Disneyland Part 3: Star Wars 10k

After an amazing time at the Star Wars 5k, I couldn't wait to tackle the 10k course! On Saturday, January 17, I woke up again at 4am to prep for the 5:30am start. I chugged some water (so glad I got the 24 case of water from CVS), enjoyed the first half of my Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt KIND Bar (6PPV for whole thing) and prep my costume!

Oh and of course the pre-run photo. Didn't my wife do an AMAZING job with my Chewbacca costume? It is absolutely amazing!!

Like the 5k, we headed out to the Start Area at 4:45am. This time the wife would be running as well. She was bracing herself for Race 1 of the Rebel Challenge. While I made my way to Corral A, I dropped the wife in Corral E (last corral).

The Star Wars 10k offered a similar set-up to the 5k.

Rudy and Carissa did another great job entertaining the crowd.

I couldn't get over how close to the front I was. Oh hi Start Line. I get giddy every time I find out I am lucky enough to be in Corral A.

Oh no! Vader came and took Rudy to the Dark Side...

But after a quick sneak peek at the new Star Wars movie hitting theatres in December 2015, Rudy escaped the Dark Side!

What was funny was Rudy got a little excited to come back on stage and almost went up before he was officially "returned" to the Light Side! Ha. A funny thing to catch where I was watching from. :)

After another entertaining pre-race set, it was time to get the 10k party started!

Since we started from the same place as the 5k I knew we had some on ramps/inclines off the bat.

As you can see by the course map, we started out on the streets outside of the park and with it being 5:30am there wasn't much to look at. I will thank the few spectators out there for making some NOISE for us! :)

Mile 1: 7:57

I actually spotted a fellow Team Chocolate Milk member Jesus while out on the streets so I had fun catching up with him before we made our way to Disneyland.

I had to stop and get a picture with some Rebels on Main Street.

Mile 2: 8:06

They actually had a Marathon Foto rep at the Mile 2 marker sign, which is rare.

As I ran away from the Mile Marker, I snapped a quick picture of the Castle as I headed towards Frontierland before realizing there was a photo opp.

Frontierland was dark while we ran through so I once again used my trusty flashlight app on my phone to help my course. I did see a few people also rocking headlamps because of the early morning start.

I was surprised there weren't more park lights on through this section of the course.

From Frontierland we made our way to Fantasyland

Ummm maybe I was getting ready to raise the roof??

There he was... my Chewie!

Now at the few Disney World races I have done while in Corral A, I never waited in character lines (very lucky). Disneyland at this themed run - lines everywhere. I was happy to wait since I was lucky enough to have the time, but it was just an interesting thing to note.

After a quick photo opp in front of the Castle, it was time to make out way through the other side of Fantasyland before exiting the park.

Fantasyland was pretty well lit compared to Frontierland.

Mine Mine Mine

Oh hey It's A Small World... selfie time!

And then we were out of Disneyland and on to some backlot running. It isn't the best views, but the cast members sure bring their A-game when it comes to cheering you on in these parts.

Mile 3: 13:28 (yes you read that correctly - Chewie was worth it)

The backlot had some light displays on the building which you weren't supposed to photograph.

Umm... my finger slipped! ;)

There aren't too many exciting shots on the backlot portion of the run so my phone had nada until the Mile 4 marker.

Mile 4: 8:25

Now it was California Adventures time! Woo!

The lighting was awesome in the park as we came down Buena Vista Street.

There were some Rebels waiting for us at the end of the Street before turning towards the mighty Tower of Terror.

Oh don't worry Cars Land we will see you shortly, but Hi for now!

As we made our way towards Pacific Pier, I took a moment to check in with my body. Everything was feeling okay - the breaks for photos actually gave my legs mini recoveries throughout the run. Since it was early, I didn't feel too much intensity from the weather. I was actually happy and lucky that it was cooler so early in the morning. ;)

Just when I had a inner convo with my body, it was time for another photo opp - Boba Fett.

My Phone

Official Photo

I had a great time passing time in the line while chatting with the other runners and the cast members. Also I like that I look tanner in the official photo. :P

I made sure to get Boba Fett's photo since that is one of the wife's favorite characters. I thought if nothing else we could photo shop her into the photo. ;)

After that photo stop, it was finally time to get the shot of the iconic ferris wheel.

I mean how beautiful is it? I hear the ride itself is scary, but I like looking at it just fine.

Our tour of Paradise Pier continued...

It had to have a stop at Toy Story Mania. I love Mr. Potato Head.

And of course I stopped for an impromptu photo with some Jedis.

After finishing up in Paradise Pier, we officially headed into Cars Land ... right after passing the Mile 5 marker.

Mile 5: 12:54

And now a close run through Cars Land.

I definitely had better Cars Land pics during the 5k.

Yeah no idea what I was doing in this pic. Making sure they could see my bib number maybe? #Awkward

Once through Cars Land we were out of the park and doing backlot running until we hit the parking lot for Downtown Disney and straight down the street along Disneyland Hotel to the Finish.

Mile 6: 8:05

While the final mile wasn't all that exciting Disney-wise, there was amazing crowd support!! Lots of amazing CHEARleeders out there. :)

Official Time: 1:01:34 (my Garmin was only off by 5 seconds since I didn't stop it immediately)

Now 9.3 miles down and 13.1 to go. But first, medal time!

Then the Marathon Foto guy got artsy: Do a jump in celebration.

I kinda love it despite my shorts really showing.

And how awesome is the medal??

Seriously great bling!

I took myself, my medal and my snack box back to the Finish Area to try and catch some friends crossing.

I saw Justin (fellow WW member) who was also tackling the Rebel Challenge.

My Selfie

His "Normal" Photo

Aaannnnd I got to see the wife Finish. I may have started crying. Okay I was already crying. I love watching Finish Lines and seeing all of the emotion!

Once the wife visited the med tent for some ice for her knee, we headed to Earl of Sandwich for some breakfast before heading back to the hotel to get ready for a day of park seeing and tweeting up! ;)

***

Overall the Star Wars 10k was another great Disney race. I wish there was more light in the Frontierland section as it was the darkest part of the course.

Water stops and spectators were well staffed and full of energy.

I also picked up on the fact that there would ONLY be Star Wars characters for the races. I was hoping maybe a Disney character dressed up as a Star Wars character, but alas no go. Apparently they were at the Wookie Party, which we didn't want to pay for. Boo! But something I didn't know in advance for the theme races. Now I know!

I was happy with how I ran and used the water stops to walk and the character stops to stretch!

***

Next up: Star Wars Half Marathon!

#RWHalf Festival Part 3: Five & Dime

Want to run a 5k? Sure! Want to run a 10k? Absolutely!

Want to run them on the same day? Umm... sure thing!

Hello Five & Dime. :)

Apparently Runner's World Half & Festival was more than just getting together with bloggers and checking out Bethlehem, PA - there was going to be running involved. :P

If you want to catch up on the first two days at the #RWHalf, check out these posts: Day 1 and Day 2.

(Note: Runner’s World did sponsor my participation in the RW Half & Festival, but all comments are my own – ain’t nobody got time for lyin’!)

Once again the alarms were blaring at 6am so that Presley (my roomie) and I could hit up the Comfort Suites free breakfast area/the Comfort Suites bar/where the karaoke magic happened before heading to the race. I opted for an english muffin with butter.

We met up with Matt and Doug at 7 so we could head down to the races. Thankfully the Start area was less than a mile for our hotel so we had an easy warm-up walk before running. We recanted the amazing karaoke fun and came up with our game plan for the actual races. We planned on running both together. No matter the pace we would stick together and have fun. This would be my first time having three people to run with and make sure to capture in my mind-run selfies.

The weather was chilly, but I was happy to show off my Runfellow t-shirt! Representin' Somerville baby!

