race you’ve run so far?

Here’s an easy one! Hands down, the Walt Disney World Marathon. It was the most amazing race ever, and not just because it was my first marathon. It was the fastest 5 hours and 50 minutes of my life; my legs were dead and I was exhausted, don’t get me wrong, but those 26.2 miles went by so quickly because I was having SO. MUCH. FUN. I can’t wait to go back and do it all over again next year (only this time, as part of the Goofy Challenge, not the Dopey)!

What is your favorite book?

Tough one! I’m a ginormous book nerd. My favorite author is Ann Rule; she writes true crime. If I had to pick just one of her books, I’d say The Stranger Beside Me, which is about Ted Bundy and how she actually worked with the guy without having any clue whatsoever that he was a serial killer! It’s compelling stuff. I do read some “chick lit,” too — my favorite is Jennifer Weiner. I think she’s hilarious.

Favorite TV show?

Right now? Law & Order. I know it has been on for about 1,000 years, but I just started watching it a few months ago and now my DVR is full of reruns. I can’t get enough. Haha. My favorite show of all-time? Gilmore Girls. I also love The Middle, Modern Family, and The Big Bang Theory.

Is there a skill or talent you wish you had?

I wish I was a better swimmer. I really want to tackle a triathlon, but I suck at swimming. I have no technique whatsoever, and pretty much manage to drown myself every time I attempt to swim for more than, say, 30 seconds at a time.

Favorite Disney character?

Like I could really choose just one! Haha. My favorite princess is Ariel…

…and my favorite character is Winnie the Pooh.

And I’m obsessed with Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc.

Oh, and I looooove Stitch.

My newest favorite? Elsa.

What’s the best job you ever had?

The one I have now. Or I guess I should say the two I have now. I’m a freelance writer by day, and a piano teacher by night. I’ll never be rich, but I’ve known I wanted to be a writer since I was 8 years old. The fact that I can roll out of bed at 9am to finish up a magazine article and then take time to sit here and write a blog post in my jammies at 2 o’clock in the afternoon on a Thursday somehow makes the lack of a steady paycheck all worth it. In the evenings, I teach private piano lessons. I love working with my kids…probably because I pretty much am one.

Is there a food you just can’t stand?

YES. Let’s see…yogurt makes me gag. (Not frozen yogurt, to be clear…I loooove that, haha). I also loathe mushrooms. And I don’t eat any seafood at all — it makes me want to hurl.

What’s your favorite, can’t live without piece of running gear?

No way I can choose just one! I’d say I’m definitely known for my Sparkle Athletic skirts, though! My mission to collect every color is almost complete…

Also, I never, EVER run without a Bondi Band, because I’m fairly certain I sweat more than the average female. Seriously. I’m a hot mess without it.

And whether I’m heading out for 2 miles or 20 miles, I don’t go anywhere without my Pro Compression socks. I’m convinced they are magic.

What’s the one tip you would give to a new runner?

Pace yourself. And I mean that literally and figuratively. I learned the hard way that it’s definitely easy to get swept up in the fun and excitement of races — and the thrill of crossing that finish line — by doing too much, too soon. Improving your running WILL take lots and lots of time and patience, and you don’t want to get burned out (or, worse, injured)!

Okay, now it’s time for my nominations!

1.) Kathryn at From Dancing to Running

2.) Kristina at Blog About Running

3.) Kathleen and Lauren at Sister to Sister Running

4.) Meranda and Lacey at Fairytales and Fitness

5.) Frank at The Fat Runner

6.) Kim at Barking Mad About Running

7.) Stacie at Simply Southern Stacie

8.) Amy at Run Write Hike

9.) Ian at Philly 2 Goofy

10.) Abby at Abby’s Road to Amazingness

And here are my 10 questions for you guys.

1.) What are some of your hobbies (other than running, I mean)?

2.) What do you do for a living?

3.) When and why did you start blogging?

4.) What are some of your favorite ways to stay fit (again, other than running)?

5.) What would you say is your greatest accomplishment?

6.) If you won the lottery tomorrow…what would you spend the money on?

7.) What’s your favorite song on your running playlist?

8.) What’s your biggest pet peeve?

9.) What has been your favorite race experience thus far?

10.) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Thanks for reading!

I’ll begin with the expo, since that’s always a highlight of any race-cation for me. Since you know I loves me some merch…

Todd and I arrived in Walt Disney World on a frigid Tuesday morning (30 degrees in Florida…NOT COOL) and checked in at the All-Star Sports Resort. We booked our trip with Marathon Tours (it was the only way to get Todd into the half marathon), and I was very pleased with how everything turned out.

I was excited to get in some time at my happy place (Magic Kingdom!) before the race weekend craziness began.

Was it the smartest idea to kick off the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend with a full day on my feet? Notsomuch. But I have absolutely no regrets. Todd hasn’t been to Disney World since he was a teenager, so I felt very privileged to be his tour guide for the week! There’s nothing like sharing the excitement of The World with a newb.

