long island marathon 2015- the flying part, part 1

What an amazing trip!

Such a great learning experience for me and my student- we discovered new airports, new weather, new terrain.  I ran my second marathon in the middle of it all!

I wasn't sure to make this post more about the flying or the running part so I'm splitting it up.  This one is about the flight from Orlando to New York in my student Dave's Cessna Turbo 182.  Next post will be on the race happenings, deal?

Because Dave has not yet taken his Instrument rating checkride, I came along on this trip with him and his g/f Stephanie so that she could run the Long Island Marathon to try to qualify for Boston.  So I got to run the race, too!  

We departed out of Orlando on Thursday (the race was scheduled for Sunday morning) and we made the first leg to our fuel stop in Walterboro, SC.  Lowcountry Regional airport.  Cue the banjos.  Now, we're not exactly fancy city folk but I sure felt like I was rolling around in this little town.  The man working at the airport FBO could not understand what Steph meant when she said she did not eat meat, after we'd asked him for some suggestions for a lunch spot.  "Well, honey this is the South.  We got barbecue.  We have taters and gravy and mac and cheese... I guess you could just peel the skin off the fried chicken if'n you like that healthy stuff."

Seriously.

I can't make this up.

After limping in to town in the busted up '97 Crown Vic they lent us from the airport, we managed to find some edible food and then got the hell out of South Carolina.  We'd planned to go up to Norfolk, VA but there was some pretty bad storms just festering over the DC area.  

 This was the local "seafood restaurant."  In reality, a shed/carport with some fish in a cooler and a grill.  

The weather from Orlando had been a bit cloudy to start then cleared up nicely once we were north of the Palatka/Jacksonville area so getting in and out of Walterboro was pretty easy.  We picked up our IFR clearance in the air and had a smooth clear ride up to Raleigh.  The plan was to get to Raleigh and see what the weather to the east was doing.  We were sailing along happily around 7,000' above some little clouds.  The new consideration we had to look at was the temperatures.  The freezing level was right around 8,000' and as we worked our way north we started popping in and out of some build-up.  Steph wasn't comfortable getting bounced around in the puffier clouds so we thought about asking for a climb.  When we looked at the temps though, we realized we'd be at risk to pick up some ice any higher up- what with having to go through the clouds to get up and then to come back down and all.  So we descended down to 5,000' where it was bumpier but clear.  Weather looked to be building off to the west as we approached RDU but we made it in while the sun was out and things still looked good.  This sounds silly to anyone who doesn't do all their flying in Florida, but the 435' elevation of RDU was a fun novelty for us.  Ooooo so high!  

After we got in, we made the executive decision to stay put in Raleigh for the night.  It wasn't what we wanted and we first thought maybe we could have made it up to Maryland but as we were sipping margaritas at the local Chilis after we parked the airplane, a torrential downpour started.

And it did not let up for the rest of the night!

Let the drinking commence.

Dave got us a car and the 3 of us found a place to stay at the Marriott.  Raleigh is very pretty!  I did enjoy the drive around, everything was so green and hilly.  By 11 pm we had enjoyed dinner and drinks and I was tired.  I made it up to my room, got cleaned up, and then the shit hit the fan.

Or, in this case, the bed.

Yeah.

I pulled back the blanket on my bed and there was about a 4" poo stain across the mattress.

OMG.

Now, the hotel front desk guy was very accommodating, he gave me a new room right away and comped the night (which Dave appreciated since he was paying but I told him I ain't doing this whole poo-on-the-sheets every hotel we go to)

Ya'll, it was so gross.

I had to pack up all my stuff, schlep downstairs, get a new room, haul everything across to the other side of the hotel and unpack it all again.  

And no, you sick bastards, I did not take a picture of the crap streak on the sheets.

In fact, I bailed out of that room like it was on fire.

Dave and Stephanie thought this was the funniest thing ever when I told them about it the next morning.  Har har.  Anyway, we got breakfast and packed up to head back to the airport.  Dave and I had gone over the flight planning and decided that Norfolk was not going to happen and he was trying to figure out a way for us to get to Frederick, Maryland.  No matter how you sliced it, the planning just was not working out.  We could head east but that had us going in to the storm.  We could head west but that didn't leave us with enough fuel.  Going north was impossible because the freezing level was 6,000' at this point with a minimum altitude requirement of 7,000' because of the mountains.  After looking over his options, I suggested to him that we fly up to Lynchburg, VA first, take a break and check the weather there, then head back east to Frederick.  This is what that would look like: 

It was out of the way but it was also out of the icing and the worst of the weather.  It was the best plan available.  I told him a lot of the flight would be in IFR conditions and he'd want a break anyway.  So we went with that.  It was raining when we departed RDU but the clouds looked pretty awesome on the way west.  The 90 degree angle there in the route was over Greensboro but ATC let us cut that corner and go direct.  Got some good photos of some mountains!

 RDU on departure

 So pretty and green!

 Calm, no bumps here!

