Right to Run 19k

The Right to Run 19k was held on a beautiful, sunny day on May 7 in Seneca Falls, NY.  The race was a 19k (11.8 miles) as a nod to the 19th amendment that gave women the right to vote.  Of course,  I decided weeks ago that I *must* run in a costume and waited until 2 nights before to basically start crafting.  

The race started on a back country road.  Runners parked in a field and there would be shuttles to the cars after the race.  Of course my mom and dad came with me and took care of Critter while I ran so we cannot comment on how well this shuttle thing worked out. 

 I pumped in the car about 8:20 and then my mom helped me get into my costume since it required some safety pins to hold the sash in place.  The race started at 9:00 so by the time all the shennanigans of my pumping and costuming were over it was about 8:45.  I headed to the start and it was a pretty good turn out for the first year.  Just over 1,000 participants.  Kathrine Switzer (first woman finisher of the Boston Marathon) gave us some encouraging words to the effect of, "be fearless and fast..."

Go Mom-ma Go!

It was a warm run with the sun out the entire time (beautiful day) but there was basically little to no shade on the course as the first half was on back country roads between farm fields.  There was a slight breeze that was nice.  If the weather was rainy or windy it would have been brutal.  At about halfway we got to run along the lake for a bit and before heading into the town.  There were quite a few girls at the water stops cheering for us (I am thinking a girls on the run group or girl scouts volunteering).  They all loved my outfit and I slowed down so that I could hi-five all the hands that were out.  

 It was hot and sunny on the entire course and I ran into a young boy (high schooler) who was obviously struggling.  Walking and trying to stretch out a cramp.  I offered him a Gu and he accepted.  He gave me a nod at the finish area and was smiling, chatting with friends, wearing his medal.

 The finish area was nice with little tents/booths set up.  They don't look crowded because when I snapped these photos everyone was at the awards ceremony happening by the finish line.  Because of my costume I was photographed by several local newspapers and a guy from a nearby college that was in charge of the media stuff for the event.

He asked my permission to use my image/photo for next year as part of the media advertisements and to make a special cancellation stamp to be used during the event.  Of course I said yes.  I am obsessed with old post offices with all their character and details and love snail mail.

 Well, I was a top finisher so we stuck around for the awards to see.  I was the 7th overall female finisher and 4th in my age group (with top 3 getting awards).  Goes to show I am in a tough age group considering the overall winner was in my age group and therefore not eligible for the age group award double dip.

 When we got home my mom proceeded to hand wash my costume in the sink while my dad mowed the lawn and I took a shower.  Critter happily played on the floor for a bit.  It was a beautiful day and I am so beyond lucky to have such an amazing support crew in my mom and dad for these races.  I could not accomplish all I have been able to with running since Critter if it weren't for their continued support and much needed baby sitting.

 And here I am with Kathrine Switzer.  She loved my outfit but was even more excited that Critter had a sign on her stroller that said, "well done, sister suffragettes."   Yup, totally Mrs. Banks from Mary Poppins.  

It's a Wonderful Run

We headed up to Bedford Falls (aka Seneca Falls) in early December for their It's a Wonderful Run 5k that has been held since 2009.  This was my 3rd year participating in the event and my mom, dad and hubby joined me along with Critter in her first 5k.  We all walked it together.  

 We made it to town early so that we could send out our holiday cards with a special post mark that they only use for the weekend of the event.  There is even a little parade through town that has the characters from the movie It's a Wonderful Life.  I was issued a ticket from the cop in the movie for having a "baby in shirt."  So many people said she was so cute and I guess (I can never see her little face when I am holding her).  I had her in my carrier and zipped my coat around her in addition to having a blanket wrapped around her.  It was a warm for December day in the upper 40's.

 We had lunch at a local restaurant and then it was time for the 5k.  We got all kinds of lit up since the race starts at 4:40 and it gets dark shortly after.  My dad had a blast using my Prep & Landing trees.  He kept saying, "hold on a minute, I have to direct traffic."  This for the lines at the port-o-potties (everyone had started by now and we were at the back with walkers and dogs).  Then after the race while I was feeding Critter in the car and they were hanging on the sidewalk when group of people would walk by.

