Costume Construction: An Introduction

Running at Disney and running in costume are almost synonymous!  I've worn some sort of costume for pretty much every Disney race, so I thought it would be fun to share some tips!  Enter a new series on Disney Runs in the Family: Costume Construction!

Disclaimer--I am NOT a seamstress in any way!  I don't even own a sewing machine.  All of my costumes are more crafty and I really try to keep it simple and cheap.  I stress cheap because you are going to be running and sweating in these costumes!  Often, at least a few pieces get thrown away right after the race.  Sometimes, I've even thrown pieces away on the course if they start to bother me. 

Now, on the other hand, my mom DOES sew, so I've begged (more than) a few times for race costumes (often at the last minute), and she comes through with some great costumes!  She'll be contributing as well, so I guess you can decide which ones fit your ability (hmmmm...should I have asked her first?  I'm sure she'll share, right?).  Oh, and of course Chris and Katie have done some super cute couples costumes.  (This counts as asking them too, right?)

Stay tuned!  I'll be digging through the closet for my favorites.  Hope it inspires you to go all out for your next Disney (or non-Disney) race!

I Lost My Motivation...

Can you help me find it?  I know that every runner goes through a slump, and I'm deep into mine.  Blame it on too many races in the winter/spring.  Blame it on pregnancy and the never-ending fatigue that has become my daily life.  Blame it on the limited hours of "cool" weather that I can run in the Vegas heat.  Just blame it on plain old me not wanting to lace up my shoes.  Whatever the cause, I have officially lost my motivation!  (hence the lack of posting too...)

AHHHH!  37 days?!?!?!?

Normally, I'd give myself a break and then I'd be fine.  Not this time...I've been "breaking" for too long, and now with the Dumbo Double Dare breathing down my neck, I'm starting to panic a little.  Weekday runs have been non-existent and long run weekends have be sporadic at best.  My goal is really just to finish, but I also have to remember I'm growing a human in my belly, and I need to be well-prepared so I don't shock my system on race day.  Ugh!  My head totally knows what to do, but my body is just not cooperating.

Here's the perfect example: yesterday, I set my alarm for 4:30 am (yes, you have to get up that early in Vegas to do a long run in the summer).  I got up, made sure all of my electronics were charged up, had my bagel (standard pre-run breakfast), then sat on the couch. I put on some reruns of reality TV and watched the time tick by until I could use the excuse of "it's too hot" to not run.  I even tell myself that "I'll run tonight when the sun goes down," knowing full well that that would NEVER happen!  Then today, I set my alarm again, thinking "I'll make up for it and run this morning".  Nope.  I was awake, just didn't bother to get out of bed.  Again.

So--I know some of you have lost your motivation from time to time.  Other than taking a break, what have you done to get it back?  I need some tips! 

I'm a For Two Fitness Ambassador!

I'm thrilled to announce that I have been chosen as a For Two Fitness Ambassador!  You know that fitness and health is my PASSION, so it has been a top priority through my pregnancy.  I have a new focus--I'm not worried about PRs or pants size--I'm focused on providing the best for my baby and me both through pregnancy and beyond.

I found this company on Instagram and instantly fell in love with their cute "for two" designs, even before I was pregnant.  It should come as no surprise that my first piece of maternity wear was workout gear, and I instantly turned to For Two Fitness for my first outfit.  I put my "Toning For Two" shirt to the ultimate test this past weekend on a 7 mile run in HOT, HUMID Nashville, TN.  (I know...running with a toning for two shirt?  Guess I should have bought the running for two first!)  I absolutely LOVED it.  It was super soft and comfortable, plus it stayed put.  It was long enough for even my torso, plus stretchy enough that it will last through the next 5 months.  As every runner knows, humidity can be your worst enemy (helloooo chaffing!), but I was pleasantly surprised that this shirt did not chafe anywhere!  I will tell you that some other items that I wore that morning did not quite stand up as well...ouch!

