Those three little letters are making me feel a lot of ways this morning. First, let’s talk about my training for Disney marathon. I totally meant to train, but you know, life was busy. I think I got a solid four double digit long runs in, up to 17 miles. Not ideal, but I thought finishing would be doable. The night before the race, I got an email that we had yellow flag conditions due to high heat and humidity. On race morning, I met up with Stacy and we waited together patiently for almost two hours until Aaron showed up just minutes before the start and we all started the race together. Miles 1 & 2 - 10:06 & 9:30 I had a hard time getting to my pace due to course congestion. I was trying not to weave, so just slowed down a little bit. I also didn’t know exactly what “my pace” for the day was going to be, just trying to settle into anything that felt easy. This part of the course is dark and fairly uneventful other than a few characters. Miles 3-6 - 9:32, 9:29, 9:34, 9:31 MAGIC KINGDOM!! I have a hard time putting this part of the course into words, but I think magical works well. The crowd support and the views, and oh that turn onto Main Street USA when I can finally see the castle all lit up with Christmas lights. I just love this part so much! I was surprised the characters only had a handful of people in line for them; knowing now how my race turned out, I regret not stopping for some character pictures! Mile 7 - 9:54 Already feeling tired, and forced myself to slow the pace down. We ran past Grand Floridian, then Emmy and Jamie were waiting for me outside our hotel, Shades of Green. I gave that girlie the biggest kiss and kind of thought about how convenient it was that I could just stop right there and be done already. But I continued on. Mile 8 - 10:00 My knees were hurting and my right foot felt a little numb and I overall just wasn’t feeling it, especially since I knew the next few miles were a little boring. I stopped at a med tent for Tylenol, and received my first X on the back of my hand in almost a decade (for medics to track the number of doses I got on the course). Miles 9-11 - 10:04, 10:00, 10:28 All I kept thinking about is how I would rather be having fun with Emmy. I did some soul searching for what I was really excited about during the course. Magic Kingdom, of course, but that was already over with. I’ve already run the Boardwalk and EPCOT in other races. I realized what I really really wanted to do was run through Animal Kingdom for the first time. I stopped for a walk break and texted Jamie to alert him to my new plan and asked him to check the course map for the first med tent after DAK. He texted back immediately with a super supportive message and 14.4 - my finish line. Mile 12 - 10:48 I actually thought I walked most of this mile. I texted a couple friends to let them know my plans, and was blown away by the support I received for the decision. Miles 13 & 14 - 11:14 & 10:51 Running through Animal Kingdom was even more fun than I had imagined! The spot where we entered backstage was the same place we entered for our wedding! There was tons of crowd support and we got to see the tree of life, expedition Everest, and the kids’ section of DinoLand. It was oh so much fun, especially knowing that I was almost to the end of my race. The sun was just starting to come out, and even though it was a beautiful morning, it was warming up very quickly. The med tent in the Animal Kingdom parking lot was listed on the map at 14.4, which means I did a really terrible job of running the tangents, since I was .38 ahead. It turns out it’s really hard to quit a Disney race! The med tent told me that if I wanted to stop, I actually had to sit and wait until the sweepers come through since it wasn’t an emergency, which was still several hours away. I took a bottle of water and thanked them, and pretended I was going to continue on longer, then snuck through the Animal Kingdom parking lot to the park buses. The first one that came was to TTC, so I hopped on, then walked back to Shades of Green from there. What an adventure that turned out to be! Total 14.78 miles, 10:07 average pace
I can’t truthfully say I’m upset with the way this race turned out. I didn’t really train for it, and honestly I’ve never had a marathon go well for me yet. But I just had so much fun during the almost 15 miles I did run! Disney races are always so magical and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of running down Main Street USA. I’m so happy I finally got to run through Animal Kingdom - that was super fun! And, most importantly, Emmy was definitely ready to go to Magic Kingdom when I got back. Her favorite things were It’s A Small World, the parade, and of course her new bubble wand. Yesterday turned out to be the best day ever!! Even though I didn’t go back to the finish line for the medal, I did technically end up with 26.2 miles on my Garmin from all the walking after the race, so I just may wear my shirt :)