 The race starts by going across the bridge that George Bailey jumped off in the movie.  We even saw a few people dressed up in more than Santa hats and such this year.  We saw an Elf on the Shelf, a Snow Man, Gingerbread Boy and a tree.

 It was a beautiful night for a stroll with my family and my mom enjoyed a quick little rest at one of the homes along the course that had a tiki bar set up and had their little set up all tropical.

Seneca 7 Relay

My mom and I headed out to Seneca Lake for the Seneca 7 Relay on Saturday afternoon.  The relay consists of a team of 7 runners that each run 3 legs around Seneca Lake for a total combined distance of 77.7 miles.  It is like Ragnar except all during the day.  Most of the relay exchanges are also at wineries if you are so inclined to go buy a random bottle or do some sampling when they are open.  

looking back at the part of the hill I was climbing and enjoying the view

our van coming down the road

 We spent the night in Geneva after attending packet pickup and the information session.  We brought stuff to decorate our van but they were not doing a van decorating contest this year.  Still fun that we decorated our van though.  We thought we were the 7am start but because we had some fast gals join the team we were bumped to the 8am start.  Good thing or we would have been held for approximately 40 minutes at the first check point on the course (about exchange 7?).

We met up with the gals from our local MRTT chapter in the Wegman's parking lot and they loaded their gear into the van that my uncle let us borrow for the weekend.  My mom was our driver so it worked out well for us in terms of safety and such--she focused on the road and we could cheer and watch the race out the windows driving by.  They had bike relay teams that took turns running the legs and instead of vehicles the rest of the team biked and met up at the exchanges.  Intense.  

1 mile to the scenic overlook--my first relay leg

My first relay leg was about 4 miles or a little more and was basically all uphill to a scenic overlook.  I would much rather go uphill or flat than down hill.  Our van was awesome because it was easy to spot and we stopped about halfway through all the legs that we could to cheer for our teammates before going on to the exchange point.  My mom brought a mini bull horn so we used that too.

I wore a sparkle skirt for each leg of the relay and calf sleeves for the first two legs since my calves have been getting tight (common pregnancy symptom and the sleeves just help alleviate some of the pressure I feel in them climbing hills).  I wore Happy Talk and decided to sport my reflective band for my own safety since we were running on the shoulders of a fairly well traveled route with speed limits of about 55 in places.

bathroom anyone? 

My mom was amazing at finding side streets for us to pull onto for us to park the van so we could cheer since we obviously could not pull over onto the shoulder of the road and impede the bicycle relays.  During my second leg, which was 6.1 miles, I had to use the bathroom so bad about halfway through I seriously considered sitting on someones lawn and pretending to stretch while peeing through my clothes.  At least I was well hydrated, taking good care of Critter.  All the wineries on the course were about 1/4 mile or more off course for this portion.  When I was ready to sit down and just let it go I spotted a cafe on the road that was open and they graciously let me use their bathroom when I explained I was 20 weeks pregnant.

leg #2

Running leg 2 was mostly climbing with a little bit of downhill/flat.  I drank most of my camelback and wore my Fantasia sparkle skirt.  This was the only leg I wore my camelback for since my other legs were shorter and I could get away with just my amphipod bottles in my skirt pockets.  I also had a fruit snack about 35 minutes into this leg to make sure I kept my energy levels up.

 Wearing my camelback I get super sweaty so my mom stood outside the van while we cheered for our next runner trying to get my shirt to dry out waving it around.  She is so awesome!  Final leg of the relay for me (runner #5) was mostly flat with a little uphill.  It was just shy of 3 miles and I wore  my Hearts, Stars, Flowers, oh my sparkle skirt and my reflective bands again.  When cars weren't coming I ran the white line but when I saw a car it was shoulder dirt running for me!

