NYC Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, March 20
Half Marathon #25 (State #23)
Weather - Sunny, Windy, Very low 30s

As soon as we heard about the NYC half marathon, we knew we wanted to do it. However, like most of these races... it is a lottery system that determines whether you are in or out. We put in our registration in June and didn't find out until December that we were picked. Well. Actually, *I* was picked. L was NOT selected. Luckily, we had done our research before registering, and I was able to convince a woman at NYRR that we HAD to both go. She claimed she could not guarantee anything, but was kind enough to squeeze L's registration through. So... off to New York.

And what REALLY makes this race even more special? Race day falls on the anniversary of the very first half marathon we ever ran! 3/20/10 we were at the start line of Canyonlands Half Marathon in Moab, Utah. One year later, and we are set up to race our 25th half marathon??? Hard to fathom how far (and how crazy) we have come :D

Anyway... in typical B & L racing... there was going to be some logistical issues. If you haven't been to NYC lately, let me tell you that it is expensive. We didn't want to have to stay in the city more than one night. As much as we enjoy adventure and being out of town, we also don't like to leave the kids longer than we have to. Finding an affordable flight to La Guardia was a bit of a struggle. And we weren't able to find one direct. What THAT meant is yet another red eye. Blah. So our adventure begins at 1:00 am on Saturday...

I can't sleep on a plane. Neither can L. We can, however, sit there twitchy and uncomfortable until we arrive at our layover location, Detroit. We get there EARLY (before 6 am). We find the only (and most incompetent) Starbucks in the airport. After 30 minutes we are armed with coffee and hang out at the gate until our flight leaves. Flight to New York is fairly uneventful.

We land, on time, and have no trouble getting a cab to take us to the expo. Although we didn't discuss it until later, L and I both had minor bouts of nausea and we were both super relieved to arrive at the expo without vomiting. (I blame the lack of sleep. Being up for over 24 hours isn't good for anyone).

First NY cab ride!!

I imagined the expo to be huge and exciting. It was neither. We were in and out in less than 20 minutes. And then we had HOURS to kill until we could check in to our rooms.

We figure that a good way to kill time is to walk slow and to do some sightseeing...

Then we see the Empire State Building!!

We decide that's a MUST while we are in the city, and since we are already there, we head that way. Just GETTING to the top took longer than it did to look around once we are there. FYI, the "cheap" ride to the top takes you ONLY to the 86th floor. If you want to go all the way, it was something like another $20 a person. We decided that 86 floors was plenty high enough. Here are some pictures of the view. It was a nice day, but VERY windy that high up!

In the distance you can see the Statue of Liberty

We then continued walking, and soon we were headed into the heart of Manhattan! We didn't even go in, but I just HAD to take a picture anyway:

By the time we got to Times Square we were RAVENOUS. Planet Hollywood seemed like just as good a place to eat as any. They told us the wait was 5-15 minutes. 45 minutes later, we finally were seated. And had a ridiculously expensive side salad, but a super awesome turkey sandwich made up for it. YUM.

Times Square

It was a little chilly and windy out, and we killed time by going in stores. A lot of time was spent in the Swatch store. Man, I miss the 80s sometimes! We checked out the cheesy souvenir shops and wandered around until 3:00 when we headed over to our hotel. We were able to check in, and EXHAUSTED, we took a nap until it was time for dinner.

In case you hadn't noticed it about me and L, we are creatures of habit. So we were PSYCHED to find an Applebee's only a ten minute walk from our hotel. Score!! We of course ordered the same thing that we always do, but it was about three times as much money. Guess we were paying for the experience too :D

After dinner we decided to walk around a bit more:

We stopped at a small shop on the way back to the hotel where we got our beverages (I had to settle for a can of Coors Light). The plan was to go to bed as early as possible... However, I had been suffering from a nasty head cold for a few days, and I really wanted to take some Nyquil before bed. I had to wait until at least 9:30 (4 hours between cold medicine doses).