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Last year when we were in the early stages of wedding planning, we gave our Disney Wedding consultant what we thought was a completely ridiculous request. After several weeks of back and forth, we were finally approved for the THIRD EVER ceremony to happen in Disney's Animal Kingdom!!! We were given very limited options for dates and times, but one in particular stuck out to me - February 26 - for two specific reasons: 1. It's my Grandpa Ed's birthday 2. Isn't that Princess Weekend?!!! If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably aren't the least bit surprised that I planned my wedding around both a race and a Disney trip. I could probably write a whole blog post about how much fun planning a Disney wedding was, including the backstage tours, meeting with our chefs in the Epcot kitchen, cake tasting, evacuating during Hurricane Irma.... But anyways, let's skip right to one of the first events of our wedding weekend - Princess 10k! We decided to go to the expo on Thursday (mostly because we were able to get Flight of Passage fastpasses on Friday). The expo started at noon, but we got there about a half hour early and were able to get right in to pick up our packets and shirts with no wait! I was surprised that we earned a spot in A corral -- that was a first for me! As is typical for RunDisney, the race started so early in the morning. We were dressed and in line for a bus by 3:40 am. The ride from Riverside to the start area was quick and uneventful. We did a few laps around the Epcot parking lot to get a 10 minute warm up in, and that's when I realized I forgot to bring a Gu with me. I had originally planned on racing this, but decided to just have fun due to the high humidity. We got to the start area wayyyy too early and had to wait before we could even get to our corral. After what seemed like forever, we watched the fireworks go off and it was finally time to start!!! Miles 1 & 2- 8:44, 8:35 The pace felt easy despite having to spend much of the first mile weaving through other people. I had forgotten how so many walkers cheat the system to start in the first corral - easily my least favorite part about Disney races. This part of the course wasn't terribly exciting or memorable. There were a couple characters and an enormous tv that I think was playing Moana. Disney has a magical way of making those boring highway miles go by fast ;) Mile 3 - 8:43 During this mile, we were able to watch a couple other corrals start. Yay fireworks! We finally reached backstage Epcot and got to the World Showcase and IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!! This is the first race I've done that went through there and I was thrilled! It is super pretty and I don't remember ever seeing all the countries lit up like that. Truly a unique experience that made the race so worth it! Running through Italy was so exciting, seeing where our first dance was going to be and looking for spots that would be good for wedding pictures. Mile 4 - 8:54 On to the Boardwalk! Did I mention I've never run here before? There were a couple small hills that took maybe 20-30 seconds to climb. I enjoyed all the spectators that were out cheering us on! IT WAS JUST MAGICAL!! Miles 5 & 6 - 8:59, 9:16, 8:07 kick pace I've never been a front of the pack runner before, so it was really special for me to experience the World Showcase and the last little bit through Future World without much of a crowd. When we ran through the UK, Jamie and I made sure to point out where our dessert party would be later that night! We stopped in front of the ball for a picture, but got yelled at by the photographer for jumping :( As always, the on course entertainment was a blast and we quickly made our way to the finish line! 10k in 55:26, 8:55 average pace
Last Saturday, I ran Richmond Half Marathon! I had originally registered for the full but it turned out training with a baby was way too much for me, and I dropped back to the half a couple months ago. I am so glad I made that decision because I achieved some huge goals in Richmond!
Jamie and I traveled with a couple of our besties, Wes and Andy. We arrived in Richmond on Thursday and stayed at the most adorable hotel ever, Quirk Hotel. We picked it because it was only a few blocks from the start line, and it turned out to be the most perfect place.
Thursday evening we went for a shakeout run and did some carb loading at Tarrant's Cafe. On Friday, we did some touristy things and went to the expo which was small and uneventful. Later that night, we laid out our flat runners and got to bed early - Emmy went to Grammy's for the weekend so we were able to sleep all night!
We woke up bright and early on Saturday, ready to race!! All 4 of us walked to the corrals together, but the half marathon started one street over. I found my way to corral C and tried my best to keep warm until the race started - it was 24 degrees at the start! My plan for the race was to hold 9:00 pace as long as I possibly could to see if I could break two....
Miles 1 & 2 - 8:57, 8:58
Off to a great start! The first two miles flew by. I was feeling good, although a little cold. There were a few sections of road construction where I had to watch my footing so I didn't fall.
Mile 3 - 8:53
My pace doesn't reflect how I was feeling this mile. We reached an overpass that was our first hill and it took everything for me to not walk. You see, my last double digit long run was about a month and a half before the race, and I wasn't feeling terribly confident in my ability to finish.
Miles 4 & 5 - 9:00, 9:06
The course went through a cute little neighborhood with great crowd support. I kept making deals with myself. I decided to finish my first gu before I would consider a walk break; I started the gu at 4.5 and took about a mile to get it down.
Mile 6 - 9:01
Part of the course did a big loop around a park, so we got to see all the fast runners here. I saw the 1:30 and 1:35 pace groups, and kept my focus on the other runners instead of my own tired legs.
Mile 7 - 8:53
Lots of downhill on this mile!! I was trying to be cautious on the hills because I had a feeling all those downhills meant we would have to go right back up....
Miles 8 & 9 - 9:14, 9:02
UPHILL. Not feeling like running anymore. When we finished the park loop, I focused on the runners just entering the park. I knew I had finished most of the uphills and the course headed back towards the river around mile 10.
