Running Renaissance: Road to Paris 2024

[kski907]

Love your recap so far. My DD is right with you on the V neck shirts. Sorry universal was such a bust. We went last year around Jan 14th week and there was no one there. So next years marathon dates should fair better for a trip there. Glad hubby set his phone too. I am always a nervous wreck about missing an alarm so pretty much made everyone in our room set one. I also had a interesting experience with the buses. Glad you made it okay. I was back in F and could still see the floods of folks still coming in even after they had started A & B. Thinking not everyone made it to correct corral if they were a front runner.

 

[GollyGadget]

Love your recap so far. My DD is right with you on the V neck shirts. Sorry universal was such a bust. We went last year around Jan 14th week and there was no one there. So next years marathon dates should fair better for a trip there. Glad hubby set his phone too. I am always a nervous wreck about missing an alarm so pretty much made everyone in our room set one. I also had a interesting experience with the buses. Glad you made it okay. I was back in F and could still see the floods of folks still coming in even after they had started A & B. Thinking not everyone made it to correct corral if they were a front runner.

Thanks for reading along! I'm glad we got to experience Universal and now I know it just really isn't my cup of tea. That said, we still had a good day... We were on vacation after all!

Honestly, I know this won't be a popular opinion on a Disney forum but the whole trip confirmed that we don't need to go back to Disney for a while. I'm sure the crowds played a part but there was also just a very big "been there, done that" vibe. I know we'll make it back someday, but it will probably be a while as I want to spend our vacation time exploring new to us places. Don't get me wrong, we had a lot of fun and I definitely still recommend Disney (and runDisney) but for us there's just other places I'd like to see before going back. Maybe there'll be enough new things for the upcoming anniversary to entice me but maybe not.

I'm not sure what can be done about the bussing. I do think that race morning busses should go straight to the race and not multiple resorts. That one stop cost us about 20 minutes and there were plenty of busses on that route to split OKW and SSR. Maybe alloting different bus times for different corrals? That should at least spread out the crowd. You would think 90 minutes was sufficient time to travel a mile or so. I'm not surprised to hear that some runners didn't make their corral. Glad I wasn't one of them and hopeful no one let it ruin their day.

 

[DopeyBadger]

I'm not sure what can be done about the bussing. I do think that race morning busses should go straight to the race and not multiple resorts. That one stop cost us about 20 minutes and there were plenty of busses on that route to split OKW and SSR. Maybe alloting different bus times for different corrals? That should at least spread out the crowd. You would think 90 minutes was sufficient time to travel a mile or so. I'm not surprised to hear that some runners didn't make their corral. Glad I wasn't one of them and hopeful no one let it ruin their day.

Completely agree. The thought process of having 10+ buses at OKW and sending them to SSR which had 3 buses each of the mornings we went there made no sense to me. We're loaded and ready to go. Why force us to wait in line. Since there were 13 buses total, why not send at least 6 and 6 to each?

 

[GollyGadget]

Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary Marathon
Weather:
Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for better weather. I was really nervous it would be unseasonably warm and I’ll take unseasonably cold over warm every single time. It was still difficult to pick out what to wear, there would be nearly a 20 degree temperature jump over the course of the race. Eventually, I settled on long pants, long sleeves, short sleeves and gloves. This was good for the start but once the sun came up I started getting warm. The plan was to ditch the gloves and long sleeves anyway but I think capris might have been a better choice.

Course:
For all the complaints there are about the course, this is one of the primary reasons people run this race. Running through all four parks is awesome and unique to the marathon. Plus, it’s incredibly flat. I totally agree it’d be nice to have more park time but I do think what is on the course is sufficient. One easy improvement I think that could be made is running through one of the water parks instead of so much time in WWoS or the awkward out and back before Animal Kingdom. In my dream world, I’d also love the opportunity to run through Epcot first instead of last. Two big reasons for this: I’d get to see Epcot all lit up and by mile 25 I was really just ready to be finished.

