Race Recap: Royal Family 5K

I woke up to a quiet room on Saturday morning to get ready to run the Royal Family 5K.  None of my roomies were running it, nor were they waking early to come and see/cheer anyone on.

3:30am was far too early for this one to be awake, but I was and I was getting ready for my first runDisney race EVER!

 

I decided not to dress like a Princess for this race, but rather let my inner Winnie the Pooh come out!

I arrived via bus to the parking lots outside of Epcot where the drop off point was and made the walk toward the bag check area.  There were tons of signs and volunteers to help us sleepy eyed runners get to where we needed to be.

 

Got my picture taken before heading towards the corrals!  This is the first time I'd ever been to a runDisney event and was pretty happy with how smoothly the transitions were between locations.

PHM Weekend Day 2: Expo and Meet-ups!

An early morning for Marcia and I as we woke up at 6am to be dressed and at Coronado Springs resort by 7am for the #RunShopEat meet-up!

First, the run!  We had a few people that were interested in meeting up with us for this, well meet-up, but by the time the morning came it was just Marcia and I.  Oh well, it was fun still!

The Coronado property is really pretty and I would consider staying here in the future.  Expansive and quiet!  These are just a few of the vantage points from our run.  After we ran and were thoroughly sweaty (it was quite hot at 7:30am, lower 70's in the sun I would say) we went inside to get in line for the expo.

 

PHM Weekend Begins! Day 1

My journey to Orlando started in the evening hours on Wednesday night.  I was taking the red eye to Orlando from Seattle, leaving at 9:45pm and arriving at 8:35am.  When you travel cross country there is always time lost and I hate losing an entire day to flying, so I gambled on losing a night of sleep instead.  Good idea or bad idea?

My pre-flight ritual is the same.  I stop off at the airport bar for a little drink and my first dose of Airborne for the flight.

 

Momentum Monday: Never Stop Being Curious

Ah Monday, we meet again!  It is the last week we have an extra hour before until we jump into Daylights Savings Time, which begins next weekend.  This always makes me sad because I love sleep and this time change takes it away from me.  :(

Today kicks off a full week of recaps for the Princess Half Marathon.  I know it was a week ago already (a week ago!?! How time flies!) but there is so much to share that one recap wasn't going to be sufficient.  Therefore this is a week of Disney and runDisney, so get ready for pictures galore!

Today's Momentum Monday is taking a nod from Disney himself:

Friday and March 1st!

Wow, it is March 1st.  Wasn't it just New Year's Eve like a few weeks ago?  The time is going so quickly it is seriously blowing my mind!

Yesterday was my first run since the Princess 1/2 marathon on Sunday and it was a mixed bag.  I participated in the St. Pat's Dash Training Run hosted by Brooks.  The training run is around Greenlake and ends at Super Jock n Jill, where there were snacks and hydration provided by Nuun (my fave!) and they raffled off great prizes! They hold this event during the three Thursdays prior to the St. Pat's Dash and if you attend all three runs you get a special custom shirt from Brooks.  Pretty snazzy!

So yesterday had been cold and rainy, so I had a feeling we would be running in the rain as well.  No biggie, it happens.  Well luckily the rain held off, but it was quite dark when we headed out at 6:30 for the quick 3 mile run. 

Now last year my friends and I ran these training runs and we barely made it back in time for the raffle, which they start about 40 minutes after the run began.  We would get in around 45-47 minutes, so needless to say, we were bringing up the rear.  Well this run was no exception, we were still bringing up the rear (most runners around here are so fast, I feel quite inadequate when it comes to speed!) but this time it was different.  The raffle hadn't started yet, we had run pretty hard (read: I was dying!), and the clock at the store read 7:05.  Wait, what?  Did I just make that run in 35 minutes?  A distance just short of a 5K in 35 minutes?!?! 

BOOYAH!!!

I felt good, oh so good about the run and my time!  Especially coming off the heels of a half marathon this past weekend.  I didn't think I would bounce back this quickly and to best my time from last year by almost 12 minutes!  That's a HUGE step and big show of progress in just this past year.  It was so encouraging and I'm still smiling about it today.  I may not have won anything from the raffle, but I got the best reward ever, proof that my training is doing me well and that I can and will improve!

Coming from that high last night, I opened my email this morning and saw my favorite beginning of the month email!  Pro Compression just released their SOM (sock of the month) and just in time for St. Patrick's Day!  See below the awesomely cute socks they are offering for a really great deal of 40% off!!  If you know me well, you will know I <heart> Pro Compression socks, I never go on a long run without them.  I will confess, I have 7 pairs of marathon socks and one pair of calf sleeves, that is how much I love them!

Save 40% Off Shamrock Compression Socks & All Calf Sleeves

What could be better for your St. Patrick's Day race than a great deal on our Limited Edition Shamrock Compression Socks and all Calf Sleeves? Best of all, you'll save 40% and get free shipping when you enter Coupon Code SOM3 at checkout! Yes, you are welcome to share this offer with friends, training partners and other enthusiasts!

With these great features, our "Marathon" full-length, graduated compression products are an amazing value: - Promotes blood flow for speedy recovery - Foot-bed compression - Built-in "Stabilizer Zone" for optimal support - Advanced materials for moisture control  - Made in USA - mmHg rating 22-26 If this isn't the coolest sock ever, we'd like to see it! Save 40% and get FREE shipping!

Limited Time Offer Coupon code SOM3 is valid for purchases of our Marathon Shamrock socks and all Calf Sleeves in the store. Don't wait, inventory is limited, and this offer expires March 18, 2013. Orders received before March 6th will ship by the 9th, in plenty of time for your St. Patrick's Day event!

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Even if you don't get any of these socks, take a look at their website, they may have a color or style that catches your eye and suits your fancy. 

Hope your Friday is great and that you have wonderful plans for this weekend.  As for me, I'm back to training and it is 6 miles on the schedule for me.  I may have just finished my first half marathon, but that doesn't mean I need to rest completely, I don't want to lose the mileage I've worked so hard to build up.  So a nice and easy 6 miles for Saturday it is for me.  Hahahaha...I'm laughing at the "nice and easy 6 miles" comment, whew...that made me laugh.  To think back when one mile was a battle, now I can do a "nice and easy 6 miles".  HA!  Have a great weekend.