Mile 10 - 8:58
I tried my hardest to hang on to 9:00 minute pace. It felt like I was slowing a lot, and I was surprised I was still on pace when I looked at my watch. I started my last gu, which ended up taking me almost a mile and a half to finish.
Miles 11 & 12 - 9:01, 9:09
I did a lot of math the last couple miles to keep my mind busy. What would my time be if I held 9:00 to the finish? Could I break two if I manage 10:00 for the rest of the race? What mile was Jamie at?
I was expecting this part of the course to be obviously downhill, but there were still some rolling hills. Mile 13 - 8:51 and 7:04 kick
A little hill, and right turn, and I SAW THE FINISH. All downhill and I flew the last half a mile! Kick kick kick! I didn't believe my watch when I saw my time crossing that finish line.
1:58:11
I DID IT!!! I went into the race not sure if I could even run the whole thing, and I ended up PRing!! The course was a little hilly (nothing compared to Pittsburgh), but I loved it! I fought so hard for that sub two and the majority of it was mental.
I had to hike back up the hill to get back to the hotel, and took a long hot shower to thaw out after that cold race. The boys made their way back after they finished - a marathon PR for Jamie and Andy - then we went out for drinks and food. The rest of our weekend was mainly focused on food, relaxing, and Cards of Humanity. What a great weekend! :) The absolute best part about going on vacation is exploring new places to run! This past week, we were lucky enough to do that in two different cities, since we were in Vancouver for Seawheeze Half Marathon, then spent a couple days in Seattle after. I ran with my phone out the whole time because there was so much to look at and I didn't want to miss anything! So... these are our favorite places that we found to run in those cities: Vancouver - the Seawall in Stanley ParkThe fact that I ran here three times while we were in Vancouver should tell you a little bit about how much I loved it :) I mean, just look at these views! We ran the entire length of the Seawall at some point while we were here. I ran three miles on Friday, the half marathon on Saturday, and two miles on Sunday. The lake in the middle of Stanley Park reminded us of Antrim Park in Columbus - one of my favorite spots at home. I loved watching the waves crash into the rocks and seeing the mountains in the distance. I also got to see many famous landmarks in the park, including Inukshuk, the totem poles, Girl in a Wetsuit, and the lighthouse. It was especially a great place to run at because of the flat, paved trail and I felt safe with so many other runners and walkers around! I'd run here all the time if I lived in Vancouver!! Seattle - Green Lake ParkOn Tuesday, we discovered this flat, paved trail around Green Lake just north of Downtown Seattle. One loop is almost 3 miles, and this place was gorgeous early in the morning! The weather was in the low 60s (about 15-20 degrees cooler than what I've been running in), and the sunshine peeking through the trees made this a perfect place to run! Bonus -- Mighty O Donuts is nearby and very delicious ;) Seattle - Discovery ParkWe noticed this park had lots of segments on Strava and decided to go for our run here Wednesday morning. If you stay on Loop Trail (the main loop around that park that is just under 3 miles), you'll have yourself a challenging trail run with plenty of hills, rocks, and tree roots. However, if you venture off to the South Beach and North Beach trails, you'll also be running millions of stairs (two days later, my quads are still burning). Once you get to the beach, the views are so incredibly worth the struggle to get there. We ended up doing 4.5 miles and were completely exhausted for our plane ride home later that day! Despite how difficult this trail was, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a challenge or to switch things up. It was such a great workout and we had pretty things to look at while we struggled through it! :D I'm so glad we had the opportunity to run in both of these beautiful cities! I'm also very happy to be home, especially now that the weather seems to be cooling off. I can't wait to see where our next running adventure takes us!!