I normally don't sleep that great the night before the race. Probably a combination of NO sleep the night before and the cold medicine, and I slept pretty good. Except for waking up in the middle of the night with a nosebleed...

Race Day


Alarm goes off at 5:15. The race doesn't start until 7:30. We take about 30 minutes to get ready, and we needed to take a cab to the start line. Unsure of how traffic would be, etc., we always like to be a little early.

What better race to wear this outfit??

It takes us a few minutes to hail a cab. We are NOT professionals. I have only been in a cab a handful of times in my life. It's not as easy as it looks. The driver luckily knew where we needed to go. I had said "96th near Central Park" - which was apparently not good enough :D

We were dropped around 6:10, and we had some time to kill until we had to drop off our gear. It.Was.Cold.

BRRRR!!!!

We were wandering around outside Central Park, when we noticed that a medical center across the street was letting people wait inside. We hung out inside as long as possible - until 6:40. We had to drop our bags by 6:45. I did NOT want to give up my jacket and sweats. For the first time, I really really REALLY considered NOT dropping it off. It was insanely cold. I want to say the coldest I have ever been at the start of a race. And that is saying a lot since I've raced in Alaska! Stupid as it may be, we both shed our outer layers and headed to the corrals and bathrooms. There were at least a jillion port-o-potties, and it only took about ten minutes to get through the line. We just could NOT get over how cold and windy it was!! We were hoping that once everyone was huddled in the corrals it would get warmer, but it never really seemed to help! I was freezing from head to toe, and just wanted the race to start!!

From the starting corral

Waaaaay back in corral #10

Me & L

Minutes before the race is to start

Finally, the race starts. Only... we are WAY back. So it takes us about ten minutes to work our way to the starting line. Moving helps warm me up, a teeny tiny bit. My calves and shins feel frozen solid, like I am trying to move on a peg leg. We get to the starting line, and take off, trying to stay as far to the right as possible. Although it was crowded at the start, I didn't find it that annoying trying to keep/find a pace. It was a pretty narrow area, and part of the roadway was blocked off for normal pedestrian traffic.

The first half of the course was run through Central Park. It was REALLY pretty, and there were TONS of spectators. The first 5 miles was one big loop, and then the next 3 was a repeat of the beginning of the course.

The first few miles I was feeling really good. There seemed to be a lot of aid stations, the cooler temperatures that had been so annoying earlier felt good to run in. I had found a good pace. As is turning out to be typical in my racing, I started to feel like I needed to use the bathroom around mile 4. It wasn't that urgent and since there were lines for all the bathrooms at the aid stations, I figured I could hold it until we came full circle to where we started and I knew there were a lot of them.

Around mile 5.75 I saw some a bit further off course but with no line, so I headed that way. Not sure how off course it was, or how much time it took, but of course I felt better. We had been told that the first half of the course was harder and "hillier" and I was looking forward to getting out of the park and seeing some new scenery.

Central Park

Central Park

Just before mile 8, we exited the park and headed toward downtown NYC. We were running down 7th, and there were TONS of spectators. It was pretty exhilarating to run through this section of the course!

Approaching Times Square

Times Square

Just before mile 9, the course veered off 7th onto 42nd street. And that is when the wind REALLY seemed to pick up. It was cold, and the field had thinned a bit. I was on the left side and with no one to block me, I was freezing.

There was a weird U-turn on 8th, and then we headed down along the Hudson River toward Battery Park. It was pretty chilly running along the river too, but it was a clear and beautiful day.

My legs were still feeling pretty good, and I didn't feel  nearly as tired and out of shape as I have the last few races I've run. It helped that there were a lot of aid stations. Those quick walk breaks help a TON!

Aid Station around mile 11

We ran past Chelsea Piers, and then almost before I knew it, there was almost a mile to go. I was starting to feel fatigued, but I'd been chasing this girl for a few miles, and I just wanted to beat her across the line. I probably felt better in that last mile of the course than anywhere else.

Crossed the line, and felt GREAT!! So happy to be done!

