Timeline

Often, the periods between my blog posts are either filled with negative things I'd rather not talk about or negative space -- nothing at all to talk about.

This time, it's been absolutely crazy around here.  I kept thinking, "I need to blog this," only to decide that sleep was a more effective use of my time.  But so much has happened and is about to happen that I feel I need to document.  So here is a timeline of the past two weeks and the next five weeks:

The Past Two Weeks:

May 10: Graduation Day!!  Celebrated by Park Hopping with Mom

May 11: Mother's Day -- celebrated with Mom

May 13: Got a call to schedule a job interview

May 14: 14th Company anniversary -- celebrated by going to the doctor. (I'm fine)

May 15: Job interview

May 17: Return to Magic Kingdom, this time to get a sneak-peek of the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride with Cindy, a former intern who worked on the project over the past year. (that's her screaming next to me in the photo to the left. Kat, who was an apprentice at DAK a few years back, is behind my right shoulder)  The ride is great, and I'd say a wait of up to 40-60 minutes is acceptable.  The queue is shaded and has activities.  While at MK, I also did the Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion, TTA, and had a Dole Whip.

May 19 (morning): First day of grad school! 

May 19 (afternoon): JOB OFFER!!

May 20-23: Flurry of work-related activities, including trying to wrap up projects, tell people I'm leaving, make sure my area's training compliance doesn't crash & burn while there's no one in my position, learning about my new position... and of course, still trying to get through my normal daily tasks while my head is 8,000 other places at once!

Today/Tomorrow: 

Homework for week one. This includes 2 essays, a quiz, reading 4 chapters in textbooks, and watching a 40-minute movie.  

Next Week:

Monday: Memorial Day; planning to spend it getting ahead on next week's homework so that next weekend I can knock out as much of the following week's homework as possible

Wednesday: getting fingerprinted. 

Some other day: take my car to the dealership to get her road trip ready

Weekend: lots of homework, laundry, and maybe try to start packing

Week of June 1:

Last week in my current job!  Currently, my plans are to work Sun-Thurs (or work 4 10-hour shifts Mon-Thurs).  I'm going to need to pack and move all of my personal stuff out of the office.  There's a lot, including a large metal zebra, race bibs, and a bunch of stuff on the wall.

Thursday: Last day at DAK.  Potluck with my team. I'm planning to be a soggy sobbing mess by Thursday afternoon.

Friday: Leave for vacation early morning*

Saturday: Arrive in Philly in time to pick up my race packet for ODDyssey, spend the night in the city

Weeks of June 8 & 15:

Sunday 6/8: ODDyssey Half Marathon, head over to Jackie's house (my home base for these weeks)

Rest of the time: Bum around PA/NJ, catch up with as many friends and family as possible, do homework, possible trip up to NYC, eat LOTS of pizza, bagels, Chinese...

Week of June 22:

Traveling to Penn State for week-long summer intensive "Seminar in Employment Relations" class on campus.  If not for everything else going on in my life right now, this would be the highlight of my summer.  I'll be staying on campus (in a dorm building that wasn't there when I left 14 years ago), spending most of each day in class, and actually interacting and networking with my classmates.

June 28-29: Drive home

June 30: Start my new job

It's far too much to process logically.  The best I can do right now is to keep breathing, make lots of to-do lists as things pop into my head, and do my best to stop and enjoy the ride whenever possible.  I'm sure I'll check in between now and the end of June, but at least now you know where I'll be!

*Yes, I'm leaving home for three weeks.  Scott is going to be staying here, enjoying some roommate-free living and cuddling with the kitties.  I'm so glad our friendship is "ok" enough that he's willing to do that for me.

Actually Park Hopping!

If you've been reading the blog recently, you might have realized that I haven't actually been doing much park hopping.  Perhaps after 14 years of living in the shadow of Disney, I've had enough "magic."  Actually, I don't think that's true at all.  Life has been pretty busy, and I genuinely enjoy my couch!

That said, I decided that the best way to celebrate my graduation (by the way, "Hi, my name is Jamie. I'm an alum of Penn State University, and a grad student.") was to "hop" to all four Disney parks in one day.  And the only person brave or crazy enough to play with me was my mom.

As you can see, we did it!

AK, Studios, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom: all in one day!

We got into Animal Kingdom around 9:45 (because I left my ticket in the car.  rookie move!), took our selfies, and then headed to our designated ride, Kilimanjaro Safari.  Unfortunately, the wait time was 45 minutes, and that wasn't on my agenda.  We walked through the gorilla viewing instead, and then left AK for the Studios.

At the Studios, our one and only activity was sitting at the bar at Prime Time Cafe and enjoying a peanut butter & jelly shake.

From there, we took the car to the TTC and then the monorail to Epcot.  We got there around 1:00 and bee-lined to the World Showcase.  We split an avocado margarita, had lunch in Japan, and then split a Gran Marnier slush.  Hooray for Epcot!

Our park hopping day ended at the Magic Kingdom, where we finally rode an actual ride (the People Mover), plus enjoyed the air conditioned entertainment of the Carousel of Progress.  It was a lot of fun, though exhausting, and we got a bunch of fun photos.  Plus, the bonus of not riding rides is that we basically waited in no lines all day!

That evening, mom and I had dinner at Red Robin with two of my work friends.  We ate and talked and laughed... It was a wonderful non-conventional way to celebrate my non-conventional graduation.  And then we wrapped up the weekend with Mother's Day brunch at TooJay's.

BONUS: more photos from our weekend-o-fun

Leapin' Lizard!

I'm having a bad lizard week here at Casa ParkHopper.  Monday I came home to a dead-ish lizard in the middle of my kitchen floor and two cats completely disinterested in assisting with its disposal.  As it turns out, the lizard was only "dead" until Elphie took a half-hearted swat at it and her claw hit it mid-back.  THEN it was miraculously cured and running right at me!  It's now dead (I assume) in front of the kitchen sink.  I won't touch it*, and haven't yet been motivated to pull out the vacuum to suck up the tiny carcass.

Today I kept thinking I was seeing motion out of the corner of my eye, but both cats were asleep on the couch.  Finally I realized there was another freaking lizard in the house, this one very much alive and on the move.  On the stairs.  And then the little effer JUMPED from one step to another.

Did you know they do that?

I guess Little Orphan Annie did!

Anyway, I took some video and uploaded it to Instagram.  I can't figure out how to embed it here, but here's the link.  For the record, once I made my new pet do its party trick for the camera, I did try to rescue it.  I grabbed a big plastic bowl with lid and actually managed to get the bowl over the lizard.  But the lid was pretty thick, and sliding it under the bowl gave the lizard a big enough opening to dart through... of course, straight toward me!  After I squealed and nearly lost my balance 7 steps up the stairs, I chased it down the steps.  It evaded capture and darted under the TV cabinet.

