MO' Bassador job description has been posted!

The MO' Bassador job description has been posted to the MO' Cowbell website: http://www.mocowbellmarathon.com/

MO’ Cowbell is seeking energetic runners & walkers in the St. Louis region to represent the MO’ Cowbell Marathon. MO’ Bassadors will be part of the grass roots efforts to recruit people for the race this fall.  They will be proactive in spreading the word about a healthy lifestyle to local groups and continue to inform MO’ Cowbell runners & walkers.  Now in its fifth year, MO’ Cowbell is expected to draw over 5,000 runners and MO’ Bassadors will need to inspire and motivate runners up until race day. Need MO'Information?

I highly recommend applying if you want to help promote a great up-and-coming race.  You do not have to reside in the St. Louis area to apply, BUT you do have to promote the MO' Cowbell races in your area and plan to volunteer and/or run at one or both races (one in the spring and one in the fall). Good luck to all applicants!

Caloric Expenditure Test Results

I have recently been having a difficult time making food decisions that are healthy.  I keep telling myself that I burned those calories off at the gym or on a run, but I have still been fueling my tank with crappy foods.  So I felt crappy.....almost every day for the week after Rock 'n' Roll.  That was when I received the Fleet Feet St. Louis enewsletter mentioning the caloric expenditure test and its' benefits.  I had thought about it before, but the timing was never right because I was never drawn to it as much as I was this time.

I pasted the test description from the website below so that you can read what convinced me that I needed to get it done:

Forget one-size-fits-all calorie counting. Through our Caloric Expenditure (CE) assessment, we can accurately determine your resting metabolic rate, which in turn enables us to calculate how many calories your body burns during daily activities such as sitting, eating, driving, walking, and running. Using your CE data, we can then define your personal “calorie zones,” showing how many calories you should consume daily to achieve weight loss, maintain your current weight, or adequately fuel for specific activities.

Cost of Test: $75. Cost includes CE test, printed results, goal consultation, and a sample meal plan based on your results.
Visit Duration: 45 minutes 
Test Protocol: The CE test is quick, easy, and accurate. You will sit in a relaxed position and breathe into a mask for approximately twenty minutes.  

Pre-Test Instructions:
EATING

• It is essential that you do not eat during the 4 hours prior to your appointment time. Eating within 4 hours of your test will mandate rescheduling.
• It is also necessary that you avoid all caffeine and caffeinated products for the 6 hours prior to your appointment.
• Note: You are allowed to drink water or juice during your fasting period

EXERCISE

• No strenuous exercise 24 — 48 hours prior to test.
• Please allow at least 12 hours minimum of passive rest before test.

So I scheduled my test for 6:45 a.m. Tuesday morning so that I could follow the fasting and exercise requirements.  The Fleet Feet staffer who administered the test was beyond knowledgeable since he was one of the coaches for the full/half marathon training programs.  He explained everything in plain English then he handed me the nose plug and the plastic tube I would be inhaling and exhaling through for about 20 minutes.  The process was awkward at first, but then I could feel my pulse and breathing adjust and slow down the longer I sat.  Before I knew it, the machine beeped and I was done.  The print out I received is below (with the height/weight info covered up of course).

He explained to me that the "How much you eat" column is really for medically-supervised weight loss.  Since this is basically the same test you would take with a dietician in a clinical setting, that information is still printed on the results.  The information I was supposed to focus on was the "What you burn" column.  So the Resting Metabolic Rate/Resting Energy Expenditure is 1,685 calories per day. That is me breathing and blinking all day so even on a day when I don't get out of bed because I am sick, I burn 1,685 calories.  The Lifestyle and Activity calories are from me getting up and walking around in the morning, showering, getting dressed, walking to my car and around the office all day, taking the stairs, etc.  The Exercise calories are the estimated calorie burn for a 30 minute walk.  I think the treadmill shows a higher number, but this is closer to my actual caloric burn. 

