runDisney #HappyHaunted5k

 Grabbed a quick pic with Scarecrow Mickey before the start of the race!

     My very first runDisney event was the Circle of Life 5k in 2009 at Disney's Animal Kingdom and since that day the 5k races have held a special place in my heart! I'm a total fan of the 5k's and always attach these events to the longer races.

     Last year I ran the Disney Happy Haunted 5K Trail Run! This 5k was on the same morning as the Inaugural Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror 10-Miler. I registered for the 5k and the 10Miler and was really excited to run these both on the same day. I had done this type of  challenge before so I was not a stranger to running multiple races on the same day.....and I loved it!!
     There were just too many reasons why I wanted to run this race. First, I love Halloween and Second, I was particularly excited to be able to run at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. I like this venue. It's so spacious, has ample amounts of parking, can accommodate thousands of people easily and it's gorgeous!!!

     As with any race, there are pros and cons to "change" according to runners. Don't forget that in the previous years, this Halloween themed 5k was held at Magic Kingdom and was not welcomed by many runners being moved to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.  I had indeed ran the Halloween 5k the previous year at the Magic Kingdom so I was naturally curious to see how I would like the change in courses. 

 The Pros for me were:

1. It's a runDisney event. Enough said.

2. Non-timed 5k. Plenty of time to play around OR run hard if I want to!

3. New location=New course through the trails and woods.

4. Exploring other areas on Disney property besides the four Disney Parks

5. 5k during the morning and Tower 10Miler later that same night! Getting in lots of miles...13.1!

The Cons for me were:

1. Not sure if I will like running the new course.

2. Not running through the Disney Parks

3. Running through the trails and through the woods...rocky terrain??

4. Worried there would not be alot of characters out since we aren't running through the parks.

5.  I've ran so many races starting at Epcot that I know the drill. I didn't know the drill at WWOS.

Okay. So even with these Cons that I listed, none of them scared me enough to NOT register.

 In fact, I actually liked running on the trails. I'm not a trail runner AT ALL so this was a challenge...and I do love a good challenge! 

 Running through the woods were a little shaded so that's always good in the Florida sun! 

 There were not a ton of characters BUT we did run on the track at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex so I was totally cool with that!

     The "drill" was super easy at this venue. The corrals were easy to find, everything organized and plenty of space to hang out after the race with friends. I particularly liked the post race area...I never felt rushed to leave the race!

So here we go....I started the race with some of my best friends and had fun goofing off before the race. Since we were in Corral A, we moved up to the very front of the start line. Toe Line!! That's always fun to be the first ones out of the gate! I can't always keep up with the super speedy folks but I try. ;)

 Ready to Start the Happy Haunted 5K with Diane!

     Check out the fun video from runDisneytv about Disney's Happy Haunted 5k Trail Run and Kids Races! You may see a familiar face! ;)

Toe Line!

Start Line posing with the skeletons.

 We ran through an open field for just a bit and then headed of to the trails...

 Hi there from Mile One!

Found these guys hanging out in the trails. Big Hugs!

 Through the woods and headed to the track! I felt like an Olympian. Lol!

 Big Smiles at ESPN Wide World of Sports! I love running here!

 The GraveDiggers in the middle of the track.

The sun has decided to show up for the race too! It was hot and muggy....got a great workout!! Bring on the Twilight Zone Tower 10 Miler later tonight!!

 Coming in for the finish....hot!!!

 How cute is this medal?!?! 

Now THIS is alot of runDisney bling...aaaaahhhhh!

We took lots of pictures after the race was over with our medals, waited for other friends to cross the finish line and re-hydrated!!!!

What a GREAT Photo op!!

 Great view of Josten's Center at ESPN's Wide World of Sports. 

 Got my medal! Love running the Disney 5Ks!

 It's always more fun to run with friends who wear mouse ears. :)

 Fun day of running with my girls!

Finish Line area at WWOS.  See ya real soon!

