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

Disneyland Half Marathon Recap

Well, I knew September was going to be a busy month, at least the first part of it, and boy has it kicked my butt! I have tons to share, from recent trip highlights to tips & ideas for you! I can’t wait to get back to it. I thought I’d start with the Disneyland Half Marathon recap today.

I gotta say, I went into this half marathon with mixed emotions. When I first signed up months ago, I was super excited about it, especially since it would allow me to get the Coast to Coast Medal in November after Disney World’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon. However, my training had been pretty sporadic. Although I did get most of my long runs in, I missed a lot of my weekday runs as the race got closer. Plus, I never felt strong during most of my long runs and they were all pretty slow.

I joined a facebook group for Disneyland Half Marathon participants and the folks on there were super helpful and encouraging. If I ever had a question, it was answered quickly. The group was awesome and I highly recommend joining a facebook group for your next race, especially if it’s a big one like the Disney races are. They helped me a lot with what to expect for the expo and packet pickup. I tend to get a bit anxious of the unknown and all their tips and info were super helpful. Thanks, peeps!

Friday morning, Jason and I took the 4 hr drive to Anaheim from Vegas. The kiddos didn’t come along, so the drive was quick without any stops. I’d read people were in very long lines for packet pickup but, maybe because we arrived on the last day of the expo I had no line. I walked right up to get my bib and then up to the expo floor to get my bag and shirt with no wait either.

My shirt said, “Race you to the Castle” it’s from Raw Threads . I bought it at the expo and loved how soft it is! Running skirt & shoes are Brooks .

We had to wake up crazy early, 3:30am to be exact, so we were in bed before 9pm! Getting to the parking structure that morning and to the festival area was all very easy and streamlined. After a quick photo and a potty break, it was time to say good bye to Jason and get to my corral. I wanted to be in the corral early and I’m so glad I did. I was in corral C and I was right in the front and wasn’t shoved or crowded. The announcers did their thing, yea, it was kinda cheezy, but I really liked the fireworks to start the race! At 5:30am, the first group took off and, before I knew it they opened up our corral and we walked up to the starting line for us to go. The wait time between corrals seemed to go quickly. I heard there were some issues with some of the corrals further back, but Corral C had no issues and we took off around 5:50 or even a little earlier.

During the race I never felt like we bottlenecked and it never really got so crowded that I couldn’t keep my pace. Again, I think there was some bottlenecking towards the corrals further back, but I was good the entire time. I stopped to take a photo of the ferris wheel as I entered California Adventure because it just looked so pretty and also at the entrance to Disneyland. That’s right when I saw Jason, between California Adventure and Disneyland. We hadn’t really planned on him cheering me on at any point during the race, so that was a nice surprise. It was really cool running through the theme parks. I really loved seeing CarsLand and can’t wait to take the kiddos there now! Of course, running through the castle was awesome! We also ran through a bit of the back lot or behind the scenes of the park and there were always cast members, custodians, and other Disney employees lined up cheering us on.

Once we left Disneyland property, I honestly didn’t think there would be much to see or that it would exciting. Well, I was so wrong! In my opinion, some of the best parts of the race were through the city of Anaheim. There were high school bands, cheerleaders, and dance groups about every couple of miles it seemed. There were tons of water stations with friendly volunteers too! My favorites were the almost 500 cars that lined up both sides of the streets as we ran up to Angel’s Stadium. There were all kinds of car clubs from antique cars to muscle cars and everything in between. There were VW Bugs, low riders, Mustangs, Camaros, just every kind of car. The car owners were also there cheering us on! It was so entertaining! I loved how it distracted me from the miles I was running and kept me motivated. The car show finally ended as we came up to Angel’s Stadium. I was feeling so great from seeing all the cars and the energy from the crowd, that when I saw the 2:30 pacer just a little bit ahead of me, I pushed a little harder and ran right past them! At this point we were entering the stadium and I could hear all the cheering as we ran through the tunnel to enter the field. I came out to see half the stadium filled with tons of kids and their parents. I think every girl scout and boy scout troop from Orange County were there! It was so awesome giving all the kiddos high fives as I ran past them. Their energy was contagious and it kept me going all the way to about mile 11! As always, that last mile was tough, but just knowing that I was going to sub 2:30 kept me going at a steady pace. I finished in 2:27:04 and felt great.