If I'm lucky, I won't see it again until the next time the furniture is moved.  Of course, my luck isn't actually that good...I bet I see that lizard again before bedtime.

*I can't touch dead things, even when they've been motionless for multiple days.  Blame this on an unfortunate fish tank incident when I was a kid.  I was carrying a dead swordtail to the bathroom for a burial at sea, and right when I got to the toilet, the thing resurrected and flopped out of my hand right into its watery grave.  NEVER AGAIN -- zombie creepy-crawlies are REAL!

UPDATE: not sure this is the same lizard, but I managed to catch & release this one! (Sorry for the blur - the phone didn't want to focus through the plastic bowl)

Submitted

I just uploaded my research paper -- the final assignment of my undergrad career.

It feels so momentous!

On one hand, I did the math last week and realized that even if I got a 0 on this paper, I'd still have a C in the class and would therefore be graduating regardless.  On the other hand, now I really feel done...and I most definitely didn't half-ass this last assignment.  I'm pretty proud of the way it turned out.

So I guess this means I have crossed the finish line...but it'll be another two months probably before I get the "medal" for this race.  I won't actually refer to myself as a college graduate until the 10th, but I am definitely looking forward to updating my resume and removing that "anticipated graduation..." caveat right away.

It only took me seven semesters to complete my degree, though it really feels like I've been at this much longer.  AND if I keep on my current trajectory, I should have my Master's completed in six semesters more.

Huzzah!

The Bees' Knees

I went shopping after work today with a single objective: to buy shorts.

Shorts: the kind that of pants that end above the knee.

...and I did get a pair of shorts.  I also got two dresses and a skirt.  All of them end above the knee.

I've been thinking about it since I left the store, and I literally can NOT remember the last time I bought shorts.  It feels like kind of a big deal.  Don't get me wrong - I didn't put on the shorts and think, "damn, I look GOOD!"  I did, however, put on the shorts, turn around in the mirror, note thankfully that I no longer have back-of-thigh fat sagging down near my knee pits and that my thighs are WAY less jiggly than I remember, and then did a little happy dance.

As for the dresses, here are some horribly blurry dressing room selfies to get the message across:

funny faces and "I'm a little teapot" pose: free with purchase

The dress on the left is actually kelly green with white polka dots (white balance?  WHAT white balance?).  And I think it's more flattering than it looks in the picture.  I love the fabric. It's light and flowy and makes me want to walk barefoot through a park and spin in circles...or maybe just toss a cardigan on top and wear it to work.

I did what I could with the contrast on the picture on the right to show where the dress ends and the door begins.  This dress is made of the nicest textured fabric, and just looks so darn professional!  (Disney look: now including sleeveless!)  I'm pretty sure sleeveless isn't interview-appropriate, but boy does it make me look like a moderately stylish grown-up!  The belt is just a sash, tied in the back.

Anyway, hooray for continued improvement... and for the triumphant return of my knees...  and for the extra miles I'm running weekday mornings so that I can keep buying new clothes.

Sub-12

Dear World,

I ran my first sub-12 mile today. It's been nearly a half hour and my lungs are still displeased, but the rest of me is just tickled!

It was cool and windy this morning. I think I was just running fast in an effort to get warm. For that reason, I have a feeling I won't be hitting 11:54 again any time soon...but hey -- I wasn't expecting to hit it in the first place, so what do I know?

Facebook Post for Posterity

Yep...I found out on Wednesday that I got into my first choice (ok, only choice) Master's Degree program.  If all goes as planned, I should be finished in 2016 with an M.P.S. (Master of Professional Studies) in Human Resources and Employment Relations.

We got word two Mondays ago that they were finalizing decisions and should be notified by email within two weeks.  Of course, I had been compulsively checking my email during that entire period, and when I finally got word (at 10:31 am) I pretty much totally freaked out.  I texted my mom right away, printed out the acceptance letter, put the above post up on Facebook, and may have squealed, jumped, and happy-danced in my office (and the hallway by the secretary's desk...and the kitchen).  It took at least 1/2 hour before my hands stopped shaking!

I already had plans to go to lunch with a friend, and as you can imagine, my poor dining companion had to endure random "I'M A GRAD STUDENT" moments peppered throughout our meal.  He was a good sport about it though.  And for the rest of the work day, I was almost completely unable to focus on my job.

My officemate was off on Wednesday, so she got the news first thing Thursday morning.  Later on that day, we were joking about the idea of a rhino escaping and running through neighborhoods for days until the cops could finally catch it (there was context, I swear).  I tried to compare it to those stories of monkeys swinging amok in neighborhoods, and when my mouth started moving faster than my brain could catch up I accidentally used the phrase "until they catched it."  I immediately threw in a "caught...durrr!" once I realized what I'd said, but without missing a beat she turned around and said "ok, GRAD STUDENT!"  I laughed, and figured out that this probably isn't going to be the last time my stupidity is held up against a new standard.

Anyway, no rest for the weary.  My final paper is due by May 2, graduation is May 10, and summer semester starts on May 19.

Wish me luck!!

Riverside Dash 15K Recap

Boy, I guess I let my recap duties get away from me a bit this week!  That's a shame, because I've probably already started forgetting fun details about the Riverside Dash.

I decided to sign up for this race because I hadn't yet done a 15K.  In my half marathon experience, the last 5K usually kills me, so I figured a race that's "only" 9 miles should be great!  I also figured that I'd end up having trouble with the temperature, and the forecast indicated this would be the hottest day of the year so far.  So who knew what would happen for the actual race?


Jackie was running as well, and we figured we'd start out together and see how things went.  She's been working on her speed, so I know I'm not going to be able to keep up with her much longer.  Even in this race I know she was holding back to stay with me, but she stuck with me anyway!


There were only around 400 people running this race, which was a huge surprise to me.  It seemed more crowded at the start, but that might be because there were about the same number of people running in the 5K.  Once we started running though, there was almost no crowd around.  It was really nice to not trip over other runners!  We also started out running about the same pace as three girls doing 30-30 intervals and another woman who didn't have her interval timer and decided to just stick with us.  Oh, and she was a chatty one!

Another major selling point of this race for me was that most of it was along the St. John's River.  While Sanford has some unsavory areas, this particular stretch of a normally busy highway is picturesque and downright lovely.  We were lucky to enjoy a pretty sunrise, and then those low clouds kept the sun out of our eyes and the temperature reasonable through at least the first 2/3 of the race.  I saw an alligator and lots of birds, but those are things that an iPhone camera wouldn't have done justice.