We stretched and loosened up with a little pre-race dancing... Taylor Swift "Shake It Off" anyone?

The crowd was pumped up and ready to run. We were ready for a fun run!

I also opted to bring my pink sparkly microphone prop from the previous day's Amazing Shakeout Run to interview some fellow runners along the course.

We crossed the line and were off.

As we made our way through Mile One, I heard the other runners discussing the upcoming hills along the course. Oops should've looked at a course map pre-race. Eh we like surprises. :P

And my fellow participants weren't kidding about the inclines. I was really happy to not be fighting for a PR that day.

Mile 1: 10:34

There was a sweet DJ along the course mixing some tunes, as well as other local high school bands, polka music and more. They were setting us up to dance our way through the race.

Mile 2: 9:32

Without even knowing it we were picking our pace up and approached negative splits.

I started interviewing Presley and Doug to get their thoughts on the race.

We made our way back towards the Start line and I wasn't sure what the path back would be. It was become the final stretch for all three races.

We ran parallel to the Finish Line before taking a loop around the block, which brought us right past the Casino.

Mile 3: 9:00

We used the last 0.1 to come up with our Finish Line photo pose. We opted for using something Altra Running founder Golden Harper taught us to correct our posture during a run - think of reaching towards the Sun!

Unfortunately I didn't get a good photo of it, but I heard it was a hit with the Altra team.

Final Time: 30:29

With one race down and one to go it was time to refuel with water and a banana. The 5k began at 8am with the 10k to follow at 9:30. This left ample time to hit up the restrooms and catch up with friends between races.

Hey sexy bloggers!

Sarah from SparklyRunner

After catching up and refueling it was 9:17am and time to head back to the Start Line for Round 2. We rocked some more sweet dance moves to loosen up and it was GO time.

The 10k started the same way as the 5k, but thankfully avoided one of the bigger hills from the beginning of the 5k by sending us left to cover more ground. Since the race announcer did remind us the 10k would be double the 5k. Oh right.

As we made our way through the first couple of miles, we fell into a nice running groove. It was interesting to run with Doug and Matt who are two mainly ultra marathon trail runners, while Presley and I mainly stick to road racing. It was nice to hear about their racing experiences in ultras compared to those on the road. The more laid back style seems to be the biggest.

Mile 1: 9:59 Mile 2: 9:55 Mile 3: 9:40

We made it through half of the race before someone - Presley - needed a bathroom break. Once she hopped in the port-o-potty we all decided to stop. I don't think I have ever taken the time to have a bathroom break during the 10k, but the quick break was nice.

We were making sure to utilize all the water stops and powerade when available.

After tackling yet another short climb we headed into Bethlehem's historic residential district, where the streets are tree-lined, flat, and wide.

And that is where we saw Editor-In-Chief David Willey running with participants. I saw him running back and forth with runners that I wondered how many miles he was actually logging during the races.

Of course I asked him for a selfie...

His response: "Sure I've already done 10 so far this race." :)

Then the group HAD to be included.

Thanks to David for letting those "bloggers" be selfies #11 and #12.

Mile 4: 10:31 (port-o-potty stop mile)

The crowds were out in full force with handmade signs and tons of high-fives. I would like to say I was 5-for-5 with high fives. Yeah little kids like my style. Haha.

As we wrapped through the Bethlehem neighborhoods, the quaintness of the town really started to show through on that Saturday. The vibrant Fall colors were gorgeous to run through.

All parts of the town were out to cheer on the runners, local churches singing, Lululemon employees out with their witty signs, local high school teams manning the water stops. It was a great vibe.

I need to thank these three for making this race fun and for dealing with my "Guys get over there and take a picture" requests over and over again.

Mile 5: 9:12

During the final mile, we caught up with marathoner and comedian Liz Miele, who would be performing that night before the pasta dinner. It was great to chat with her before her set. We were also hoping it would get us into the act. *Fingers Crossed*

Runner's World gave her a STAFF shirt to wear, which led to many runners to believe she was a writer for Runner's World rather than a comedian. Haha.

Mile 6: 9:04

With yet another Finish Line on the horizon, we needed a game plan. This time we would go for a jumping Finish Line photo. Again I didn't get a good shot of it, but will tell you all it was EPIC.

Runner's World website did a great way describing the Finish Line:

The finish lies under a flaming arch in the shadow of the massive Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces, the first of which went into operation in 1863. From these massive structures, the rail lines that traverse our nation, the Navy ships that fought in both World Wars and countless steel I-beams that serve as the skeletons of many of our nation's iconic skyscrapers were born.

Final Time: 1:1:11

And the Five & Dime was ours!!!

Overall they were beautiful courses with some climbs/hills. I loved the energy of the crowd and the eclectic music along the route. I do wish the time between races was a tad shorter. I know you need to leave ample time for everyone to finish the 5k, but it was tough to have almost an hour between races.

Thank you to Doug, Matt and Presley for keeping me laughing the entire time and reminding me how much fun running with friends can be.

After the races, we stopped by the Expo one more time to snap another Runner's World cover so you could actually see my phone at the top - the previous one was blocked by the title.

We went back to the hotel to clean up and grab some lunch before Matt deserted us to avoid the half spend time with his wife for their anniversary.

***

Next Up: #RWHalf Festival Part 4: A Saturday Night In Bethlehem, PA!

Finish At The 50 10k Recap

The Finish Line of any race is a sweet and special spot... ... but imagine it was moved to the 50 yard line of your favorite Football team.

Yeah, exactly!

That would be freakin' sweet.

Well the Finish At The 50 race did just that.

The Finish Line was at the 50 yard line of Gillette Stadium, aka the home of the New England Patriots.

Sign me up.

Oh it's the 5th anniversary of the race so you are going to add a kick ass medal on top of it all.

Where do I hand over my $$$$???

:)

On July 3rd, the wife and I took the drive down to Foxboro. With it being the day before a holiday weekend we got wicked nervous about traffic and proceeded to leave Boston at 1pm. The wife's 5k was taking place at 5:30, while my 10k went off at 6:30. Expecting hours of traffic and bib pick-up, we hoped we had plenty of time to head South.

It took us about an hour. Well then...

I'd rather spend a few hours at the race site, which had stores, restaurants and Dunkin' than cutting it close to race time.

We quickly picked up our numbers and shirts and proceeded to find coffee and air conditioning. Other racers had the same idea we had and Patriot Place (the shopping area next to Gillette Stadium) was bumping. Especially with families as there was a Kids Race prior to the 5k-10k.

Now normally there are fireworks after the races, but with a Hurricane heading our way it was canceled. Boo, but understandable.

There were plenty of booths set up so we had enough to entertain us.

After finding the wife a place to change, having a few snacks, hiding in the Patriots Pro Shop for air-conditioning and catching up with Molly, CEO of Blue Trailer Mobile Lockers, it was time for the wife to stretch and line up for her 5k.

Molly, brains behind the operations, and I

The weather was hot so we both made sure to take the race easy. I was hoping to find lots of water on the course as the race had warned folks to stay hydrated. They also offered 10k runners the choice to drop to the 5k if they needed to due to temps.

I waved to the wife as she headed out and met up with Erin and Kelsey,who were both running the 10k as well. I dropped my stuff in my Blue Trailer locker and we all headed to the Start Line.

Thanks for the pic Erin!

(Note: if you squint, you can see the 5k runners running up and down the ramps behind us)

Thankfully the corrals were in the shade. I was trying to soak up as much shade as possible because I could only guess how hot and sunny the course would be.

While hanging out around the 9 min/mile pace, Cat and her fiance Chris joined us. Cat and I run on Tedy's Team together. :) She was the one that got me to sign up for this crazy race with a promise of sweet sweet bling. (This race doesn't normally have bling, but being the 5th anniversary they decided to have one.)

