Two weeks without running

I brought my running clothes with me to Japan, but did not have a spare moment to put them on and go for a run. With the exceptions of bumping into a 5K / 10K in Osaka and seeing a running club in the Imperial Park on Friday night in Tokyo (I was invited to join the latter group), I didn't miss it.

Throughout the trip I averaged over 20,000 steps a day. One day I had nearly 32,000 steps as we navigated Tokyo. Hoping just keeping active for two weeks won't put too big a dent in my training.

I'm now back in hot and humid New Jersey with sore legs and lack of motivation. The Dumbo Double Dare is coming up two months from tomorrow. I have to find my motivation.

Happy return to reality!

Monday update: I put on my sneakers and slogged out 3.1 miles. The first mile and a half were great. The last half was a struggle. Hoping new sneakers and more time in them cure some of my running issues.

Running Goals

My running goals can be summed up as following:

1) Stay free of injury
2) Have a good time
3) Finish with a smile

Let the training continue through this muggy summer until I cross the finish line in California.

My race calendar is as follows:

August 31: 10K at DisneyLand
September 1: Half Marathon at DisneyLand
October 13: 10 miler in Mercer County Park ("The Perfect 10 Miler")
November 2: Beauty and the Beach 5 miler
November 3: Princeton Half Marathon
November 9: Trenton Half Marathon

November 10: putting up my feet and taking a break from running (we'll see how long that lasts)

D3 training

With over two months still to go until the Dumbo Double Dare (D3), I hit my hardest training weekend to date, with at least one more super challenging weekend to survive before the big race.

I chose a training schedule that looked reasonable on paper -- with the exception of these four back to back long runs. Why would one do that to oneself? You see the D3 is like half of a "Goofy" -- a 10K on Saturday (6.2 miles) followed by a half marathon (13.1 miles) on Sunday. Crazy, huh?

This weekend called for 5 miles on Friday and 10 on Saturday. Tropical Storm Andrea is coming through? Too bad, get out there and do it (or not, I'm not overly serious about running if you hadn't noticed from my other posts). 

Well, I did it! I stuck to my neighborhood and did lots and lots of laps. In the end I was thrilled with my time (11:15 mile) and happy I did it. I felt better running in the non-stop gentle rain than I did a week earlier in the sticky, hot and utterly draining yet dry weather. 

Today's turn. Legs felt good for the start. The first mile felt fabulous. From there I kept slowing down. Sure some of my miles were faster than others, but I just wanted this to be over! My pace was nearly two minutes slower than yesterday (13:11 pace), but overall I felt more beat. 

On a good note, I know I can do the D3! Disney requires a 16 minute per mile pace. Even with photo ops, and water stops, I'm good to go. With God's help, and lots of training, I'll only get stronger over the next two and a half months. And as a bonus ... California is not exactly famous for their super humid days, so that should help, too.

I have to remind myself to stay hydrated and fueled. I can do this!

Oh and tomorrow I rest!

Superhero Race

Up until now I've been very lucky weather-wise on race day. My worst weather to date was the 70 degree sticky humid start to the Princess Half Marathon, but at least that was dry (well, as dry as a humid day can be). Sunday's Superhero Race in Morristown, NJ was 58 degrees and raining. Fortunately that was the biggest problem for the day.

As soon as I heard about this race, I knew I wanted to do it. After all dressing up in costume is part of the fun of running a race. One of the reasons I signed up for the Rutgers 8K was that my friends were all planning on wearing their Sparkle Skirts. When I ran the Big Red Race two weeks ago I was the only one wearing a Sparkle Skirt, but I enjoyed the crowds comments about my skirt and the extra cheers I feel that generated. I still enjoy playing dress up.

The only trouble with this race was that I was not ready to run a half marathon. I ran one in February, and I am signed up for three in the fall, but I have not been training with a plan of running a half marathon this summer. This race has the option of running it as a relay. The course is two loops through Morristown, with a relay stop in-between. Perfect! Now who can I talk into running with me?? Hmm.... 


I asked Debbie (the Perfect Princess I met on the plane to Florida). She was already racing with Jen. 

I asked Sharon. She was already running the Bay to Breakers in San Francisco.

I asked Michelle. She was already running Color Me Rad race closer to home.

I asked Lisa. She prefers cycling to running.

I asked people on the PbRC Facebook group. Sarah and Becca said they were already running it.


I asked Don. If he can ride his bike 200 miles in a day, surely he can run / walk 6.4 miles. He agreed, but was in denial up until race day.

