Star Wars Weekend: Half Marathon Recap

Here is my recap for the Inaugural Star Wars Half  Marathon weekend. It was long, so I broke it up into the three races I completed with some of the Disneyland fun we had while in California.
If you missed the 5K and Expo or the 10K recaps, I have linked to them for you.


My alarm went off at 4:45 for the third morning. This time Rachel was the only one sleeping in. The rest of us got ready and headed out to the corrals. Mornings are when I truly appreciate the way DL races work versus the WDW races. At WDW, you have to leave around 3AM to get on a bus and head to the staging area then walk half a mile to the starting corrals. At DL, you just walk up to the corrals before the race starts. There is no cut off time, you just get there and get in your corral. We walked into corral D and waited for the start. I was really excited to see what the course would be like. It was a new course and it was said to be the flattest, fastest DL course yet. Once we were out of the parks, it was all roads so no over crowding like Avengers. But because of the cosplay turn out we saw at Avengers, I was eager to see who was out there cheering us on this time. I was not disappointed.

We started in the same place as the other two races but entered the backstage area through a new gate. The cast members were great as usual and we had a lot of fun checking out the costumes around us. We made our way through the parks. There were more characters out this time and the lines were even longer so we just checked them out as we headed by each one. Just after mile 4, we exited the backstage of California Adventures and we were done with the parks.

As we ran down Harbor Blvd, I knew we should be seeing Rachel soon. As we went through the intersection of Harbor and Katella, there she was with a bag of red vines and pretzel rods. We had told her about how we loved the crowd support in Cali because you had people handing out food like that to help you along the course. It was nice having her there with her signs and a treat. After that,  we had a long straight shot for a while. We turned around mile 7 to run towards and through the old main street area. Around mile 8, we saw the first cosplayers. There weren't many so I knew there had to be more somewhere. I grabbed a quick video as we went by them. After main street, we found the rest of them and they were AWESOME. I made sure to get a video of all of them this time since I did not take one at Avengers and missed half of the first group. It gave us all the boost we needed to take us through the rest of the race.

Here are the videos. You can hear my interval prompts and whatever was on Pandora at the time.

Around mile 8, we went through the Clif Shots station where we each grabbed our favorite flavor. Over the next several miles, we kept noticing unopened Clif Shots all along the course. Since I was in a Sparkle Skirt, as usual, we kept picking them up and I stuffed them in my pockets. By the end of the race, I had about 10 in my pocket.

At mile 11, we turned back onto Harbor and we were headed back to the parks. My time was a little slower than the required pace and I was getting a little nervous. Heather was having trouble with some back pain that made running hard and I was dealing with a foot that would rather run than walk. Since I needed to pick up the pace, I told Heather that we had to push a little harder and that we would wait for her at the finish. I hated leaving her but I was worried about them enforcing the pace requirement and I knew I had to speed up. I decided to run straight through again as long as I could. Mac helped me along, literally pulling me forward in places. We saw Rachel again just after turning onto Katella. I told her Heather was behind us and that I would see her after the finish. When we were nearing Downtown Disney, I took one more quick brisk walk break to catch my breath before the final push. Once again, when I could see the finish, I started running as hard as I could. It was much harder than the day before but I still managed to push through and finish strong. The text came in and I had finished in 3:30:02. I was technically two seconds over the required time but I figured it would be close enough. It ended up that they did not check the time at all but if they had, I would have made it.

I headed through the challenge area to get my extra medal and then met back up with Mac. We grabbed all of our goodies and found a place to wait for Heather. She wasn't too far behind us and once she caught up, we headed to the room. We would normally head straight to breakfast but we had bigger plans for the day. We grabbed something quick and went back to the room to shower and change. We had lunch reservations at Club 33 and we had to hurry to get ready. A crazy series of events led to me knowing someone that knows a member and allowed us to get a reservation there. Going to Club 33 has been a dream of mine ever since I heard of it. I never thought it would be possible but it happened and I was so completely grateful. The craziest thing about it all is that I may actually get a chance to go back but even if that never happens, I will be happy because I have been there at least once. It was the perfect way to celebrate the end of the race weekend.

