Tinker Bell Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, January 19
Anaheim, CA
Half Marathon #99 (!!)
California Half #6
Tinker Bell Half #3
Weather - PERFECT

Thanks to the blog, I knew that we were going to have to wake up ridiculously early to get to the 5:00 am start. Like last year, we were up at 3:13 am. (!!) We left just after 3:30 and made a stop at Donut Star for a donut and coffee (for real, I might as well just copy the first part of last year's recap).

We parked at 4:11 and started the long trek to the start line. We stopped at the first set of port-o-potties we saw since there was virtually no line. We were in our corral about 10 minutes before the start. A MIRACLE!!

We actually DID go into the race with some goals:

A - Faster than I ran the Baker's Dozen this year (sub 2:48:57)
B - Sub 3:00
C - Disney PR (sub 3:08ish)

Now, it's interesting that we were looking to take SO MUCH time off our Heather and Becka Disney PR. HOWEVER, for the first time, it was just going to be the two of us running Disney without either of us being injured. So.... we started in corral A (where we belong, obviously).

I haven't had a really great run since I got back from Texas. I was thinking MAYBE we could hit our B goal, but our A goal seemed impossible. It was a bit chilly at the start and Heather had given me a throwaway shirt that I actually kept on for the first mile, which went by decently fast. We hit the first aid station around 1.5 miles in and then, we were in the park, MY FAVORITE.

We planned on stopping for ALMOST every picture, deciding not to stop only for those with crazy long lines or those characters we don't especially love (Country Bears, I'm looking at you). We had the most fun EVER EVER EVER EVER:

There were a few character pictures that didn't really come out, which was sort of a bummer, but we got a lot of great pictures anyway! I had finished a decent sized coffee before the race and really had to pee and wanted to use a real bathroom, so we stopped near Pirates of the Caribbean. Everything in the park was fun and magical. We managed to catch our friend Julia in Downtown Disney although SOMEHOW she didn't see us. Not sure how she missed us, we are the most fun and loud people ever during Disney races.

Like all Disneyland races, one of the highlights for me is the Red Hat ladies. They took up pretty much the whole section of street near the Disneyland hotel. THEY ARE THE GREATEST. Aid station just past mile 6, and then we were headed into Anaheim. And shockingly, it was still dark outside. We were well on our way to having a super speedy and great race.

Heather hasn't been running much, so she warned me that her brain might break at any moment. SPOILER: It did NOT!! I didn't especially feel wonderful, but the pace seemed ok and we were still able to hold a conversation, so that was nice. There were donuts on the course again around mile 8. The Clif station at the mile 8.5 had plenty of gels left and I grabbed a raspberry and espresso one, although I didn't actually take either one.

It's amazing how much less crowded the course seemed than in previous years. Maybe, it was because we were actually running, and we were mostly with OTHER people that were running. The sun finally started to come up somewhere between miles 10 and 11, and I put my sunglasses on around mile 12. Although, to be honest, I could have skipped them altogether.

The last mile went on FOREVER, although this course has always run long for me.

We for REAL killed our goal.

Official Time - 2:41:23
Official 5k - 38:20
Official 10k - 1:29:27
Official 15k - 2:02:29
Garmin Time - 2:41:23
Garmin Pace - 11:48
Garmin Moving Time - 2:19:58
Garmin Moving Pace - 10:14
Mile 1 - 10:21
Mile 2 - 12:43
Mile 3 - 13:01
Mile 4 - 21:39 (This obviously, was the bulk of the pictures)
Mile 5 - 13:37
Mile 6 - 11:15
Mile 7 - 10:47
Mile 8 - 10:35
Mile 9 - 10:33
Mile 10 - 10:37
Mile 11 - 10:25
Mile 12 - 10:19
Mile 13 - 8:57 (!!?!)
Mile 13.68 - 9:39

Thoughts:

• Holy cow, I love Run Disney so much!!!
• Well stocked aid stations with water and Powerade at all. Friendly volunteers! The aid stations were spaced perfectly, no issues.
• Plenty of bathrooms on the course.
• Heather and I picked The Best costumes this year, Mike and Scully might be our most successful costumes yet!
• The course changed in the park a bit this year and some of the turns seemed more narrow, sharp and awkward. However, since we were the FASTEST EVER we missed a lot of the congestion that might have otherwise made this more frustrating.
• Starting in A really seems to make all the difference. I'm hoping/thinking that next year we may be able to take off another 10 minutes or so off our PR, especially if we can continue to get more efficient in our picture taking!
• The race shirt is great this year - dark pink, and fits better than any other Disney race shirt I have. Should have a picture, but I don't. Womp.
• Heather and I are legacy Tink runners, so I will be back to run next year, of course, on the new date, mid May!

