Race Recap – Page 10 – Zenaida Arroyo

Category: Race Recap

09
Nov
2014

Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon

categories: Race Recap, RunDisney, Running, Travel

On Saturday I ran my last Disney race of the year. I read several reviews prior to the race and they all wrote about how much fun it is. I was excited and looking forward to it. However, I was not ready for the weather.

I got into Orlando Saturday morning on a 5:30 am flight. Once I landed I made arrangements with Emily to head over to the expo. We got our packets and proceeded to see what items we would buy. It was pretty much set up the same way with the same vendors as in previous Disney races. I bought two Team Sparkle skirts. One to match my Oiselle singlet and a pink one because well why not? I also purchased a pair of Balega Hidden Comfort socks. Wow, definitely did not get one blister even with all of the rain!

Perhaps a future race for me?

Great shirt but not much good stuff in the bag.

After the expo Emily and I headed back to the hotel for lunch. Her husband, Adam, also met us there. I was tired and in need of a nap. Well, that didn’t go well because I ended up not taking a nap. I tried. I drank a Coconut Mojito, watched TV and even graded some homework. Nothing worked. I finally got up at 5:30 to get ready and head over to the cafeteria for dinner.

After dinner I got in line for the shuttle bus. I did not have to wait long and was at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex around 7:30. I waited for Jeff and Elaine as we had plans to hang out prior to the race. A few minutes later they arrived and off we went to wait a long time for the start.

There wasn’t a lot of people yet so the bathroom lines were not long. Of course I did not have to go at that moment but did have to go just before the start of the race.

There was so much excitement around us. It was cool looking at costumes and for a minute I regretted not wearing one. There was a DJ playing great music and some people were dancing. Finally it was time to check my gear bag and head over to our corral and to wait some more.

I was in Corral D but moved back one corral to join Jeff and Elaine. By then it was drizzling a little so I put on my poncho. Thanks to Jeff and Elaine for buying it for me!!

Love the fireworks to announce the start of a new corral. Finally it was time to run. It was dark. I did not like that at all. I took it slowly to take it all in.

The first few miles were on the road between the parks. There was nothing exciting to see. There might have been some characters but honestly I do not remember. Finally we arrived at Animal Kingdom. There were a few characters but I only took a picture of Timon from my favorite Disney movie “The Lion King”.

Then it was back on the road. It started to rain more and I was cold. I could feel some chafing in my inner thighs. Halfway through the race is when I lost it. I had little energy and blamed it on so many things. But I kept going. Well, mostly walking. My right hip was bothering me and my toes too from the neuroma and the bunion.

Then we got to Hollywood Studios which was my favorite part of the race.

I spent a good few minutes enjoying the view and taking pictures. It was definitely magical for me.

Then on to the Boardwalk which left us with about 2 miles to go. I was miserable and could not stop feeling sorry for myself. I really, really tried to enjoy the whole race but just couldn’t.

Almost there!

I was so happy to see this sign. Once I saw it, I took some pictures and ran to the finish line. I think I heard the announcer say my name but am not sure. Heck, my name is not common and so easy to mispronounce.

Each mile marker had a different travel destination picture and music to go with it.

Before the race I had decided to enjoy the post race festivities. Ha, big change of plans. I walked a long time (it seemed long to me) back to the shuttle buses to take me back to the hotel. Once in my room I cranked up the heat and called it a night. I think by then it was almost 3am.

This was definitely not the experience I was expecting for this race. I did not like running through the parks at night. There was definitely nothing pleasant about running in the rain. I liked the crowd support and volunteers. It was very well organized even with over 14,000 runners. And yes there is something magical about running a Disney race. The metals are pretty neat. And I got two of them!

I did like staying at the Disney All-Star Sports Resort. My room was about $113 with taxes and it included transportation from/to airport and resort. Plus, it included transportation to the expo, parks, and race.

Disney races can be fun but also EXPENSIVE. Next year I would love to do the Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon in Disneyland. And I am hoping to get together with some friends for the Princess Half Marathon in 2016.

Next race: Williams Route 66 Half Marathon in Tulsa, OK, on November 23.

03
Nov
2014

Princeton Half Marathon

categories: Race all 50 states, Race Recap, Running

On Sunday I ran in state #31 in New Jersey. I’ve already written about what I did the day before the race.

