Full Circle - Pre Season warm up for Team in Training Spring 2016

There's something comforting about track workouts in winter. The distances are defined. At the right place, the lights come on and this night, I had the the Woodside High School track to myself. The high school soccer team was using the field. I could stay as long as the lights stayed.

Eleven years ago, I joined Team in Training. In exchange for raising $5000, they would train me to walk a marathon. We had a coach who'd been an Olympic and Pan American Games race walker. I remember showing up the first day in cheap running shoes, cotton sweatpants and sweatshirt and a hiking belt pouch that held two 20oz plastic bottles for a 45 minute walk at the Presidio. It was the end of January during a particularly excessive eating season and I was pushing my heaviest weight of my life. Two hours later, after a basic gear clinic, I left with a pair of Saucony Grid Stabil motion-control shoes, a long sleeve white quarter zip shirt and long grey Munich pants. Looking back, I probably looked like an mid-1970's weekend warrior type. 

The second week we were at a track learning good marathon walk form. Our first timed mile made my shins burn and I think I finished around 14:30. Coach Tom said that this is an indication of how fast you'll be able to sustain your marathon pace once you go through the season, get stronger and fitter.  I chose to believe every word he said. This is something I wanted to do. This was a bucket list item. It was supposed to be one and done.

Come race day in Anchorage, it was pouring rain, pretty much the entire race. I walked my first marathon in 6:23, right about the pace that Coach Tom said I would. What struck me about the journey was a lady at mile 24.  According to the veterans, her name was Faith. She stood at that same spot, cheering on the full marathoner for 9 hours, rain or shine, holding a sign saying "Thank you from a Cancer Survivor".  

It took me until that point, nearly 5 and a half months into the season, to realize why this was so important. This wasn't about me, my time or my bucket list. This was about a bigger cause. The money I raised went to support research, education and patient services for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma. It went to help people like Faith. The mission meant enough to me that I came back every season for the next 5 years.

We've done a lot since that first year. We've upgraded gear, gotten faster and healthier. But even with all the races we've done in the last three years, the milestones we've crossed, the countries and continents we've visited, I started feeling like something was missing. This year I'm going to get that spark back. It's not the reason I started racing, but it was the reason we kept going back year after year.

I've joined the coaching team for the Peninsula Chapter of Team in Training for Spring 2016. We'll be training runners and walkers for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon and Rock n Roll Seattle Half and Full Marathons this season. If you're on the Peninsula or in the South Bay and are interested in joining us, please let me know. We'll be back at Woodside next Wednesday, February 3rd at 6:15 PM for kick off.

Maybe this is on your bucket list. Maybe you want to meet new people or get into a healthier lifestyle. Or maybe you've been away for a while and just want to get back in the swing of things. Whatever the reason, we'll make sure this season is one to remember.

Back at Woodside, the soccer team was just starting to go into break away drills as I was finishing my workout. I'm well below that first 14:30 mile these days and I'd like to think I have a few years left in me before I can't set PR's anymore. Treadmills are great to monitor pace, but there's something about being out on a track that's that much closer to real racing.  

Tonight, I wasn't doing laps.

I was coming full circle.

~//~

ABOUT TEAM IN TRAINING

Team In Training (TNT) is the flagship fundraising program for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and the only endurance sports training program for charity that raises money for blood cancer research. TNT and LLS are changing the landscape of blood cancer, not someday but today, making TNT the perfect way to fundraise.

Your time is now.
It doesn't matter if you're not an athlete or in perfect shape. Our coaches will train you to cross the finish line at a marathon, half marathon, cycling event, triathlon or hike adventure. Saving lives isn't about being the best, it's about being the best you can be when helping save lives.

What Goes Through Your Mind During a 50K. Looking Back. Letting Go. Forging Ahead.

I walked 50K last Saturday.

Most of the people who read that unconsciously read it as "I walked a 50K". That would imply there was an event, a medal, a course and pictures. There was none of that, except for a couple pictures. The rest? I did it on my own.

Why?  Good question. I was asking myself that several times during the day.

I turned 49 this December. Like several times before I blurted out a goal based on that milestone. I finished my first marathon at age 38 and decided I wanted to finish 50 races by age 50 (we passed that three years ago) and then 100 races by 50 (we did that mid 2015). Some time last year I decided to do a 50K before I turned 50. That's what led to Saturday. 

Let's ignore the fact that I hadn't put in any mileage in three weeks and hadn't done long distance since our double half in mid-November. Add that the day before was Christmas. I had a decent breakfast but then loaded up on cookies, fudge and junk food - not an ideal fueling routine. But this was the first weekend day after my birthday that wasn't pouring rain. I figure if I'm going to be out there for 7 hours depending on speed, I'd rather do it when it's nice. We learned to race with Team in Training, meaning we don't wear headphones. That's a really long time to be alone with your thoughts and the scenery, but it was a great time to reflect on 2015.