As he explained this to me he asked me what the My Fitness Pal site showed as my caloric goal.  I told him that I had put in my height and weight information and what I wanted to lose per week and it set my caloric goal just above 1,500 calories per day.  So if you think about it, if I just eat the 1,500 calories per day I am still burning off everything because I burn 1,685 calories just blinking and breathing.  Now let me be perfectly honest; I have not even been logging into My Fitness Pal because it will tell me the truth about my caloric intake when I enter the real crappy food that I have been eating lately.  So I have been avoiding the truth.  But even if I was right on target and consuming only the 1,500 calories it was telling me to, I still would not be consuming enough according to the Fleet Feet staffer because I am not even taking in enough calories to fuel a full 24 hours of blinking and breathing.  His argument is that when I am eating healthy and clean, I should actually be consuming more than what My Fitness Pal is telling me especially as I am training.  Your car can't run properly when the tank is empty, right?  Or when you put diesel in a vehicle that only takes unleaded, you will be stranded on the side of the road before you know it! 

I can't even tell you how clear the Fleet Feet staffer made the test results for me.  Somewhere along the lines, he also convinced me that I needed to join the winter/spring half marathon training program so that I could get my training back on track.  He was a great teacher and salesman!  Then a few days after the test, he sent me several sample meal plans that were within my NEW caloric goal.  Although I have been eating cleaner this week compared to last week, I still have not really implemented any of the changes that came to light as a result of this test.  Honestly, I haven't had much time to go grocery shopping or plan my meals.  So I am going to start easing into this next week and I will keep you posted on how it all goes.  But if you ever have the opportunity to get a caloric expenditure test done, so far I would recommend considering it!

MO' Cowbell seeking more MO' Bassadors soon.....

Stay tuned for more details but St. Charles County's own MO' Cowbell races will be seeking additional MO' Bassadors in the next couple weeks.  We just discussed this tonight in our race recap meeting, so be sure to stay tuned for details.

I know what you are thinking..."I don't live in St. Louis, so I can't be a MO' Bassador even though it would be a dream come true."  Well guess what, I was thinking of you in the meeting so I mentioned how most races with ambassador programs require that you live in immediate area of the race.  I think runners from outside the St. Louis area could still make good MO' Bassadors as long as they also promote the MO' Cowbell races in their area and plan to attend either or both of our races next year to either volunteer or run (a relay May 9th and the MO' Cowbell half and full marathons and 5K the first weekend in October).

If you are interested, check out my blog posts to learn more about my experience so far and then I will post application details as soon as they send me additional information.
MO' Cowbell races as a spectator
Becoming a MO' Bassador

I am so excited for you that I may not be able to sleep tonight!  Sweet cowbell dreams.........

St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll Remix Challenge

I am way behind with my blog, but here we go.........

Even though this was my 4th time running the St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, this was my first time running the half marathon as part of the Remix Challenge.  When I finished the half marathon in 2013, I had NO intention of running the race again in 2014.  But mid-year they offered such a great discount, that I couldn't say no.  A few months later, I upgraded to the marathon thinking I would be ready by October.  But sometime around the Disneyland races I decided that my schedule was just too packed to fit in the necessary training, so I downgraded back to the half marathon and lost $20 in upgrade fees in the process.  Somewhere in that time frame Rock 'n' Roll decided to offer an extra medal if you signed up for a 5K on Saturday in addition to your Sunday race.  Sold!

The expo started Friday, which was a very busy work day, but the Saturday 5K offered race day packet pick-up for the 5K only.  Yeah!  The 5K didn't start until 8:00 a.m. and packet pick-up started at 6:30 a.m.  Somehow I completely overestimated how long it would take me to get downtown, so I ended up parking in the Union Station parking lot at 6:00 a.m. with time to kill.  Once 6:30 a.m. hit, I retrieved my packet which included the race bib, timing band, Remix Challenge wristband, and the tech t-shirt below.

Start time came quickly and before I knew it, we were running.  I was conservative with the 5K knowing I was running the half marathon the next day, but plenty of runners finished after me, so I was happy.

5K Start Line

At the finish line I grabbed my medal, a bagel, a bottled water, and then I headed straight for the car.  Although this 5K was one of the larger 5K's I have run, there wasn't any traffic congestion created by the runners and spectators, so I was back home taking a nap before I knew it.  Saturday afternoon I went back into the city to walk through the expo and to pick up my half marathon packet.  Maybe you already saw this on Facebook, but I fell in love with this shirt in the "official" race merchandise area.  The love was immediate, so I had to make it mine.

