What I Do When I'm Not Running on a runDisney Weekend

I’ve lived in Southern California most of my life and going to Disneyland was something I grew up with.  I’m always a little surprised when someone tells me, “I’ve never been to Disneyland.”  Because of where I live, I have an annual pass and I try to get there as often as I can.  Some of my visits correspond with runDisney race weekends and I always try to get some of my favorite things in while I’m there.

Everyone’s approach to Disneyland is different and I will admit I am not of those people who needs to “ride all the rides.”  As much as I love the rides, I am equally as happy just walking around enjoying all the little things that Disneyland has to offer.  On my recent runDisney weekend, I experienced a few things I don’t normally for and took some time to do a couple of my favorites.  So whether you’re headed to Disneyland for a day or a week, here’s a few things I would recommend doing.  

Character Breakfast

There are a couple Disneyland hotel properties that offer a character breakfast, one of them being Paradise Pier.  When my friends and I decided to stay there during our race weekend, we decided we wanted to do the character breakfast.  Although it is a bit pricey for breakfast, the experience is fun.  Breakfast is buffet style and includes things such as fresh fruit, the famous Mickey waffles and an omelette bar. (My omelette was delicious!)  As you’re enjoying breakfast, characters walk around interacting with the guests.  We were probably the only table without children, but we still had a blast.  Your visit includes a guaranteed picture with Mickey, which they try to sell you, but they also allow you to take pictures with your own camera.  

“Walk in Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps” Tour

As part of our girls weekend, we wanted to do something extra special.  After looking at the various tours they offer, we decided to do “Walk In Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps” tour and it was amazing!  You take a three hour tour of the park, learning the history of the parks and seeing Walt Disney’s vision.  The tour includes a few rides, lunch and a trip to Walt’s Dream Suite.  We were only allowed one picture in the Dream Suite, but I must say it is beautiful!!!  My favorite part of the tour?  They were able to have ASL interpreters for me, as well as a captioning device for the rides—this made sure I didn’t miss anything on the tour and I was beyond impressed that Disneyland offered this service for its guests. 

All The Snacks!

Disneyland has some great treats and the holiday season is no exception.  Some people go for the churros or Dole Whip, but my favorite treat is their gingerbread Mickey cookies.  No holiday Disney trip is complete without it.  I had the Dole Whip too, but there is something special about the cookie.  California Adventure has a new festival for the holidays and there were some tasty treats there as well.  As much as I love the Disneyland snacks, I do try to keep my meals a little healthy when I’m there and I find there are better options in California Adventure or Downtown Disney.

The Entertainment

Sometimes I just walk around Disneyland and enjoy the sights, which includes the various entertainers.  One this trip, we saw a holiday drum line, the dapper dans and a few bands.  Everyone seems in such a hurry to get to the next ride, but I love stopping to take some time to enjoy it all.  

The Decorations

The Holiday season at Disneyland is my favorite.  There is so much attention to detail from Main Street to the rides, you can’t help but be happy.  But this isn’t just during the holiday season—year round Disneyland is a magical place and the details are always awe inspiring.

The Rides

I mentioned that I don’t need to ride all the rides, but c’mon—you can’t go to Disneyland without riding some of the rides.  I always try to take a break from technology when I am at Disneyland, but I definitely love the Disneyland app which can help you determine your wait times and plan your adventures.  

Have you ever been to Disneyland? What’s your favorite thing to do there?

Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1

RunDinsey Avengers Superhero Half Marathon Recap

After three days in the parks and two races, I was ready for the Avengers Superheroes Half Marathon—not only was I looking forward to all the fun but I was also looking forward to earning my second Infinity Gauntlet Challenge medal.  As I mentioned in my Dr Strange 10K recap, we had decided to mash Disney with Superheroes so I would be running the half marathon as Super Snow White, complete with shield to weild off any bad apples I encountered on the course. (See what I did there…)

Sunday Runday was off to an early start—we headed over the the start line area to meet up with everyone and get a few pre-race pictures before the race started.  Then we were off to our corrals to wait for the race to start.  After the national anthem and other announcements, the runner's were on their way.  The waves seemed to be going rather quickly and before I knew it, it was time for us to start.