 We parked the van and were able to run with our 7th runner across the finish line just before 7 pm.  Our medals had our leg numbers on them and were nice.  Post race refreshments were cookies, chili and some delicious juice.  Our relay team did well considering I was the "slowest" one on the team for obvious reasons and they didn't mind--telling me to walk if I had to and if I needed to drop a leg one of them would pick it up for the safety of me and Critter--all discussed in the weeks prior to the relay.

 Our team was Moms RUN Seneca Seven.  Our team average pace was 8:28 miles (I am sure my average mile pace was 9:40-10:00 so they are speedy) and our total time for the 77.7 miles was 10:59:04.  Oh, and the first and second  place overall teams were all FEMALE teams.  The all male team came in 3rd overall followed by some mixed teams.

Marathon Goofy #10

Another early morning as my mom and I caught the 3am monorail over to the start.  I was determined to get to the merchandise trailer as soon as it opened and score a Goofy banner.  I totally lucked out as I grabbed one of 3 remaining banners.  My mom came in a few minutes later (she had security checks to go through cause of all my running gear) and she was able to get a few runDisney banners and a Dopey banner.  

 I sat at one of the picnic tables they had set up and my mom handed me my cereal and milk for breakfast and then proceeded to start braiding my hair.  Two girls sitting at a table near us were a little jealous of my royal treatment.  I met up with some more perfectly Goofy runners for a photo before heading over to the start and my mom headed over to the monorail to drop the banners off in the room and then zip over to our usual meeting spots because she is all kinds of awesome.

 I skipped characters that had long lines or that I had seen before because I just wanted to keep it moving and not take forever.  I know I planned to stop more but the lines were crazy long and I don't have time (patience) for that.

 As I approached the mile 8 shoe change and water bottle pick up my mom told me someone told her she could make it to a place near Animal Kingdom and then the finish line.  Bonus day for me getting to see my mom's smiling/cheering face at 3 places on the course.  However, if I was running the pace from the previous year (4:07 marathon instead of 4:38 marathon) this plan would not have worked.

 She somehow managed to have some cold chocolate milk at Animal Kingdom for me and I almost ran past her because of the way the road curved but I looked back and saw her so I back tracked a little.  She said Luke was at the Wide World of Sports to help be my "something to look forward to" since that is usually where I get into a mood.

 Yup, mood at WWoS again but not as severe as in years past.  I was stopped by a runDisney photographer at a water stop and asked to pose for a photo just up the road a little.  I happily obliged and ended up making the runDisney facebook page thing.

 I took a mini bathroom break in a real bathroom near the stadium (bathroom break #3 of the race).  I was drinking water/gatorade like it was my job in hopes that it would minimize soreness from my lack of December training.  It helped a little but I was still quite sore after.

 Luke did meet me as I was leaving the WWoS complex.  He had a water bottle for me to carry over the next few miles so I could "breeze through" the water stops and not deal with some of the congestion that typically happens.  I was the one that spotted him and ran over to him.  Everything was going well and I was just trying to stay "cool" by dumping water on my head to cool off.  I knew it wasn't really hot out but I was hot.  Thanks cotton shirt for a vest!

 I really didn't want to stop for anything after WWoS but made the exception for the Monsters because they remind me of my nephew.  I kept tearing up running around the World Showcase at Epcot.  I texted my sister to pull up the live feed so my dad could watch me finish and texted my mom so she would know I was coming.  Luke barely made it to the bleachers to see me finish (holy traffic).  It was his first trip back to Goofy since the first one.  The camera sort of cut out as I crossed the line but it worked out ok because my dad still got to watch me and called me later to tell me all about how I was smiling and waving to mom.  It was an incredible feeling to cross the finish line and I could not have done it without the support of the best chEAR squad around and support crew for the past 10 years--my mom.  I wish there was a medal I could give her for all the hours she spends out there toting around my gear that I *might* need and cheering not only for me but all the runners.  She is simply incredible.

That night just my mom and I went over to the Polynesian for Dole whip floats and then watched the fireworks.  Thank you for an amazing 10 years of Goofy mom and here's to a whole lot more of our mommy and me adventures!