If I am remembering correctly, the first St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll race in 2011 had white tech shirts.  I can't find the 2011 shirt (probably because it was a white tech shirt), but I still have 2012 and 2013 so I placed them next to the 2014 race shirt below.  I like the way they played on local St. Louis baseball culture for the 2014 shirt.

Front of 2012, 2013, and 2014 race shirts

Back of 2012, 2013, and 2014 race shirts

Sunday's race started at 7:00 a.m. and I had to find a different lot to park in due to the half/full marathon course and road closures, so I went to bed early knowing it would be an even earlier morning the next day.  For the half marathon, I ended up parking near Busch Stadium (a.k.a. Baseball Heaven) because I knew we would be running through this part of town between miles 1 and 2 so the streets would be open again by the time I was finished.  There were plenty of open space in this parking garage as well as the Ballpark Village surface lot so if the course stays pretty much the same next year, I would recommend parking near Busch to avoid post-race congestion.

I decided that I was going to listen to music during this race so I only took one photo the entire race.

Waiting for the start

Race day #2 was gorgeous and the temperature was ideal.  We ran through neighborhoods like the Grove, Washington Avenue, Lafayette Park, Grand Center, around the SLU campus, Compton Heights, and Shaw.  In the end, I was an unbelievable 16 minutes slower this year than last.  Ugh!!!!  I think I know what caused this, and I am addressing it now.  More about that in a later post.

At the finish line (once I finally made it) I received my half marathon medal.  After proceeding through the food and beverage area I exited to obtain my Remix Challenge medal.  There was no line at all for this other medal, none.  Just one very happy, and excited volunteer.  She cut off my Remix Challenge armband and gave me the extra medal, complete with a big smile and a sweet "congratulations!"

5K medal, Half Marathon medal, front of the Remix Challenge medal

Back of the Half Marathon (yes that is a bottle opener) and Remix Challenge medals

So even though I originally had no intention of running this race, then decided to run the half marathon, then upgraded to the full marathon, then downgraded back to the half marathon, then added the 5K to complete the Remix Challenge, yet finished 16 minute slower this year, I had a fun two days of running.

I would say the pros were the race shirts that really played up the St. Louis culture, the medals (the half marathon medal was actually pretty heavy), and the ease of getting in and out of downtown both race mornings.  

Cons:  The race bag this year was a generic Rock 'n' Roll race series bag, while last year's was St. Louis specific.  I still have my bag from last year as well as the city-specific bag I received at Rock 'n' Roll USA.  I am not sure if they are doing this in all cities to save money or if it was just St. Louis, but I know that they have had to cancel races in other cities, so maybe it was a cut they made to save money.  

2013 bag - St. Louis-specific

Another con, the overabundance of emails I received leading up to race day.  Even when I ran four races in four days at Disney World, I didn't receive a email for each race.  I maybe received two or three emails with links to the forms I needed to sign and the race information packet.  Yet for this race weekend that only included two races, I received:

• 5K email
• half marathon email
• updated course entertainment email
• email about "official" merchandise
• email about how to pick up my Remix Challenge medal
• "final information for your race weekend" email
• a runner tracking email
• AND "claim your finisher's beer with photo ID" email.  

I am now receiving emails about ordering photos and signing up for 2015.  Ahhh!  Even though all of this information was included in the runner packet that you could access through a link in one of the first emails, I still received emails giving me the same information again.  I have run races where I don't hear anything after I receive my registration receipt, but this was the only time I have felt like a race over-communicated their information and I don't remember this happening last year.

I had a blast last weekend and I would consider running the Rock 'n' Roll race again next year IF a bucket list race wasn't occurring on the exact same weekend. So if I end up running Rock 'n' Roll again in 2015, you will know that my plans for the bucket list race didn't come together.  

Have a great week!

MO' Cowbell Race...as a spectator

Back in September I posted that I was selected as one of the MO' Bassadors for the MO' Cowbell race in St. Charles, MO.  A few weeks later I ran my 35th half marathon, and the plan was for the MO' Cowbell race to be my 36th half marathon.  But a week and a half prior to race day my uncle (step-dad's brother) was moved into hospice care.  He started declining rapidly and he passed away a few days prior to the race.  One of my duties as a MO' Bassador was to work a shift at the expo on Friday or Saturday, but the funeral was scheduled for Friday night back home.  As soon as the funeral was scheduled, I emailed the race directors to let them know that I would miss the expo and would likely miss the race.  Even if I was back in time for the race, I just didn't feel right about running the race after not working the expo.  I shouldn't have been surprised because the race directors have been nothing but amazing the entire time, but their response to my email about the funeral was nothing but kind and understanding.  They told me that I could still use my comp entry and run the half marathon, but I offered to cheer along the course instead if I was back in time.

