Category: fitness and nutrition

fitness and nutrition, travel

Hakuna Matata 10 Miler

2chicksandapen

And now for the April installment of my year of races. (For previous posts in this series, check out this, this, and this!)

I hadn’t really even considered including a runDisney race in my year until a friend at work told me she was signed up for a 10 miler in April of this year. Shockingly, registration was still open when I went to check. (Little did I know that most Disney races sell out in the first few hours.) I thought about it, loved the significance of a race celebrating the 30th year of the Lion King, and dove in.

One of the runners in our CrossFit friend group has done several runDisney races, including races from the Princess weekend and the Dopey challenge, which is four days of back-to-back runs, culminating in a full marathon on the last day. Her pics always looked so fun, filled wish costumes and glitter and runs through the iconic parks.

Little did I know what a wild, thriving subculture the runDisney community is. There are tons of online groups to discuss training and strategies for registration, entire companies devoted to specialized costuming for runners, podcasts all about the runDisney season, speculation about themes, medals, and on and on.

By the time I arrived at Walt Disney World in April 2024, my friend from work had decided not to run for family reasons. I was at Disney, alone, as an adult. Thanks to our generous extended family that lives nearby, I had brought our kids to the parks many, many times. Still, it had been many years since I stayed on the Disney property. I was so excited to be there I was about to burst. Armed with all my research on runDisney, I checked in to the Pop Century resort, ready to go.

This post is mainly to discuss the race. I will share a separate post about my time at Disney in the near future. After I left my luggage at the resort, I made my way over to the expo on the Disney bus.

The expo and swag pickup was as dazzling as you might imagine. A whole crew was waiting for runners with signs and cheers. All the signs were up for photo ops, not to mention characters. There were tons of great vendors at the expo. I bought my new racedots (bib magnets) and some scented cooling towels. I grabbed the bus back to the resort and checked into my room. I spent the rest of the afternoon resort hopping on the skyliner. I had some great food at Riviera and the Caribbean Beach resort, then went back to my room to get my race gear ready.

The first thing to know about a Disney race day is that it starts VERY early. The first bus left my resort at 2:45 am. Thankfully, I am an early early riser by nature. I was also super nervous and excited. I had read sad stories about people sleeping through their alarm and missing races. I set a Disney official wakeup call as well as multiple alarms. I get up around 2 and was on the bus by 3.

The ride to the start line dropoff is about 20 minutes. Then, you join thousands of other runners for the half a mile or so walk to the corrals. In the holding area, there are more characters to get photos with. There is also prerace entertainment. It’s an energetic atmosphere. Finally, you make your way to the corrals.

One of the challenges of these races for me is that they are not as “back of the pack” friendly as I would like. Unlike most of the other races this year, the runDisney races have a hard cutoff for pace and will sweep you off the course if you are too slow. There is all sorts of anxiety about falling behind, getting put onto the sweep bus, and so on. There are an infamous group of people known as the “Balloon Ladies” who are runners carrying literal balloons at the very back of the race. They maintain a 16 minute mile pace. Once they start, you cannot fall behind them or you will be swept.

There are a couple of other things to keep in mind: the 16 minute pace clock starts once the Balloon Ladies cross the start line, so if you are quite a bit ahead of them, you have a buffer. Normally, I wouldn’t worry too much about keeping that pace, but the other cool thing about Disney races is, of course, Disney being Disney, there are character stops on the course. These are mainly photo ops with little interaction. Each stop has official photographers as well as a couple of cast members whose whole job is to keep the photos moving as fast as they can.

I found an online source that leaked all the characters and their spots on the course, so I knew where I was going to stop. My goal was to stop for at least a couple of characters. I also had a chat that let me know where the Balloon Ladies were as well as my watch pacing. And, with the fireworks and a bit of fanfare, I was off.

This race wasn’t much about the pace (aside from not getting pulled onto a bus.) There was so much energy. I was running through Epcot World Showcase. Hollywood Studios. I stopped for photos. There was Disney music piped in. Video screens gave you hints of characters on the course. Cast members from the countries in World Showcase came out to wave hello as the sun rose. It was pretty surreal, actually. We ran through cast member areas, resorts, and parking lots. The course was sometimes packed, sometimes not.

The first character I stopped for was actually someone super new that I didn’t even know. But, the line was short so I just ran through the queue, stop, smile, snap and go. There were characters from old old films like the Rescuers (which had a long line early in the race so I didn’t stop, sadly.), and new characters I didn’t even know. I stopped for a few: Tigger, beloved by one of my running friends, Meeko the raccoon that we took as the name for one of our family cats, Abu from my daughter’s favorite princess movie, and my favorite Disney princess Mulan. I took side photos of other characters since I didn’t think I could wait in line. But I was proud to have stopped for those handful and stayed in front of my pace goal. Maybe the happiest moment was seeing Mickey himself, waving at the runners from a platform over the finish line. I totally felt like a little kid when I stopped for a pic with Mickey waving. I did it!