The next morning, I made sure we arrived at the expo at least an hour early. I was anticipating (and fearing) another insane expo experience like last year’s Princess Half expo or the mass chaos I witnessed at the Disneyland Half Marathon.

As soon as we parked the car and I saw a line stretching all the way out of the building, I knew exactly what that was for: the coveted 2014 runDisney New Balance sneakers. You know, the sneakers I just HAD TO HAVE.

Photo credit: runDisney

We joined the rest of the crazies in line and waited for about 30 minutes before we decided it might be best to split up. Thinking that a mob would come in and swarm the Dopey merchandise and there would be nothing left by the time I was finished with the sneakers (‘cuz who knew how long THAT was going to take?), I sent Todd to go gather anything Dopey-related in my size, and I continued to wait in line.

Mind you, this was not a line to actually TRY ON the sneakers…this was a line to MAKE A RESERVATION to try on the sneakers. So after standing in line for over an hour (did I mention it was freakin’ freezing that morning, BTW?!), it was finally my turn. I was ushered over to an iPad where I entered my name and cell phone number, and was told they would text me when it was my reservation time. And, no, they had no idea when that might be. But I was told that whenever I was summoned via text message, I would have 20 minutes to get my butt back to the New Balance booth.

I then went and found Todd in the official merchandise area (he made for such a fantastic expo partner; I found him sitting in the corner guarding a pile of merchandise he thought I might like, haha) and did a little a lot of shopping.Fortunately, it turned out that I was worried about nothing — I know a lot of the merchandise sold out later in the day, but at that point, the official merchandise booth was still very calm and they had plenty of everything in stock.

My absolute favorite? The “I Did It” shirt — I love the design, and the fact that it’s a tech shirt. Too cute!

It was then time to go in search of the beautiful Dooney & Bourke marathon purse, which I have been madly in love with ever since runDisney tweeted a picture of it a few weeks ago. I love the Disney Dooney bags and this was my first marathon, and I’ll be damned if I was leaving without it…so…

As luck would have it, shortly after we put our purchases in the car, it was my turn to try on the shoes! I’m not sure I loved the idea of not knowing my reservation time in advance, but it did end up being a very smooth, organized process and the New Balance people definitely did give you plenty of personalized attention. I may or may not have ended up with both a Minnie and a Mickey sneaker (I really wasn’t all that impressed by the Goofy or the Cinderella designs).

Then we went to pick up our bibs. You know, since that was kind of the reason to attend the expo in the first place. As always, everything was well-organized, and packet pick-up was a breeze.

I’m absolutely in love with the race shirts — finally, women’s cut shirts that actually fit properly! And it was awesome to walk away with six shirts: one for each individual race, and one for both the Dopey Challenge and the Goofy Challenge (completing both the half and full marathons).

We spent some time checking out all the other vendors — including some of my favorites, Team Sparkle, Bondiband, and Raw Threads — and then headed to Epcot to chill out in the countries for awhile and grab some dinner at La Hacienda de San Angel — my favorite location to watch Illuminations! I figured it was best to get my Mexican food fix early before the longer races began (running the 5K the next morning = lots of heartburn, just sayin’).

Overall, it was a very successful expo experience, and I was anxious to kick off the Dopey Challenge the following morning!

Next up: A recap of the Disney Family Fun Run 5K!

We arrived in Philly early on Saturday morning for the expo, which was let’s just say a tad calmer than the runDisney expos to which I’ve become accustomed!

After picking up our bibs and tech shirts– which, I have to say, I quite liked! — we I did some shopping, and then, as per my usual M.O., looked for photo opportunities.

We then spent some time at the Franklin Institute, and walked around the city quite a bit…always a good idea to spend the entire day before a half marathon on your feet, no? Towards the end of the evening, I felt that my hips had become really tight…usually a pain I feel after one of my Taekwondo classes (which, lets just say, require lots of “10-count splits”), but rarely just from walking! I was a little concerned, but figured I’d use The Stick and do some stretching and be good as new for the morning.

After a pre-race dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe — because it just seemed appropriate! — we went back to our hotel to get plenty of sleep before the race. Fortunately, our hotel, the Four Points Sheraton, was within walking distance, so the following morning when SOMEONE took forever to get ready…and then forgot his headband (I already have him hooked on Bondibands, ha!)…and then forgot his fuel…we still made it to the starting line just in time.

There were about a zillion corrals, and it was pretty much mass chaos. With a field of some 20,000 runners, no big surprises there. We did manage to squeeze into our corral, number 9, and then waited for the race organizers to get this thing started.

Unfortunately, it was while standing around in our corral that I knew the previous day’s hip/leg soreness was likely going to pose a problem for me in this race. Everything felt really tight, and I hoped that running the first few miles might help loosen my legs up a bit.

Honestly, I wasn’t overly concerned, though, because I didn’t really have any major time goals for this race. After completing the Dumbo Double Dare just two weeks prior (recap here!), and deciding to give my legs a bit of a break before jumping into my hard-core Dopey Challenge training — I did a couple of short runs after returning home from California, and that’s about it — this was purely a “for fun” race for me. With a half PR of 2:03, and other previous (non-Disney) half marathon times of 2:07 and 2:11, I figured I’d come in somewhere between 2:05 or 2:10, max, and that was just fine with me.

