A Marathon of Basketball & Training Fail #1

This weekend was an OFF weekend of training for me. Was this planned? Ummm sort of... let's start from the beginning. 


I'm always surprised to hear that some of you don't know this, but... Cincinnati is actually at the southern tip of OH. Being on the border to KY, we have a lot of those Kentucky ruffians pushing their way in. Six of these said ruffians are my friends. They all went to UK for undergrad and are huge Wildcat fans. This past weekend they took me on a road trip to brainwash me cheer on Kentucky at the SEC tournament in Atlanta, GA. 


We left on Friday afternoon and about 7 hours in 1 car-- yes, 7 people in 1 car-- we were in Atlanta! Now about the training. If you haven't been to one of these events before, Alcohol revolves around it almost as much as the basketball. We were out until pretty late Friday night and had to be at the game by 1, so I only had time for  a quick 10-miler. After UK won their Saturday game it was time to celebrate at the bar... at 4pm. Kentucky fans were swarming in ATL this weekend. With all the hype and the win, who was I to say 'no' to a little celebration??... 

This led to Sunday morning, where I was pretty sure I was going get sick if I tried any sort of bopping motion... or really any kind of motion at all. This left running and the elliptical out! I was left with a bike option, so I DL'd Dean Karnaze's book 50/50 to my kindle and rode on. It looks like we're going to have to strike 1 "FAIL" on Steph's training. It's ok because 1) I planned for 1 or 2 weeks that I wasn't going to be able to train for. (I was assuming this would be due to injury or illness... but I'll take a good old hangover as an excuse). Also... 2) It was SO worth it! I knew this weekend would involve either a celebration or drinking our sorrows away. 


Have no fear! I'm not losing that much traction here. This week is a drop down-- and MY BIRTHDAY!!-- then next week I'll be doing a double full- marathon weekend at the National Marathon in D.C and the Bataan Death March in White Sands, NM! Talk about a kick in the @$$ to get back into training! Oh by the way... in case you didn't know... UK WON THE TOURNAMENT!!! Also, we tried SO hard to get on TV with "CATS" signs as well as a few other more creative "Charlie Sheen Inspired signs." After much effort (even hungover) we thought we had failed. Then on our way home we found out we had been more successful than we thought!!! 


Please take a second to go to this site and tell me what you see...
http://www.nationofblue.com/kentucky-claims-second-straight-sec-title-5922/

That's right! The recap of the game on the UK fan page has just 2 pictures... 1 of the team with their championship trophies and 1 of US!!!! Below is the picture. After 2 days of carrying around signs and holding them up at every commercial break, we were discovered after all!!!! SUCCESS. :)

Hope you all had a great weekend whether or not it involved running! This weekend is the "Heart Mini Marathon"... don't even get me started on the name of this event. Up until the last year, the longest distance was a 15k. Fortunately they at least put a half marathon into the schedule so the name isn't as bad. It's also my BIRTHDAY weekend... how else would I celebrate besides running a race?? 


Happy Running,
*~Stephanie~*
"Run to Win" -Meb

Hello Quadzilla! WS100 Training Week 13 & Boston Speed Schedule!

I never got around to posting my WS training from last week. The first thing you'll notice is that it's only a 6 day schedule. I had been running a Tues-Mon week so I could get my long runs in on Sunday and Monday (due to Sunday marathons) but this past weekend I was actually home and did purely training runs. So I started on Tuesday (the day after last weeks long run) and ended on Sunday. Make sense? No? Yeah well it's pretty early in the am for me too!

Here it is...

LR's: It looks a little lame, being only 6 days, but Monday I had actually done 13, so that's a lot of mileage in a week. I posted about my long runs earlier this week but I did the Flying Pig Marathon course (at least part of it) both days. I felt good on both days which I think is especially good because these are the longest PURELY training runs I've ever done. Even in marathon training I had never gone over 23 miles. 25 without a medal? I can  deal.... you won't see me going over 26 miles without it counting for something! 