The rest of that week was a blur.  I went home for the funeral on Friday but decided I wanted to get back Saturday night.  My mom and step-dad had both signed up for the 5k again and they had planned to spend the weekend in St. Charles with me.  But when they realized that they wouldn't be able to make it, they had one simple request which was to pick up their packets.

As I was coming back into town Saturday night, I decided to pick up poster board and markers to create a few signs.  I already had the half/full marathon course printed and a spot picked out.  I also had a few cowbells that would come in handy.  Race day morning I went to Frontier Park to pick up all of our packets an hour or so before the race.  My intent afterward was to get to this dog park where I would be able to see runners pass multiple times but due to road closures, I wasn't able to get to the park.  I settled for an area where I could park and be right at Mile 12 but walk to Mile 1.  I was the first one to this spot and I quickly became knowledgeable about the other road closures as people started asking me for directions.  Luckily I came prepared with a map in hand!  Eventually others realized it was a prime location and a crowd had formed by the time the mass of runners started coming through that stretch.  After the long week I had, shaking cowbells (yes I shook two at once) and holding a sign to cheer on the runners just made me happy and cheered me up.  I think I just needed to be on the other side for a race to give myself a break and refocus.  I got a lot of smiles and thank you's as the runners passed by.  I can't explain why, but it just ended up being a good way to end one week and start another.  This experience also made me so proud to be associated with race that has such amazing and understanding directors, staff, volunteers, and MO' Bassadors.  I am really glad that I had this opportunity and I look forward to promoting MO' Cowbell's 2015 races!

Roots N Blues N BBQ Half Marathon Race Recap

I left work early on Friday so that the boyfriend and I could head to Columbia, MO for my 35th half marathon.  Columbia is about an hour and a half from St. Charles if you can begin your journey before rush hour, which was our goal.  During the drive, Dan asked me if I was planning on running this race again next year.  I said "no" at the time because there are other September races on my bucket list and I have run this race two years in a row, but now I know that this race just isn't for me.

Packet pick-up was at Tryathletics again, and it was a quick in-and-out process.  As we were on our way to the hotel we noticed an Asian restaurant that sounded good.  I had already Googled restaurants in Columbia and I found a few Italian ones that had a basic pasta and meat sauce on their menu but when it came time to choose, we went with the Asian restaurant.  This ended up being the bad idea that led to a bad race.  I had noodles and veggies with teriyaki sauce and grilled fish, which I thought was safe.  All I will say is that it didn't sit well with me and it greatly affected my race time.

The half marathon started at 7:00 a.m with the 10K starting at 7:30 a.m.  Because the half marathon is part of the larger Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival, all of the parking garages downtown were free.  This year the start and finish line were Stephens Lake Park, so you could either take a shuttle from a parking garage one mile away or you could walk from the closest parking garage, which was a half mile away.  I opted for the closer parking garage and I arrived just after 6:00 a.m.  It was still pretty dark, but there were enough other runners around that I just followed the crowd to the park.  Once in the park I assumed there would be signs to the start line, but there were just general festival signs and nothing about the race.  Once I found the start line I also assumed there would be porta potties nearby, but they were by the festival entrances and not the start line.  Luckily I arrived with time to spare!

At the start line waiting for 7:00 a.m. I started talking to a runner who was station at Whiteman Air Force Base, which was an hour or so away.  We compared our race histories and discussed our bucket lists.  All of a sudden we were surrounded by runners and it was after 7:00 a.m.  I heard no announcements and no National Anthem from where I stood in the middle of the pack and then all of a sudden, runners were moving forward and the race was underway.  In 2013, I remember it being a bit more organized (and there were porta potties at the start/finish line).

What I like about this race is that it is mostly on the trails in Columbia, so it is easy for the race directors to control.  The terrain varied between concrete sidewalks, paved trails and roads, rock trails, and dirt trails.  When we were crossing streets, volunteers were at the intersections protecting us from traffic.  The race course was very peaceful as we weaved in and out of various parks and through agricultural research areas.  At one point, there were two random hot air balloons flying high above an open field the trail was running us through.  Beautiful!