     I really liked running the race at WWOS and have already registered for the 2013 Happy Haunted 5k Trail Run this October! I will also be running Disney's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler later that night. I'm ready for a spooky weekend FULL of Disney running fun!!!
**For more information on other sporting events held at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports be sure to follow @DisneySports on Twitter and espnwwos.com.
**Registration is still open for the Disney Villains Hollywood Bash and Kids Races. Register here.

Happy Running and see you on the Happy Haunted Trails Real Soon!!

Wordless Wednesday.... Protein?!?!

#DopeyChallenge Training Schedule

   

 Princess and the Frog 5K-Epcot

      WOW WOW WOW!!  I can hardly believe it is getting close to start training for the RunDisney Dopey Challenge!! Woah. It seems like just a few days ago, I was trying to decide if I was even going to attempt this 4-Day challenge!! I'm beyond excited to get started and have been holding off on long runs recently knowing that I've got ALOT of training ahead of me! I am going to use the Jeff Galloway Training Plan for Dopey Challenge. Sort of. I will be tweaking the plan just a bit to accommodate my schedule. I'm working in a few long local races to count as the long runs. I don't see myself walking any of the plan but it will take some of the pressure off of running if I do need a "walk day".

      There are several things that I like about the Jeff Galloway run/walk plan:
1.  The plan is 29 weeks long. If I have to skip a run now and then, I can surely make it up. Also, I feel like after 29 weeks of training...I will be completely trained and have all of the confidence in the world that I will finish Dopey Challenge with no problems!
2.  The plan starts of relatively slow but not slow enough that I feel like I won't be getting a good workout.
3.   When the plan is at it's most intense...it will be cooling off! It gets HOT in Alabama.
4.   There are some weeks with only 3 days and others with 4-5 days. Flexibility is good.
5.   Magic Mile! Any Mile with "Magic" attached to it has to be fun, right?!? (Explanation of Magic Mile at the bottom of blogpost.)
6.   29th Week is Recovery Week...Love this!
7.   Perhaps the BEST feature of this plan is that I was able to download all of the mileage right to my smart phone! So easy...go here to download it to your phone.

**This plan was formulated for experienced runners who have been running for at least 6 months.

Week 1
7/2  Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
7/4  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
7/6   Saturday--3 Miles

Week 2
7/9   Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
7/11 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
7/13  Saturday-- 4 Miles

Week 3
7/16 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
7/18 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
7/20 Saturday 3 Miles

Week 4
7/23 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
7/25 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
7/27 Saturday--5.5 Miles

Week 5
7/30 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
8/1 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
8/3 Saturday--3 Miles

Week 6
8/6 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
8/8 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
8/10 Saturday--7 Miles

Week 7
8/13 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
8/15 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
8/17 Saturday--3 Miles

Week 8 
8/20 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
8/22 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
8/24 Saturday--9 Miles

Week 9 
8/27 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
8/29 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
8/31 Saturday--3 Miles

Week 10
9/3  Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
9/5  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
9/7  Saturday--11 Miles

Week 11
9/10 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
9/12 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
9/14 Saturday--3 Miles

Week 12
9/17 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
9/19 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
9/21 Saturday--4 Miles (Walk)
9/22 Sunday--13.1 Miles--Talladega Half Marathon

Week 13
9/24 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
9/26 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
9/28 Saturday--3 Miles

Week 14
10/1 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
10/3 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
10/5 Saturday--Walk 5.5-- Happy Haunted Trails 5K/Tower of Terror 10 Miler
10/6 Sunday--15 Miles

Week 15
10/8   Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
10/10 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
10/12  Saturday--3 Miles-- Montgomery Half Marathon

Week 16
10/15  Tuesday--20-30 Minutes
10/17  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
10/18  Saturday--Walk 2 Miles

Week 17
10/22  Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
10/24  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
10/26  Saturday--5 Miles

Week 18
10/29  Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
10/31  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
11/2    Saturday--6 Miles **Magic Mile--Vulcan Run 10K

