Laughlin/Bullhead Half Marathon | Race Recap

Woohoo!! I’m so happy to say, I finished my last race of the year strong! Per usual, I was nervous before this race. Again, I didn’t get all my training runs in and I was not feeling too confident about how I’d do. However, I was determined to have a great race, since Disney’s Wine & Dine was such a disappointment with it being cut short and all.

I won the race entry from an instagram giveaway from Clarinda over at Enjoying the Course. This was the inaugural race, so it was a small race in Laughlin, NV. I believe there were a little over 500 runners, including the 5K. I felt the race was well organized and managed. Packet pick-up was quick and easy. The tech shirt that was included in the race swag, was really nice and fit well. I love it when they have both ladies and mens sizes for shirts!

Jason and I left the kiddos with my parents to spend the night (Thanks Mom & Dad!) and we took off Friday afternoon to Laughlin. It’s about 1.5 hr away, not too bad of a drive, just a little boring. This was our first visit to Laughlin. It’s a small town right on the Colorado River and Arizona border. There are a few hotel and casinos along the river and an outlet mall along the main street, which is all we saw. I’m sure there are some nice hiking trails too and of course, in the summer there are lots of water activities on the river.

Once we got to Laughlin, we went straight to race registration at the Colorado Belle Hotel & Casino. The Edgewater Hotel and the Colorado Belle Hotel were both race sponsors so they offered runners a really great (read: Cheap!) hotel rate for either of the two properties. I made the reservation for the Edgewater Hotel. At check-in, we were given a cute welcome gift from the race directors. I thought it was a very nice and personalized gesture 😉 After dinner, it was an early bedtime for us, as we had to be up early for my 7am race start.

The race was across the street from the hotel, so we just walked to the start line. I met up with 2 other runners I knew from a facebook running group and we took a quick photo before heading to the start line. It was a chilly morning, but I chose to run without a jacket, as I figured it would warm up as I started running. I’m glad I didn’t take the jacked, the weather temps were perfect. It was a bit windy for most of the race, but nothing too crazy. Once the race started, I was prepared for the big hill they warned us about at packet pickup. They weren’t joking, it was a steady uphill climb for the first 2 miles or so. But, what comes up must come down and that downhill felt great. I made up for the slow pace and took off. I was really enjoying the run and the view of the dam and mountains when we were directed left for the trail portion of the race. I enjoy trail running, so it was a nice change of pace. I’m assuming it was added to get the full 13.1. The trail section, was an out and back. I don’t particularly like, out and backs, but I knew it was not going to be for the entire race, so it wasn’t too bad. The trail was soft sand/gravel, so going uphill on that felt like forever! Once we were out of the desert trail, it was back to road running and another steady and steep uphill to cross the dam into Arizona. I took a quick break to stop and take a photo of the view at this point 😉

Thanks Emily for the photo! I sure was happy to be running down this trail!

When we got to our turn-around, I spotted Jason! We hadn’t planned a meeting spot along the course, so it was a very welcomed surprise! He ran along side me for a bit, then took off to meet me at the finish line. It was a quick run down the dam until it evened out at the river. It was nice running on the paved trail that went along the river. The views were a nice distraction from my aching feet. Once I crossed a bridge, it was a nice downhill run to the main street, where the end was so close! I hadn’t really been paying too much attention to my pace, but when I saw the clock at the finish, I gave it my all to barely come in under 2:30. My official time was 2:28. I was so happy with my time! I’m no speed lightning, but that course was pretty brutal and I was sure I was going to end up with a time of 2:45 or so. It had more ups and downs than I was expecting, but it kept it interesting and the downhill runs were my favorite.

I saw Jason soon after crossing the finish line and I even met Clarinda, whom I’d won the race from! YAY for meeting new runner friends 🙂 We got a free beer and a nice post-race snack tray, with a bagel, banana, orange slices, and granola bar. All and all, I really enjoyed this race. It had a little bit for everyone. Some trails, some challenging uphills, followed by fun downhills, pretty scenery, and a great atmosphere for a small grass-roots race. The race directors did a great job and I’m sure this will turn into an even more awesome race in the years to come!

So, how is your year coming to an end? Any fun races? Are you making plans for next year already? I know I am!

