best (or worst?) damn race 2016

Damn you, Best Damn Race people!  Why do you have to have such amazing medals with such a crappy course?

I PR'd my half marathon last year at BDR Orlando, once week after running PHM.  1:48 was my time, and I've been using that as my proof of time for all races since then.  I didn't want to run it again- the course was boring, I didn't like the Nuun drink they served at the water stops, and there was lots of uneven roads...brick streets with potholes and everything.

Then, I saw their 2016 medal with a flamingo and a spinning wing and thought OMG I HAVE TO HAVE THAT.  So I signed up.  I could handle 2 hours of suck for that piece of bling!

On the same weekend as BDR, I had to teach a test prep class at work.  This class, which I do every 4 month or so, goes from 6-10pm on Friday night, 8am-4pm on Saturday. and 9am-1pm on Sunday.  Well, the Saturday schedule would have to be changed, since the race started at 7:15am, so I changed it to 11am-7pm.  

So....working til 10pm and not getting into bed before 11:30pm only added to the suck on Saturday morning.  I was awake at 4:45am. I was tired.  I was irritable.  I did not want to be standing in line for a porto potty at 6:45 in the morning at Lake Eola.  I was stressed because I needed to finish in 2 hours so I'd be able to leave, get to work, shower up, and roll into class at 11.  I got my car parked with the usual delays getting into the garage in downtown Orlando, met up with a couple friends who were also running this race, and we tried to squeeze into the starting area.  It was so crowded that we ended up in the back with the walkers and strollers.  Ugh.  Seriously, the start line had pace markers but they were spaced about 10 feet apart for 7m/m, 8m/m, and 9m/m.  Seriously?  Not far enough!  I wasn't excited for this run, I was really dreading it.  Not that it was going to be difficult, just that I was about to trudge along bored for the next 2 hours.

 Pretty sunrise from the parking garage!

We're here and we're as ready as we're going to be!

Someone counted down, an air horn went off, and we all shuffled forward.  It took forever to get across the start, but once I did, I moved along as quick as I could.  I tried not to weave around people, but to keep a fairly straight line by the curb.  I was already running into issues with the uneven brick street, I stumbled once but thankfully didn't eat it the way I did at the Space Coast half.  

I forgot how hilly this route was!  Not like, people who run in hills would find it hilly, but it definitely wasn't flat.  It was more of those long, subtle hills that you can't really see but make you wonder why it's so hard to run right now.

The 3 of us stuck together for the first 10ish miles, slogging along, trying to keep the conversation to pass the time.  I had a side stitch I couldn't get rid of, which made me more irritable.  We didn't really take any walk intervals but hung on to around a 9:30 min/mile.  I saw one of my customers from work out on her morning walk around Lake Underhill when we neared Mile 6.  I knew she'd be out that morning on the path we were all running, so I was ready and called out and waved to her.  

The suckiest part of this race is that is pretty much parallels the 408 east then went for several miles.  It's not scenic.  There's no one around, there's water stations sure, but this race isn't a big enough deal for people to be out of their homes in the neighborhood areas we run through, so no one was out watching or cheering.  It's just like going for a normal training run.  With 800 other people.  I definitely used my music for this one.  

Around Mile 10, my knee started hurting.  The stitch had disappeared but now my right knee didn't want to play anymore. I kept pushing, adding in my interval walk breaks.  This caused me to fall behind the girls, but I was riiight behind them.  I could clearly see them, but couldn't catch up.  That will really suck your enthusiasm, assuming you have any left by this point.  They were a minute ahead and I was trudging down the road with them like a mirage in the desert up ahead.  Couldn't catch them, but needed to so much.  I was thinking a lot to myself in the time I was running alone about how I didn't want to be there and I wished it was over.  For the first time, I realized I was running a race and that my heart just wasn't in it.  I don't always have to be entertained, I don't always need big crowds, but from before this race even started, I didn't give 2 shits about it.  I didn't want to run too fast because I didn't want to feel so dead I wouldn't be able to continue with my work day afterwards.  I had no records I wanted to break, I had no goals I wanted to meet.  

I must have looked pissed because when I finally got to downtown, a man walking on the sidewalk hollered out "Smile!!!!" at me as I ran past him.  I tried.  I looked at all my free photos they took near the finish line and found one where I managed to fake it:

I didn't feel elated or excited to pass the finish line.  In fact, as soon as I was about to cross, some guy jumped right in front of me waving his arms for the photographer and ran in to me.  I took my medal and went to get some food.  The whole thing felt very anticlimactic.  

What almost made the whole race worth is was the kiwi popsicles at the end.  Man oh man they were delicious!  One of the sponsor booths was handing them out and it cheered me up a little.  I snagged a piece of room temperature pizza and a couple of fun size chocolates before I had to bail and head back to my car.