Much like my experience down in Sarasota, my stamina is still not quite up full-strength with my new intervals.  Around mile 6.5, I started to get whiny.  Jackie and our race-buddy-for-the-day tried to keep me motivated, but I basically turned into a human Snickers commercial.  Jackie and I have done enough races together now that we can poke at each other and know where the line is, and frankly her taunting and my subsequent desire to punch her in the throat really did keep me going.  And I like to think that my surliness was at least somewhat amusing.

During my cranky phase, I had two memorable bursts of speed.  One was a random sprint, where I passed both of my "coaches," who were quite confused by what the heck I was up to.  Honestly, I don't even know what the heck I was doing, but it seemed a good idea at the time!  The second was when we were approaching a race photographer.  I think my exact words were something like, "ok girls, we're going to start running when we get to that tree, and smile for the camera like we don't hate the world!"  It totally worked.  Can you tell how much I hated the world at that moment?

I love this picture, not only because of the cheesy smile and the thumbs-up, but because that's most definitely an "I'm running" ponytail.  You don't get motion like that just standing still!

Right about mile 9, Jackie's boyfriend Paul backtracked to find us.  She asked him to stay with me so that she could run in to the finish, and despite my protests that he should run with her, he did exactly that.  I kept my intervals going for the rest of the race, and he told me that the last tenth of a mile was downhill and shaded.  And he wasn't lying.  The end of the race was lovely.  I was certainly thankful for Jackie, and then Paul, keeping me from just walking in the last mile or two.  She kept me from getting into that horrible head space I was in at the end of the Sarasota Half, and kept me going towards my time goal as well...which I hit!

My Race Stats:
Chip Time: 2:06:28 **PR** (because it's my first 15K)
Pace: 13:34 min/mile
Overall Place: 391/418

Gender/Age Place: 41/46

My Splits (according to RunKeeper):
mile 1: 12:34 min/mi
mile 2: 12:57 min/mi
mile 3: 12:48 min/mi
mile 4: 13:02 min/mi
mile 5: 13:27 min/mi
mile 6: 13:26 min/mi
mile 7: 14:06 min/mi
mile 8: 14:05 min/mi
mile 9: 14:09 min/mi
mile 10: 13:08 min/mi (the last 1/3 mile)

Overall, I really enjoyed this race and I think I can see it becoming an annual end-of-season event for me.  The course is flat and beautiful, and there are plenty of water stops.  On the downside, there was no sports drink available at the water stops.  They also ran out of beer at the post-race party a while before I finished.  Since I normally don't bother with the post-race beer I don't know how often this occurs at other races, but it annoyed the crap out of me.  The race bibs had those little tear-off tags at the bottom for both beer and food, and they knew how many participants there were, so why couldn't they have planned better?

But at least the pancakes were tasty and plentiful! And Walgreens was there handing out bags with random stuff like hand sanitizer and pedometers.  Who doesn't love free stuff??

During, Take Three

It's been two months since my last check-in (and four since the first).  Aside from the fact that I have obviously gotten better at standing on the edge of the bathtub and that the mirror desperately needs to be cleaned (eww...), there really hasn't been much change.  I like to believe my hips and thighs have gotten smaller and that's why my waist looks proportionally bigger, but it's likely I've actually just gotten softer in the middle recently due to my crap-tastic diet.

I am now down 41 pounds total from where I started when I first joined the gym in 2012 -- just about two years ago.  That's significant, but not dramatic considering the time frame.  I've lost 12 pounds since October, and have 10 to go before September in order to get the extra $150 in "wellness rewards" from work.  (since the money goes straight into my FSA account, if I hit that goal I'm going to buy myself a pair of prescription sunglasses with it -- that's the closest I could come to blowing the money on something pretty)  But honestly, as long as the number on the scale keeps going the right direction I'm not really concerned about the amount of time elapsing.

Honestly though, the numbers are just the non-subjective way to gauge my progress.  In the past few months, I've discovered visible ribs and collarbones, and can feel the front of my hip bones.  I also feel better, inside and out.  I've even stopped lamenting the shrinkage going on in my top half.

Cat commented a few weeks ago about me walking around in a sleeveless shirt when we met up at Downtown Disney after work.  I laughed and said it was too warm out for the cardigan I'd worn at work, and she pointed out that not too long ago I would've just suffered in the heat rather than walk around that way.  She's right!

So, I guess the last two months might not have been all about earth-shattering physical progress.  They seem to be all about confidence.  I don't think I would've even posted this picture on the left to the blog two months ago.  But hey, I guess it's time to embrace my "perfect imperfections" and love myself at every stage, not just when I hit a major goal.

Sarasota Half Marathon 2014 Recap

I'm a little delayed on writing up this post.  It's been a heck of a week, but I'm going to do my best to put together a coherent recap.

Fresh from my great experience at the Winter Park 10K (and maybe a nap...) I loaded up the car and set off on my solo road trip to Sarasota.  I left home way later than I'd originally planned, and was worried that I wouldn't make it to packet pick-up in time.  However, minimal traffic on I-4 and I-75 put me at the pick-up location 20 minutes before they closed.  Phew!

I picked up my bag and, just like Melbourne, was informed that they were out of XL shirts.  No worries - I'm now a fan of the large anyway. I really like the shirt, though since it's navy blue and all of my running bottoms are black I'm not sure when I'll ever get the chance to wear it.  It's cute paired with jeans, which I found out later in my trip, so maybe it'll just be a normal shirt for me.

After I got my race gear, I hopped back into the car and drove back north 20 minutes to get to my motel.  I waited way too long to book a room, and ended up at a place I was really concerned about.  It turns out my concerns were completely unfounded.  Though VERY no-frills (hair dryers and alarm clocks "available upon request"), the property and my room were clean and well-maintained.  I got the impression it's a mom & pop sort of place.  I also never felt unsafe, which as a solo female traveler speaks volumes. I checked in, popped over to Cracker Barrel for dinner (hello, plate-o-catfish-and-carbs), and then ran to Publix for breakfast and some forgotten things like sunscreen and water.

On race morning, I woke up with the alarm and got myself ready to go in plenty of time.  I followed my directions to the race start and was incredibly annoyed to find myself pretty much in a traffic stand-still long before there should've been such heavy traffic.  The pre-race materials all recommended arriving an hour early, and I was even earlier than that!  I finally got myself parked not too far from the race start, oriented myself to the surroundings, and headed toward the start area.

...and the 30-minute line for the port-a-potties.

I have literally waited less time for Space Mountain (without FastPass) than I did in this line.  And the people around me were getting more and more worried about the length of the line.  We had over a half hour - I didn't know what the problem was.  And then I heard the National Anthem and couldn't figure out WHY they were doing that so far in advance.  I pulled out my phone and opened the pre-race email, and that's when I realized the only reason I hadn't been freaking the heck out this whole time was because I thought the race started at 7:30, not 7:00.

Oh.  My.  God!!