Who here is a serious runner…and who is just a big idiot?

Honestly, I was far more concerned about making sure Todd was okay — he had been dealing with some foot pain for a week or two prior to the race, which threw off his training a bit — and since it was his first half marathon, I decided I’d stick with him. You know, just to make sure he didn’t drop dead on the course or anything. Plus, I was really excited to run together!

We started the race at a very slow pace for me — I am 100 percent a positive splits kind of runner, and always go as fast as I can, for as long as I can…and then I just focus on maintaining a steady pace in the final miles. He wanted to take the opposite approach, so I decided to give it a try and kept it slow and steady in the beginning — never hurts to experiment with a new race-day strategy, right?

Truth be told, I didn’t mind at all…it was a PERFECT morning, weather-wise, I was enjoying the course (can’t remember the last time I was in Philly), and since I’ve never had anyone to run a longer race with me before, I loved having the company.

I was having, by far, the most fun I’ve ever had running a half marathon (not including Disney races, of course).

Not to mention, the course was ridiculously crowded, so we honestly couldn’t have gone much faster even if we wanted to…unless the plan was to take out some fellow runners along the way. Which I’ve heard is not proper race-day protocol.

One issue we did have was that the water stops were not properly staffed with volunteers; there were a few stations that were out of water all together, and many others where runners had to swarm the tables to pick up their own cups of water and/or Gatorade. Sounds easy enough, but in a race this large, it can get a little bit dicey.

Other than that, though, it was turning out to be a great race. There was a ton of spectator support, which is always appreciated, and the course was nice and flat — just the way I like it! We ran through the center of the city and there were also lots of great waterfront views, which was really nice. There were live bands stationed throughout the course — the whole running a half marathon thing kind of cuts into your rocking out time, but I thought it was still pretty cool.

In the early miles of the race, I had told Todd — who generally does run about a minute-per-mile faster than I do — that if he wanted to go faster, he should do so. I’d try to keep up, and if not, I’d meet him at the finish line.

I know how personal running is…we all have our own goals and our own pace and our own plans for any given race, and I anticipated that since he was being extra-conservative in the first half of the race, he’d probably want to see what he could really do in the second half.

And sure enough, somewhere around mile 6 or 7, we stopped briefly to toss back a few Clif Shot Bloks and there was some discussion about him wanting to pick up the pace. I said, “sure, why not, let’s go for it.”

Up until that point, my Garmin was clocking us in anywhere between a 9:30- and 11-minute mile, so I really had been taking it slow for me. However, my hips were still bothering me quite a bit and my legs were feeling really sore and heavy, so I knew that attempting to run faster might not be the easiest (or the smartest) thing for me to do at that point. But we had already made it through all of these miles together, and there was a part of me that really, really wanted to cross that finish line together. I see other couples do it all the time, and not gonna lie — I’ve always been jealous! I was really looking forward to that moment, so I told myself that no matter how much it hurt, I was going to try to make it happen.

There’s something about running with someone else that really gets my competitive juices flowing, so even though I was REALLY not feeling up to it, I decided to be stubborn and give negative splits a try. Around mile 8 or 9, we picked up the pace to around a 9-minute mile, which was feeling very, very uncomfortable for me…even though it’s my usual race-day pace! My hips were killing me, my legs felt like lead, I was feeling surprisingly fatigued given how slowly we had been running earlier in the race, and…TMI alert…I really had to pee. But I refuse to stop for potty breaks in races unless absolutely necessary, so I tried to just ignore it.

He’d get ahead of me, and then I’d pretty much sprint to keep up. I’d fall behind again, and then catch up. This continued for about a mile or so, and then, somewhere around mile 10, I lost him completely. My legs were hurting even worse than before, and my chest started to really tighten up — probably from running like a maniac to catch this guy! — to the point where I was practically slowing down to a walk just to feel comfortable again. I NEVER stop to walk in races (except at water stations), but this time, I had to do it. My heart wasn’t pounding especially hard, but my chest suddenly felt really tight, and I’ve never experienced that before. It scared me, and I wanted to make it go away IMMEDIATELY (sad to say, it did not).

Even though I knew that running faster at the end of a race was not something I’ve ever trained to do, even though I knew I had just completed a 19.3-mile weekend race challenge, even though I knew this was supposed to be a “just for fun” race, I started to beat myself up for struggling so much. How dare I sign up for the Dopey Challenge when I’m over here having a hard time finishing a half marathon? And then I got mad at myself for getting mad at myself! It was all so ridiculous.

Still, despite my inner turmoil, I always seem to be able to put on a show for the MarathonFoto photographers.