Jen took this picture of us at the relay station. Hard to tell, but I attached a purple cape to the back of my Princess Half Marathon shirt. If nothing else, it helped keep the back of my legs warm. Don is wearing the official Superhero shirt, with boxer shorts that have the Beatles Yellow Submarine on them, and blue cycling pants. He was too cold to take off his jacket. I'm glad I wore my running cap.

1700 people signed up for the race. Not sure if many bailed due to the weather. I ran the first (and longer) leg of the relay. The course was packed in the beginning to the extent that when it was time for me to do my first interval I did not feel comfortable slowing down to a walk. Thirty seconds later I could. At the time, I was concerned that by going out too strong I was going to hurt my chances of a good finish later. Those fears were based on past races when I have pushed too strong in the first mile and suffered before long. Fortunately that was not the case here.

I did have a stitch in my side during the second mile. Fortunately the cup of water took care of that problem and I ran /walked my 3:2 interval pace most of the rest of the run. I did walk up the giant hill. Whew! We don't have hills like that in Lawrenceville.


The crowds were the real superheros of the day. As we ran through neighborhoods, kids were sitting outside with their parents cheering us on. You knew that they were inconvenienced by having roads closed, but no one seemed to mind. I did see one man running with his dog against the flow of traffic in the park.

Lots of police, fire and EMT support. Speaking of support, at one of the water stations the volunteers dressed as Mario Brothers. That little bit of extra helped me keep going after the big hill. 

Before I started, I told Don expect me between 1:15 and 1:30. I made it to him at 1:17! I was lapped by 5 half marathoners (God Bless them and their speed!). We took a quick picture at the swap and he was off and running. Meanwhile, I changed into dry clothes and took some pictures of other people in costume.

Unlike the Big Red Race where he beat me by at least a mile a minute, Don kept a similar pace to me and finished with a smile at 2:32. We came in 125th place out of all relay teams. We each earned a finisher's medal.

After the race Debbie said she would do it again. I'd have to agree. It was a nice race. Well organized. In the "room for improvement" side would have been an extra water station and one set of port-o-pots. Since the race was a loop, the one set of bathrooms was at the beginning, middle and end of the half marathon -- or the beginning and end of the relay. Fortunately that was not an issue for us.

I'm especially pleased with how well I did because this weekend called for two long runs in anticipation of the Dumbo Double Dare at the end of the summer. Saturday I ran 5 miles around the Lawrenceville School and the Lawrence Hopewell Trail. Following that with Sunday's Superhero race was a test for me as to how I would feel running the 10K and Half Marathons back to back. I was happy with how I felt mentally and physically. 

I've lately realized how cool the swag is features in my enjoyment. The shirts are awesome -- girl-cut tech in Boston Marathon yellow and blue. The finisher medals were the same for the relay and half marathon people -- I did anticipate ours would be smaller to reflect the smaller effort we did, but was very happy we were not slighted. The vast majority of the runners did the whole half marathon.

I don't know if I could have finished the whole half marathon with a smile, but  my legs had enough in them for another few miles. Ideally our swap would have taken place just before that giant hill at the 3.5 mile spot (which reappeared at the 10.2 mile spot) and let Don do the last few miles. That wasn't an option.

We celebrated our victory with greasy sandwiches from the Minuteman of America restaurant -- a local restaurant that has been open since 1962, and one I remember going to as a child when we'd visit Aunt Debra at Jockey Hollow. I cannot find a website for the place, but it is modernizing -- they now offer WiFi, a service that did not exist when we went there last on Boxing Day 2011 with my parents. Maybe a website is in their future.

An online article about the race with a few pictures: http://photos.nj.com/morris/2013/05/photos_superhero_half-marathon_1.html

Big Red Race

The Big Red Race held on May 5th on the Lawrenceville School campus will always hold a special place in my heart. In 2010 it was my first 5K. I ran the race with Jean at the lightning pace of over 15 minutes a mile (47:07). Four races later and my time is down to an 11:15 mile (34:58). 

The course is very scenic and extremely flat. It is a community event, so we tend to know people running the course. This year we saw Emily and her dad, but not the usual neighbors. This year the Broad Street 10-miler was on the same day, so I suspect some our or friends were there instead.

This year, rather than running with Jean (who has since moved), Don signed up to run the race "with" me. "Don, run?" you say. Isn't he a cyclist. Well, yes. I asked him to do the Superhero race with me on May 19 as a relay team (I'll run the 6.7 mile loop, he'll do the 6.4 mile loop -- stay tuned for that blog post). Within a quarter of a mile he left me in the dust finishing at 31:33 (a 10.09 minute mile) a speed I can't even imagine ever handling. I figure I can either work on speed or endurance, and for now I want to work on endurance. I love the medals that come with the longer races.