Play by Play:
This is all coming from memory two weeks later so please forgive me for any inaccuracies. If you catch any, let me know and I’m happy to correct them.
Going into the race I had 3 goals which played a huge role in my race strategy. First and foremost, I wanted to have fun and enjoy the race. Along with that, I wanted to not die. During my first (and only other) marathon, I bonked hard. I spent most of the second half walking and swore off marathons for several years. Thirdly, my goal finish time was 4 hours but I was not willing to risk the first two for this one.

Start to MK (Miles 1-5)

My goal for the first half was to stick close to 9mm and more importantly, avoid going out too fast. As I kind of eluded to, my number one concern was riding the struggle bus (or worse, the parade bus) to the finish. I kept nervously checking my watch to make sure I was holding back enough and many times I saw the instantaneous speed reading 8:30mm and had to tell myself “it’s not a race.” Which, of course, it is a race, but I wasn’t racing. I was there for a leisurely 27 mile run through the property.

I had some issues in the later part of the PHM in 2014 and I think most of that stemmed from my legs not being ready for stopping for so many photos. Because of this, I planned to limit my stopping. I tried my best to get a picture of the billboard as we ran past, but since I wasn’t stopping, it came out a blurry mess. That pretty much sealed my decision to wait for photos until the sun came up.

Photo courtesy of runDisney

This decision lasted past the Queen of Hearts (and I think the Evil Queen?) as well as Lightning McQueen with Tow Mater. I was doing my best to keep good tangents throughout the race because I wanted to keep extra time on my feet to a minimum. Then all of a sudden I heard “Ducktales wooo-oooh.” I cautiously made my way to the long side of the curve to see who was out for photos. None other than Launchpad McQuack! Uncle Scrooge was also making his way out to the plane at this time. There was no way I was missing this opportunity, so I got in a line about 4 people deep and got my photo.


From there we headed to the TTC which was wonderful. There was a band and several spectators cheering us on. I think this is where I shed my first tears being overwhelmed by the support of complete strangers. I’m a big time race crier and there were definitely many more tears throughout the morning.

Mile 1 - 9:19
Mile 2 - 9:10
Mile 3 - 9:17
Mile 4 - 11:00
Mile 5 - 9:11
5 Mile Split - 48:09

MK (Mile 6)
New this year, was entering the Magic Kingdom through the main entrance instead of from backstage. It was really cool to enter Main Street the same way that I’m used to. There were people of Main Street by the train station cheering us on and once I got through the tunnel, all sorts of spectators were there. One of my favorite parts was the Main Street vehicles making as much noise as possible. I knew there would be a lot of people, but the vehicles were a surprise to me. I’m sure there are other details that I missed. After running several miles in the dark, the MK is a sensory overload and it’s impossible to take it all in.

I had been wearing a few glow bracelets and they were getting on my nerves, so I decided I’d give them to some children who would probably appreciate them more than I did. I found 3 kids sitting along the side, and just laid them out in front. As I ran away, I heard shouts of Thank Yous so I assume they were happy for the gift.

We continued running toward the castle and then over to Tomorrowland where Buzz was taking photos. I was still trying to limit my stopping, so I kept going past Buzz and the White Rabbit over by the teacups. On the way toward the castle, I saw one person waiting in line for Sebastian so I gave him my best crab impression and we snapped a photo.


I knew the front of the castle would be crowded so I hoped to get a picture from the back. I swung off the course to ask a volunteer and she told me no, which took me by surprise. Oh well, I’d just get something from the front I decided. Off I went past Cinderella’s Stepmother and Stepsisters then through the castle. I had read somewhere to look for a gap to run in if you wanted better photos through the castle. There was a small gap in front of me so I made my way into it ready for my glamour shots. This didn’t last very long as some people came cruising past me and settled right into the gap I was trying to keep. Long story short, I didn’t get the castle photo I wanted. On the bright side, I don’t feel compelled to give Disney any more of my money for the photo.

The rest of the route through Magic Kingdom was fun. Woody & Jessie were posing for photos and the train was out by the crossing. As we exited the Maleficent dragon float was also available for photos.