Those final three miles really hurt. Looking at my Garmin, I knew my “worst-case scenario” finish time of 2:10 was long gone. On a flat course, on this beautiful 60-degree morning, I was in the midst of running my slowest half marathon — not including Disney races. I was really frustrated that I physically couldn’t go any faster than what was turning out to be about an 11-minute mile, and PO’ed at myself for resorting to such negative talk when I knew damn well that I hadn’t even been trying for a PR in the first place.

I was unbelievably relieved to see the final stretch of the race, and let the cheers from the spectators boost my spirits once again. I crossed the finish line with an official time of 2:14:55…my worst half marathon time to date.

However, I DID finish, and in my book, that is ALWAYS something to be proud of!

I was handed my medal, which I think is pretty cute…and then all of the pain and frustration and anger I had been feeling in the previous 30 minutes completely disappeared when I found Todd with a medal around his neck.

This was HIS race, not mine, and I suddenly didn’t give two hoots about what time I finished or how much pain I had been in. He managed to book it in those final miles, and finished his first half marathon in an awesome 2:06:57.

I kept thinking about the way I felt after crossing the finish line at the Princess Half just 7 months ago, and felt so ridiculously proud and happy for him. He’s still pretty new to running, but has already come such a long way and made such incredible progress, and I was over-the-moon excited by his accomplishment.

So we made our way through the finisher’s chute to take lots and lots of happy post-race photos!

We also made sure to grab some goodies, including Power Bars, Gatorade, various chips, pretzels, and popcorn, and my personal favorite: chocolate milk!

I was also approached by Ian from Philly 2 Goofy. I’ve been following his blog ever since signing up for Dumbo — we share some similar experiences on our paths to becoming runners, and his journey to run the Goofy Challenge earlier this year has totally been inspiring me along the way! It was awesome to meet him in person. He also suggested stealing one of the empty boxes behind the various snack tables to help carry our loot, which worked out beautifully.

After stopping for some more photos and listening to the post-race band for a little while, we got changed (gotta love my Shower Pill athletic wipes!) and spent the rest of the afternoon at the Philadelphia Zoo sporting our new shirts and medals before heading back to Jersey.

Next up? We’re taking on the Rock N’ Roll Providence half marathon! We decided to go for the special “Heavy Medal” you receive for running two of the Rock N’ Roll races, so we’re taking little road trip to Rhode Island…NEXT WEEKEND! I’m definitely hoping for a bit of redemption after this race, but I know it’s going to be an awesome time no matter what!

Have you ever run one of the Rock N’ Roll races?

When it came to choosing my costume, it was no contest…I had to go with a Disney superhero, and race as an Incredible! I figured I need all the practice I can get for the zillions of runDisney races I plan to participate in, anyway. I scoured the Internet for weeks trying to track down red running capris, ordered a black Team Sparkle skirt (because, surprisingly, it’s one of the few colors I DON’T already own!) and I tried my hand at iron-on transfers for the first time (let’s just say…it did not go well) to make myself a sweat-wicking Incredibles shirt. I reluctantly cut two holes in an old, stretched out Bondiband to serve as my eye mask (AND keep the sweat out of my eyes), and then I decided to try racing in my new black Pro Compression socks for the first time, since they just so happened to go with the outfit anyway.

First things first. I woke up on Sunday morning to find that it was raining. I’ve never raced in the rain before, so I knew it would be…interesting. Based on some friends’ reviews of this race, I also knew going into it that it was going to be a somewhat hilly course, even though the race website described it as “mostly flat” — which I’m not quite sure is accurate. One of the course’s steepest hills had the paramedics stationed right at the top, for crying out loud! Trying to run to the top made me feel like I was actually IN a cartoon — you know, like when the character starts running and their legs are flailing around and dust is flying but they’re not actually going anywhere.

It was also a double loop course, which I’ve now officially decided I loathe…there’s something mentally unnerving about running past the mile 8 or 11 mile marker when you’ve only just started the race, and after I discovered everything the first loop had in store for me, I really wasn’t all that anxious to do it all over again!

I had planned for this to be my “just for fun” race, and I’m glad, because I definitely did NOT perform to my full potential (my chip time was 2:11). The fact that I’m still not fully recovered from the Long Branch Half Marathon combined with the rain and the hills and the fact that I once again (very STUPIDLY!) decided to attend my usual Taekwondo and Thai kickboxing classes in the days before the race did not exactly make for an easy 13.1.

However, it was still a lot of fun! I tried to relax into whatever pace I could manage (by the halfway point, I was completely ignoring my Garmin and just kind of going with the flow). I forced myself to chill out and enjoy the festive superhero costumes (I was secretly pacing myself with a Wonder Woman for the entire race!) and the not-so-festive rain and sticky humidity that was certainly keeping this race interesting, if nothing else!

And it was great…now that I’m learning to give up the ridiculous notion that I can somehow magically PR in every single race, I’ve decided to practice learning how to loosen up and stop beating myself up and just enjoy the moment. After all, running IS supposed to be fun (sometimes)…right?