Just crossed the line - ahead is the Financial District

Official Time - 2:05:14

Overall - 5952/10201

Gender - 2485/5440

Division - 546/1640

5K Split - 28:34

10K Split - 59:50

15K Split - 1:29:28

20K Split - 1:59:03

Official Pace - 9:34

Garmin  Time - 2:05:16

Garmin Distance - 13.32 miles

Garmin Pace - 9:24

Mile 1 - 9:08

Mile 2 - 8:38

Mile 3 - 9:10

Mile 4 - 9:30

Mile 5 - 9:09

Mile 6 - 10:35 (bathroom)

Mile 7 - 9:45

Mile 8 - 9:02

Mile 9 - 9:23

Mile 10 - 9:49

Mile 11 - 9:32

Mile 12 - 9:22

Mile 13 - 9:10

Mile 13.1 - 8:06

Like in most races, they were announcing people as they crossed the finish line. I had only walked a few steps when I heard the name "Hugh Jackman" and I hung back hoping I could see him. Security pulled him off before I saw him, but I ran 38 seconds faster than he did... take THAT, Wolverine :D

Then came the struggle of finding L. In a race this big, with this many spectators, it's a little scary trying to find her. Luckily she is like a girl scout and "hugs a tree" as close to the finish as possible. We were both freezing and headed to bag drop to get our stuff. I was so cold I could barely put my jacket and sweats on!

Closer view of Statue of Liberty

View from Battery Park

Finishing area

We saw a Starbucks and immediately got in line. 40 minutes later we were enjoying our Cocoa Cappuccinos. We had to be out of the hotel at noon so we didn't have too much time. I did want to see Ground Zero before we left though.

Nothing was marked, but we think part of the above construction is where the World Trade Center was. It was pretty eerie being there. Due to all the construction, it took us quite a while to get a cab again. We finally caught one and got back to the hotel with enough time to shower and check out ONLY 8 minutes late!  We had a few hours to kill until we needed to head to the airport. You know what that means... POST RACE FOOD!!

We never really did warm up after the race. We were carrying all our luggage around, and doing more shopping, and after a few hours we decided to just head to the airport.

The only real problem at La Guardia?  No place to get a burger... there was one sports bar and they only had Veggie burgers??? Seemed Un-American to me. We settled for a salad to hold us over until  we got to Chicago. As in most of our travels, the very end of the journey ended up being the drama. Our super late flight (we were supposed to land after 11 pm) was delayed almost 2 hours. Due to "maintenance" our flight didn't land until after 1:00 am in Denver.

Long.Day.

So... NYC was a great experience. So fun, and I am so happy we got into that one.

Half #25... COMPLETE!

Foto Friday

I doubt this is all P90X... but I'm sure it is helping. Two weeks on the program.

Photo #1

Photo #2

I'm NOT sucking in, and the jeans ARE buttoned. :D

Also, I am the same weight I have been for months, still hovering between 114 & 115. So no weight loss, just toning.

I haven't ever been one to keep track of "inches" and "measurements"though.

Gotta say... I feel great though!

Happy Friday!!

The Good and The Better (Twofer Tuesday)

1. Luckily what has worked for me in the past worked for me again. I managed to get in to see the doctor Friday afternoon. Briefly explained the problem, I suggested we start with the same prescription I've had in the past (muscle relaxers). It took about 48 hours, but I'm back to normal (after sleeping literally 80% of the weekend).

2. P90X is continuing to kick my butt. I cannot believe that a home DVD is actually THIS good. As I have already said, I'm not doing it to lose weight (I've been at my same weight for years), I'm just trying to get a little more toned, and a little stronger. I have to say that I think it's working... I absolutely am NEVER sore after lifting weights on my own. Almost every morning I've woke up thinking... "Wow. I hurt." I like that.

Think I should add that I'm still continuing my normal gym/exercise routine, and that I'm attempting to just ADD P90X into the mix. I'm not sure if that is good or bad... I'm only on week 2 of the P90X program.