On race day I got up at 5:20 am. I slept OK that night but was still tired and had a headache. I quickly made my coffee and got dressed. The night before I had picked my clothes and decided to wear pants and a long sleeve underneath my Oiselle singlet. I had two shirts to pick from depending on the weather. That morning the weather forecast was 41 degrees which I figured was decent running weather. I picked the yellowish shirt. Once I was done I went downstairs and then outside to check again the weather. It was cold! But I knew that I would warm up once I began running. I waited for my Uber driver and in the meantime got a big plastic bag to keep me warm while I waited in line for the race to start. I must remember to pack one in my suitcase just in case I need one again.

The driver dropped me off at 6:25. I had plenty of time to wait. Did I mention it was cold? Oh and it was windy too. I did not want to wait outside so I walked to a café place and waited there till about 6:55. I then got in line and the race started a few minutes later. I was surprised there was no singing of the National Anthem or maybe I missed it? No time to fret about it cause it was time to run.

As usual my first mile was my fastest (10:18). I was surprised at how good I was feeling. I did warm up a little but still felt cold because the wind had a mind of its own. The first few miles went by fast. We ran on the road and trail which helped break up the rhythm of just running on pavement. Trail running is definitely more difficult. It was nice not to deal with the wind.

There were hills. Oh boy. There was one before mile 6 and it felt like it was a mile long. Surprisingly it took me almost 14 minutes to finish that mile. I say surprisingly because it felt longer than 14 minutes. I walked most of it because it was just so darn long! My quads were burning and I felt some tightness in my left leg similar to my race in Des Moines but without the glutes pain.

I thought the last half of the course was prettier but more difficult. We ran through the streets of Princeton. Beautiful area with lovely homes. But it definitely had more hills. I was tired and in pain. My new shoes gave me no trouble except for some chafing on my right foot near my bunion. I’ve experienced similar chafing with other shoes so I know it wasn’t because of my new shoes. I guess it is time to get that surgery I’ve put off.

See all of the hills?

There wasn’t much crowd support but the small amount that there was did help. The volunteers were wonderful too. As for the medal, well I am not too happy about it. My nephew told me that I have nicer ones.

I am glad I did this race. It was definitely challenging for me but still a pretty course. I first thought of doing it last year but instead decided to run the Manchester Half Marathon. And boy am I glad I did because I got to meet Kathrine Switzer!

If you plan to run this race in the future make sure to stay at the Nassau Inn in town or rent a car.

Next race: Run Disney Wine and Dine in Florida. It was be my last Disney race this year.

20
Oct
2014

IMT Des Moines Half Marathon

categories: Race all 50 states, Race Recap, Running, Running Gear

On Sunday I ran the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon with my friend Jaime. I can honestly say it was a great race!

My last race was the Disneyland Half Marathon in August. It was that week after the race that I decided not to run anymore the Chicago Marathon. Since then my running/training went downhill. I went back to work and was staying there till 6pm and honestly the last thing I wanted to do was go out for a run. I ran a couple of Saturdays with Lety but I wasn’t exactly training for a half marathon.

I began to panic as the race day got closer and almost backed out because I didn’t feel ready. I then decided to just go for it. I am so glad I did.

The race began at 8am. It was 39 degrees at 7am and I decided to wear shorts, compression socks, and a long sleeve shirt underneath my Oiselle singlet. Jaime and I left the hotel at 7:30am and headed over to the start line. It was chilly but the walking warmed me up a little bit. Once we got there, we took a few pictures, and waited for the race to begin. My favorite part of the beginning of a race is the National Anthem.

Finally it was time to run. I had no time goal. I wore my watch but set it to only show the distance. I also wore my iPod. I don’t remember the last time I wore them during a race and it felt good to hear some good tunes while running.

The first couple of miles went by fast. There were a few hills but nothing too horrible. It was gorgeous outside and I was warming up with the sun. I wasn’t uncomfortable hot but just warm.

We ran through two parks. That was my favorite part of the course. It was beautiful plus it was flat. Very peaceful too. It was after running through the second park that my left side began to hurt..from the glutes to the calf. I would run, walk, and repeat.

I had passed the 10 mile marker when two male marathon runners passed me up. Wow, they were speedy!

desmoines5

The last two miles were back to downtown Des Moines. Luckily it was not as hilly as the beginning of the race.

desmoines6

Four more marathon runners passed me up. I hurried on determined not to let the female marathon winner passed me up too. But I just couldn’t with that darn pain. Then I heard a siren and knew the female winner was behind me. And she passed me up. I knew I was close to the finish line but just could not see it. There were so many people cheering for her but I pretended that it was all for me. Finally I saw the finish line and ran for it. Finish time is 2:31:56 and yes I am very happy with it.

