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.  

Racing Flower City 1/2 Marathon 2016

The day of the half marathon started with my parents picking up Critter and I at 6:15 in the morning.  I had to wake Critter up (not the case any more as she now thinks 5am is wake up time...).  We parked on the street and my parents got Critter into the stroller and her snow suit to help keep her warm as it was in the low 40's (ideal racing temps but not so much for hanging around).  I sat in the car and pumped.  

Around 7:00 we headed over to the War Memorial where they had the whole building for us to use.  I hit up the bathroom and headed over to the start since it was just outside the doors of the building at 7:30.  They had several different pacers and I started near the 1:40 pacer but when the race was about to begin all the pacers moved up and I was near the 1:50 people.  Oh well, I was still near the front of the race and it would thin out fairly quickly since there were just over 3000 people.  

I took the first few miles easy and kind of used them to warm up and settle into a pace.  It was a great day for a race.  I hit the 5k split in 23:46 (7:40 pace).  Thanks to the timing mats on the course I have these stats since I never start a watch during the race and run based on how I feel.  By about mile 3 I was caught up to the 1:45 pacer and began to push the pace a bit so that I could meet the goal I set for myself of 1:40.  In all honesty I would be happy with anything under 2 hours but I have been running strong and wanted to see how much I could push myself and still be somewhat comfortable.  I have other races coming up and need to stay healthy and recover quickly so I can keep training.  

We hit a smooth/flat patch for a bit and I was cruising and catching up to the 1:40 pacer.  I passed my mom, dad and Critter--tossing them my mittens.  Not sure what the mile was for the next timing mat (probably 10k?) but I crossed it in 46:10 (7:14 pace).  At this point the course gets "awful" in that you climb some serious hills.  They are fairly gradual but there are several of them with fast downhills so it really takes some mental toughness as they fall right in the middle of the race and go for a few miles.  Plus there is Mt. Hope cemetery with quite a few twists and turns for a mile plus.  I had the 1:40 pacer in my sights and was close for 3 miles and passed him in the cemetery.  Funny side note, I ran with my ipod and "Dig a Little Deeper" from Princess and the Frog was on as I ran through the cemetery.  I found it funny.  

 Exiting the cemetery I hit that timing mat in 1:09:59 (7:41 pace--those hills were tough but I didn't lose the 1:40 pacer).  Once I was out of the cemetery I knew it was flat-ish for the rest of the course and began the "crush."  This is where I start to pick up the pace and keep it cruising.  I was feeling strong and just kept pushing the pace and working on catching the next person in front of me.  In front of the 1:40 pacer we were spread out somewhat.

 I crossed the finish line in 1:37:31 with my last portion having a 7:15 pace and my overall pace being a 7:27.  This was a HUGE PR for me.  I broke my PR from 13 years prior while I was still in college!  It must be the magic of the Sparkle Skirt I was wearing and the fact I really wanted to get some good corral placement for Disney.  Mission accomplished!

 I was happy to see my Critter and gave her my bling.  She liked it and was all smiles holding it and playing with the ribbon.  It is noisy near the finish so of course she was wearing her headphones.  I am so thankful that my parents take such good care of her while I am out racing so that I can focus on running.

 While I waited inside to check the results she was all smiles with my medal.  I ended up placing 3rd in my age group but since we weren't sticking around due to needing to get to a family party I would have to pick up my award at the store later in the week.  What a nice surprise that was to get an age group award.

 Here is the medal and my bib from the race. Thank you to Fleet Feet and Yellow Jacket Racing for hosting such a great event.

Flower City 1/2 Marathon Expo

The weekend of the Flower City 1/2 marathon consists of a du-athlon and tri-athlon on Saturday and a half marathon and 5k on Sunday.  The expo ran Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the option of packet pickup only on Sunday at the race venue.  Being a small town the expo was quite large and very welcoming.  

 You could either walk through the store to enter the expo floor or enter through a side door.  The hall leading to the expo had a table with safety pins and two of the shirts available for purchase modeled.  This is only half of the expo floor.  What I didn't photograph was the line for the packet pick-up.  You picked up your bib only on the expo floor (they had out a red carpet and ropes to walk as you approached).  There were several shoe companies there as well as some new clothing merchandise not in the store part.

 After you picked up your bib you had to walk through the store to their community room to get your race packet that had your shirt and drawstring bag that had a few fliers in it as well as some samples.

 I liked that the shirts were blue in color this year instead of the white that they have been the past few times I have run.  The colors are always yellow and blue with the logo because I suppose those are our community colors?  As much as I like the blue I kind of wish it was white because I always wear in the summer over my bathing suit to keep the sun off my shoulders and white is a "cool" color that reflects the heat away.

Overall I am very impressed with the size of the expo and variety of merchandise that was offered for such a small town event.

are you ready?

Are you ready for race registration?  In exactly one week registration for Marathon Weekend 2017 will open at noon EST and I will have my bum parked in my computer chair a few minutes before while Critter has no choice but to enjoy some time jumping in her jumperoo.  Must get registered for Goofy #12.  

If you've ever experienced a runDisney event registration it can be somewhat nerve wracking.  So many people trying to get access to registration and the nervousness of "did the registration go through?"  Over the years it has gotten better, at least for Goofy and Marathon/half marathon registration.  But I still sit anxiously in my chair at the computer, hitting refresh until I can register and then practically break out in a cold sweat with shaky hands as I enter my information.
Who will be joining me for marathon weekend 2017?  There are many race options available and you get to go to Disney in January.

Happy Early Birthday--Magic Kingdom Original Park Map!

My mom was going through things in her basement and one of the bins/boxes was stuff from Grandpa's basement.  In the box was a folded paper that said, "Cathy's map.  Do not touch."  She unfolded the paper and found this amazing gem:

 It was a map of the Magic Kingdom from the year that Walt Disney World opened and they had gone on a family trip and stayed at the Contemporary.  When Aunt Cathy came to town my mom asked if she knew what it was and she said, "no, but that is mine."  After seeing the map she said I needed to have it so an original park map was mine.  Cue happy dance.

 Knowing that my office is basically a Disney room for my running stuff my parents decided that for my birthday they were going to have the map custom framed for me.  I went to the store with them and picked out the frame and the girl working helped pick out the mat colors to coordinate with the map without taking away from the amazingness that it is.

 I love how it fits in perfectly with the colors in our office and we went for some special UV protective glass that will prevent fading.  My Papa Bear came over and hung it on the wall for me since it is quite heavy and I wanted it done right.  I did hang all the photos below myself though so I am perfectly capable of drilling holes in the wall and finding the studs for heavy items (like the curtain rod for my medals).

 So here is what our office looks like from the doorway.  The top curtain rod I hung up and since I have run out of room my dad (since he already had his tools out for the map) hung a second curtain rod below it for me to continue my medal collection.  Only Disney medals are displayed.

 When you sit at the office chair by the computer this is the wall of photos and pins.  One is all my Dumbo pins and the other is my race pins.  I love how I get to display important to me race stuff in our office where I can see it every day.

But that framed park map is really the icing on the cake of the office.  There are so many cool things about the map.  I love looking at the names of the attractions and details in the map.  Some things have changed but some are still the same at the park.  For a Disney lover like me it's perfect.  Thanks so much Momma and Papa Bear for the amazing birthday gift and of course Aunt Cathy for knowing that the map would have a good home with me.