Happy Tuesday!

P90X (or how I discovered I'm ridiculously out of shape)

So I just started week 2 of the P90X program. And I am SHOCKED at how hard this is. I have always considered myself to be decently strong and in pretty good shape. Then I tried this nonsense. There have been a few days I could barely get out of bed. A day where coughing made my abs ache.

This means it must be good. The workouts are varied enough that I don't think that I will get bored of it. Last night I did the Kenpo X video, and A joined me for the first 20 minutes or so:

I'm really looking forward to the day when I can:

• Actually do a real overhand chin up. I haven't been able to do that since I was in 6th grade.
• Complete all reps in the Ab Ripper X DVD
• Do all the push ups. All.Of.Them.

Anyone else do this program? Do you like it? How long before it doesn't feel like you are a Biggest Loser contestant doing your first "Last Chance Workout?"

Been a lazy blogger...

I used to blog almost every day. Now I'm barely getting in two a week. And even that is because one is usually a race recap.

I don't think it is just writer's block. I think I'm just getting tired of blogging? Or I'm uninterested in what I'm blogging about? I don't know. It's been this way for a while.

Anyway.

Nothing much to report here. Running this week went pretty good AFTER the race. I did two 8+ mile runs (Monday and Wednesday) and a fast (for me) 30 minute run at 9 min mile pace yesterday.

I've also added P90X to my training. Man. That stuff is intense! It's super hard! The first time I did the Ab Ripper X DVD my abs were aching for days. I've only done about a week of it, but I think it is a good mix of cross training to add to my pretty boring training schedule.

However.

I seem to have pulled a muscle in my neck/back. I have a doctor appointment this afternoon. This type of thing used to happen every 6 months to a year, although my doctor would claim they were mini "episodes" of my MS. I don't agree. I checked my last prescription, I haven't been in since October, 2008. Anyway, we'll see what they say.

That Dam Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, March 6
Half Marathon #24 (Repeated State)
Weather - Partly Cloudy, low 40's, breezy

The inaugural "That Dam Half Marathon" had only 159 registered runners. I really don't like to run in that small of a field (although I didn't know it would be that small when I signed up). I have a hard time pacing properly, and I'm much more likely to suck and run slower.

This event is part of the "Run Denver" five race series. Only this race (the final of the five) has a half marathon option. So... with that in mind, there were a few issues in my opinion with the race.

1. The website gives VERY limited information about the start, the water/aid stations, the course map. We had a hard time figuring exactly WHERE we were supposed to park, how often the aid stations would be, and the course map was a broken link on their website. The series is on Facebook, and they answered my questions about the water/aid stations pretty quickly, so that was a help. For next year, they might want to provide more detailed information. Most people running a half would like to know how far apart water stations are, if there are port-o-potties on the course, and what the elevation & course look like!

2. Port-o-potties. Even though there were only 159 runners in the half, there were close to 450 in the 5K option. Not to mention all the spectators and volunteers. There were only 6 potties at the start. A few more would have been awesome.

3. Schedule of events. The kids run was at 11:10... so smack dab in the middle of the half marathon race. Apparently the kids were BARELY out of the way by the time the winner came to the finish line. Also, the post-race food/beverage was limited by the time we were done. And the people who took even longer than me? Well... they weren't getting anything.

But... other than that, the volunteers are great, and they put on a good race.

Now... Rewind.

Of course we did the same thing for dinner. Applebees!!

Tasty Salad

Three Cheese Chicken Penne!

Tasty Dessert!

I also carb loaded with beer. I actually had two Bud Lights. AND... I stayed up past midnight! Which was ok, since the race had a late 10:00 start. I didn't even need to get up until 8! Even during the week I am up earlier.

We got ready, left the kids with R (he would be bringing them down in an hour for the kids run and to watch us finish). And drove down to Cherry Creek Reservoir. The drive only took about 30 minutes, and we were parked about a block from the start line by 9:00. We made our first bathroom stop, picked up our bibs, and then sat in the car. It was a bit windy, but 40ish degrees is perfect racing weather!