In the crowd cheering us to the finish line were my parents, Ashley and niece, Aimee -- all wearing matching day-glo yellow "Team Pillsbury" shirts. They were quite easy to pick out of the crowd. I was easy to spot, too, in my Sparkle Skirt. I saw one other running skirt, by no other Sparkle Skirts at this race. I know I won't be the only wearing a costume at the Superhero race.

Great job Don! See you at the finish line in Morristown.

Marathon Expo Volunteer

Last weekend I spent a painful 8 hours volunteering at the New Jersey Marathon Expo for the Trenton Half Marathon. My job as an Ambassador was to encourage people to sign up for the November 9th race. My compensation for spending a gorgeous Saturday indoors was free race entry, a windbreaker from last year's race, and a broken promise about lunch. 

As with last year's half marathon the organization made lots of promises they just could not fulfill. The biggest one was that lunch would be provided. As the event ran from 10-6, this was important. There was no food to be found at the Expo (which was held at the Monmouth Racetrack) or within walking distance of the Expo. Elyce, the woman in charge of the event, tried hard, but she knew the day before that this was an issue and still only brought lunch for herself. Even an email saying "hey, ladies, sorry but there is no food at the event, please bring your own lunch" would have solved my crankiness. Even packing a few bottles of water or sports drinks would have helped. She did give me a granola bar.

The expo itself was fine. The usual vendors. The Bondi Band table was packed all day. I hope to see them at another Expo when I have to really study their product without feeling as if I am at a Filene's Basement sale. I was hoping either Sparkle Skirt or Team Sparkle would be there so I could pick up another skirt for my next race, but I guess the race was not girly enough for them.

I did see Brian as he was gearing up for his 50th marathon. Go Brian! Brian and I went to TSC together (before the name change). 

Also spotted was the Barking Mad About Running and Running at Disney bloggers.

The woman also working the table with me was selling the race as if she made a commission on each sign up. Her energy level was impossibly high. This is a woman not much older than I am who has been to all seven continents and has climbed most of the highest mountains. Of course a measly half marathon was no challenge to her, even though she had only taken up running a couple of months before last year's Trenton Half Marathon (which was her first race).

Standing at the table for 8 hours was not hard. It was even fun. They gave me a windbreaker leftover from last year's race. I had a sneak preview into this year's medal. The promises broken was reminiscent of last year's race. They readily admit they were given a pass last year on what went wrong (mostly the parking issues, though I think the 45 minute late start was a bigger issue), we'll see if they learn from their mistakes. At least the swag was great. Hopefully they'll team up with the Princeton Half Marathon people and offer a "New Jersey Marathon" for completing two halves within 7 days.

This November 9th I will run happy in the knowledge that at least I "paid" for the race with time rather than money. Hopefully I will have learned a lesson or two and at least pack my own water and a sense of humor.

Side note: the link to the ambassador program is broken so I can't confirm the long list of promises.

Seriously into Training for D3

My 17-week training schedule says I just finished week 2, however my legs are telling me I finished week 1.

This is my first time training for back-to-back races: The Dumbo Double Dare, a.k.a. D3. On August 31st I will run 6.2 miles. The next morning I return to the start line for a half marathon. Lots of bling is involved -- one for each race, another for doing the two back-to-back, and a fourth one for completing the Coast-to-Coast challenge (begun with the Princess half). There is another one for eating bacon along the course (or the vegetarian option) and a fifth one for being "Mad as a Hatter." The last one is hard to explain.

The first week of training was just like any other week I run -- 30-45 minutes (2.5-4 miles) twice a week, and a long run of 3.1 miles on Sunday. Instead I ran 8K on that Sunday (4.97 miles).

Week two started off just like week 1, then it added a twist for the weekend: back to back runs. Ouch! I ran 3.1 miles on Saturday. Sunday called for 6.2 miles. My overall time was okay (I ran a 12:10 mile overall, even though the first mile was closer to 11:30). My legs were feeling it!

Thoughts:
1) I'm so glad I found a training program that includes a few back to back training runs (5 out of the 17 weeks).
2) I'm really glad today is a rest day!
3) I reminded myself during the run it will be easier at Disney because during the race I'll be resting often to take pictures. If I can run it in Mercer County alone, I'll have no troubles in California with all those people.

This weekend many ladies I know ran in the Nike Women Half Marathon in DC. The prize for finishing was a Tiffany necklace, complete with the light blue box. This was the first year for this race. Registration was by lottery. I want to enter in the lottery next year.

I came to the conclusion this weekend that the swag is turning into a factor for choosing one race over another. A race that has women-cut tech shirts as an option wins out over one with cotton tees or unisex cut tech shirts. Medals or necklaces for finishing are also a must. Exceptions for local races that do not involve travel or insane schedules.

