March Race #2- Red Rock Canyon Half Marathon

March 9th, 2013- Red Rock Canyon Half Marathon
This was my most difficult race ever.  The first 5 miles were all uphill and I literally thought I was going to die.  It was my first half marathon since January and I was incredibly nervous.  It didn't help that I had watched a YouTube video of the course a few days before the race.  If I had seen it before I signed up, I probably wouldn't have signed up for this race...BUT in the end I'm sooo glad I did it!  Calico Racing (http://www.calicoracing.com) puts on a fantastic race and I'm excited to sign up for more of their races.  They had 2 free shuttles for runners to use since there wasn't enough parking in Red Rock Canyon to accommodate all of the runners.  I got on the shuttle in Summerlin.  I met a wonderful lady on the bus who has done a ton of half marathons and then we both met another girl when we got off the bus at the start line.  I chatted with them for about 2 hours while we waited for the race to start.  I love meeting fellow runners and hearing their stories!  The weather was gorgeous and slightly overcast although it was kind of cold.  I was upset that I had left my gloves because I was freezing, but in the end, I'm glad I didn't have them since it warmed up later.  About 1 mile in, one of my Team #runDisney teammates caught up with me!  I was so excited to see her!  I had met Marci before the Tinkerbell Half Marathon and we kept in touch via Facebook and Twitter.  We both had on our Team Sparkle skirts too!  It was awesome!  After the first 2 miles of uphill, I was hurting.  My muscles were burning and I was just basically walking.  I was so mad at myself.  Then I devised a plan.  They had cones set up every few yards.  I decided to run from 1 cone to another and then walk to the next cone then run to the next one.  I used that method for the next 3 miles and it worked!  My legs stopped burning and I was able to run a bit.  Finally, I reached the top around mile 5.  After that it was all downhill.  I was literally flying down the hills.  I wished that my GPS had a signal in the canyon so I could have seen how fast I was running.  I swear I was doing 7 minute miles.  The views were absolutely breathtaking.  The volunteers at the water stations were so nice.  Each station had water and some kind of fitness tea.  The tea was good- not too sweet.  I actually couldn't believe how fast I made it to mile 11.  At mile 12.5 I started to pick up speed.  I ran right through the last water station.  I was ready to be done.  I was so excited to catch up to Marci right at mile 13.  I finished about 10 seconds behind her.  As I approached the finish line I was shocked to see that I was going to get a PR!  I was overjoyed!  I couldn't believe it.  I got my medal and ran over to talk to Marci.  We were starving so we headed straight for the refreshment table.  I must say that Calico Racing had the BEST spread of food I've ever seen.  Even better than Disney...I can't believe I just said that.  They had cookies, cheese, crackers, pretzels, brownies, bagels, etc.  I was starving so I basically ate everything.  Marci and I chatted for a while until it was time to get back on the buses.  We took a picture together to post on our Team #runDisney Facebook page.

Overall verdict: My hardest race ever, but I got a PR.  I'll definitely be doing this one again next year.  The views were absolutely gorgeous and the weather was awesome!  There were more than enough water stations and the bling was great too.  No complaints here!  Thank you to Pro Compression and Team Sparkle for the awesome attire during my PR :)

Check out the race here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlsAWTw2LIw

Team #runDisney!

Race Bling

March Race #1- Awesome 80's 10K

March was my best month ever for races!  I've never done so many races in one month.  My husband thinks I've lost my mind.  Maybe I have...

March 2nd, 2013- Awesome 80's 10K
I was super excited for this race because I hoped there would be interesting costumes.  However, I was definitely not prepared for the "totally rad" costumes that people came up with.  I ran along side the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, Michael Jackson, ET, Mario & Luigi, Ghostbusters, Marty McFly, Madonna, etc.  The Delorean even made an appearance!  It was like I was back in 1982.  I totally wish that I had been more cognitive in the 80's, but I was just a toddler when that decade ended.  The race was supposed to be on Fremont St., but at the last minute it was moved to a local park.  I admit, at first I was upset because I had plans to run the race in a costume down Fremont St. and then have an ice cold drink at one of the many bars there (I'm a night shift worker.  Drinking at 9am is normal for me).  Anyways, the park turned out to be great.  It was clean and beautiful.  Before the race started, all the racers made a Harlem Shake video...it was pretty cool although you can only see me for a brief second in the corner at the beginning.  Check it out here....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gkwsQRSM64

The race had a 10K portion and a 5K portion.  Everyone started at once, but the 10K runners did 2 laps while the 5K runners only had to do one.  Most people only did the 5K so it was pretty lonely during the 10K.  The weather was beautiful although towards the end it did get a little hot and I wished I had worn a hat to keep the sun away.  The course was mostly flat and was just on pavement.  I thought my costume was "rad", but it didn't even compare to the creativity of the other runners.  I'll definitely be improving on that next time. My only complaint is that there was only one water station.  I wish there had been one more!

Before the Race

After the race with my bling!

Overall verdict- the medal was awesome and I loved the music and atmosphere.  I would definitely do it again next year.  It was my fastest 10K ever!

To all who come to this happy place, Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog!  I am currently finishing a weight loss program where participants logged their success (or failures) on Facebook.  It was a great way to hold me accountable for my diet and exercise.  Sadly, it is ending soon and I needed a new way to track my journey to healthy living.  When I was in college, I started running at the campus gym.  I was terrified of the dreaded "freshman 15".  Sometimes I used the track and sometimes I used the treadmill.  The farthest I ever went was 6.6 miles and after that I had horrible blisters for a month and my brother had to pick me up from the gym that day because I could not walk the mile home.  After I graduated and got married, I basically stopped running.  Then I started nursing school and I did not have time to breathe, let alone work out!  I gained 20 pounds by the time the last semester started and my blood pressure was dangerously high for someone my age.  In January 2012, I decided that I was sick of being fat and out of shape.  In order to force myself to start exercising again, I looked for something that would both motivate me and make me happy.  I found the Disneyland Half Marathon!!  I have loved Disneyland ever since my first visit at the ripe bold age of 18 months.  What could be better than running through it?  However, never in a million years did I think that I could ever run a half marathon, but I needed the challenge.  On the first day of sign-ups, I signed up.  The next day I went to gym at school and barely ran ONE mile.  I was terrified.  What had I gotten myself into?  Over the next 5 months, I snuck in a run whenever I could.  Between 12 hour shifts at the hospital for my preceptorship and studying for tests, I usually only ran once or twice a week.  I tried to use the Jeff Galloway schedule as much as possible.  When I graduated in May, I decided to get serious about training.  I signed up for my first race- a 10K at the new airport terminal downtown.  To my surprise, I did quite well and finished in under an hour!  That was the moment when I was determined to be a runner.  I signed up for three more half marathons, two 10Ks, and one 5K.  Unfortunately, I have never been able to reproduce the results I had in first 10K.  I run incredibly slow, but I always finish.  When September rolled around, I knew I was ready for the Disneyland Half Marathon.  It was seriously the most fun I have ever had while running (race re-cap coming soon).  I cannot wait for my next runDisney race!!  So that is a little bit of my background.  I am excited to share my journey here!  Thanks for stopping by :)