Mile 6 - 9:57

MK to AK (Miles 7-12)
Lots of people complain about how boring this stretch is but it’s kind of a necessary evil if you want to run through the Magic Kingdom. You’ve got to get there and back somehow. Right around the Grand Floridian there was an old man trying to cross the street. He was giving the cast member an earful about how he was on the one side and his dining reservation was on the other side. I do hope he got it figured out, but it was all very comical to me.

Shortly after this the penguins from Mary Poppins were out taking photos and the Bachelors were by the gazebo, but no one was stopping for them. Sorry guys. Around this time, I could see the large crowd of runners heading into the MK on the other side of the parking lot. The thought crossed my mind to just cut across and run through it again. Of course, I was still worried about finishing, so I didn’t.

A while later the photo op of old ride vehicles from last year was out. It was cool to see them but I didn’t stop for any photos. I trusted the internet wouldn’t let me down and someone else would capture these for me I think it was just after this that the Up characters had a photo op. They were on break when I went by and I didn’t feel like waiting so I kept going. Somewhere in here was also Vacation Genie with a golf cart and maybe Hades. I really can’t remember where he was stationed, but he was on the course somewhere…

We soon made our way to the dreaded out and back, but it wasn’t so bad to me. I enjoyed seeing the other runners both on the way out and on the way back. There were also lots of funny signs to read just before here. The one I remember most went something like “What did the nut say to the nut it was chasing?” “I’m a cashew.” (My husband didn’t think this was nearly as funny as I did when I told it to him post-race)

Mile 7 - 9:28
Mile 8 - 9:08
Mile 9 - 9:16
Mile 10 - 9:02
10 Mile Split - 1:35:29
Mile 11 - 9:07
Mile 12 - 8:58

AK (Miles 13-15)
Entering Animal Kingdom there were all sorts of cast members out. I remember that there were funny animal puns but I don’t recall most of them. Just imagine things along the lines of “Toucan do it!” Trust me, when you’re sleep deprived and have already been running for nearly two hours these sorts of things are funny. To top it all off, there were also a few of the petting zoo animals out. I thought about stopping to get a selfie with the alpaca but decided to keep on going.

Soon we were in the park proper and Rafiki and Timon were posing for photos. I still wasn’t committed to stopping for lots of characters but soon enough, I spied King Louie making his way out and took a quick detour for a photo with the King of the Swingers, the Jungle VIP.


Not long after, I cruised past a bar and the bartender looked a little bored but had a sign that read “Bar Open.” It was around 7:30a and while a sip of beer sounded good, I didn’t want a whole glass so I kept going. I was too early for Mt. Everest so I made my way out of the park.

We ran along the parking lot and saw the crowd already gathering for Pandora. Some of them looked really confused about the large number of runners passing through but others were cheering us. This is also where my husband was supposed to be. I kept looking and looking and couldn’t find him. I was worried maybe he had overslept or was stuck in traffic. Eventually, as I headed straight into the sun, I could see a shadow waving wildly and I could tell by its shape that the shadow was my husband. I never could make out his face, but I knew it was him and that filled me with joy. I waved wildly back and continued on with a new pep in my step.

Around this time is also when I decided I was not going to try to break 4 hours. It seemed like it was still in reach if I pushed, but I wasn’t willing to give up having fun for finishing fast. I knew I could have fun and still finish in under 4:10 and that was good enough for me. I think this was also about the point that the infamous grave diggers were out. This struck me as quite odd as it seemed quite early in the race to be called dead, but that could very well be their usual spot.

Mile 13 - 8:56
Half Split - 2:05:19
Mile 14 - 9:50
Mile 15 - 8:55

AK to WWoS (Miles 16-18)
The sun was up and I was starting to warm up. I really wanted to ditch the long sleeves, but I couldn’t figure out a “modest” way to do that while running along the highway. We were quickly upon the McDonalds cheering section and while I didn’t take any candy from strangers, I love that this is the one acceptable time in your life to do that.

There were some trampoliners out in this stretch for entertainment. What I remember most about them was their outrageous 90s inspired outfits. I don’t know if that was intentional because of the anniversary or that’s just what they always wear. Either way, they were stylin’.

