Ralston Creek Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, February 10
Arvada, CO
Half Marathon #77
Colorado Half #17
Ralston Creek Half #2
Weather - COLD

When I ran the Ralston Creek half marathon last year, it was the coldest I have ever run in. I have always been saying it was 7 degrees, but looking at my recap from last year, it peaked at 18. It was not much warmer this year, I would guess upper 20's, low 30's? It was cold enough that I actually convinced L to wear long sleeves. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.

A's Girl Scout troop was planning on having a cookie booth at the race start/finish area, so she rode with us. We arrive about 45 minutes before the race started. We fueled with donut holes (for real, this is officially now a Thing) and walked to the start area to pick up our bibs and goodie bags. We immediately headed back to the car. BRRR.

We stayed in the car until about 20 minutes before the 9:45 start. I dropped A off (in full snowsuit) to the cookie booth, then got in line for the restroom. We were approached while in line to try this "new caffeine powder" inhalant. Sure. I'll try it. Mine was raspberry-ish flavored. I did not die and it did not give me energy. Wish I could remember the name of it.

Freezing cold before the start

We headed over to the start with one minute until the gun. Wheee! I started my mapmyrun before crossing the mat. With gloves and a zip pocket, I didn't want to be messing with it while running. L reminded me that the first half of the course was uphill. Yeah. I remember.

The first mile is on road through a residential neighborhood. My toes were FREEZING. I made it to the trail, about 2/3-3/4 mile in before my calves started aching and throbbing. I started running slower and L stuck with me until the first aid station, maybe a mile in. I stopped to stretch and she kept going. First race we haven't run together in ages :( I can't really blame her, I'd be super annoyed running with me too.

I had to stop and walk a BUNCH the first few miles. I kept stretching but my calves would NOT loosen up. It was also VERY icy on the course. Before I knew it, I was in LAST place. No, seriously. There was an early start for walkers and slower runners (you would be disqualified if you ran faster than 2:15, but it was suggested for those who expected to finish slower than 2:30), so I was in the group with everyone who hoped to finish sub 2:30. I have NEVER actually been last in a race. This SUCKED. There was a detour a few miles in to the race (I'm assuming because of snow on the course? Construction by the golf course? Who knows) and I finally got close to the last runner, but couldn't seem to pass her. I took a vanilla orange Roctane GU just before mile 3. It expired 2/12 and tasted a bit "off," but I am writing this a day later and I'm still alive, so obviously it is not fatal to do this.

Mile 4 and my dumb legs finally started to loosen. However, by now, my fatigue from the last two weeks of being sick had caught up. At least by now I was doing a bit more running than walking. I think I finally passed the slowest runners heading up one of the "steeper/gradual" hills. I took this just after mile 5. Gloomy skies but the mountains look cool:

We use an underpass to cross the street and then we are heading north toward the infamous switchbacks just past mile 7. I had an ok mile heading up to that part. Passed the aid station at the base and power walked up probably 75% of the hill. I knew I'd be even more exhausted if I slow-jogged up so I didn't even bother. I took this picture at the peak:

The next section of the course is BLISSFULLY downhill. I passed 2-3 runners in this section and posted my fastest mile (since probably this same mile last year) between mile 8 and 9 of 9:11. Wheeee! I slow jogged most of the remainder of the course. The sun sort of came out and started melting some of the snow/ice on the path. Aid station at mile 9.5ish I grabbed a much-needed Hammer gel. I kept in pace with another lady for a few miles, I finally passed her around mile 12. Thank GOODNESS I missed the mile marker for 11, I thought the race was never going to end.

We came off the trail at about mile 12.5 and then I knew "all" I had to run was up the street. Imagine the longest chute of your LIFE, and that is pretty much what this section is like, especially when you can barely move your legs :-/

I saw L, H and my Dad hanging out just by the chute, I think my Dad got a picture, but he never sent it. I crossed the line and was greeted with high 5's from A and the other Girl Scouts.