At mile 9 we actually ran past the start/finish line of the 2013 race.  At that point, I really wished I was at the finish line because I had started feeling sluggish after mile 6 (remember what I had for dinner the night prior).  In the 2013 race we actually started by running up a long hill towards the Mizzou campus and I remember thinking that I should have signed up for the 10k, rather than the half marathon.  So in 2014 as I passed the start/finish line from the year prior, guess what came next.  Yes, the hill.....at mile 9.  Ugh.  When you reach the top, you are on the Mizzou campus.  Apparently it was a parents weekend or there was a campus tour, because the sections we ran through had multiple large groups walking around.

After running through campus, we ran around a hospital.  It always makes me laugh when a race course runs us past hospitals and cemeteries,  it just seems ironic somehow.  The course then took us back towards the park.  I could see the park long before the course took us back into it, but we finally made it back inside.  At that point we were back on a paved trail and we were often passing runners who had already finished and were wearing their medals, so I knew we were close.  My GPS is often a bit off from the mile markers so I mistakenly thought a section filled with runners and several food and beverage booths was the finish.  It wasn't!  This section actually annoyed me a bit because the course ran us directly through where the food/beverage booths were for finishers.  Literally, the path went right through where people were standing in line for post-race food.  Not everyone was paying attention either, so you had to weave around people standing in your path with their food and beer as you are trying to finish.   I thought this was poor planning, especially since I had run the race last year and remembered that the food/beer was in a park adjacent to the finish, rather than on the course, technically prior to the finish.

Once I made it through the crowd, you run up a slight hill and then finish on a downhill.  I was exhausted at this point and I was not feeling well.  Before I stretched, I just laid down on the ground and I never do that!  After seeing the lines at the post-race food, I had no desire to walk back down the hill and wait in line so after stretching a bit, I started heading back to my car.  I called the boyfriend to check the vending machine at the hotel because all I was craving was Sprite.  Weird!  We had requested a late check-out, so I had plenty of time to shower and wind down before we came back downtown for lunch.  Downtown Columbia is very cute with a wide-range of food choices and quaint shops.  Knowing I would get stiff on the drive home, we walked around for a few hours looking at shops and menus before we settled on a spot for lunch.  Last year we had gyros at the International Cafe, but this year we went for sandwiches at Tellers Gallery and Bar.  Both years we got ice cream at Sparky's, which I highly recommend.  

I like quick weekend trips and Columbia has a very quaint downtown, so while I do foresee coming back to Columbia for another race, it will be for one of the others on my list.  I liked the 2013 course better than this year's course, but I liked the shirts and medals from both years equally.

Cute shirt - totally wrinkled from the drive home

Medal Monday featuring Gabi

Happy Medal Monday!  Today I am shining the spotlight on Gabi, who blogs at Lean Green Island Girl.

The medal pictured above is Gabi's favorite medal because she received it at her 1st and only marathon that she ran in Stockholm in 2006.  At the time, she said that she would never run another marathon; however, she is planning on running the Marine Corps Marathon this fall (on my bucket list) and the Ironman in Louisville.  Gabi said that this race was beautiful and that she really enjoyed her time in Sweden.  She also said that no matter how many races you run, there is always something special about the first races at each distance.

Follow Gabi's journey:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeanGreenIslandGirl
Twitter: @LeanGreenGabi

Do you have a favorite medal?  Email me at willrunforamedal@gmail.com

Hard Truths

After four races in California over Labor Day Weekend, I took an entire week off of working out and running.  One reason I chose to do this was because my flight home was rerouted due to the weather in St. Louis on Labor Day evening and I did not get home until 3 a.m. Tuesday morning and I still had to work the rest of the week.  Throughout the long flight, people were also constantly sneezing, so guess who ended up with a cold...ME!  All last week I was working on trying to overcome a cold while catching up on sleep.  I didn't even unpack until this weekend.  But the downtime did allow me to reflect on the races and on the training leading up to them and I came up with a few hard truths about all of it.

