For this race I was dressed as Jose Carioca from the Three Caballeros and Nathan was Donald Duck. We had to quickly modify our outfits because of the impending rain, but I still happened to look fabulous. And let’s just say, I was glad I had this wide brimmed hat!

We got to the bus area at the hotel and stood in a very very very very long line to get on the bus. We were a few busses back, but finally made it to the Wide World of Sports where the start line was. We checked our bags and then got in another long line for the port-o-potties before heading to our corrals. On our way there I was lucky to spot my family who was also going to be running the race and we had a quick chat before heading to our corrals.

I ended up in Corral G so I said good-bye to everyone else and went and found a spot to sit on the curb while waiting for the race to start. I was trying to conserve my energy and was weary about the raindrops that started to fall from the sky. I have raced in the rain before (and actually PR’ing by a lot!), but I don’t find it pleasant when it is a cold rain! Finally, the race started and eventually it was my turn to run! My goal for this half marathon was to finish ahead of the balloon ladies and to have a good time with as many picture stops as possible.

I started out the race wearing long sleeves under my short sleeved shirt and a poncho. Before the first mile though, I pulled over to the side of the road and pulled off my long sleeved shirt. It was way too hot inside of my poncho! Mile two came and I was now soaked. With a poncho! Forget it, I pulled it off since I was wet anyway.

It rained for pretty much the entire race. At some points it was coming down pretty hard, so I couldn’t take my phone out for pictures :( So, here are the mile markers that I quickly took a picture of without risking too much water damage. Miles 4 through 8 were the worst for the rain. And, funny enough, this was the time of the race where we weren’t in a park, but just running on the road in between parks. I guess it mostly worked out then, picture wise.

The characters were out as much as they could be in the rain. There were a few sets that I ran by where there was no character, but I did get to see a lot of them.And, lucky for me, not many people wanted to stop in the rain so the lines weren’t that long!

I got to hang out with the Country Bears.

And some fairies!

Right before Animal Kingdom, my sister and dad caught up with me. Unfortunately, my dad got separated from us and we didn’t see him again until the end of the race (he beat us all!). I stayed with my sister until Hollywood Studios, and then she went ahead because I wanted to stop for too many pictures.

I got to hang out with Pluto at Animal Kingdom!

The parking lot at Animal Kingdom was full of huge puddles that I happened to keep running in (oops!). Wet feet. Yuck! But it was ok, because there were some light up floats to cheer us up!

I got to see Flik.

And finally it dried up to a soft drizzle just as I got to Hollywood Studios. I took a quick-ish trip to the bathroom before heading in to see all the fun stuff! (By the way, it is absolutely AWFUL trying to pull up wet spandex!)

I stopped for some pictures with the hat, which will soon be gone :(

And hung out with Buzz and Woody.

And showed off my super duper running a half marathon in the rain super powers with the Incredibles!

And finally, the part of the race that made everything worth it. This was the best part. This is why I run Disney. Running through the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights was truly magical. (Not that I really ran through this part, I was more of awe-inspired walking…!) I have seen this show before, but it really was awesome being there after running 10 miles. There weren’t masses of people so I could really enjoy the magic of the lights. I must have stayed in this area for a good 10-minutes, taking it all in (and looking for some Hidden Mickeys!).

It was beautiful! I know everyone else in my family just ran through this because they were ready to finish the race, but to me, this was the finish! Everything else was just extra. <3

Finally, I knew it was time to head on out and make my way to Epcot. I did take a quick detour, though, to see Darth Vader.

After Hollywood, we ran by the canal that connects Hollywood to Epcot and then ran backstage at Epcot, around Spaceship Earth, and ended up in the parking lot of Epcot. By this time I was soaked to the bone, running with water in my shoes, and ready to be finished.

I got my medal, my picture, and headed to the bag check where I would wait for Nathan. While there I saw Marty, and he and I stood there with hurting feet while waiting for the others. The bottom of my feet were starting to hurt so bad (like they did at the Marathon) and I needed to sit down. Unfortunately, because of the rain, there was no where to sit. Dislike! And here comes the worst part of this entire race: the cool-down. I will just say this: cooling down when it is rainy, windy, and cold is no fun. Seriously. No fun. I lost feeling in three of my fingers from the cold and didn’t get it back until I was showered and in my hotel room. (There was no way I could stay for the After-party. I was too tired, wet, and exhausted!)

I know a lot of people complained about the rain during this race. Honestly, the rain wasn’t that bad. Once you are wet, you kind of forget about it. It was still a very good race despite the weather. The amount of characters for the circumstance was great, the crowd support from the soaking wet and cold volunteers was awesome (thank you!!!), and I had a fun time running through Disney at night! I would certainly love to do this race again!

I can certainly say that I definitely EARNED this medal! This will be one race that I never forget!