HILLS?!? Yeah a lot of hill training this week. I felt like I was slacking so I made up. Eek. Even my Monday run was 13 miles of hill repeats the day after the Princess Half Marathon. And to answer your next question... yes, my jeans are feeling a little tight around the quad area. Quadzillllllaaaa! Below is a picture from the Princess Half of me and the man legs. No those are not superimposed on my body... they are real!

The sad thing? I'm getting smaller everywhere else! I'm going to look like a horse soon... or a linebacker. Hey if this finance thing doesn't workout, I can always audition as the next "office linebacker." 

You know you can totally see me doing these commercials... I bring da boom!

Boston Bound!!! Bring on the Pain Speed Train!!!

Yesterday I mentioned that Coach Bob had included a training program for me to follow for the next few weeks to pick up some speed and that I would share it with you. This tough part is combining WS100 Ultra training with speed, but hey! The elites run over 100 miles a week and still get in speed. If they can do it, so can I! 

I'm going to focus on 2 days of speed work per week. The speed work is going to be surrounded be at least 2 warmup and 2 cool down miles so I can get in my ultra training. 

Tuesdays: Mojo Training- (Mojo is my running store) Short/Quick speed. Unusual mixes of 400's to 1-miles. My tempo is kept right around a 6 min/mile pace for ALL reps. The idea is to be QUICK but consistent. Ex. next week we will be doing 8x400's. The first 400 done in 1m30s isn't so bad, but by the 6th to 8th rep, my legs are feeling a little jelly. 

Thursdays: Mile Repeats! These are going to get up to about 6 miles repeats. The ranges are set between 6:15 to 6:30 per mile without 2-3 minutes of rest between. Today I'll be starting slow with 4x1mile at a 6:30 pace and 2 minutes of rest. 

No falling apart! That's the only rule. Thanks for all the input on what your speed sessions look like! Any other speed workouts you would like to share? Get them in soon...I'll post them tomorrow!!!

Happy (Speedy) Running,
*~Stephanie~*
"Run to Win" -Meb

Coach's Corner with Coach Bob... 5 Tips for a Speed(ier) Boston!

The Boston Marathon is only about 5.5 weeks out-- are you pumped? I know I am! You have your training in... you've logged your miles... maybe you've even done a practice race or (in my case) about 15-20 practice races. But, c'mon now, this is BOSTON! One of the fastest marathons out there. Is it possible to shed a few extra minutes this late in the game? Of course it is! I talked to Coach Bob and got some tips as well as a training plan -- that I'll share with you later-- but I thought some of you may want to hear Coach Bob's tips as well. And hey, if you're not running Boston, it's ok-- use these in the last few weeks of any goal race! 

Coach Bob has graciously offered his knowledge and advice to us over the next 5 weeks on Steph's Coach's Corner. Check back every Wednesday for most Boston Marathon Tips from Coach Bob! 

You're probably saying... who is this "Coach Bob?" That's a very good question! I've mentioned him before in some of my speed workouts. You may remember him better as the fool guy that thinks he's going to beat me in a combined time double marathon weekend. Pshhhh More about Bob? For one, he runs the speed workouts at Mojo Running-- a local running group/store. Last fall, after just a few of his workouts I pulled 10 minutes off my prior PR of 3:35 and nailed a 3:25. He also gave me my workouts that led to my 3:21 at RnR Phoenix. Not good enough? Well here is more on Coach Bob...

Name: Coach Bob Fritz

Years Running: 30!

Years Coaching: 18!