This week kicks it back a notch -- two 20-45 minute runs and a long run of 5 miles on Sunday. I can do it!

Rutgers Unite Half Marathon and 8K

As I wrote earlier in the week, I had absolutely no intention of running the Rutgers Unite Half Marathon or the 8K. It starts at 8 AM on Sunday morning. I've just resumed training for the Dumbo Double Dare coming up at the end of the summer. It wasn't on my radar.

Then the bombing took place at the Boston Marathon. I suddenly wanted to connect with the running community by doing a race.

Meanwhile on FaceBook. I read about other friends running the Rutgers race. Most were doing the half marathon, but my training buddy Sharon was doing the 8K. I did the math. 8K=4.97 miles. THAT I could do, and do well.

Sharon graciously saved me a drive to Rutgers on Saturday and picked up my race packet. I returned the favor and drove her to and from the race today. I picked her up in West Windsor at 6:30 AM. We parked in the familiar parking lot on College Avenue -- the same one we used for our SCILS classes when we were earning our MLIS degrees. 

We miraculously caught the shuttle bus to the starting area, thus sparing ourselves a 20 minute walk to the start. I saw the Bronc for the first time and had Sharon snap my picture with him. The half marathon started at 8. Us 8K runners started 15 minutes later. My goal was to finish before the first half marathoner crossed the line (same finish line). My second goal was to finish in under an hour. I made the latter goal, but not the former one. Darn super fast runners!

The race took place over the Rutgers New Brunswick campuses. As a grad student, all but one of my on-line classes was in SCILS (School of Communication Information and Literary Services), with one held in a different building, and the rest online. I never made it to the other campuses. This race was a nice tour of the area.

Unlike most of my races lately, I only took this one mid-course, and that was within the first mile. We started at the Rutgers Stadium on Busch Campus. Ran past Johnson Park. Over the Raritan River to Buccleaugh Park (a couple of hills here). Up another hill and we were at the College Avenue building. Before I knew it, we were passing SCILS and the finish line was within sight.

For the most part I kept with my training and ran 3 minutes and walked 2. A couple of hills made me walk an extra 40 seconds. Not bad at all. 

I heard my name announced as I was crossing the finish line! What a great feeling. I finished with a smile and easily bumped into Sharon who finished nearly 4 minutes before I did.

I finished at 57:09.6 -- a PR for the 8K distance since it was my first 8K, and nearly 3 minutes faster than my only 5 miler. By mile 4.5 I was lapped by the first half marathoner. Right after I crossed the finish line i heard the their half  marathoner was about to cross. I feel great about it!

The post-race food was the best I've seen -- or maybe that is since the half marathoners hadn't finished yet, I was ahead of the crowd instead of behind them and there was lots of well-organized food left. We had pasta salad, cookies, fruit, water, Coke, and a delicious yogurt parfait. The snacks got me through the car ride from Sharon's house to mine. 

Before the race, Gabrielle, Sharon and I decided to wear our Sparkle Skirts. Sharon's friend Stacey also wore her skirt. Unlike Disney races, the Sparkle Skirt made us stand out. I had lots of comments from the crowd about my skirt. It was fun! Since I registered so late, I did not have my name on the bib, but I was still cheered on because of the skirt and pony tail holder.

I wore blue and yellow in honor of Boston. Sharon was wearing Rutgers Colors. Someone from the Trenton Half Marathon saw me in my Trenton Half shirt and took our picture for their FaceBook page.

Sharon gave me a lovely pom pom pony tail holder so I was sporting some Rutgers scarlet.

I'm glad I did it. There was awesome crowd support along the route. I saw at least 4 bands in our 5 miles (not sure if there were more for the half marathon crowd). Several water stops, even though it was cool enough we didn't need it. 

Starting temp: 40 and breezy. Ending temp: 48 and breezy.

It was sunny. :) 

Princeton Running Company's Run for Boston

Last week the world was rocked by the news of bombings taking place at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. This has hit the running community particularly hard.

No matter how slow we are, the Boston Marathon is the penultimate race to run. With most races, you just need a fast finger, and a willing credit card, to register for a race. With Boston, you need a super fast marathon qualifying time (a BQ) to be invited to then have the super fast finger and willing credit card to complete the registration process. 

This week the running community has united to show the terrorists and the world that we will not stop running just because of the bombing. Races will continue to happen. If anything, this event has made us even stronger as a group. Pretty amazing when you consider most training runs happen alone, or with a friend or two, not en masse as happens in a race.