1. I was better trained for the Dopey Challenge in January than I was for the Dumbo Double Dare despite the fact that I was sick a week prior to Dopey and on antibiotics on race weekend.
2. I focused too much on cross training and not enough on running this summer.
3. My beautiful new running shoes were not broken in enough.
4. Sometimes I am distracted by the prospect of "bling" much like miners were during the gold rush.  I need to concentrate more on the journey leading the "bling" rather than the "bling" itself.
5. Apparently I have a dairy allergy that I didn't know about it until I was suddenly eating dairy on a daily basis while on vacation.

So Sunday evening I bought groceries that supported my normal eat-clean style diet.  Today was my first day working out in the gym again and I went to Insanity before work and did another hour of cardio after work.  The fall season is just getting started, so the California races served as a hard lesson and motivation for the rest of the year.  Here is to learning from my mistakes and hopefully helping you to avoid them too!

Good luck to everyone this fall! 

Conquer the Bridge 5.3 Miler on Labor Day

When I was researching the Dumbo Double Dare in Disneyland, I wondered if there were any other races in the Anaheim/L.A. area over Labor Day Weekend.  Since I live in the Midwest, I want to get the biggest bang for my buck if I was going to fly to California so I wanted to see if there was just one more race that I could add before coming home.  After all, I had ran the Dopey Challenge in January so three races in three days wasn't unheard of, right?

Well I lucked out when I came across the Conquer the Bridge race in San Pedro - the Port of L.A. on Labor Day.  At the time, the 5.3 mile race had been held the past five years and they added a half marathon for the first time in 2013. I immediately emailed the race director with questions about the race and to make sure that the race would also take place over Labor Day Weekend in 2014.  He assured me that the 5.3 mile race would occur, but that the half marathon required approvals from the Port of L.A. that were difficult and time-consuming to obtain.  He told me that he would keep me in the loop as the race drew near, but to plan on running the race on Labor Day.

As the year progressed, I kept checking in with him and several times he actually called me to give me additional details about the race and the planning involved behind the scenes.  I thought the concept and course was pretty unique.  On Labor Day the Vincent Thomas Bridge is closed until noon for all traffic.  Normally pedestrians and cyclists are not allowed on the bridge, so this race is the one time every year that pedestrians take over the bridge and run over it twice.

Some quick stats about the bridge:

1500' long

4th longest suspension bridge in California

1st welded suspension bridge in the U.S.

clear height of the navigation channel is around 185'

Earlier this summer the race director announced that there would not be a half marathon in 2014, but that they would try again in 2015.  There would only be the 5.3 miler this year.  I had already sold my family on the idea of staying our last night in San Pedro, so I went ahead and signed up for the 5.3 miler and Sunday after the half marathon, we headed to San Pedro.

If you have never been to San Pedro, allow me just show you how beautiful the Ports of Call is.

The Vincent Thomas Bridge in the background

Our hotel was a quick five minute drive from the start line and this race didn't start until 8:00 a.m., so I felt like I was sleeping in the morning of the race.  Even though I had only signed up for two races at Disneyland, I ended up running three since mom had an extra entry for the 5K.  By this point in the trip I had several blisters on each foot, so I just put bandages on and wrapped them with athletic tape to provide additional cushion.  

Parking was a breeze even though we arrived 30 minutes before the start.  All of a sudden, it was time to start.  

I wasn't really sore, I was just stiff but once the race started and the crowd started moving, I felt pretty good.  The race starts near the Ports of Call Village and then approaches the ramp up to the bridge.  You slowly ascend to the top of the bridge, being cautious as you cross the expansion grates (which are covered on race day for the safety of the runners), then you reach the top and have a great downhill.  At the bottom of the bridge you have a bit of flat road before a slight uphill at the turnaround.  Then you climb towards the top of the bridge again to head back.  Click here to see a great video of the course.  

I made sure to stop and take a few photos because it was such a beautiful day and I was flying back to the flatlands of the Midwest in a matter of hours.

Heading to the top

It is a port, but it is still beautiful

Heading back

This race seemed to be over in no time compared to the half marathon the day before.  At the finish, you received a medal, water, and fruit as the crowd continued to cheer in the background.  I had told the race director that I would try to find him after the race so that I could finally meet him in person, but the finish line was too chaotic and no one was able to point me in the right direction.  I wanted to tell him how much fun I had and how much I enjoyed this race.  Although I was originally disappointed that there would not be a half marathon this year, it was actually a blessing in disguise to only be running 5.3 miles that day.  I loved the race course and the fact that this was the only time each year that runners could cross the bridge.  The scenery was beautiful as you can see from the photos, and the volunteer support along the course was very active and fun.  I would not only recommend this race to Disney runners as an add-on, but also to locals who are looking for a unique race.  At the start line, the race director did mention that it is still their intention to have a half marathon again, so be sure to check the race website and Facebook page for updates as you start thinking about Labor Day Weekend 2015.