Runners: Junior High through Adults

Boston's Run: 2 (2008 and 2009)

BQ's Attempted/Made: 2/2 (show off)

Coach Bob and I after the RnR Phoenix

Finally... Coach Bob's 5 Tips for a Speed(ier) Boston in 5 Weeks:

1.  Speed will help with leg turnover and running efficiency.
2.  Speed will help with the last part of the endurance/base building phase
3.  Speed will train your form to run smooth when you are tired, and even on uphills and downhills.
4.  Some speed workout examples:
     ~3 - 6 x 1 mile repeats done @ 10k race pace with 3 minute rest between each.
     ~8 - 12 x 400 meters done @ 5k pace with 1:30 rest between each.
     ~6 - 10 x 30 sec uphills.  These hills should be done on a gradual incline and done at about 85% effort with an easy jog down the hill for recovery.
     ~6 - 10 x 30 sec DOWNHILLS.  These will allow for the leg muscles to be teased for the downhill portions of Boston.  Plus, they do help with leg turnover.
5.  Most importantly, speed allows a runner to feel mentally and emotionally stronger.  After weeks and weeks of long runs and just base work, speed will really fine tune your muscles into feeling great about your goal race pace on marathon day!  

What are your favorite speed workouts? Leave a comment or shoot me an email and I'll post them later this week! 

Happy Running,
*~Stephanie~*
"Run to Win" -Meb

AE/Pitt Half Free Entry & MOTIVATION!!!!

First, Arctic Ease has a contest for entries into the sold out Dick's Sporting Good Pittsburgh Half marathon. Daily winner will get an entry and prize pack. The GRAND PRIZE winner will get air fare and hotel!!! For more, go to their contest page on FB here. 


If you want to be the first to hear more about awesome contests like the one above *like* my page on facebook... I'll be posting notes on any contests up there. I'll also be putting up meet-up information for upcoming races including BOSTON! Like Steph's 50 Marathon Challenge here.


Motivation!
Recently a friend asked how I stayed motivated in ultra training. It was bad enough when I just had a LOT of marathons to do with hard-- albeit shorter-- training in between. Now I have weekly double long runs as well as a LOT of training in between. Take this weekend...


Saturday 3/5/10 08:00 @ Flying Pig Start area
If you have ever run the Flying Pig Marathon you know it's just a LITTLE hilly (yes, that's sarcasm). I met up with Mojo Running's group training to do a long run. We started around the start area of the pig, but instead of wrapping into KY for some flat mileage, we jumped RIGHT to the huge hill climb you normally get around mile 7 of the marathon. We wrapped through the middle part of the course to the finish, bringing in 14 miles. Paul (the owner of Mojo) and I went back out another mile to get other runners in. After 15 *fun* but fast long run miles, I had another 10 to do by myself. So, I did the first part of the pig completing my LONGEST purely training run on my life. 25 miles done with no fanfare, no medal, no cheering, not even a water. Just the pride and my car for a ride home to take a long nap! 


Sunday 3/6/10 11:00 @ KY side of the Flying Pig!
I met up with a couple of friends that are training for the half pig-- and 1 training for Chicago full!!!-- for a run. Wrapping around the first part of the pig, we ran 7 miles. I then went over to my hill repeat area for another 6 miles then weight lifting after. Woohoo quadzilla! 


Weekends like this aren't so bad because I have buddies to take my mind off of running. However, when they go off to have lunch, relax, nap, and do FAR more entertaining things than run more... it definitely gets hard! Keeping myself motivated is NOT always easy. There are a lot of emotions that flood through you as you go mile after mile, especially when your head or heart aren't into it. I like to think of these emotions in the stages of grief....


Mile 0:
Denial or Isolation-- "25 miles isn't THAT long.... it's really only 1 mile... then 1 mile... then 1 mile... then... etc." This will go by in NO time. This stage happens when I'm heading out to start my long run. If I tell myself 25 is short... it WILL be short, right?


Mile 10: 
Anger-- this usually happens around the time my running buddies are wrapping up their long runs and speeding up as they get toward the finish and I know I have to head out to do more. Thought: "Yeah cool, let's speed up for the last 4 miles then my legs can be jello for the extra 10 I get to add on... fun.

Mile 15:

Depression-- The buddies are heading to a local bar/restaurant for lunch. I run away into the gloom and doom of the cloudy, rainy day all by myself. Thought "this kinda sucks... and I'm hungry."

