Avengers Half Marathon Weekend Recap

Last weekend I was excited to head up to Anaheim for my second RunDisney race event.  I had a blast at the Disneyland Half Marathon and I couldn't wait to do it again with the Avengers Half Marathon Weekend.  I have to admit, I've never seen the Avengers movies-- I wasn't really sure what I signed up for, but after googling costume ideas, I was ready to have some fun!

The Expo

The race expo was very similar to the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend.  I was a little disappointed that some of the official RunDisney merchandise had sold out by the time I got there, but overall it was a good experience.  (If anyone had any extra race pins, let me know! :) )  I didn't need anything at the expo, but I still managed to find a few goodies.   They also had an area to make little care packages for our troops overseas-- I loved this.  You completed a post card and filled a bag with some treats and toiletries.  I love when races give back!

Jeff Galloway

Pamela at Sparkly Soul Inc!

When I picked up my packet, I noticed that my corral was further pack than I had anticipated.  I'm pretty sure I had submitted my time verification, but their records indicated that I hadn't. Fortunately I was able to pull up a race time from another event and they changed my corral for me.  

We Run Social Meet-Up

Friday night, there was a We Run Social meet-up at the Starbucks in Downtown Disney hosted by Ivie (@ivieanne), AJ (@a2thej44) and Jen (@pinkcupcakegirl).  All the fun was had and I enjoyed making some new friends!  It's fun when the social media worlds and the real worlds collide.  There was conversation, coffee and treats.  I even won a pair of ProCompression socks. This was definitely a great start to the race weekend.

"Do the Pavey!"

Captain America 10K

Saturday morning I woke up bright and early for the Captain America 10K.  RunDisney had suggested we arrive at 4am to get through security and make it to the corrals in a timely fashion.  Everything pre-race was well organized.  I was the one who wasn't organized-- I was not prepared for how cold it was.  By the time my corral started, I was frozen.  I started running with a group of friends I had met at the meet-up, but eventually separated from the group in an effort to speed up and get myself warm.  It took a few miles before I lost the chill.  It was a hard lesson to learn-- I am weather spoiled in Southern California and don't usually run in temperatures that cold. (And yes, because I am weather spoiled, the 50 degrees was cold for me :)  )

Flat Jenn for the Captain America 10K

The 10K course was the same of the Disneyland 10K course, which I enjoyed.  I loved the areas of the parks we ran through and the crowd support.  I hadn't intended on doing any character stops, but decided that since this was in the inaugural Captain America 10K, I had to take a picture with Captain America.  Overall, the 10K was another fun RunDisney event and I look forward to doing it again next year.  

Avengers Half Marathon

Sunday morning, I woke up bright and early again.  I headed to the pre-race area, better prepared for the cold this day.  (I had a mylar blanket from the 10K)  I met up with the runners I had met at the meet-up again and we made our ways to the corral.  My plan for this race was to stay with the group-- sometimes the fun you have and the people you run with are more important than your race time.  This was going to be one of those races.  

Flat Jenn ready for the Avengers Half Marathon

This course was different than the Disneyland Half Marathon and I'm not honestly sure how I feel about it.  My biggest complaint is that during the parks portion of the run, you don't run through the castle.  How can you have a RunDisney run without the castle?!  There was also a trail portion of the run as we made our was to Angel's Stadium that was too narrow for the number of runners.  If a runner was trying to maintain a steady pace, it would have been really hard to do so at this portion of the run.  

Overall, this was probably the most fun I've had with a race.   I ran with Stephanie, Toni and Michelle-- it was awesome to have running buddies during the races.  I usually run on my own, so this was a great new experience for me.  We stopped for pictures, had great conversations and it was great to see Stephanie cross the finish line with a RunDisney PR and reaching her race goal for 2015.  We're all planning on coming back for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in May 2016.  

Running the 10K and Half Marathon meant you completed the Gauntlet Challenge

Random Weekend Shenanigans 

A weekend of running at Disney meant a weekend of fun at Disney.  I spent Friday and Saturday in the parks, enjoying the holiday decorations and people.  Disneyland is definitely one of my happy places and I love being there.  I also love that they offer interpreting services on the weekend-- on Saturday, I was able to see several shows in ASL.  The interpreters are awesome!  

Until next time, Happy Running!
Jenn13.1

Rock N Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon

When deciding my race schedule for 2015, I knew that I wanted to get the Rock N Roll Cali Combo medal for running three races in California.  I ran San Diego, San Jose and finished up the medal with Los Angeles this past weekend.

We left Saturday morning to head up to Los Angeles for the expo.  This race didn't have the Remix Challenge option (running two races in one weekend) and I was a little disappointed with that.  This is my fifth Rock N Roll race this year and I'd done the Remix Challenge at the other four I've run.  After fighting our way through traffic (a two hour drive turned into almost four hours-- now I know why people say LA traffic is bad.)