I will say, this race was hot and humid. I took my cooling towel and medal and snack then skipped all the other photo opps to go to the bus back to my resort for a desperately needed cold shower.

All I can say is I am such a fan of these races. To sum it up, it was totally overstimulating but I loved it. The vibe is positive. It’s a totally different group of people than other races. Many of these people are just casual runners or doing it as Disney fans. There are lots of walkers and run / walk / runners. People get excited about medals, themes, and registration. It’s a lot of fun! I plan to do this one again in future years, and hopefully even do a multi-race challenge for the Springtime Surprise weekend someday.

fitness and nutrition

Chilly and Chocolate

2chicksandapen

One of my goals for 2024 is a chip-timed race of 10k or longer each month. Six need to be half marathons. I’ve written about my first half marathon in Little Rock, which was amazing. But that was in March. I thought I’d share a quick recap of my January and February races as well.

You may be wondering why I skipped them to begin with. To be honest, my year of running started with pain. And walking. I’m not exactly sure why, but in December 2024 I had some lower back pain that was difficult to work through. Running seemed to be one of the things that made it flare. So, even as I set a goal to complete races, I started 2024 by learning to walk as fast as I could for longer distances.

You may think walking is easy. You may also think it is just running in slow motion. Neither of these things are true. Maintaining a decent pace (under 15 minutes) is tough for multiple miles. And walking, in my experience, actually fatigues very different muscles than running. So they may seem similar, but the physical and mental efforts required are different.

I showed up to the Chilly Willy 10k EXTREMELY nervous. It was a small local race. Would my back flare up? Would I be pulled off the course for being too slow? What would people think of a walker? Can I actually do this? I was an honest-to-goodness wreck. I was quiet, evasive, withdrawn, generally flustered…those who know me well can see this happening. My heart rate was super high even before we started. Maybe 100 of us were there to participate. Thankfully I had a couple of my running buddies joining me. There were 5k, 10k, and half marathon racers all starting together. After a quick wait at the start line, away we went.

And, as I watched most of the other racers take off running, I walked at a quick clip. There were maybe a dozen of us walking. The first mile was almost all downhill, which meant (as an out and back course), the end would be a trudge. It was extremely cold at the start…there were patches of ice on the concrete path. But in the sun it was not so bad. Once I found my groove, playlist in my ears, I was just moving right along with a smile on my face.

It didn’t take long for the first 5k participants to come racing back. Focused, quick, intense, they floated by. I cheered for them. I finally made it to the 5k turnaround / water station. And as everyone else I was pacing with turned back for the 5k finish, I continued onward on the 10k course.

From that point on, I was alone. I had no idea if anyone was behind me. Once in a while, another 10k participant would breeze by in the opposite direction and we shared smiles. At this point, I was just grooving along. Nothing hurt. I was making decent time. I really couldn’t ask for anything more. I saw my friends flying by after their turnaround. Both were looking strong. I continued to move right along, dodging icy patches before I turned around.

There weren’t many people behind me. Once in a while I’d see a half marathoner (a double out-and-back course) coming by. I held my pace fairly well until the end. My friends had been texting for updates. I knew they were waiting for me. I walked myself all the way in to the finish, feeling pretty good. I know I was smiling as I finished and got hugs from my friends.

I was so happy to have finished and grateful that I felt fairly good physically. It wasn’t until later that I learned I actually got 3rd place in my age group in the 10k. I laughed. Ok, it wasn’t a huge pool of people but you can bet I requested my medal and displayed it happily.

I continued to walk until the February race, the Hot Chocolate Atlanta 15k. This is a much bigger race with lots of fanfare and fun. My plan for this race was to walk the first 7 miles and then try running until the end. I was feeling physically good. I was happy to be running with my daughter (ok, she’s much faster than me, but we did participate together) and a group of friends. So I went along with my plan and hoped for the best.

The race itself felt sort of unremarkable. I had done the course before. It’s not my favorite. After seven miles of walking, I held my breath and ran. I figured at that point, if pain came up, I could just go back to walking and still manage to finish.

Gratefully, there wasn’t any pain, and I got to celebrate with my friends and daughter at the finish line. Time for a new training plan and hitting the road for racecations.

I learned patience in this time of pain and frustration. I worked around my injury and still continued to move every day. Sometimes progress isn’t linear. Sometimes it doesn’t look like we hope it will. I can take pride in not giving up and just keeping my head up. Forward is a pace is my new mantra.

adventure, fitness and nutrition

My Racecation Era

2chicksandapen

Here we are midway through 2024…I’m solidly in my Racecation Era.