Wednesday night (April 17), Don, Ashley and I joined 70 other runners for a "Run for Boston" hosted by the Princeton Running Company. Prior to the run store employees spoke about Boston. Each of the three staff members had run Boston -- one that year. She finished an hour before the explosions. Meghan, another staff member, was working the Boston Marathon Expo. We had a moment of silence, and then we were off for a one-mile route.

\\We ran down Nassau Street to Olden to Prospect to Washington and back up to Nassau Street. Ashley was not feeling well that day, so we walked behind the group. This was Don's first run with his five-finger sneakers bought for next month's SuperHero Race.


I'll admit I was the only one wearing a Sparkle Skirt. Don was the only one in denim shorts for that matter!

It was a good showing of solidarity. I heard there was a candlelight run in Cherry Hill that night, and a huge run in Philadelphia.

Tomorrow I'll be wearing my Sparkle Skirt again as I run the Rutgers 8K. This time I know I won't be the only one as my friends Sharon and Gabrielle are also wearing their Sparkle Skirts. 

More on that race tomorrow.

Boston Marathon

Crazy.

Insane.

Wrong.

Unimaginable.

Impossible to understand.
Overwhelming.

These are but a few of the many emotions running through my head today as I read about the bombing at the Boston Marathon.

I can't imagine qualifying for Boston and having something like this happen to ruin the experience. I can't imagine watching someone run the dream of their lives only to have it end in horror.

Crossing the finish line and having your legs blown off and your life forever changed?

Cheering on a friend or family member and dying watching? Or being critically injured?

Being further back in the pack and not getting a chance to cross -- understanding why not, but still a loss to a dream?

Crossing the finish line earlier and wondering "what if?"

When you talk about running Boston it will always be "the year the bombs went off" and not "the year I finally qualified."

Knowing someone involved and wondering where they were when the bombs exploded. Are they safe?

Is this the end, or will they find more bombs tonight?

Why do the crazies have to ruin life for the rest of us?

In honor of the runners, I decided today to sign up for this Sunday's Rutgers 8K run. Even though I have friends running it, and it is at my alma mater, I was not even on the fence about it. I was not planning on doing it at all. Now I want to be part of the running community so we can stand together and show we are stronger than the bad guys.

Someone suggested on the PBRC board that tomorrow (Tuesday) we all wear shirts from past races (or from Boston) to show the world just how many runners exist. I will probably never qualify for Boston, but tonight I am proud to call myself a runner. 

Update from April 16: wearing my Disneyland Half Marathon shirt and Sparkle Skirt as I ran 4 miles in the area. Will change into a clean and dry running shirt to wear the rest of the day. Good is always stronger than evil. 

Update from April 17: http://runningatdisney.com/2013/04/16/running-for-boston/ is a great source for reading about the feelings of the running community as we each process what happened in Boston. It is a compilation of different blogs, including The Pillsbury Press. It includes pictures of people running for Boston.

Beautiful Day for a Run

Lest you all think all I do when I run is complain, I thought it was time to write something more positive about running.

Today was the day when New Jersey jumped from our one-day Spring right into summer. We left the 60s behind and leaped into a high in the 80s. Absolutely beautiful! It was the first day of the year I needed to make sure I went out for a run before it got too hot. Also the first day of the year I could break out my tank top.

Due to a scheduling conflict, I cut back from an anticipated 4 mile run to "only" a 3.5 miler. I still can't believe I think like this at all. It felt so good being out in the sun!

With the warmer weather I decided it was time to break in my new running skort. I found this Danskin skort at Wal-Mart for only $9.96. I had visions of wearing this with my hot pink tank top, Princess Minnie ears, and perhaps some white compression sleeves to give a Princess Aurora look (Sleeping Beauty to most of us). 

Well, this was a case of you get what you paid for. The shorts under the skirt kept riding up on my legs (think "chafing"). I love the look, but even if I wore this outfit for the 10K portion of the Dumbo Double Dare (D3), I would not be able to run the half marathon the next day. 

Perhaps I'll look for another running skort, and just get a new Sparkle Skirt at the race expo in Anaheim. After all, part of the fun of running in a Disney race is wearing a cute costume and I don't want to wear the same one two days in a row.

Happy to no longer worry about slipping on the ice and snow until well after D3.

Today's Training Run Leaves Room for Improvement

It is pretty unusual for me to write blog posts about running, and even rarer to post about running on back to back days. Thought after yesterday's adventures, and update was in order.

Happily I did not wake up sore from yesterday's mishap. I deemed myself in good shape for a quick 3.1 mile run in the neighborhood (little chance of getting lost this way).