XO,

Jessie

Disney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2015 Recap

I’ve been thinking a lot about this post and how to approach it. I’ll just come out and say it, “I didn’t enjoy the Wine & Dine Half Marathon.” But, there were a lot of factors that went into it, so read on and you’ll see why it just wasn’t the race for me.

Just like the Disneyland Half, packet pickup was easy and very well organized. It was the same setup, grab your bib first then go to the expo to pick up your shirt. I really like the shirt. It’s a long sleeve dry wicking shirt. The expo was fine and my daughter and I picked up some matching running skirts 😉

I loved that the kids got to run their 1 mile races on Saturday morning. It was hot and muggy, but my kiddos gave it their all and I am so proud of them!

Now, on to the half marathon. I will admit that my head was not in it from the start. I stretched myself too thin and was running super late to dinner and then to get on the bus at Epcot. This was definitely not the way I wanted to start the race. I was so stressed out & exhausted by the time I got to Epcot to catch one of the busses transporting runners to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, where the race was starting! I took the time on the bus to try to relax and get my mind back in the race and try to sum up some excitement from the other runners. Honestly, the late start time really made it rough for me.

The bus arrived to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at about 9pm. Once off the bus, I went straight to the porta-potty line. I noticed there were no runners in their corrals yet, but didn’t think much of it. I figured we’d all make our way soon. After about 10 minutes in line, it was my turn! YAY! As I came out though, I noticed the huge crowd of runners walking in the opposite direction from the corrals. Now, I was super confused! I asked what was going on and was told we were being evacuated indoors due to lightning in the area. Seriously!?! I gotta give it to us runners, there was no pushing or shoving. Everyone walked orderly towards either the HP Field House or Champion Stadium. I ended up at Champion Stadium, found a place to sit, and listened to runners predictions. Some said we wouldn’t run until at least midnight, others were certain the race would be canceled, while others felt we’d run at some point but the course would be shortened. This clearly did not help me get out of my running funk. I began to feel really down and was sure I’d start crying if they canceled the race. I worked so hard to get us to Florida so I could run this race and get my coast to coast medal!

Well, to make a long story short, the race directors gave us the all clear to run a modified course and by 11pm, we were back outside and to our corrals. They cut 6 miles from the race and what should have been a half marathon became a 10K. There were lots of disappointed runners, but Disney did what they had to do. Obviously, not everyone would be happy with any decision. By cutting the course, we were still able to run and get our medals, including my Coast to Coast medal, and still have enough time for the after-party at Epcot.

Although I was disappointed I didn’t get to run my full 13.1 miles, I think it was for the best. Not just for our safety, but my heart wasn’t into it at all by this point. I just wanted the run to be over and done with. It makes me sad to admit this, since I was so excited about this race a few months ago. I tried to run fast, but the heat and humidity made it difficult. I didn’t stop greet characters or take photos on the course. It was dark and hot, and did I mention, I wanted it to be done.

I didn’t particularly love the course and I don’t think the added 6 miles of Animal Kingdom and Osceola Parkway would have changed my mind. Due to the regular late start time of 10pm, the race didn’t have much in terms of spectators or entertainment. There were some bands on the course and everyone loved running through the Osborn Lights, but that was basically it. We ran through a lot of the back lots of Hollywood Studios and not much through Epcot, where we finished. I enjoyed running on the Disney Boardwalk, but would have enjoyed it much more during the day!

The changing area and line for the beer/wine that was included were orderly and organized. The volunteers rocked! The after-party was ok once we made our way to the World Showcase. It was crowded and there were long lines for some of the kiosks, but nothing that wasn’t expected. I enjoyed being able to have some alone time with the hubby at the Food & Wine festival and we even got to ride a few of the rides before the party was over. I can’t believe we made it till 4am, but I guess only running 7 miles instead of 13.1, gave me the energy to stay up all night!