Bib #605
Official Time - 2:32:45 (21+ minutes slower than last year)
Official Pace - 11:40
Overall Place - 464/527
Gender Place - 259/308
Division Place - 62/69
MMR Time - 2:38:30 (forgot to stop it after)
MMR Distance - 13.71
MMR Pace - 11:33
Mile 1 - 10:12
Mile 2 - 13:08
Mile 3 - 12:04
Mile 4 - 11:46
Mile 5 - 11:43
Mile 6 - 12:38
Mile 7 - 10:33
Mile 8 - 12:39
Mile 9 - 9:11 (Whee!)
Mile 10 - 10:51
Mile 11 - 10:27
Mile 12 - 10:25
Mile 13 - 11:19
Mile 13.ish - 14:58 (includes a few minutes of standing since I forgot to stop)

Apparently, I was also a random finish line winner!:

 

How exciting, I never win anything!! We grabbed food (Mountain Dew, Chocolate chip banana bread and a chorizo burrito). I didn't drink the soda or eat the burrito but the bread was delicious. Then we did some finisher pictures:

First and only attempt at a "jump" - I think we did great!

I was approached in the finisher area - "I don't know you, but I read your blog. I was looking for a course description of this race!" Hilarious. Thanks for reading, random guy!

Ruth and I made some last minute travel plans (she is running with me next weekend in Arizona) and then we headed to the car. FREEZING. Lunch was Smashburger. I swear we felt like we had hypothermia. I sat under the heated blanket at home until I had my deep tissue massage at 3:00. It didn't really seem to help. Thankfully, I have an appointment with a "real" doctor on Thursday. I am going to LOSE MY MIND if I don't get this calf issue taken care of. For a while I thought it might be improving, but it's gotten REALLY bad. ANY SUGGESTIONS AT ALL???

Race Musings:

• Two years I have run this. Both years it was VERY cold. I'll run it again.
• Very well supported and well-marked course. I can say that for sure this year since I was dead last and did not get lost. I was alone a LOT and never had any issues.
• There were a lot of aid stations, but I think the first one must have been out of gels. Glad I had my expired GU to tide me over.
• I had Mike & Ike candy to fuel again. Delicious. Hard to get to when you have frostbite/hypothermia.
• I love that there is soda and food other than bananas/bagels at the finish.

What's New...

Because I love bullet lists:

• NOT new - I'M FUNDRAISING!! I know, I know. People are probably getting tired of hearing about it already! For now, all I'm asking for is money, I'm not going to be doing any giveaways (that may or may not change). I'm raising money for the LAZAREX CANCER FOUNDATION. My goal is $950 and I have until mid August to get the money in, so obviously no rush, but hey, I like to proactive. You can do a tax-deductible donation HERE and I'll also have a link on my sidebar until the end of August.
• I am still NOT over the zombie bird flu plague. Coughing, congestion, fatigue... it's still all there. Going on two weeks. So fun.
• Somewhat related to the last bullet. I have been going on and on for well over a year about how I'm just in general fatigued and tired and everything is so much harder than it used to be, blah blah blah. I finally FINALLY have an appointment to see a doctor next week. Hopefully this is an easy fix and I can get back into some more intense training/running.
• Sorta related: I did not have any calf issues during my half on Sunday. That's new. What else is new is that even though I "ran" the slowest pace ever (11:2x), I am STILL sore days later in my calves. WHY WHY WHY??? It's not like I was "racing" - so annoying.
• WHY do I want to get in to more training? Well... I'm not sure if there were any actual correct guesses when I posted this picture last week, so I'll give you the spoiler. I'm going back to Moab. Not for another attempt at running 100, because that would be CRAZY. However... I did sign up for the 24 hour division. So. We'll see how much I can accomplish in 24 hours.