Our plan going into Sunday was to have all the fun.  The course for this race was new and I was looking forward to it—this was my fourth runDisney half marathon at Disneyland and every course has been different so far. Shortly after mile one, we came up to the first photo stop and the line was short! What?!  This never happens so we took a quick picture, took a bathroom break and continued on our way.  Then we came up to the next photo stop and again, a short line! 

I’m not sure why all the lines were short, but the longest wait we had for a photo was about seven minutes.  Maybe people took all their pictures at the 5K and 10K—it’s the same characters, but we still wanted all the pictures.  

After mile four, we headed out of the parks and into Anaheim.  If I’m being honest, the most exciting thing in Anaheim is Disneyland, but the crowd support makes this race worth it.  At mile six, we came upon the Sparkle Athletic cheer station, complete with the Sparkle unicorns.  We then continued on and before I knew it, we were entering Angels Stadium.  In the past, the course routed you through the back entrances and you didn’t see the completed stadium.  This course brought you through the front and I saw the Angels helmets that I had never seen before.  

The crowd support near the stadium was awesome.  My favorite part of any runDisney event has been the group dressed in vintage military uniforms, complete with a dance floor and dancers.  I was excited to see them out there again.  Once we left the stadium, a cosplay group cheered us on for about half a mile.  Before I knew it, we were at mile ten with only a 5K left to go.  

I struggled the last three miles.  I don’t know if it was a combination of running two races the days before and spending time in the parks, but my legs were not happy with me.  I was getting cramps in my legs and my feet were screaming at me to stop.  I was grateful to have Stephanie, Toni and John with me to help keep me going.  

Finally we found the finish line! I’m not sure that I’ve ever been so happy to cross a finish line.  After getting our medals, snack boxes and taking a few pictures, we headed to the stage area to meet up with the rest of our friends.  I decided I needed to keep moving, so I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the rest of the day in the parks.  (I think I may have been having some shoe issues during the race because as soon as my shoes came off, my legs felt so much better!)   

After the 10K on Saturday, I was a little concerned about the hydration stops along the course, but they had so many.  The crowd support was awesome and we loved getting shout outs on our Princess Superhero costumes—we even had some people take pictures with us because they loved our shields! The new course? Amazing!  I loved this change and I hope runDisney sticks with it.  

It was another great runDisney Avengers Superheroes weekend and I can’t wait until next year!  Maybe I’ll actually watch the movies before then.

Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1

runDisney Dr. Strange 10K Race Recap

When registration opened for the runDisney Avengers Superheroes weekend, my first thought when I saw the theme for the 10K was Dr. Strange was, “Doctor Who?!”  Although this would be my second year running the Infinity Gauntlet Challenge, I’ve never actually seen the Avengers movies and don’t know who the characters are. 

As I mentioned in my Captain America 5K recap, this was a girls weekend with Michelle, Stephanie and Toni.  After discussing costume ideas, we decided to mash Disney and Superheroes—for the 10K we decided to be Superhero Mouseketeers.  Julian would also be joining us and I couldn’t wait to have all the fun.

Like all runDisney races, race morning came early and we headed over to the start line area to meet up with our friends for some pre-race pictures and fun. This year we stayed at a Disney hotel and I loved being that close to the start area!  After meeting up with everyone and taking pictures, we came up with a race plan.  AJ and Ivie were starting in earlier corrals, so they would run ahead to the first photo stop and wait for us. 

 It worked out perfectly—by the time we met up with them in line, we were almost to the front of the line.  As a group, we definitely follow racing etiquette and picture taking etiquette—although it may have looked like we were cutting in line, we take one group picture with one person’s phone.  We have the process down to a science to make it easy on everyone.  After the first photo stop, we were on our way for the rest of the race—I run most races alone so I always have a blast with the groups at runDisney events.  This race did not disappoint.