 Shenandoah River

 Approach into Lynchburg

   Steph in LYH

Well, I was right about the need for a break.  Dave zoned out in a chair in the FBO for a bit while I looked at the next flight plan.  The good news was that the freezing level had gone up to 9,000'!  Yay!  We'd encounter some clouds on the way to Maryland but the majority of the stuff was back to the southeast.  Here's the route we filed:

 We took off out of LYH into patchy clouds.  (Another novelty?  LYH elevation was 938'!) This flight was about an hour and a half.  Here's some more photos of the scenery!  We passed over Shenandoah State Park.

 Leaving LYH- see ya!

 Shenandoah River again

 Moving along...

 Mountains!

 Look, kids!  A VOR!

 On approach to FDK

On final for FDK.  Over some sort of quarry- it looks pretty awesome

See how the weather cleared up so nice?  Yay!  Thing is, with that big Low pressure hanging around Virginia, we had a headwind the WHOLE FREAKING WAY from Raleigh to Lynchburg, to Frederick.  Sigh.  Anyway, we made it to Maryland, headquarters of the AOPA!  I took a picture...

We also had crab cakes from the restaurant at the FBO.  When in Rome...

We were in MD just long enough to fuel ourselves and fuel the airplane, then it was back up in the air again!  The flight to Republic airport on Long Island was going to be a couple hours so we wanted to get going.  It was looking like we'd arrive in New York just after sunset.  Dave filed the flight plan and when we picked up our IFR clearance, we heard the dreaded words "We have a full re-route for you, advise ready to copy."

Dammit.

Okay, so the new plan took us a little farther south, which surprised me since we were trying to stay a far away from DC as possible.  That weather system had moved off to the east and we were looking at clear skies all the way up!  We filed for 7,000' again and it was gorgeous the whole way!

 More mountains!

 Bye, Lynchburg.  Nice knowing you.

 Potomac River

 Baltimore

 Crossed the Delaware River, entering New Jersey!

 Cranberry bogs!

 I see New York!

 Got to overfly JFK airport

I'm so glad we got to fly into New York at night!  It was beautiful!  We landed at FRG at 8:45pm.  After that, it was off to the hotel and in to (a poo-free) bed!  I was tired, I didn't even eat dinner, just a small snack from my running fuel supplies.  The next morning we were planning to get up, get to the expo to pick up our race gear, and then visit the local aviation museum.  More on that, plus the race, next time!  

post-vacation wrap up

Oh lawd, ya'll I just spent a week on a cruise ship and ate myself stupid!

We left out of San Juan, Puerto Rico and went to St Thomas, St Kitts, Aruba, and Curacao.  It was a great time, we went on the trip with another couple and then we met up with different friends who were on their honeymoon in Aruba at the same time we were there.  It was such a great time!  We did lots of beach time, lots of good snorkeling, lots of laying around and lots of eating!  I love the food in the formal dining rooms of the Royal Caribbean ships- we had appetizers, dinner, drinks, and dessert every night and I refuse to weigh myself after getting back home.

Since we're now T-minus 12 days til Long Island, I had to get some running in on the ship.  We had 2 days completely at sea, so I went to introduce myself to the dreaded treadmill in the gym.  I guess there's worse views to have out there?

Here's some of my favorite photos I took on vacation:

 2 ships in St Kitts!  Ours is the bigger one...

 Donkey Sanctuary in Aruba

Colorful Curacao!  My favorite place we visited

 More Curacao!  Love this shot!

With our newlywed friends in Aruba

It rained at home the entire time we were gone so I don't think we missed much.  It also rained yesterday so we didn't bother going to Run Club up at the Abbey in Deland.  I got up later this morning and did 5 miles in about 44 minutes around the neighborhood.  It felt good to get back to "real" running- I could have gone longer but I'm saving that for Thursday.  The rains have kept the temperatures down a bit so it wasn't terrible this morning.  Just humid as usual!

Next Sunday Scot and I are having dinner with Dave & Stephanie- Steph and I are running Long Island (technically not together- she's trying to qualify for Boston and is planning to run a 3:40.  HA!) and since Dave is my customer with the airplane, well, I wanted Scot to meet them before the 3 of us fly off into the sunset at the end of the month.  I've been so busy, this marathon is sneaking up on me!  Less than 2 weeks away!

angel flight 5k

Saturday was the Run For The Angels 5K at Orlando Executive Airport.  Since I work there, I've run this race since its inception 4 years ago.  It's a fun run, un-timed, and it takes you down the taxiways and runways and around the ramp areas of the airport.  It's really really neat!  I always see people I know at the water stops, the sponsor booths, and of course running in it.  The first year there were like, maybe 50 of us.  Mostly airport business employees.  The next year, we got some legit sponsors and the number of runners doubled.  Last year, there were around 250 runners.  This year?  I pulled into the parking lot where I always park and was marshaled by volunteers over to a large grassy area where tens of dozens of cars were parking.  I even saw a gal in a tutu (you know it's a real race now if there's girls in tutus!) and there were tons of people with music pumping, a large monster stuck, airplanes, and the sheriff's helicopter was thump-thump-thumping overhead.  I don't know the exact numbers this year but I'd guess around 500 people.  They did a much better job with the advertising around town and I was glad to see so many runners!  I did have a fleeting thought that my chances of actually placing in this race were nil to zero.  Whatever, I'm here to have fun so I went to look for friends.

