How To Have A Blast At A Disney Race! or What I did right for the Inaugural Minnie 10K 2014

Funnest race EVER!

I think that this race (the Inaugural Minnie 10k at Walt Disney World) was the most fun I have ever had. I did a ton of stuff I have wanted to do but was either too shy to do or didn't plan ahead. What exactly was it that changed for me you ask? I decided to step out of my comfort zone and let myself invite people and new experiences into my bubble. The following are things I learned to do to make the most of my runDisney weekend. Note that this write-up will not be in chronological order. 

• If staying at a Disney Resort give yourself at least one full day and night to enjoy it!

Every race I have done at Disney I have stayed at a resort for the transportation...and I love Disney. But I either didn't have time or I was too tired and sore to take advantage of what the property has to offer. THIS time I planned ahead and had two nights and a full day after the race to play at the resort and the parks. How did I take advantage of the resort this time?

Art of Animation and POP Century Resorts.
Mary Poppins courtesy of POP.

The day of the race (Friday) was a very long day. In the morning I ran, during the day I went to Magic Kingdom, and in the evening I attended a dinner with the greatest running group ever! When I got back to the hotel I really had nothing to do and I was sore. I had sent my parents off for a date night and I had the room to myself for awhile. But I was hungry for french fries, tie dye cheesecake, and a good outdoor movie. I know I had just eaten dinner but I had mostly talked and forgotten to eat as much as I should have.

Pop Century and AoA are connected by a bridge over a lake. So, if you have a hankerin' for comfort food (AoA mainly has fancy healthy food) or a different movie other than the one showing at your resort you only need to walk over that bridge. That is what I decided to do. AND to my surprise they were playing one of my all time favorite movies on an outdoor screen...Mary Poppins. Of course I plopped down in a pool chair and watched and sang along with my fellow Poppins peeps. Yes, we all sang "Let"s Go Fly A Kite" together. Hey, it's Disney! Anything goes! After the movie I bought my food and headed back to my hotel room with my treasures tucked under my arm.

The next day, I was able to convince a couple of my family members to go swimming with me. This was a first and I was excited...stiff and sore but excited! The main pool at AoA (Art of Animation) has music playing in the pool. As in you hear a song being played above the water but beneath the water is a completely different song! It was really neat! We also loved the fact that it was a zero entry pool. Instead of stairs or a ladder you just walked right in like you would if you were walking into the ocean at the beach. After having fun there we walked back to our Little Mermaid area swimming pool (much smaller and quieter) and played until it was too cold and our lips were blue. Now I no longer need to convince them to come swim with me! So, again, I highly recommend giving yourself time to enjoy the hotel. TIP! Swimming loosened my muscles up and the stiffness went away. I highly recommend taking a dip for recovery after a race.

• Take advantage of whatever free stuff they have at the expo if it will help your race!

The EXPO! This is where you pick up
your shirt and spend all of your money
on rD souveniers. Oh! And you can get
some free stuff too!

The week before the race I was getting wicked shin splints! I was a little worried but did a little online research and discovered that taping them might help. A plan was set in motion. If KT Tape was at the expo I was going to take advantage of their FREE service and get professionally taped. So, I picked up my bib in one building and headed on over to the EXPO building. 

SIDE NOTE: We tried to get the new runDisney/ New Balance shoes but greedy little eBay people had bought up the supply on DAY ONE. Please do not support these non-runners/racers who openly mock us about running these races and then double the prices on merchandise that is only sold at the EXPO. Thank you!

At the expo they had free GU sampling so if you have never tried it you can discover if it is the stuff for you. They also had fun CIGNA pre-race photos you could take. But my mind was focused on the KT tape booth. Having one spot taped on your body is free but I have two legs. I bought some tape and had them fix me up. I am happy to report that race day I did NOT experience any shin splint action. TIP! Sample and try everything that is free at the EXPO. You never know what you may discover.

• Step out of your comfort zone. Let people pace you. Attend a running club meet-up.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

I am mostly a lone runner. Not because I don't like people (I do) or because I am shy (I am). It is because I am slow and still learning and this makes me self conscious. I feel like my lack of speed makes speedy runners annoyed even when they offer to pace me. So, I end up feeling bad for my wonderful helpful friends and can't enjoy the race. Therefore I train alone most of the time and I race alone most of the time. Well, this time I decided to let some great people, who truly understood how I felt, pace me. They knew I was coming back from an injury and that they could ditch me at any time if they saw the balloon ladies anywhere near us.

It was the most fun I have ever had running in any race...ever. They had me laughing. They told me when to run and when to walk. They analyzed my gait. One will forever be nicknamed "Fastpass" because she would run ahead, get into a character line, we would catch up, take a group picture, and then take off again. The other one (who will forever have the nickname "Coach Jenny") always encouraged me and understood when I needed to slow down. With their help I even had enough time to use a restroom! It was awesome. TIP! Get over it and let others help you if they fully understand what they are signing up for.