After all the character stops and all the fun, the race was over.  I was honestly having so much fun, that I didn’t pay that much attention to the course.  I know that I wasn’t struggling to get through the crowds like I was at the 5K and it never felt too congested to me.  

The only change I would make would have been the number of water stations—there were only two and I would have liked one more.  The weather started getting warmer the last couple of miles and one more water station would have been perfect. 

I still don’t know who Dr. Strange is but I had a blast at the Dr. Strange 10K.  And the bling is pretty awesome too! After getting our medals and snack boxes, we made our way to the race stage to meet up  with other friends, have more fun and take more pictures.  After this race, I was definitely looking forward to the next day’s Avengers Superheroes Half Marathon and earning my Infinity Gauntlet Challenge medal.

Have you ever done a multi-day race challenge?

Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1

runDisney Captain America 5K Recap

In 2015, I ran the runDisney Avengers Infinity Gauntlet Challenge.  As part of the weekend events, I went to a We Run Social meet-up and met Michelle, Stephanie and ToniAnn.  We became instant friends and decided we would return for a girls weekend in 2016.  After a year of planning, the weekend was finally here and I was beyond excited.  

A few weeks ago, I obtained a bib to the Captain America 5K as part of the runDisney Avengers Superheroes weekend.  It was a last minute decision and I was excited because it would be my first runDisney 5K.  

After fun  at the expo and spending time in the parks with my friends, I was ready for bed and the early wake-up.  If you have ever run a runDisney race, you know they start at 5:30am and as early as you need to wake-up, I love that an early race means you’re finished early and have plenty of time to enjoy the parks.  

I headed to the start line with Michelle and we met up with Julian.  After catching up and taking some pictures, we headed to our corrals.  I’m not sure if it’s because I registered so late, but I was placed in the last coral.  Frankly, I wasn’t happy about this—I wanted to run with my friends who were in other corrals. (I did go to runner relations at the expo, however they were unable to change my corral placement) 

Pre-Race show- how awesome that they have interpreters?!

We made a plan—I would race to the first photoshop, meet up with them and run with them the rest of the race.  Unfortunately starting in the last corral made it a little hard to race—I’ve never had to weave in between so many people during a run.  I won’t lie—I was frustrated as people abruptly went from running to walking or were in groups 4-5 people wide. I ended up skipping the first photo stop (Hawkeye) and met up with Michelle and Julian at the second stop. We continued on our way, saying hi to other runners we knew, having all the fun and taking all the pictures.

While we were in the photo stop line for Captain America, Stephanie and Toni text us to see if we wanted Starbucks at the finish line.  Yes!  We ran into them just before mile 3 and actually took our coffee then and ran the rest of the race with it.  Yes, we crossed the finish line holding Starbucks and it might be my favorite finish line picture ever! 

I love that 95% of the 5K in run through the parks. Running through Cars Land and the Disneyland castle are my favorite. Like all runDisney races the energy is great—the cast members who are out cheering for us and the volunteers are awesome!  Would I run the 5K again?  Without question, yes!    

Race Shirt and bling!

What’s your favorite finish line picture?

Until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1

A Runner's Holiday Gift Guide

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!   Whether you’re shopping for someone who has been running a week or running a decade, here are some things that I think  would make great gifts for the runner in your life.

ProCompression Socks

Compression socks can help before a run, during a run or after a run so it makes sense that they are perfect for every type of runner.  My favorite are ProCompression—not only do they feel great, they come in a awesome selection of colors.  Check out this year's holiday sock—expected to be released on December 1st, you can save 40% off with the code GIFT16.  (If you want these, don’t wait—they sold out in hours last year!)