Luckily for me, a lot of people bailed, and the line moved much faster at the end.  And luckily again, some guy handed a pile of napkins to the line in general because most of the stalls no longer had toilet paper.  That might have been my fastest pre-race pit stop ever!  I actually did make it to the start with the group, but only because it seems we started 10 minutes late.

Sunrise over the John Ringling Causeway -- beautiful time and place for a run

As for the actual race, I really enjoyed the first 4-5 miles.  We went over a causeway bridge (...and you know I love a good bridge!) at about mile 1, ran through some fancy shopping district, back over the same bridge at mile 4, and then into downtown Sarasota.

I was also able to maintain a really great (for me) pace for the first half of the race.  I passed the 3-hour pace group sometime in the first mile, and never looked back.  Even the second bridge crossing didn't bother me.  Unfortunately, I failed to realize just how much longer this race was than the previous day's race.  This was my first half marathon with my new intervals, a fact that became abundantly clear the longer I ran.

From miles 5.5 to almost 9, the route took us straight up the Tamiami Trail, which is pretty much interchangeable with 192, 50, OBT, or any other highway dotted with strip malls, dollar stores, and other assorted chain stores.  In other words, blah - I can't believe I paid to run this route.  However, because Sarasota is such an artsy locale, there were random sculptures dotting the otherwise mundane roadway.  Even the abortion clinic had a metal sculpture (ironically, of a stick figure woman holding a baby) out front.

Just after mile 8, the 3-hour group caught up to me.  And within a half mile, they were gone from sight.  That really did a number on my psyche, as I realized that particular goal would continue to elude me.  By mile 10, I was drained.  I couldn't remember the last time I felt like my feet were lead and my legs just didn't want to keep going.  But I soldiered on, occasionally skipping an interval, doing mental math on my pace at each mile marker I came to.

By the 12-mile marker, I realized that the 14-minute pace would require me to do the last 1.1 miles in 13 minutes.  That was a total impossibility.  And I gave up.  I kept moving, because I certainly wasn't going to quit, but I walked most of that last mile.  I did get one burst of speed to go past a pair of photographers, and I dug deep to run the last 100 yards to the finish line.  I got my medal, my water, posed for a few photos, and headed to the post-race area for some breakfast.

This race had a pretty cool feature I hadn't seen before.  There were two people at the results tent who typed your race number into a laptop, which spit out a receipt telling you your preliminary results.  Once back at the car, I looked up my results from Princess and realized I actually did PR this race, but I really didn't feel like I deserved to.  My brain just wasn't where it should've been at the end, and I wasn't proud of the way I just gave in.

My Race Stats:
Chip Time: 3:07:19 **PR** (by 91 seconds)
Pace: 14:18 min/mile
Overall Place: 2940/3237
Gender Place: 1812/2059

My Splits (according to RunKeeper):
mile 1: 12:12 min/mi
mile 2: 13:05 min/mi
mile 3: 12:48 min/mi
mile 4: 13:12 min/mi
mile 5: 14:02 min/mi
mile 6: 13:22 min/mi
mile 7: 13:46 min/mi
mile 8: 14:11 min/mi
mile 9: 14:08 min/mi
mile 10: 13:59 min/mi
mile 11: 14:42 min/mi
mile 12: 15:11 min/mi
mile 13: 15:33 min/mi

I didn't like this year's medal.

I was pretty frank about the fact that I was signing up because I wanted the big shiny dolphin medal (image search for the medals from past years).  The race organizers advertise the "largest race medal in Florida," which isn't important to me at all.  I want pretty medals that look awesome hanging on my wall.  This one looks more like a dark blue saucer on a ribbon, and you really have to squint to even see the dolphins.

I guess it was important for me to learn that lesson.  You don't sign up for the "bling;" you sign up for the race experience.

I liked this race, and I'll definitely do it again.  I was planning to sign up for next year this week when it was 50% off, but ended up with a very sick kitty and no spare money for race registration.  I really do feel like I have something to prove to myself, like I need to conquer the last 5 miles of this race and prove I can do it strongly.  I also liked the post-race party, even though I didn't visit the "beer garden" or seek out any food past the (delicious) yogurt parfaits.

Aside from the bridges, the course is flat.  And there aren't a whole lot of choke points on the route. The water stations are well-staffed, and in addition to some weird gummy candy fuel at two stops, there were volunteers handing out fruit (hello, giant strawberry!).  I strongly recommend putting it on your race bucket list, just not for the giant medal!

Winter Park Road Race 10K Recap

This morning had absolutely perfect race weather - mid 50's at the start, clear, and the best part - not humid!

I signed up for this race less than a week ago. I had only done one five-mile run since Glass Slipper and figured it would be a good warm-up for the Sarasota Half AND test run of my new shoes (another pair of my Brooks Glycerin 11 "blue man shoes"). Plus the race had a medal, gorgeous tech shirt, and a souvenir glass. Hooray for race swag!

Now *that's* a picturesque mile marker!

Track Shack puts on the most consistently well-run races, and Winter Park is a beautiful place to run. It's not necessarily an easy place to run, with uneven brick streets, but I managed to get through today with my knees and ankles intact. The volunteers and support staff were great, and I had a really positive experience.

The race field quickly spread, so within two miles the jostling and jockeying for position was minimal. And the vast majority of my fellow interval walk-runners were courteous about not walking multiple people abreast, blocking the road.

My "dirty old lady" moment of the race came when running past the shore where the Stetson University crew team were getting ready for practice.  It was all I could do to not run backwards after I passed them.

I have to say this race was just plain fun for me.  The 10K seems to be a good distance for me to push for a little bit more speed, but still feel happy and alive when I finish.   Aaand it gives me the opportunity to wear silly socks. That's always a bonus!!

One more random thing I'd like to share about this race: this was the first time I did a race wearing compression pants without baggier shorts on top.  I lucked out with the weather, because I ended up having that long-sleeve shirt tied at my waist covering my butt.  But look who's not totally ashamed of her thighs anymore!

My Race Stats:
Clock Time: 1:25:52
Chip Time: 1:24:13 *PR*
Pace: 13:33
Overall Place: 2472/2820
Gender Place: 1501/1782
Maybe someday I'll claw my way into the top 75% of a non-Disney race field. Maybe...

My Splits (according to RunKeeper):
Mile 1: 12:00 min/mile *1-mile PR*
Mile 2: 12:52 min/mile
Mile 3: 13:18 min/mile
Mile 4: 13:12 min/mile
Mile 5: 13:07 min/mile
Mile 6: 13:34 min/mile

Turnpike Trouble

I have a bad history of getting turned around on the Florida Turnpike.  Back in 2003, I went south when I should've gone north and ended up spending the night in Yeehaw Junction.  It's a much longer and funnier story, but apparently my original blog was wiped off of its server before I could archive it.  You'll just have to take my word for it!

