Going Goofy

Yes, THE Goofy Challenge Weekend is finally HERE! (Goofy Challenge = running a half-marathon (13.1 miles or 21K) on Saturday and a full marathon (26.2 miles or 42K) on Sunday)

One of the Expo Halls for the event (there were 2 expo halls total)

i felt like a character in the movie "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" ... these were on the grounds of the hotel that I stayed at near Epcot. The hotel was call the Pop Century Resort. They even had a pool called the Hippidy Dippidy Pool - I did not take a dip in the pool but I did soak up a few rays by the pool on Saturday afternoon :)

I think they are building a new hotel nearby with a Cars Movie theme - I know one little boy (Jayden) who would love to stay at this hotel someday!

Isn't it funny - when you are away from your family - you still think about them all the time! I found myself doing this all weekend. I love my family so much - I enjoyed my time away but I really missed them while I was gone for 4 days. I found myself walking all over Downtown Disney on Saturday afternoon looking for the perfect gift to bring home to each one of them. I also thought of them when I would see other children their age walking around.... the 2 year old toddler throwing a fit because they wanted to go one direction and the mom had another direction in mind..... to the 4 year old doing the potty dance .......

power lunch in my hotel room.... well probably not the cupcake :) ... i did at least scrape most of the dye off the top before i ate it :) i brought along my own peanut butter, bread, oatmeal, and snacks..... you know 'cause i'm crazy like that!

I really think more amazing that being able to run a half marathon and marathon all in the same weekend was having the chance to hear Hal Higdon (white shirt - marathoner and trainer) speak at the marathon expo! soooooooo coooooool! Sitting next to Hal on the stage is Kevin Hanson (from Hanson's running club just outside of Detroit - he trains some Olympic Marathoners and owns several running stores)... not sure who the 2 girls were (oops!) and on the end is Jeff Galloway (the official training coordinator for Disney - he's also written many training programs and run many marathons). It is a bit interesting to find Hal Higdon and Jeff Galloway on the same stage together because they have VERY different training philosophies. (In fact they both made several "jabs" at eachother during the forum - referencing each other's training philosophy) I have ALWAYS followed Hal Higdon for my marathon training. I picked up his book at a Barnes and Noble before I ran my first marathon in 1998 - Detroit. (I qualified for Boston in that marathon too!) I love Hal Higdon's training approach - take Friday off, do a longer run on Wednesday, and 1 really long run on the weekend. The other day's in between are either cross-training or low mileage running days. This program worked really well for me when I was working full-time and now as a full-time mom .... this program works for me too! Hal also encourages runners not to stop running at all during a marathon but does encourage walking through the water stops, if needed. (I have to agree.... if I stop running during my race - getting my motor started again is NOT easy). Jeff Galloway encourages runners to stop for a walk break at scheduled intervals throughout the race - even during the first mile. Both trainers have many marathons under their belt and have trained many great athletes.... well - i could really go on for hours about the things I learned from their forum .... but I won't!

just me and Hal! so cool!

in Downtown Disney they had this shop with a brand of socks called Little Mismatched. I have bought Helen some of these sock before ..... but I could not stand the fact that they would not match together - so what did I do? yes - I bought 2 packages of the socks so they would match! (I will post a photo soon as proof - I'm such a NERD, I know!)

In this store, these kids thought it would be funny to throw all the socks out of this bin - my first thought was "where the heck is there mother!?!" - then i realized that she was over in the corner talking on her cell phone - sheesh! the store personnel were NOT happy. you can see them in black trying to put the socks back.

more characters by my hotel

i stayed in the Rubix Cube section of rooms.

before my race - Ross posted to my Facebook page - run, rinse, repeat.... it was true! i did run, rinse, repeat :)

just happened to have my marathon training schedule in my notebook and now it's next to Hal Higdon's autograph! did i mention how cool this is? and my half-marathon medal in the background too!

colored toilet paper selection in Paris, France.....looks similar to....

the colored Lego selection at Disney! (i guess you can buy individual lego pieces by color!)

i came home to this sign taped to my car, a finish line in the garage, and the dining room decorated with Congrats everywhere - i love my family!

and NOW for the offical race results..... drumroll please .....

half-marathon results:

1 hour 37 minutes and 35 seconds (A Personal Record in the half marathon for me!)

481/22421 overall runners

73/12322 female runners

14/1925 in my age group

marathon results:

3 hours 43 minutes and 9 seconds (3 minutes shy of ANOTHER Boston Qualifying time!)

992/13478 overall runners

196/6315 female runners

35/1130 in my age group

unfortunately they did not rank the Goofy Challenge Results but I estimated that about 5,586 people completed the Goofy Challenge - AND I WAS ONE OF THEM!

and now the boring runners rambling account of the races :)........

overall it was a GREAT experience - I don't think I will do it again - but I loved every minute and mile of it! I had a great race on Saturday in the half-marathon and I can't believe I improved my half-marathon time too! On Sunday, for the marathon I honestly did not know what to expect.... I wasn't sure how I was going to feel after running 13 miles less than 24 hours ago..... I was really hoping to hold back on Saturday in the half so I could survive the marathon.... but....well, you know me and that didn't happen :) i was feeling so great throughout the (half)race - so I went with it! i was so lucky to be placed in the first starting corral (even got to see Ryan and Trista Sutter up close - whoo hoo! (ok, not really that exciting especially at 4:45am) (oh and for the record - I DID beat Ryan Sutter - he finished in 1 hour 49 minutes - hahaha!)---what's the worst that could happen in the marathon, right?

on Sunday I did not wake up sore at all! Amazing..... started out in the front again (no exciting celebrity citings for the marathon.... surprise, surprise).... feeling great - had to keep telling myself to slow down because I had no idea what those later miles would bring (mentally or physically). I basically managed to keep a 3 hour 38 minute pace up until the last 4-5 miles.... then my quads decided they had been carrying me for the last 35 miles and were getting tired..... but I kept my "Go Mommy Go" chant in my head and pressed through the last 4 miles.... keeping each mile under 9 minutes/mile..... i told most people that i was hoping to finish the half in 2 hours and the full in around 4 hours..... but secretly i was hoping for 1:45 in the half and a 3:40 marathon..... i exceeded one goal and came darn close to the second goal!

I actually felt better at the end of this marathon than I did in Berlin (no falling over the barrier this time!). I rode the bus home for a quick shower after the marathon and pretty much packed up my stuff and headed to the airport to catch my flight home. Arrived home around 11:45pm and fell into bed! Monday was the "real" challenge though.... my "run-cation" (most people take vacations) was over.....kids started back to school and I was required to keep up with all 4 of them!! Let's just say that carrying a 22 month old up and down the stairs for diaper changes, etc.... was.... well.... very PAINFUL! But I managed to get them all off to school for a few hours.... stopped by the gym for a 45 minute workout (stretching, riding the spin bike, more stretching, and a few weights.... well it WAS only my legs that did the working this weekend!). I'm feeling much better today--- saw my chiropractor this morning ---- I'll be back on the treadmill tomorrow for a few slow miles! ..... 17 weeks until the Kenosha Half Marathon already!

BUT I must say that all of this would not have been possible without the love, encouragement, and support from Ross and my family - from taking on Mr. Dad for 4 days with 4 kids to helping me to get in all my training runs beginning last May!

so I can officially say it - I'm Goofy!