• I sorta have a new training program. SORTA. That means that tonight, for the first time in... oh, probably a year, I will be attempting some speed work. Don't laugh, this probably means my "speed" will be somewhere in the 9:30 min/mile range. (See above, I'm still recovering from zombie bird flu plague. I've also become the SLOWEST HUMAN EVER. My "race pace" is over 2 min/mile slower than 2 years ago. WOMP, WOMP)
• Related: I'm running a very local half marathon on Sunday. Last year, it was 7 degrees. It was cold. This year, the forecast for the ENTIRE WEEKEND is snow. And THIS is why there are NO RACES in Colorado in the winter.
• Related: I am OVER winter. (Which seems so dumb to even say since we've had the most mild winter ever. Put a little snow in the forecast and I LOSE MY MIND).
• Did you know I'm also running a marathon? Next weekend? No? Well... as under trained and sick as I've been, it should be GOOD TIMES. Anyone else going to be at IMS Arizona???
• SOMEONE HEARD ALL MY COMPLAINING LAST FALL ABOUT THE LACK OF A HALLOWEEN HALF MARATHON IN COLORADO. Just added is one VERY close to my house - called the Kooky Spooky. OMG I AM SO EXCITED. Is it too soon to start planning my costume??? 
• Blah blah blah - hunger/nutrition. I hope that after my visit to the doctor, I can get back to a more vigorous schedule that will allow me to eat as much as I'm used to. I am on a minor candy kick, which I am sure is not helping. Suggestions for better monitoring food intake? Things to consider:
• I will not count calories. I have at least three apps on my phone that are capable of doing that, and I'm fooling no one. I will not do it.
• I will not "give up" anything.
• I really like salads, but they don't seem like a super cost effective lunch. Which is a bummer, because if I had all the money, I'd go to a salad bar EVERY DAY.
• Blah blah blah - the Lazy
• I have a treadmill at home. Did you know that? I've run on it less than a dozen times in the 2+ years I have owned it. It just "feels" different than the ones at the gym, so I don't use it. My recliner FACES the treadmill. I sit in my recliner and LOOK AT MY TREADMILL.
• Should I just suck it up and start using it? For walking? Running? To hang my clothes?
• Should I sell it?
• WHY AM I SO LAZY?
• A is selling Girl Scout cookies again. Well, if by selling, you mean stacking boxes upon boxes of cookies in my hallway, then yes, she is "selling." Last year, I was out of work, and we went out almost every day. This year, I've been sick and working and we haven't gone out ONCE. I'm a jerk. She wants to sell enough to go to camp this summer. Sigh.

Super Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, February 3
Colorado Springs, CO
Half Marathon #76
Colorado Half #16
Weather - Chilly but felt warmish with sun

Super Bowl Sunday seems like a GREAT day to run a race, since it is (and always has been) a fun food day for me! The Super Half in Colorado Springs would kill two birds with one stone. Run one of only THREE half marathons that exist in Colorado during the months of December-February, AND of course knock out a half I haven't run before. THANKFULLY, it looked like we were going to have some good weather. (Last year, on this same weekend, we had FEET of snow).

The race didn't start until the ungodly hour of TEN. WHY WHY WHY. The good thing, was that even with a substantial drive, I wouldn't have to get up THAT early. We left the house around 7:20, stopping on the way down to pick up Ruth. We arrived at Dunkin' Donuts for our pre-race fuel with more than an hour before the start. There were some road closures that had us taking a short detour, but we got a free metered spot near packet pick up.

I guess since the race seemed really low key and didn't seem advertised, that I expected a small turnout. Packet pickup was CHAOTIC, but pretty well organized. Picked up our bibs and long sleeve cotton shirts and then headed back in the car to finish our munchkin donut holes. SO DELICIOUS. Headed back over with about 20 minutes until the start to use the bathrooms. Pro: bathrooms were inside where it was warm. Cons: no toilet paper and clogged sinks. Ew. By the time we finished, we walked out right as the national anthem was being sung.