I was fighting some serious pain and swelling in my feet and ankles but I sucked it up and got all dressed up for our reservation. We arrived at the restaurant and were seated quickly. I was a little over come by emotion as we entered the dining room but thankfully I still had on my sunglasses and no one was paying attention to me. I had been in the club once before but I had only been in the lounge area(which is also beautiful). While we had drinks we had an amazing server that treated us like the members we were with, instead of just the lucky fools we were. I was very glad to see him headed to our table that day for lunch. He was a very fun person and helped to take the edge off and help me relax. I felt so out of my element in that environment. I was born and raised in the deep south with not much money and no chance of ever going to a fine dining restaurant. Being in a place that is that exclusive and sought after made me feel very small. Our hosts were great and having the server's familiar face helped me so much. After an amazing lunch, we headed out onto the balcony for a few pictures with our medals.

Looking at those pictures now, I see how far I have really gone in the wrong direction this past year. I am going to do my best so that I can change that in case I ever get a chance to have pictures taken there again. I did not want to post them at all but because of where I was, I decided it was worth it in case I never get that chance again.

We spent the rest of the day in the parks. We hit a few rides and spent some time with friends that live in California. We spent a good bit of time that afternoon sitting around chatting while we had a few drinks. It was the first time I had let myself have alcohol in a long time and I really enjoyed having a simple and refreshing drink while being with friends. It was also nice to be off my feet. We went back into DL for the night but I knew I wasn't going to last very long. My ankles were killing me and my feet were pretty swollen. Mac and I headed back to the room a little earlier than Rachel and Heather because the three days of races finally caught up with me. We got back to the room and packed up our things. We had a flight to catch the next morning and I didn't want to have to get up early again just to pack. Our Star Wars trip was over. It was a great trip and I absolutely plan to do it again next year, I just plan on being in better shape and better trained.

Here are a few pics from the race. One I found on the RD website of my favorite cheerleader.

The medals, 10K, Half, and Rebel Challenge with spinner

 A few pics from Club 33
My medals and their famous monkey bread dessert

My favorite cheerleader(pic courtesy of RunDisney)

Star Wars Weekend: 10K

Here is my recap for the Inaugural Star Wars Half  Marathon weekend. It was long, so I broke it up into the three races I completed with some of the Disneyland fun we had while in California.
If you missed the 5K and Expo recap, you can find it here.


My alarm went off at the same time on Saturday morning but this time, I was the only one getting up. I got ready and headed out the door in hopes that I would actually be able to find Tiffany. Fortunately, it was pretty easy and I instantly felt better knowing I was not on my own. We started out with intervals but a mile or so in, decided to just try to keep a good steady walking pace. I didn’t want to push too hard because I didn’t want to burn out before the half but I wanted to be sure to be under the 16 minute mile pace because there were rumors that they may deny you the challenge medal if one of your races was over the required pace. We were a little slow as we went through Disneyland but I was sure that we could make up time.

I was afraid disaster had struck just past the mile 4 marker when I had no choice but to stop in the restroom. Fortunately, I was right beside it when I needed it and there was no line. I told Tiffany that I would try to catch her. I lost 4 minutes but I was determined to make it up the best I could. I started running and decided to try to run straight through as long as possible. The first few miles had ranged from 15:30 per mile to 17 minutes so I was already a little behind where I wanted to be when I had to stop. With just over two miles to go, I had a lot of ground to make up.