Mile 20: 
Bargaining-- Around mile 20 I consider spacing out my runs. "If I stop at 22, then I can just do 16 tomorrow instead of 13." 


Mile 23: 
Acceptance-- I'm finishing this thing up because it's making me stronger and well... it's 2 miles to my car so I don't have much of a choice. 


Mile 25:
We come full circle back to Denial: I'm at the finish with my first of 2 long runs done for the weekend. Thought "that wasn't bad at all! I did 25 in less than 3:40 for a training run and I feel good... 13 tomorrow is going to be a breeze!" (bahaha stupid girl...)


All kidding aside it isn't always easy before, during, or after to do so many miles in a week. I'm not one of those crazy people that just LOVES to run. I'm not a robot that can go mile after mile without a care. Some days I just DO NOT want to run and it's a struggle to get out of the house, let alone move my feet mile after mile. What do I do to keep myself motivated?


~ Goals! I remind myself of how importantly my goals are. I know I have WS100 in just a few short months. I try to think of every tough run as one more mile toward my goal. The more challenging the run that day (mentally or physically) the more I know it will help me at my race. 
~ Races! As you know I enter a lot of races just as training runs. Even if I'm not running them hard, it keeps my mind off the miles to have people to run with, have a medal to look forward to, and have more races to add to my marathon maniac yearly total! 
~Focus! I take regular inventories of my stride, posture, pace to keep my mind off the miles. Sometimes I try different forms or speeds and see how long I can hold it. One of the new things I'm trying out is the posture for Chi Running-- running tall and leaning forward slightly, focused on breathing.
~Mixing it up! Every run has a different focus and I know each of those are important, so missing one of them a week can be pretty critical. My short run day is a big speed day. The long runs will get me the endurance I need. My 2nd middle run day is a tempo run, which keeps me quick and my cross training day is going to build my legs for hills! 
~Reading Up! During my XT day I like to bring my Runners World magazine or another running related book (Born to Run?). Having the weekly inspiration keeps my head in the game and makes me WANT to train. 
~Blogging! Yep, you guys keep me going. Knowing that I have to come back to you all saying "I failed" has gotten me through some tough long runs that I would have quit otherwise. I also love hearing your stories of strength and determination! 


What tricks do you use to stay motivated??


Happy Running,
*~Stephanie~*
"Run to Win" -Meb

Eating for Ultra Running & Fun Photos Friday!

FUN FOTO FRIDAY! 
I made an album of the few-- but great!-- running legends I've had the opportunity to meet over the past few years. The catch? You have to go to my facebook "fan" page to see them. This includes everybody from Maniac legend Dave Mari up to Marathon god Dean Karnazes! If you look to the upper right corner of my blog, you'll notice that I've added a social media link. Feel free to follow the facebook icon to my fan page and if you're a twitterer, I just did my first tweet this week! I'm still learning so any tips and tricks would be wonderful :)


Eating for 4!

No, I'm not pregnant with triplets but, I am eating even more than my usual gluttonous self. My friend, Marlene, has been twittering about food a lot and I don't blame her! With all the miles we put in, we need lots of fuel to aid in recovery. When I first started increasing my mileage for this crazy ultra training I noticed my appetite (which was already remarkably large) was getting even bigger. Now? I'm practically famished 20 minutes after having a meal. I found my options were to either eat whatever I could find constantly-- which reminded me of a squirrel storing up for winter-- or get smart about it and start eating foods that stayed with me. 


Fun fact! You may notice some marathoners actually start to GAIN weight as they pick up their training. With all the miles, how is this possible? There are a few reasons for this: 
1) They say "hey I ran 26 miles, I can eat whatever I want"... and do so for approximately 3 days after, consuming far more calories than they're burning. 
2) Your body is adjusting to the increase in activity and will start to store food whenever it can, expecting that you will surprise it with another marathon sneak attack!!! 
3) Building Muscles! The longer the distance, the most muscle accumulates in those upper thighs! Muscle weighs more than fat.. but don't use this as an excuse past a few lbs. 