After some more chatting and stretching, it was finally time for everyone to squish forward to start the pre-race ceremonies. The wheelchair group went off a couple minutes before the rest of us. The announcer gave us a 30 second warning before the horn went off, which I sort of missed because I was only half listening. ;) Because all of a sudden the horn went off and we started the awkward pre-race run, jog, wog, walk to the actual Start Line. Everyone know what I am talking about?

As I crossed the Start Line, I clicked Start on my Garmin and we were off.

Tori had finished the 5k in 42:56 and had warned me that her course was lacking adequate water and to be careful.

Well too late for me to do anything about that so I just hoped for the best.

Less than half a mile into the race I spotted my friend John and fellow Team Chocolate Milk running mate. :) I love seeing familiar faces out on the course.

After passing John, I came up to the most inspirational duo in sports - the Hoyts.

If you don't know anything about the Hoyts please run to Google now and get yourself caught up. I'll wait.

Moved to tears? Yeah, I always get that way when thinking of this father-son team. It is an honor to run in races alongside them.

I had to grab a quick selfie.

Once I saw the Hoyts, I was motivated to keep moving myself forward to the best of my ability. If they would be giving it 100%, I would to.

Mile 1: 7:59

Umm yeah that first mile was on Team Hoyt high! I knew I wouldn't be keeping that for the whole race.

I was already feeling hot, sweaty and thirsty. This would be a looong 6.2 miles.

After the first water stop, we took a right and entered a quiet neighborhood where we would spend most of the race.

I want to thank the residents that stood outside with hoses trying to keep the racers cool. The ones out enjoying their evening cocktail cheering us on.

But they were few and far between. The course was unfortunately boring and for the most part quiet.

Mile 2: 8:23

The uphills started early and I learned would be constant. It felt as if we kept going up with very little down. Ha.

I thought the race committee would've added additional water stops due to the high temperature, but unfortunately that didn't happen. :/

I was happy to see at least one ambulance along the course.

Mile 3: 8:35

It was around the 5k mark that I focused my attention on smiling. I learned from Sarah Reinertsen at Heartbreak Hill Festival that when she is feeling down or any pain in a race, she smiles and it fakes her body into thinking everything is fine.

So I tried to put that motto into practice.

I could tell I needed new shoes - there was little to no support left in my sneakers - and I was thirsty. The entire time. There just needed to be a water stop per mile or some music out on the course somewhere. Just a little action to keep the spirits up. At least the spirits of the people around me. We all tried to cheer each other on in the moment.

Mile 4: 8:35

There was finally a decent downhill. I wanted it to last forever, but it felt like maybe 1/10th of a mile. Hehe. We had a decent flat leading back into the Gillette Stadium campus.

The spectator of the day went to the woman during Mile 4 offering a hose for relief and watermelon slices. While I didn't take a watermelon slice, I really did appreciate the creativity.

Just after seeing Ms. Watermelon we took a right to re-enter the Gillette Stadium campus. We would be wrapping around the outside of the Stadium before entering.

It was just before the Mile 5 marker that I took this sexy mid-run selfie and pleaded to my social media friends for an extra boost of support.

I was hot, tired and really felt exactly how I looked. :P I wondered if I would make it through the final mile. Granted the final mile is what I endured the whole race for ... to FINALLY be inside the Stadium.

Mile 5: 8:40

And there it was Gillette. Just after a water stop we headed to the ramps. In the 10k, we only had to go down ramps not up like the 5k. ;) We ran down two ramps, along the concourse, down two more ramps and back out of the Stadium ... to the parking lot. :/ Womp womp! We clearly had to make up some more distance so we did a zig zag through the parking lot before we headed back into the Stadium and onto the field.

Mile 6: 9:18

Not sure how the Garmin did in the Stadium since we were covered and satellite was lost briefly. But as soon as we re-entered the Stadium, I dug deep to finish strong!

I felt like I had endured really the first 6 miles of boring course for the final .2 on the field. It was a thrill running on the same field as so many Hall of Famers including Tedy Bruschi, the captain and founder of that very charity team I am honored to be a part of.

It was crazy to come to the Finish Line and see yourself on the large Jumbotrons in the Stadium.

Official Finish Time: 53:01 ... 267th out of 1,609 overall and 31st out of 304 in my division

The medal is soooo sweet. The football is made out of the same material as a real football. Amazing right?

It was great having the wife at the Finish Line. She had plenty of time to roam around and snap pics, while I was out sweating my booty off. ;)

Since the fireworks were canceled, we snapped some additional pics, grabbed extra water and headed back to the Lockers to pick up our bag.

Funny thing is Garmin said 53:03, first email from Granite State results said 53:02 and official website said 53:01. Haha. At least the time was getting faster. ;)

Since the fireworks were canceled, we got back in the car to head home and take care of the pups.

Oh and enjoy a celebratory drink of course.

***

Overall, the race was a huge disappointment and I don't think I will sign up for it again:

*90 percent of the 10k was out in the neighborhood, while about half of the 5k was on the ramps inside the Stadium.

*There wasn't enough water, especially for the weather. My wife said there were 2 water stops during the 5k, but 1) the first wasn't until halfway through the race and 2) they weren't ready with water. She actually had to wait for the volunteers to fill water up.

Now I know that they probably didn't expect as many 5k runners since people at the last minute dropped down, but still. It is a crucial aspect of the race to keep the runners hydrated.

*The shirt was cotton, which is tough because they aren't as useful as tech shirts.

*No one policed the corrals meaning there was chaos and it seemed no one lined up properly except the "elites," which caused for bottlenecking and tripping at the Start.

*The course really was pretty blah. It had rolling hills, but no entertainment outside of some scattered residents.

*The residents and volunteers ROCKED. They did the best they could with what they had.

*The medal is off the hook, but it isn't a yearly feature.

*I expected a flawless race as it was headed by DMSE, which is run by Dave McGillvray - who is the Race Director for the Boston Marathon and other great races.

***

Did you take part in the Finish At the 50 5k or 10k?

Race #2 in the Distance Medley: #BAA10k

Bring on the 2014 Distance Medley!

I love The Boston Athletic Association and all races associated with them. For the most part, they are the most well-organized races I participate in.

For those that don't know, the Distance Medley includes the BAA 5k in April (recap),  the 10k in June and the Half Marathon in October. If you complete all three races, you get an extra special medal. Pictured to above on the right. Due to conflicts, I couldn't participate in 2013, but did for the inaugural Distance Medley in 2013. With nothing in my way this year, I signed up immediately in January.

June 22nd brought race #2 of the Medley: the BAA 10k.

The race began at 8am in Boston Common so we left the house just after 7. The wife was kind enough to drop me off so I could eat my wheat toast with peanut butter on the way there.

I was hoping to make it to the race by 7:15 to make the Team Run Disney photo and chat with friends before the race.

Always fun to stand around and chat with these folks! While hanging out, I even bumped into Slumbrew teammate Amy.

Time once again slipped away from me and 10 minutes before the race starts, I realized I hadn't used the port-o-potties. Ahhh! I went to get in line and they were just all too long to wait in. I took a gamble to hold it.

I jogged my way over to the Start corrals. Let me just say WAAYYY less crowded than on the day of the 5k. Thank you for limiting the entrants for the 10k - allowed for more control.

I decided to line up around the 8 min/mile pace, but couldn't find a sign for that. There was an opening around the 7 min/mile pace so I hovered around there so I could jump in when I found a gap.

I happened to come up next to Kate - another Slumbrew teammate. I wish I had taken a photo, but we were too busy talking.

Before I knew it the National Anthem was over and we were shuffling up to the Start Line. I wished Kate good luck and we split ways.

With the sore hamstring and the Rock And Run obstacle run the day before, I wanted to run smart and enjoy myself.

The temperature was reported as 62 degrees, but on the streets it felt warmer for sure. Thankfully we had some shade while running through the streets of Boston towards Boston University at the beginning of the race.