I am not sure what characters or things were in California Adventure because I ran through it as fast as I could. I finished mile 5 in 13 minutes and mile  6 in 13:05. I saw Mac and Rachel cheering for me just before turning into the parking lot but I still hadn’t caught Tiffany. I was about to give up and suddenly I saw her about 50 yards ahead of me. I ran as fast as I could to catch her. I slowed to a brisk walk for a little while after catching up. I almost completely missed seeing Mac again while I was trying to catch my breath. Tiffany realized this guy was talking to me and tapped my shoulder and I was able to look up just in time to see him again right before the finish. Apparently, after he and Rachel saw me and started heading to the Grand Californian for us to meet up later, he decided he wanted to see me again before the finish. Rachel told him to go and he took off running around the hotels to get next to the course again before I finished. After pushing so hard in the last few miles, I really loved seeing him again and it was part of the boost I needed to finish strong even though I was nearly spent.

We were so close to the finish and we both made up time in the last two miles. As we turned and could see the finish, we began to really run hard. It took everything I had but I pushed through and nearly sprinted through the finish. I always set it up so that I receive the tracking texts on my phone so I can see what their clock says about my time. As we finished, I heard my phone go off so I grabbed to see how our finish time was. I was shocked when I saw my average pace. I ended up with a 15:29 minute per mile pace for the 10K. I was under the required pace and was able to really push myself in those last two miles despite being tired. I was so glad that I had been able to run with Tiffany. We pushed each other during that race and managed to both do better than expected.  It was just another experience that reminded me how amazing the running community can be and that the people you meet online can be amazing friends.  

After the maze of the finishing area, we went our separate ways, both grateful for the other’s company, and I met up with Rachel, Mac and Heather at Grand Californian so we could have breakfast at Storyteller’s Café. It was fun having a great buffet breakfast with some fun characters.  Pluto was right next to our table when we were seated so we had a chance to interact with him first.  He gave me a huge hug and pulled me in for a picture. I don’t typically do pictures but I was so excited still from finishing stronger than I expected so I just went with it. When we did a group picture, he started “wagging” his tail which really meant he was butt bumping Heather and I and all I could do was laugh. After he left our table, we made our way up to the buffet. It is by far the best Disney buffet to me. I am usually not a huge fan but theirs is so good. Everything is kept very fresh and they have a huge selection. After we sat back down, Chip came by to see us followed by Meeko. We also so Dale and Koda(Brother Bear) but I missed getting pics with them. I guess since I didn't see much during the race, I decided to live up the characters after finishing.

The rest of the day, I took it easy. I didn't go into the parks at all. I hung out in the hotel room and then Rachel, Mac and I went to the movies that afternoon. After the movies, we met back up with Heather in Downtown Disney for the traditional night before dinner. We headed to Naples Ristorante as usual. I made our reservation as soon as I could so we were seated quickly unlike the huge line of runners outside. This year they were smart and decided to offer a runners buffet in the upstairs portion of the restaurant but since it did not offer pizza, and that is what we always eat, we were not interested. After dinner we went by the Wunderground gallery to meet the artists there for a showcase and then went back to the room to go to bed early. There was one more early morning coming up.

Star Wars Race Weekend: Expo and 5K Recap

Here is my recap for the Inaugural Star Wars Half  Marathon weekend. It was long, so I broke it up into the three races I completed with some of the Disneyland fun we had while in California.

When the new Star Wars Half Marathon weekend including the Rebel Challenge was announced last year, I immediately knew I wanted to do it.  Mac and Heather were also on board for the half and Rachel wanted to do the 5K. I decided to do them all so I could get the Rebel Challenge medal as well. Since I was registering everyone for the race that morning and I knew it would sell out quickly, I was very overwhelmed and rushed when I was online. That resulted in me accidentally only registering for the half and since the challenge sold out so quickly, I wasn’t able to call and get it fixed before it was gone. I had resigned myself to just doing the half and then my online running club, Team Expedition Runner, was able to secure extra challenge bibs. I contacted Run Disney and found out I could transfer to the challenge since I found a legitimate bib still available. I was very excited.