Normal (Week 1)

I kind of enjoyed doing the weekly summaries for #NotEatingAllTheThings (more for my amusement and not for yours, sorry) and cramming all the pictures from the week into one post instead of short posts more often. So... I'll just keep doing that.

Tuesday - 1 mile run at the track with A. She decided with about .15 to go that the other random guy on the track was NOT going to pass her and she took off. Fastest pace? 6:23. I died trying to keep up. We also did a 2 mile ride around the neighborhood and I did arms, core and butt/thigh videos.

Wednesday - 8+ mile run on the treadmill. I had planned on an hour, then maybe 7 miles. I felt good, so I ran longer. That's nice.
Thursday - Got up early and did the arms, core and butt/thigh videos. I left work at 12:30 and had lunch with my co-worker. Picked up A at school at 2:30 and then drove to the airport. Flight to California was uneventful. Delicious dinner of PIZZA (start of an #EatEverything weekend). We went to Yogurtland, where we briefly met up with Madison. No pictures, since I am the worst blogger ever. I feel like we went to bed early, but I already have forgotten.
Friday - Stopped and got donuts for breakfast. TASTY TASTY TASTY. Heather got an extra pass for Disneyland, so in addition to the other Heather, me and A, L and H, we had Gabs along for the ride too! Did you know that California was the HOTTEST PLACE ON EARTH on Friday?? It melted the kids in submission and they were the most well-behaved children on the planet. We rewarded the children with giant waffle cones and a trip to Build-A-Bear. We spent about 45 seconds at the expo. Bought zero things, and still SUPER DUPER UNIMPRESSED WITH THE DUMB UNISEX GIANT SHIRTS. For the billions of dollars I spend running Disney races, I would REALLY like a shirt I could actually wear again. Grrr. Dinner was spaghetti! Deeeelicious.

 

 

And the kids didn't even make it home before falling asleep...

Saturday -Disneyland 10k!! (You'll have to wait for the recap). We went to the INKnBURN warehouse sale, where I bought ALL THE THINGS. If only I had more time and money... our plan for the remainder of the day was going to the "lagoon." A fancy schmancy "beach" about a mile from Heather's house. We spent all afternoon there. Zero pictures. We had Costco pizza for dinner since the power at Heather's house was out ALL DAY. Bed early?

The bottom right neon tank was actually for someone else...

Just kidding. I took ONE picture. Not of the kids, but of the hot guy in the white swim shorts. Yum.

Sunday - Disneyland Half Marathon!! (Again, you'll have to wait for the recap). Brief trip to Downtown Disney, where I was on the lookout for a shirt for my next Disney race, but FAIL. After we all showered, we went to In N' Out for lunch. L had to leave to go back to Denver early afternoon. UNINTENTIONALLY, we went to the mall afterwards. Tried on some things at Lulu (buying nothing) and had CUPCAKES!!! Tasty dinner of hot dogs and... more beer!

Monday - Wake up at the crack of dawn to go on a 10 mile trail run with Heather on the Pacific Ridge trail. We were lucky enough for a bit cooler temperatures and some heavy fog for the first half. Turns out, most of the downhill was in the beginning as well. The second half was uphill and hot. But so pretty!! Took the kids to the pool for a few hours and then did... nothing. But, we had MORE PIZZA for dinner. I love pizza so much. SO, SO MUCH.

SOOOOO...
NO WEIGH IN THIS WEEK...

• I ate EVERYTHING this weekend. Seriously, all of the things. I had donuts - every single day. I had pizza (3 times!!!). I had In N' Out. I had candy. I had so many food items I really can't even remember what I ate.
• I had the best time visiting California. It is so much nicer to go out there and not have to just turn right around and come back.
• Also nice? Heather living the dream and not having to work while I was there!
• Social life is still non-existent. I posted a ridiculous status on Facebook and have been informed that internet dating is the new cool thing, BUT NOT THE FREE SITES. I guess I will check that out at some point.
• I am registered for double half marathons this weekend, but I think I'll skip the one on Saturday and do a 22 mile run with Hope and my new training group.