JAZZ HANDS!!
Racing The Dream 

If you are a member of an online running group and they have a meetup go for it. I am shy and although I could have done some in the past I just didn't. This time I sent my family off to their own adventure and had one for myself. Man, I love these people! It was so much fun! It is pretty cool to meet a group of strangers for dinner and finish dinner as a group of friends. TIP! Make your Facebook running friends into real life friends. You'll never regret it. Unless they end up stalking you but that only happens in Lifetime movies, right?

• Volunteers are awesome. Thank the volunteers at a race and have fun with them.

THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!

Volunteers are and can be fun people. After all, that is why they are there! They love Disney just like you and me. The lady you see at the t-shirt pickup "ooooo-ed" and "aaaawwww-ed" with me over the design of the race shirt. She is the blond one sitting behind the table. The balloon ladies were once again at this race. I thanked them because they were really encouraging us broken down runners at the back of the pack at ToT. Last but not least, the ginger headed woman was willing to take her time putting the medal over my neck so we could get a good shot of "the moment of triumph"! TIP! Let the volunteers join in the fun with you and be as goofy as you are. Then thank them.

• Last but not least, schedule time to celebrate at the parks! And remember to love and thank your biggest fans.

"Minerva" (my 10k medal) and my family
celebrating the race!

I love my family and can't think of a better way to celebrate the finish of another race than to spend time with them at the parks. Look at how cute they are waiting for me at the finish line! We had to go spend time at the Magic Kingdom after the race!

So, wearing my medal, I headed on over to the most magical place in Florida. Now, this race was all about doing new things. So, I had my hair cut at the Harmony Barber Shop. Yes, they cut adult women's hair. TIP! If you would like to donate hair to Locks of Love they will put it in a bag for you. You just have to send it to the organization yourself.

After that we had ice cream and went back to the hotel to rest up for the night's activities (my meetup and their date night). The next evening (Saturday) we headed back over to Magic Kingdom. Do you know how crowded it is the evening before an early morning marathon? Not...at...all. Everyone goes to bed early. So, you practically walk onto the rides. AND for the first time we closed down the park. We even had a quasi private parade. It was so empty that when the Fairy Godmother passed by us she was able to see my medal, ask me if I had run, and then congratulate me on my accomplishment! I felt special. TIP! Early morning races make for early bed times. Hit the parks at night if you don't have a race the next morning. No one is there. The place is all yours! *insert evil laugh*

So, that is how I had the best race weekend ever! Heed my advice and tips and you too can fully enjoy what a Disney race has to offer. If you have your own tips please feel free to share in the comment section below. 

As always...Keep Moving Forward!

Cristina

FOAM FEST February 2013... Being An Athletic Supporter....

Our Foam Fest Team Name and Logo

How many of you have looked forward to a race for a few months and then had to bow out due to an injury? Yeah, it doth sucketh. The number one reason I was looking forward to this one was because it was going to be my first race with my nephew. This was his 17th birthday present from me...his favorite aunt. The number two reason was it just looked awesome. How often do you get to act like a five year old again? But I found myself sidelined with a heel injury. 

MY new team logo for MY shirt.

My heel started killing me about two days after the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. Within two weeks (three days before the Foam Fest) I was sitting in a podiatrist office hearing the bad news. Achilles tendon in a rare spot, bursitis, bone bruise, and pre-bone spur. The cure? Three to four weeks in a boot and then heel lifts that would gradually decrease in height. Good news was it was treatable without surgery or voodoo witch doctoring. I was also assured I should be good to go for the Everest Expedition Challenge with plenty of time to train. Bad news...I was out of the Foam Fest.

I am basically being pushed forward
a little and trying not  to fall over.
I am the lime green one with
the freaking huge boot. 

I was sad but I was thankful that nothing had to be operated on. I was also thankful that I had friends who cared more about me healing than missing out on a race. I decided I wasn't going to miss out on everything though. I asked my niece Caitlin to run with her brother in my place. I would go to support my kinfolk and my friends. I also asked my friend Heather to keep an eye on my niece and nephew for me during the race. So Gimpy (me) was going to the races with her team "Rollin' with my Foamies". I wrapped my boot in Cerran Wrap and headed down to Miami. 

Look Auntie T! Foam.

TIP #1... Have something to do while they run.
 This was my first experience being a supporter and not a racer. I never understood how my family didn't get bored just standing around at a race waiting for a glimpse of me wogging by. But now I was in on the secret. Being a supporter is actually kind of fun if you have a job to do! My job was official team photographer.If I could find a position on the course (where I wouldn't be in the way of the official course photographers) then I would stand there and take photos. Because you are dedicated to taking photos of just one group you can get some really great shots! After seeing my photos after the race my friends didn't feel the need to buy any of the official race photos. So snap away if you aren't in the way!