Eating for Ultras...
I've always been the "5-6 meals/day" kind of runner, but this ultra training was really getting to me. I found just eating a lot and eating balanced wasn't enough. I needed to find foods that stick with me through the day and increase my consumption of those without increasing TOO many calories. The things that I've found to help me are:


~Rice!!! The days I have rice I can run longer and faster with much less fatigue. I also notice I don't get as hungry. This goes the same for other starches like potatoes.... you may or may not know this put MOST ultras have cooked-- and sometimes salted (yum!)-- potatoes at their aid stations to help the runners. The salt is also a key element for us runners as we lose a lot.. esp in the hot months. 


~Fruit & Fiber! These will fill you up as well as put back all the vitamins and good stuff you lose while exerting yourself. My fav? Apples and Peanut Butter! I'm a sweet eater and this helps balance the need for fruits, natural sugar, protein, and a little bit of fat! 


~Fats & Oils! Part of keeping a balanced diet is including some fat-- this is especially true for runners. But, it's all about picking the right kind of fats. I try to work a little olive oil or avocado into my diet a few times a week when I'm feeling sluggish. 


~Carbs! RW recently posted that for every hour of addl activity you should increase your intake of carbs by 50-100 grams. What do I do? Eat Pasta at key times. The first? 2 night before my longest run. The 2nd? For me, I have a hard time digesting so I need to eat earlier in the day on marathon eve. Pre long run or marathon I always have at least 1 bagel. 


~H2-Oh-no!!! If you know me, you know I HATE water! It tastes terrible and I'd rather consumer liquids through other means... like my bad habit of Mnt Dew-- or "crack in a can." But, H20 helps to fill you up and helps get those healthy foods above into your system more efficiently. Also, as Joe from the marathon show pointed out recently... drinking water can help keep your heart rate down during exercise so you can run longer and faster. 


This ultra training is full of lots of new and different but hey-- the fun is in the learning, right? Right! As I get closer to WS hopefully I dont get MUCH more hungry or I may end up going broke from grocery expenses! hehe. 


Have a wonderful weekend. If you're racing, remember to find a goal to push yourself. If you're doing a long run good luck and have fun. How far are you running this weekend? 


Happy Running,
*~Stephanie~*
"Run to Win" -Meb

The Dark Side of the Princess Half... Story Time!

Once Upon a Time....

There was a princess that went on a quest to run ALL the way through a magic kingdom in a 13.1 mile race. Having completed this epic quest, the princess-- being a little obsessive-- decided that she had not done enough and would go back through the course. On the way back she cheered on many other princesses that were enjoying themselves along their own quests. Most runners thanked the princess or cheered back in return. The princess was so happy to see the magic kingdom filled with many happy princesses who all supported each other-- hey, we don't need no princes here! The princess continued on her way until suddenly an another SINISTER princess came along, looked her straight in the face and very seriously said "B****!" 

.... the end!

This past weekend at the Disney Princess Half Marathon I had the time of my life (both times through) but some runners were impeding on my "happiest place on earth" moment. With a 90% female race you can imagine cattiness will ensue (yeah, I said it) but even I was a little surprised at some of the behavior. No, this woman was not joking. She was personally offended that I had finished and was running backwards through the course. 

I'm sure she had her reasons-- was unhappy on the course, or thought I was showboating by going back through. But I had made an effort to cheer everybody else on along the way and besides, everybody has their own goals and their own challenge. We all need to respect that to some people that's running a marathon, to others it's running to the end of the block and back. What did her rude comment dude? Besides offending me it made me stop cheering for other people in fear that I was doing something wrong. Not cool lady, not cool! 

*Note: The picture above wasn't actually a "how rude" face in response to the girl in the above story. I was actually captured the minute I saw Mickey at the finish and was clearly, very excited!