Last year, I got the Turnpike and 408 mixed up and ended up near the Florida Mall instead of my car dealership on East Colonial.

So today?  It's shameful, but not surprising.  Take a look at this image.  I started out at Track Shack (uppper-right corner) and was supposed to follow the blue line left towards home.  Instead, I took the scenic red route.

Here's what happened:

I took 408 westbound toward home, and decided not to take the 50 exit because I wanted to avoid the Ocoee traffic/traffic lights.  I thought I'd merge onto the Turnpike and get off near Winter Garden Village to stop at Publix for dinner fixin's.  Where 408 ended, my options were Turnpike North or South.  My muscle memory told me to go North, but my brain had a moment of panic and at the last minute I decided to go South.

I was literally about 10 feet past where the concrete barricade on the right starts when I realized I had gone the wrong direction.  Even worse: I was pretty sure there were no exits before I-4.

There's a service plaza a few minutes down the road -- one of those that exists in the middle of the road so it's accessible to travelers going both directions -- but I figured I wouldn't be able to switch directions there.  As I drove past, I noticed some of the signage at the exit of the service plaza.

I could've switched directions there.

So I went all the way to I-4 and then meandered around the back side of Disney towards home.  The trip that Google Maps tells me should've only taken 23 minutes ended up taking more than an hour.  Like I said, it's shameful but not surprising.  I'm an excellent navigator, but not when I'm also the pilot.

35

For posterity, this is me on my "halfway to 70" birthday. Two different people gifted me with tiaras, and more people made me feel special than I would have believed possible. It was a wonderful day.

...and yes, that's me wearing a tiara at work, wearing another one in the car, and enjoying coloring and cocktails (ok, juice) with Cassidy (not pictured: Matthew, Scott, and my "work boyfriends" Dave and Rob) at the Ale House after work!

Goooooal!

After Princess was relatively unstressful for my body, I finally came to the conclusion that it was time to change my run-walk intervals. The plan was to tweak just a bit, from 20/40 to 25/40, and not switch back even if it was hard. After all, not so very long ago 20/40 was unsustainable for more than a mile, and now I do 13 miles, only walking for water breaks.

Yesterday was my first day running 25 seconds/walking 40 seconds, and it's safe to say these intervals were a success...

One Mile PR!

5K PR!

One of my medium-term running goals was running 5K in under 40 minutes.  Yesterday's run was the first time I managed to accomplish that.  That this run was after work on a relatively warm afternoon is icing on the cake.  I was really huffing and puffing by the end, but felt good and strong... and an afternoon shower has rarely felt so refreshing!

...and in other running news, I haven't updated the list in a while, so here are my upcoming races:
March 16: Sarasota Half-Marathon
April 6: EA Sports Riverside Dash 15K
June 8: ODDyssey Half-Marathon
October 26: The Inaugural Lake Nona 13.1
November 30: Space Coast Half-Marathon

I think these are going to be my only 2014 half marathons (well, in addition to the four I've already completed), because I'm 95% sure I'll be signing up for the WDW Marathon and I'll be doing longer training runs during the fall race season.  Space Coast sucked me back in because of the "Big Bang" challenge series (I'm aiming for 3 -- we'll see about the other 2) and Lake Nona, in addition to being really inexpensive, is going to be Scott's first half.  I'm looking forward to seeing him cross the finish line.

Princess Half Marathon 2014 Recap

I truly regret not writing a recap of my very first half marathon.  Tons of stupid little details have slipped away, and eventually the only memories I will have of that race are the ones attached to photos.  And the girl who ran face-first into a road sign.  I don't think I'll ever forget that sound.

Anyway, this morning was my race-iversary.  Princess 2013 was my  first half marathon, and I was so proud to just finish.  My time, 3:31, wasn't important.  I had set a goal and accomplished it.  And in the days immediately following that race, my response when people asked if I would do another race was usually the same: "I'm going to wait a few days before I decide on 'never again,' but I kind of doubt it."  I'm pretty sure I signed up for Space Coast a week later and the rest, as they say, is history.

This weekend was big for me because it represented my first major first-time challenge since last year's Princess: back-to-back races.  With the 10K on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday, I'd be running 19.3 miles in one weekend.  And it occurred to me last week that I completely forgot to train for the extra miles.  I was supposed to be running 5 miles on Saturdays and my normal training runs on Sundays, but somehow I never quite got around to doing that.  So going into this morning, I was fairly nervous.  I did all of the recovery things I was supposed to do yesterday - ice bath, rest, hydrate - but I just didn't know how my body was going to respond.

I also had a small blister from yesterday.  You know me and blisters - they make me whiny.  And I haven't had one in a while.  I didn't want to go back to wrapping in duct tape, so I put about 6 layers of Body Glide and some antiperspirant on my foot and hoped for the best.  Flash forward: the blister is the size of a lima bean, and it's incredibly sensitive to the touch, but I barely felt it at all while I was running.  And thankfully, it didn't pop.

check out that fog!
and the poster on the left!

About the race: umm...this was the third time I ran this course.  It hasn't changed - long dark road to another long dark road, MK Toll Plaza, TTC, long road under the water bridge, through MK, loooooong road, on-ramp, overpass, and around the front half of Epcot to the finish line.  It was humid (OMG the fog!) but cooler than I expected.  I was less annoyed by my fellow runners today also.  I spent a while running in the grass to get around people, and did grumble at a few groups of 3-abreast walkers I passed, but people seemed much more focused on the race than they did yesterday.

During races, I tend to check my RunKeeper at every mile marker.  That way, I'm aware of my pace and I can laugh at how much further the GPS says I've gone than the course says I've gone.  This morning, my first mile was a pretty unimpressive 13:45 pace, and I chalked it up to the weather and the crowd and figured I'd just run "my" race and let my body take the lead.  I figured a 15 minute/mile average pace would be acceptable, but I'd be disappointed with anything slower than that.

When will I learn to stop underestimating myself?  My slowest mile today was a 14:39 min/mile, and I can only imagine that was bottleneck related more than anything else, since it was from the exit of Magic Kingdom, up to the Grand Floridian.  All runners are squeezed into one lane of road through there.

Anyway, I got to mile 9 and RunKeeper said I was still at a sub-14 pace (ok, 13:58...).  I felt absolutely fine - I distinctly remember that was the stretch of road that almost did me in at the WDW Half last month - and decided to push myself a little harder.  The toughest part of the course was still ahead of me, but I was doing the "maybe... just maybe..." math and thought I could finish around my Space Coast time.

