Rochester Flower City Challenge Half Marathon

Yesterday was the Rochester Flower City Challenge (half marathon, 5k, dualthlon--paddle/bike...Sat).  All week long you could go to Fleet Feet and pick up your race stuff.

 All of it came in this nice drawstring bag.  It has a zipper pouch on the front between the black and blue section.  I have a few of this type bag but they always come in handy to just toss some extra clothes in or items in to head out the door.

 Here is what the bibs looked like.  I picked my packet up at the Brighton Fleet Feet location so that is why it says PPU:  Brighton.  The back of the bib had a foam and silver strip on it that was the timing chip.  I have noticed that many races are going to timing chip strips on the bib rather than shoe chips or other similar styles---that way you can't really forget it at your hotel/home etc... I like it since it is convenient.

 The nice tech fabric shirts by New Balance.  I love my white one from last year that is a very similar style and design.  I must say that Dave and Ellen at Fleet Fleet do a fantastic job getting their events together and having great gear for participation in distance events.

So on Sunday morning the bikes are in the truck and we are off to the start of the race.  Mom and dad park a few blocks away from the War Memorial/Blue Cross Arena where the start line is located.  They are going to stay "inside" the running loop course and bike to several locations to see me.  I am on a mission to corral up for Disney's Dumbo Double Dare and The Dopey Challenge.

 I put myself in the 2:00 pace group area for the start and know that I can move up as the race progresses.  It is a great day for a race with temps starting in the mid 50's and approaching mid 60's by the time I finish.  We run past some very cool stuff in down town Rochester (sorry, no pictures).

 Here is the second time I see my chEAR and support crew on the course.  They wanted me to be able to pick them out since I am not as familiar with this course as I am at Disney.  It was an early morning for Papa Bear but he gets to go to the cottage and fish after so he's all smiles.  Plus the fact that I am running here at home and not a plane ride away plus vacation time.

 I am getting ready to start climbing the brutal hills that plague the 7-9ish miles of the course and I hear "chinnng... chinnng."  Papa Bear is riding his bike on the sidewalk along the course since he heard there would be a drum group on one of the climbs and he wants to check it out.  I am keeping pace with him for a little while and he shouted out, "faster than a speeding bike!"

A few seconds later mom pedals by.  I thought she was going to cut through a side street to make it to the other side of the Mount Hope Cemetery to catch me in about 3 miles.  Proof that she rode her bike around to chEAR and support!

Love my parents and all that they do to help support and encourage my running.  So the cemetery was the last of the hills and the rest of the course wound around UofR and back to the start area for the finish.  I crossed in about 1:53:20 (2 minutes slower than the previous year but the only goal was to corral up this time).
Post race they had Wegman's Greek yogurt, Wegman's cookies, Salvatore's pizza, bagels, and Fig Newtons.  We didn't stick around long since we wanted to get out and enjoy the weather.  Thanks again for coming to the race!

eeekkk... less than 1 week!

So on Sunday I will be running the Rochester Flower City Challenge half marathon.  Training didn't go how I had planned but I will be alright.  I am hoping to run right around 2 hours and that should be good enough to "corral up" at the Dumbo Double Dare and Dopey Challenge at Disneyland/World.  I am going to go pick up my packet/race stuff with my Momma (#1 chEAR squad) later this week and maybe get me a new pair of shoes and socks.  I have been subbing a ton the past few weeks so not as much has gotten done around the house as I'd like (this past weekend we had snow!).  I am hopeful that I can get some yard work done this weekend before and after the race since I have my sister's baby shower the following weekend and won't be doing much that weekend since it will be family time.

Disney with Kids part 2

I do not have kids but I wanted to help out those of you that do to make your Disney memories filled with more magic.  This is all based on some random observations by my Mommy and me during our many runDisney trips.
There are little details, E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E!  You may be excited to see your child ride on Dumbo for the first time but don't drag them down the street.  There is a lot so see and smell as you walk down Main Street USA.  Let your child take it all in.  They are likely in sensory overload so take things slow.  You may even see a lot of fun little things that are there for the kids just as much for the grown ups.