Story #2...

Let me preface this story by saying, I'm not all too happy to be turning 25.... +1 next year but I'm dealing. Aaaaand story:  Having met up with my maniac friends, we started our track back to the finish line. My friend had mentioned that he hoped Mickey would be at the finish line. A girl (not too far from my own age) was close by decided to jump in. This is what happened....

Girl: Oh yeah, Mickey is at the finish

Me: I hope he is now, but only goofy was there a little while ago

Girl: How would you know???

Me: (holding up medal) I already went through and came back to meet up with these guys

Girl: Why?

Me: Because I'm training for an ultra and needed more miles today

Girl: OMG I hope I can do that when I'm older!!!! 

... Seriously??? A full spread panic came over me and flight or fight reflexes kicked in full force at this point. What could I do? Strangling this girl in the magic kingdom would only bring the fairy godmother down to beat me with her wand, so I did the next best thing... I screamed "OMG I'm NOT that OLD!!!!" And TOOK OFF away from the chick as she tried to explain herself with my friends dying laughing behind me and screaming "wait up grandma!" (thanks Dave!!!). 

Put the Cheer Back in Marathon!
This isn't the only thing I've noticed in races. Lately, I've been a little concerned about the state of some marathoners etiquette. The biggest thing I've noticed is the lack of support for each other. More and more  I've experienced other runners ignoring cheers and thumbs up when passing each other. Now, I understand some of the faster runners don't like getting passed. However, I've seen a lot of this in the people that take early starts and the half marathoners that finish at the same line as us.


C'mon people, marathons are not easy for anybody and we all need each other to get through. If you run a little slower and somebody says "good job," say it back. If you're too winded then try a little wave or thumbs up. If you can't do that, well-- run toward a soft patch of grass because you're about to pass out. Hey, it can actually be helpful for you! Cheering on others gets your mind off your own running AND you'll find that it has an internal affect on you. I bet you'll notice your speed picking up a little. Saying positive things outward has a great inward affect even if that's not where it's directed.


Take care of each other out there!


Happy Running,
*~Stephanie~*
"Run to Win" -Meb

Fly Tink Fly!!!!

"Fly Tink Fly!" Definitely one of the best cheers I heard at the Disney Princess Half Marathon this weekend! How was it? Magical! So magical, in fact, I did it twice! Ok, not exactly twice but I did an extra 11 miles so I could get my ultra training in for the day. I did 3 before the race, then double backed 4 miles, found my friends- Dave, Juli, and Robyn and ran the last 4 in with them... of course taking the time for pictures along the way!

I won't be doing a full race report seeing that this is "only" (don't hate me for saying it) a half marathon. But let me tell ya all about it...

Expo Maddness!!!!

The expo at Disney Princess is nothing short of maddness. It is PACKED (maybe a little too packed) with everything from Running Skirts to Bondi Band, to official merchandise and (my favorite and yours)... The Arctic Ease Booth! They even wrap you up if you stop by the tent. They also had a "bippity boppity boutique" where they would put a classic princess look in your hair (crowns and all). My favorite part of the expo? There was sparkling wine for sale that you could carry around with you!

Race Morning!

All 4 of the maniacs at our hotel got glammed up for the race! With beauty queen Juli's guidance I left the hotel for a race with more makeup than I wear on a Saturday night out! But at the Disney princess that's just fine. Snow-ho-white and naughty tink (what we decided we looked more like than the normal fairy tales) did some pre-race icing with Arctic Ease wraps then headed out to meet up with the thousands of Disney Princesses that took over the House of Mouse for the day. The bag drop/bathroom/dance party area was a ton of fun with a DJ playing great music and providing various castle backdrops for photo ops. We met a ton of maniacs in cognito as Disney Princesses!

 

"dropping beats!"



Princesses?.... No, Maniacs and Half Fanatics!