I ran in to a couple of my current and former customers and one of my bosses.  Its was Rick's first 5K- he'd been keeping me informed of his progress after he'd decided to start running and basically did a couch to 5k program, which he'd timed out to end today on Race Day.  I'd helped him along with advice and encouragement and I was excited to see him run his first real race.  I found one of the school owners, Keith, over by the Cessna 182 they'd brought over to have on display- he was there with a couple of my CFI coworkers who weren't running.  We chatted for a bit and I decided my plan for the day was to just run for fun, even though everyone I worked with kept joking about how they expected me to win the race "Since you run marathons all the time."  LOL yeah sure.  The field of runners was the biggest I'd see for this event and there was no way I'd place especially since they only did 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and not age groups.  We got lined up, I still started toward the front, the air horn went off, and there we went!  The route shot us out onto a taxiway first thing, so I just started running fast to see how I'd feel.

I easily passed 2 women right away in the first half mile.  I was running at a pace that was a little bit too fast to be comfortable but hey, how do we know what we're capable of until we try it?  The route turned up runway 31 and then headed west over to the west ramp area near the maintenance hangar.  I hit mile one and the timer read 7:29.

7:29??????  I've never run less than an 8 minute mile in my life!!!!  And now I'm beating that by 30 seconds?  My throat was dry and I was breathing hard.  I looked ahead and I was pretty sure I only saw one blonde ponytail less than a minute ahead of me.  That means.... I'm in women's second place!  I didn't dare turn around to look behind!  I thought perhaps I might could keep this pace?  It's only 2 more miles.  Surely I can do that!  I took a quick sip of water from the first water stop but it mostly went all over my face.  Still haven't mastered this running-with-a-cup thing.  I followed the runners ahead in front of the Sheltair building then back across the approach end of runways 13 toward the Showalter/Atlantic ramp.  At this point we passed the rest of the crowd working their way toward the Mile 1 marker in the opposite direction.  I chugged along, watching my TomTom, not believing I was maintaining a steady 7:30 mile.  The second water stop was in front of the Altantic entrance and I saw the line guys I knew and Summer who works the front desk all cheering for me as I grabbed a quick cup again.  Lord, my throat was dry!  I was breathing hard!  My legs started to feel very heavy and I just told myself, one more mile, one more mile!

I was an even 15 minutes at Mile 2.  I couldn't believe it!

The course went out toward the shade hangers and as I ran around there I had to be extra careful of cables sticking up out of the asphalt and hooks embedded in the ground.  There were aircraft sticking out with no cones in front of their noses.  Vaguely, I wondered why the race director or someone didn't warn us about those things- I could see someone tripping easily!  I ran around the shade hangers (they didn't have doors, they're kind of just like white tents for airplanes) then back around in front and through a gate into the parking lot for the start area.  (Oh, this is why we weren't parking in the lot!)  

I was pretty sure by this time that I was in a solid women's second place.  I'd even passed a few guys toward the end.  I thought about slowing down a little- after all, it was only a half mile til the finish.  Then my brain said, hey it's only a half mile to the finish!  You can do this!  My legs felt like lead.  My throat was stinging with all the dry air I was sucking in.  I saw the finish up ahead and heard the announcer call out my name and alert the finish area spectators that the "Women's Second Place Runner is approaching the finish line!!!!"  I heard Keith hollering as I dashed by and I crossed the finish line with a 3.1 mile time of 23:32!

I felt fantastic!  I chugged a whole bottle of water, a woman with a clipboard came to take down my name, and it was over a minute later before the 3rd place girl crossed the finish.  A minute in race time may as well be a year.  I'd had plenty of lead!  

I met up with my colleagues and I saw Rick cross the finish line under his goal time of 30 minutes.  We all took some photos and I even got a plaque!

 The Chick-fil-a cow was there- Cow selfie!  Chick-fil-a was a sponsor

 The flight school crew- my customers Paul & Rick, Keith in the gray shirt, me, and Dan and Evan (my coworkers)

 Rick and I posing by the finish- 2 proud runners in this photo!!!

My 2nd place plaque!

One photo I did not get a copy of was the group shot of my Women In Aviation ladies.  There were a few of us that ran and some more volunteered so we took a photo to send in to the International magazine.  It should be there in the next issue or two!

I got showered up and cleaned because I had to go back to the flight school and work that afternoon.  Here's the thing now- when people at work and around asked if I'd run the race that morning and I told them yes AND I came in second, everyone acted like that was a huge surprise.  I guess it was- it was a surprise to me only because I hadn't planned on it.  Once I got through the first mile I really really pushed myself to stay in spot 2.  Now I know what I'm capable of!

