This was my second RunDisney race and I had signed-up for the Goofy Challenge thinking that I would be considered a 'real runner' if I could do both a half-marathon AND a full! RunDisney races will always hold a special place in my heart and I am a forever Disney fan- it always makes me feel like a kid whenever I arrive at Magic Kingdom and this race was way more than I could have expected!

The race started out SO cold (and of-course I didn't bring any warm-weather gear from Colorado with me), luckily I had a throw-away sweatshirt, mittens, and hat that I purchased from Target. It was also slightly windy, which made me (a person who normally runs cold anyways) even more chilled. It started in Epcot, then we weaved out and made our way to Magic Kingdom, which was way more magical than an expectation I had! Seeing the castle sparkle in the still dark sky was amazing and I began to warm-up, so I dropped off my sweatshirt and hat off to the sidelines.

Once leaving the Kingdom, we headed to Animal Kingdom and I was so excited to see my mom and grandmother along the course (they planned to see my around mile 14). This is one of my favorite parks and it did NOT disappoint! It is so magical to run through the parks when they are quiet and it helps keep me distracted from my already tired legs and body.

From here, we weaved our way onward towards ESPN's Wide World of Sports. While we were on a small path for what seemed like a million years, I thought Disney did a great job of spacing out characters and keeping runners distracted from the fact that we are running a marathon!

Once hitting the Wide World of Sports (the most boring part of the race, in my opinion), terrain started to get more difficult (sometimes we were on a track or dirt-paths) and mileage was starting to hit me (although it was still only mid-30s and windy).

We left Wide World of Sports and headed back onto the interstate for a bit, which wasn't terrible as you knew you were headed to Hollywood Studios! This stretch had my absolute FAVORITE part of any race I have ever participated in- one of Toy Story's soldiers shouting and encouraging runners up and over a hill. It was amazing and exactly what I needed!

Hollywood Studios didn't disappoint and it is so cool to be able to run through sections and have so many great spectators cheering us along! They were even handing out candy along this section- hello chocolate at mile 22ish!

It was here that we left our 3rd park and headed back to Epcot and the finish line! How can the board walk around Epcot seem so short when you are walking it, but when you are running a marathon it seems like it never ends?!? Spectators were sparse along the beginning parts of the Boardwalk of Epcot, but when I began to hear the cheers from the finish line it was every bit as magical as I dreamed of! I was SO proud of this accomplishment that I didn't think I could do, that (happy) tears started filling my eyes!

While the half marathon was cancelled due to the threat of severe thunderstorms, I still got my 39.3 magical miles in and truly felt like a "runner" after completing the Goofy Challenge. I had no expectations going into these races, besides 1. to finish and 2. have fun. It was SO much fun and I am planning out when I can sign up for the Dopey Challenge. While the races are pricey and travel in January from Colorado isn't ideal, the magical memories (and amount of Mickey Waffles consumed) are worth it!

This was possibly one of my top favorite races of all time! If you haven't run it, you need to. Go sign-up right now and then come say hi because I will be back there this year for the full marathon! The race doesn't start until Sunday afternoon, so you have a lot of time to kill for most of the day. I normally try to do at least one run a week later in the day to be prepared for afternoon races like this one, but it's much easier to do when you're stuck at work at a desk and not surrounded by so many fun things to do in a great city like Vegas! I met my mom (who ran the 10k) in Las Vegas on Friday night (I got in super late that night) and we headed to the Expo first thing Saturday morning. The Expo was everything a runner girl could dream of and more! BUT it's also exhausting! Runners tip- wear comfy shoes and try to make a plan of what you'd like to see before going there, as it's very easy to get "sucked-in" and spend 4-5+ hours seeing it all.

After the Expo, we did some shopping, gambling, and sight-seeing before heading to a fantastic dinner to carbo-load and got to see Cirque Du Soleil's Beatles LOVE which was incredible before turning in a relatively decent hour (10 pm). We tried to sleep-in the best we could on Sunday morning (race day) and had a plan to take a cab to the outlet shops that morning and limited the amount of walking we did by choosing the shops we wanted to visit. During our shopping, my father's girlfriend called to tell me that my Dad was being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance because he had slurred speech and was vomiting. It was possibly the most terrifying phone call I have ever had. It wouldn't be until after the race that I learned that he had a stroke and was doing OK (I was able to text with him the next morning). So needless to say, my race-day jitters were entirely focused on his health (which also was a great motivator for me as I was hoping to PR this race).

My mom ventured off to the 10k around 2:30, but I still had over an hour to kill before I needed to head towards the race start for the half, so I created a fun new playlist for my race! This turned out to be a great idea and I highly recommend runners to do that just prior to your race. I was able to walk to the start (we stayed at the Excalibur, which isn't the nicest hotel, but walking to the start line is a FANTASTIC perk and it's only a 1.3 mile walk from the finish- a great way to keep your legs moving and decrease "stiffness") around 3:30pm. I was in the green corral and honestly didn't have to wait a ton before it was time to start lining up! I did make the mistake of not going to the bathroom one more time prior to lining up and that definitely was a bad decision!