It was definitely exciting to see spectators’ reactions to all the costumes…they’re superheroes just for coming out to stand in the pouring rain to cheer us on, so I was sure to say thank you to everyone and give lots of high-fives! The kids especially seemed to enjoy seeing me as “Mrs. Incredible.” ;-D

My only complaint? (Other than the weather, I mean…which is nobody’s fault except Mother Nature’s). I registered for this race several months ago, and requested my t-shirt size on the registration form, as is pretty much the protocol. As it turns out, however, because I didn’t make the drive to Morristown (which isn’t horrendous or anything, but it’s still about 40 minutes away for me and really just didn’t seem necessary) the day before the race JUST to pick up my bib and t-shirt, I ended up with whatever was leftover on race day. I find that to be a tad unfair — I understand that those who register the day of a race end up with whatever shirts are leftover, but what in the WORLD is the point of asking us to request our shirt size when we register months in advance if you’re just going to hand shirts out to whomever happens to pick up their bib first? And they obviously didn’t order enough shirts in general because I heard the volunteers telling a bunch of other runners that their shirt size was completely “sold out”…but “here, how about a nice men’s size XL?” Absolutely ridiculous. I really liked the women’s cut, tech race shirts — for once, I knew I’d actually get some use out of my “free” shirt — but alas, the shirt size I requested was no longer available when I picked up my bib over an hour prior to the race…so I ended up with yet another too-big shirt that I’m never going to actually wear. Not cool!

The good news? Since this wasn’t a “push myself until I want to puke just to PR” kind of race for me, I had the opportunity to experiment with some new race day strategies. For starters, I’ve been trying to figure out what’s been causing my stomach cramping in the latter half of a race, and I’m happy to report that my stomach issues were pretty much nonexistent during this race. I know it could just be that I slowed my pace down a little bit, but I also tried a few other strategies: I tried taking in more Gatorade during the race, but I diluted it with water at every station (which I allowed myself to walk through, for once). I also ate fewer Clif Shot Bloks (and later in the race) in case they’re actually causing me some GI distress and I just don’t know it! Based on the advice of some of you far smarter runners, I also tried to focus on any sodium imbalances I may have been causing, and snacked on pretzels and tried not to OVER-hydrate in the day or two before the half marathon.

Also…I have fallen madly and deeply and HOPELESSLY in love with my new Pro Compression socks! After reading nothing but rave reviews on some of my favorite running blogs — and given the fact that I’ve been having nothing but foot issues lately — I decided to give ‘em a shot. And I am SO glad I did. I’ve worn them for a few shorter training runs, but this was my first time racing in them. I was having some leg issues during the race because I went in with them already feeling a little sore from Taekwondo/Thai kickboxing — like the GENIUS that I am — and my sopping wet sneakers didn’t exactly help with my usual blister issues, and yet at the end of the race, my legs were feeling pretty good! Since I’ve heard they can help with recovery — and it took me several days just to be able to WALK after my last half — I decided to wear the socks for the rest of the day (after washing them…since, you know, the several other colors I ordered haven’t arrived yet!), and also sleep in them. I’m proud to report that while I do have a little bit of soreness today, given the fact that I practically ran up Mount Everest yesterday and my legs and feet are feeling this great means that Pro Compression socks are pretty much MAGIC socks…and I will never race without them again!

Does anyone else find racing in costumes as fun as I do? ;-D

As you may remember, I ran my second half marathon just two weeks ago, and crossed the finish line in a very unexpected 2:03. I was absolutely elated with my time (2:05 was my “best-case scenario” time goal). It was a beautiful day at the Jersey Shore, I was feeling strong, and in what seemed like moments after the start of the race, I was placing a medal around my neck.

So I sort of expected a similar experience this weekend when I ran the Long Branch Half Marathon for the first time. Once again, it was a BEAUTIFUL day at the Jersey Shore. But this time, I struggled. A lot.

Let me rewind a bit. On Saturday, I headed down to Monmouth Park Racetrack for the expo, where I picked up my bib and did a little a lot of shopping. I was trying to spot Kim from Barking Mad About Running, who also ran the half and was volunteering at the expo, but didn’t get to see her, unfortunately. I was disappointed that arriving at 10:30am on Saturday meant that the majority of the women’s shirts that I wanted were sold out in my size (interestingly enough, my spectators later informed me that they were all re-stocked for sale on the day of the race…not cool!). But I did manage to get some official merch, along with some super cute tees and a 13.1 magnet from Bay Six, a new fuel belt from Hippie Runner, and, of course, I spent lots and lots of time at BondiBand shamelessly digging through piles of headbands and carrying on about how much I LOVE them — prompting the woman at the table to ask when I was going to come work for them. (The answer: ANYTIME! CALL ME!) ;-D

The race was slated to begin at 6:45am SHARP for half marathon runners on Sunday, followed by the full New Jersey Marathon at 8am. After making the drive to Monmouth Park on Saturday for the expo in a solid 45 minutes, I went ahead and allotted an additional FULL HOUR to our morning commute  for the traffic that I knew was going to back up along the several lights leading into the racetrack.