However, that was several months ago and before this last move. I did not keep up my training during all of the craziness and I was very worried. Star Wars Half was the reason I pushed myself at Biggest Loser. I wanted to see if I could still do it without all of the training it really deserved. I was more confident after that race and only really worried about the added difficulty of multiple races but I knew if I took it easy, I could make it through. The only big concern was the rumors that RD was going to start enforcing the pace requirement for the challenges. If you did not finish below the requirement for either race, they could/would deny you the challenge medal. Because of this, my goal was to hit the requirement exactly for the 10K and then get under it as much as I could for the half.

Rachel, Heather and I arrived in Anaheim on Wednesday. Heather and I helped set up the Sparkle Skirts booth at the expo and then we hung out around our hotel, the Anabella, and Downtown Disney that evening. We flew in on Wednesday so that we would be there before the expo opened Thursday morning.

 Above is going down into the packet pick-up area and below is coming out and back up to the expo.

RD expos are kind of insane when it comes to official merchandise. The line starts early and gets very long. People will spend hours in line only to find out things are sold out. When we attended Avengers, Heather couldn’t sleep and headed down just to see if anyone was in line a little before 7am(expo opened at 10am). She called when she found a line forming so that we could join her. We knew that the Star Wars fans are die hard and would be out there bright and early to get in line. She was getting in line for the race Dooney and Rachel and I were going to go to the official merchandise line. We arrived at 7am to find approximately 100 people already there.

You knew things were going to be very different when they had the line staged in a huge ball room with a screen playing the Star Wars movies and everyone received a colored wrist band when you entered. The band saved your place in the line and noted your group. If you left the ballroom for any reason other than going to the restroom, they would cut your band and you would lose your place. By the time they moved us downstairs just after 9am, there were about 400 people in the ballroom. We were able to get into the merchandise area quickly and found everything we wanted. We had to wait a while for Heather to get her purse and make it through the crazy line but then we reunited just after going down to get our bibs and shirts for the races. We spent the rest of the day hanging out in the park, going to dinner at Blue Bayou as part of the Fantasmic package and watching the show that night.

Friday morning the alarm went off to get Rachel and I up for the 5K. They did this weekend’s races a little differently and started and finished all three in the same place. It made getting to our corral very easy because all we had to do was walk out of our hotel, cross the street and enter the corral. They had C3PO and R2D2 at the start line with the announcers. I managed to get a shot of them as we started the race.

We entered through the back stage area and made our way around both parks before heading through Downtown Disney to the finish. They had several characters like Chewbacca, Darth Vader and lots of storm troopers and jedis along the course. 

It was a chilly but fun morning. We took our time, enjoyed the surroundings and finished with smiles on our faces. We met up with Heather in the Grand Californian lobby and then headed over to Disneyland Hotel to have breakfast at Steakhouse 55. They have awesome and very reasonably priced breakfast choices. After changing clothes, we hit the parks again. Mac was flying in on Friday and I had a few meet ups to head to so I left Rachel and Heather in California Adventure around 3:30. My first meet-up was with Team Expedition Runner. It is made of runners from all over the country that love running and Disney so it was nice to see people in person. The second was a sparkle skirts fan group that I am a part of. It was nice meeting people even though I was out of my comfort zone. The best thing that came from it was meeting Tiffany in person finally. She and I have talked online for at least a year now and are members of several of the same groups. I found out she was also doing the 10K alone and we decided to meet up Saturday morning so we would each have a little company on the course. Not long after the meet-ups were over, Mac arrived and we hit the expo to get his bib and shirt and then turned in for the night.

2014: A not so great year

I am trying to refocus this year. I want to refocus on my eating, refocus on my workouts and refocus on sharing my journey with you all. I am working on my recap for Star Wars weekend that I started on the flight home but first I wanted to share what I wrote on the flight to California about 2014. I will get my other recap done and posted by this weekend but first, here is what I faced last year that has brought me to a place where I so desperately need to regain the focus, determination and motivation that I lost.