  From the bag drop to the front of corral A it was just about a mile walk! Since I had to get 10 extra miles in I ran it, then ran back and forth through the corrals to get an extra 2 (3 total pre-race miles). I jumped in corral A and as I pushed myself to the front I heard "Stephanie??" And I found fellow bloggies, Racing with Babes and Run Faster Mommy! (I'm sure you've heard of them!) standing right there! BLOGGY FUN and one of my ongoing goals-- "meet more bloggy buddies!"

Speaking of goals, cross one more off my list for 2011! One of the last goals I threw in was "hug a race director!" Well an unsuspecting "John the race director" went by and when Robyn pointed out who he was I'm sure he was more than a little surprised to have a half naked tinker bell running up to him saying "CAN I GIVE YOU A HUG?!?!?... and can I take a picture??" haha well one goal checked off and it was a great pick because John was a very very nice director who even came up to us post-race to ask how everything went.

And They're OFF!!!!

With fireworks in the air and a countdown from the fairy god mother we were off! At first I got caught up in the speed of corral A-- and as per usual, forgetting that I'm supposed to be slowing down on my long runs-- and took off at a 7:20 pace. Woops.

As SOON as we hit the Magic Kingdom it was hard to keep that up-- all I wanted to do was have fun and take picture of all my favorite characters. I've you've been following since the beginning the SAME thing happened to me at the Disney Marathon. Racing is great and speed is awesome, but sometimes slowing down and having a lot of fun is even better!

So I made it fun AND speedy! I would stop for picture ups with my favs and then take off in between for speed work! Hellooooo CRAMPS! The stopping and starting doesn't feel good, but it sure was fun!

Finish... #1 and Steph gets Kicked out of Disney World!!

The last couple miles (of my first time around) were kind of boring. It was a lot of backlot/highway running with only a few entertaining spots along the way (the pirates and the princes). I say my "first time around" because my second time through they had added more characters and photo spots. What is the lesson here? If you run fast you GET a good time, if you run slow you HAVE a good time!

I finished with something like a 1:50-- not bad considering the number of stops I made- Cinderella, Peter Pan, (creepy) Pirates, Castle, Alice & the Gang (pic left)-- just to name a few!

I ran through the finish line, got my medal and some water, chucked my DTag (so I didn't set off the sensors again) then jumped back onto the course! And then ... security got me!!!! I got stopped by a big bully who said I couldn't go back in. His concern? The part I was going through was about a tenth of a mile back IN the park and they didn't want people sneaking in. I tried to make up excuses as to why I NEEDED to go back (a sick friend who only I could help) but he was having none of it. So I promptly called him an @$$hole (admittedly, not very Disney-like!), went back out and down the road to a spot before we reenter the park and jumped back in. HAHA! Take that jerk. Yes, I was now a wanted Tinker Bell on the run, darting around water stops and port-a-john areas to avoid security with walkie talkies that may have been warned! My life is serioiusly a citcom. And you know what? I never got caught... Eat my fairy dust!!!

Running back about 4 miles, I hungout at the "Prince" section and waited on my friends to join. Then I ran the last 4 miles of my run with them, taking lots of pictures along the way. It took us nearly 4 hours to finish! Why? Well here, this may explain things....

And then finally....

I finished with a BIG hug from MICKEY!!! The first time through Goofy was the only character there. I gave him a hug, but like the Disney commercial, without a hug from the ONE character I wanted, it just wasn't the same!

The Magic Never Ends....
Stephanie, you've just finished the Disney Princess Half Marathon (twice), what will you do next? I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD-- oh wait, crap, already there. Oh well-- after about 3 hours of sleep, and 24 miles, we showered quickly then headed to spend 5 hours at the Magic Kingdom. Surprisingly there were short lines and somehow we managed to go on nearly every ride in the Kingdom. We also managed to sneak in a little dress up time.

*Nearly ALL photos courtesy of The Dave Mari of Dave Mari Marathon Photagaphy**!
**Don't look up this company as it doesn't exist... yet

Happy Racing,
Stephanie