At about 9:35, I noticed that the lines for the port-o-potties already looked kinda long. We ditched our sweatshirts and headed over. Got through the line just a few minutes before the gun went off.

Me & L

And... I made a rookie mistake. I had set the GPS on my Garmin about 10 minutes before the race started. But I forgot to double check it before the gun went off. I ended up having to do an abrupt stop to restart the stupid thing. Curse you Garmin... And that set me off on sort of a bad start...

As I said, I have a hard time running in a small field. The half marathoners started about 5 minutes before the 5K, and the first 2.75 miles are along "Dam Road" over the reservoir. At the first mile marker I noticed I was going WAY too fast. I think it was because I was trying to "catch up" from my clumsy start, plus... we were running against the wind. I was working HARD! I tried to slow down, and right as I got to the fist water station/5K turnaround, I already felt tired. I was pleased that the 5K front runners didn't pass me until the turnaround.

The day was overcast, and running adjacent to a reservoir is BORING. The next aid station was at 2.75 miles. We had to make a weird 180 and then we were headed west on Cherry Creek Trail (I think). 

Chased her for a bit, she ended up SMOKING me (to the left on the hill is the Dam Road we had just run on)

Everything seemed to be going a bit better. The wind had died down. Then... we hit the section just before mile 4. A ridiculously huge downhill. Oh crap. All that means to me is that I have a huge UPHILL on the way back. I wasn't even able to enjoy the downhill... too annoyed and stressed over having to run back up it later.

Another water station around mile 4.25. We had been told there were four total aid stations on the course. We would hit them all twice since we were running an out and back. The winner ran by me just before mile 5. He didn't even look like he was breathing hard!

The course was on a nice, paved trail. There was a lot of foot traffic unrelated to the race and people on bikes. But since there were so few of us racing it never presented a problem.

I kept waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for that next aid station. It didn't come up until about the 10K marker... (or about a 1/2 mile before the turnaround). They handed out GU and even though I had just taken mine, I grabbed one. Tri

The way back was BRUTAL. I had fell back in the pack quite a bit. There were a few women I was "chasing." And by chasing, I mean struggling VERY hard to not lose sight of. I managed to keep going until about mile 8. I was exhausted. I have not had to take a walk break (outside of an aid station) in a race in about 6 months. My heart was RACING and I knew I had a tough section of course coming up. I probably took 3-4 walk breaks over the next mile or so. I was just so tired! And that huge uphill? Just as terrible as I imagined. Made even worse because when I had to walk it I was just behind a lady walking a creepy midget gremlin-like dog that was hopping only on its back feet and was wearing a pink sweater. I swear I did not hallucinate that.

I was PSYCHED when I got to that aid station at the start of the Dam Road. I took this quick picture after slamming my Gatorade. Would be really pretty if it was spring and the sun was out.

My only goal for the last 2.75ish  miles of the course was to run the whole thing. I just sucked it up and stared at what I knew was the finish area. Another crappy thing about this course... I could see the finish from 3 miles away! Talk about discouraging. And there were not many of us at this pace. There were a few women that I had been following for miles, and really, I wanted to pass at LEAST one of them...

I still have something left!

I spot the kids AND I smoked her!!

I am relieved to be done with this race. It was a lot harder than I expected.

Gun Time - 2:10:11
Chip Time - 2:10:01
Official Pace - 9:56
Overall - 95/160
Gender - 36/81
Division - 11/24
Garmin Time - 2:09:52
Garmin Distance - 13.15 miles
Mile 1 - 8:25 (TOO FAST!!)
Mile 2 - 9:19
Mile 3 - 9:37
Mile 4 - 8:59
Mile 5 - 9:34
Mile 6 - 9:33
Mile 7 - 10:31
Mile 8 - 9:58
Mile 9 - 11:10
Mile 10 - 11:12
Mile 11 - 10:26
Mile 12 - 10:11
Mile 13 - 9:28
Mile 13.1 - 8:26

Finishers!