View from the start - Pikes Peak is back there somewhere (aka, I'm the worst Coloradan ever)

Me and L (as matchy matchy as we could get)

I really had no goals for this race. I've been sick with the zombie bird flu plague for over a week. I managed two short runs this week on the treadmill, barely breaking 20 minutes each time at a snail's pace. In addition to being completely exhausted, I've been congested and coughing every 5 minutes. Ok, so I guess my goal was to NOT DIE.

The course started in downtown Colorado Springs and ran briefly on the streets before we ended up on a nice trail. It was wide and dirt packed, and there was not too much congestion. I hadn't done any research on the course, but Ruth claimed there were four aid stations, so we would hit a total of 8 with the course being an out and back.

I wore my gloves for probably the first 15 minutes and then I got too hot and tucked them into my race belt. I was feeling... better than I expected, but not great. First mile would turn out to be our fastest of the day at 10:14 - a pace I have not run in a while (between Disney, the calves and the H1N1 I've had). The course profile showed the first half to be a gradual uphill, so after realizing I probably wasn't going to die on the course, I really just didn't want to walk at all. Had lots of compliments on my awesome INKnBURN shirt and our striped socks. One woman asked if my shirt was from a tattoo place!

I ran with my iPod for the first time since the New Years half marathon and I tried Yurbuds again (yellow ones, direct off the shelf at Target). Happy to report I didn't have any issues with the buds falling out. However, I eventually had to take one out because I could not hear L talking to me, and the bud got stuck in my ear, lol.

I was trying to keep my complaining to a minimum (L would say later that she thinks it was the quietest I had ever been during a race). Honestly, my body felt better than it had in a while, but the fatigue I've had lately had my 11ish paces were feeling SO HARD AND FAST. Blah. I was having minor GI issues, thanks to the seven layer dip I had the night before.

Fueling for this race was gummy bears and Mike & Ike, I didn't even bother with gels this time. Thanks to the Gatorade on the course, I think my candy choice was fine, I didn't feel hungry at all, that was a nice change.

The course was pretty, or at least as pretty as it can be in upper 30 degree weather, in Colorado, when everything is dead:

I was doing pretty well until about mile 11. I should have been having an easier time, with the course being more "downhill" on the way back. I was just so tired and I was having coughing fits more often than I did on the way out. My brain really wanted me to quit, but I just slogged through it and got done. Not a great time, obviously, but considering how under trained and sick I've been, and that there were NO characters to get my picture taken with, this was fine.

Trying the Heisman - is this even close??

Official Time - 2:31:08
Overall Place - 421/481
Gender Place - 205/254
Division Place - 23/31
Mile 1 - 10:14
Mile 2 - 11:16
Mile 3 - 11:25
Mile 4 - 11:44
Mile 5 - 11:50
Mile 6 - 11:14
Mile 7 - 11:54
Mile 8 - 11:15
Mile 9 - 11:05
Mile 10 - 10:57
Mile 11 - 11:47
Mile 12 - 11:04
Mile 13 - 11:25
Mile 13.27 - 11:00

Pros:

• Very well organized, decent-sized race.
• Nice course
• Plenty of aid stations, all but one had Gatorade in addition to water.

Cons:

• I actually have nothing to complain about, although I thought having a cop on a motorcycle following on the heels of the last runner was a bit rude. I felt bad for her. We were on trails, this could have been done on a bike.
• The bathroom situation at pick-up could have been a bit better. The building should have known we were coming and been stocked better with toilet paper.
• Hypothetically, the weather could be crap this time of year. February can be a very cold and snowy month in Colorado. Thankfully, this was not an issue this year!

We stopped for Dunkin' Donuts (just coffee this time around) on our way home, and Five Guys for lunch. Colorado Springs HAS ALL THE BEST PLACES.

Do Something...

idiotic challenging and fun!

Can you guess what I signed up for?

Related: Anyone wanna help me create a C2U training program?