I started at 8:15 AM when the outside temps read 29 degrees and a forecast for light winds. Say what you will about wimpy Californians, but it was reportedly warmer in DC, Connecticut and Vancouver that morning.    

The first leg went west on the Alameda Creek trail toward the Bay. The trail is paved and with a few exceptions in Coyote Hills, pretty flat and very exposed to winds. I packed a few Bonk Breakers, a tube of Gu Brew and my RNR Raleigh rain jacket to keep the wind off. 10.4K (6.5 miles) later, I was at the furthest point west on the trail looking out at a beautiful sunrise over the bay.

No one else out here except for bikers and a few vultures. I should have taken that as a hint.

It was a little over 20% of the way through and I was thinking about the first few months of the race year. We skipped RNR Arizona for the inaugural runDisney Star Wars half, finally getting the Darth Vader pictures I missed at Dumbo. We went back to RNR New Orleans for the first time since 2010 and I added a Brazen race on Valentine's Day to pull even with Susan on half marathons so we could finish the year at 100 apiece.

I was keeping a comfortable pace as I turned into Coyote Hills to refill my water bottle before 17K (10.5 miles). A third of the way through the year would be the end of April and by then we had seen Joe become the first to reach 100 Rock n Roll races in DC. Our thoughts turned to Beth after we raced at RNR Dallas, her last race before undergoing abdominal surgery. After hearing a positive report during RNR San Francisco, we wore bibs in her honor at RNR Raleigh.

What mile 13 looks like after getting a decent amount of rain.

Between the 17K and 27K (Miles 10.5 to 17.2) it was rough going. I hit gusting headwinds of 15-20 mph and it wasn't getting much warmer. It took a lot to stay focused. I thought about the stretch between late April and mid July when I was working on Al's speed program. I had good races at RNR Nashville, TBL Crown Point and RNR Portland before setting a 5K and Half PR at RNR San Diego. I felt pretty good about my race walk form at Tim Seaman's clinic in Chicago and we cheered Beth finishing her first full marathon after surgery at RNR Seattle. We celebrated our 20th anniversary by going back to the site of our first race in Alaska and raced a toasty remix at RNR Chicago. We finished July at the San Francisco 1st half.

I broke off the trail to head back to the house at 27K (17.2 mi) to get more food. Honestly, I was hurting from lack of fuel and was seriously considering stopping. Susan came home as I was heating up leftover eggs and pretzel bread and reminded me that I knew the trail like the back of my hand. And she reminded me that 14 more miles "is just a half."

Sorry guys. I know I'm not supposed to make light of the distance, but for us, that's motivation.  

I spent 20 minutes refueling, unfueling, packing extra Bonk Breakers and refocusing. 60% through the year is about where we usually a long break between RNR Chicago and our next race in early September and I spent that break working harder to get faster before RNR San Jose.  I got back to the creek trail for the second leg. Getting started after the break was a big deal, physically and mentally.

Our first race back after the break was the Run for CHUM, checking off a half in Michigan. Next was TBL Las Vegas in 80 degree heat where I walked a solid sub-2:25 on a shortened course. RNR San Jose was supposed to be the PR race, but the wheels came off at mile 9. The next week at RNR Brooklyn, I came within 30 seconds of the San Diego PR on a more challenging course. Two weeks later were were back at RNR St. Louis to meet Hyalker's honoree, Katy and Amy's family who were running for her uncle Bill.  Back on the trail, I made the turn at Niles at the 32K mark. It's starting to look like I'll make the full distance if I just stay focused. It's time to go into the fun cool down for the rest of the year.

It's hard to complain when you can train pretty much all year round in good conditions.

The end of October was the group Pac Man costume race at RNR Los Angeles. Three weeks later we had a beautiful morning race at the runDisney Avengers half and a cold, windy night race at RNR Las Vegas. Susan and I and Beth and Jim renewed our vows on the flight between Anaheim and Vegas. On the trail, I'm passing the 42K (26.1 mile) mark. Just 8K (5.1 miles) more. Less than a 10K. I did some mental calculations and concluded I need to pass my start point by 3K to get the distance right. I'm surprised my brain is still able to process that.

Our last race of the year was RNR San Antonio. I set a PR at on the 10K by 3 minutes and raced with Susan step for step the next day in the half. It was our 100th. It seemed right. At the finish line, I drop to one knee and ask her if she'd spend the next 100 half marathons with me. For some reason, she agrees.