Epilogue:

I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I'd been hit by a bus.  Every muscle in my legs was sore!  I'd stretched of course but was so busy Saturday with work, then Scot's birthday, that I didn't give myself a good roll around on the foam.  My legs are still a little sore today so I've got to get that worked out because I have my last long training run- 24 miles- on Thursday.  New York is getting closer and closer!

For more information on Angel Flight & Angel Flight Southeast, please click the link below:
Angel Flight uses volunteer pilots to give free medical air transportation to children and adults.  These can be scheduled flights for routine procedures or emergency departures in the middle of the night in the event of organ transplants.  Benefits from this annual 5K go to this fantastic organization.

http://www.angelflightse.org/

tomoka half marathon, and one month to go

One month from now I'll be in New York for the Long Island Marathon!  Medals were revealed yesterday on their Facebook page- they're just a little different between the 10K one, the half, and the full so I'm excited about that.

I've been working on my pacing, trying to get my time under 4:30.  The Disney marathon clocked in at 4:37, and of course I was on my 4th day of running so I'm hoping 4:30 is easy to beat.  I changed my interval times from 4 min run/1 min walk to 4 min run/30 seconds walk. Success!  My time went down from 10-10:30 mile average to 9:15-9:30 average!  

I ran the Tomoka Half marathon on Sunday morning- it was my longest run with the new intervals and I finished with energy and feeling really good in just under 2:03!  The Tomoka race started at 7:30, the sun wasn't quite up yet when the gun went off.  I really liked that race!  The drive up to Ormond Beach to the Casements (summer home of John Rockefeller) wasn't bad, parking was easy, but it was a frigid 44 degrees!  I took a bag to check and kept my coat on until about 5 minutes before the start.  The race was small, I think only like 800 of us ran the half so I was able to drop my coat back at bag check and squeeze in to the 9 min/mil pace section with time to spare.  

It was so cold!

The race course was wonderful but the first mile was pretty crowded along a residential street.  I didn't start my intervals right off because there was literally nowhere to walk.  I hopped in and out of driveways and curbs to keep moving, trying my best to warm up!  My fingers were frozen for about the first 3 miles.  The course took us up and over the bridge over the Halifax river then turned north along Beach Street toward Tomoka State park.  The bridge was alright- it was definitely a challenge and I knew it was going to surface again toward the end of the race. I stopped for some photos (Disney-style!)

 Start line!

 View from the top of the bridge over the Halifax River

 Headed down the other side!  

Sunrise along Beach Street- you can see the bridge we just went over on the right!

The course was flat, shady, and beautiful to look at.  On the east side of the street- million dollar homes on the waterfront.  On the opposite side...well, regular homes.  There were plenty of water stops and because most of this was as out-and-back course, we just hit the water stops twice.  My main goal for the day was to stay relaxed, keep my shoulders loose, run the intervals, and just see where it got me.  At first, my intervals kept me in pace with the same group of runners- I'd run, pass them, then on my walk break they'd pass me.  However, the intervals won out because I eventually passed big groups of people who were just straight running.  I was glad to eventually get away from a guy who kept hacking and spitting every 10 seconds.  No joke.  It was gross.

The course turned around inside the Tomoka State Park- still shaded by giant trees dripping with Spanish moss.  The temperature had warmed up to Perfect degrees.  After the turn-around, I started watching for Kylie over the next few miles going in the opposite direction.  I knew she'd be toward the back of the pack but I never saw her.  I found out later that she unfortunately didn't make it to the race at all that morning.  The bridge showed up again at Mile 12.  I was wondering where the hell the course was going to end because the math in my head wasn't working out with where I thought the finish was and how far I had to go.  The route was converging with the full marathon route so I was passing mile signs in the 20s interspersed with the 11 and 12.  It made my brain hurt trying to figure it out.

I made it over the bridge (perfect time for a loooong walk break!), then off to the side, underneath the bridge (ohhhh, that's where we're going!), then through a little riverfront park area and across the finish line across the Casements park area from the start.  

 Representing Dopey!

I really have zero complaints about this race- perfect weather, lots of water stops, BLUE gatorade (not yellow, thankyoujesus), and friendly people.  Plus, the scenery!  Even the post-race was nice- the usual bananas, donuts, and they even had pizza!  After I got back home and cleaned up, Scot and I went down to Epcot for some more Flower & Garden Festival food, then over to the Magic Kingdom to check out the new complete Hub construction.  As usual after a race, I stuffed my face all day and it was divine.  Btw, there's cheeseburger spring rolls in Adventureland and they're basically deep-fried cheeseburger and scrumptious.

summer is here, and so is the humidity

Oh em gee, y'all.  I just about melted during the Zimmmerman Kiser Sutcliffe Winter Park Road Race this weekend!  100% humidity and not a breeze to be had!