About a mile down the road, there was someone shouting about photos with Pluto. When I saw no one in line, I figured what the heck and stopped for a photo. Shortly after we turned the corner to WWoS and I finally ditched my long sleeves.

Mile 16 - 9:12
Mile 17 - 8:54
Mile 18 - 9:15

WWoS (Miles 19-21)
I was really nervous about this stretch. Mile 20 is typically when people hit “the wall.” There are also many many complaints online about this section of the course and all of its turns. Despite this, I was still feeling quite strong.

The good thing about this section is that there are a lot of characters. I ended up stopping for all of them which included Minnie, Goofy, Mickey & Donald, and finally Joy & Sadness. Funnily enough, I wasn’t going to stop for Goofy but then he had no line, so I did and now it’s one of my favorite photos.


Earlier in the race, around mile 4, I had read a sign that said “It’s just a 10K with a 20 mile warm up.” It was somewhat funny at the time but once I actually got to mile 20 and was starting to feel it, I used the sign as motivation. I was able to take some relief in knowing there was “only” 10K left.

As the winding continued, I could see why people complain about this section. The different sports fields and photo ops made it enjoyable to me for the most part but eventually I started wondering if I’d ever get out of there. With all of the turns, I had lost track of where I was. Fortunately, about this time, I could see that we were in fact on our way out and I would soon be at HS.

Mile 19 - 9:39
Mile 20 - 10:31
20 Mile Split - 3:10:02
Mile 21 - 9:14

WWoS to Epcot (Miles 22-25)
On the way to HS, is the “big hill” of the race. The hill is really an overpass which remains memorable because Sarge from Toy Story is out encouraging the runners. I run a lot of hills in training and was somewhat surprised at how easy the hill felt. Despite the hill feeling easy, I could feel the fatigue of 20+ miles setting in. I knew I was going to make it, but I also knew I wasn’t going to be stopping for any joy rides. If I did, I’d be at risk for not getting going again.

Oswald was out just before entering HS. I totally get why people stop for photos with him, but I personally have no sentimental attachment so I kept going into the park. There were a few people in the park, but not a whole lot. It was still a bit early I suppose. I stopped for a quick selfie with ToT. I had stopped in MK at the castle and AK at the tree. I was a bit conflicted about what the park icon for HS was these days, but finally settled on the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

As we exited HS, we made our way to the boardwalk area. I knew Epcot was getting close but in those final miles it felt like it was days away. Around this time, a guy dressed up as Sully caught up to me in his tutu. I heard someone from the crowd exclaim he was the first tutu. I have no idea if that was factual or not, but he did get a lot of cheers as we ran our final miles near one another.

Mile 22 - 9:35
Mile 23 - 9:27
Mile 24 - 9:48
Mile 25 - 9:14

Epcot & Finish
We finally made it to Epcot and I was so elated to almost be at the finish. Just one park to go. I quickly glanced at the “special” 25th photo stop and decided it wasn’t worth it. I also saw a few princesses out but I was much too determined to finish at this point. All I kept thinking was that Epcot did not seem this big a few days ago.

Eventually, I made it into Future World and stepped off course to get a selfie with Spaceship Earth. My selfies aren’t the most glamorous photos, but I was happy to complete the set. Soon, I was among the choir and knew the finish was closing in.

Once again, I kept looking around for my husband but couldn’t find him. We hadn’t really discussed any finish line strategies and it turns out I was looking in the wrong spot. He had managed to find a spot just past the finish line. I think because he was by himself, he was eventually able to find a decent spot but he did have some trouble due to the crowds.

Once the finish line was in sight, I gave up looking for him and put all effort into crossing that line. At this point I could also make out that the chipmunks were giving out high fives so I made my way to the far side to be sure to get mine. I was too focused on finishing to pay attention to which chipmunk but looking back at other photos, I think it must have been Chip.

I was so thrilled to have finished the marathon and I still felt quite good. I quickly collected my medal and as if things couldn’t get any better, they were passing out special commemorative ears! I just adored this surprise.
I made my way to gEAR check and then it was time to take off my shoes and find my husband. We had no established meeting point which I wouldn’t advise but I did find my husband pretty quickly. After that we headed to Minnie because she had no line. I would have liked a photo with Mickey but wasn’t willing to stand in line 25 minutes. Little did I know the line at MK would be over 2 hours!