Three Things Thursday

1. I've ran for 20 minutes this week. That's it. It's not that I'm not motivated, I was LUCKY enough to contract the zombie bird flu plague that's been going around. Outside of the time I've been at work, I've been under a heated blanket (I cannot believe I didn't own one until this week. It might be my favorite purchase EVER) in my recliner. I even slept in my recliner for a few nights. And by "sleeping," I mean passing out from taking so many medicines. I'm ready for this to be OVER.

2. I maybe, kinda, sorta have a plan. Not enough of a plan to go into any detail since it's just imaginary in my head right now. But maybe my mojo is back. And I'm excited.

3. The best "exercises" of the week:

An hour of YOGA!!

A new plank record!

Bonus musings:

• If you missed the announcement on Twitter, I threw out my shoes from CIM. They were still in the plastic bag. I didn't open it, I'm not sure if they were still damp and/or moldy. I'm ashamed it took me two months to do this. I'm the worst.
• No more half-assing costumes for Disney! My shirt arrived on Tuesday for one of our Dumbo costumes. SO EXCITED ALREADY. I should probably contain myself a bit since it is 7 MONTHS AWAY (FROM TODAY!!)
• A is on this kick where she is reading "Made In" labels on EVERYTHING. Toys, clothes, etc. She wants to know why EVERYTHING is made in China. I say, remember that awesome brand INKnBURN? THEY are made in the UNITED STATES. She says, "I need something from them, I don't have anything made in the United States." Kinda sad.
• For the first time in longer than I can remember, I didn't drink a soda. (Yesterday). This wasn't really intentional, and it is certainly not going to be a trend. Just weird.
• Re: weight loss/nutrition. Apparently the zombie bird flu plague can help! I am down a few pounds this week as a result of my soup diet. WHEEEEE!
• I'm supposed to be running a half on Sunday. Wow. I'll probably die of exhaustion. I'm the most tired human EVER this week. And I don't even know what I'm going to wear!! The race is called the "Super Half" - because it is on Superbowl Sunday. Not sure if it is themed race. Since the Broncos aren't going, I don't care who wins, although I really like the name Flaccccccco. Just sounds fun.
• I need help/ideas for fundraising. I'm guessing my constant tweets asking for "just THREE DOLLARS A DAY" aren't doing the trick. Not sure I can pull off another awesome giveaway. My singlet for Lazarex already came in the mail so I guess I'm officially part of the team! You can donate HERE of course.
• Did I already mention I'm hatching a plan? If the stars align...

Super Exciting News!!

If you don't currently stalk me on Twitter or Facebook, you may not have heard that I was one of the INKnBURN ambassadors chosen on Friday. WHAT. I feel like I won the lottery!!!

I'm so incredibly honored and excited to be part of the INKnBURN team. I can't wait to see what is in store for me this year! If you aren't already familiar with them - check out their website!! There is so much awesome there, and it is all made right here in the USA!!

INKnBURN ambassadors

With that said... being accepted as an ambassador finally seemed to "mentally" get the motivation going. I'm part of a pretty amazing group of people! And then... I came down with YET ANOTHER cold over the weekend. So instead of getting out of my lull I've been in, I was coughing and sneezing and in bed pretty much the whole weekend. Is it my imagination or does it seem like there are WAY MORE SICK PEOPLE this year??

In other random:

• I had another massage yesterday. Again, I was told I'm incredibly tight and that I should foam roll more often. WHY AM I SO LAZY ABOUT THIS?
• I'm supposed to be running a 1/2 on Sunday. I guess I'm glad it was not this weekend, since I can't even breathe right now.
• I registered for the Colfax half marathon. It is one of the bigger half marathons in Colorado, and I've never run it, so I'm pretty excited to be in town to run it this year (at the expense of NOT doing something elaborate for my birthday this year).
• Remember all the Disney madness with the Dumbo challenge selling out in less than an hour? I'll be posting my fundraising link on a pretty regular basis. This time, I'm raising money for Lazarex - you can read more about what they do on my donation page - HERE.

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.