Photo Credit: www.procompression.com

Gift Cards

There are some things that a runner needs to pick out for themselves and one way for them to do that is with a gift card.  I suggest finding a local running store and getting one from there—not only would you be supporting small/local business, the person getting the gift card will get better customer service and expertise when they use the gift card. 

Race Entries

Let’s be real—for a “free” sport, running can be expensive and that includes race entries.  Do you have someone in your life who is dreaming of running a particular race?  Help make it happen.  Earlier this year, I received a race entry as a gift and it was the best surprise.  They contacted the race organizers, took care of the payment and I was good to go.  It also made the race mean something a little more—I wasn’t just running for myself, but also for my friends who gifted me the entry.    

Orange Mud Transition & Seat Wrap Towel

You’ve gone for a run, get back to you car, you’re sweaty and you want to change clothes.  The Orange Mud Transition & Seat Wrap towel lets you do both with ease.  After you change clothes without the fear of being seen, you can protect your car seat for your drive home.  It comes in several colors so there’s bound to be one that's your runner’s favorite.  

Photo Credit: www.orangemud.com

Music

Does the runner in your life like to listen to music when they run?  Get them gift cards to iTunes or subscriptions to the various running music apps that are out there like Rock My Run.  

Reusable Water Bottle

Runner’s don’t just need to hydrate when they run and I know for me I know that I hydrate more frequently when I have one of my reusable water bottles with me.  There are so many out there to choose from, but I’m loving the look of Hydro Flask’s “My Hydro.”  It’s the Hydro Flask bottles but it lets you customize them with your favorite color combination.   

Photo Credit: www.hydroflaskcom

Trucker Hats

I admit—I’ve become addicted to trucker hats.  Although I don’t always wear them during my runs, I love them for after my runs to hide my runner’s hair.  There are so many different ones to choose from that you really can’t go wrong. 
    

I love a good trucker hat!

Magazine Subscription

I get Runner’s World magazine every month and I will admit that when I first subscribed, I wasn’t sure if I would actually read it.  But I do—I’ve learned some great tips, been inspired and have found some great recipes in the magazine.  In a day when technology has made most magazines available online, I enjoy getting the actual magazine once a month.  

Subscription Box 

Last year one of my friends gifted me the Runner Box and I loved it.  Not only was it the gift that kept on giving (I received three boxes over a 6 month time period) it was a great way to try new products.  There are several different services and choices out there—I’ve tried Runner Box and Stride Box and loved them both!  

Stocking Stuffer Ideas

Running Fuel (Nuun, Honey Stinger and Glukos are a few of my favorites)
Anti-Chafe sticks (I use Glide)
KTTape (All the colors!)
Chapstick
Hair ties (I lose them everyday!)
RoadID (I love the bracelets)

One Last Idea

My final suggestion?  Offer to go for a run with them.  It doesn’t need to be long and it doesn’t need to be fast, but spending time with your family and friends is the best gift and it doesn’t cost a thing!

Happy shopping and until next time, happy running.
Jenn13.1. 

The Aloha Run Recap

When my running journey first began, the first run I ever signed up for was the Aloha Run.  Since then, I’ve run it every year—since it’s my anniversary race, it holds a special place in my heart.  

Photo credi: www.thealoharun.com

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to run it this year.  I had some things going on in my life and running a 5K wasn’t a priority.  But the Tuesday before, I decided I would regret not running it and signed up.  When you register you have the option for running untimed at a lower cost and I went with this option.  I was going to run for fun and would be wearing my Garmin so that was good enough for me.

The Aloha Run offers race day bib pick-up so I headed down to Mission Bay early on race morning.  The past years I’ve run this race, it has taken place in September and was extremely hot.  This year the race was moved to October and I was hoping this would mean cooler weather.  When I showed up for bib pick-up, it was actually a bit cold.  I was lucky to find parking close so I wore my jacket until it was almost race time.  

