WDW 5K Recap - 1/9/14

I know the race was a couple of weeks ago, but I've been a little busy with running other races, catching up with "actual work", and traveling that I have not been able to do my race recaps.  They will all come one by one in the next couple of days (weeks), I promise!

It was interesting running in this race considering it was actually my first 5k.  That fact didn't dawn on me until much later, but it is a weird thought.  My first race was the Shamrock 8k in Portland Oregon back in 2011 and everything since then has been a 10k or above.  So for a first 5k experience this was an interesting one.  I arrived way early, as I am apt to do, and it actually started misting.  I felt like these are my normal conditions only slightly warmer so I was good.  I kept an eye out for fellow Team runDisney folks, but I missed them all that morning.  I did however notice that most of the people hanging out with me in corral B had on Dopey bibs much like myself.  Little did I know that we would all be sticking so close together through the entire course.

The course was great!  We ran out of Epcot parking lot and to the right to come in to World Showcase close to Mexico and Norway.  There are few things as beautiful as World Showcase all lit up.  I tried to soak as much of it in as I could, but I was unable to shake my pack.  I felt a bit like cattle considering all the runners around me were sticking to a 9:45-10 minute mile.  I felt like it was fast, but I couldn't find a spot to slide into to slow down.  I went with it.  The adrenaline was pumping so I rounded World Showcase enjoying every little view I took in.  Before I knew it I was heading out past Spaceship Earth and back into the parking lot for the finish.  It was still dark!  33:09 was my final time for this "warm up" run.  I wondered though if that was too fast.  This being the first and shortest of four runs this weekend, I knew I would need to do something differently the next two days in order to survive the marathon on Sunday.

Just as the pack went out together, we arrived at the finish line together.  In the largest clump, all of us waiting to get our coveted 5k wristbands we funneled past the water and Powerade.  It seemed chaotic, but it moved relatively quickly after the initial stop.  It felt like somebody threw a party and about 50 extra people showed up.  However, I had my "medal" and my wristband, so I was ready for picture number one of the experience.  I grabbed my awesome box of snacks and headed back to the rental car noshing on my earned banana, for I knew I'd be back at the same place the very next day.

Fantastic first run, but there was way more to come...

A few pictures from the event...

Okay, very few.  Ha!  More will come in the next posts and the book of course!

Posts to come...

Here is a sneak peak at what is to come...  I plan to update every couple of days from now until Princess half, but I've got to get my students through finals first!  All I can tell you so far is 71 miles, 7 races in 11 days with 9 medals is just AMAZING!!!  More to come...

1 More Sleep... And it All Begins.

A quick one...

As I woke up this morning to go back to work today after winter, it hit me...  "one more sleep"!  How nice to come back from break for one day then head off to Walt Disney World!  Beyond excited over here.  Then when I was about to head to my classroom  the theme song for Chariots of Fire came over our PA (we do passing music instead of bells) and I thought, "how fitting".  2014 is going to be a phenomenal year!  This year is all about making my dreams my reality.

See you all in Florida!

Getting Nervous...

The realization has set in...  Here it is... Three more sleeps and I'll be in Florida!  A myriad of emotions are rolling through me right now. Will I forget something? Will I get everything done before I leave? Having a 14 month old changes everything. Not to mention, I feel guilty taking her away from her daddy for 6 whole days. Ideally Matt would be coming with us, but it just didn't work out that way.  So come Tuesday morning he'll be dropping us off at the airport for my big adventure.

Then there are the thoughts of my body... Will my knee hold up? Will my toenails survive?  Ah, but it's all just nerves. I've trained, I've done races leading up to this, including a 35 mile and 40 mile weekend.  48.6 isn't that much more, right? I mean other people run ultras and way bigger races than this one. I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be for the runs, but I'm not ready to go. Packing...  Hmmmm...  It would be bad enough if it was just me, but I'm taking Katie.  Carrying all of our stuff and her is going to be challenging to say the least.  Because of that I may be rethinking some of my costume choices and wardrobe while I'm there. Conserving space is probably a must.

None of this will matter when I finally make it there.  I have been training and thinking about this for almost a year, and it's finally here!  The exhilaration of storming the castle, literally, passing cheating fans, and earning all the bling and swag, yes, I am so ready! I can't wait to be surrounded by fellow running community buddies who are just as nuts about Disney as I am, so much so that they are stepping up to this crazy Dopey Challenge. 