One of my goals this year is to run a race 10k or longer each month. These races have to be timed. Why? I have learned that I perform differently when I am wearing a timing chip. I push harder. I challenged myself to take on a chip-timed race every month for 2024 to see what I could accomplish. Six of these races need to be half marathons.

Now that I am not spending time chasing my kids around as much, I have time to run around (literally) chasing my own goals and dreams. With that in mind, I decided to make some of my monthly events Racecations. Yes, I am planning a number of trips centered around specific races. Unusual? Maybe. But why not?

I had a few criteria for choosing events. First, they have to be “back of the pack” friendly. Another way to say this is that they need to have generous time limits. Although I am running often, I am by no means fast, and what’s the point of traveling for a race if you get to the end and the finish line is closed…or if you get pulled from the course before you finish? So I have to read the fine print and see if I can be reasonably assured I will finish in time.

I also wanted races with great crowd support. Even if I travel with people, in most cases I spend a lot of time running by myself. With that in mind, I want some cool things to look at. Neat neighborhoods to pass through. Fans coming out to cheer. In many cases, this means bigger races.

Finally, I admit I want a medal for every race this year. The bigger, the better. Other swag is also great, but a big medal makes me irrationally happy.

I’ve been compiling possible races from facebook groups for slower runners, a great site called Race Raves, and other posts I’ve saved. Then I spend time cross referencing with my calendar. A peek at air fare is also part of the process.

I’ve written so far about the Little Rock Half Marathon, and more recaps are on the way. Am I on the way to joining the 50 States Half Marathon Club? Maybe. In the mean time, I hope you’ll enjoy racecationing with me! Which have you run that are worth the trip?

#TinkRuns2024, challenges, fitness and nutrition

Running Fever April 2024

2chicksandapen

Still going. 

Month four.

Moving that mileage marker up each day or most days when not sidelined with injuries or ailments!

I couldn’t be more excited to have healthy legs back underneath me running. It was 4/4/24 when I really felt pain free on my runs. Almost a month after my injury. Glad to have that injury behind me for now.

I ran in Jamaica. First out-of-country run. I was excited about running internationally. The weather. The views. The overall ambiance. Island time is just a lot different than my daily norm. Stepping out to see what’s around the world is something I value. It fuels me. My runs were short but I ran by the ocean. It was a beautiful way to start the day. I ran on vacation. This may be a new normal these days. The pavement was an uneven stone when I ran. My knees didn’t like it so much but it’s not as bad as running on cobblestones. No matter the terrain, running along side the ocean is blissful. All the shades of blue in the water. The birds flying around you. All of the scenery is beautiful.

Crumbl Cookie 5k mid month. I survived. I also worked extra hard on recovery and stretching to prepare for my CrossFit competition. Happy to say the comp was completed. Still not exactly 100% physically. I guess that comes with aging, but not giving up on competing. Never resting long enough to heal all the aches so just plugging along to see what my body allows.

Now while running I need to shift my cross training mindset a bit. Tennis playoffs is the first week in May. The date is approaching fast. Yes that’s right. Paddle sports is also my jam. Tennis includes a different kind of running. Linking hand eye coordination with what your arms and legs do. Many cognitive skill sets firing on all cylinders. Short running spurts. Pivots. Strong legs are needed to plant and avoid injury. This is crazy considering my past several weeks of recuperating. Will my tennis performance lag due to my other training? I’ll let you know next month. Stay tuned.

10k prep is underway. Not as many miles of recent or that I had planned out, but I’m going to stay positive. I read to break the race up into 3 segments trying not to go out too hard. Staying consistent and leaving room at the end to finish strong. I’ve never really had a game plan for a 10k so this is going to be interesting to see how it works out for me. Maybe I’ll try this method on this race and intervals on the next 10k for comparison.

I squeezed in the Crumbl cookie 5k as mentioned above.  The allure of this race was a Crumbl cookie waiting for me at the end! I wanted to ensure I didn’t drop my cookie since last race I dropped my cupcake getting my time verified!  No joke the cookie was a big part of signing up with a few pals so not dropping my reward is important. This race was gross. It was full of hills and slanted pavement. Two of my least favorite elements when running. My first mile was slower than usual. In the race I was a little mad about it. Into mile two I found my stride and settled in. That led to a faster mile. I finished strong despite the hill climb to the finish. Fun with friends is always an added benefit to races.

April mileage wasn’t noteworthy.

Just over 120 miles logged this year to date thanks to a few setbacks.

1st international run in Jamaica.

1 mile pace now seems irrelevant as I build mileage and do other things. However my best 5k is 36:54 this year which I am excited about. A big improvement from 1 year ago.

I have a little bit of running fever. Am I good at it yet? Nope. Am I learning to enjoy my solo time running? Yes. Am I motivating others along the way? I believe so.