Conquer the Bridge medal at the bottom

Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare and Coast to Coast Challenge

Whew, I can't believe it is already over!  My 11-day vacation and four races in four days has come and gone, and I have great medals and fresh blisters to prove it.  I started my vacation in Portland, Oregon visiting two of my former roommates from my DC days.  I distinctly remember when one of them was training for his first marathon when we were living on Capitol Hill.  I thought he was crazy and at the time, I hated running.  But eventually, it rubbed off on me.  I wanted to get in at least one run over the weekend I was in Portland, so I asked him for recommended running routes.  He recommended a trail in a neighborhood park, and I ended up running hill repeats.

A few days later, I flew to San Jose to meet my mom and stepdad.  We were slowly making our way down to Disneyland while visiting various beaches and tourist sites along the way.  My only other "run" the week of the race happened on an oceanside trail in Monterey.  As you can see from my Facebook page, the scenery was a bit too beautiful.  Even though I still ran over four miles, I stopped to take photos quite frequently.

Late Wednesday evening we made it to our hotel for the next four nights, the Howard Johnson-Anaheim, which was right across from Disneyland.  Every time we go to Disney World we stay on Disney property because of the convenience, but taking buses in between parks takes anywhere from 20 - 45 minutes depending on the resort.  So although the rooms were not decorated with a Disney theme and I didn't hear "have a magical day" at all, you could not beat the convenience of being able to walk a few blocks and be at the entrance to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.  Advice:  If you stay at the HoJo, request a balcony facing Disneyland so that you can see the fireworks from the comfort of your balcony if you decide not to stay late in the parks.  If you don't have a room closer to the I-5 side, you can actually hear the music from the park that plays with the fireworks and you can go to bed immediately after the fireworks end, rather than having to wiggle through the crowds to the exit!

Also walkable from our hotel was the expo at the Disneyland Hotel's convention center, which we visited Thursday afternoon.  The Disneyland expo was very similar to the Disney World expos:  a variety of vendors and long lines for the official New Balance Disney shoes.  The one thing that blew my mind was the line for the "official" Run Disney merchandise.  It snaked around the inside of the ballroom before extending into the hallway.  The area itself looked significantly smaller than the official merchandise area at Disney World expos, so that must have been the cause.  Either way I was not going to wait in that line, especially after picking up three more Disney race shirts for the Dumbo Double Dare.

The only issue I came across was that I was apparently so excited about registering for the Dumbo Double Dare, that I mis-typed my birthday as the 12th rather than the 13th.  This resulted in me not being registered for the Coast to Coast Challenge since the birthdays did not match.  I briefly panicked, but the wonderful volunteers/staff at the Runner Relations booth were able to fix it for me and make sure that I left with the green bracelet required in order to receive the extra medal at the finish of the half marathon.  Whew!  Be sure to type in your birthdays correctly.  Don't get so excited that you mis-type information like I did.

Before and after the expo on Thursday, we went to Disneyland, rode one of my favorite rides multiple times (since the park was not busy yet this day), and stayed for the evening fireworks show.

The Pirates ride, one of my favorite rides!

The original plan was to sleep in on Friday while my parents were at the 5K and they would sleep in on my 10K day.  On Sunday, I would get up really early for the half marathon and the parents would find me later on the course to cheer me on.  It turns out that my mom accidentally signed up for the 5K twice since the Run Disney website kept locking up the day registration opened, so it was either waste a perfectly good 5K entry OR force myself to participate in the 5K too.  Guess which one I chose...