A week before Halloween, I met up with my friend Chip and we ran in the PureChiro 5k in Vienna, VA. This was the first FREEZING morning of the season. The wind was blowing pretty hard (enough that one of the vendors tents blew away) and it was difficult to keep warm.

Luckily, as we started to run down the path, the trees blocked the wind a bit and the sun started to warm us up. I didn’t have any set intervals for this race, but just walked as needed. I always find it interesting that 5ks always seem so much longer and harder to me than longer races. By the end I was huffing and puffing, even though the course was pretty flat. Must have been the cold…

I finished in 33:18, which is on the medium fast side for me. Not too shabby, I guess, from not running a lot recently. It was a very pretty, tree-lined course, and was very flat compared to some other races that I have run recently.

I decided to dress up as Minnie Mouse and definitely had a lot of support for it! And the hat helped my ears and head to stay warm, so it was a perfect outfit.

This race was put on by Bishop’s Events. They still have a few races left this year, so feel free to check them out!

Maestro and I went to the 5k By the Bay in Lorton, VA. This race was part of a challenge: complete a Duathlon on Saturday and run either a 10-miler or 5k on Sunday. I was originally signed up for the 10-miler, but after taking 3 weeks off of doing anything remotely resembling exercise because of my sprained ankle, I didn’t want to push myself too much after finishing the Duathlon the day before. So, I switched to the 5k, which was ok because that means that Maestro could run it with me!

The course was the same as the day before. The first mile is rather flat, but then it gets to be all down and uphill for the next mile, before getting back to the flat part. Maestro and I pretty much ran the flat parts and the downhills, but walked all the uphills. I have no idea how the winner of the race finished in 16 minutes…There is no way I could run up all those hills!

Of course I had to stop for a picture of Maestro hanging out by the bay. This was a trail run, so we ran on gravel, dirt, grass, and a little road at the beginning and end. A lot of it was along the water, which I was always enjoy. Maestro was a trooper and did a good job keeping up!

Once we neared the finish line, Maestro started sprinting. He can be such a fast runner, it was hard to keep up! I think he was just really excited to be finished! Everyone was cheering for him! He was the first puppy to cross the finish line (well, and the only one…)

This was a good race. I wasn’t TOO tired from the duathlon the day before and it was good to get my legs moving and loosened up! Though, I still do not like those stupid hills!!!

This was my first Duathlon! I had a great time! And I even finished!

But let me tell you, I was in no way trained for this. Not even a little. I can only imagine how much better I could have done if I was trained. But, it happens. I had taken my bike out of hibernation earlier in the summer and took it to get cleaned up and repaired. And then it sat on my porch. All. Summer. I was planning to do a Triathlon in August, but it got cancelled, so I never trained. The night before this race I took out my bike, attached the rack to my car, and then went on a test drive and a short, slow, and easy 3 mile bike ride. And that was my training.

I got the the park where the race was taking place and set up my bike. I had my helmet, water, and gels all laid out. I was pretty much the only one with a regular ride-around-the-neighborhood bike, but it worked and it was my first race!

I decided to dress festively for my first du. I wanted to stand out! And I wanted something long enough to help prevent chafing while being on the bike. Thus, here I am. I definitely was very noticeable since most other people where dressed in black.

The race consisted of three segments: Run 5k, Bike 10 miles, and Run 5k. The 5k was a trail run full of hills (and hills and hills and hills). I ended up having to walk up all of the hills because they were so steep. There was no way I could run up them! I tried to take it pretty easy because I was a bit worried about the bike part. It was a pretty run, though, through trees and by the water.

Next was the 10-mile bike ride. This was the same course that I had previously run back in April. It wasn’t as bad on the bike as I envisioned. I loved coasting down the huge hill at the beginning with the wind in my face. That was the absolute best part. The rest of the ride went pretty well. It was relatively flat and I kept a pretty steady pace the entire time. But then, I was back at the bottom of the hill that I had previously loved. I no longer loved it. I jumped off my bike and hobbled up the hill as fast as I could before jumping back on and riding to the finish line.

Time to run the last 5k. I parked my bike and, with jelly legs, hobbled toward the trail. I had such a weird feeling after being on my bike that long. My legs were disconnected and my tailbone area hurt! Regardless, I did my best and hurried as fast as I possibly could.

Finally! I got to the finish line and was done! Yay! But, no…The second I crossed the finish line the muscles on the insides of my legs (right above the knee) froze. I could not bend or flex my knees. Luckily there was a chair nearby that I could sit on. This was the strangest thing because those muscles had never bothered me before. And they just froze up! I drank a bottle of water and slowly tried to flex my knees. And then they were ok. I’m not sure what happened. But at least it waited until the finish line.

First 5k 41:23
Time as I finished the bike 1:38:29
Final finish time: 2:27:22