I was teaching a test prep course at work all weekend so I didn't get home on Friday til around 10pm.  I somehow managed to get everything I needed for run and work the next morning packed and together, because Saturday started at 4:50 am.  I wanted to make sure I had time to park my car and get to the race area in Winter Park since this was my first time doing the WPRR.  Meagan, Kylie, and I had all signed up for the Distance Dare (2 miler followed by the 10K, to which Meagan and I were like "Is this really a dare?"  We both agreed that it would have made more sense to make it a 5K plus the 10K but we're not race directors so....) 

I got to Park Avenue an hour early and got the last parking spot in the new SunRail lot.  The tents weren't even all set up yet, there were a few people milling around in the darkness, but hey no lines for the bathrooms!  I like Winter Park- it's a fancy-pants area with expensive boutiques and restaurants.  It's fun to wander around and look so that's what I did for a little while- peeked into the darkened store windows of the shops that lined the finish area.  I met up with Meagan after a while and we saw Kylie just for a second as she was running back to her car to put her packet away.  

The 2 miles race started off of a side street and wound through the neighborhood.  It was so crowded with people shuffling along that I ran most of it off to the side up on the sidewalk.  The dark skies started to brighten to grey a little after the 7am start time, we finished the race in just under 20 minutes, and I went 2 blocks straight past the finish to get in line for the 10K.  

 

Can't even see the start line!

I wormed my way to the 8 min/mile pacers.  Figured I'd try my best on this one- maybe MAYBE get in under 51 minutes.  My previous 10K record was 53:56, but the 10K split I ran from the Best Damn Race Half Marathon a couple weeks before was 50:59 so I was going to try to beat that.  

The race course was really nice- I liked running around the neighborhoods filled with enormous houses (some for sale!) and past the lakes- the scenery was very pretty, I'll give them that for sure.  There was a bitchin' hill right about halfway through that I was not a fan of- this is Florida, why is this hill here???

I came upon one of my customers at around the 2 mile mark- Paul is working on finishing up his private pilot certificate.  I knew he'd be out here at the race but I didn't expect to run into him!  He's much taller than me and therefore has quite the advantage of long legs but I'm pretty zippy myself.  He passed me first, I was right behind him for a couple miles, then I passed him just before mile 5.  When we hit the home stretch, long legs won out as we sprinted toward the finish and he beat me by 10 agonizing seconds!  

BUT I recovered quicker and he looked about to die.

HA.  But good job, man.

I didn't immediately know my results but I knew I didn't make my goal.  Yes, I set a PR but I didn't get in under 51 minutes.  So close though!  It can still happen...

The post-race snacks were tasty- smoothies, fruit, rice krispie treats and granola bars.  Thank god for the yellow towels because I was dripping wet.  Not just sweat, mind you, but good lord is was sooooo humid!  The wind wasn't blowing, the post-race area was super crowded, and it was insanely stuffy.  I didn't see Meagan after the race- she had to finish and hustle back home to be with the kids- and I didn't stay super long after I nibbled on my snacks.  I met up for a few minutes with Paul and his girlfriend (who had finished a bit later than us) to chat for a minute, then I had to get back to the airport, shower, and get going on Day 2 of teaching my class.  

 Got my Distance Dare medal for running both races that morning

So pretty!  Sun catcher medal!

Results!  Pretty good: they organized the results a little weird so I had to do some math to figure out my overall placements

Distance Dare Results- 2 mile + 10K

2 mile time: 19:43

10K time: 51:22

Those times made me 17th/462 (top 3%) women finishers of the DISTANCE DARE

and 59th/671 (top 8%) total finishers, including men

10K ONLY ranking: 

51:22 time

302/3,013 total finishers (top 10%)

18/345 in my age group (top 5%)

87/2,007 women finishers (top 4%)

best damn race orlando re-cap

After looking at the weather forecast, I totally thought BDR Orlando on February 28th was going to be the Wettest Damn Race and I was having flashbacks of Wine & Dine last fall.  There was a 70% chance of rain by 10 am, and even thought I was going to be done prior to then I didn't want to ruin the after-party.  

The Best Damn Race is a series, you can find them all over and they tout fast courses, free race photos, and lots of free food, beer, and massages afterwards.  I wouldn't consider it the best race ever, but it was fun and I went in to it to set a new half marathon PR.  6 days before, I'd run the Princess Half Marathon at WDW with an unimpressive time of almost 2:40 (lots of photo stops!) and my previous half PR was from back in December at OUC with a time of 1:51:51.  

I left the house around 5:15 in the morning, got parked in the garage in downtown Orlando by 6:30 (THAT was a cluster) and I made my way a couple blocks to the staging area at Lake Eola.  I had a bag to check with a jacket inside, and I had draped myself in the mylar blanket from Princess on Sunday.  It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm out either.  I knew 2 other girls running on this morning- Kylie and Meagan- who'd also participated in the OUC half.  I didn't get to meet up with either of them before race start, so I wormed my way into the crowd at the start line.  Look at this ridiculousness- The min/mile pace sections were so close together I couldn't get to where I needed to go!  I found the 2 hour pacer, whom I knew (he works at Fleet Feet) but I was planning on pulling ahead.  There was no 1:50 pacer, just the 1:45.  I set my eye on the 1:45, then a BDR representative counted down an anti-climactic 1-2-3 GO! (no air horn, bell, music, nothing) and we all started off.