Mile 1: 8:09

As we ran past the start of the Boston University campus - it spans two miles of Commonwealth Avenue - the course started to come back to me. Again I ran it in 2012 so maybe I had blocked out what was coming up for us.

Mile 2: 7:57

This second mile might have been faster than the first as I was trying to escape a woman who had a very odd breathing pattern going on, while talking to herself. I wasn't sure if she was really okay or not. Someone else asked her and she snapped at him. Glad I didn't decide to ask her. But the breathing and talking was getting into my head. I was once again running without headphones for practice. Here was a test. What do you do when the breathing and annoyances around you start playing with your game plan?

On that day - I ran away from them. I sped up to lose her in the crowd.

After making our way around the backside of the first BU dorm, we took the right onto Comm Ave in all its sunny glory. That is right. That part of the course I blocked out? Oh that would be the miles on Comm Ave, where you have zero shade and a whole helluva lot of sun.

Plus a little incline. But there is a great way here to distract yourself. This is where the down and out starts so you have the pleasure of watching the wheelchair and elite athletes come blazing past!

I love this. It is so motivating and inspiring. I will never be as fast as these people, but they make me want to push myself to the best that I can be.

Not a bad photo while I was on the move in the opposite direction.

I was yelling and clapping for them.

I played the game smart and made sure to stop and walk through every water stop.

Mile 3: 8:21

The incline isn't horrible heading up Comm Ave, but it seems to go on forever. But as you push up you see the folks on the left coming towards you so you KNOW there is a downhill coming your way. :)

5k Mark: 26:08 (8:25 min/mile)

After my mid-run selfie, I took the pleasure in scanning the crowd of runners coming towards me for familiar faces. And I saw a ton!! Not sure if runners thought I was just shouting out random names or what, but most of the people I cheered for were too in the zone to wave back. I probably looked like a nutcase. ;)

It is always amazing to see so many friends out dominating the streets of Boston so early on a Sunday morning.

But with the turnaround came a downhill. YAY! Celebrate the downhill. Embrace the downhill.

Mile 4: 8:27

More importantly celebrate the shade, which we finally got once we made it through Kenmore Square heading back to the Commons.

Just before we reached the shade a spectator yelled to me: "Number One costume award today goes to you!" Awww yeah! Sparkle Athletic skirt for the win! ;)

Mile 5: 8:06 8k Mark: 41:38 (8:19 min/mile)

As we pushed towards the Finish, I kept repeating "less than 1 mile over and over." While also forcing myself to relive the Boston Marathon and how I felt on that day when running or rather run/walking down this same stretch. It helped put a little extra pep in my step.

We took a right onto Arlington Street to start our two left turns into the Finish shoot. Just after I took the right, I saw a mom and her son. I heard the mom say: "Look she's a super hero." O.M.G. That lady made my day. WIN for the Wonder Woman socks!!

That totally made me dig deep and pull whatever out I had left.

Mile 6: 8:01

Just after passing the Mile 6 marker, I heard my friend Haley yell for me! Ahh I love extra and unexpected cheers. As we were coming down the shoot, the volunteers were directing us all to the right lane. I couldn't tell why. Then just before the Finish Line I saw the medics working on a man. I tried to send out as many good vibes as I could his way.

Arms up! Finish line crossed! Water me!

But first - medal me.

I was so happy to pick a volunteer that was excited to put the medal around my neck. Her smile was infectious. :)

After grabbing my water, I headed to the Marathon Sports tent so I could get my free BAA 10k bumper sticker. Yeah I am a sucker for those things even if I don't actually stick them anywhere.

I took a few minutes to stretch and compare race stories with some friends before heading to get my Dunkin Donuts fix.

Be Good was actually giving out a free burger to each participant, but I don't eat hamburgers so I passed on the offer. If only the wife was there, she would've gladly eaten it for me. ;) But instead she was on her way to pick me up. I'm spoiled I know.

Overall, the race was well-organized, the water stops seemed plenty stocked with water and the post-race meeting space was spacious. Unfortunately BAA cannot control the weather or the lack of shade on Comm Ave so that is something out of their control and something participants just have to remember when devising their race strategies.

Personally, I was not the biggest fan of my results. I was two minutes slower than when I did the BAA 10k in 2012 and 4 minutes slower than my 10k PR. Grrr... I wanted more. I did have to put it in perspective - I have a sore hammy and I did an obstacle race the day before. But, I also have gotten away from focusing on speed and time recently so maybe I need to. It is a decision I have been going back and forth about - what am I trying to get out of my races? Speed? Fun? Time? Consistency? It's an ongoing discussion in my head in case you are wondering. ;)

But I would recommend the BAA races to everyone. Maybe you will want to join me in October for the BAA Half? Be ready! These races sell out quickly.

Now, the BAA races do not offer post-race beer so I had to go out and find my own. I chose the Pretty Things Meadowlark IPA at Mystic Station. See Pretty Things loves me too??

***

Did you participate in the BAA 10k?

Runner's World Heartbreak Hill Festival Part 3: Five & Dime

Thursday and Friday of the Runner's World Heartbreak Hill Festival felt like Summer Camp. I mean really. Okay maybe. I never actually went to a sleep away Summer Camp so I am 100% basing this on TV. Oops. But I still think it was - laughs, hugs and beer. Okay definitely no beer at Summer Camp, right?

Either way it had been a blast. But I kept thinking and saying: Oh yeah, we are here to actually run races.

Sort of forgot that one little detail. Even though I had my bib in hand and everything.

Well the running got started bright and early Saturday morning with the Five & Dime, which meant at 5k at 7:15 and a 10k at 8:30. You know I am up for a challenge so I was ready to go. However, was unsure how to handle the time in between the races. Well, nothing like flying by the seat of your pants when it comes to fueling.

Pre-race I grabbed a dark chocolate & peanut butter KIND bar and my trusty ENERGYBits. Luckily we were staying in the dorms so Athlete's Village was a leisurely 5-7 minute walk from where we were. Strength in numbers so as many bloggers as possible climbed into the elevator - for a selfie - and headed to the Start.

KT Tape matches my Team Chocolate Milk singlet - what a coincidence? ;)

I KNEW I needed to run with people. If I have learned anything, I suck at pacing myself to a slower race when running alone.

Thanks for the pic Anne!

So I lined up around the 9 min/mile pace with some bloggers and set out to keep it easy. I had an angry left hamstring and three races to make it through in total.

As soon as the horn went off, we shuffled through the corral to the Start Line and it was game time.

And I cut off their heads! 

It was awesome setting out with Julie, Presley and Anne. My goal was to share my mid-run selfie skills with these ladies. BUT, Anne brings the A-game and a real camera to the plate. I hung my head in shame.

Hey Girls!!

As I hit Mile 2 I had separated slightly from the group, but it allowed me to cheer them on as we hit a turnaround in the race.  But Marnie and I had kept together and were having a great conversation.

I was getting lost in conversation that I hadn't taken a mid-run selfie yet. I was talking all that pretend game and hadn't done anything about it so it was time to rectify that.

I thought it was one of my better ones.

The race ended on a little bit of a downhill before taking a right into the final stretch, where - of course - I had to step it up a notch. I didn't want to be dogging it in the Finish Line photo. Priorities, right?

Splits: 9:01, 8:59, 8:46

Since I love numbers, I loved the 28:28 5k time. Now my inner demon was angry at the slower than usual time, but the brain knew that it was about finishing and not speed.

After happily collecting the first medal of the weekend, I set out to find a snack (hello chocolate chip bagel) and a bathroom (thank you BC for keeping all the buildings open so I could avoid the port-o-potties)! Once that was set, it was time to start thinking about the 10k. It was an odd amount of time for me so I wasn't really sure what to do. But the bagel hit the spot.

