Day 7, 8, 9, 10 ~ Disney Goofy Challenge

I'm merging 4 days into one post because I didn't want to single out individual moments of joy from the Disney weekend; there were a lot of great moments.

First my mum being there with me, cheering me on, and being there at the finish to cheer as I crossed the finish line. What a trouper. We had to get up at 2:30am! And, although I was the one running, I think that was easier than standing and waving at the runners for 5 hours.

Saturday was the half marathon (13.1 miles) and since I hadn't run this particular race I was not familiar with the trek from the main gathering area to the start line. There were 27,000 people running this race and everyone was moving slowly along a narrow pathway to the corrals. I was in Corral A so had to make my way to the front. I was dodging and weaving around people because I was concerned the 'corral police' would close my corral at 5am and I would have to go to a corral further back in the pack. By the way, there is no such thing as 'corral police' but I've been at races where they shut the entrance to the corral and won't let you in! Anyway, as I'm walking a guy jogs past me heading to the corrals and I think, if I jog along with him it'll just look like we're together and people will let us by. So we jogging along and he looks over at me and I look over at him...and we start chatting about how crowded it is and which corral we need to get to. Turns out it's the same one. He ran the Goofy Challenge last year so knew the layout and where to go. Thank you Ricardo Saldanha from Brazil for helping me get to the start. I'm sure I would have made it but I would have been far more frazzled. Ricardo was trying for a 1:40, and I was aiming for a nice slow 2 hour run as I was running a marathon the next day, so when the gun went off we bid each other goodbye.

The half marathon was fun. I took it slowly and stopped to my photo taken with some of the Disney characters, including Pooh Bear, Peter Pan and Jack Sparrow. I didn't care about the time...other than I didn't want to go fast. The last few miles I ran with an Englishman called Paul. I was wearing a top with a Union Jack, so I was spotted by other British runners and spectators. Paul and I chatted about running, training in cold and snowy England, and the Goofy Challenge. It passed the time and the miles went by quite quickly. It was exciting to see the finish line and know that I had completed 1/3rd of my weekend running.

I rested my legs on Saturday afternoon, so by Sunday morning they felt pretty good. Just a little tightness in my quads. This time I headed to the start line with Jorge Ayre and Jon Renaud, friends and members of our local running club. Mum stayed with Jorge's wife, Linda, for another round of cheering and cow bell ringing.

We started in Corral B and, again, I just wanted to finish and not hurt, whereas the guys were all trying to run under 4 hours. I did exactly what I wanted and ran quite slowly the first 16 miles. People were passing me all the time, but I didn't care, I wanted to have fun, and hitting the wall would not be fun. Fearing my quads would tighten up I slathered Biofreeze on them at every medical station. My calves were in good shape - maybe because I had worn compression sleeves during both the half and full marathons.  Again, I stopped and had photos with the Disney characters; Tigger and Eyore, Alice and the Mad Hatter, the Ugly Sisters, Woody from Toy Story... There were numerous water and Accelerade stands, two Gu stations, two banana stations and a chocolate station about mile 23. As well as the Disney characters, music blared from speakers placed along the route and placards with amusing quotes and interesting facts lined the course through animal kingdom. We ran through Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and returned to the starting point at Epcot.

I was wearing my No Meat Athlete tee shirt and actually spotted two people wearing the same shirt.

At mile 16 I felt great. I took a Gu and feeling strong I started to pick up the pace - and overtake a lot of people. At mile 21 I took another Gu. Still feeling strong. Starting to see people walking and resting. I was happy to see mile 24 and know I only had 2.2 miles to go, although they felt like very long miles to me! My last photo was taken with one of the characters from my favorite Disney movie, Russell from Up.

I didn't hit the wall. I didn't walk. I was still passing people. I felt elated! As I ran towards the finish line I looked up into the bleechers where I knew my mum would be. I smiled. I blew kisses. It was a great feeling to know I'd run 39.3 miles in two days. Even better, my legs felt good afterwards, which I attribute to wearing compression socks all weekend, taking it easy both days and not running out too fast, cold baths after each race, elevated legs, and rest.

I had such a fun time and really enjoyed running these races. I'm planning on running a 50k (31 miles) in March and feel I'm ready!

Day 6 ~ Running Shoe Sale!

As a runner it is important to buy well-made performance running shoes, not a cheap pair of 'athletic' shoes from your local discount store. Yes, you can definitely feel the difference.

I've been buying Brooks for three years now, almost as long as I've been running. Most runners find a brand they prefer and stick with it, and this is the same in my case. I can throw on a pair of brand new Brooks Adrenaline, run 10 miles, and have no issues, whatsoever. I love my Brooks.

Now good running shoes don't come cheap so I generally purchase mine around the time of a sale (January sales, Thanksgiving sales, etc.,). So, I was happy to see Running Warehouse have a 40% off sale which included my Adrenalines. As well as the sale on shoes, they offered free two-day shipping and free returns. Now that's got to make you smile!

Day 5 ~ Veggie Pizza

I took Christian and mum out for dinner last night. We went to California Pizza Kitchen and mum and I shared a Vegetarian with Japanese Eggplant pizza. Here are the ingredients: Mozzarella cheese, baby broccoli, grilled Japanese eggplant, roasted corn, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and our tomato sauce. We also added mild goat cheese and caramelized onions, and had the honey-wheat dough. Christian ordered the Original BBQ Chicken pizza with (not surprising) barbecue sauce, smoked Gouda and Mozzarella cheeses, BBQ Chicken, and cilantro.

I love a good veggie pizza, although it always tastes best when I'm in good company...and fortunately I had that last night with Christian and mum.

Day 4 ~ Honeysuckle

Leaving my house at 7:30pm last night for a 6-mile run, I breathed in the strong smell of honeysuckle, and as I ran down my road the scent stayed with me for three or four houses. I didn't see the flowers but as I wound my way around the neighborhood I ran through little pockets of that unmistakable, sweet fragrance. What a delight!

Day 3 - Key Lime Mango Pie

Mum and I shared some Key Lime Mango Pie. So yummy!

Day 2 ~ Las Olas Art Festival

Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in.  ~Amy Lowell

The Las Olas Art Festival, Part 1, was held on January 1st and 2nd. On Sunday, my friend Laura and I took a stroll around the booths. It was a beautiful sunny day and perfect for enjoying the all the creative artworks on display.

Day 1 ~ Dave Matthews Band Concert Poster

Christian and I had gone to Savannah in September and were fortunate to have the opportunity to take a look around the Savannah College of Art and Design. On display were several band concert posters, including this limited edition Dave Matthews Band poster by Robert Lee at  Methane Studios. I loved it because the concert was at the 02 Arena in London, UK, and as you can see the images within the King chess piece are all related to England - double-decker bus, tea pot, roses, Big Ben, football, umbrellas and rain... So cool.

Christian surprised me with one of the posters for my birthday, which is December 31st. What an awesome boyfriend!