So my sister, BF, and I piled into the car at the ungodly hour of 4:55am to make our way to the park…and I am sorry to report that I would have missed the start of the race completely had we left just five minutes later.

We arrived before 5:45am, but the traffic to get into the park was absolutely insane, and it took a solid 45 minutes just to make our way into the parking area. I proceeded to make a mad dash for the port-a-potties (because I know myself enough to know that I will NOT stop during a race), and stood in a line that appeared to be about a mile long. The race day security was no joke, either; I completely understand the heightened security, but I know there was some frustration about not being able to carry even a small purse.

Meanwhile, it was now approaching 6:45am, and the announcer was calling the start of the race. I figured I had a few extra minutes since I was in Corral C, so I didn’t worry too much — I had no idea then that the corrals were being released within seconds of each other. It was finally my turn at the port-a-potty, so I did my thing and then ran like hell to the starting line…only to discover that the corrals were now gated, and my corral was next to start. Another frustrated Corral C runner broke through the barricade, so a bunch of us followed, and it was IMMEDIATELY time to start running.

I’ve cut it close before, but I NEVER want another race day experience to begin this way…stressed and aggravated is no way to begin a 13.1 mile journey!

Of course, I had my sights set on beating my previous half marathon time of 2:03. I knew that only two weeks had passed since my last race, but I knew I had it in me to push just a little bit harder. My foot issues (which I have conclusively diagnosed as tendonitis) have been subsiding in the last week or so, thank goodness, but I tied my shoelaces loosely so as to not cause any flare-ups during the race. Little did I know that something so seemingly insignificant — SHOELACES, for crying out loud — would be among my downfalls in this race.

In miles 1-3, I was feeling good. I spent some energy weaving around other runners, but there was definitely room to run (not the case at Runapalooza, unfortunately), and I found my stride right around an 8:45 pace for those first miles. But then came mile 4, and I started to feel a little…off. Though I wasn’t experiencing any of the pain that I’ve been dealing with in my foot, I could feel some discomfort in my left shoe, so I allowed myself to pause for the briefest of moments to tug at my socks and adjust my sneaker.

If it was just my stupid foot that was the problem, I could have dealt with it. But overall, I just wasn’t feeling that great. By mile 5, I knew that this was just not going to be my race. My legs felt heavy, I felt tired…and the miles ahead of me seemed endless.

The course took us through a variety of back roads and neighborhoods in the towns of Long Branch, Oceanport, and Monmouth Beach. Though I know Hurricane Sandy ravaged the race’s previous course along the boardwalk — and that race organizers overcame enormous obstacles in re-routing the course and being able to hold this race at all — the scenery just wasn’t that exciting (also, there were several giant hills that I wasn’t expecting!). If it weren’t for the AWESOME spectators, I don’t know what I would have done — I kept pausing my iPod completely to feed off their enthusiasm (I still don’t know how I rudely ignored the cheers from blogger pal (Writing While Running) and fellow Jersey girl Amy…sorry again that I missed you!)

When I reached the halfway point where the half marathon relay runners were switching off, I spotted Emily, who blogs at Keep Running Keep Writing and whom I know from our former shared post at New Jersey Monthly magazine. I was really struggling at that point, but I was so happy to see her and all of the relay runners and spectators at the 6.5 mile mark — some of whom gave me shout outs for my Team Sparkle skirts! — and they infused me with the energy I needed to take on the second half of the race. I was shocked to see that my sluggish 9:30 pace was now back to around 9:00 for the next mile or so.

The energy was short-lived, however. Now not only was I tired, but I was POSITIVE that I had an enormous blister forming on my left foot…I refuse to allow myself to walk during races, but I begrudgingly let myself stop for moment to re-tie my shoelaces. It helped a little bit, but unfortunately it was too late.

I spent the final miles of the race playing every mind game I could think of to ignore my aching, blistering feet. The cherry on top of it all was that my usual stomach cramping was back in full force by mile 10 — now I know it’s not just a coincidence, and I’m determined to figure out what is causing it.

Meanwhile, I kept telling myself to just keep doing the best I could, not every race can be a PR, enjoy the moment, look how far you’ve come, blah blah blah, but there’s part of me that still couldn’t help but be disappointed in myself. Old habits die hard, and I am the textbook definition of a perfectionist…and once I knew this race wasn’t going to result in a new PR, I felt defeated and discouraged. I could not wait for that finish line.

In the last two miles, we did have the opportunity to run along the beach — I had already seen the Sandy devastation during Runapalooza, and did my best to ignore the sight of the torn up boardwalk — and there’s something about being near the ocean (or any body of water, really) that really does soothe me. So while I was dead tired and ready to rip my sneakers off and throw them far, far away, I sucked it up and forced myself to enjoy this moment and be proud of myself…and thankful that even though it wasn’t my best performance, I was still so very fortunate to be doing something that I love.

And then the finish line was finally up ahead, I was handed my medal, and all of the pain and frustration of the previous 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 9 seconds (my official chip time) just faded away.