This is what happens when you give someone your camera, blurry photo! LOL

Will I do another Disney race? Probably not. I most definitely will not do the Wine & Dine Half Marathon again. I’m not the biggest Disney fan (don’t hate!). I’m happy I got to experience 2 runDisney races and I really did love the Disneyland Half. I’m grateful I was able to travel for this race and that my kiddos were able to experience all four Walt Disney World theme parks. I’ll be blogging about our days visiting the theme parks throughout the next few days, so come back and check it out 😉

Have you ever ran a Disney race? Love it or hate it? Did you run the Wine & Dine this year? I’d love to hear what you thought! Leave a comment below. XO

Tough Mudder Las Vegas 2015 | Race Recap

Here I am, a little over a week after Tough Mudder and the scars are healing, bruises are starting to fade, and my face has already peeled from being sunburned. I guess you could say, recovery is going great 🙂

Tough Mudder was my first OCR (obstacle course race) in 2013 and it will always have a special place in my muddy heart! There was no Team Tough Cookies this year and neither Jason nor my sister could come to cheer me on because they both had to work that day. I jokingly told Jason, you know you’ve done too many races when no one comes to cheer you on 😦 But, it seriously turned out to be a great race and I had a blast! I teamed up with Britt, who I met at boot camp. This was her first Tough Mudder and she was really excited about it and had trained hard for it. Come Saturday morning, we were ready to take on the course and just have a good time. When we got to the race, we met up with my pal, Eve, and she ended up running the course with us too! Our other friend, Kelly, was there supporting another team but she cheered us on too and took photos for us along the course, which was a really nice surprise.

Tough Mudder promised there would be mud in Las Vegas and they did not disappoint. There was tons of mud! It was that creamy, soft mud that looks like pudding or frosting! At least, that’s what it LOOKS like, but don’t be fooled because once you’re all up in it, it does NOT smell or taste like chocolate frosting at all! Take my word for it 😉

It took us about 3 hours to complete the 10 miles and 20 obstacles. We were in the 3rd group to go out so the course wasn’t crowded and we didn’t have any real bottlenecking at the obstacles which was great! My teammates and I were determined to try every obstacle and we all gave it our best. I failed at only 2 obstacles, the Funky Monkey and King of Swingers. Honestly, those are 2 I didn’t really try. I knew I wouldn’t make it far on the monkey bars, I mean, someone had to give me a boost up just to reach the first bar! I felt bad for not trying and seriously was ready to do my 30 penalty burpees, then remembered this was Tough Mudder not Spartan Race, so I moved on. For King of the Swingers, I actually did climb up to the platform but I just couldn’t get over my fear of heights this time. There was no one there to push me over the edge, so once Britt jumped I just climbed back down in shame 😦 Maybe next year….

Most of the obstacles had been redesigned and were a lot harder than previous years. It took me 3 or 4 tries to run up Everest 2.0 with its higher, curved edge, but I was not going to give up! It felt so awesome when I ran up and finally made it on my last try! I think having to slide into Arctic Enema 2.0 made it easier to just get it done and over with but it felt colder to me than the previous years. Maybe they had recently added more ice? I don’t know, but it took me a long time to get my toes to move again…YIKES!

So, as a Legionnaire, meaning I’ve done another Tough Mudder before, I didn’t have to do Electroshock Therapy again. But, like I said, this was Britt’s first Tough Mudder and I didn’t want her to have to go through that alone. So, I sucked it up and we went through it together. It was just as awful as I remembered from 2 years ago. The pain is real. I’d say it is maybe similar to being shocked with an electric socket or like when you rub your feet on carpet then have to touch a metal door knob, but times 1000! The shock goes through your entire body and just knocks you down and paralyzes you for a few seconds. It doesn’t last long, but just seeing those wires hanging in front of you and knowing what’s coming really did paralyze me out of fear!

But, the feeling of accomplishment after you conquer those obstacles is indescribable and it makes you forget the pain or at least makes the pain worth it in the end! Tough Mudder is all about team work. Their obstacles are designed to be tackled together and I’m so grateful to my teammates, Britt & Eve, for their help getting though some of those obstacles. Thanks for the boosts up those Berlin Walls, the pushes over that crazy mystery obstacle with it’s revolving cubes, and thanks for all the encouragement throughout the course! I’m so proud to have you ladies as teammates and friends. Ya’ll rock! XO

Have you ran a Tough Mudder before or another obstacle course race? Love it? Hate it? Tell me all about it in the comments below! I love to hear other people’s stories! XO