I ran strong intervals up the circular ramp from World Drive onto Epcot Center Drive.  I ran strong intervals on the flat sections.  I ran even faster any time there was a downhill stretch.  I was passing WAY more people than were passing me!  When I looked at my phone at mile 12, I figured there was no way I'd PR (the little hopeful voice in the back of my head and her bad runner math skills had started thinking it would be possible back at 9).  I didn't mind though -- I was doing so much better than I'd anticipated, and having so much fun in the process, that I was already thrilled with the outcome.

No big deal - just 12.9 miles
into a half marathon

Since my time was pretty much in hand, I even stopped to take a picture in front of Spaceship Earth, basically as a bookend to a similar photo I took during the 10K.

The girl in this photo?  She has already run 19.1 miles of her 19.3 mile goal for the weekend.  She has a blister on her foot, is having some chafing on a part of her body that I won't mention here, and literally has completely sweat-soaked every piece of clothing on her body.

And that is not a fake smile.

That girl?  She's beaming.  She is prouder of herself than she can possibly articulate.  She is feeling like a rock star -- a sweaty, sweaty rock star.

And so, in the tradition of Disney races, I rounded the corner just after this photo was taken and passed the gospel choir at Mile 13.  At that point, I stopped my music, took out my headphones, and finished without the RunKeeper lady talking in my ear.  As I approached the finish line, I don't think I stopped smiling (though the race photos may tell a different tale...).  I high-fived Mickey Mouse.  And I ran across the finish line with my arms high above my head.

A nice older man put my medal around my neck (though I had to ask him to do it) and told me congratulations.  I immediately stopped to take a photo with my new "bling" and headed on to the same basic set-up as yesterday.  Though after I picked up my Powerade, I noticed that volunteers were handing out mesh backpacks similar to the ones we got at the 2013 race expo.  This was the best thing ever, because it gave me a place to stash all of the things volunteers were handing me.  I got in line to pick up my Glass Slipper Challenge medal (the shoe! it's so sparkly!), took my finisher photo, got my bananas and snack box, and enjoyed the long slow walk to my car.

Ironically enough, the girl handing out the GSC medals actually did put it around my neck.  But it was backwards, so I had to immediately take it off and flip it around.  That's not a complaint though.  I can't possibly complain about the volunteers.  For the "payment" of a one-day WDW ticket and a thin jacket, those people gave their all to support me and more than 20,000 of my closest friends today.  If my math is correct, I believe there were 8 water stops and I took 3-4 cups of Powerade/water at each one.  That's 30 people I breathlessly thanked while running.  And it doesn't count all of the ones high-fiving us, cheering, telling us which way to go... It's absolutely mind-boggling just how many wonderful volunteers were out there.

A friend asked me this morning if I was still planning on signing up for the full marathon next year.  I told her I thought so... as long as nothing catastrophic happened today to break my confidence.  I have to say if marathon registration opened right this second, I'd jump up from the couch to get my wallet.  I talk a lot about runDisney getting too expensive for me, but this weekend really made it obvious that nobody does it like Disney.  It wasn't always wonderful, but I really had a great weekend overall.

Oh, and you know how I said I knew I wasn't going to PR?  Well...

My Race Stats:
Clock Time: 3:38:09
Chip Time: 3:08:40 **PR** (by 39 seconds)
Pace: 14:25 min/mile
Overall Place: 11,681/20,751 (almost in the top half!)
Gender Place: 10,755/19,282

My Splits (according to RunKeeper):
mile 1: 13:45 min/mi
mile 2: 13:25 min/mi
mile 3: 13:48 min/mi
mile 4: 13:25 min/mi
mile 5: 14:00 min/mi
mile 6: 14:21 min/mi
mile 7: 14:39 min/mi
mile 8: 14:17 min/mi
mile 9: 14:02 min/mi
mile 10: 13:59 min/mi
mile 11: 14:04 min/mi
mile 12: 14:23 min/mi
mile 13: 13:55 min/mi

Random Observations: 
* I will run, no matter how tired I am, if it involves high-fiving a bunch of cheering spectators or volunteers.  I love that!
* Watered-down yellow Powerade is the nectar of the gods
* If you are spectating and holding a poster, angle it toward the runners.  Otherwise we can't read it as we fly past you at dizzying speeds!
* Another argument against white race shirts (leftover story from the 10K): I ran for a while near a girl who was apparently wearing a new pink or purple sports bra under her white race shirt.  Four miles into the race, the shirt looked like it had been tie-dyed!

my shiny new medals - time to reconfigure the rack again!

Enchanted 10K Race Recap

This morning was the inaugural Enchanted 10K, and also the first part of the Glass Slipper Challenge.  Disney races have gotten too expensive for me, and I had no intention of running the Princess Half again this year.  But since Cinderella was my favorite princess as a kid (even before I had a Wicked Step-Mother of my own), I jumped at the chance to pick up the medal with a glass slipper on it.  Of course, in order to pick up that medal, I still have to complete tomorrow's half marathon.  For today, let's talk about the 10K.

pretty bright-eyed for 4am, no?

I got up at 2:15 and was out the door by 3:15 headed to Epcot.  I pulled in there right about 3:45, parked, and got along with the very important business of "hurry up and wait."  We were actually waiting close to the start line, so I was able to snap this picture and post it straight to Instagram.  Please take note of the general fluffiness of my bangs and hair feathers -- they sure didn't stay that way for long!

When the race started at 5:30, my corral (D) still hadn't moved.  It was sort of strange to go through the National Anthem (by a trumpeter -- it was awesome!) and the "official" race start in the same waiting pen I'd spent the previous hour in.  For some reason, they spaced the corrals out with ten minutes between, so I didn't actually start running until 6:00, more than two hours after I arrived at Epcot.  I wish I had realized this in advance - the extra unexpected waiting put me on tilt and I was pretty grumpy when we started.

...and then we ran out of the Epcot parking lot, out the toll plaza, around a hairpin turn, and up one of the awful overpass hills I'll see again tomorrow around mile 11.  We went under an overpass where Princess [Anna or Elsa? the blonde one] from Frozen was waving and talking to the crowd.  My reaction was pretty much "hey it's that princess from that movie that everyone but me has seen!"  And then I realized they had the snow machines out.  Though it was hot and humid, somehow that fake snow really made me happy.  The rest of the pre-Epcot half of the race was congested, with walkers and runners tripping over each other.  I ignored my intervals a lot because I kept getting boxed in.  Until things spaced out around mile 2, I pretty much just ran when I could.

My general theme today with other runners on the course was something like "Please Make Them Go Away."  I had a young teenager who was whining at his mother come to a complete stop in front of me and I yelled "woah woah woah" as I slammed into his back because I couldn't stop in time.  Another woman near me yelled at him to get on the grass if he needed to stop, and then his mother finally realized maybe she should pay attention to her kid.  I also had people stop in front of me to pose for on-course photographers -- the ones who are there to get pictures of people running the course. I may have yelled at a pair of girls who cut me off and did that.  Aaaaand I also yelled "get off the course" at the handful of people waiting to take pictures at one of the mile markers.