Yep, I'm writing this as I can't sleep because I am so excited to get this show on the road.  I need to get the sleep though, for it have three of those left until I'm there.  To get the New Balance shoes, more Rawthreads, other running swag, ugh! These thoughts don't stop!  But I will let them go for now and say good night for now.  I'll keep everyone posted as this journey continues.

Race Recap: Rum Run 10K

Hands down...  My favorite 10k in the Portland area by far!  Even with an evil hill at mile 4.66, and more sun than this redhead generally enjoys this was by far my favorite race!  I will definitely be signing up for it in the years to come.  I first signed up because the race offered a mojito at the end and not just the standard beer (which I am not a fan of).  But the race had so much more.  The course was fantastic.  It started in Tualatin and worked it's way up to Tigard and back.  Very rarely were we just on roads, but weaved through neighborhoods and Cook's Park.  I know now I need to head down to Cook's Park to run with Katie.  It's shady and flat!  A perfect combination.  I credit the course with my time.  No I am not by any means back to my usual 10 minute mile, but I am now within a mile of that.  I didn't feel ready and yet I held an 11:05 pace even with a water stop and the one hill I walked (I ran all the rest).  I actually improved a minute from my 8k time with Bridge to Brews a little over a month ago.  Woo hoo!  Oh it felt so good.  I kept my head up on the uphills, I let it ride a bit on the down, and I smiled as I went the distance.  Great race!  A must do for 2014 for sure.

After race delights and rewards!  The mojito and teriyaki chicken were fantastic!

Found some friends!  Lilo was hanging out with the food, and Mr. Tiki was guarding the rum.  I loved that fellow runners asked me about the WDW Marathon; I feel so much pride when I where that shirt.  I can't wait to wear my Dopey one!

The Pirate Loot!!!  One of the best looking tech shirts for a race and great snacks!  Not to mention a new cow bell.

The things that kept me going...  My Nike + Watch, Clif Shot Cherry Blok, and my Arbonne water bottle, and coming home to that face!

Balance Revisited

Seriously!  Who can help me with this?  It is always the way, I start getting focused on one aspect of my life and then all other parts suffer.  Actually, I can focus on three things at once it seems.  Where does everyone find the time?  When I'm at work I'm dreaming about playing with my daughter, running, blogging, writing other things, starting my business, starting my book.  How do I fit it all in?  How do you?  It felt awesome to run during my prep period yesterday, but that only meant that the stack of 150 essays just sat there on my desk.  I still don't have the motivation to even look at them right now.  Summer is going to be so much fun.  Katie is getting so much personality; I can't wait to start swim classes and go running with her more.  Hopefully without my traditional job for two months I can catch up on my masters classes, blog, and training plans!  Not to mention really launching my Arbonne business.  I'm so excited about the products and am so hopeful that it will lead to me being able to spend more time with my family.  So if you are interested at all check out my new website!  DebbieShurson.myarbonne.com 

How would you use an extra couple of hours in your day?

Community

I have to just say how much I love the running community!  I am so proud to be a part of it.  Not just for the big things like banding together for Boston, but for the little things as well.  I love this sport for the fact that I am only competing with myself, and everyone is so encouraging.  Case in point today...  I took a PTO day to be with my beautiful daughter and I decided it was time that we finally took our first run together.  As we headed out on the Fanno Creek Trail ( a good flat and shaded one) I saw the usual runners giving hellos and waves.  But my favorite came when I was passing two women out for a jog.  One of them saw me pushing Katie with my WDW Marathon shirt and yelled, "Alright!  If she can do it, so can we!"  Then flashed me a big smile.  That's right.  We all can do it!  I had missed my 6 mile training run this last weekend, but this 3.5 pushing Katie felt spectacular.  I can't wait to get out with her again.  It was so great after my day had started early with a smash.  No literally, I ran right into my bedroom door and fell down when I was running to check on Katie this morning at 4:00am.  Not even the sore, potentially bruised nose could keep me away.  What a fantastic day I've had with my little girl, the run and later tonight I am launching my Arbonne business (gotta find a way to stay home with Katie more and pay for all of these runDisney events!).  So much for hump day!  More like new starts day!  Thanks running community for always being there for me!

As you can see...  I worked a little harder than she did.  ;)  Someday she will truly run with me.

Side note:  More motivation came out today by the way of runDisney!  Check it out!
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/05/rundisney-reveals-disneyland-half-marathon-weekend-bling/

I wish I was doing it this year, but I will for sure be doing it next year!