I got the next set of shoes In the rotation. Same Brooks for running, just a different color. Maybe one more pair for the fall. Time will tell. I did find a slight flaw in my last pair. After getting them wet in a puddle the inner big toe piece because an nuisance when running. Good thing for the next pair in rotation. Also second pair of Nike free metcons for in gym runs and short distances when cross training. Sticking with the black theme as well. I also prefer to use feetures brand socks. Not too thick but definitely the ones that cover my heel so I don’t get blisters. These socks are worth the premium I pay for them, but they have good sales throughout the year which also helps.

Equipment tidbit: this one has a safety focus. Light up vests for my running group. Many run in the dark at 5am. One runs in the woods when it’s dark. Neon lights help pave the way for our group keeping us safe. So excited we all have them. They look cool, too. I had fun lighting up myself for a little night jog this month. Light weight is also key.

Oh the end of month came and I was teeter tottering on getting my knees checked. My left knee was just a bit wonky after my competition. I bit the bullet and went to see the doctor. I needed a cortisone shot in my left knee. Not what I wanted or expected but I rolled with it. A few more forced days off. A few tweaks in the coming months to reduce risk while I heal and still allow for running. Wish me luck. You can see the battle wound that was hidden behind the bandaid for the day. I should mention getting old sucks. Your body needs to be handled with care at times over fifty. Be aware of signs your body gives you. Don’t wait until you are 100% out of commission before seeking help. Rehabilitation is part of being an athlete and so is mentally overcoming shortcomings.

Biggest accomplishment so far:

Signing up for a marathon 

Biggest fear so far:

Completing the marathon.

Mental mountain: learning to adapt to limitations that appear despite wanting to go the extra 10 miles.

What I want to improve on in next three months:

My distance or time out for a run in one swoop. Can I go for 3 hours or more? How far can I go? Can my legs hold out? 

Questions I need to keep asking Is my nutrition dialed in? For now the answer is I’ve slacked a little as of late. Not off the rails but not dialed in. Need to make this a priority before summer’s end to be in peak nutrition state for fall.

Is it better to run one mile or none at all?

 My last bit of business for the month was mapping out my next 12 week training plan. The real start to marathon training. Putting running at the top of the priority list to make sure I’m ready on the actual day of the marathon. My first time ever planning this much for a race. Let’s see how it goes. To this point I just practiced.

fitness and nutrition, travel

Little Rock Half

2chicksandapen

My goals this year have me embracing the idea of a racecation…seeing the country (and maybe the world) by traveling to great races all over.

The first installment of racecations took me to Little Rock, Arkansas for the Little Rock Half Marathon. I had several firsts on this trip…first half marathon in 5 years (and second half ever!). First time in the state of Arkansas. First half marathon of my racecation series. And to make it extra special, my oldest daughter ran her first half marathon with me, along with her long time best friend (who also ran her first!)

It may seem like a random race to travel to, but once we figured out that my daughter’s friend could make it work (she lives not far from Little Rock), it all came together. I had earmarked this race because it was rated high based on crowd support, organization, fun, a not-super-hellish course, cool medals / swag, and a generous time limit. I am definitely a “back of the pack” runner by most standards, and freaking out about being taken off the course for moving too slow is something I don’t want to worry about.

I’ll be writing about several races this year, so I’ll focus on the highlights of each:

This race has a different theme each year. The current theme is dinosaurs which was a little funny, but I loved how the expo and all the local neighborhoods embraced the theme with enthusiasm. People ran in dinosaur costumes. Some of the pacers were dressed as Flintstones. The medal, known for being exceptionally large and heavy, was a sparkly triceratops. Easily a favorite.

There were great groups and signs along the way. Even a lipstick stop at the end where a well-known sorority was handing out lipsticks to make sure your finish was picture-perfect. The course was relatively flat. I loved running over the bridge, which also allowed us to cheer for the faster runners and wheelchair racers who were on their way back over as we made our way across.

I have been training with the Galloway run-walk-run method. The group of people running near me were in the same vein. It was pretty cool to hear a chorus of beeps and bells throughout the run and see people of all shapes and sizes getting their run on. I felt like I was in the right place. The weather was awesome, cool but not cold.

I had a great race and loved being congratulated by my daughter and her BFF at the end. They enjoyed their time together…it’s fun to see the two of them as girls who enjoy taking on adventures and challenges together too. Fit and adventurous friends are the best! Such great memories.

The only downside to this race was actually the town. Little Rock didn’t seem to have too much to do. There were hikes and caves and outdoor sports, but we couldn’t really take advantage of those since we were saving our strength for the race. We did enjoy Arkansas cheese dip after the event and an ice cream flight. I would 100% run this race again! Next stop: Disney!