Yeah, not my finest hour.  But people seriously need to learn race etiquette!

Anyway, once we got into Epcot, my mood brightened considerably.  The run through the World Showcase was really nice, with music playing and lots of photo ops.  It's always interesting for me to see places I've been a million times before under different circumstances, and this definitely fit the bill.

mile 5 - this was my cheering point for the last 10K

We left Epcot through International Gateway, and ran past the Boardwalk, Swan, and Dolphin before hitting mile 5 at the Yacht Club.  You remember the  the 5-mile marker from the last 10K, right?  I couldn't resist finally stopping for my photo.

My favorite spectators of the day (aside from the guy with the sign that said, "you look HOT when you sweat") was a family sitting on a bench outside the Beach Club.  They were clapping as people passed, and for some reason when I went by I yelled "wooo" at them.  This was all the instigation they needed, and they went cheer-crazy.  I did the balled-up shaking fists of excitement completely involuntarily, and cracked up laughing.  They were totally cheering for ME!  I'm fine with pretending people are cheering just for me, but this time I totally take credit for the outburst.  It was so awesome!

We re-entered Epcot backstage at IGW and actually ran right by the trailer a friend of mine works at.  I was all of a sudden bummed that it wasn't a weekday or I'm sure he would've been out watching the crazy parade.  I considered going over and leaving a note (or sweaty butt print) in his cubicle, but I figured it was probably locked.

We ran back into Epcot next to Imagination, and then through the Innoventions breezeway, past Spaceship Earth, and out of the park backstage the same way as the half marathon.  The last .1 mile happens in the parking lot, and I managed to run about half that length, finishing with my arms way up in the air.  (no worry about sweaty pits -- at that point I don't think ANY of me was dry!)

After the finish line, I looked for a volunteer placing medals on people, but every single one was just handing them out.  So I took my medal, placed it proudly around my own neck, and headed toward the rest of the post-race stuff - Powerade, wristband (that plus tomorrow's medal are what combine to get my GSC medal), finisher photo, banana, snack box...  Before the race, they mentioned that there would be princesses doing photo ops in the reunion area, and I really wanted to stop and do that, but the sky was getting darker and darker and I had a long walk to the car and didn't want to risk getting soaked.  I'll have to take my medals over to MK one day (when I'm not dripping sweat down my face) and do "hero shots" like the ones Nicole and I did last year.

Considering the sticky weather, my generally crappy starting mood, and the inconsiderate runners, I had a really good time today.  The first half of the course was dark and boring, but the Disney folks did their best to make it slightly more interesting.  But there really is something special about running through the parks.  I wish I could do it all the time!

the 10K medal has Cinderella's coach on it!

My Race Stats:
Clock Time: 1:58:58
Chip Time: 1:28:01
Pace: 14:10
Overall Place: 4723/8964
Gender Place: 4062/7922

My Splits (according to RunKeeper, which imploded on me around mile 4 but apparently still kept time and believes my pace was 13:35 for the whole race):
Mile 1: 13:14 min/mile
Mile 2: 13:24 min/mile
Mile 3: 13:27 min/mile
Mile 4: 13:37 min/mile
Mile 5: 13:57 min/mile
Mile 6: 13:54 min/mile

The Minnie 10K that's part of Marathon weekend is still on my bucket list - mostly because I want the medal - but I think it's going to have to wait 'til 2016 since I'm pretty sure I'm going to sign up for the Marathon (!!) in 2015.  The course is worth doing again...and maybe in two years I'll be fast enough to get into a corral with fewer people getting in my way.

Oh the Humidity!

This isn't my real Enchanted 10K recap.  This is just a quick post to point out that it is February, and for the second year in a row this particular weekend is unseasonably hot, humid, and terrible.  How do I know?  Photos don't lie...

2013 vs. 2014

I actually think this morning might have been worse than last year.  After all, it was only a 10K and my face is redder and bangs more stalactite-like.  You can also see a dry spot in last year's purple shirt.  I'm pretty sure I didn't have an inch of dry fabric on me this morning!

Anyway, I figured I would do the side-by-side with today's picture, since tomorrow I'll be wearing a visor and not have bangs showing for my second Princess Half Marathon.

PS - I was so excited to be able to recycle last year's feathers! They are now hanging from my rear view mirror, so that probably means they are retired.

Nerding Out

I had a conversation with one of my imaginary "work boyfriends*" today unlike possibly any conversation I've ever had at work before.  And it all started because I didn't feel like running after work.

Me: I'm feeling pretty slackery.
Him: Is slackery a real adverb?
Me: Well, it would be an adjective, but no I think I made it up.
Him: No...pretty sure it's an adverb.
Me: Let's change the words.  "feeling pretty lazy" would make lazy an adjective.  "walking lazily" would be an adverb.

I kid you not, this went on for another five minutes, during which time the phrases "diagramming the sentence," "modifying the I," and "predicate adjective" came up; plus the merits of diagramming sentences were discussed.  In the end, he ended up emailing his teacher mother to settle the debate.

I got a text after I left work telling me her reply -- it would be an adjective modifying "I."

My reply: "neener neener."



*The work boyfriends are a long and winding tale for another time.  They are real people, but their boyfriend status is imaginary.  

During, Again

It's been two months since my "M" adventure at Old Navy and my decision to post a picture of myself in spandex pants and no bra on the internet.  (hello, creepy Googlers!)  Since then, the grocery store scale tells me I've lost a whopping 4 pounds, but my body tells another story.  Since that photo was taken, I've bought smaller pants for work and taken a smaller race shirt.  I also have a bad feeling I'm about to need to get some smaller bras...again.

Anyway, I thought now would be a fun time to revisit "during" and document my progress.  So here's two months' difference.  I don't know how noticeable the changes are to people who don't see me like this every day (which is, of course, everyone but me!), but I'm actually pretty pleased with the side-by-side comparison.

Here's to continued progress (and the future purchase of a full-length mirror so I can stop standing monkey-toed on the edge of the bathtub)!

Melbourne Half Marathon Recap

Y'all know I have trouble accepting compliments, right?  It seems once every few weeks someone uses the word "inspirational" regarding me and my running.  Every time I hear it, I kind of cringe.   Me? Inspiring anyone to do anything?  No way!  But last week I did something even I was kind of inspired by.