Now the 5k didn't really feature Heartbreak Hill so I figured the 10k would be more a challenge. I knew I would need to keep the pace easy once again.

I felt as if the 5k ended as soon as it began!

So I met up with the same crew at the same spot - oh hey hey 9 min/mile sign - and planned to run with them again.

From the look of this pic, maybe they didn't want me to run with them :P #PhotoBomb

As we crossed the Start Line again, I had some deja vu and let the ladies dictate the pace. I didn't want to push it.

Almost immediately I realized that we would be hitting more of Heartbreak this time around! And it would be the last portion of Heartbreak - aka the biggest of the hills.

For those that don't know, Heartbreak Hill is not a single hill like many think. It is actually about 3-ish miles of rolling hills (3 total). They really aren't that bad in the scheme of life, but when you come upon them at Mile 17 of the Boston Marathon they seem like MOUNTAINS!

And on this day the heat was dictating how the day would go so the hill was tough. Thankfully once again the conversation flowed so the time and miles ticked by.

Mile 1: 9:30 Mile 2: 9:53 Mile 3: 9:35

It was about the halfway mark that Anne and I started picking the pace up. Not sure how it happened, but it seemed organic. I hadn't met Anne before this weekend and didn't know much about her story. It was GREAT chatting with her. We learned that we have very similar PRs.

Her Half: 1:43, My Half: 1:44 ... Her Marathon: 3:56, My Marathon: 3:58. We are both 31. We like running and blogging.

Crazy similar.

So you can only imagine the talking helped dictate the pace. But we both wanted to keep it smart.

And I had the pleasure of introducing Anne to Heartbreak Bill. He is the mascot for the Heartbreak Hill Running Company and a staple all winter long during Boston Marathon training runs.

Poor guy must've been dying in the suit

Mile 4: 9:10 Mile 5: 9:18 (highest point of Heartbreak) Mile 6: 9:07

Once again ending on a downhill was appreciated and allowed us to rack up some speed to finish the race strong. We weren't about to let these 2 folks finish ahead of us so we dug down and sped around them. I wanted a nice clear Finish Line photo for us. :P

Now I had kept my 5k medal in my hand during the run just so I could keep start sporting both medals AS SOON as we crossed.

It was a great run in some bad heat. Finished with an official time of 58:49.

Definitely amazing knowing so many people at the Five and Dime races. Every time I turned around there was a blogger, friend or blog reader finishing the race. I love some sweaty hugs, high fives and hearing race stories.

I am proud of everyone I know that tackled a running challenge of two races in one morning.  Two pieces of bling before 10am is A-okay with me.

The left hamstring was sore, but didn't feel any worse after 9.3 miles. Taking it slower was definitely the way to go.

After more water and snacks it was time to head back to the room for a shower and a change. The rest of the day featured Expo fun, Dunkin' Donuts Iced Coffee, the Dogs Run, the pasta dinner and another Sarah Reinertsen talk (I will NEVER pass on hearing her speak).

I want to thank all of the volunteers, police offers and Runner's World staff who was up way earlier than I was to put this race on and to make sure there was enough water for the participants. I also want to applaud Runner's World for the Medical presence during the race. Since I had some breathing trouble the last time I was on Heartbreak, I kept an eye out and it put my mind at ease to see so much medical staff out on the course.

I can also say the KIND Bar and ENERGYBits was a great combo pre-race. The chocolate chip bagel wasn't too heavy before the second race. Phew! I wouldn't have wanted that yummy bagel to go to waste. Plus it worked as my chocolate since the race was lacking low-fat chocolate milk. :(

But no matter what I had another meeting with Heartbreak the next day ... for the half marathon!

***

Have you run legit back-to-back races before?

(Note: if you would like to buy ENERGYBits, use code WEIGHTOFFMYSHOULDERS for 25% off your order!)

Dopey Challenge Race 2: Inaugural Minnie 10k

I was a part of history!!! That's right folks! Dani Holmes-Kirk will go down in the record books.

When future historians look back at what happened in 2014, they will see my name in the list of people who participated in the inaugural Minnie 10k.

Yup - that's right!

I'm in the record books. :)

After I announced that I would be undertaking the Dopey Challenge, my friend Krissy (from Shiawase Life) told me she was going to take part in the 10k and suggested we run it together! YAY! :) I love having a running partner. Plus, I knew she would help me focus on the fun and pictures and keep the pace slow.

I let Krissy know that I would be rocking the Tinkerbell costume for the 10k and she decided to do a partner costume ... which I will reveal shortly.

Let's get to the day...

On Friday, January 10th, I started the earlier wakeup calls with a all three phones (mine, my wife's and the room's) all went shrieking off around 3:15am. I once again leaped out of bed and started getting into my costume.

The outfit wouldn't have been complete without Tink's pom poms on the shoes. :)

I once again grabbed up my ENERGYBits, Lara Bar and Armpocket and headed out to the busses. My need to be on one of the earlier busses allowed me to get to the Start area with plenty of time to hit the port-o-potties, bust a little move and get in place to meet Krissy near Corral A. :)

And there she was ... my Tiger Lilly!

Aren't we cute??

We had an EASY time passing the time before the race started. Between chatting, running into other folks we knew and generally loving hanging out, the time flew. Before I knew it, it was time for us to sashay - if you will - up to the front-ish part of the corral. Yes I had learned the day before that they let you into the corral on one side and let you out the other side to actually head to the Start Line.

It is amazing to instantly click with someone IRL after building a friendship online. This was just the second time that Krissy and I had hung out in person and it felt like we've been hanging out for ages.

We did some more sashaying to try and get a tad closer up to the Start Line.

After a second day of Run Disney announcements, Cigna spokesperson and the National Anthem, the fireworks went off and we hit the road.

I hit my Garmin as we crossed the Start Line - mainly out of habit than caring about pace - and we headed out through the EPCOT parking lot.

The course mark above shows the 5k route in Blue and the 10k route in Red. Parts overlapped as you can see, but we did spend more time in the EPCOT parking lot area in the beginning.

I will say the first mile of the race didn't include any music or character sightings, which was disappointing. BUT, the first character stop we did see ... was PERFECT for Krissy and I. Here's why:

AH-MAY-ZING right?

We were probably in the parking lot/outside EPCOT for the first half of the race before...

...heading into EPCOT.

Also there were some awesomely hyper and awake volunteers cheering us on and high-fiving us as we ran through. I do not want to know how early those poor people had to be there. Ouch! I hope they know how much we appreciate their lack of sleep.

Krissy and I did a great job of stopping at every single character (yes keeping my streak alive) and got some characters I hadn't seen on the course before like

Genie

(Note: Holy sweat Batman!)

 

Goofy as a football player

After running through the World Showcase,

we took the bridge over to the Boardwalk.

It was cool to check out a new area that I hadn't run on before and on a different surface - wood.

Krissy and I were just talking about life, running. what I could expect from the marathon route since she had done it before and overall having a great time.

Can you tell? :)

And please don't ask if I was trying to raise the roof or something. I'm not sure what I was going with there.

I will say I expected more characters on the course since it was twice as long as the 5k and was disappointed. I know it was the first year of the race, but I thought it would've offered more.

I did like how they took us on a different route within the park (besides World Showcase) so the surroundings weren't the exact same as the 5k.

But as soon as it started it was ending. I'm not sure 6.2 miles has flown so quickly before. Now I told Krissy I wanted to do something on the Finish like holding hands victoriously. Well we were ready for a magical Finish Line photo when...

... we got photobombed. AND two guys tried to top us:

How Rude! I mean really. ;)

We officially clocked a time of 1:05:40, grabbed our medals and headed for some post-race photos.

Donald got into the flying! 