Oh, and when I reunited with my sister and boyfriend, I finally did rip off my sneakers…and proceeded to find the most disgusting blood blister (never had one before, but a Google search definitively confirmed my diagnosis) you could ever imagine on my left big toe. It is GROSS.

Overall, the race was well organized and I, of course, had an amazing time…but basically this is all a long-winded way of saying that you learn a whole lot from a race when you fall short of your expectations!

1.) First and foremost, when race organizers say get there early, THEY. MEAN. IT.

2.) Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to register for three half marathons over the course of six weeks. D’oh.

3.) I need to work on my pacing. In my last half, I went all out in the beginning and then crashed and burned a bit at the end. This time, I tried to be more conservative in the beginning, and then various factors prevented me from picking up the pace in the final miles…so I just got slower, and slower, and slower.

4.) It’s time to figure out what the hell is causing me stomach issues every. single. time. I race! I’m currently using Clif Shot Bloks as my fuel, as many of the gels I’ve tried cause nausea. The blocks don’t seem to bother me during long runs, but I’ve recently been experimenting with Honey Stingers gels (delicious, BTW…I LOVE honey), so I’ll have to see if I need to make a switch.

5.) More hill training and speedwork. NO EXCUSES!

6.) Rest means REST. In the week prior to my last half, I did very little running (or anything, really) because I was trying to rest my foot — and I ended up feeling fantastic during the race. Last week, since my foot was feeling better, I was desperate to “make up for lost time” and I’m sure I ended up over-training — which would explain my sluggish performance yesterday. I need to get better about tapering and not pushing myself too hard in the days before a race.

7.) Most importantly: I cannot — and will not — PR at every race. So I need to stop being ridiculous and realize that I’m not a robot and that sometimes, I just have to accept that I’m doing my best and be happy with it.

How do you deal with race day disappointment?

Our first night in Epcot!

My “ChEAR squad” (mom, sister, BF) and I arrived in Orlando on Thursday morning, and after checking into our hotel room at Coronado Springs and freshening up a bit — I don’t even need to tell you just how drastic of a temperature change it was between New Jersey and the unseasonably hot, sticky, humid Florida — we headed to Epcot for the first of our pre-race festivities. I’ve found that it’s the perfect Disney park to hit when you only have half a day, because it handles crowds well and if lines are too long, you can always just hang out in the World Showcase! We had our “yay, we arrived!” dinner at Le Cellier — my first visit to the restaurant — and, of course, did a little light shopping before heading back to the room.

On Friday, I hit the expo (check out my recap here) while my mom and sister visited Seaworld (let’s just say my sister likes dolphins as much as I like Mickey Mouse) and my boyfriend alternated between enjoying Coronado Springs’ pool and helping me lug my expo purchases back to the room. We hooked up again in the afternoon to re-visit Epcot for missed attractions (we never made it on Soarin’ this trip because I refuse to stand in 60+ minute lines for anything and the Fastpasses were gone both days), but we did see everything else and enjoy Illuminations from one of my favorite World Showcase restaurants, La Hacienda de San Angel.

Having a “wild time!”

Saturday was supposed to be a “relaxing” day, with a few hours at Animal Kingdom (the only Disney park you can experience in less than one full day, IMHO) and an early dinner reservation at The Wave…of American Flavors at the Contemporary.

But it still occurred to me that I was doing pretty much everything wrong in terms of preparing for a half marathon. I was eating foods that were new to me (kind of hard not to when you’re not at home and cooking for yourself), my sleep schedule was completely out of whack from the traveling and park touring, the extreme humidity was making it hard to stay fully hydrated, and worst of all, my legs and feet were starting to feel a little sore from all the walking…even though we took things at a much more relaxed pace than usual!

Do I look nervous?

By our last dinner before the half, I was a wreck. We hit the hay at a respectable 8pm that evening, but I don’t think I ended up with more than an hour or two of sleep before my alarm started blaring at 2:30am. I tossed and turned all night long, wondering if my training had been enough and whether I’d ever see that finish line. I even started mentally kicking myself for making a RunDisney event my first half marathon — with so many unknowns, it made it hard for me to relax and stop obsessing over not being able to finish the race.

But as I got out of bed and made my breakfast (I brought a mini-blender with me so I could make a smoothie in the room, my go-to pre-race meal!) and started putting on my costume — a lovely runner-fied version of this store-bought Ariel costume, expertly tailored by my sister — I tried to focus less on the enormity of what I was about to do (me, a former 260+ pound woman, running 13.1 miles!) and more on the fun of it all. I knew this race would be amazing and magical and everything I could ever want from a first half marathon, so I decided to make a plan right then and there that my one and only race-day goal would be to JUST HAVE FUN. I would stop for as many character photos as I wanted, as many fuel/potty/water pit stops as I needed, and just focus on FINISHING the race.

I headed out to catch a bus to Epcot around 3am, and luckily snagged one of the last available seats on the first bus (my family was going to travel to Epcot by car a little bit later on) where I munched on a banana and a Luna bar. I had purchased the race retreat when I first registered for the race, not really knowing what it was, so I headed for the retreat tent to nibble on half a bagel (NOT a tried-and-tested food for my sensitive stomach, but at 3:30am, I knew I had at least two hours to digest and should be fine) and enjoy some much-needed coffee.