I love that this company is dedicated to not only supporting healthy lifestyles for mamas-to-be, but also providing fun, cute, flattering clothes that accentuate your bump.  As women, we spend our lives trying to lose those last 5 pounds, tone up, or find that miracle cream to get rid of every imperfection.  It can be emotionally difficult to watch the scale go up, even though we know that it's for a very good reason.  The last thing we need is a big potato sack to wear when we are doing something great for ourselves and our babies.  While it's great that the apparel is high quality and made in the USA, I appreciate even more that I felt confident and proud while wearing it!

As an ambassador, I not only get to tell you about how great this apparel is, I also get to give you the same deal I get--25% off your entire order!  At checkout, enter coupon code "FITFUNLIFE"  Visit their site www.fortwofitness.com.  I'm headed there now to get that "Running For Two" tank!  Happy shopping!

As an ambassador, I get a 25% discount that I can use and pass along to you.  These opinions are, as always, my own.  I was not compensated for this post, nor do I profit monetarily from your purchases.  I'm just a fit mama hoping to help others!

Pregnant in Disneyland

This past weekend I left Bill at home and took a girls' trip to the Happiest Place on Earth!  It was a blast to be with all of my Disney geek friends!  Of course, Disneyland is a bit different when you are pregnant.  Truth be told, this wasn't my first pregnant trip--we had been there twice while pregnant, but it was before we made the big social media announcement, so we had to keep things hush hush. 

Now that it's out there, here are some tips and tricks to traveling to Disney while pregnant:


1. Bring lots of water and dress comfortably.  My friends were all cute, Disney bounding, and dressed in full Disney gear.  I opted for comfy shorts, a tank, and sneakers.  I also had a refillable water bottle attached to my bag that I kept full all day.  As it bumped my butt while I was walking, I was constantly reminded to drink lots of water.

2. Get a map.  If you're anything like me, you know those parks inside and out.  I never take a map, but on this trip, the map gave me two important pieces of info: where the closest bathroom was and what rides I needed to avoid.  Look for the red triangle, but common sense would tell you that it's most of the roller coasters.

3. Use FastPasses!  You can't ride the rides, but your friends and family will want to, so to make your wait at the exit shorter, take advantage of the FastPass service.  When all else fails, the single rider line works too.

4. Drink up!  We usually will stop for a drink at some of our favorite spots like Trader Sam's and Carthay Circle.  Of course, alcohol is off-limits, but I was surprised to see how many non-alcoholic options were available.  I'm talking fun mixed drinks, not just soda and lemonade!

5. Take a break.  I'm still deep into my "fatigue" stage of pregnancy where there is not enough sleep to be had.  Each day, mid-afternoon, we headed back to the hotel and rested for a few hours.  It was exactly what I needed to make it to midnight!

6. Enjoy the "others" at Disney.  There are a million fun things to do that have no big drops or free falls.  Parades, fireworks, and my personal favorite, the Animation Academy, can provide a ton of fun and entertainment.  Take this time to ride all the Fantasyland rides that you might skip for a spin around Space Mountain.  Oh...and don't forget about all of the great food (that could be it's own blog!).

Six isn't quite the best round number, but hey, that's where it ended!  Any other mamas-to-be have any other tips?  I have two more Disneyland trips planned while pregnant.  What am I missing?

I just signed up for the Disneyland 10K

Since Disney does run in this family, Alyson and Bill thought it would be a good idea to have a “baby gender reveal” in Disneyland during Half Marathon Weekend in September. After all, that was where they learned Aly was pregnant (she tells the story HERE.) I knew I would be headed to California because I could not miss this!  

Then, I thought, if I’m going to go to Disneyland on a race weekend, I should at least run a 5K. We know runDisney has no spots, so I decided check out the Charity Groups and Travel Providers.  

With less than 60 days until race weekend, I wasn’t sure about raising enough money in time and most of the charities I looked at didn’t have 10K or 5K spots. I moved on to the Travel Providers. Most were sold out or did not offer the 10K or 5K. I sent out several emails, but had no luck. Then I came across Cruise Planners. Their site said there were half, 5K and even 1-10K available. I didn’t get my hopes up because other sites showed they had spots, but didn’t.