We grabbed one of the last few chocolate fondue platters from the Melting Pot, a "goodie" bag (toothbrush and chapstick) and a few Powerades. By the time we were done eating (for people finishing in around 2.5 hours), all the vendors were tearing down their tents. I felt bad for the slower finishers. Especially since they also ran out of finishers medals!

Foto Friday

I figured I'd post some pictures from my February Marathon:

And A's first 5K:

And the Disney Princess Half:

Facts About February

Miles Run - 100.69
Races Run - 4 (1 marathon, 1 half marathon, and a four mile race, and an untimed 5K)
PR's Set - 2 (shave 4.5 minutes off my 4 mile time with a 35:25, and 14 minutes off my marathon time with a 4:28:15)
Minutes of Planks - 23

I didn't run as much in February as I had planned. I took a few extra rest days at the beginning of the month to recover from a severe cold. And then of course, took an extra day off after the marathon. All things considered, I'm pleased with the amount of miles I squeezed in.

Overall, I had a pretty awesome month! I was pretty nervous about running my second marathon since I was going to be traveling and running alone. It went FANTASTIC! And although I didn't have the best race for the Princess Half, I got to experience running with A for her first 5K, and that was truly priceless.

Disney Princess Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, February 27
State #22/50
Half Marathon #23
Weather - Hot. Humid. Blah.

2:59 came super early. Shuttles from the hotel stopped running by 4:00 am. The resort offers a babysitting service, and she was scheduled to arrive by 3:30 am. We got dressed, and the sitter arrived a bit early - around 3:20 am. We were out the door by 3:35 and walked over to the lobby to catch the shuttle. There was a jillion people in line, but luckily they provided quite a few buses and we didn't have to wait that long. Checked the weather on the bus. Oy.

The bus dropped us off at the finish line, which was about a mile from the start line. We didn't have any bags to drop, but I did want to meet up with the Half Fanatics for the group picture. By the time we sorta figured out where we needed to be, it was already 4:30.

Princess Snow White

The picture was supposed to be at 4:45 in front of the stage. I kept wandering around trying to find it... Luckily Dave is pretty easy to spot. We did a quick group shot - I actually look normal!

We were getting yelled at by volunteers to get to the start line. We were thinking... how long could it possibly take? The info said 15-20 minute walk. Well... there were a jillion people. And we were all trying to get one place at one time. Giraffy says it was a mile walk, and it took close to a half hour.

Quick stop at the bathroom. By now it was 5:15. Then we still had to get to our corral which took another 5-10 minutes. We lined up in the back of Corral B. As we were standing there waiting for the race to start, L told me the girl next to us looked familiar and thought she had seen her in Bermuda. She asked her, and sure enough... she was. Small world.

Me and L

The start line was absolutely INSANE. Our corral was due to have a 5:53 start time.

People everywhere!

Fireworks went off, and we were on our way. Well. Sort of. This race is a perfect example of what I don't like when I run. I don't like getting "stuck" at someone else's pace because I can't get around people running slower than I want to pace. The first miles was trying my best to dodge around people and get to a comfortable pace. Didn't really work. The first mile was about a minute slower than I normally run. My goal was to get done as soon as possible before it got super hot. As you can tell, my outfit is SUPER awesome. However... it is also made out of polyester and I was boiling in it.

One good thing about this course is that there were NINE aid stations. AWESOME! I knew it was going to be hot, and I like walking the water stations. The first one was actually right before the first mile marker.

Now keep in mind, we started racing before the sun was up. The first few miles were in the dark, so I really felt like I had to be aware of my surroundings. I kept trying to run in the grass next to the road to pass people but it was hard to run on and was hilly, so I had to just suck it up and run slower.