5K medal and post-race snacks

I didn't really take any photos during the 5K, but it was filled with costumes and it was very family-friendly.  The most memorable moment of the 5K was when I was literally in between two groups who were yelling at each other.  We were in downtown Disney nearing the finish when I heard a male in the distance saying, "on your right, on your right."  The man, his wife, and a child in a stroller passed a group and then passed me.  The group behind me that they passed started yelling, "no strollers are allowed in this race."  Then the wife turned around and yelled back to the group, "yes they are."  Then the group yelled back, "keep lying to yourself."  All I could think was, "keep calm, it's a fun run and we aren't even being timed in this race!"  I didn't dare say anything out loud since I was already technically in the middle of the shouting but I did check the event guide later that evening.  Sure enough on at least pages 30 and 40 it states that strollers, baby joggers, etc. are prohibited for the safety (and apparently sanity) of the other runners.

After the 5K, we spent the day at Disney's California Adventure.  We were able to get on the rides we wanted multiple times before we decided to rest at the hotel for a few hours.  After a nap, we returned to Disneyland to ride a few more rides on our last day at the parks and the crowds had grown significantly!  At this point on Friday evening you not only had runners and their families, but the typical weekend crowds, in addition to the holiday crowd.  Just the day before, we were able to ride Pirates multiple times in a row after waiting less than 10 minutes in line each time.  Friday night we waited around 35 minutes.  It only got worse from there.  Disneyland is smaller than Disney World so although everything is closer together and requires less walking in between rides, there are also less areas for seating and stroller parking.  I don't normally get claustrophobic, but when I literally couldn't walk because the sidewalks were so packed with people and strollers, I got tense.  So we decided not to stay in the park for the fireworks that night since we could see them from our balcony and it would be far less chaotic.  Advice if you run in Disneyland Labor Day Weekend:  Try to arrive in town early so that you can go to the parks on Wednesday or Thursday before they get packed with weekend crowds.  Thursday was not crowded at all and Friday morning was fine, but Friday evening was absolutely packed!  

After a few hours of sleep, it was time for the 10K.  Because adding the 5K to my weekend meant I was now running four races in four days (race recap for the 4th race to follow in a separate post), I decided that this race series was going to be more about the journey and less about a specific finish time, so I sacrificed time in order to take photos along the course.  Below are the pictures I took during the 10K (that weren't blurry from the sweat on my phone).  Feel free to save them as your own if you ran and didn't get the chance to take any photos.

En route to the start line

Running through castle

Entering Paradise Pier

After the 10K, my family and I went to the packet pick-up for my fourth race of the weekend as well as Santa Monica and Huntington Beach piers.  In Huntington Beach, I actually saw several Disneyland Half Marathon and Dumbo Double Dare shirts which made me smile.  We went to bed early again since the half marathon started Sunday morning at 5:30 a.m. and it would be the largest of all the races that weekend.  Again I spent a lot of time taking photos during the half marathon because it will likely be a while until I get back to Disneyland, so feel free to save any of these magical photos as your own.

The corrals never end!

Running through the castle

Running through the car show

Getting closer to the finish

A mile or so after the last picture above was taken, I saw my parents with their sign and cowbells so I knew I was close to earning my medals.  Then I passed the 13 mile marker and I could hear the crowd at the finish....then I crossed the mat and I was done!!!  I collected my half marathon medal, Coast to Coast Challenge medal, and finally the Dumbo Double Dare medal and quickly grabbed drinks and the snack box before exiting the runner area.  All I wanted to do was get back to the hotel to stretch and shower so I walked back as quickly as I could.  We were checking out in a few hours to head to our last hotel in San Pedro where we were staying for the last race of the weekend, but first we were surprising my step-dad with tickets to the Angels game.  The remainder of the afternoon was spent relaxing at the game and then touring San Pedro - the port of Los Angeles.  I will post a race recap for the Conquer the Bridge 5.3 miler , the last race of the Labor Day Weekend, in a day or two.

Medal haul for the weekend

Thousands of people ran in Disneyland last weekend with me, but below are a few other blogs (in no particular order) you should check out if you are interested in running a Disney race:

YOU need to run a Disney race too!

Casual-Runner
Disney Runs in the Family
be the change (scroll down for half marathon and 10k posts)
Adventures by Daddy
Disney Runs My Life
Project Julie
Chad's Running Blog
Sarah Says...
Running for Cupcakes
Chip 'n' Dale Runner
Tara with Styles
Me and My Tween
Je Me Souviens - To Infinity and Beyond
Erin Runs Around
Amanda K Jones
Adventures by Katie
The Final Forty
Starting Late
Scoot A Doot
My No-Guilt Life
Fitness Junkees