The peanuts in the concrete at Story Book Circus, the squirrels on the pillars, the "Goofy" things at the Goofini roller coaster.  Seriously, second aid!  

Lots of people have their strollers.  Label your stroller and do something so that it stands out for you.  Also, if you can bring your own umbrella stroller that should be more than enough for your little person.  Your child(ren) should be old enough to do most of the day walking on their own two feet.  Most lines you need to park the stroller anyways so they will be standing or you are holding them.  The stroller is great for them to sit in at the parade, take a nap in it during the afternoon while you grab a long and leisurely lunch.  Also, don't walk more than 2 across because it causes traffic jams.  Please don't stop in the walkway.  If you need to stop for some reason move over to the side so traffic can still flow.  

About that stroller.  FOLD IT UP BEFORE the bus gets there to pick you up.  You cannot take it on the bus open.  This saves the people in line behind you from having to wait as well as from you struggling to take all your stuff out of the stroller and the stroller also deciding to not want to fold as easily as it usually does.  Take a picture of how you are getting to the park.  Is it by monorail, boat or bus?  Take a picture of your little on their way over.  Their faces are usually full of excitement.  They may start randomly talking to a nearby kid or stranger about what they are going to do that day.  

Take pictures of the ride signs and your fast pass tickets that you may get.  You can use them later to help scrapbook or recall some small details from your trip that you may have forgotten with all the business.  At the end of the day take the time to send yourself an email about all that you did, things that were said, feelings and such that you may forget by the time you get home.  This will help you to make a better scrapbook of the trip or blog about what you did.  

 

If your child is in love with one attraction go on it over and over again.  They may not be big enough to enjoy some of the attractions that you want to or it may not be appropriate for your child (scary, dark...).  Disney has a ride swap where one parent waits in line and when they are done they swap places with the parent waiting with the child(ren).  The second parent basically gets a "fastpass" to the front.  

Make sure to take time to sit down and eat.  I cannot tell you how many kids fall asleep on the bus back to the resort at the end of the day and the parents wake them up to feed them dinner upon returning for the evening.  That's fine except the kids are practically sleep eating.  Disney will also give you a glass of ice water for free so if you want to bring a water bottle to pour it into after instead of the paper cup it's a great idea.  

Take pictures of your food.  Make sure to pick places to eat that have food your child will enjoy.  Not all places will offer food that your little likes.  You may bring food into the park (as of this time) so feel free to give your little snacks they will like to keep the grumpies away and keep them going.  

Take time to sit down and relax.  A great time to take a break is an hour or two before the parade.  Scope out a good location and sit down.  Send one parent to get food and have a "picnic" lunch or dinner while waiting for the parade.  And when it comes to the parade and kiddos meeting characters what photo do you want:

 Same parade but the one with your kid in it (ok, I am a big kid, we all are at heart) will be much more memorable.  Their face when they walk up to that character instead of their back while they get a hug.  Their interaction with the character as well as the posed character photos are the ones that you will love most.  And don't forget to stay for the fireworks.  Your child may be at their meltdown point but think of the meltdown when they hear/see the fireworks while waiting at the bus stop.  Stay and let them fall asleep in your arms as you leave the park--don't let them sit in the stroller since you will have to move them to fold it up.

Disney with Kids

I do not have kids but I wanted to help out those of you that do to make your Disney memories filled with more magic.  This is all based on some random observations by my Mommy and me during our many runDisney trips.  The following is all about before you even get to a park (although they also apply to while you are at the park).

Have FUN!  Relax and enjoy spending time with your family.  This means talking to your kids, watching their faces as they take in everything around them and pointing things out to them.  This doesn't mean you spend the day checking your smartphone and updating your facebook status.  I cannot tell you how many kids are tugging on their parents shirt and the parent "swats" them away and continues to play with their phone.  Phone can be good though if you have a particularly long wait and give it to your child to play a game while waiting... climbing/swinging on the chains in line is not a good choice.  Pay attention to your kids!
Be a little silly!  Think about it, are you ever going to see these people again?  Probably not. Be a little silly and once in a while take that goofy photo.  Don't be afraid to dance to the parade music or join in the pre-parade activities to keep the littles entertained.