The race also featured a 10K this year that started at 7:30am with the 5K starting at 7:45am.    The start line area changed this year, a change that I was glad to see.  It moved from a grassy hill area to a paved pathway, which was also the finish line area.  The pre-race entertainment was fun and they did a good job of announcing the start of the 10K and making sure the right runners lined up.  After the 10K runners were off, it was time for the 5K.
  
This race is “self coral” but it seemed everyone was doing a pretty good job of placing themselves.  They announced that fast runners should move to the front and I knew that wasn’t me.  I also knew from past experiences with the race, it gets congested at the beginning and can be hard to move through, so I placed myself behind the “speedy” runners.  I didn’t have a race plan, but I did want to go out faster at first to get away from the runner congestion.

Race Swag!

My plan was to run this race for fun- I was running more for the memory than running for time. I went out fast like I had planned and kept going.  I could feel that I was pushing myself, but felt good enough to keep going.  The race follows the pathway along Mission Bay so it’s a pretty view.  They also great course entertainment, from Island themed dancing and music and others cheering you on.  It’s an out and back course and that’s my only “complaint.”  The path way is narrow and once you’re coming back, it’s sometimes hard to pass people because there are runners on both sides.  While most runners will move aside to let you pass, some groups still ran 2-3 people wide and there were a few times I had to either stop or move on to the grass near the pathway.  

The weather was beautiful (Yay!) and even though I knew I was pushing myself, I felt good for most of the race.  When I reached the turn around point, I looked at my Garmin and realized that I might get a PR.  (I’ve been chasing my 5K PR since March 2014 and was competing with a PR from a course that has a ¾ mile downhill finish, so it felt like I might not ever beat it). Because I thought I might be able to get a PR, I decided to push myself as hard as I could.  And it worked—I took almost two minutes off my time from March 2014.  (On the downside, since I was frugal and opted out of a timing chip, I’ll need to do this again to make it race official, but now I know I’m capable of it.)

The Aloha Run has a fun post race area with music and plenty of vendors giving away goodies.  This is a family friendly event and I love seeing all the families dressed up in their aloha gear.  I think next near I might run the 10K but I’ll definitely be back to the Aloha Run.

My PR had my jumping for joy!

What’s your anniversary race?

Until next time, happy running!
Jenn13.1

Friday Five With SweatPink and Aftershokz

Hello October! For this week's Friday favorites, I'm teaming up with SweatPink and Aftershokz to talk about my Friday Five-- five things that motivate and keep me feeling empowered.

SweatPink and Aftershokz have teamed for Breast Cancer awareness this month. Aftershokz will donate 25% of proceeds from their Trekz Titanium Pink headphones sold between now and October 31st  to Bright Pink – a non profit that focuses on breast and ovarian cancer awareness and education. (This week/month I'm all about the pink. But the reality is that breast cancer doesn't just happen in October.  Breast cancer also doesn't discriminate based on race, age, sex or gender identity.  Chances are at least one person you know has been impacted by breast cancer in one way or another.)  

Music That Makes Me Move

I have a few playlists that I use for my runs-- they're all a compilation of various genres.  The songs are all chosen based on my current moods and what I'm trying to get out of that run. Some are designed to make me run faster while some are designed to encourage me to go farther.  Regardless of each playlist's purpose, they all include the following three songs:

Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go". How can you not be happy when you hear this song?! (80s music rocks and will always get me dancing!)

Garth Brooks' "Ain't Going Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up)". I'm a country music girl at heart and this song is my jam.  No matter where I am or what I'm doing, if this song comes on, I move.

Jason Mraz's "Geek in The Pink". Not only is this song appropriate for October and Breast Cancer Awareness, it's also fun.  

Giving Back

As we focus on breast cancer awareness this month, it's easy to question, "what am I doing to make a difference?"  The easy answers are to make a donation or to participate in a local race/event supporting the cause.  Those events are fun and the donations make a difference, but there are other ways to help, sometimes in ways that will make a bigger difference. 