Once the race began, the sun was starting to go down and the weather was perfect. I LOVE running with no sun- it's basically the same as running when it's overcast and cooler...perfect conditions. The race had so many great stops and musicians (KISS was my favorite) that the miles really flew by. The course was really flat and there was so much to look at along the strip. The lights were beautiful and it was neat to run through Downtown Las Vegas- it was also really exhilarating leaving the strip to go through downtown because you were almost 'rushing' to get back to it!

I never really felt tired or defeated during the race, but my mind was mentally tired (from worrying about my fathers' health and receiving countless update texts). My watch somehow was around .5 miles farther than what the course markers were and when I finally realized that I still had a mile and half left, instead of a mile. I felt pretty defeated and even stopped for a second. But then I remembered that I was running for my dad and I kicked it into gear for the last bit of the race. I had PR'd my half by over 4 minutes (from my half just a month before this one)! I felt amazing and on top of the world.

After the race, I met my mom and we headed out to find a restaurant close-by to rejuvenate ourselves and enjoy our last night in Vegas. We actually had to buy finishers long-sleeved shirts because it was so chilly out! I would recommend either doing a bag-check or having a friend bring a few light coats if you plan on going out immediately after the race. Also check out that medal- it spins AND glows in the dark!

All around, while the circumstances with my dads' stroke were not planned, I'm really happy that I had my race to blow off some stress and run for him. The race was absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to run the marathon there this year!

This was the second time I participated in this race and it was so much fun! I didn't have any huge expectations going into this race as I had just done the Emerald Bay Half Marathon the weekend before, but just wanted to complete the challenge and enjoy it! I stayed at the Sheraton downtown and that was a GREAT decision! Last time I did this race (2014), I carpooled into the city with a friend that morning and we must've walked at least a 1.5 mile + to get to the start line...not the best way to start your race. My hotel was within a half mile of the race start and finish, so I didn't need to stress about waking up super early or dealing with the headache of traffic! Totally recommend.

The course is relatively flat for the most part and while it's in a city, I feel like they do a really great job of highlighting Denver's best views of the landscape and mountains in the backdrop. The spectators on the course had a ton of energy and I remembering seeing so many enjoying their coffee and that pushed me to go even faster to the finish- I had a donut waiting for me when I was done! It was definitely going to be a hot day there, but luckily the race was finished before the heat could really affect me. There was one out-and-back part of the course that I really remember feeling pretty defeated on (around mile 11 or so- my weakness!) because you could see the runners who had already done the turn-around, but couldn't even see where the turn-around was! After this point, it's a fun finish to the park and the spectators along this section are the best. I was able to pull out a PR, but I definitely felt like I could've given it even more (but was tired from my race the weekend before and vacation blues). Rock 'n Roll does a great job of keeping the energy up and while this race (or expo) is nowhere near as exciting as Las Vegas is, it is still a lot of fun that's much closer to home!

Since I'm trying to complete a half marathon in every state, I had planned on doing this race as part of a road trip vacation to California! We took a week off and drove through Death Valley Nat'l Park and headed up to Sequoia Nat'l Park where we camped for a night. We then continued our trip through Kings Canyon Nat'l Park and then headed north to spend a few nights camping in Yosemite! Our final destination (and end of the trip) was South Lake Tahoe, where I would run the Emerald Bay Half Marathon (as part of the Lake Tahoe Marathon Race Series Weekend in October) prior to beginning our drive back to Colorado. The expo for this race was really great! They had some awesome (and pretty inexpensive logo gear)- I ended up getting a hat & 1/4 zip tech shirt for under $50. It was pretty small, but very well organized and had everything I would have wanted (without too much walking). The shirts that we got were SO beautiful, but they were white (which isn't my favorite color) and mine started to unravel a few weeks after I got it... :( After the expo, we got dinner and went to bed pretty early to prep for race day!

I had trained for a PR in this race and knew that it was almost all downhill (spoiler alert: I did end up PR'ing, but more on that later), but I made the mistake of planning for a vacation prior to my race (rather than race then vacation). I will never make this mistake ever again! While I was able to fit in a few runs throughout the week, my nutrition wasn't the best, and sleep was all over the place (hey, a girls' gotta splurge right?). Needless to say, that while we were being bused up to the start of the race (at the Emerald Bay State Park) I didn't have many expectations and just wanted it to be done!

We had to walk for about a half mile to the start of the race and it was extremely casual- maybe this is how everything is done on the west coast (or maybe they were just super relaxed as this was the last race of their busy race series weekend)? After walking too far to the start (it was also pretty cold up at the higher elevation- we were supposed to camp this weekend, but 30 degrees in a tent was too cold for us and we ended up booking a hotel instead), we were off and the beginning is SUPER downhill. It was really hard to not go out too fast on this part (which I ended up doing). By the time the race flattened out, the sun was starting to beat down on us (the race didn't start until mid-morning) and I was already feeling pretty defeated. My legs were shot and I was exhausted. I basically felt like I shuffled/ sprinted in portions for the last 5-6 miles of the race just so I could be done.