 Be prepared to entertain your kids a little here and there.  Disney has a lot to offer in this aspect but let's be honest, waiting for the bus or the bus ride itself isn't that fun.  Engage in a conversation about what you are going to see or do today.  Play I spy.  Fill out a post card for a family member...Also, waiting for the bus in the morning is not the best time to ignore your child while playing on your phone and sipping your coffee.  Kid full of energy and running around can quickly turn into a screaming child that fell and scraped their knee--delay going to park to get bandages and endure a screaming kid each time you try to put sunblock on them and it stings.

 You are staying on Disney property... take some time to explore the resort.  It has lots of details as well so you can spend the day you get there or the day you are leaving checking it out.  Take some photos as well.  FYI--photos are more fun if you have people you know in them.

 House keeping does a wonderful job making sure you have fresh towels and your room is straightened up while you are out.  Make their job easier by putting away as many of your personal belongings as possible.  Besides, do you really want to come back to your room after an exhausting day at the park to your suitcase mess in the corner (they aren't touching that).  Have your pajamas out before you leave in the am so it makes going to bed easier.  Before bed get out clothes for the next day.

Temptations are everywhere... in the case of food and items your child will want to buy cause, "I need it..."  We've all seen and heard that meltdown.  Buy some Disney items before your trip and give them to your child throughout the trip as rewards for good behavior or to use on the trip.  That over size pen and autograph book or some Disney clothes from the store close to home.  If it has a Disney character on it your child probably isn't going to really care that it didn't come directly from the Park.
Stay tuned for Park info for Disney with Kids.

Getting that Perfect Dumbo photo

Everyone wants that perfect photo of Dumbo in flight.  Here is how to get that perfect photo.  You need to ride Dumbo with a friend or family member and ask for 2 separate Dumbo's.  No sharing!  So the option of having the Castle in your background is no longer available due to relocation but you can see a difference in the two photos below.  The first one, with the Castle, was taken by my friend Kelly. She was in the Dumbo directly in front of me.  Decent photo but his trunk is cut off.

 The photo below was taken by my mom.  Dumbo at his current location in Story Book Circus.  She skipped a Dumbo and then picked hers.  Big difference in the photo is that you see all of Dumbo.  You can zoom/crop your photo later but it is so much cuter with his whole adorable face.

See (look up) you can see the empty Dumbo between us.  This was at about 8:15 in the morning so we were among the first guests in the Dumbo area.  Even if you are not there super early you can still skip a Dumbo between you for that perfect photo.  You may have to not fly so high (slightly lower than the other guests) so that you are able to photo your family member or friend.  Enjoy your perfect Dumbo photo!

fueling on the run

I always had a difficult time munching on those gels and goos on the run so I would carry pez and gummy fruit slices for fuel during the marathon and half marathon.  On my long training runs I would test out other foods... starburst (too chewy and tough when it's cold), other candies... not much luck with traveling well or being easy to eat while on the go.
The other day at Wegman's I was checking out the organic food/energy bar section and came across these little beauties.

They are orange blossom fruit snack items and are similar consistency to the gummy fruit slices.  They taste great and travel well.  Best of all they are not red like so many of the other energy fruit gel/chews that are out on the market.  Red food dyes upset my stomach on the long run.  Can't wait to test them out in a race situation at the end of this month at the Flower City half marathon.

Running id

A few years back I won a gift certificate for a company that specializes in running identification tags/bands...  I placed an order with roadid (that's the company) for their shoe id tag.  Basically it is a piece of velcro slips between the laces and latches on with a metal engraved tag with info.  I love that I can easily switch the tag between shoe and I've never even known it was there while running... it doesn't affect the lacing system for me or "flop" around.

can't really notice it (left shoe)

I chose the shoe tag because I didn't want to have to worry about wearing a bracelet or putting something else on.  The shoe tag one is also available with a pouch on it for storing money, keys... but I didn't want that bulk on my shoes (most of my clothes have a small pocket anyways that I could use).

I have my name, town and zip code, Luke's phone number and hubby, momma's phone number and papa bears phone number along with NKA (no known allergies).  Identification and 3 emergency contacts since I don't always run with my phone.