I got my medal and called Jason right away to come meet me. He was waiting for me at the family reunion area, so we saw each other right away! We didn’t stay too long because I was hungry and ready to freshen up and stretch. It was getting hot and I was super sweaty and gross after running 13.1! I had some of the snacks that came in our goodie box in the car and we grabbed a coffee at Starbucks. Went over to our friend’s place to shower and freshen up before brunch. You better believe I celebrated with a mimosa and some bloody mary’s! I also had the most delicious corned beef eggs benedict ever!!! Soon after brunch it was time to go back home to the kiddos 🙂 Big thanks to our friends, Linda & Sean, for letting us crash at their house for the night & for being so hospitable! XO

I couldn’t believe how well the race went! It was really so much better than I had anticipated it would be. I had prepped myself to expect massive crowds, delays, bottlenecking, and a boring course through Anaheim. This was all far from the truth! Yes, there were close to 18,000 runners but I never felt overcrowded and I absolutely loved the course! I really enjoyed the crowd support and I’m still in awe of how many residents of Anaheim were out there supporting us runners along the way! I really appreciated it so much and I know it was the reason I was able to push along and feel so good throughout the entire race. Now, I’m really excited about my next Disney race, the WDW Wine and Dine in November!!

Have you ever ran a runDisney race? Which one? Did you love it or hate it? Let me know in the comments below, especially if you’ve ran the Wine & Dine Half 😉

Let the Running Begin | Half Marathon Training

Back in September I entered a facebook contest to win a free race on Pace Per Mile‘s page. All you had to do was leave a comment on which race you’d like to win and one random person would be chosen. The only stipulation was that it had to be a race in 2014 or 2015 that was not sold out or was not a lottery. On a whim, because whoever really wins these things right, I wrote I’d love to win an entry for Walt Disney World’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon in November 2015. Jason and I had been talking about taking the kids to WDW in Florida in either 2015 or 2016, so Florida was on the brain.

Later that week, I got a message from Pace Per Mile, saying I’d won! WooHoo!! Once the initial excitement wore off, it was time to start planning our trip to Florida. This free race did not come with plane tickets for a family of 4 to fly cross country! Nor did it come with hotel stay, car rental, or park admission. We did have over a year to plan for it and well, now we are getting close – it’s just 4 months away!

We’re all super excited to be going to Florida. Not only will I be running the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, we also signed up the kids to run the 1 mile kid’s race earlier that day. Plus, Jason purchased a ticket to join me for the Finish Line Party! We’re really looking forward to some yummy food from Epcot’s Food & Wine festival and some of the attractions will also be open for the after party. I just hope I have the energy for it all. I’m pretty sure I’ll have the appetite for the food & wine, though 😉

Before I run the Wine & Dine Half in Walt Disney World, I’ll be running the Disneyland Half Marathon in September! While reading about RunDisney, I came across an article that talked about all the fun challenges they offered during their race weekends. The Coast to Coast challenge quickly caught my attention. Basically, you get the Coast to Coast medal when you run 2 Disney half marathons, one in Disneyland and one in Walt Disney World, in one calendar year. I knew that it was now or never, so I quickly figured out a way to get an entry for the Disneyland Half thanks to a friend!

Now guess what? In May, I ended up winning another half marathon registration via Enjoying the Course‘s blog giveaway. So now I’ll be running the Laughlin/Bullhead Half Marathon here in Nevada this December. Talk about a winning streak!

So, like the title of this post says, “Let the running begin!” I’ll be starting my half marathon training this week using one of the trusty Hal Higdon Training Programs. I’ve only used the Novice I and II programs, but I’m tempted to try out the Intermediate Training Program this time around. I ‘ll be running 3 half marathons in 4 months, with a Tough Mudder in between in October, so I’ll really be focusing on running! Who knows, maybe all this running will make me want to finally sign up for a marathon, maybe….

What races do you have planned for the fall? Have you ever ran a Disney race? I’d love some tips if you have them!

Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail Half Marathon | Red Rock Canyon

I ran the Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail 5K last year and although it was not a great race for me, I kinda left wanting to do the half marathon. So, when registration opened up for this year’s race, I signed up right away! I have done 5K, 10K, and 12K trail races before but this would be my first trail half marathon. I was both nervous and scared. My training was pretty sporadic and I didn’t really stick to my running schedule like I should have. Also, I really wanted to do more specific hill training, but yea, that didn’t happen either. I did get some good runs in and had quite a few long trail runs beforehand, so I knew I would finish, just wasn’t too sure of my time. I ended up giving myself the goal of 3 hours.

Of course, I hardly slept the night before the race. This happens to me all the time and I wish I had better sleeping techniques I could use. Any suggestions? Fortunately, I didn’t feel terribly tired in the morning and we were able to get everyone ready and gather our stuff (that we’d set up the day before) and head out the door with little drama.