Ladies' Morning

While we were waiting in line for the photos, I actually got to finally run over and give the We Run Disney ladies a hug. I hadn't met them in person yet, but was so excited to even get a hug in. :)

Once we got our character pics, we headed back to the Finish Line to meet up with Kat (from Katrina Elle) and Linzie (of See Sharp Run) so we could all get some celebratory hugs, high-fives and pics in.

Yay lime green

#wdwracetweetup reunion

After we all got our fill of each other ;), Kat offered to give me a lift back to the hotel since she and Linzie drove. I couldn't resist more time with friends so I said yes. After a nice trip around the parking lot to find Kat's car - yes that happens when you park at like 3:30am in pitch black.

I need to give Krissy a special THANKS for being a great running partner. Let's do it again chica! :)

Once I finally got back to my room, it was time to shower, change and take this lovely medal on the road.

After refueling with Got Chocolate Milk of course!

Oh yeah I wore both the 5k and 10k medal to Hollywood Studios. After the race Minnie had a line wrapping around the Finish Line area and I just didn't want to wait. THEN at Hollywood Studios we fell into an opportunity to get a private pic with Minnie in her "dressing room" and this gem was born.

Awesome, right?

We had a great afternoon at Hollywood Studios before enjoying dinner with my parents at Hollywood & Vine. But before we made it to dinner, a Disney photographer caught Wreck It Ralph & Vanellope oogling over my bling.

I ended the day celebrating my 2-year anniversary of hitting goal weight with Weight Watchers with a beer.

Of course.

After dinner and the bus ride home, I promptly passed out in order to rest up for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon.

Catch ya at the recap?

Haunted Trails Of The Night 10k

Soooo have you ever signed up for a race and didn't realize it was happening? Oh no? Is that not normal?

Well it has happened to be more than once ... and on one Saturday night (October 26) in LA it was no different.

Let me back it on up.

As we may remember when I left us off on Part 1 of my LA trip, I was in California to run the Rock 'n' Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon and meet some amazing social media friends.

Once we left the meetup, we headed back to my teammate's house to change and head to his brother's house. He had told me about the 5k his brother was racing that night. Ohhh hello race. My ears perked up. We chatted that morning that if they had an extra entry that I would be fact be interested in running.

Shocking I know. :P

As we headed to his brother's house to play with some puppies before heading to the run, I figured a free extra entry had limited chance of happening so I wore what I wore to the expo to his brother's house. It would be cool to cheer his bro on. I love spectating races.

While in the car, his brother let us know that it was a 10k. Oh cool cool.

We get to Paramount Ranch, where they apparently film shows/movies. Sure.

[video width="480" height="480" mp4="http://www.weightoffmyshoulders.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2013-10-26-21.05.51.mp4"][/video]

As we walk onto the lot, BOOM! There is Linzie from SeeSharpRun! Whhaa?? He had told me he was running a race that night, but what are the odds he would be at this specific one. Well, turns out he is an ambassador for the race series. Hollah!

Ray (my teammate) asks the race director Keira if she possibly has an extra space for me - the girl that has come all the way from Boston. And generously Keira said Yes.

Wow!

So there it was. After running a 10k training run that morning, it was time for my second 10k of the day. Bring it!

Sweet swag and Finisher's Medal!!!

I was ill prepared clothing wise, but thankfully had my Got Chocolate Milk #TeamReful racing t-shirt on and my regular running shoes. The two-sizes too big Lululemon yoga pants would have to work. :P

This race was also (if you couldn't tell by the name) being held at night and I did not carry a headlamp in my pocketbook. (Note to self: carry headlamp at all times) The rule was you had to have some sort of light with your person so out came my trusty iPhone Flashlight app. Yup, laugh away folks. ;)

Now the group offered me some little flashlights, but thankfully Linzie had the best headlamp ever invented so I decided that he would be stuck with me the whole race. What? We had met a few hours earlier that day so we were ready to become BFFs.

I have done three local trail runs here in Boston that aren't as intense trails as I would experience at this race and they were in the daylight.

Who doesn't love a new challenge right?

Here is how the site described the event:

Runners of all levels and abilities are given the chance to practice and experience trail running in the night. This race will be a fun and very safe event, and all the while everyone will be able to enjoy the spirit and festivities of the Fall season.

Join us for two 3.1 mile loops of runnable non technical single track trails. This course is a fairly easy course with very little hills or climbing. Witness the trails of the night become illuminated by glow sticks, goblins, and loads of fun! Stay after the race for a haunted post race party in the historic old ghost town of Paramount Ranch. This is a Trail Race that should not be missed!

Thankfully Linzie agreed to stick with me during the race so we lined up together and were ready for the two 3.1 mile loops. Keira let us know that there would be volunteers and glowsticks along the course letting us know where to go.

Oh! And since it was a Halloween themed events there would be spooks and ghouls along the course. Umm yay?

The horn sounded, we headed out and I started my Runkeeper. Oh yeah, I forgot the Garmin at the house. (Note to self: ALWAYS carry Garmin in my pocketbook)

Right off the bat I knew this would be challenging. Again wicked thankful that Linzie had his "it looks like noon on a Sunday" headlamp on because my flashlight app wasn't cutting it.

First incline in I knew I was in for a long race. Being sick didn't help with my breathing. Oh boy! I sounded ROUGH, but knew physically I could make it through.

Linzie was on my page. This race wasn't about time, but about conquering the feat AND making it through injury free. We both had that pesky half marathon in the morning. ;)

Let me tell you it is tough running at night (I rarely do it!) and I felt okay slowing down to avoid injury.

I tried to enjoy and soak up the experience as much as possible. It was great to chat with Linzie the whole time about running, the Boston Marathon, blogging, Run Disney, life, etc. We are both doing the Dopey Challenge so it was nice to commiserate on our craziness together.

And I loved that as we approached a steep incline Linzie would say: "Endurance training baby! Endurance training!"

Ummm ... yay! :P But it was exactly what I needed to hear.

I, again, am a newbie trail runner and I thought to myself how are we not done with one loop yet? We finally emerged to the Start to stop for water and start the next loop. My breathing was so labored due to being sick I thought about stopping. Then I caught a glimpse of the medal out of my right eye.

Oohhh no I will NOT NOT get one of those babies. (that enough nots?)

I grabbed a quick sip of water and we were off again.

Now, I thought the second loop would be harder than the first, but it really wasn't. I knew it would be rough, but I was okay with walking.

There were a few inclines where we had to walk up to catch our breathe and I said: "This is ALL counting towards my 1,000 miles run in 2013." Thankfully Linzie agreed. ;)

The terrain was uneven (as one would expect) and there were some turns where I started to slip slightly down the hill due to lose gravel, but with the help of the headlamp we were able to recover.

I wish I could better articulate the elevation we traveled. I unfortunately couldn't snap any pictures since well - it was pitch black out.

As we moved/ran/walked/hustled/chatted through that second loop, a sense of sheer joy came over me. I was going to do it. I was going to accomplish 2 10ks in one day. Damn pride came over my whole body. I would never have thought a few years ago that I would look forward to doing something like that.

We realized we were just 1/2 a mile from the Finish and it was time to kick it up. We wanted to finish strong and finish strong we did.

We came out of the trails and back to the main Barn area...

... and I was given my medal by the cutest little Star Trek character of them all. I wish I had gotten a picture of him. He was probably 5 or 6 and just the cutest thing ever.

I am beyond thankful for Linzie. I wouldn't have completed the race or had half as much fun without him. It is funny to meet someone you have chatted with online in person and you just hit it off. I felt that way with him.

The race was really well run, the course was easy to follow, the volunteers were excellent and the ghosts/ghouls along the course were definitely scary. I can admit I screeched more than once along the way.

And the post-race party/spread was amazing. These trail runners know how to snack ... and I like it. :)

My Runkeeper also did a really great job tracking the race since I was out in the hills.

I officially finished in 1:20:54 - good for 34th overall out of 69.