On Monday as I was typing up my recap from the Celebration Half, I started to feel sicker and sicker.  I still don't know whether it was food poisoning or a stomach bug... All I know is that I ended up throwing up for the first time in eleven years, and was sick for more than 24 hours.  I had a fever over 101 and the dehydration was so bad my calves and thighs were cramping up.  In short, I was miserable.  I called in sick from work for three days, though that last day was more about resting than recovery.  Friends online and at work on Friday all asked if I was going to skip the race on Sunday, and I never hesitated before explaining why I would be there at the start:

If I can't finish, then I'll hop on the van of shame.  But I'm not going to not start just because I'm worried I might not finish.  Sure, it's not as eloquent as DFL>DNF>DNS, but I said it without thinking.  I totally meant it.

So anyway, on to Melbourne...because I did go.

The race expo was small and pretty peaceful when I got there around 3:00 on Saturday.  I was easily able to navigate the separate tables for picking up my race number, hat, and timing chip before heading into the actual expo room for my shirt.  I was told they were out of XL shirts, and was offered a XXL.  I took a L instead, knowing how huge the XXL I got from Celebration was (I'm actually wearing it now - it's pretty much like a sponsored night shirt).  I was told that there would be XL shirts available at race morning packet pick-up, which seriously annoyed me.  Why was I being penalized for showing up and going to the expo?  Anyway, as soon as I got to the hotel I tried on my L shirt and was thrilled to realize it pretty much fit as well as the women's cut XXL shirt from Princess last year.  It's tight, but not unflatteringly so.  That said...

Dear Race Directors, Please stop it with the white shirts!  Do an internet search for high impact sports bras and you'll see why!

This race had I think 2000ish participants between the half and full, but it felt very small and fairly disorganized at the start.  There weren't any of those "line up near your pace" signs set up, and it seemed like we were all just kind of bunched together looking confused.  Eventually we were off across the start line (with timing mats that were like lumpy throw rugs...).

The first two miles were tough for me, not because of my exhaustion/dehydration, but because of the inconsiderate walkers spread across the course.  I know I was leap-frogging some of them, but there were some big time jerks strolling along just being in my way.  By the end of the second mile, I finally cleared the worst of the walkers and was able to settle into a decent pace.

The end of the second mile was also the point where I thought "woah...I'm kind of woozy!" I had a big handful of Craisins and continued along.  It seemed like there was at least one water stop per mile, and they were well stocked.  Unfortunately, their yellow Gatorade was full strength, and I had to mix each with a cup of water just to get it down.  And I'm not sure how to explain it - whether it was tap water or really cheap paper cups - but the water tasted really unpleasant.

One of the really cool things about this race was the on-course entertainment.  Not only were there a wide variety of local bands and DJs, but there were really bizarre acts like a woodwind trio (oboe/clarinet/bassoon, playing the Rocky theme when I passed them), an accordion group, bagpipers, and a pianist.  The pianist was at the top of the first bridge, just past mile 5.

...and let's talk about the bridges, shall we?

The race is one big loop that involves crossing two causeway bridges.  These bridges are pretty high and steep, but absolutely awesome to conquer.  Fog was so thick on the first bridge that I couldn't really see the grade - I just knew I was going up.  I did all of my intervals, but definitely slowed the pace.  And on the way back down, I let my stride open up and enjoyed the pull of gravity.  The second bridge pretty much covers most of the distance between the 11 and 12 mile markers.  Though it was clear at the bottom and the top, there was a weird fog layer halfway up.  The payoff was reaching the top and looking out over the water - blue sky above and clouds below.  It felt like I had run up into heaven.

Or maybe it just felt like I had died.  Truth be told, somewhere in that last bridge I used up my reserves.  I was getting chills and was starting to get woozy again, but I kept going.  My jog intervals were slower, but I didn't quit.  Yet.

Dan (of the Orlando Half) had long-since finished, but intersected with me right after mile 12 to take an "action shot" of me.  He pointed left and told me that's where the after-party was, and I went right.  And then realized I had to run another 3/4 mile.  I hated this part of the course with a hatred previously reserved for the hills after the Epcot on-ramp at the Disney races.  I hated the fact that scores of runners wearing medals were walking the opposite direction - some rudely in the course. I hated the lack of cheering spectators.  I hated every turn in the road.  And I hated that I had hit the wall HARD and decided to walk the last half mile.  I was so happy to turn the corner and finally see the finish, but still walked halfway before I started running again.

After crossing the finish line, a wonderful volunteer put my medal around my neck and asked if she'd see me again in three weeks at Princess (I was wearing my Princess shirt) and I talked to her for a minute while another volunteer snapped the timing chip off my shoe.  I got a cup of water, and then another, and then I wandered down to the after party...where I immediately got a bottle of water out of a kiddie pool full of ice.

The line for pizza and pancakes was pretty long, so I got a banana instead.  Dunkin Donuts were there, but their line was also long.  I decided to get in the beer line, and stood in it for five minutes before realizing that it wasn't moving at all.  So I gave up, grabbed another bottle of water, and started back up towards the parking lot.

Side note: there was no directional signage from the after party back to the start/parking area.  More than a few of us non-locals were incredibly turned around getting from one to the other.

Anyway, I guess I was a little bit bi-polar about this race.  It was awesome and horrible and exhilarating and frustrating.  I brought a lot of baggage along though, so I can't really blame them for some of my issues.  And I have to say, I was thrilled to not only finish this race but finish it only 3.5 minutes slower than my PR the week before.

I loved the bridges.

I loved the entertainment.

I will likely do this race again some day.

Race Stats:
Chip time: 3:12:58
Pace: 14:44
Overall place: 1077/1181
Division place: 103/111

My Splits (per RunKeeper):
Mile 1: 12:43 min/mi
Mile 2: 13:09 min/mi
Mile 3: 13:39 min/mi
Mile 4: 13:54 min/mi
Mile 5: 14:04 min/mi
Mile 6: 14:03 min/mi (first bridge)
Mile 7: 14:27 min/mi
Mile 8: 15:03 min/mi
Mile 9: 14:47 min/mi (chasing the elusive Gummy Bear station)
Mile 10: 15:10 min/mi
Mile 11: 14:51 min/mi
Mile 12: 15:30 min/mi (second bridge)
Mile 13: 15:34 min/mi

Random Notes:

1. Mocha-flavored CLIF shots are like delicious frosting that you squeeze directly into your mouth.  I'm not sure how it would taste if not mid-race, but was in love with this flavor!
2. The race had a gummy bear station "on mile 8," which I expected to be near the 8 mile marker.  It wasn't until nearly mile 9, and my run mantra quickly became "where the F--- are my gummy bears?" over and over again until I finally got them.  You wouldn't think three gummy bears in a dixie cup would do much, but POW! they were amazing.  I am thinking about swapping craisins for Starburst in future races.
3. I like orange wedges.

I just realized that I managed to turn a race recap into a foodie post.  Sorry about that, but I like food.  Why do you think I'm still running?

Up next: Glass Slipper Challenge - 10K on 2/22 and Half Marathon on 2/23.