Miami 1/2 Marathon

The week before the run was extremely stressful mentally and my back was sore. The drive down to Miami didn’t help as it took almost 6 hours vs. 3.5 hours and I got run off the road. I was not in the best mental state before the race, but I was there and going to run.

I was in coral B, which to my surprise was with the elite athletes! There was a ton of space to warm up and even a restroom. As I watched the other athletes warm up, I thought I probably should as well. It was a fast start and my time was only .16 seconds off the gun time! I held back as much as I could given everyone running with me. Starting that early I had mixed feelings as people were not just passing me they were leaving me in the dust! I think it was good overall as it helped me keep up a good pace.

Aide stations were interesting with this group as I usually walk through and drink my water, they were sprinting through and chugging water then would throw the cups. I don’t know how many times I got hit with a cup!

I finished the race strong, which made me proud. I enjoyed an alcohol free beer and watching others finishing before the drive back up to Orlando.

Epcot Art Festival

Sunday I made my second trip down to the Epcot art festival and it turned out to be a great night with some friends. We walked around and had some good food from the booths and finished with listening to some amazing disney broadway performers.

I met Mickey Mouse for the first time
They added chalk art throughout the park

Lovely town

I sometimes forget how lovely our little town is. I took a walk this morning to post a package and went for a cup of tea. The city decorates for Christmas (and most holidays) and hosts all sorts of events.

Then I took a walk around a little lake. Everyone I walked said good morning, even the school kids walking to school.

I walked past an older gentleman walking and he asked about my marathon jacket. We chatted for quite a bit about his marathon experiences when he was younger.

Just reminds me how luck we are when I needed it.

Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon

The start time is 5 am and it takes waking up at 1 am to make it to the start line using Disney transportation. To top that off a good number of people who run the race are not runners and do not follow basic runners etiquette, which makes running difficult. I don’t know the number of times I had someone come to a complete stop in front of me without any warning.

This past weekend was the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon. It will definitely be my last Disney run, even though it is the only race I have gotten good photos from

Overall I had to get in a 14 mile run so it fit into my training plan!