At the finish line, we got some really cute medals & license plate holders- bonus! I ended up PR'ing by :50 seconds (and 13th in my age group), but I had trained for a PR by several minutes. Overall, I feel like I could've done really well at this race had it not been at the end of my vacation and we didn't drive over 1,000 miles prior to the race! The scenery was unmatched (possibly the most scenic race I've ever done) and I loved finishing on the South Shore beach. We stayed at a hotel within a 1/2 mile of the finish line and was totally worth it. However, if you do this race note that many hotels don't allow late check-outs (which is a bummer when the race doesn't start until 10am and you finish at noon). We actually had to pay $20 for us to check-out at 1pm instead- we were driving in a car for over 8 hours that afternoon and I did NOT want to be sweaty and smelly for that long.

Definitely recommend the race and make sure to prep for the downhills/ later race start. Enjoy! :)

This was my 4th marathon and 2nd time participating in the Revel Rockies! It's a primarily downhill course and it loses almost 5,000 ft of elevation from the beginning to the end. Last year I stayed at the Hampton Inn (one of their discounted hotels), but opted to stay at the Sheraton West this year. They allow dogs for a small fee and it was only a few $ more than the Hampton Inn. I always look for two things when I book a room when running a marathon destination race: 1. comfy beds 2. the best shower ever and the Sheraton did not disappoint! I previously recapped the race expo over at on my blog , so make sure to check that out!

The race starts at 6AM, so shuttle buses leave to take you to the start line anywhere from 3:30-4:15. Alex wasn't looking forward to waking up at 3:15 on a Sunday to drop me off, so luckily the Sheraton had a bus that I could get from there and it would take us all the way to the start line! This was honestly 100% worth it (even though we both thought the Hampton Inn was nicer overall)! I woke up at 3:15, had some oatmeal, put sunscreen & body glide on, and was out the door at 3:40! When I got down to the lobby, there was a race volunteer there helping everyone get on the right bus and it just happens that our transportation to the start line was a LIMO!

It was complete with a stripper pole inside and everything. First time ever being in one of these and it was really spacious!

This helped calm my nerves for a bit and after about an hour drive, we were at the start line. It was beginning to get light out and I headed to the porta potty line right away (it took me almost a half an hour to get inside one). I then proceeded to eat 1/2 banana, drink some Nuun Active (mango orange is my favorite flavor), check my bag at the bag drop, and then head back to the porta potty line one more time! After I did my business, I stretched for a few minutes then it was time for the National Anthem (they had a fellow runner sing it and he was amazing)! We began heading to the start line after it concluded.

It was chilly to start (around mid 40's), but I knew it would start to heat up pretty quickly once we started to go below treeline again. I put myself right around the 3:55 pacer (my goal was to try to stay with the pace group as long as I could) and we were off! The first 6 miles of this race is pretty downhill and the scenery is spectacular! It went by really quickly and I could already feel my need to go faster than the pace group, so I left them really early on (and paced the 3:45 pace group too)! I decided to go by feel until mile 11 (where we hit some of the hills) and maintained a pace around 8:30 min/mi. Once we crossed onto Evergreen Parkway on mile 11, I knew this was going to be the tougher section.

My stomach had been feeling funky all day before the race and the morning it was still pretty off (probably nerves). I was really worried about the heat on race day (predicted to be in the mid-90s), as I really don't do well when it's hot out. I tried to stay conservative on the hills and maintained a pace 9:50 min/mi through miles 13-19.5. It was after this point where the race takes a turn onto Bear Creek Canyon and while it is slightly downhill in sections, it is entirely exposed to the sun and zero spectators. It was definitely where most runners struggle and I really wish there was some shaded areas along the remaining 7 miles. I tried to keep my pace up at an easy clip, but it was HARD!

I honestly met so many fantastic runners and at mile 25, when one more mile feels SO FAR, a runner that I remember seeing on-and-off throughout the course yelled to me: "we've been playing cat and mouse the whole time", "let's finish this TOGETHER" and that is really exactly what I needed to hear! She ran by me, but I forced myself to catch up to her and then she started to slow down and I got my second wind. I ran past her and didn't see her again! I actually ended up looking at a few of my race photos and just before the finish, she is directly behind me! Runners are amazing humans and the community is just awesome.

While I didn't get the sub 4 that I trained for originally (I made it my goal to get under sub 4 in 2017), I am SO confident going into the Las Vegas Marathon training cycle that sub 4 is really doable! I ended up finishing in 4:03 and got a shiny new PR that was 11 minutes FASTER than my previous PR (set last year at this same race). I'm super proud of myself and all that I accomplished on this course and feeling confident going into my next training cycle!

This race is put together really well and they have fantastic mile markers (and encouraging signs along the course). The medals are AMAZING and t-shirt swag awesome too. One thing that I think really helped on this course was knowing that there was an aid station every 2 miles and I would check off each aid station that I came to (I lost focus towards the end of the race), but I think this mental game was a great way to motivate myself. In my next race, I'm going to try to focus on it the entire time and see how it works.