I jumped in line for my first photo op of the day with the mouse from Cinderella, not knowing that there were character ops with princesses right outside, including the one photo I really wanted: Ariel. By the time I finished enjoying a visit to the retreat’s “private” port-a-potties and went outside to enjoy the DJ and character ops, it was almost time to head to the corrals and Ariel’s line was LOOOONG…so I only hoped I’d be able to get my picture with my favorite princess dressed in my costume (and, hopefully, with a medal around my neck) after the race.

Quick review of RACE RETREAT: Unless you’re going to attend the breakfast after the race (I did not) and celebrate with your fellow runners and/or ChEAR Squad members (Platinum level only), in my opinion, it might not be worth the price tag.

After making my way to the corrals and hitting yet another port-a-potty (at least I knew my desperate attempts to stay hydrated in the days before the race seemed to have worked!), I stood in my corral and tried to calm myself down. I knew I wasn’t the only one running by myself, but I seemed to be surrounded by groups of friends and sisters and mother-daughter duos and I suddenly felt completely alone in this — as I knew I would be. This was something I had to do for myself and by myself, but I was having a hard time enjoying the pre-race interviews and excitement because it was all hitting me: I was about the run the longest distance I had ever run, on very little sleep, in high humidity and heat that I hadn’t trained in for months. By the time the Fairy Godmother said the magic words and the fireworks went off for Corral A to begin, I was little more than a bundle of nerves.

But then I started running. This was really happening — all of my months and months of training were paying off. My body knew what to do. I forced myself to focus on the moment and what I was doing, and relaxed into a comfortable pace of 9:30, even though the sweat was soaking right through my tiara-themed BondiBand by the end of the first mile. I was jamming out to my RunDisney playlist and found myself grinning like a dork by the time we reached out first character stop: the pirate ship. I was under the impression that starting in Corral A might guarantee me short lines for characters, and that might have been true for the first photo or two, but as I kept stopping for pictures…with the princes, with villains, with Lightning McQueen, I already saw Corrals B and C catching up, and the less-than 5-minute character lines were already turning into 10 or more minutes each.

As a side note: at the expo, I submitted my most recent 10K time of 56:17, which placed me in Corral A. I know there has been lots of talk about the overcrowded course and walkers/slower runners blocking the paths and people being placed into the incorrect corrals, etc. so let me just say that despite my ridiculously slow finish time (more on that later), I legitimately earned my place in the first corral…and, yes, I did use that extra time cushion to soak up a little bit more of the race day magic and stop for almost EVERY character photo and tons of other photo ops in front of the castle, mile marker signs, and other points along the course. I knew going into this race that there was no way I’d be able to maintain my usual 9-10/minute mile pace with so many Disney-fied distractions along the way, and I didn’t want to go home with my shiny new medal and an amazing finish time but know that I didn’t stop to enjoy any of the fun along the course. I wanted to do my best but still take advantage of everything a RunDisney race has to offer — mission accomplished!

I was running from character to character, feeling physically great and mentally pumped, and having the time of my life. I couldn’t wait for the moment when I’d be running down Main Street, and I was getting closer and closer. I stopped for a potty break at the TTC where I began taking a few of my cherry chocolate Clif Shot Bloks — my absolute lifesaver during long runs, and quite possibly the only reason I had the energy to finish this race!

After passing the fifth mile marker, I knew my BIG MOMENT was almost here, and I saw several volunteers and fellow runners looking at me strangely when I started getting emotional when I saw the castle in the background from where we were about to enter Main Street USA from “backstage.” I was getting close to the halfway point, and even though the clocks on the mile markers were showing times that were SO MUCH SLOWER than I knew I was capable of running, seeing Cinderella’s Castle for the first time during the race reminded me of why I was doing this and just how big of an accomplishment it was for me to even be running this race…so I decided right then and there to continue enjoying the course and not to waste my precious mental energy obsessing over my finish time.

When I finally reached Main Street, elated really isn’t even the word to describe how I felt. I was struggling a bit to maintain my usual pace, so I had slowed down to about a 10-11/minute mile pace in between characters and water stops (I decided it was very important to keep stopping for water and Powerade, because this princess was NOT used to long runs in the heat/humidity!), but no matter what, I was DOING IT…and I was going to make sure I finished this race.

Before I knew it, I was running down Main Street, through some of my favorite “lands,” and then out through the castle. Of course, I stopped for a few photos with friends along the way, and I saw my “ChEAR Squad” waiting for me in the hub right in front of the castle. I put on a little show for them and then continued on to the second part of the race.

Quick review of CHEAR SQUAD: If you care at all about having those extra few photos in front of the castle, or seeing your family and friends in front of the castle, or really having anything to do with the castle, then ChEAR Squad is the only way to do so…all other spectators were relegated to Main Street.

Check out part two of my race recap here!