The best part was the post-party. There was food and more food. It was neverending. There was water, gatorade, chocolate milk, pizza, cookies, protein bars, chips with nacho cheese, and sandwiches. Jaime and I talked about how we’ve never seen this much food at other races. Hmm, not even at the very expensive Disney or Rock ‘n’ Roll races.

desmoines8

I love the long sleeve shirt we got. I am definitely keeping this one.

Overall it was a great race. I enjoyed the course and the weather was gorgeous. There were plenty of water stations and two Gu stations. The spectators and volunteers were wonderful. And let’s not forget all of the food after the race. The medal was OK.

As for my glutes and calf? I foam rolled at the hotel after the race and am feeling much better. The pain could have been caused from the lacking of training/running or from wearing a new pair of Superfeet insoles. Who knows? All I know is that it doesn’t hurt anymore.

Next race is Princeton Half Marathon on November 2nd. Can’t wait!

02
Sep
2014

Disneyland Half Marathon

categories: Race Recap, RunDisney, Running

Sunday was the half marathon and last race of the Dumbo Double Dare. It will be my last Disneyland race because I have decided not to run any more races there. Definitely too expensive.

Another 4am wake up call. I did not want to drink another cup of terrible coffee so I made a stop at Starbucks. The line was LONG. I then had to use the bathroom and was glad to use one in Downtown Disney instead of a port-a-potty. Jaime and I were in our corral by 5:10.

I was feeling really good in the beginning but then struggled for the next 12 miles. It was very humid and I was sweating a lot before mile 1. It could have been that I had just finished my coffee. A mistake I don’t plan to repeat. My plan was to run with Jaime but yeah that did not happen.

I took it easy and ran slow the rest of the race. I took pictures and drank water at every water station.

The folkloric dancers were finishing their dance but I could hear the mariachi music as I was running.

It was hot and these sponges came in handy. I remember someone was handing out oranges which were really good but can’t remember if it was at this stop.

Had a blast watching these dancers and the little girl was adorable.

Pretty neat running through Angel Stadium. This was maybe mile 9 or 10. I did not know how much longer it was going to take me to run the rest of the race so I sent a text to Jaime telling her not to wait for me at the end and to instead head over to the hotel. She is a good person and told me that she would wait for me.

Finally done!

Jaime and I with our medals. She got an extra one because of the Coast to Coast Challenge (running a race in both FL and CA in the same calendar year).

My three medals from this weekend. My favorite is the one for completing the Dumbo Double Dare.

Overall it was a great race and I had fun running through the parks. Many people had wonderful costumes and for one second I was jealous of not wearing one too. I can’t remember which characters were at the parks. I saw Jeff Galloway at the expo but not during my races. I ran really slow. I wore shoes with more cushion (Brooks Ravenna 5) but my toes still hurt. I am worried because I don’t know how they will feel for the rest of my long runs for marathon training.

Next race: Chicago Marathon

01
Sep
2014

Disneyland 10K

categories: Race Recap, RunDisney, Running

On Saturday I ran the Disneyland 10k as part of the Dumbo Double Dare. It is a 10k on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday.

If you’ve ran a Disney race before then you know that it means a very early wake up call. The race started at 5:30am and I was up at 4. I got dressed, drank coffee (terrible coffee from the hotel), and made my way over to the race with Jaime. It took us about 20 minutes from the hotel to the start line. I like running at Disneyland because it is an easy walk to the race.

Great weather for running. There were so many people and I enjoyed looking at everyone’s costume.

I was in Corral B and couldn’t get a good view of the announcers nor Stitch. This race was all about Stitch. Time to run! My only goal was to have fun and finish.

The first 2 miles were outside of the parks. Then it was back to the parks which I actually enjoyed.

Every mile marker had a picture of Stitch.

Jaime and I with our medals.

I am not crazy about the meal. It looks like a very scary Stitch. Or a lobster.

Great race! I love running through both parks. Plus, it was beautiful seeing them while it was still dark. I don’t remember seeing many Disney characters but I don’t usually stop for a photo with them. It was well organized and well coordinated even while trying to exit the park while walking through Downtown Disney (the runners were still passing through there).

At the finish line I got a snack box, bottle of water, bottle of Powerade, and a banana. Not much but it is the same thing from my other Disney races.

Next race: Disneyland Half Marathon