Week 19
11/5   Tuesday-- 20-30 Minutes
11/7   Thursday-- 30-45 Minutes
11/8   Friday-- 3 Miles (Walk)
11/9   Saturday--8.5 Miles (Walk)
11/10 Sunday--20 Miles (Run/Walk)

Week 20
11/12  Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
11/14  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
11/16  Saturday--6 Miles

Week 21
11/19 Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
11/21  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
11/23  Saturday--7 Miles **Magic Mile
11/24  Sunday--13.1 Miles--Magic City Half Marathon

Week 22
11/26 Tuesday--20-30 Minutes
11/28 Thursday--30-45 Minutes
11/29 Friday--4 Miles (Walk)
11/30 Saturday--10 Miles (Walk)
12/1  Sunday--23 Miles (Run/Walk)

Week 23
12/3  Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
12/5  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
12/7  Saturday--6 Miles

Week 24
12/10  Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
12/12  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
12/14  Saturday--7 Miles ** Magic Mile

Week 25
12/17  Tuesday--20-30 Minutes
12/19  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
12/20  Friday--5 Miles (Walk)
12/21  Saturday--12 Miles (Walk)
12/22  Sunday--26 Miles (Run/Walk)

Week 26
12/24  Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
12/26  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
12/28  Saturday--6 Miles

Week 27
12/31  Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
1/2      Thursday--30-45 Minutes
1/4      Saturday--7 Miles

Week 28--Dopey Challenge Weekend!!!
1/7      Tuesday--20-30 Minutes
1/9      Thursday--Walt Disney World 5K
1/10    Friday-- Walt Disney World 10K
1/11    Saturday--Walt Disney World Half Marathon 13.1 Miles
1/12    Sunday--Walt Disney World Marathon 26.2 Miles

Week 29--Recovery Week (Carry Over to RunDisney Princess Half Marathon/Glass Slipper Challenge)
1/14  Tuesday--30-45 Minutes
1/16  Thursday--30-45 Minutes
1/18  Saturday--3 Miles

**Magic Mile (from RunDisney.com)

Magic Mile: I suggest doing this after the standard warmup on the weekends noted on the schedule. By the end of the training program you want to run a time of 11:15 or faster to predict a finish time below 7:00 on raceday..The “Magic Mile” time trial (MM) is a reality check on your goal pace on raceday, and has been the best predictor of finishing under the race time limit of 7:00.

• Use the standard warmup (# 11)

• Run around a track if at all possible (or a very

accurately measured one mile segment)

• Time yourself for 4 laps (1600 meters). Start the

watch at the beginning, and keep it running until

you cross the finish at 1.0 miles.

• On the first MM, don’t run all-out: run at a

pace that is slightly faster than your current

gentle pace.

• Only one MM is done on each day it is assigned.

• On each successive MM (usually 2-3 weeks later),

your mission is to beat the previous best time.

• Don’t ever run so hard that you hurt your feet,

knees, etc. Maintain a short stride, picking up the

cadence or turnover to run faster.

• After you have run 3 of these (not at one time—

on different weekends) you’ll see progress and

will run them hard enough so that you are huffing

and puffing during the second half. Try walking

for about 10-30 seconds after each lap during the

MM. Most beginning runners record a faster time

when taking short breaks.

Predicted All-Out Effort Pace: Take your best current MM time and multiply by 1.4. This is the fastest pace you could currently expect to run under ideal conditions per mile in the marathon.

*Long run pace: should be at least 2 minutes slower than the current predicted marathon pace.

*Adjust for temperature: At 70F, slow the pace by an additional minute per mile. At 80F, slow down another minute per mile.

Happy #PrincessHalf Registration Day!!

 
  Happy Princess Half Marathon Registration Day!!! 

    I have loved this half running shoe/half glass slipper since the day I saw it at the runDisney Princess Half Marathon expo! I mean. Really? How Cute it is that?!?!