Mile 3 - Princess Ariel

The next aid station was at about mile 3.5 and I needed it. Bad. I was sooo tired and dehydrated and hot already. I was starting to get concerned. At least in a race like this, walking wouldn't be the WORST thing in the world (but it would be close). I really wasn't feeling well, and by about mile 4 I had to stop at the bathroom. Next aid station was about mile 4.5. It was about that point that I decided that I would go ahead and stop to have my picture taken with the characters. I mean, why not. If nothing else I could stop for a few seconds and catch my breath. (Have I mentioned I was absolutely MELTING in my stupid polyester costume??)

Princess Tiana

Woody and Bullseye

Cinderella's Carriage

Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming

The stops seemed to help, and I started to feel a little better. Even with the stops, I still was moving at an ok pace. Once we got out of the Magic Kingdom, we got back on a narrow road. Ran past the firefighters for Disney, and then back out on the open road. Just before mile 8, I spotted the other L, and I tried to speed up a bit to catch up with her to say hi. She and her friend, B (ironic, right??) are also running 50 half marathons in 50 states!

Pocahontas

I'll call this "Disney Dudes"

Pirates of the Caribbean

I don't normally run with anyone, but L was struggling a bit too, and between talking with her and doing the pictures, a few miles of the course actually went by decently fast.

Pain & Panic

Around mile 11.5, L said she was going to walk for a bit, and I was on my own. There was an aid station just ahead and I was sure it was going to be the last one on the course. I walked a bit longer than usual and then headed up the overpass headed into Epcot. I was pretty happy when less than a mile later there was another aid station. Man, I can't ever remember being so exhausted in a race!

Phineus & Ferb

Once I was inside Epcot I really tried to kick it up a notch, but I was just so hot and tired I really had nothing left in me. Then the lady announced - "only a quarter mile to go!" What??? I showed that we should almost be done :(

I don't know if it was all my weaving in an out of people or what, but the course measure LONG for me. The race ended the same place as the 5K did, and I have not been this happy to see a finish line in a long time. I find L almost immediately, and she was impressed I hadn't burst into flames and ripped the costume off mid race. She really expected me to cross the line in my bra and compression shorts. LOL.

Official Time - 2:13:36
5K Split - 29:28
10K Split - 1:04:06
15K Split - 1:35:45
Overall Place - 2105/13091
Division Place - 351/2113
Garmin Time - 2:13:37
Garmin Distance - 13.29 miles (!!!!)
Mile 1 - 9:43
Mile 2 - 9:22
Mile 3 - 9:09
Mile 4 - 9:41
Mile 5 - 10:46
Mile 6 - 10:49
Mile 7 - 11:05
Mile 8 - 10:38
Mile 9 - 9:30
Mile 10 - 10:49
Mile 11 - 9:48
Mile 12 - 9:48
Mile 13 - 9:35
Miel 13.1(ish) - 8:17

After the race we grabbed our goodie bags (Luna protein bars!!) and headed to catch the shuttle back to the hotel. We arrived just before 9:00 and the sitter said A had been very good and had only been up since about 7:30. We took quick showers and then took A to the pool for about an hour. Just as we were leaving the pool area, we ran into Giraffy who was SUPER PSYCHED about her first half marathon finish.

Somehow we were all able to be out by 11:00 (we were not able to get a late check out). Giraffy still had a day left on her pass so she was headed to Epcot. We were starving and headed to get food. We figured that we would have more options if we went to Downtown Disney. We found this cool place with dinosaurs and decided to eat there.

So. This place is called "T-Rex Cafe." They call it family oriented and "interactive." Well. What I call it is loud and not the place to take someone prone to seizures. The service was slow, it was chaotic, and we had to endure three "meteor showers." But the burger? FREAKIN FANTASTIC:

After we finished eating we had about an hour to kill before we needed to head to the airport, so we walked around Downtown Disney. This dragon is made completely out of Legos!

A finally got the face painting that she had been begging for (and it was WAY cheaper than what we were quoted at Disney).

We headed to the airport just after 2:00 and dropped off the rental car. Our flight left at 5:00 and was pretty uneventful.

I had an awesome trip with A and it was great to see Giraffy again!

State #22? Complete.