I took my regular sneakers and tossed them in the washing machine with lots of soap. In the end, they were soapy and wet. Rather than put them in the dryer (is it okay to put all that rubber into a dryer?) I put them outside in the sun. Yes, that giant ball of yellow made an appearance ALL DAY today! 

What is a girl to do when her sneakers are sopping wet and it is 60 degrees outside on a really nice Spring Day? Well, she takes out her last pair of running shoes and wears them instead. How back could it be? They were last worn in October during the Columbus Half Marathon --and I PR'd in that race. 

Either:

a) the legs were tired from yesterday's adventures

b) these sneakers should have been retired long before the half marathon

c) the wind picked up too much

d) running in my neighborhood is not as much fun as running on trails

e) all of the above

but I felt as if I was dragging lead weights today. The overall 5K pace was good for me (11:35), but I just wasn't feeling it today. 

I'll take it easy tomorrow and get out there bunches next week. The forecast is calling for highs in the 60s all week. Yippee!!

Training Run Gone Wrong

Today was the perfect day for a run. It has been nearly a week since my last run, though only three days after logging many miles walking around NYC. The weather was perfect. Ashley was at my parents' house. Don was at the dentist. I optimistically decided today was the perfect day to run 6 miles -- my longest run since the Princess Half Marathon in February. 

I decided on a path that would take me through Village Park in Lawrenceville, NJ through the Pole Farm, and over to the Hunt House in Hopewell before turning around and coming home. It was 50 degrees out with hardly any wind. Knowing I could hit the water fountains in Village Park and at the Hunt House I did not bring any water with me. The temperatures were probably warm enough to wear shorts, but as it was already 4:30, I decided to wear long pants and a sweatshirt over a running tee-shirt. 

In the end, one bad decision and one good one (yes, in that order).

Over the past few months, Mercer County has put a lot of work into the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail (LHT). During the six week deer hunting season when I avoided the park even on non-deer hunting days, a bunch of work was completed. This includes a bird blind, a latrine, picnic areas, signage with mile markings, and the changing of the paths. Parts that had been paved, are now returning to nature, and new sections are paved. 

I passed a sign that said go to the left another 1.5 miles and you will reach the Hunt House. Sounds simple enough. I knew the Hunt House had running water (a plus for a girl like me) and an ice cold water fountain. The path divided. I stayed left, knowing the Hunt House was to the left. Around a bend I found another sign saying go right .7 miles and you will reach the Hunt House. Okay, overall it would be more miles than originally thought, but still do-able. I found a mowed path, crossed a semi-busy street (which I knew about), went along another mowed path and ended up in a swamp.

Yes, a swamp.

I could see the lake. Last summer I knew how to get from this lake to the Hunt House. In the meantime, that trail was overgrown. By this point I am at the 3.13 mile mark with no trail in sight, AND soaking wet feet from being too stubborn to turn around after stepping in my first puddle.

There was no way I was turning back now and getting them wet again. No way. No how.

Instead I tried to carve a path through the thorn bushes and other friendlier bushes along the coast of the lake. Meanwhile the other side of the lake with bathrooms and clearings was taunting me. But, with the grace of God, I can do it!  Each time I was stuck beyond belief, I said a prayer and God shined the light in the direction of the way I should go. Thank you, God!

At least 45 minutes later I made it through the woods. I was ever so grateful for the long sleeves and long pants and they kept getting stabbed with bramble. I extracted one thorn from my finger. There is still another one in my hand. I wished I had packed some water, though.

I found the new path leading further away. I avoided that and instead aimed for the driveway. Driveway implies cars. Cars imply road. I got out of the woods and ran along a 2 lane country road without a shoulder. Followed this until I found the other side of the Pole Farm and my favorite running path. Wish I knew what had happened to the path I ran on in that park last summer.

The trip added another mile of running, plus at least 45 minutes of cutting through the woods (I turned off my watch for this portion of the run). My sneakers are a mess. I felt as if in addition to a 7 mile run, I also accomplished Tough Mudder training -- at least enough to know I don't want to do a Tough Mudder race.

In the end, I feel great. I kept a 12:07 pace -- which is great for me for that distance (especially on trails). For the most part I ran 3 minutes and walked 2. I finally inhaled water around the 6.5 mile mark when I made it to Village Park (never did find the Hunt House). Mile 5 was nearly a minute faster than mile 4 (I still jack rabbit too much in the beginning (10:47) and cannot maintain that pace). I came home with renewed confidence.

That doesn't mean I won't be sore tomorrow -- but much of that will be from climbing over and under trees and brush and through the water.

The kicker, though, came from telling a friend about my experience and he said "how you could miss it? All you have to do is stay right and follow the trail." Umm...how can I miss it? By staying LEFT and going on the old trail.