I'll spare the details because this race was boring as hell.

Basically, it ran through a residential area east of downtown, past the airport on Crystal Lake Drive (this is where I really noticed how low the clouds were and how foggy and miserable it was out there- glad I wasn't working), then around the path that circled Lake Underhill, then back under the 408 expressway, then back toward downtown through some more residential areas.  

I lost the 1:45 pacer like 3 minutes in to the race but I was finding I was able to hold a pretty steady 8 min/mile.  *When I got back home and looked at my splits, I saw that my first mile was a 7:58!  SEVEN!  SEVEN!  Hot damn!*

Anyway, I was bored.  I was glad I had music and I spend the majority of the time doing mental math and checking my watch every minute, estimating what my time would be at 5K, 10K, halfway, 10 miles in... the mileage signs did not have electric timers on them so there were no other references and I was glad I had my watch!  I cut the corners tight and came in really really close (like exactly 13.1 miles) on my GPS distance.

I felt pretty good the whole race, I could tell I was going to beat my 1:51:51...the question now was by just how much!  I decided a few miles in that I wanted a 4 in my minute-time.  Something in the hour-40s!  I think it was possible because there weren't very many chances to slow down- water only every 2 miles (and Nuun, which I accidentally drank and it was gross) and no food stop.  Well, I mean they were handing out Clif shots like a half mile in but I didn't take any.  

As I came back towards downtown and Mile 10 I found a hill.  Holy mother of all things holy, was that a hill!  My pace dropped to almost a 9 min/mile and I slogged up it.  My feet felt like lead.  Then it started sprinkling.  Not hard, but a steady drizzle stayed for about 15 minutes.  I didn't mind terribly, it felt kind of good.  It was plenty warm, mid-60s by this point.

Finally, I made it to the finish- tried to smile for the cameras but I always look ridiculous while running so I just moved along focusing on my 40s time.  I crossed the finish (did a little happy leap when I saw the clock!) and got my medal.  

I did it!  1:48:29!

 Woo hoo!  I got some snacks, rang the sh!t out of the PR bell, and met up with Meagan when she crossed the finish just over 10 minutes later.

We got some free Pollo Tropical chicken and rice, donuts, bagels, brownies, cokes, and all kinds of other crappy junk food.  Lord, I had the worst stomach ache later on that afternoon!  Go figure.  Anyway, we had a good time afterwards (no free beer for me, had to go to work!) and as I was headed back to my car about an hour later to get to the airport to shower up, I saw Kylie turn the corner and work her way toward the finish!  I gave her a little cheer but I had no time to stay and chat unfortunately.  

I have to say, too- I got a TON of compliments on my Mermaid SparkleSkirt!  Several women approached me at the after-party to ask about it, where did I get it, omg it has so many pockets! etc.  If you're listening, SparkleSkirts- I directed a lot of potential business your way!

Best Damn Results:

Chip time: 1:48:29 (8:18 min/mile)

Place: 119/1,000 total (top 11%)

Age group: 11/107 in the 30-34 range (top 10%)

Gender place: 36/617 females (top 5%)

New time to beat- YES!!!

princess half marathon 2015- this one's with a boy

We did it!

Gonzo and Camilla the Chicken ran a race together, they stayed together, and Camilla was on her best behavior.  Like our costumes?

I knew this was going to be a slower race for me because Scot and I do not run at the same pace.  He was dead-set on sticking to his 10 min/mile and nothing was going to change that.  That's what he trained for, so that's what I was going to do with him.  He ran fast for me at that 10K in Apopka back in September (the one that I won, and btw, I STILL haven't gotten my trophy, even after sending emails.  It's a touchy subject.  Pout.)  and he got himself a respectable time, good enough to get him into Corral D.  I was in C and stepped back with him.  

We made it on to the bus just before 4am- it was chilly but not as bad as the day before!  We had our airplane/plant covering blankets and were quite cozy upon arrival at the staging area.  Our friend from Abbey Run Club, Jamie, was running with her mom and a few other friends so she and I  were sort of texting back and forth thinking maybe we'd laughingly try a meet-up somewhere among the 24,000 runners crammed into the Epcot lot that morning!  Scot and I made it through the gates and were inching along past the charity tents toward the stage when the crowds parted a little and I saw Jamie and her group standing right in front of us.  I had no idea she'd be there!  If we'd been 10 feet to the left or a minute later, we would have missed her!  Quick photo op, then we all started the 20 minute walk to corrals.  We parted ways at the intersection, made a bathroom pit stop, and then joined our new crew in Corral D.  Jamie and her mom headed back to O.