I'm less than 2K from the 50K mark. I text Susan to let her know I'm nearly done. She offers to meet me at the end and drive me to In n Out for a burger and fries. Clearly she was serious about spending the next 100 halfs with me. I came down the short hill from the creek trail to find her waiting for me, with the dogs in the back seat. My total time was about 7.5 hours including 40 minutes of stop time to refuel and stretch. Fifteen minutes later I had a double double and extra crispy fries. The food didn't survive the drive home.

It's four days later as I write this. The knots in my quads and hamstrings are close to normal, I still have a tightness in my right arch that needs attention and I have a pair of matching blood blisters on my heels that show up when I'm using good race walk form. Garmin Connect tells me that the blue Brooks Pure Cadence shoes are officially past their mileage limit so it's time to retire them. I used those shoes for PR's at the 5K, 10K, half marathon and now 50K distance, but it feels good to let things go when they've outlived their usefulness. I have better pairs on the shelf.

Looking ahead to 2016, we're gearing up to check of our 6th continent at the Victoria Falls marathon in Zimbabwe in July. We're signed up for 14 Rock n Roll races and have to add a couple more to get to Hall of Fame for a third straight year. If the schedule works out, we want to get back to American River Parkway and see if our race walk form is any closer to legal.

It doesn't feel like I'm turning 50 next year. It feels like I'm just starting and the road ahead is open to all kinds of possibilities.

Postscript: Although I planned to do this 50K just to say I did it, two days later, I got an email from Rock n Roll for the Bonus Track Medal. This is a virtual race with no set distance, so I guess I get a medal for it after all!

~//~

All told we finished 24 half marathons, two 10Ks and three 5Ks for 338.5 race miles. We crossed off 4 new states for half marathons bringing our total to 25, won two age grade awards each, had two overall first place finishes a 2nd and 3rd place and got the highest medal awarded at Rock n Roll for the fifth year in a row. We got closer with a lot of our gypsy friends and I think we have found a group of friends that we'll want to race with for years to come.

If you're looking for a way to start off an active New Year tomorrow, a few of my friends run social media supported programs that I'd love to plug.

John Bingham kicks off his 100 Days Challenge tomorrow. Be intentionally active for a total of 30 minutes a day and check off your progress. He says this is not a Training program, but more a Lifestyle program. It's a great way to come off the couch.

David DeNeire has transformed the FREE! 365 days of Cardio Challenge to pair up buddies and hold each other accountable for 25 minutes of cardio every day. No cost to join. The group posts some pretty diverse pictures, so it's like doing your workouts all over the world. You can sign up on a monthly basis and keep going for all of 2016 and beyond.

Jenny Hadfield kicks of Challenge 2016. Each month there's a different focus on different aspects of running/walking (strength, speed, endurance) and also tips on creating healthy habits. Coming with the $45 membership is private sessions with Coach Jenny. For $55, you can also get the Challenge 2016 medal!

If you know that you're going to race a lot anyway, don't forget to pick up the Rock n Roll TourPass that allows you to race in 3 events for $219 or an unlimited number for $479. It pays for itself pretty fast. Also remember to enroll as a Heavy Medalist so you get the enormous bonus medals for completing multiple races.

Serial racers can also find some great discounts and race tips at The 100 Half Marathons Club. Today is the LAST day for $25 lifetime membership ($75 after the deadline). You need at least 10 lifetime half marathons to join.

Take 3 - Disney Avengers and Rock n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathons 2015

This is a long blog. I didn't have the focus to split it into two parts so I did what I could to hit the highlights. In retrospect, the length is actually pretty reflective of how it feels to go through the day we did.

When people at work find out how much we travel for races, they eventually stop asking IF we have a race coming up, but instead ask where we're going next. Even the folks who are used to it pause when we tell them 'we're doing the Disney Avengers Half on Sunday morning, then flying to Vegas that night to the the Rock n Roll Half.' At this point, they usually don't know what to say, so I spare them and say, 'There are people who are crazier than us'. Crazy, it seems, is relative. 

It's amusing that I have to put a year in the title, implying that this isn't the first (or the last) time we'll do this combo.

Friday November 13th: Travel Day 1.

This year was a little different. Unlike SA2LV and last year's Avengers/Vegas, we actually flew to Vegas on Friday. Susan's company has a quarterly meeting in Chicago that week and it's quicker and cheaper than flying all the way home and back to Vegas. We ended up booking our timeshare at the Desert Rose from Friday to Monday which turned out to work pretty well. I checked in to the Vegas to Anaheim Saturday flight from the plane out of Oakland. Thank you Southwest for the wifi!

First stop after dropping our stuff off was bib pick up. I caught the monorail with VIP Joe Harris and Lisa Short, the RNR San Antonio Ambassador of Rock. With a crazy weekend ahead, it was good to start things off seeing friendly faces.