It's a Raffle!!

I am doing something different this time!

As you know, I am fundraising for Lazarex, for entry into the Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare Challenge in September.

To kick-start donations, I am going to toss in some of my own money as incentive!

Rules:

1. Obviously any donation, no matter the size, is appreciated! However, for the raffle, a minimum $10 donation is required.

2. 1 entry per $5 donated. So if you donate the minimum $10 - you get two entries! Donate $25? Get 5 entries. Easy peazy!

3.  What do you GET?? I'm doing tiered giveaways based on OVERALL donations! The prizes are cumulative, so at every new level, just add it to the list of stuff I'm giving away. NEW PRIZES TO BE ADDED, THE LIST WILL JUST GET BETTER AND BETTER!

$10+ (This tier is guaranteed!)

• ONE pair of Pro Compression marathon socks

$100+(This tier is guaranteed!)

• ONE pair of Pro Compression marathon socks
• TWO tubes of Nuun (to one winner)

$200+ (This tier is guaranteed!)

• $25 INKnBURN gift card
• 1 black Newton visor
• 1 yellow Newton visor

$300+ (This tier is guaranteed!)

• $25 INKnBURN gift card

 $400+

• $25 INKnBURN gift card

$500+

• $25 INKnBURN gift card

$750+

• $25 Lululemon gift card

FUNDRAISING GOAL MET+

• $100 Runningwarehouse.com gift card

4. Since I'm an INKnBURN ambassador, I would love for my readers to get a shot at trying out the brand. If my 15% off code BeckaToldMe isn't enough, stack $25 free money on top of that and you'll be on your way to getting a great deal on the most stylish and unique gear out there! (To be clear, I am buying these out of pocket, these are not being provided by INKnBURN for this raffle - I love the brand THAT much that I want others to love it too!)

Also up for grabs - marathon socks from Pro Compression!! Two pairs are available for two winners!! (Even if you don't win - you should check them out! They consistently have GREAT deals!)

If I raise enough, I added in a gift card to Lululemon. Everyone should have ruffles on their skirt (or, if you are a guy, it looks like their non-ruffly men's stuff is also pretty sweet.)

Source

I also thought about just giving away a pair of shoes, but people are so picky about their shoe choices. INSTEAD... I am going to throw in a $100 gift card to runingwarehouse.com - That's enough either for a pair of shoes or a large chunk of a pair. If you have never bought from them, they ship SECOND DAY AIR FOR NO SHIPPING COST. I've bought from them for years and they are top notch.

5. From now until May 1, donate for a chance to win! NEW donations from today, February 22 through May 1 are eligible for entry in the raffle. (Raffle extended - March 1)

6. This is a great opportunity for BOTH males and females!!

7. I will post weekly occasional updates with donations received for reference.

• As of February 28 - $25 in total donations
• As of March 6 - $25 in total donations 
• As of March 20 - $230 in total donations
• As of April 18 - $355 in total donations

8. Please be sure to leave me a comment on this post that you have donated so I can track. Thank you!

9. Winners must notify me via email - squirrelgirl44 (at) hotmail (dot) com by MONDAY, MAY 6 to claim their prizes! I will then get your gift card emailed to you within 48 hours OR your prize mailed to you (if applicable).

Why wait... start now! Donate HERE. 

•  Remember, your donation is tax deductible.
• The service budget for Lazarex is 83% (or $0.83 of every dollar) and annual operating expenses are 17%. Since Lazarex founders cover the cost of annual operating expenses, 100% of each dollar you raise or donate goes directly to our patient program services.
•  Lazarex Cancer Foundation builds a bridge to hope, dignity and life for cancer patients and their families. 
• They provide financial assistance to defray the costs associated with patient participation in FDA clinical trials.
• They help patients navigate their clinical trial options and provide community education and outreach services.
• They provide resources for cancer patients who’ve been told they have no other options, but who are not yet done with their journey in life and refuse to give up now.

Three Things Thursday

1. Disney

OH. MY.

If you at all had any interest in running the new "challenge" for Disney, the Dumbo Double Dare or the Disneyland half marathon, chances are you pre-registered at WDW or Tink. Or you were sitting at your computer waiting for registration to open on Tuesday morning.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, THIS WAS PURE CHAOS.