At 5:30, the countdown was on!  A dramatic burst of fireworks got Corral A going and we started moving up.  B went 2 minutes later, then C.  The announcers kept us all pumped up pretty good- I remembered to have my GPS watch ready and on this time!  They counted us down, the music started, and off we went.  I got my watch going- the plan was to run the first 5K or so and then switch to intervals if we were feeling the need to.  Since Scot and his long legs just kind of lumber along, he's not much of an interval guy unless he's trying to go fast.  We passed up the first character (never stop for the first character!  It's like stopping at the gas station right next to the airport- costs too much!)

There was a high school band playing with dancers and cheerleaders waving poms poms on the side of the road less than a half mile in- so great of them to wake up and be there for us all!  We could see the line of spectators in the dark off to the left side of the highway- everyone was cheering and screaming and blowing noisemakers and waving signs.  I kept an easy pace with Scot as we tried to weave around the mass of people on the road.  I wanted to gain a little ground, and since I'm a bit faster I kept pulling ahead, turning around, and looking for him.  This running together thing was going to take some getting used to!

Did I ever mention that we DO NOT run together?  Like, ever?

I realized I'd have to get my act together, relax, and try to dial down my Energizer bunny thing I usually have going on.  

We passed the pirate ship with jack Sparrow and Captain Barbosa on the left- Scot thought the line was too long and plus is was still really dark so we didn't stop there.  We also passed a massive line for a photo with the Disney Heros and Princes.  I kinda wanted that photo but there must have been 100 people waiting and I wasn't going to make Scot stand in a line that long.  And I really didn't want to, either.  We carried on toward the Magic Kingdom entrance where I had to stop us for an awkward selfie:

We passed through the sign ("Caution runners, speed bumps ahead!") and ran around the parking lot of the TTC.  Scot asked if we'd run around the Speedway track- I told him no, just the marathon does that.  Which reminded me that they're getting rid of the driving experience and I wondered out loud if the marathon course would change.  We passed some race cars all cranked up and surrounded by lights, fog, and music before happening upon Wreck-It-Ralph.  I looked at Scot- "Photo stop?"  "Sure!" he answered.  The line was short, 3 people, so we hopped in it.

We stood there just long enough for me to get the Fix It Fix It Felix song stuck in my head before moving along toward Mile 4.  The run through the TTC lot is always fun- there's tons of screaming people, cow bells, crazy posters waving around- all over good crowd support!  We saw up ahead the Disney Villains photo stop.  The line was long and I was hesitant (I hate standing still) but I asked him anyway if he wanted to get a picture and he was more than willing.  
We stood in that line for 12 minutes.  12 agonizing minutes!  I hopped from one foot to the other, trying not to be irritated because hello, this is Disney and I'm running a race with my wonderful boyfriend but man did it annoy me to just stand there for that long!  Scot noticed and tried to calm me down, telling me it was okay, we had plenty of time, let's just have fun.  So I made like Elsa and I 

Let. It. Go.

I wasn't running this race for the time.  I wanted to have fun, get good photos, and be there with my man when he crossed the finish line of his first big race.  Did I break away from this photo when it was done and haul ass?  Yep.

Dawn was starting to break a little bit at this time- I thought about last year when I was a mile farther down the road and it was still dark, even though I was 2 corrals farther back.  But then, I was just focused on seeing the sights and finishing the race so I didn't let the clock get to me.  We hit Mile 5 just before entering Main Street into the Magic Kingdom, then we burst through the gate and onstage.

I peeked over at Scot as we ran down Main Street.  He was smiling and had his hand out for some high 5s along the way.  He's pretty understated when it comes to really exciting stuff so to see him actually having fun and not thinking about running was the best.  I briefly glanced around to see if our friend Joe was there in the crowds (he was, but I didn't see him), and then we turned toward Tomorrowland.  We stopped and the unofficial secret photo stop (no photographer here, just whoever is behind you in line takes it) and I think it came out great- I was actually glad to have some bits of daylight for this one!

We got Woody (another quick line, maybe 3 people) in Frontierland, then we hit Mile 6 and ran backstage into the area we'd toured at the end of January.  We saw the big parade float and Snow White but passed- the line for that was too ridiculous and Scot wanted to keep going.  After that, it was on to Floridian Way, past the Grand Floridian Resort, the Poly, and the golf courses.  This part of the course got a little crowded.  We were noticing G corral bibs and some I corral bibs so I knew we were in the thick of things.  We hopped off into the grass at times and scooted along.  The line for Mary Poppins was short, as was Golfing Genie, so we stopped a couple more times.  Scot excitedly said Mary Poppins told him she loved his costume!  

As we were in the Mary Poppins line, I saw the 2:30 pacer go by.  I whimpered a little bit, Scot put his arm on mine and told me not to worry about it.  I wasn't worried about not finishing by any means, I think I just don't like being out running any longer than I have to be.  I hate delays of all sorts- flight delays, traffic, red lights, do not walk signs- I like to get where I need to go quickly.  I took a deep breath, and smiled for the camera.  I know the time I can finish a half marathon in and it was bugging me that I wouldn't be even close to my usual time.  Even though I wanted photos.  Which totally does not make any sense at all, I know, I know.  Energizer bunny, remember?