By the time I got home from work, their office was closed. I decided to fill out the contact form and ask if there were spots available, thinking I would hear from them in the morning. I received a response from Dawn rather quickly saying there were 5K spots and 1-10k and that I should call her in the morning.   

I never worked with an agent so I didn’t know what to expect.   She patiently listened to my “baby” stories as I told her why I was trying to get a bib so late. (And, believe me, it’s hard for me to keep quiet once I start going.) I decided to take the 10K upgraded package, which gave me park hopper passes and a commemorative 10K pin. I also got a ticket to the 10^th Anniversary Party, which is happening on Thursday night. (Thanks for your help, Dawn!  You made this Grandma-to-be very happy.)

Even though the kids aren’t getting there until Friday night, I’m going out early on Thursday to enjoy a little bit of the parks before the race.  I’m looking forward to checking out the Anniversary Party on Thursday night and getting to see the “Paint the Night” parade.   

After a weekend of festivities, on Sunday night, we’re going to enjoy our special dinner and learn if we’re on Team Mickey or Team Minnie!

Have you ever gone through a travel provider for your race entry?  Are you going to the Anniversary Party?  If you “run” into us during the Disneyland Half Weekend, be sure to say hi!    

And just in case you still need an entry,  Dawn may have some Half and 5K packages left.   cruiseplannerdawn.com

                                                                                    

Joann

The Big Medal Reveal

We've been waiting anxiously in anticipation for the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend medals and today they were finally revealed! There was a lot of excitement with this being the 10th anniversary of the race and the 60th anniversary of the park. Well, with today's "big" reveal I have to admit I'm not so excited.

I do really like the thought behind the half medal with the Disney quote and the diamond spinner, but my person thought is "that's it?"  I was hoping for more. Dumbo is still the same, but I've come to accept that and the 10k is plain okay.  I think the real winner of the bunch is the 5k, which I won't be running.

Are we just getting spoiled with some extravagant medals? Are the expectations too outrageous? Maybe, but my conclusion is that these aren't motivating me to train any harder. What about you? Love them? Hate them? Or are you somewhere in between?  Of course I'm still super excited to run this race weekend; it was out first runDisney event and it will always be a special race. Dumbo is our legacy race, so we are in it for the long haul. Two months to go!

Throwback Thursday: 2014 Dopey Challenge!

It's Throwback Thursday!  In honor of the start of the training programs for the 2016 WDW Marathon Weekend, I thought I'd throw it back to my favorite runDisney moment: completing the inaugural Dopey Challenge!  Enjoy!  If you're running in 2016, don't forget to download your training plan here: http://www.rundisney.com/training/running/

Okay, here it is!  The final chapter in the race reports from the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend: the Marathon, and the end of the Inaugural Dopey Challenge.  Check out the first four parts HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. 

So, we had been in Disney for five days already; I had already run 22.4 miles and walked who knows how many more.  I’d been lucky enough to feel amazing through the first 3 races and had followed my race plan exactly as I had laid it out.  Today, though, was different.  It was the marathon.  This is a no-joke distance that had quite honestly given me a lot of trouble.  I have never run the marathon even close to my “projected pace” based on my half marathon time.  I have never really been proud of my marathon times.  I know, I know, just finishing is a huge accomplishment.  Yes, it definitely is!  But as I continue to run and work hard at this hobby, I was really wanting a success as I would define it.  I had secretly hoped for a marathon PR; no, my previous time wasn’t great, but still, who would hope for that as part of the Dopey?  I think I had mentioned it in passing to my hubby, but that was really it.  I had outwardly set out my goal to be “just to finish” (just…yeah right…that’s 48.6 miles…no “just” for sure!). 

I look terrified!

My morning routine was the same…I’m sure you’ve read enough about peanut butter and jelly.  This morning, though, our room was very quiet.  The bus ride was very quiet.  The walk to the bag check was very quiet.  I was scared.  Really, really scared.  Like, almost in tears, scared.  I had worked so hard for this moment; I don’t think I can do this again if I don’t succeed.  My hubby took some starting area pictures quickly and I went straight through to the starting line.  The bus was a lot later this morning and I was feeling rushed.  2 port-o-potty stops and the fireworks were being released.  I only got into my corral as the race started.  No extra time this morning!  I think this is a function of this race being heavily local.  People just don’t get there as early and it’s just more congested. 