I can't thank Keira enough for this opportunity. It was truly life-changing.

If you are in the LA area, please please please check out on of Keira's trail races. The group was so welcoming to this clear outsider and I had a great time!!

***

Have you ever taken part in an impromptu race? Are you a trail runner?

Rock 'n' Roll Brooklyn 10k Recap

No. Sleep. Til. Brooklyn!!! What? You really didn't think I would pass up using that as my opener? C'mon now. :P

I was REALLY looking forward to this little trip to NY last weekend (October 11-13) as I have a lot of great Weight Watchers/blogging friends that I was going to meet up with as well.

After leading my final Weight Watchers meeting of the week on Friday (October 11), I hustled home to change, pick up my bags, and head out to the train station. I was annoyed by all the security/waiting when I flew to NY in June that I went with Amtrak this time around.

I got to South Station with plenty of time to spare, bought my second Dunkin Iced Coffee of the day (hey! I was up at 5am! Don't judge) and settled in to wait for the train.

I knew I'd be on the train for a good 4-ish hours so I made sure to get in as many steps as possible before boarding. My train departed at 11am and I was over 6500 steps by then. Yay!

I settled in to a nice window seat. Hello plugs to charge my phone. And got comfy. I did try to get up and walk at least once every hour while on the train, which was easy for me since I drink so much water. :P

It took me awhile to realize that we were in fact behind schedule. Ahh! I was going to be cutting it close enough to packet pick-up. I was landing in Penn Station at 3:15pm and packet pick-up ended at 5pm in Brooklyn. I didn't need a delay to kick this off.

Thankfully I was tweeting with RnR while on the train letting them know about my hold up. I just kept trying to put good juju out into the world that it would all work out.

After arriving 30 min late (curse you Amtrak), my friend Kitty was on hand to meet me and help shuttle me through the public transit system to get to Brooklyn in tact. ;)

AND...

WE MADE IT!!

Yes! We made it with time to spare. Phew!

Ummm Corral 1, how did that happen??

After picking up my bib, we needed to celebrate with a beer of course. Kitty and I met her brother's roommate for dinner and to unload my bag so I could save time storing it in the morning before the race.

I met up with my girl Sheryl (aka Bitchcakes) for a nightcap and to crash on her couch. I am so thankful that Sheryl opened up her apartment to me. I was able to crash on her couch and use a car service to head to the race the next morning. Sheryl lives in Brooklyn so I thought she would be close to the start. Yeah Brooklyn is bigger than I thought.

Thankfully it all worked out and the $22 car ride was totally worth it in the morning to make it to the race safely and on time.

I met up with my Team Refuel teammates - Anthony and Lisa - to chat before the race.

I love racing and meeting all these amazing teammates from around the country!! Plus the VIP tent was crucial, private bag check and private port-o-potties. Thanks Got Chocolate Milk for the hook up.

As we were chatting, I realized we had just 40 or so minutes until Game Time AND I hadn't eaten. Dammit! So I got my KIND Bar out and scarfed it down.

I headed over to the Start Line and set myself up in Corral 1. Feeling out of place is an understatement. I had no idea how I ended up there, but I enjoyed the experience of being so close to the elite athletes.

My stomach was feeling off. Gah! Not a good sign. I shook it off to nerves. No matter the distance I ALWAYS get nervous before a race.

After the National Anthem, the horn sounded and we were off.

Enter more intense stomach cramps. Dammit! I knew it. I ate too close to the race. I try to NEVER eat closer than one hour to Start time and I failed at that. I was hoping I would still be okay, but apparently not.

From the onset, I felt like I was going to throw up. Yup, this was going to be a looong 6.2 miles. Thank goodness it wasn't a Half or a Full.

I just tried to focus on seeing friends and enjoying the scenery than the pain.

But as the race went on the pain got more intense. It was fun to run through Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The bands and fans helped take my mind off the pain until I crossed the 5k mark. I thought to myself how am I going to make it through the last half of this race.

I looked down and my pace was getting slower and slower. Ugh! Well clearly I wasn't PRing that race so the best I could do was focus on finishing.

The race was pretty flat as we can along the outside of the Park. Shortly after the 5k check point, we took a right and headed back into the Park.

As we approached Mile 4, we started going up an incline. Oh that was that hill that Sheryl told me about. The pain increased. It got so bad that at Mile 5, I stopped and tried to make myself throw up. I thought it would help. Well it didn't work so I just started running again and just get to the Finish.

The race ended on a downhill, which was nice so I just tried to pick it up and Finish strong.

I even managed one of the best action shots ever during a race.

I look like I know what I'm doing. :0)

I crossed the Finish Line and almost kissed the ground. I was so happy to be done, but proud of myself for pushing through and finishing. I actually felt zero pain in the rest of my body besides my stomach which I took as a good sign since I had been battling a foot pain the couple weeks prior.

I was pretty impressed with finishing on such a precise time and overall I did well compared to when I started racing. But, in the moment I was upset. I had the right to be. I accepted my thoughts and moved on. Plus, I had chocolate milk to drink!!

AND I even got to take a pic with a celebrity!

Hello Nesquick Bunny! :P

I waited in the very long line to get my medal engraved. It's worth the $20 to me to get it done onsite because if they mess up they have a box of medals right there to fix it. Wouldn't be the case if I got it done at home.

After meeting up with Kitty, who kicked race butt, I headed back to the VIP tent for some post-race food and refreshments. Again, thank you Got Chocolate Milk for the hook up. This was definitely better than the free Michelob Ultra you usually get (which I always pass on).

Yay wine!

Before heading out with Kitty, I was able to FINALLY meet up with a social media friend and inspiration to me, Amy (aka The Awesome Mom) and it was magical. :)

She was as pleasant and sparkly in person as I imagined.

Kitty and I headed out to grab my bag from her brother's place and meet with the rest of the crew for lunch. Now there was some train issues going on in NY due to construction or something. So our trek from Brooklyn to Melanie's hood seemed to take forever. Especially lugging my bags around. We ended up on 2 trains and a shuttle bus, but we finally made it safely to Melanie's.

We cleaned up a little and headed to brunch with other friends I had wanted to see while in town.

This group shed 330+ lbs through Weight Watchers!

I was glad that everyone got along since not everyone knew each other beforehand. :)

We then celebrated with a little pub crawl before turning in early. It had been one long day and I would be spending the next day traveling back to Boston on a not so comfy Bolt Bus.

Overall, it was a quick, but jampacked weekend in NY. It was great running a rare 10k. I wonder how long Rock 'n' Roll will keep this race around before changing it to a Half or Full. It seems inevitable in my opinion since the 10k is so rare these days.

I loved the down and back during the race since I was able to see Janine and her mom racing as well as Amy and my Got Chocolate Milk teammates.

And now I know - no eating less than 1 hour before Game Time. It will just end ugly!

*The More You Know*

Oh and RnR Brooklyn was my third of 4 RnR races on the year. I have RnR LA left on October 27.

***

Have you run Rock 'n' Roll Brooklyn? Do you love the 10k distance?

ZOOMA Women's Half Marathon (9/28)

I love Cape Cod in the Fall. It is a beautiful time to see the blue ocean against the trees that are starting to change colors. Sounds pretty right?

Well it is.

And I was able to run through it.

On Friday, September 27th, I hopped in my car and took the just under 2 hour drive to Falmouth (part of Cape Cod) to participate in the ZOOMA Women's Series Half Marathon. I was actually honored to be a ZOOMA Ambassador for the Cape Cod race so I received free entry and a discount code to offer 10% off the race entry to anyone that used it.

Since I got to Falmouth early, I decided to make a pit stop at the Cape Cod Beer Brewery. I mean I was there I had to do it. ;)

They have a lovely free tasting area right INSIDE the brewery. Cool!! You can then buy a pint of whichever brews they are pouring for $5 and browse the gift shop or sit out at the picnic benches.