We hit the Clif Shot stop and took our own Gu packets around Mile 8.  As we got around Mile 9, I saw- the Heroes and Princes!  In the daylight!  With a line 4 people deep!  4!  This put a big grin on my face and we pulled over for the photo.  Scot may have held my waist significantly tighter than in previous photo opportunities.  

 Aladdin, Prince Eric, Flynn Rider, Phoebus, Herc, and John Smith.  And Gonzo!

Right after that, we saw the pirate ship!  Again, with a short line!  How clever of us to not stop in the dark early in the morning and to wait it out!  Can you tell I have the biggest grin on my face here?  

We moved along toward Mile 10 at this point and I told Scot the Green Army Man was coming up.  And some hills!  We passed Mile 10 and started up the curving ramp towards Epcot again.  We heard him shouting out to the masses of runners ahead of us- "Keep going- this is a race!  No walking!"  We stopped, there were 4 people ahead of us.  I told Scot I was gonna do some push-ups with Green Army Man, and did he want to do some with me?  Well, he politely declined, go figure.... until the 2 girls in line ahead of us dropped down while GAM counted out 5 push-ups.  "Well, I guess maybe I can do some" Scot mumbled.  I laughed out loud and handed my camera to the cast member before I dropped down on the grass next to him.

"ONE!  TWO!  THREE!  FOUR!  FIVE!"

Jesus christ, Green Army Man counted slow!  I had dirt and wet grass on my hands but I didn't care.  We stood for a regular picture and then hurried off.  After that adventure came a large hill!  We made a turn around up the overpass, this was a good time for a walk break!  There was a u-turn in there and then we were onward into Epcot!  Along the way, we'd passed and then been passed by several times a guy dressed like the King of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland.  We zoned in on him, determined not to let him pass us again.  Gotta have goals, you know?

With that focus, we ran in to Epcot to the welcoming shouts of some backstage cast members before coming alongside Spaceship Earth, past the fountain, down the garden area toward World Showcase, and back around toward the big ball again.  The Marathonphoto paparazzi were out in force!  I took Scot's hand and we ran under the monorail track, around the flower beds where the Christmas tree usually is, and back toward the finish line.  I had energy to spare and tend to gun it a bit toward the finish but he pulled my hand back and kept me slow.  Didn't want to hurt anything, he said.  I get that.  I was really sore after my first big race and I didn't want him hurting either so I slowed down and we jogged easily toward the finish.  Quick!  One last photo stop!

Scot's looking a little whupped in this photo.  Same kind of face in the official Marathonphoto shots too but he kept going.  We passed the choir singing praises at Mile 13, then ran down the finisher's chute, past the screaming crowds, and I heard the announcer call out my name.  We crossed the confetti-littered finish line hand in hand.  I was a lot less emotional about it than I was last year of course (it's still a big moment, and a welcome relief!) so I was able to keep Scot focused and steer him toward the medals, photos, water, Powerade, bananas, and snack boxes.  

It was warm!  And sunny!  I was glad I'd gone with the visors when I made our costumes.  I picked up my glass slipper medal and then we wandered around the reunion area for a bit. We then stumbled into the half marathon awards ceremony!  We watched for a little bit, stretched out our legs, and clapped for the insanely fast women who won the race. 

As we were walking back to the buses, I heard a girl shout out "Oh look- that's them right there!  Gonzo and Camilla!"  I turned to her, quizzically smiling.  "I was just telling my friend about your costumes!" she said from her seated position in the parking lot.  "Ya'll passed me along the way and I just thought you had the best outfits!  I love the Muppets!"  She turned to her girlfriend next to her.  "That's them!  Aren't they great?"

I gave a big smile and thanked her and told her I appreciated her noticing. 

That?  That that just happened right there?  Is what made my day.

 We were almost back to the hotel when I got a text from Jamie- she was checking in near Mile 10, unfortunately her mom had gotten swept just prior to entering the Magic Kingdom.  I sent an encouraging response to her- we'd see her the next day at Run Club to catch up.

We got back to the room showered up, stretched, then headed back to Epcot for lunch.  We managed to get a walk-up table at Via Napoli in Italy with a 5 minute wait!  Ordered and ate an entire large pizza in 12 minutes.  Yes, we timed it!  

After lunch we got on the road again to get back to the house.  We had to clean up and then attend an Oscar viewing party in fancy dress that night!  I had to make an appetizer to bring so even after we got home, it was no rest for the weary.  But I think we clean up good, yeah?  This?  This was a 22-hour day.

And sure, let's celebrate with a glass or 3 of champagne!

Our times were pretty much the same since we crossed the finish together:

Scot was 653rd/1,717 male finishers

I was 5,219th/18,489 of the female finishers

Our net time: 2:39:12 

My longest half time by far but Scot told me he was okay with it because it would be an easy record to beat if he runs one again!  Good point.