    I CANNOT wait to run the all new 2014 Glass Slipper Challenge. I'm registered for all three races, Cinderella's 5k, Enchanted 10K and the Princess Half Marathon!! Princess Half 2014 will be my 6th Princess Half Marathon and I'm already planning my outfit!!!  Happy Running and see you at the Castle!

Click here to register!
**Which Princess did you pick on your registration?? I picked Belle!

Disney Social Media Moms Celebration :-) #DisneySMMoms #DisneyOnTheRoad

 Welcome to Washington D.C.!!

     OH. MY GOSH. I cannot believe that I just attended the Disney Social Media Moms "On the Road" event!! I think I'm still in a little bit of disbelief!! As soon as I received the invitation, I knew I really really wanted to attend this event but WOW, we could choose from four different cities and Washington DC was the closest to me. Oh my!!!
     Oh well, off to Washington I go. The ultimate roadtrip! The only "problem" in my adventure was my little 10 year old was just about to get started with All-Stars during the same week so I knew that this would be a super quick trip for me.
     I left Thursday evening, drove for 11+ hours, got to my room in Maryland, slept for about an hour and made it to the conference by 7:30 am the next morning. Woah. Talk about crazy. The conference lasted until 1:00 so I grabbed a quick bite to eat and hit the road, making it home around 3:30 am!!! It took me longer to get home than it did to get there. I had to make a few more coffee stops on the way back. Fyi...not enough Starbucks between DC and Alabama. Ok. Now I'm a little bit tired....
     However, I made it to the All-Star game bright and early Saturday morning...totally worth it. :))

 Come on Everybody!! Best Road Trip Ever!

Back to the conference...

The Itinerary:
Breakfast
Hostess: 
-Maria Bailey, Host of Mom Talk Radio
Keynote Speaker:
-Jennifer Labit, founder of Cotton Babies & creator of bumGenius, Flip, and Econobum
Mompreneur Panelists: 
-Christina Daves, founder and creator of CastMedic Designs and MediFashions
-Anastasia Dellaccio, co-owner of Dolci Gelati
-Frederique Campagne Irwinis, founder and CEO of Her Corner
-Amy Creel, founder of Smart Mom Jewelry

     I really wasn't sure what to expect from this particular conference knowing that it was a "Disney" conference but most of the content was going to be non-Disney related. If you know anything about me at all, you must know that I'm a complete Disney addict. I admit that openly! Ha! I could talk "Disney" all day...and sometimes do. :) And anyways, who can resist Mickey Rice Krispy Bars and Monsters from MU???

 The table is set for a fabulous conference!!

     We were given some insight as to what is happening at Disney Parks this summer and I gotta say, I'm REALLY excited to be going back in October for the runDisney Tower10Miler Race and being able to experience some of these new happenings!! Be sure to follow along at Disney Parks Blog and #DisneySMMoms on Twitter!

Disneyland:
Mickey and the Magical Map
Fantasy Faire
Cars Land and Buena Vista Street
Limited Time Magic

Walt Disney World:
New Fantasyland
Test Track Presented by Chevrolet
Splitsville Luxury Lanes
Limited Time Magic
Star Wars Weekend
Disney Dining

Disney Cruise Line:
Re-imagineering transformation of the Disney Magic

 It's a #MonstrousSummer!

    I quickly realized that even though every bit of information was not necessarily "Disney", I would be able to apply lots of these lessons to my real life. I can still hear so much of the advice that was given that day in my head as I face daily decisions.

    There were SO many inspirational stories, ideas, motivations. The one sentence that stood out to me the most was..."What is it that YOU want?"

     I have thought so long and hard about this question and I don't really know why this question is the one that has me the most perplexed. It should seem so easy. It should be so easy to answer but it's not. It's very hard. I know I want what every Mom wants...healthy children, healthy marriage, healthy spiritual life. I get that. Beyond that....work, dreams, goals. Now I think I'm getting close to my answer.