After doing a quick change in their bathroom into non-comfy clothes ;) I was off to Nancy's house. Nancy, my fellow Ambassador and friend through social media, allowed me to use her guest bed for the night. Thanks Lady!! I didn't have the funds to pay for a hotel room. We jumped in the car and headed over to the Expo.

We were asked to do a ZOOMA Ambassador Q&A, but no one asked a Q. :P But, we still look spiffy.

Thanks for the pic Nancy.

Oh and I am not a Giant, I was just wearing wedges. :P

We grabbed our bibs (which also came with a ZOOMA water bottle and a YOGA mat) and headed out near the pool for the Mocktail party hosted by Honest Tea.

How amazing was our view?

Since it was a tad chilly and I failed to dress appropriately, Nancy and I headed inside for dinner and were joined by Amy (RunningEscapade.com) and her husband Chris.

It was great catching up with these folks that I sort of forgot we had to get up to actually run the next day. Whoops.

I did my nightly ritual of using my foot foam roller, my Stick and my regular foam roller and called it a night. One benefit of driving was that I could haul all my rolling tools with me. No worry of security taking them away as possible weapons.

I jumped out of bed as my alarm wailed at 5:30am. Yay early races.

Nancy and I prepped, I snacked on my KIND Bar and headed out the door to the race.

The race actually had ample parking lots which was nice so getting the car situated was easier than I expected. We met with Nancy's friend Jill, another blogger, and all headed to the Start area.

Okay I talk a lot about port-o-potties because well they are at every race. BUT, the ones at ZOOMA were fancy. They were pretty, clean, had a lever you could hit with your foot to flush and lots of hand sanitizer. I've really never seen ones like it before.

And yes I am easily impressed.

We met up with the other Ambassadors to snap a quick pre-race photo.

Thanks Nancy for the pic!

And I of course headed back to the bathroom. This time I opted to go inside the Sea Crest Beach Hotel to see if the lines were shorter. Well I went to the women's room and the line was out the door. Duh Dani! This is a race geared towards women.

So I walked myself into the men's room to use their facilities. In and out in less than a minute. Score!

I head back outside to hang with the crew until the race started.

ZOOMA offers a 10k and Half Marathon option. The 10kers were off at 7:30am followed by the Half Marathon at 7:35am.

Once the 10kers headed out, we lined up. I had never been so close to the Start Line before. The shot fired and we were off.

Again, I have never been so close to the front of the pack. It was cool to be near the front people at the beginning.

But of course after about a mile they started speeding up, which was fine by me.

For portions of the race, both 10kers and Half Marathoners were on the same course - which was neat. It was great seeing so many women out running or walking or wogging their first race.

There were even some men out there - many who were husbands, boyfriends or friends of ladies - helping and encouraging them through the race.

It was absolutely beautiful at the Start. We ran along the ocean. The sky was blue. The weather was perfect.

I dealt with some headphone issues which resulted in wrapping them around my bun with 1 of my two Sparkly Soul headbands. Hey it worked! ;)

I wish I had my phone out at the beginning of the race, where I missed all the great Cape Cod "shots."

We winded our way through the streets, which were open to traffic. We did our best to stay to the right and out of harms way.

There was a great out-and-back turnaround spot (Mile 2/3ish) where I caught a glimpse of the Leader. It was amazing to see one woman so far ahead of the pack. So as I turned around I was able to cheer for the friends I knew. I LOVE high-fiving and cheering on familiar and unfamiliar faces during a race.

When not on the open streets, we were on the Shining Sea Bike Path, which was great. It was nicely paved and made me feel safe.

I definitely enjoyed the views.

The volunteers and spectators along the course were awesome! I want to give a special Thank You to the police officers and volunteers on the open road doing the best they could do keep cars at bay. While not many adhered, I didn't hear of any runners getting injured by vehicle traffic.

My body was feeling great. I kept an eye on my pace to keep myself in check. I had a half marathon the following day so I needed to NOT burn out in this race. I wanted to let my legs fly free, but I tried to keep myself between 8 and 8:30 min/mile pace.

When did that become normal pace for me? Not sure, but I was loving it.

For some reason I was under the impression this was a flat course - not sure where I got this - but it was definitely rolling hills. It kept you on your toes for sure.

During Miles 10-12, we were going through some Falmouth neighborhoods. Not many spectators out, but the few that were I would ask them: "This way to the wine?" Some thought it was comical and some gave me blank stares. ;)

I do need to give major credit to a pair of spectators that I saw not once, but four times along the course. I even had to say something the final time. I just let them know how awesome they were and how lucky their runner was to have them. Their response: "No YOUR awesome for running." Made me smile.

As I turned to head back on the Main street, this was about 12.5 or so, there it was. The major hill at the end. Now it wasn't like it was straight up, but it was definitely nasty! ESPECIALLY at the end of a race.

I squated down a little in my form and powered up the hill. I love to thin about Spinning during hills and just power myself up as best I can.

I did it. I was at the top of the hill and ready for the final .2 or so to the Finish Line.

I had no real idea how I had done, but I was pleased to be pain free as I had been dealing with a sore foot all week long.

I finished in 1:47:35. No PR, which meant no medal. ZOOMA only gives medals to those where the race was 1) their first 10k or Half or 2) it was a PR.

But I every Finisher did get a beautiful necklace as a medal. :)

I love the message.

The race had laptops at the Finish where racers could check their results. It was then I found out...

I had finished 4th in my division. Ahhh I could've gotten a prize had I just pushed a little. DARN I missed 3rd my 14 seconds. Had I known. Oohhh well.  Next time. :P

After seeing Amy (who was injured and volunteering at the PR medal table), meeting a fellow Weight Watchers Leader (who I spotted by her Activelink) and grabbing some water, I headed to the beach to meet up with Nancy and Jill.

Another stolen pic from Nancy!

Oh yes, the post-race party was on the beach: foam rollers, massages, snacks and wine. Unfortunately the lines were all so long that I missed all that fun, but I still soaked up some sun as I stretched.

Plus it was nice to put my feet in the sand after a race ... and I was able to run into a fellow Tedy's Team member Liza! Woo!

And you couldn't beat the view...

We had to scoot as I had still have to drive to Providence after, but it looked like the festivities were going strong when we left.

Overall, the race seemed well-organized and the participants seemed happy. Lots of smiles and laughs on the beach.

One of the race directors asked my thoughts on the race, which I appreciated and was happy to share:

1) I love the offering of a 10k and Half. So many races have done away with the 10k option and it is such a great bridge as people grow from the 5k to the Half.

2) I wish the course was reversed. I would've loved to see the gorgeous ocean shots at the end rather than houses in a neighborhood. Plus that would move that hill from the Finish. ;)

3) Streets blocked off more. I know that there is more to that with city/police/race officials/etc but it would've been nice and we ended up bobbing and weaving across streets. Since I am not from Falmouth, I was honestly just following the runners in front of me and doing what they did when it came to crossing streets, etc. But I think as the race grows, the city will be more open to blocking off streets for the racers.

4) I loved the portions on the Shining Sea Bike Path, which is a known hotspot on the Cape.

5) More massage tables if possible. The line was full of 10k racers that anyone doing the half would be waiting quite a while to take part in the service. But that is more in the hands of the company offering the service.

6) I liked the special props to women completing their first race or hitting a PR. I love welcoming new racers to the sport so giving them an extra boost with something special is a great idea.

7) The overall vibe. This was a supportive community. I couldn't stop smiling during the whole race seeing women pushing themselves, cheering for others and out there enjoying moving. It is a great energy to bottle up and keep with me on those days I just don't want to run.

So thank you ZOOMA for giving me the opportunity to experience this event, to see my blogging friends and to meet new smiling faces.

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Have you ever participated in a ZOOMA Women's Series race?