 Here are a few of my ideas:

Encourage every woman you know to get a mammogram.  (if you know someone who can't afford one, there are agencies in most cities that will provide them for free.)  Some will say the recommended age is 40-- if there is a family history, most doctors will do it earlier.

Learn how to do a self exam-- this may seem uncomfortable at first, but you truly know your body better than anyone. If something doesn't feel right, see a doctor.

If you know someone going through the breast cancer experience, offer a ride to chemo, make a meal or simply be there to listen.

Find a support center and volunteer.  

New Running Gear

I won't lie-- new running gear makes me happy.  And motivates me to get out there and run more. This week was a major score for new gear-- I got new Asics Kayano shoes and an Orange Mud Hydra Quiver Vest.  I've gone on a couple runs with both and I am in love! 

Aren't they pretty?!

Momentum Jewelry

Inspiration comes from everywhere and I get mine on a daily basis from my Momentum Jewelry Motivational wrap bracelets.  They are the simple reminder that I need to get through my runs or just through my day. I have several different sayings and will pick based on my mood.  And you all know I like to #RunMatchy so I have several different color wraps too!   

My Grandmother

For as long as I can remember, my grandmother was the strongest woman I've ever known.  I spent a lot of time with her growing up and the experiences I shared with her are cherished. She grew up in Chicago and I heard so many storied about the city growing up, I felt like I had been there. (In fact, that is a big reason why I went there in 2015)  We would listen to Cubs games on the radio for hours as we watched the clouds in her backyard.  She always made me my favorite meal of plain spaghetti with a milkshake. And without fail, there would always be a bag of bite-size Snickers in her freezer.  She helped me learn to read, taught me how to crochet and most importantly, loved me without a doubt.  She wasn't perfect but she taught me that not being perfect is okay.  I'm blessed that I had her for nineteen years and I miss her everyday.  On the days that I struggle, whether on a run or in general, I remember the conversations we had and quietly whisper to myself, "It's okay not to be perfect."  

My grandmother's Army picture-- it's my favorite picture of her!

What are some of the things that empower you?

Until next time, happy running!

Jenn13.1

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by AfterShokz in an effort to spread awareness about their new Pink Trekz headphones, in partnership with Bright Pink to support and spread awareness around breast cancer awareness. All opinions and words are my own. I truly appreciate all of the brands the support the Sweat Pink community. 

Run Streak- Day 100

A few weeks ago, I posted about my run streak.  (If you missed that post, you can read it here.) At that time, I said my plan was to streak for 100 days.  Well today, I reached 100 days-- here are some of the things I've enjoyed most about the streak.

#RUN619

A couple months ago, the local running Store Movin' Shoes started a Friday morning running group.  We meet at Heartwork Coffee Bar at 6:19am, run a few miles, have coffee and then continue onto our Fridays.  This Friday morning run has become one of my favorites.  The miles are always great and the other runners have pushed me to be a stronger, faster runner.  It's a great group of people who are supportive of every runner with us, regardless of pace.  And who doesn't like to start their Friday with a good cup of coffee?!  If you're ever in the San Diego area on a Friday morning, join us!

Trail Running
In the past 100 days, I've run more trails than I have the entire time I've been running.  I'm discovering a love of trail running-- it's the perfect combination of running and the beautiful trails in San Diego County.   



Running Happy

Before I started my run streak, I felt as though I had reached a fork in the road with my running-- I wasn't loving it as much as I had been and I needed to make a decision on which way to go.  With my run streak, it made that decision easier-- I had to run.  Soon enough the idea that "I have to run" changed into "I get to run."  I was enjoying the run again.  I was running happy.

So I've reached the 100th day of my Run Streak-- I've run at least one mile every day for the past 100 days. 100 days, 433 miles.  Now what?


I'm going to keep on streaking.  When I originally started my streak, I said 30 days.  That changed to 50 which then changed to 100.  I've decided that until I'm unable to, I'm going to keep running. 


Until next time, happy running!
Jenn13.1