I did wish I had a RoadID tag on me in case the wild animals found me first. Thought about my cell phone. Not sure it would have helped in this case since I barely knew where I was, how could I have explained "stuck in the woods" to  Don?

Hint...the RoadID tag might make a good birthday present.

Princess Half Marathon

"Hi! I'm Jacquie, and I'm addicted to pretty medals 

earned by running half-marathons." 

I know there are at least a few of you reading this who could swap your name for mine and the statement would be completely true!

I've signed up for the Coast-to-Coast challenge -- one half (or full) marathon  at both Disney World and Disneyland within the same calendar year. The prize is an extra medal. I'm halfway to that goal. On top of that, I registered for the Dumbo Double Dare -- a 10K on Saturday, followed by a half-marathon on Sunday (think of it as a mini-Goofy). After last weekend's race, i see a LOT more training for me this summer. I can do it, but also want some energy reserved for walking around Disneyland with my medal collection.

Following the Goofy in January, a friend made the comment "why can't I race in the weather in which I trained?" I thought that thought many times as I trained on snow and ice thinking "yeah! I won't have that in Florida!" Instead, I had a 66 degree start with 94% humidity and the promise of 80s by the finish. Yikes! Not at all like February in New Jersey! Fortunately the sun stayed hidden behind the clouds for the most part.

This princess melted her way through the course, finishing nearly 30 minutes after goal. 

On the plus, I did take lots of pictures and chatted with princes and princesses along the route.

The course starts and ends in Epcot, with a run to, from and through the Magic Kingdom, ending with a quick lap through the future part of Epcot. This race is geared for women -- 26,000 princesses ran, with another 1,000 princes also racing. There are 325 "Perfect Princesses," and 10 "Perfect Princes," meaning they have finished all 5 races in the past 5 years. 

The girl power is amazing and inspiring. The men in drag (such as Ernie as Belle) add to the experience. Easily half of those participating wore a costume of some sort. Many were very elaborate. People cited Pinterest for giving them ideas. I had fun wearing the princess mouse ears from Masumi and my new sparkle skirt (made in Tampa, FL, according to Ernie). The skirt will get a lot of wear in future races. As it fits over my own shorts, it is super comfortable, while adding a bit of a flair and some fun to the day.

It is a Disney race. There were lots of photo ops with characters. I followed the rule of thumb of only stopping if there were less than 10 people in line, or if I was very interested in the picture. Some of the lines seemed to be 30 minutes for just one picture (such as of Princess Minnie, or posing with four hunky princes). I just wanted to finish before I completely melted!

Another plus was that water, Gatorade, volunteers and medical staff were plentiful. 

A couple of downsides, but this is being petty. The spectators were only allowed in a couple of spots, which made those spots super crowded. I was looking forward to running down Main Street. Don, Ashley, and my parents were going to cheer me on at that spot. I spent the entire stretch of Main Street craning my head looking for my family and no soaking up the experience. Fortunately the spectators were only on the left, so I didn't have to keep turning. However, I did not see my parents, Don or Ashley along the route. Ashley saw me and pointed me out to my parents. Don was in another spot and completely missed me. I foresee matching florescent shirts in their future so I can spot them in a crowd! 

My energy waned by not seeing my family. The path then went through Tomorrowland, and to the Tea Cups. I passed Buzz Lightyear, but made sure to stop for Alice and the Mad Hatter. Then we continued through Fantasyland (and their walls) to Liberty Square and Frontierland. I was really ready for some water by this point, but there were no water stations set up. It wasn't until after the race that I realized they have water fountains in Disney. D'oh! The next race will be in Disneyland, a park I know much better.

I was also disappointed by the lack of music piped throughout the race. It tool place entirely on Disney property. They had lots of photo ops, but I would have enjoyed hearing more music along the route to push me along. There was some, but not enough on those long stretches along the highway.

Fortunately the updating system worked and even though they missed me at the finish line, Don and my parents knew it was time to look for me at the family meet up.

After a shower and lunch, we went into Disney for Dapper Day.

For more pictures of the event head on over to Shutterfly.

For another take on the weekend, read Mr. Daps' Blog. Though you can't tell in his picture, the winner was wearing a sparkle skirt, too.

Things I wish I had done differently:

1. Attach my pedometer better. It flopped off my sparkle skirt near the start line.
2. Had something to eat sooner along the course. I was so swept up in the fun, I forgot to eat a gel until mile 5.
3. Run with a friend. Like I said, the girl power is awesome, I was lonely. Others were amazed I did this alone.
4. Bright colored clothing for my fans. They knew what I was wearing, but I had no idea what they were wearing. 
5. Finish before Epcot opened (I finished as it was opening, and as they were changing the route to allow guests to enter the park).