I didn’t post much last year and there are a few reasons why. It wasn’t a great year for me. It started out fine and as far as running was concerned, it was ok, but everything else was crazy.  In contrast, 2013 was a rough year for my running but a good year for getting on track and losing weight. Last year I was plagued by my old friends anxiety and depression and I went the wrong way when it came to my health and fitness. I started 2014 off by creeping back above 200lbs. I hated seeing it but thought it was just temporary and I would be able to get it under control. The problem was, I felt like I had no control of anything and that in turn caused a few problems. 

Mac had been stationed at the same place for 6 years. That is an eternity in the Army. We knew our time in Texas was coming to a close because Mac was at a point in his career where he had no choice but to go to the captains career course(CCC) that he needed for advancement. We knew that meant a move and a short stay in Oklahoma. We were only going to be there for 6-7 months with no idea where we would be heading after. This is a normal part of attending this school but most people have at least a small idea. We were totally in the dark because just a few months before our move, Mac was told that he needed to use his grad school slot immediately after CCC. This meant he had to start applying for grad schools as soon as possible and find schools that had programs starting in the spring since CCC ended too late for him to attend in the fall. After he was accepted to a school, he would then have to apply for the spot through the army and have them approve of the school. Then we would finally be able to make plans for a move. All of this would be done in true Army fashion which means last minute.

In April, I was staring into the face of a temporary move with no hope of knowing where we were headed until a month before we left. That triggered my anxiety. I tried to focus on just moving and then finding a groove for working out but it never happened. My anxiety causes me to experience times of depression. We got into our new place and I had no motivation to unpack because we would be moving again so soon but living amongst boxes added to my stress and anxiety. It became a very ugly cycle and I watched the numbers on the scale continue to rise.

In September, Mac finally had a few acceptances to a few different schools and had to make the decision of where to go. Then we submitted everything to the Army and finally got the go ahead near the end of October. Our move was set for the first week in December. Another move meant more anxiety.  I tried to keep up with my running but I had a hard time finding motivation. I did run the Terminator Half Marathon in October in Oklahoma City. Then a few weeks later, we ran Avengers Half Marathon. I ended the year once again at the Biggest Loser Half in Panama City Beach.  Despite not training very well, I was still able to finish the BLH pretty strong. I was glad they changed the course so that we actually ran along the beach and didn’t have to cross any giant bridges. It gave me a little boost of confidence after a year of uncertainty and disappointment in myself. 

Right now I am on a plane heading to Disneyland where I will be running the Star Wars Rebel Challenge. It will be my last big race for a little while. As much as I REALLY want to run Princess next month, I won’t be doing it this year. I want to take some time after Star Wars to refocus and try to recover from last year. I need to get my eating back under control because I have let it just go out the window.  I also want to focus again on my overall fitness not just running. I have several workout programs I can do as well as getting back into some weight lifting. I also want to sort of start from scratch with my running. I am living in a city now that actually has Galloway training groups. There is one starting next month that is a beginners 5K program. I want to do it so I can work on my basics again. I want to feel strong when I finish a race, not completely spent. I want to build up my ability to run a distance or time straight through so I can in turn make my intervals stronger. I want to lose the 30 lbs I regained and then some.

Mac and I are planning on doing Wine and Dine this year and I want to finish and still be able to enjoy the after party. I am sure I will run other races before then but that is the one I am building up to with my refocused efforts. We will only be in our current city for about a year and a half and I want to use that time the best I can. Being back in the south will give me the opportunity to do races in a few new states and finally run in the part of the word I consider home. Living in Florida also means I am close to lots of great races I have heard about but never been able to travel for due to time and cost. I want to use my time here wisely.  I want to either reach the major goals have set or be close enough that the next move will not be a hindrance to my journey.  I still have a long way to go because I slid so far back last year but I am starting this year with a new plan and refocused efforts. Hopefully I will also be able to share more with you all during this time as well.

Here’s to saying good riddance to a bad year.