Time to familiarize themselves with the
texture of the foam....or just play with it.

Before the race began my team decided to play with foam left behind from the start of a wave before theirs. I had a blast just watching them play around with it while I snapped photos. These are the kinds of moments the official photographers ignore. The foam had a really weird texture and didn't leave your hands wet like bathtub bubbles will. I thought to myself that maybe they wouldn't get all that wet but they would get muddy. I thought wrong.

A FOAM starting line!

And they're off!

Soon it was time for them to line up for the race. The start line slowly began to fill up with foam and the crowd began to jostle for position. My team became more giggly and smiley as the foam piled up. To be honest I did too. It was pretty cool. 3...2...1...GO! Through the foam they ran and were soon out of sight. Now it was my turn to race. Unfortunately I had about three quarters a mile to walk/hike to get to the giant slide towards the end of the race. I gimped along as fast as I could. Up a hill, then down a hill, then up a hill, then down a really dangerous gravel hill, then across a field, and then I was at the slide. I noticed the wooden walls were not too far away (about a quarter mile) across the field. Eh, I came this far why not go over there. Besides, I knew I would have enough time to gimp back to the slide because of the wait time to slide down. So I gimped my way over to the wall.

TIP #2... Cheer for other runners.

Here come my Foamies!

As you already know by now I love to high five race supporters and volunteers while I run by in my races. It gives me a boost of energy and it is downright fun to do. So I decided why not do that here? Except this time I would cheer for them while I sat on the ground. The hike over there killed my foot which made standing difficult. Too much too soon. So, I cheered and called out "I love your costume!" or "You got it!". But the best example of a support team I saw that day was a group of racers.

Up and over Foamies!
You can do it!

I knew that the Foam Fest supported Special Olympics but I was surprised when I saw a group come racing down the road. Talk about awesome people! I wish they would come cheer for us at Disney races or better yet compete in them with us. You should have heard them cheering each other on. And they stuck together as a team. They all patiently waited for the last one in their group to make it over the wall. Then they hugged, patted each other on the back, and took off towards the next obstacle before the giant slide. I kind of wish I had taken a picture to make an inspirational poster. Made me smile. 

But wait! Is that the neon colors of my Foamies racing towards me? YES! First my friends Amanda and Lara came racing up and over the wall. Apparently they decided to race each other. About ten minutes later I saw Michael come running towards me with Caitlin not far behind him. Up and over they went. About two minutes later my friend Heather and the two other members of our team came trotting towards the wall. Up and over. 

Arrrrggghh!!!

Gimp, gimp, gimp...over to the slide I went. Lucky for me there was one foam obstacle before the slide for them to conquer. This plus the wait in line gave me enough time to make it over to the giant slide. And I mean giant! 40 feet tall! I was proud of them all. Especially of my nephew Mikey because he is afraid of heights. Look at the picture! They look like ants up there! One by one (except for Heather's friend Robin who was also afraid of heights) came sliding towards the water. Heather (as seen in the picture) was the only one to actually splash into the water. The rest slowed themselves down and walked off of the ramp. It was so much fun to watch and take pictures. 

Michael finishing his first race!

And off they went! I knew I didn't have very long to get to the finish line. At least not with my foot starting to hurt. But dang it, I was determined to get there before they did! I personally think I should have gotten a medal for my epic journey back to that finish line. Remember that gravel hill I talked about climbing down? Guess what I had to do on the way back? That's right...climb back up. After that I thought I would be smart and cut across a field rather than stick to the road. Seriously folks. You should have seen it. Comedy of errors and volunteers on atvs watched as they passed me by. But that is okay. What doesn't kill you today makes you wish for death tomorrow.

The four horseman of the Apocalypse?
Naw, they just smell like horses.

I made it back in time to see Michael the mud monster come racing towards the finish foam. I was proud of him and he was too. Then I saw a sight that made my heart happy. My friend Heather made sure Caitlin wasn't left racing by herself. With the smell of horse pooh scented mud in their nostrils they came racing for the finish foam. One by one they crawled through the foam trying to get clean but grinning ear to ear. It was awesome.

You guys smell like winners...in a barn!

We found Lara and Amanda and had their foamie team picture taken as a group. In my heart I wish I could have run with them but I knew I had done the correct thing for me and my gimpy foot. I wanted to heal and be able to run another day. And I will. Meanwhile, I was reminded yet again of a fundamental truth. There is joy in serving others, there is joy in sharing other's happiness, and there is joy in simply being together doing something silly.

So, if you are sidelined with an injury might I suggest volunteering? I guarantee you will have a greater appreciation of those who cheer you on at your own races. And I know they will thank you for it. When you finally do recover go out and run a race or two where the joy is in the silliness within the race and not the personal record at the finish line. You'll wonder why you hadn't done it sooner.

Until next time...
Cristina