The race Expo was at the Los Angeles convention center.  Bib pick-up was relatively easy-- there were several volunteers and not a lot of people picking up at the time we were there.  This was the first time at a RNR race expo that I did not have to wait in line for my bib.  The expo itself was a typical race expo-- I didn't need anything so I looked at the booths, but didn't see anything I couldn't live without.  I did stop at the LA Marathon booth and had a great conversation with one of the people working the booth-- when she learned that the LA Marathon in 2016 would be my first marathon, she gave me some great, honest advice.  She definitely made me feel better about the journey.  My only issue with the expo was that it felt very crowded-- there were a lot of booths crammed into a little space, which at times made it hard to navigate through the booths.

I woke up race morning looking forward to the race.  My past two races had mentally gotten to me and I decided to run this one with no Garmin, hoping that without seeing my pace or time, I might do better.  Since this was was also labeled as a Halloween race, I was looking forward to seeing all the costumes.  As we made our way to the corrals, I noticed a lot of people weren't dressed up.  The costumes I saw were fun, but I definitely expected to see more.  The corrals were organized and the race started on time.  

Flat Jenn ready to race! With all of my favorites!

I knew there had been a course change, but I didn't look at the original course map, so I went into the race unsure of what to expect.   I knew that it was a city run and it was just that.  The course is a little boring-- there wasn't a lot of crowd support, but the crowd support that was out there rocked it.  My biggest concern with this race was making sure I didn't fall-- it was a street race and I'm always nervous about pot holes and street markers.  Around mile 7, I fell into pace with two other runners-- I had been using them as my pacers for most of the race and it turns out, they had been using me as their pacer.  We began talking and found our run groove-- we ran together for about 5 miles and they definitely pushed me, which I loved.  Sometimes when you run by yourself, it's easy to become complacent and not push yourself.  I know I am capable of more and love when other runners push me to do more.

And then we hit mile 11.5.  Where did that hill come from?!?!  I pushed myself to the top, reminding myself to look at the race elevation chart next time.  After the hill, I found my groove and made my way to the finish. I went through the finish corrals and was excited that they had more than enough chocolate milk this time (they had run out at RNR San Jose by the time I finished) and I also enjoyed the iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. 

The Bling

This was the first time I stayed for any of the after show at a Rock N Roll race-- it was fun to see a little bit of Sir Mix-A-Lot's performance.  There was definitely a fun vibe in the crowd.  

Sir Mix-A-Lot

Overall I had a fun race experience, but I think that was more from the people than the race itself.  Nothing stands out as being overly bad or overly good about this race.  I'm definitely glad that I did it and I'd probably do it again. 

The Cali Combo Medal for running three CA races and the Roadie medal for running 5 Rock N Roll Races.

Did anyone else run this race? What are your thoughts.

Until next time, happy running!

Jenn13.1

Rock N Roll San Jose Race Weekend

Life got a little busy this past week, so I'll be recapping the whole weekend in one post.  This was my first time in San Jose, so I was definitely looking forward to this race weekend and exploring a new city.

The Expo
This was my fifth Rock N Roll event and I've learned that not all expos are created equal.  I suppose it has a lot to do with location and the number of runners involved for companies to decide if it's worth being at the expo.  The expo for RNRSJ was small compared to some of the others, but some of my favorite companies were there. I was excited to see Mama Chia there-- due to the liquids limit for plane carry-ons, I couldn't bring any with me, so I was excited to get my weekend supply at the expo.  I also found a few other goodies to bring back to San Diego with me.     

The 5K
As part of the Remix challenge, the weekend begins with a 5K on Saturday.  Our hotel was conveniently located 2 blocks from the start line, so we didn't head over until about 20 minutes before start time.  I'm usually at the start area at least an hour before a race begins so this made me a little nervous.  But we had plenty of time and I had a chance to say hi to one of my running friends, Karla, before the race.  And then we were off.  The race started at time and it was your typical 5K course.  Because I'd never been to San Jose, I was intrigued by the architecture and obvious economical differences in neighborhoods.  I always find the beauty in the juxtapositions in one general area.  The finish line area was fun-- a band was playing some good music, they had free beer and I was able to chat with some people I'd met earlier in the morning.  I also had a change to meet Roger Craig-- I'm not a 49ers fan, but I respect the sport enough to know that this was a opportunity I couldn't pass up.  After the race, we were off to explore San Jose.

The race outfit-- you can't go wrong with We Run Social and ProCompression gear.

The Bling!

49ers legend, Roger Craig

The Half Marathon

Sunday morning brought the Half Marathon-- we were a little further away from the start line for this, but still close enough to get there with a 10 minute walk.  With an 8am start time, this was the latest I've ever slept in for a race morning.  

Rocked the #TwoPairDontCare Look for the Half!

I had been told this was a flat course and it mostly was.  There were a few elevation changes, although I wouldn't call them hills.  The course took us through several areas of the city and again I was fascinated with the differences in the neighborhoods and their differences.  