 New Sparkleskirt!

Found out it glows in the dark! That's pretty cool

Then it took me 25 minutes to wind my way down from the 6th level of the parking garage and out on my way to work.  Another 15 minutes to go 2 miles to the school.  I rushed in for my class 10 minutes before it was supposed to start and ended up getting going about 15 minutes late because I had to go shower up first.  I finally got some real food in me when we ordered lunch and when I realized I was going to feel okay and not too tired I managed to relax a little.  Scot and some of our friends and I had all planned to go to Epcot to the Flower and Garden Festival on Sunday afternoon, so with that in my focus, I managed to get through the next 2 days of work alright.

Best Damn stats:
Overall: 165/435 (37%)
Age group: 39/136 (28%)
Chip time: 2:04:56

  

glass slipper challenge day 2: princess half 2016

What a fun weekend!

This year was my 3rd GSC and 3rd Princess half.  In 2014, I started off in corral F, moved up to C last year, and THIS year... Corral A.

Training works, y'all.

After getting a much better night sleep- Scot had gotten in around 7pm and I'd had my amazing pedicure at the Grand Floridian Spa so I was in better spirits and much more relaxed- I was up, dressed, and waiting for the bus just before 4am.  Today I was dressed as Constance the Haunted Mansion ghost bride, hatchet and all.

This costume cost me all of $15 to make- the hatchet was the most expensive thing I had to buy. Dress, $3 at Goodwill.  Fabric and lace, around $5 at the craft store.  Scissors to hack away at it and turn it into the masterpiece it was, already owned and PRICELESS

I smeared grey eye shadow around my whole eyes and put a light coat of white face paint all over my face and neck.  It looked awesome.

Would anyone recognize my character?  That would remain to be seen.

The temperature was chilly as I got off the bus and headed toward the staging area.  My long sleeves were totally comfortable though, and the dress felt very light.  As I approached the information tent where I was planning to meet up with the Disbrides again, a few people from the team#rundisney Facebook group recognized me and we chatted for a few minutes. I got some quick pictures once the girls showed up just before 4:30, then we all headed on the long walk to the corrals.  

I purposefully didn't stop for a bathroom break before the race because, come on, I had no idea how I was going to wrangle this dress around in a porta potty.  I didn't take any water before the race and hoped I could hang in there until the Magic Kingdom where a stop at the real bathroom while running through Tomorrowland would be better.

A few other people commented on my outfit as we headed towards the corrals- I was excited, that meant I'd done an okay job at it and that it was at least vaguely recognizable.

My group bid our goodbyes and good lucks when we headed off to our own start areas, and I took a deep breath and walked in to A like a really belonged there.

So, um, yeah I was the most elaborately dressed runner in A.  I saw another girl that was dressed like a minion (including swim goggles on her eyes!), it looked cute.  But everyone else was all business.  I could easily see the wheelchair start area right in front of us, and the women that were going to win, or at least place in age groups, were right up front.

Breathe....

One of the things about being in the later corrals is that the excitement only builds and builds the longer you wait- you see the other groups ahead start and you move forward, getting closer and closer to that timing pad and your official start time.  Corral A?  No time for that, those chairs are off in a quick burst of fireworks overhead and then you've got like 2 minutes to think about it before it's your turn.

The national anthem was sung, the countdown began and then BOOM!  I totally forgot that the first corral out gets the loudest, fanciest fireworks display and it was right over my head.  Sparklers spun, shooting sparks into the dark.  A display worthy of the "Wishes" finale blew up over the top of the arch.  The women in the front took off and disappeared ahead up the road in no time.  I started the button on my watch and crossed the pad.

It was very, VERY tempting to haul ass right out of the gate here!  I was getting passed right and left, but I was holding about an 8:30 pace pretty steadily.  Corral A. These women are in it to win it.  Overall, age groups, whatever...they're here to run.  Me?  I'm here so the photo lines aren't too long.

The crowds off to the left on the other side of the highway were screaming and cheering and waving their signs.  The high school band and cheerleaders about a half mile in were energetic.  I heard the next 2 corrals go off behind me, but after that, I was too far ahead to notice.  

There weren't any characters in the first couple miles.  I slowed to take water at the first 2 stops, then just after Mile 3 entering the parking lot of the TTC, I saw Aladdin and Abu!  There were 2 people in the line, I got my picture quickly and moved on.

Just before Mile 4 were Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas.  This line during the marathon was a ridiculous wait, but this time again only 2 or 3 people so I stopped.  I was determined to get all the character photos on the course- I just had to move along fast enough to get to the backstage area of the MK where the princesses usually were.  The lines were always dozens of people deep for them, and I wanted to be ahead of that craziness.