Once corral G got off (pretty quickly, just like the day before), the course was the same as the half marathon to start.  Streets around Epcot, running in the dark.  My race plan for today was a 3:1 run/walk ratio.  Again, I’m not usually a run/walker, so I had to squash the urge to run that first mile.  My head was filled with the voice of Jeff Galloway saying “You’ll be passing people the last 6 miles with a smile on your face.”  I wanted to be that person, so I did it.  I started slow.  I stuck to my intervals. I squashed the urge to run to get out of the crowd.  It was also much cooler this morning, almost perfect marathon conditions.  I was sweating early, but it didn’t feel too bad. 

Our first stop, just like the day before, was the Magic Kingdom.  I was really pushing my running intervals to stay on pace (my Garmin may have been my favorite Christmas present in a long, long time…I love knowing my pace at any given time).  I was keying into my music and quietly watching runners around me.  I talked to a few people, one of my favorites was a woman with Autism, running as part of Autism Speaks.  WOW—she was awesome!  We entered the Magic Kingdom through Main Street USA, same as the day before.  Still magical.  No matter how many times you do it.  As we went through the castle, I saw my mom and hubby cheering as part of the ChEAR Squad.  I slowed for a moment, but they didn’t see me.  I was right on pace and it was too early to stop the momentum.  We were out of the Magic Kingdom quickly and on the road again.

We passed by the Grand Floridian, my favorite hotel that we stayed at many times when I was a kid.  I have so many amazing memories with my family there.  Someday Bill and I will splurge and stay there (we are actually thinking about a 10-year anniversary trip).  There were still parts of the course that narrowed here, and I tried my best to signal for my walk breaks and stay to the right side. 

Quickly, we were at the Speedway.  Actually, it was really quickly.  I hadn’t missed an interval, and was maintaining the same pace, feeling great!  Just like in Disneyland, the cars aren’t my favorite part, but it definitely broke up the course.  The owners of the cars were there, and some of them were very spirited.  It was a lot of fun!

After the speedway, we were off to the Animal Kingdom.  On the way in, I met another runner in the same costume.  We chatted a bit, but she was doing the pictures/experience thing (I did that last year during Goofy) so I ended up losing her within the park.  I love talking to people on the course, but sometimes I get a little shy J  I will say it again, the Animal Kingdom is not my favorite park to run through.  I don’t like the uneven surfaces and the up and down of the course.  I feel like that park is a love/hate relationship with many, and I know of a ton of people that LOVE it.  I’m just not one of them.  On the way out of the park I saw Ali Vincent’s mom waiting for her to come through (she must have been pretty close behind me).  I love Ali Vincent—I got to meet her last year at Disneyland and she is an absolute doll; so inspirational!

Back on the road, and we were halfway there.  I felt good, but I knew that this is where the race started for me.  I feel like I’m at the point where I can run a half marathon any day, but 13.2, that’s HARD.  I had to keep pushing, even though my head was starting to drift.  At the front of the park, there is a lot of narrowing of the course, so I had to slow down a bit, which just meant I had some time to make up.  More miles on the road.  I knew our next stop was the Wide World of Sports, and I knew I’d see my family. 

We entered WWoS around Mile 17, I think.  We wound through a bunch of fields.  It was a great distraction.  I knew my family was at the baseball stadium and was really looking forward to seeing them.  This is also around the time you get the wet sponge/towel…ahhhhhh…it felt so good.  This year I decided to keep it on my neck so I could continue to cool myself down.  Sooooo, this is where it gets emotional.  I looked at my Garmin.  I was doing it.  I was on pace to crush my previous PR.  I mean…crush!  It was that moment that you hope no one is looking, because I totally got the ugly cries.  Get it together, there is still a long way to go!  I had to actually do self-talk because I was having trouble catching my breath, trying not to cry.  I finally took the sharp turn into the stadium, and I saw the great signs my mom made.  I couldn’t stop smiling, and I could tell they knew how amazing my run actually was going.  I was feeling so strong (and for the record, yes, I’m tearing up again even as I’m writing this).

