Last weekend, Darin and I ran the Star Wars Half Marathon at Walt Disney World.  This was my second Run Disney event.  Last year, I ran the inaugural Dark Side themed race.  It was my first half marathon, and my first time ever running 13.1 miles.   Last year, I had no idea what I was doing and I was on my own.  Unfortunately, my excitement lead me to being ill prepared.   All runners had to be at the busses at 3am.  I forgot my banana and had nothing to eat before my corral started around 6:30 am.  While Disney did offer a spread at the waiting area, I also forgot to bring cash.  During the run, I didn’t really have anyone  to share my excitement with and when I was finished, it was hard to convey how amazing the experience really was.

This year was different.  This year, Darin was running with me.   I also learned my lesson, so when we headed to the busses this time around, we were prepared with bagels, peanut butter and drinks.  This year, when I saw something cool, I had someone to look over at and geek out with.  This time, I wasn’t the only one giggling like a kid at the excitement of running through the parts of that park that are generally only seen by cast members.

As per Run Disney custom, we dressed up for the run.  I was Darth Vader and he was  a Storm Trooper.  One thing I did really well last year, and repeated this year, was that I made my costume first and foremost running gear.  I did not want to sacrifice comfort on the run for looks.  I also knew that like last year, I would want to peel off layers and ditch them, so the costume was made in easy to remove on the run segments.

Having the costume easily come apart as needed on the run came in especially handy this year as it was record heat for that race.  Several areas of the race were flanked with paramedics assisting people with hydration or heat issues.  We made sure to take electrolytes and water at every station, which is not something I generally do but knew it was necessary this time.  One woman from the mid-west told us she wasn’t sure how she would make it, it was so hot and humid.  She pushed on but it was clear she was having a hard time.  Since we are Florida natives and knew to keep hydration a priority, we didn’t really have any issues.  We also fueled about 3 times during the race with Hammer gels.

One thing that made having a partner this time a bit more challenging, was navigating the crowd.  When I was on my own, I just dodged and weaved however seemed right.  There were over 16,000 people at the run.  When you are trying to stay together among hundreds at any given time, that makes things a little more challenging.  When we got to the finish line, I was relieved.  Somewhere around mile 10, I did something to my knee when trying to get around someone and I was quite ready to be done.  Thankfully, the Run Disney people are amazing to their runners.  After we crossed the finish there were people there ready to help patch us up.  I got an ice pack strapped to my knee and we headed in to get snacks and headed to the bus.

After showers, some breakfast and a much-needed nap, we enjoyed the rest of the day at Epcot.  You better believe I treated myself to a caramel frappuccino too!

 

 

 

While strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government, it does make for a fun themed run! (For those that are not nerds, check out Monty Python and the Holy Grail.)

Darin and I drove up to Melbourne Saturday to get our packets and check in for the Excalibur 10 mile run.  This is our second year doing this race.  We participated in the inaugural one last year and signed on for the “Game of Stones” series.  There’s four years, each of which has a stone.  Last year was emerald, this year is sapphire, next year is ruby, and the final is diamond.   If you do all of them (which we plan to) you get a crown and chalice too!  (Yeah, I know, we are geeks.)

Last year we had a hard time with this run in a few ways.  First and foremost it was hard to even sign up.  We knew D2 wouldn’t be ready for 10 miles, nor did he want to go, and we really don’t take off and leave him behind for things like this.  We hadn’t done a race of that length yet at the time.  I had only been running a few months and on top of that I had shin splints.    Not to mention we had Hera with us because the hotel was pet friendly.  She was absolutely terrified of the elevator and shook like a leaf when we gently nudged her in each time.  We had her on our mind during the run too.  We hoped she wasn’t crying the entire time.  Several of the miles took place on a dirt road which was totally unexpected and uncomfortable.  It certainly wasn’t a horrible run, it just wasn’t that great either.

This year I knew things would be better.  Back to that first point, D2 has had several sleep overs during the last year and has also proved himself a sensible kid and has a good head on his shoulders so we weren’t as concerned with leaving him.  Hera is on meds, so I was hopeful she’d have a better time too.  I was in good health and in good spirits.  We didn’t have any kind of goal for time, we just wanted to enjoy running together.

The drive up was smooth and Hera did great.  We picked up our packets and headed to the hotel.  I went to check in while Darin walked Hera a bit.  I reminded the woman at the counter that I noted the file when I made the reservations that we had the dog with us so I needed a pet friendly room.  She looked at me and said “I’m so sorry, but we’re not a pet friendly hotel anymore.”  My heart sank.  I advised her that I had made the reservation almost a year ago and no one said anything when the file has the note about Hera, I asked her what I was supposed to do.  She took a moment, clicked around on the computer, and said “Well, since she’s a service dog there’s nothing else we need to do.  You’re all checked in.  Sorry for the mini heart attack.”  I thanked her in all sincerity, and went to get Darin and my newly deemed service dog.

Unfortunately, meds or not, Hera is still terrified of the elevator, but other than that she did well.  When it came time to sleep, she paced a bit, looked over and jumped into the bed. At home we don’t allow her on the furniture, especially the bed, but she was nervous and we both agreed it was ok….just for the one night.  It was worth it because we all got more sleep than we expected.

The next morning we grabbed some coffee at Dunkin and hung out with her a bit before the race.  It was really cool outside, so I knew the conditions would be perfect.  We had whipped up some “armor” to wear, which we ditched at mile 4 because it got too hot, but was totally worth the effort.  I purposely made it pretty much disposable because I’ve learned what I can and can’t endure.  We had a blast just running together, talking about upcoming races and plans for the future.  We aren’t big “date night” people, but who needs that when you have these types of days in your life anyway?!  I’m so grateful for  our relationship.  We held a great pace the entire race and cut 20 minutes off last year’s time which was an added bonus.  We crossed the finish line feeling amazing and with smiles on our faces.  Can’t wait until next month when we do the Start Wars half marathon!