Just like last year, everything seemed to go smoothly at the start line. I chatted with a few running friends, took photos with my family, and then it was time to go! The first half of the course was pretty brutal. The inclines were no joke and there were some pretty technical parts with huge rocks we had to get up. I walked up most of the inclines and was wishing I hadn’t skipped that hill training! About halfway through the race, my family found me right before an aid station. It was so nice to see the kiddos running towards me and having Jason help me refill my hydration pack with ice and water. It definitely gave me a nice boost, plus I knew I was getting close to some downhill trails after seeing them 🙂 The rest of the race went well. I picked up speed on the downhill and walked a bit more of the uphill. I started to feel my calf cramping and I was happy I had put some mustard packets in my pack. I took them and it helped to not get a full-on cramp. I’m not sure why I started cramping, but I’m thinking it was a few factors. Primarily all the uphill climbing, but I also didn’t wear my compression socks and I always wear them for long runs, especially half marathons. Plus, it was really hot out there that morning!

Again, it was so awesome seeing my kiddos cheering me on as I approached the finish line. My son came up and ran alongside me for a bit, which really helped me push the pain aside and finish strong! I didn’t meet my goal of 3 hours, but I was still happy with my time of 3 hours 12 minutes. Just gives me something to aim towards for the next one 😉

This was my last race until the fall. I’m kinda sad not to have something coming up soon, but I’ll use these summer months to continue training and focusing on my goals. How about you? Any races scheduled for the summer? What’s your next event?

Happy National Running Day 2015 | 10 Ways Running Changed My Life

In the past 3 years, I’ve learned to love such foods as cauliflower “rice”, brussels sprouts, beets, and almond milk. I eat greek yogurt like it’s going out of style! I’ve learned how to do burpees, Bulgarian split squats, and deadlifts. I am the proud owner of a pull-up bar, foam roller, and yoga mat.

I’ve also found a love of running that I never thought possible. Running is a great cardiovascular exercise and great calorie burner. But for me running has become more than that. Running pushes me to try harder and reach new goals. Running keeps me motivated and signing up for races is a sure way for me to keep at it! Running has an amazing community of people. Running can help me clear my mind on crazy days and will just about always put me in a good mood. So, today in honor of National Running Day, I thought I’d share a few fun ways running has changed my life:

1. I spend more money on running shoes than heels.

2. I’m always hungry.

3. I wake up earlier on the weekends to go on long runs than I do during the week.

4. I plan vacations around races.

5. I’m kinda obsessed with compression socks.

6. I don’t take selfies, I take feetsies.

7. I have more running shorts than jeans.

8. I don’t just drink, I hydrate 😉

9. Food is now called fuel.

10. The only watch I own is a Garmin.

BONUS: I get some pretty rad tan lines!

How about you? Do you love running? Running isn’t for everyone and as with all things, it’s best to do what you love , but don’t be afraid of running. Don’t give up on running because you’ve told yourself you’ve never been good at it or because you can’t run fast, or because you tried it once and it was hard. Yes, running is hard, we aren’t all fast, and we are definitely not all good at it all the time. But, the key is consistency and just giving it a try. Get out there today and celebrate running. Celebrate the fact that you can run. Run for those who can’t today. You may end up loving it.

Spartan Race | #WhyIRace

Spartan Race started a new campaign recently asking folks to share their story. Everyone has a story as to why they race. Below is my reason. I race for many reasons. I race to keep myself motivated in my fitness journey. I race to be a good role model for my kiddos. I race to push myself beyond my comfort zone. I race for those who can’t. I race to prove that I can. I race because it’s fun. But, mostly to be stronger than I was before.

I’ve never been athletic. Running was not something I did for fun. Running wasn’t something I did. Period. Finding this new passion in running and obstacle course racing has been an amazing addition to my life! It’s woken up a spark in me to be stronger, healthier, and better than I was before.

What’s your story? Why do you race? Share your story HERE!

Half Marathon Training | Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail Half

Here I go again! Last week I registered for my 3rd half marathon and 1st trail half marathon, the Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail Half Marathon. I love that 100% proceeds go to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. I really enjoy trail running, but have not ran more than a 12K trail race before, so I’m a little nervous about this one. I’ll be training hard for this half marathon and the Spartan Super simultaneously, since the Spartan race is April 18th. What’s made me even more nervous is my friend who runs ultra trail races said it was a tough one! Yikes!! What did I get myself into?!? Well, there is no turning back now. It’s time to train. The race is on May 30th, so I have just about 12 weeks to prepare to run 13.1 miles of trails through beautiful Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area.

I ran the Wild Land Fire Awareness 5K trail race last year and it wasn’t my best run. But I love running around Red Rock and I ran some of the half marathon trails last year they seemed way more fun than the 5K course, so I’m looking forward to running the entire course this year.

I plan on sharing updates on my training, as well as tips for keeping motivated while training for a half marathon, and some of my must-have training essentials.

Are you training for an upcoming race? Are you nervous? Excited? I’d love to hear about it!