Mile 26 - 9:22

Results:
I had no idea running a marathon could be this much fun. Seriously. That’s the one thing I keep telling people about the race. The overall atmosphere of the race is just outstanding and I am ecstatic to say I achieved my first two goals of having fun and not dying. Could I have met my other goal if I sacrificed the first two? Maybe. It’s difficult to know how my body would have reacted to not making any stops. However, I still felt awesome at the end, like I could have ran another 6 miles, so I definitely left some in the tank. Regardless, I still improved my PR by over 84 minutes! That’s a practically insane 25% improvement. Granted, it’s been over 5 years since that race but if I saw another 25% improvement in my time 5 years from now, I’d be shocked and thrilled.

Photo Stops: 12
Time: 4:08:56
Division Rank: 92/1703 (5.4%)
Gender Rank: 461/10785 (4.3%)
Overall Rank: 1734/20050 (8.6%)
I know this isn’t a race a lot of people run for time, but it still feels pretty good knowing I finished in the top 10%.

Random Ramblings:
I loved the surprise ears at the finish line. In my only other runDisney race, I purchased ears. I’ve never worn those ears since and I wasn’t going to be suckered into it again. I will accept free ears every time though! It was really fun to wear them at the park later and a lot lighter than the heavy medal. Anyone got tips for how to display the ears? I really don’t want them to end up hidden in a box.


We went to MK to celebrate. I don’t think I’ll do a full recap, but we were there from about noon-close. My legs were a bit sore at first but by the end of the night, I felt just fine. Unfortunately, this didn’t last and my legs stiffened up overnight. Going down stairs was real difficult until Wednesday. Definitely a result of my undertraining.

Due to being wishy washy on our plans until just a few months out, we had to switch hotels on race day. I advise against this for two reasons: showering and resting. This was a non-issue for us because I had too much adrenaline in my system to take a rest break anyway. Additionally, by some miracle, we made it back to OKW with plenty of time to shower before checkout. Unfortunately for housekeeping, they had already cleaned the room so we called to let them know it’d need to be cleaned again.

Overall Impression:
Amazing! The race went so well for me I actually considered never running another marathon so as to not taint the experience. It truly felt like a once in a lifetime adventure. I hope to return some day but it won’t be for at least a few years. If I’m still kicking it in 25 years, I’d love to be part of the 50th!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Great recap and congrats on an amazing marathon experience!

 

[jennamfeo]

What a great marathon re-cap!!! #marathongoals
If I could end a marathon and feel like running 6 more miles, that would be amazing! Love that Goofy picture!!!

 

[GollyGadget]

Great recap and congrats on an amazing marathon experience!

Thank you! I really couldn't have asked for a better race. I just hope the stars continue to align for me.

What a great marathon re-cap!!! #marathongoals
If I could end a marathon and feel like running 6 more miles, that would be amazing! Love that Goofy picture!!!

Thank you! Don't get me wrong, I did NOT want to run another 6 miles. I was so ready to be done. But I definitely felt like I could have.

 

[GollyGadget]

Goals, Goals, Everywhere are Goals!
I was holding out a bit on setting any more running/fitness goals until after the WDW Marathon. I was really nervous about how that would go.

Would I finish? Would I hate it? Would I ever want to run again? …..okay, maybe not so much that last one. But I wasn’t sure if I’d ever want to run another marathon.