The challenge was more than 50% pre-sold due to the ability to register at the expos. The RunDisney website got completely bogged down and many people got locked out when trying to register. Dumbo sold out IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. What.

I had been hemming and hawing about whether I was going to do it, at a $280 price tag, it was... expensive. The 10k sold out shortly after the Dumbo challenge, and the half marathon sold out in 26 hours. I did NOT get in to register. Who knew that it would sell out so fast??? However... I did want to run. So, I signed up to raise money for charity again! This time I will be fundraising for Lazarex Cancer Foundation. Please check out my fundraising page here. I have a goal of $950 (which means I have a daily goal in the $3-$5 range). Anything you can contribute, as always, would be GREATLY appreciated.

2. Calves

If I go back and scan my race recaps, I have been having the "tight calf" issue for over two years now. I cannot seem to figure out the cause of it. I *do* stretch, I am lazy about foam rolling and I definitely have been watching how much water I drink. Still can't seem to fix it.

This past weekend at Tink, they were just as bad, if not worse, than ever. Since I had a short day on Monday, I went to get a deep tissue massage. They only had time to squeeze me in for 30 minutes, so I didn't get THAT much accomplished. She did say my calves and thighs were tight, and immediately asked if I had IT band problems.

I think I need to be more diligent on this. I am scheduling a longer massage for this weekend. I don't want to have to stop running/racing because I am too lazy to get it taken care of.

3. NKOTB

I know it is not running related. But I love me some NKOTB, and they announced a new tour, The Package, on Tuesday! They will be touring with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men. WHAT. Bummer that they are not coming to Colorado though :(

Maybe LA??? (J says I'm crazy for even CONSIDERING traveling for a concert).

Related:

A says to me last night, "Mom, there is a One Direction concert. CAN WE GO??" Yes. Yes we can. 

Tinker Bell Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, January 20
Anaheim, CA
Half Marathon #75 (!!)
California Half #4
Weather - Chilly at start, mild, sunny

Friday

Because I'm weird about not missing work if I don't have to (I KNOW), I scheduled the latest flight out. Which meant I did NOT leave work early. I picked A up at gymnastics, stopped and picked up Subway, and met my dad at my house, who then drove us to the airport. The terminal was the craziest EVER. Like 6 flights leaving all at the same time, billions of people, and all the agents talking over each other. Flight uneventful, A passed out.

Our flight landed around 10:30. I think we pretty much went right to bed? Well, after watching some bizarre show called "Lost Girl" - has anyone seen it? WEIRD.

Saturday

The kids actually let us sleep until like 7:45. CRAZY. Lounged around, had delicious waffles and coffee for breakfast. We decided to expo early, maybe around 10. Only Heather's oldest wanted to go with us, everyone else stayed home. Parking wasn't too bad and expo wasn't too crowded. There was nothing I saw to buy (a first).

Headed back to the house after a stop at Trader Joe's (can you believe I had never been to one?) We watched Catfish (BEST SHOW ON TV) and then had Chili's for lunch. We had to head back to the expo/Downtown Disney area so that I could pick up my bib for Team AFSP.

While waiting for the kids to eat cupcakes, I spotted Dave!

Downtown Disney was a zoo, and after a quick trip to Build-A-Bear, we headed back to Heather's. She made delicious mac and cheese and BACON. Then we finally decided to tackle our race outfits. After you see it, I know you will be STUNNED to know that we didn't really do so great in the planning department.

So I bet you are wondering...

1. DID YOU REALLY WEAR LONG SLEEVES? Yes.
2. DID YOU REALLY WEAR LONG PANTS? Yes.
3. DID YOU REALLY WEAR A SKI HAT? Yes.
4. WHAT ARE YOU??? Um. I was Adorabeezle and Heather was Swizzle. We did the best we could. (We ran with our friend Krissy, who was Vanellope)

So lights were out... early-ish. I think we had plans to be in bed by 9 or something, but I think I was still awake at 10:30.

Sunday

Alarm goes off at 3:13. 3:13!! Disney fun started at 5:00, and we still had to drive to Anaheim, park the car and get to the start. I think we were out the door just after 3:30. We made a very important stop at Donut Star, where we picked up donut holes, coffee and diet coke. Yep. 