BTW, Sally loved my outfit.  

I enjoyed the run through the TTC, I always see the craziest posters there and the energy from the crowds will wake the dead!  I could hear people shouting as I ran by- several of them said things along the lines of "Oh, look a bride!"  and then, as I passed by and they saw my hatchet, "Oh it's the Haunted Mansion bride!" I'd give a big grin, a wave, and a thumbs up.

Definitely not your everyday Cinderella or Rapunzel costume for sure.  I liked that people were surprised by it!

As we ran past the Contemporary toward Mile 5 approaching the water bridge, I felt a tap on my shoulder.  I turned and hey, another Disbride!  I smiled, we said hello, then took a walk break together.  She'd started in Corral B and wasn't stopping for photos so I felt really good about my timing.  I honestly hadn't looked at my watch since the start so I didn't really know what my pace was.  We chatted for a minute, she was taking some fuel so I left her to it and wished her luck.  I picked up my pace down the hill under the water bridge and waved to the DJ up top with his giant 3 foot Mickey Mouse hands "raising the roof," as it were.

I tried to run up that godforsaken hill after going under the bridge but I figured it wasn't worth the energy and used it as a walk break.  Ugh.  The Magic Kingdom was just head though, and my friend Joe told me he was going to be there so I planned to keep my eyes peeled.

We passed Mile 5 (I remember the clock was about 50 minutes at this point but it had started when the wheelchairs did, ahead of the runners). Mile 5 was right behind Space Mountain- we ran through a service gate, into a backstage area, then BAM!  Out on to Main Street through an unassuming gate.  

I did notice that the earlier you start, the quieter the crowds are at the MK.  I mean, they're smaller of course!  Assuming if you're starting in a higher corral, this most likely isn't your first rodeo so,although not empty by any means, finding a place to stand isn't as bad as trying to get a spot for the 3:00 parade if you know what I mean.  I ran down Main Street, hand stretched out for high fives, and just as I was about to turn towards Tomorrowland, I heard my name.

"MAGGIE!"

I turned.  Joe!  Hi!!!!  I backpedaled a few feet- I'd almost blown right past him- he had a poster for a few of us running that morning so I had to get a couple photos.

 YES!  See how my name has an airplane next to it?  Thought went in to this poster!

After the selfie stop, I hustled on down the road towards Tomorrowland and the bathroom.

Finally, a real bathroom!  With lights!  And running water!

I gotta tell you, I felt a real pep in my step after that pit stop.

MK was a goldmine for photos!  Each line only had between 2-4 people in it so I moved along quickly.

 Buzz Lightyear

 The White Rabbit and Queen of Hearts- off with her head!

 I loved this stop!  Lady Tremaine and the ugly stepsisters loved my costume and were hilarious!

I was in line for Woody and Jessie when Woody went on break!  Nooo!  Oh well, I've got a picture with him, Jessie is new for me!

One of the other Disbrides was scheduled to be working the Princess stop backstage and I was planning on looking for her.  I handed my camera to the cast member at the Jessie stop, got my photo, and was about to run off when I heard a voice say to me, "Hello Disbride!"

Me?  What?  The lights were bright, the sky was dark, and I was confused for a second.  Turns out, she got moved to the Jessie stop which completely threw me off.  I said my hello then raced toward Mile 6.  

Next stop, backstage.  Princesses.  The Festival of Fantasy parade float.  I got there and the line was not as bad as I'd seen it in the previous years.  It was shorter than the Peter Pan line Scot and I waited for in January.  Maybe 10 people.  I jumped in the back and looked up ahead.  Belle and the Beast.  Ooo!  Aurora and Prince Phillip.  Double ooo!

There were 2 people ahead of me when the Beast left on break!  WHAT! Nooooo!

Dawn started breaking as I left the MK backstage area and approached Mile 7.  There's this area on Floridian Way that keeps Bob's Barricades in business... orange construction cones, a thousand of them, down the middle of the road and squeezing the runners on to half of a 2 lane access road.  It gets congested here!  I hopped off into the grass multiple times to run around the crowds, I was starting to see some Corral C and the occasional D bibs on people, so it was to be expected.  The sun was barely up when I passed the Poly, this is always a good spot for some cheering crowds too.  I took my Gu gel and some water at the water stop.  It gave me a bit more energy and between that and the screaming spectators, I perked up again.

Just after the Poly was the Grand Floridian- I stopped for Mary Poppins with no line at all!

I was really hoping that something would be out in front of the GF Wedding Pavilion!  I mean, I was dressed as an ax murdering ghost bride, helloooo!