Now that I’ve made it through the marathon and the training, I’m feeling very confident in my running and excited to start Chapter 2: The Quest for Sub 4. I’ve got a few goals on my mind for 2018:

1. Strength – I always have the best intentions to do strength training and then after a few weeks, I let it fall by the wayside. My plan is to start with something small and sustainable. Nothing crazy, just a quick 10-15 minutes focused on core and leg strength. Anyone have any recommendations? I’ve used the Nike Training App in the past and like a few of their workouts, but I’m open to trying something new. I prefer something I can do at home without weights or with free weights.
2. Run 2018 km in 2018 – I’ve seen a lot of people trying to run the year and thought that would be a fun goal. 2018 miles seemed a bit much though. In 2017, I ran 1163 miles, so 2018 km (1254 mi) is definitely doable and also a slight increase from last year. It’s roughly 100 miles a month and should keep me at least somewhat accountable in my training.
3. Lose those pesky last few pounds – I’ve been holding a pretty steady weight for the past few months but according to a few online calculators my “ideal running weight” is about 8 lbs (6%) less than I am now. I’m not willing to sacrifice running performance, which is why I didn’t stress about it too much during marathon training, but there's no time like the present to start a new focus on what I’m eating. My plan to achieve this goal is to start tracking what I’m eating again and make sure I’m getting the proper number of calories. I’ve always been a bit doughy in the middle so I have no goals of having a 6 pack or anything but wouldn’t that be a great surprise.
4. One Race per Month – To keep the motivation flowing, I’ve set a goal to run exactly one race each month. I’m already 8% complete! I’ve had issues in the past with motivation if I go too long without a race. On the flip side, I’ve also negatively impacted my training for an “A” race with too many smaller races. One per month seems like a good balance but I might adjust if I find it’s not working.
5. New PRs – I fully believe I’m just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of what’s possible. I already have a 5K, a half marathon, and a marathon planned for the year and my goal will be to break my PR in each of those distances.

So…what’s next? I’m starting a new DB Training Plan this week. The focus of the plan is the Kentucky Derby Half Marathon on April 28th. A friend wanted to go on a race-cation and this is what we decided. I have no experience in this race, I don’t think I’ve ever even been to Kentucky before, but it’s in driving distance and looked like a good time. To keep my goal of one race per month, I also have a 4 miler coming up on Feb 18th and a 5K on March 17th. Last year, I finished 9th overall female in the 4 miler and I’m hoping to improve that to top 5 (it’s a small race). The St. Patrick’s Day race is quite a bit more popular. I finished 10th in my division last year and would like to improve that to top 5 as well, but it’ll be a new division this time around so we’ll see how that goes.

The rest of the year is still up in the air except for a 7 mi race in July and a marathon in late October/early November. Right now the Indy Monumental Marathon is the front runner, but I’m taking suggestions if anyone has any.

This week’s schedule: After two whole runs since the marathon, I'm excited to get back at it!
M – EA 3mi + strength
Tu – EB 4mi
Th – EA 3mi
Fr – EB 4mi + strength
Sa – EB 5mi

 

[michigandergirl]

Strength – I always have the best intentions to do strength training and then after a few weeks, I let it fall by the wayside. My plan is to start with something small and sustainable. Nothing crazy, just a quick 10-15 minutes focused on core and leg strength. Anyone have any recommendations?

I've been the same way with strength training, just never keep up with it, but I like the 7 minute workout app. It's quick and you don't need any equipment, and sometimes I just repeat it 2 or 3 times.

 

[GollyGadget]

I've been the same way with strength training, just never keep up with it, but I like the 7 minute workout app. It's quick and you don't need any equipment, and sometimes I just repeat it 2 or 3 times.

Thanks for the suggestion! I've never heard of the app but will definitely give it a try.

 

[jennamfeo]

Someone tagged me in a donut run on Facebook and I would totally do it but I already wanted to do a different/better race that day!
(And of course I thought of you and had to let you know, haha.)

 

[GollyGadget]

Someone tagged me in a donut run on Facebook and I would totally do it but I already wanted to do a different/better race that day!
(And of course I thought of you and had to let you know, haha.)

I'm so honored you thought of me but DO NOT DO IT!

Seriously, I haven't ate a donut since and I used to looooove donuts. I had to toss half an order of onion rings this week because they tasted too much like donuts.

 

[roxymama]

I loved your marathon recap and it makes me want to do this one someday. My fave pic is you and Sebastian, but the hat pic with your time on it is pretty great too.

Also...your pace for that many miles is very inspiring!!!