After the stadium, you loop around to hit mile 20 and start to see the waves of runners entering where you just left.  Those runners looked awesome and it was great to cheer each other on.  I know this course well and knew that mile 21 was tough (it’s a killer overpass), and I also could hear the words of many saying “the race starts at mile 20.”  I was running strong, and must have looked good too, because even the green Army men said so!  We were on our way to Hollywood Studios, I kept my intervals, and I passed the straightaway that had given me a ton of trouble on previous races. 

Hollywood Studios flew by.  To be honest, I don’t remember most of it (darn…should have written this sooner).  Yes, I was starting to get tired, but I kept up on the intervals, even if I slowed a few times.  We ran out the front of the Studios and the crowd really perked up.  I cannot thank those who show up to cheer on these mornings enough—it’s a great pick-me-up.  As I ran, passing people, I couldn’t help but hear Jeff Galloway’s voice again…and he was right!  I was passing people all over the place.  People were cheering and were excited watching me fly by.  Wow…I must really look good!  Okay, ugly cries, ugly cries.  Yes, it happened a few more times.   I was keeping on pace. 

Yacht & Beach Club, then the final leg: Epcot.  This was really about to happen; I was about to finish the Dopey Challenge.  Yes, you guessed it, the ugly cries, and this time there were tons of people around.  Hard to hide it.  The countries ticked by and we were off to the finish.  What is that I hear?  The Gospel Choir.  YES!  This was it!  The finish is just around the corner. 

There is was: the finish line.  I tried to catch my breath and gave it all I had to cross strong.  I stopped my Garmin.  Try to hold it together, Aly.  YOU JUST PR-ED THE MARATHON!!!!!!!  Holy *&^% (this is a G-rated blog, but be creative).  My final time: 4:42:12.  Yes, that is a 26-minute improvement over my fastest marathon.  (For the record, my PR was from my first marathon in 2005)  No, I’m not qualifying for Boston or anything, but this was amazing for me.  Talk about trying not to cry too much.  I still can’t believe it. 

I really rushed through the finish chute to get to my family.  I collected my medals, thanked every volunteer I could find, and hugged the volunteer who put the Dopey medal around my neck (while apologizing for my sweaty, smelly self).  I collected my bag and met up with my hubby and mom.  Yes, I cried when I saw them too.  They got it.  My husband has spent many weekend mornings alone while I pounded the pavement.  My mom had to listen to me obsess over training during our daily phone calls.  My hubby kept snapping pictures; I guess I’m not one to show emotion too often, so he had to document this event.  I took many pictures with my medals, and with two of the many people who had supported me on this journey.  I posted on Facebook.  I checked official results, just to be sure that I wasn’t dreaming. 

I could really go on forever; this was one of the best experiences of my life.  I felt amazing through all four races, and I have to give one person credit: myself.  I know that sounds a bit conceited, but I think it’s an important message.  I made this happen; I made this dream come true.  It was a lot of hard work, but I would not have done it any other way.  To be able to get to that finish was amazing.  To feel great at the end was even better.  To be able to walk away with a PR and memories to last a lifetime; it’s indescribable.  To sit here, writing this post, and still tear up, that speaks volumes to how much this experience has meant to me. 

Being a bit Dopey!

I have a feeling I’ll be writing more posts about Dopey, how I approached the challenge, and the many things I did to find success.  Thanks for coming along on my journey to 48.6.  I hope if you took on this challenge, you, too, found success.  I hope that if you are looking for inspiration to run your first race, run a new distance, or finally get that PR, this story has made you smile and realize that it’s all worth it.  I am in no way done, as I whole-heartedly believe we are all a work in progress.  I’m not sure what my new running goal will be, but I do know that it will be hard to beat my experience at the 2014 Inaugural Dopey Challenge! 

My hard-earned BLING!