Last week, I traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia for Lululemon's 2016 Seawheeze Half Marathon! I've had this race on my bucket list for a while, and I registered back in September - registration sold out within ten minutes and I felt so lucky to be able to do this race. During training, we received a pair of lulu shorts with an exclusive pattern, and everything we were sent before the race was Secret Agent themed - super cute! The expo was on Friday at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Lululemon sells patterns that are exclusive to this event and it's apparently such a big deal that people were lining up the afternoon before. I realize my opinion on this is unpopular, but I don't understand the hype or why anyone would want to wait in line to waste tons of money on clothes that they most likely don't need. J and I waited until later in the afternoon (when the crowds weren't as bad) to check out the expo and pick up packets. We were in line for about 10-15 minutes to get in, and the entire thing was very chaotic. There were people hoarding piles of clothes in the corners and buying things just to resell on eBay for triple the price. Yikes! The expo experience was very lackluster. I picked out two tanks directly off of the restock rack as things were being put out and also grabbed a cute headband and my race things before getting out of there as quickly as I could! The race started at 7 am, which was really 10 am for us because of the time change! We lined up with the 2:15 pacer (poor Jamie agreed to stay with me!) and started a few minutes late. I had no clue how to plan this race - I decided to take it easy and listen to my body. I ran the entire first 5k, which included one of the four big hills of the race. The first couple miles went through town, and the rest was along the water and on the seawall (my favorite!). After this point, I started walking quite a bit. The views while running along the water were so perfect! There was another gigantic uphill before the course took us out and back over a big bridge. There were a lot of people out cheering us on here, and the best part was getting to go back down that hill toward the seawall! Lululemon also had lots of fun things along the course to keep us entertained. My favorites were the group of police (their signs were hilarious!) and the mermaids. The run along the seawall was very curvy and crowded, but the views more than made up for it!! I was so distracted by everything I saw - mountains in the distance, pretty bridges, and the waves hitting the rocks next to us - that I didn't even feel like I ran an entire half marathon! We sped up a lot during the last mile and a half and crossed the finish line in 2:19:53! The finishers were herded on an uphill ramp to get our water, medals, finisher gifts (essential oils from Saje and a navy blue hat), and brunch. It took us over an hour after finishing to get all the way through this! But brunch was so delicious and so worth it!
I really enjoyed this course and I have to say it's definitely my favorite course I've ever run! However, it wasn't my favorite race because of how crowded it was and how much weaving I had to do. This is definitely not a PR race. It's a challenging course with a couple of big hills, but I think we've established by now that I don't mind a challenge :) Seawheeze was completely worth the trip from Ohio and I'm so glad I got to experience this one! Despite feeling wonderful during the race, recovering from this one was difficult for me and I felt more like I had run a marathon. Luckily, our lovely friends Lululemon treated us to a post race couples massage at Vida Spa! Combined with some foam rolling and a recovery run on Sunday, my legs were feeling back to normal in no time! I had the best time ever in Disney World! I think runDisney races are my favorite :) Ashley, Amanda, and I arrived on Wednesday and went straight to the expo, then spent the rest of the evening wandering around Disney Springs. Thursday, we went to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom! We did LOTS that day, including Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger, and saw the fireworks! We were lucky enough to get brunch reservations at Chef Mickey's on Friday and filled our little tummies with Mickey waffles. After that, we did a little resort hopping then to bed early since we had an early wakeup for the race! Getting up at 2:30 am to run a half marathon is never easy but Donald, Woody, and Buzz were so excited and ready to have fun! I had a little tiny cold while I was in Disney so combined with a few early mornings and 96(!!!!!)% humidity, I had decided ahead of time to take this one easy and just enjoy myself. I swear this race went by so fast! It didn't seem like we were in the corrals long before our fireworks went off and it was time to start. The first 3 or 4 miles were fairly uneventful, up until we got to the Magic Kingdom parking entrance. There were so many people out cheering us on for the next few miles. I got all emotional running up Main Street, USA (typical Alyssa!). Running through Magic Kingdom was the best - I loved all of the positive energy!! Before I knew it, I was back on the highway and headed to the finish line! The sun didn't come up until maybe around mile 8, but it was so humid and foggy that I couldn't see very far the entire race. I was so ready to kick butt on those couple on ramps toward the end - I ran Princess half two years ago so I knew what was coming. All of the characters and entertainment along the course, as well as the other runners and everyone out cheering us on, made me so happy that it didn't even feel like I was running. I was just taking it all in and quickly made my way to Epcot for the last mile! I had one more tiny sad moment in here when I realized Peggy Sue wasn't there, but I was all smiles at the finish line! I even took my first ever both feet off the ground running picture! I was seriously excited when I saw that and finally feel like a "real" runner. I finished in 2:17:14 - my second fastest half marathon ever!! I was eighteen minutes faster than last time I ran this course two years ago. After the race, we all showered and headed to Epcot to celebrate! It was such a fun day and I was exhausted at the end of it! We spent our last day at Disney Springs before coming back to cold, snowy Ohio. I had such a fun trip and race! I haven't been running very much since Disney because a.) it's cold and b.) my knee has been bothering me a little, so I'm trying to let that heal before I start training for my next half. The day I got back, I chopped my hair to a super cute lob and it is SO much easier and quicker. Still haven't figured out exactly what to do with it while I'm running... but I'm sure I'll find something that works soon.
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Hello, my name is Alyssa!I'm a momma to Emerson Lilly and two fur babies, a distance runner, and just a girl full of sparkle and quirks. I love traveling to races and exploring new places to run! I started this blog in 2014 as more of a journal to keep track of training for my first marathon, and I've continued to post about training, races, and other things happening in my life. Also, I'd like to be your best friend. :) Categories
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