 

[GollyGadget]

I loved your marathon recap and it makes me want to do this one someday. My fave pic is you and Sebastian, but the hat pic with your time on it is pretty great too.

Also...your pace for that many miles is very inspiring!!!

Thanks! I'm still kind of in shock about how well the race went. When I started running in 2010, I couldn't hold that pace for a 5k. I also would have laughed directly in your face if you mentioned I'd complete a marathon in the future. I thought marathons were for crazy people.... Which maybe they still are and I've just started embracing the crazy?

You, and everyone else, totally need to run the WDW Marathon at some point. If someone were willing to fund my races, I'd probably run it every year.

I'm looking forward to reading about your Chicago experience as that one is on my bucket list.

 

[roxymama]

Thanks! I'm still kind of in shock about how well the race went. When I started running in 2010, I couldn't hold that pace for a 5k. I also would have laughed directly in your face if you mentioned I'd complete a marathon in the future. I thought marathons were for crazy people.... Which maybe they still are and I've just started embracing the crazy?

You, and everyone else, totally need to run the WDW Marathon at some point. If someone were willing to fund my races, I'd probably run it every year.

I'm looking forward to reading about your Chicago experience as that one is on my bucket list.

If I see a giant crab on the side of the road in Chicago I will stop to take a picture with it!

And yes...you've just embraced the crazy.

 

[GollyGadget]

If I see a giant crab on the side of the road in Chicago I will stop to take a picture with it!

And yes...you've just embraced the crazy.

OMG! Please do! That would totally make my day and ease the fomo pain!

I was considering making my return to the Chicago Hot Chocolate race this year but it's the day after my planned marathon so not really good timing. Do you recommend any other races in the area?


In totally unrelated news, we don't have any groceries so I went out for lunch. Not really ideal for my weight loss goals but it's sunny and 45 and seriously feels like summer! Staying in my office the rest of the afternoon is going to be rough.

 

[jennamfeo]

but it's sunny and 45

LOL. It's sunny and 69* and I'm STILL COLD. #DesertProbs

 

[DopeyBadger]

LOL. It's sunny and 69* and I'm STILL COLD. #DesertProbs

 

[roxymama]

OMG! Please do! That would totally make my day and ease the fomo pain!

I was considering making my return to the Chicago Hot Chocolate race this year but it's the day after my planned marathon so not really good timing. Do you recommend any other races in the area?


In totally unrelated news, we don't have any groceries so I went out for lunch. Not really ideal for my weight loss goals but it's sunny and 45 and seriously feels like summer! Staying in my office the rest of the afternoon is going to be rough.

Too bad! I love hot chocolate and I woulda tried to keep up with you. Although after Chicago I may just hobble through it this year

I really like the rock n roll races even though it's July and weather is a question mark. I just think they are fun. I've heard cool things about soldier field 10 miler and it lands firmly between HM and M training (5/26) so I'd be up for trying that one out maybe (just not going crazy on pace)
Really like the Shamrock shuffle but it's 4.97 miles and usually cold.
The Chicago Half Marathon had decent medals but the route is kinda boring.

I'm always looking for race company so holler at me if anything interests you

 

[GollyGadget]

LOL. It's sunny and 69* and I'm STILL COLD. #DesertProbs

I would have to dig my sundresses out if it got that warm!

Too bad! I love hot chocolate and I woulda tried to keep up with you. Although after Chicago I may just hobble through it this year

I really like the rock n roll races even though it's July and weather is a question mark. I just think they are fun. I've heard cool things about soldier field 10 miler and it lands firmly between HM and M training (5/26) so I'd be up for trying that one out maybe (just not going crazy on pace)
Really like the Shamrock shuffle but it's 4.97 miles and usually cold.
The Chicago Half Marathon had decent medals but the route is kinda boring.

I'm always looking for race company so holler at me if anything interests you

I think my friend has run the soldier field race. I'll have to ask her for opinions. So far I still need races for May, June, Aug, and Sept. I have a few ideas in mind but nothing decided just yet. Anyway, I usually make it to Chicago for at least one race a year so I'll let you know how things shake out.