Parked the car... um, around 4:10? Then walked (FOREVER) to the start area. We used the bathroom. Well, we had to wait a bit longer than we needed to because a girl CUT IN FRONT OF US. After Heather confronted her, she said "but my line wasn't moving." WHAT.

We saw Skinny Runner and Sandy on our way to the start line. Pretty much walked into A corral right as the gun was going off.

Goal? Fun. All of the pictures. Possibly go for a Disney PR??? Heather and I joint running Disney PR was currently 3:20ish at Tink 2012. We had warned Krissy that we were SLOW and "FUN" (her marathon PR is something insane like 3:42 - which is practically what we ran WDW half in...)

Neither Heather nor I wore a watch, so I have no clue what we ran pace-wise or where the pictures were on the course. We stopped for every single one.

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE RACE PICTURE.

We had been leapfrogging with Dave - and we finally got a picture with him (and Nadia - who is ALSO a speedy fast runner):

Heather suggests we do yoga poses... and then only I do... 

It's a Small World LOOKED AMAZING

And then the magic stopped. I think we left the Magic Kingdom around mile 6. We had a quick run through Downtown Disney, where I had to stop and use the bathroom again. We ran past the red hats - who were the CUTEST AND MOST FUN EVER.

Then it was ALL running until we finished. Boo. Other than having to stop and stretch my calves somewhere around mile 7, we actually ran the whole course. Arguably, faster than I wanted to. The second half of the course runs through Anaheim and is under-whelming. Somewhere around mile 8 or 9 I was sure I was going to spontaneously combust or burst into flames. Why on earth I was wearing so much clothes, I will never understand.

The finish this year was WEIRD, we had a weird out and back through the parking lot. LAZY COURSE PLANNING, DISNEY. And then high fiving (Daisy?) at the finish with a finish line jump that I do not think was caught on camera. (Edit: See below)

I DIE.

We collected our food boxes and then headed back to the car.

My 100th race of 13.1 or longer (and 75th half marathon) - was a success.

Run in memory of Bob (1974-2012)

Bib #2102
Overall Place - 7225
Division Place - 1381
Official Time - 3:11:22 (Disney PR for Heather/Becka!)
5K Split - 44:17
10K Split - 1:52:20
15K Split - 2:28:35

Tink and Coast to Coast Medal

• FUN FUN FUN
• Costumes are the best, but man, I need to plan accordingly. I have never even worn that much clothes to race in Colorado. I was the sweatiest human ever.
• So glad Krissy ran with us and didn't give us a hard time for being slow. She was FUN!
• The course is... just ok. The first half, in the park, is GREAT. The part not in the park? BORING.
• Fueled on gummy bears and one Clif at mile 9ish. I think I'll continue to fuel with candy, although I haven't tried it in races where I actually have to RUN.
• Disney races are really organized, we didn't run out of water, powerade and there were potties at all the aid stations. 
• Did not have the over-crowding issue we had at WDW. Even though we were SLOW, the course is not as narrow and it was not as frustrating to navigate.
• Donuts as pre-race food is great. Again, I think we will continue to do this.
• Not wearing a watch is pretty great. I kinda wish I had used mapmyrun just to see my splits though.
• Our pictures are The Best.
• Final fundraising amount - $651.00. THANK YOU EVERYONE.

After the race, we stopped at Souplantation for breakfast. Wearing bibs and medals and everything. We are hilarious. We got back to Heather's, showered, and took the kids to the pool. Then we picked up Krissy and her mom and sister and met up with #vanawesome (minus Sandy) for Heather's first trip to Pho.

It was so nice to see all my friends out there. Food and company was GREAT! We stayed a few hours, then dropped Krissy and family back at the hotel. Dinner was ordering in pizza. I can't remember the rest of the night, but I think we went to bed early, like 9:00.

Monday

Up stupid early for 7:05 flight out of Orange County. The end.

Random lessons learned:

• I don't want to fly out late Friday night for these races. It is worth taking that whole day off and coming in late Thursday.
• I also do not like flying OUT early. That was stupid. 
• I have not slept in weeks. I'm exhausted and I should sleep more.
• I'm sure there are more lessons, like not wearing ALL OF THE CLOTHES, but I can't remember what they are.

I'm totally running this one again.