Then, just past Poppins, I saw them!

A woman dressed as a bride and 5 groomsmen, one holding a glass slipper on a pillow.

SCORE.

I stopped here for a decent bit, we took some selfies and a group photo.  I told the guys to "Look dead" and they did not disappoint.  These are my favorite race photos ever.

It was amazing!!!!  Worth every mile I've ever trained to get here to get that photo.

Vacation Genie was just down the road in front of the golf course, and Mrs. Incredible was just past him on the opposite side.  

 2 or 3 people in line for Genie!

Zero people in line for her!

I had started thinking about something as I ran down Floridian way.  My timing was going really well but I was a little worried about one thing.  I should have mentioned earlier that the Hero Stop (a selection of princes) was actually the first photo stop on the way to the TTC earlier in the race.  Scot and I got them last year on the way AWAY from MK, in the daylight.  I didn't want to stop this morning because I wanted the photo to some out good, it doesn't look that great in the dark at Mile 2 or wherever.  As I looked across the street, I saw a hoard of people- the end of the parade- headed towards the Magic Kingdom.  I was wondering if I'd get to the Heroes too soon and have a long line from people on the other side of the road getting pictures!  I've seen the lines from the farther back corrals.  50 people deep like no big deal.  

I slowed down a bit after the Mary Poppins stop and watched runners at the back of the pack across the street, trying to remember what the Mile marker would be to catch the princes on this side of the road.  

I saw the balloon ladies and the swag wagons as I passed Mile 9.  Okay, that's good.  My timing was perfect.  A quarter mile down the road, I saw the Hero Stop!  Woo hoo! 

I asked these guys if any of them wanted to be my 6th husband.  Can't imagine why they all looked so scared.  Still got a great picture!  Best part- literally one person ahead of me in the line.

Mile 10 was the run up the on ramp!  Gah.

There's some nasty hills towards the end of this course.  the Green Army Man was shouting out encouragements and hollering at the runners as we hit this curving hill.  I stopped, no line at all for these guys!

3 miles to go.  Mile 11 took a u-turn and went up and over another bridge on the way to Epcot.  Trudge, trudge, trudge.  This made the perfect walk break.  Thank goodness it wasn't hot, I was amazingly comfortable still in my dress.  It was light, airy, and the veil was staying put.  Occasionally I'd switch hands while carrying the ax, but overall it didn't bother me in the slightest.  

The last water stop was just past Mile 12 headed into backstage Epcot.  Here, lots of cast members were cheering for us and yes, they all recognized my costume!  Yay!

Cinderella's coach and footmen!

We ran back onstage up past Spaceship Earth into FutureWorld.  This is where you have to smile....lots of Marathonfoto photographers here!  One right after the other!  Look right and smile!  Look left and smile!  I ran toward the World Showcase, made the last u-turn around the flower bed and turned back toward Spaceship Earth.  I had energy to spare at this point, and I was kind of bummed the race was almost over.  Epcot wasn't open yet so there weren't many spectators inside the park- lots of cast members though, cheering and clapping as we passed by.

Mile 13 came and I could hear the gospel choir.  I waved at them and cheered and they did the same back!  I rounded the corner, came through the fence and hauled ass toward the finish line.  I didn't see Scot at the finish area but I did hear Joe scream out my name again.  I saw him, waved exuberantly, then headed toward the arch.  10 feet from the finish line, I had to stop for 2 final photos!  Mickey and Minnie Mouse were there!  Who cares at this point that it took 2 minutes for me to go the final 10 feet!!!

Selfies with the mice done, I raised my hatchet and barreled across the finish line.  Woo hoo!  Made it!

I got my finisher medal and my additional Glass Slipper Challenge medal and met Scot in the reunion area.  He'd gotten stuck in traffic on the bus.  I got a few more photos with Mulan and Snow White- those were the longest lines I'd stood in all day!  

We got the bus back to the hotel where I got cleaned up and stretched and rested for a bit.  We had fastpasses for around 10:30 at Animal Kingdom to ride Everest so we headed out a little after 9.  

Well, Corral A was fun!  I managed to get every single photo stop I saw, and still finished with a fairly respectable time.  I looked at my splits later that night and figured with around 15 stops for pictures and slowing for water and the occasional walk break, I added about 11 minutes to my overall time.  Not too bad.  

Net Time: 2:16:04 (clock time was 2:16:08)

Overall place: 2,202/18,099 female finishers only (12%)

Age group place: 321/3,107 (10%)

Gender place: 1,790/18,099 (9%)

Next up, Best Damn Race half marathon this Saturday.  My half PR time of 1:48 that I got last year was what I've used for my proof of time for the last several Disney races.  Let's see how things go this year!