     One of the answers that just keeps coming to me over and over and over is another great piece of advice from the conference, "Stick with what you know". This hit me like a ton of Disney bricks!! I got it now. I GET IT!!!!

     Okay. Enough of the sappy motivational time, time to bring out my silly side!! I could not have been placed at a better table than I was...I met four other great girls. Four very different girls with four very different backgrounds but we meshed soooooo great together!! I would LOVE to be able to meet up with them again. We'll have to work on that!

 Love these girls!

Please show these girls some blog love if you can...they are fabulous!
Dee
Tania
Claudia
Theresa

     One of the definite highlights of the conference for me was getting to meet some of Disney's Social Media Team. They were so welcoming and so much fun to chat with!! I did get a picture of myself and Maria Bailey but somehow lost it on my phone...bummer!

 Loved meeting Gary!

 Chatted with Leanne for a few minutes! Super Sweet!

 Not too many people "get" my wacky sense of humor...I may have found a fella who does. ;)

     Even though it was a whirlwind of a day or two (really can't remember because I'm just that delirious now), I had the time of my life! I learned so much, met some really great friends and got a quick unexpected dose of Disney on a day when I wasn't at the parks or running a race! I loved every minute and was grateful for the opportunity!!! I hope to see the Disney Social Media Crew on the Road again some day.  Until then, I'm headed home with my Mickey Rice Krispy...Best Road Trip Ever!!

 On The Road...Disney Style!

@BamagirlRUNS has hit the road! :-)

#DisneySMMOMS Washington DC event

I made it to the #DisneySMMoms event!! Can't wait to get home and blog post all about it!!

My #RWRunStreak Week One Results

 
     I had just gone for my normal 5 mile run on Sunday with Holly when I saw Runner's World's Twitter Post the Runner's World Summer Run Streak 2013. I've seen the streaks before but haven't been able to participate so  I decided to check it out and learned that it was 39 straight days of running!  A run streak everyday from Memorial Day to the 4th July. The minimum mileage is one mile and there is no maximum.  I was already done with Day One so I decided to take the plunge! #RWRunStreak...Here I come!
     Under my normal running circumstances, I would never run less than 3 miles. However, because I'm challenging myself with this run streak, I'm going to run really low mileage a few days during the week. I don't want to have an injury and I'm going to start training soon for RunDisney's Tower of Terror 10-Miler and Dopey Challenge! By using the Jeff Galloway training plan and the Runner's World Run Streak for #TOT10Miler, I think this streak will help me tremendously when it comes to getting prepared for my Disney runs. During #TOT10Miler weekend, I'm also running the 5k that morning so I need quantity and late evening training runs. I'll probably have to work in a few two-a-days when it comes closer to race time in October. For Dopey Challenge, I think quantity and consecutive-day running are going to be the key for success in these races. I'm really hoping to participate in a Runner's World Winter Run Streak too! Bring on the extra excitement for my training plans..yay!!
      I managed to get in 18.08 miles over the course of 7 days, which averages 2.58 miles per run. Not bad but definitely could be better. I'll work on upping the mileage next week!
      Here are my daily results for Week one:

Day One..5.18 Miles. Met my friend Holly for a Memorial Day run.

Day two...3.10 Miles in my neighborhood.

 Day 3...Quick 2.2 mile run after work in my neighborhood.

 Day four...2.5 Miles on the treadmill at my hotel. HOT.

 Day five...I didn't want to run at all but did it anyways. 1 mile was all I had in me.

 Day six...Got up early and got 3 miles in while my Justin was warming up for his All-Star game!

 Day seven...Ran 1 mile before church on Sunday. I needed a day of rest. :)

     I'm having alot of fun with this challenge and will hopefully be able to keep it up! A little extra training never hurts. :) Big Thanks to Runner's World for hosting!

**Don't forget to check out the Jeff Galloway training page list on RunDisney.com for future RunDisney races and RunDisney and Runner's World on Twitter for all of the latest and greatest updates and information!