Scarecrow 5k

So the weekend after Diva's half I ran a local 5k in my fantastic Rock City skirt.  Amy from Rock City skirts sent me the skirt free to try out and I loved it.  Although I received the skirt for free the opinions about the skirt are my own.  It was the perfect little touch of sass and fun for my costume.  If I didn't want to run dressed in costume but wanted a cute skirt there were plenty of other options as well.

 The skirt has a thin elastic band that is comfy and fit nicely over my leggings.  I could have easily worn shorts under the skirt but it was quite chilly out for a mid-October morning.  I added my Mouse ears and some white gloves to complete the look.  The Rock City skirt made my costume easy-peasy.

 Since it was a race where costumes were encouraged the local MRTT group that I am part of decided to dress as super heroes.  They all looked great and I thought about other "costumes" for my skirt to keep in mind for future races.

 Our local Fleet Feet did another fantastic job as the timing crew of the event.  They did not host the event, just provided timing services.  The course was mostly out and back along the canal with a small portion on the road for the start.  It was a little narrow for most of the race but I had a fun time and just kept cruising at about 7:45 miles for the entire race.

 After I crossed the finish line I spotted my mom and she could pick me out of the crowd fairly easily with my skirt and ears.  Too bad my sneakers weren't yellow!

 Other costumes I came up with for the Minnie skirt are ice cream scooper gal.  Yup, standing outside with an ice cream scoop.  You could plus it up with a paper hat and a ice cream logo shirt or foam ice cream cone.

 Add a little apron and instant baker.  I would also opt for a chef hat if I had one.  A little waiter inspired too with some "be our guest" type service theme.

 Or, embrace your own super power and create a cape and be "super-you."  It could be the sock match finder, boo-boo kisser... whatever it is that you do and your family thinks you rock at.  Basically make up your own super hero.

 Rock City skirts made pulling together a last minute costume super easy and cute with the few things I had sitting around my house.  Can't wait to try out some other skirts and see what I can create.

Rochester 1/2 Marathon

I ran the Rochester 1/2 Marathon on Sunday, September 21.  My mom, dad and Manfriend went to support me on and my crazy.  Of course I wore my favorite running attire-- a SparkleSkirt.  This particular one is called Jasmine and has beautiful silver threads running through it with blues and greens for the base color.  It was a little chilly at the start so I wore some arm sleeves.  

 Manfriend had to wear his Bills gear and he enjoyed getting cheers from the runners!

 I headed over to the start and it was a "line up where you belong" kind of thing.  I had to wait on the side of the bridge to line up since the marathon went off 15 minutes before the 1/2.  It looked to be a gorgeous day, but don't be fooled.  The weather around here changes quickly.

The first few miles went by un-eventful except for the first spotting of my support crew.  They were amazing and were able to catch me at three spots on the course and then at the finish.

 The second time they saw me I was not doing so awesome and totally missed them.  I was trying to work through a terrible side stitch that has become known as Mr. Stabby.

 I was still working on the stitch when I saw them at their 3rd spot on the course.  I handed them my food wrapper and kept on moving.  It was getting very gray and overcast.  I knew it was going to rain since it was in the forecast for the afternoon.  I tried really hard to beat the rain.

 I managed to have 2 miles to go when it started to sprinkle.  Ok, not so bad and it felt good.  But then with just over a mile to go it poured buckets on us.  Soaked.  And then 20 minutes later (after I was in the car heading home) it was sunny again.  I feel really bad for the marathon runners who had to deal with soaked shoes--I can only imagine the blisters and uncomfy feeling of drenched clothes.

 Although I had a side stitch and wasn't pushing the pace and ran comfortable the entire time I am quite pleased with my 1:50 clock time finish.  Looking forward to Disney, although I know that won't be an attempt at breaking 1:45.  Guess I have to wait til sometime next year for that as my next half is with a best friend and is entirely for fun as it is her first and we have plans to act like goof balls the whole time and chat away.