The race support along the course wasn't as much as I've seen in other cities, but the people that were out there were awesome.  Especially in the neighborhoods.  One house was handing out fresh fruit and it was delicious! The volunteers were also awesome-- I always appreciate the people who get up early to volunteer their time for us. 

Half Marathon and Remix Challenge Bling

Overall, this course wasn't bad, but it wasn't that exciting either.  It's a fun race and I'd run it again, but I would change a few things.  A 8:00am start time for a half-marathon seems a bit late.  It started getting warm, especially towards the end.  I don't know their reasoning for the later start, the 5K started 30 minute earlier the day before, but I'm sure they have reasons.  They also had run out of some of the refreshments by the time I had finished.  I'm not the fastest runner, but I'm also not the slowest and I was looking forward to the chocolate milk at the finish line.  (The had also run out of Power Bars, but I was't interested in those.)  I've never organized a big race, but since you know how many people are running, I would think that you would plan for that number.  I heard from other runners that they weren't monitoring how many of each people took, so several runners took multiple items.  I'm not sure where the issue was and overall it's something silly to be cranky about.  Maybe it will just encourage me to run faster for my next race so that I get my chocolate milk! 

Exploring San Jose

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I had never been to San Jose before this weekend, and I wasn't sure what to expect.  We stayed in walking distance of our hotel, but there were some cute areas around us.  We went to the San Jose Museum of Art (several exhibits were closed for new exhibit installations, so I wasn't impressed) and walked around.  

San Jose Museum of Art

After the 5K, we met up with Karla (@purple_kaye) for lunch at Ike's, a sandwich shopped based in Northern California.  I'd had never been there and my Home for Thanksgiving sandwich was delicious.  

When Instagram friends hang out in real life.

Exploring the city was fun.  We tried new restaurants, admired the street art and explored fun little shops.  The most fascinating part about the weekend was the visit from the Prime Minister of India.  I've never experienced anything like it-- from the media coverage to the intense security everywhere, it was fascinating to see everything in action. 

I'm looking forward to my next Rock N Roll event in Los Angeles later this month to complete my Cali Combo challenge.

Until next time, happy running!

Jenn13.1

Disneyland Half Marathon Expo Recap

When the morning arrived for me to drive up to the Disneyland Half Marathon, I was beyond excited.  I had been waiting to run a RunDisney event since I started running and this weekend did not disappoint!  My first stop of the weekend-- the Health and Fitness Expo.

I arrived in Anaheim shortly after 8:00am and used my Annual Pass to explore the parks a bit before heading towards the Disneyland Hotel, where the Expo was located.  Once I arrived at the hotel, I had to decide what to do-- I had heard stories about the wait for the official RunDisney merchandise, so I decided to wait in line there first.  After about an hour wait, they let us in a little earlier than the official expo start time.  I picked up a few items-- I loved it all and definitely could have spent a fortune here.  I could understand why people lined up for this merchandise.  Once I was done shopping to official merchandise, I headed down to Packet Pick-Up.

Walkway to Packet Pick-Up

Packet Pick-Up was located away from the expo, under the hotel.  The lines were relatively short and everything was so organized.  Once I had my bib, I headed over to the photo area for the Dumbo Double Dare participants.  I had pre-ordered a race pin and it wasn't where it was supposed to be-- a quick trip to merchandise solutions took care of it.  I was impressed with the efficiency of the area.  Now it was back up to the expo to get my race shirts and see what other goodies I could find.  

Race shirt pick-up was super easy-- I loved how the shirts were bagged together for those of us who were doing the Dumbo Double Dare.  I've done other multi-race challenges and you usually have to go to multiple spots to get the race shirts.  Once again, the organization was on point.  

My expo goodies!

I spent some time wandering all the booths-- there were some awesome products out there.  I picked up a few of my favorite socks and headbands.  Once I was done here, it was time to head back to the parks and get some more fun in.  But not before I took some pictures with a few of my friends!

And now it's time to get personal-- I am hard-of-hearing and wear hearing aids.  In most race and expo situations, the large groups of people and excess noise make it hard for me to know what is going on or being said, especially if there are presenters using speaking/microphone systems and such.  Because of this, I rarely pay attention to who might be presenting because I know I will "miss" most of it anyway.  I have run in several races, including some bigger/popular ones and at the RunDisney event, I experienced something I have never experienced before-- they had an ASL interpreter!!!  I can't even describe how awesome this was for me-- this might be my favorite thing about the weekend and everything else was really awesome, so that's saying a lot.  For the first time in my racing experiences, I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.  I could truly enjoy the entire race experience.  The interpreters (who were awesome by the way!) weren't only at the expo, but also at the pre-race festivities and start line.  To be able to experience the expo and race in the same way that everyone else was was truly an experience for me that I won't forget.  

Coming soon-- my recap on the Disneyland 10K and Half Marathon.  
Until next time, happy running!
Jenn13.1