Things I did right:

1. Training went well, despite the wintry weather.
2. I did stop and take pictures and enjoy the experience (would have stopped more with a friend on hand to take pictures).
3. Smiled at my photo ops.
4. Had enough energy to walk around Disney that afternoon.

As I was nearing the finish, I started reminiscing about the Disneyland Half Marathon. I realized I liked that race better because it left Disney property. It seemed more of the town got into it. There were more spectators all over the place who read my name on my bib and cheered me on by name. It sounds silly, but hearing someone shout "Go! Jacquelyn!" gave me an extra push of energy. My bib for the Princess Half Marathon said Princess Jacquelyn. While cute, it made the font too small to read, thus no one shouted to me by name (except one little girl shouting "MOM!"). I'll be in Anaheim at the end of summer and will see how I reminisce about the Princess during that race. 

While it was fun, I'm not planning to run the Princess again. My heart belongs to Disneyland. This is my year to earn my Coast to Coast medal. I plan to enjoy each step along the way.

Trenton Half Marathon

As I was running in the inaugural Trenton Half Marathon I'll admit I did not have a kind word for the race. A day later as I look at my pretty medal, my harsh words are softening.

Only 20 days ago I ran in the Columbus Half Marathon. Since then I dealt with taking down a willow tree thanks to Hurricane Sandy, and had a surprise early November snowstorm the Weather Channel decided to name Athena. One of my favorite races, the 5-mile Beauty and the Beach run in Long Beach, NJ was canceled as Sandy destroyed the shore town, and our route. On one of my few training runs, 5 miles through Mercer Meadows, I had to climb over 3 trees twice.

In a nutshell, training stank.

Saturday's race was calling for beautiful weather -- low 38, high 50. 
The drive to Waterfront Park and parking was a mess. The line for race day packet pick ups were long (thankfully, Sharon and I went on Thursday). The race started 45 minutes late. Yes, FORTY-FIVE minutes late as the announcer kept insisting it would be a few more minutes and appreciating our patience. 

My biggest complaint with the start was that I could not figure out how to line up by anticipated finish time, nor could I find a pacer. There were about 2700 runners. I have a tendency to jackrabbit at the start, and was hoping to be able to pace myself right in the start. This is what really helped me with Columbus.

The route:

Started off going under the new tunnel on 29. Then up and over the highway and back through the tunnel. Overall my GPS route showed it was .33 miles shorter than 13.1, which people attributed to losing satellite in the tunnel and under the overpasses. 

Much of the route was along not-so scenic Route 29. I would have preferred more time on State Street or through neighborhoods as 29 does not encourage places to stop and view the race. There was a definite lack of spectators along the route.
Don chased after me on his bike and took lots of pictures of me along the way.

Later on I found out Gary, someone I know through community theater, handed me water at one of the watering stops. I was surprised day of by how few people I knew. Surprised later in the day when I read in FB about how many people I did know at the race. Should have coordinated better.

 
 
As billed, one of the highlights was running across the Trenton Makes Bridge. I hadn't paid attention to the surface of the bridge before. The whole time I was afraid I would catch my toe in the steel grates. Made out fine, and didn't see anyone fall, but it was a definite obstacle that I will be prepared for next time.

The race then went into Morrisville, PA for a couple of miles. Bigger crowds in Pennsylvania -- possibly because less roads were closed and we went through residential neighborhoods.

Crossed the Calhoun Street Bridge back into New Jersey. By now most of the runners clued into running on the boardwalk on the side, rather than the closed steel grate bridge.

There was a 10K option, but I pressed on. This was one of the clearest signs along the route. One of my pet peeves with the race, was the lack of clear signage overall. I saw my first mile marker at mile 4! At a water station there was a hand written sign saying Gatorade to the left and water to the right. It was hard to read.

There is Don in his yellow jacket taking pictures at the top of the overpass.

I never realized before how hilly Cadwalader Park really is! Had the storms not hit, I had been planning on driving the course to see what to expect. Oh well, another race.

The highlight -- running on the field at Waterfront Park! 

Another highlight -- the great personal support. My parents chased me around town with Ashley, while Don chased me on his bike. My time (only 2 minutes slower than Columbus, even with taking pictures, walking, and chatting with fellow runners who were struggling through the course) was much better than I would have imagined. 

Would I do another race in Trenton? Time will tell. It was like childbirth -- the further away from it you are, the less you remember the pain.Will I sign up for another half marathon? You bet! Leaning towards signing up for the Disney Coast-to-Coast Challenge!