We got the pink sheets in the bib pick up bins, indicating we needed to head to Solutions. This time it was to pick up our Hall of Fame backpacks and merchandise vouchers before heading back to the bibs to get our 15-race vanity bibs. It's been a long year and it was neat to finally hold them for the first time.

That's not my medal. At least not yet. And I still love this shirt.

I spent some time in Merch doing some shopping at the expo. I realized because we started the last two Vegas weekends in another state, we never get a chance to pick up things ourselves. I have to admit that I like the new colors and material for the half-zips RNR is selling this year. I think I have a half dozen of them from this year alone. Along with the Hall of Fame backpack comes a gift card for expo merchandise good until the end of the year. It didn't last long!

We also found that one of our good friends on the CGI staff would be retiring after RNR San Antonio. Darlene, we'll miss you. Thanks for everything and hopefully we'll see you on weekends of your choosing in the next year!

I had no commitments other than lunch/dinner so with the year winding down, it was nice to get some time to chat with Amy, Ryan and Mindy who helped make this another amazing year of races, shirts, laughs and Heavy Medals.

An unusual lull at the Rock n Roll registration area with Amy, Kevin, Joe, Ryan, Andrew and Mindy.

Several of our gypsy friends were already in Vegas including Sherry, Andrew, Kamika, Jim and Beth. I was able to catch lunch with Joe and Kevin at Gordon Ramsey's BurGR in the Planet Hollywood and talk about some ideas we had about the long term for Rock n Roll. The burgers were good.

Given the potential for excess on the Vegas strip, I headed back to the hotel to make sure I had all of my gear for the Disney race AND the plane ride back in a single backpack before heading out to the tables. This year we booked the Desert Rose from Friday to Monday and left the room empty Saturday night. Turns out it worked well. Joe did decently at the nickel slots. The blackjack tables were kind to me as well. Susan and I grabbed a quick dinner and triple checked the gear.

I left the bibs in Vegas. We were pretty sure we'd have enough time to get back to the room to change.

Saturday, November 14th: Travel Day 2.
We met up with Beth and Jim at the airport to catch a mid-morning flight to Orange County. It turns out Vegas is good for Beth too. She loves the video poker slots.

The 45 minute flight was barely enough time to catch up on things. The tray tables had to up before we finished our drinks and we had to check in for our Sunday flight just after we landed. Jim got us to Downtown Disney with a few hours to spare before the expo closed to pick up bibs and we grabbed lunch at Tortilla Joe's. Two years after the original double at SA2LV, we were ready to do it again! Kamika, Caryn and Al had all done the 10K before we arrived to complete the first leg of the Infinity Gauntlet. 

Sunday, November 15th. Race Day, Travel Day 3.

Early mornings at Disneyland can be a little chilly. Most of us had old space blankets handy and the low light was good enough for some group selfies. Al had the experience to know that the corral split was a good place to meet. Texting and FB messages just weren't going through very quickly.

Bag check closed 20 minutes before the start, so with Beth checking her jacket, we did some improvising.

Marathoners who've never done a Disney race should know that they're extremely well run, certainly worthy of a company that specializes in entertainment. The customer service at bag check, the decor and the characters are first rate. Even the starting line is a production.

Last year, Al and I were able to make the photo lines for Hawkeye and Thor, but missed Black Widow and Captain America. This year, Al got them both at the 10K. I was lucky enough get catch the short lines for both in the half.

"You want to do two half marathons in two states on the same day?"
"Yeah. It'll be fun."

"On your left"

Classic. Only at a Disney race!

Beth and Jim didn't submit proof of finish times before getting to the race, so they ended up in corral D. Disney enforces the corrals and sends waves every 10 minutes, so we knew they'd be coming up behind us. They passed Caryn at mile 7, me at mile 7.5 and passed Susan just before she got to Angels stadium at mile 9. This is the third time we've done a Disney race that went through the stadium and since I usually wait for character pics, I never get to see Susan. This time we somehow timed it just perfectly so we met in the 150 yard stretch inside the stadium. She said she heard the announcer call my name.

Of course, Susan couldn't go the whole race without a picture with the Avengers. Waiting for us at the finish were Hawkeye and Thor. I actually got all 4 this time!

We even got a really nice shout out from Rudy Novotny, the voice of runDisney. He was calling out a lot of people who were ready to hop a flight to Vegas for one of three races that night.

Race 1 done. Since we were all finishing at different times, we agreed to meet at 10:45 after a shower, quick change and check out. Refuel and hydrate, but not too much.

The flight to Vegas was scheduled to take off at 12:35 and land by 1:30. Caryn was doing the 10K starting at 4:00 so it looked like we had a lot of time. SA2LV and Disney2LV alum Martin and Wes were on the same flight. We met a few more Half Fanatics doing the double too. It reminded me a lot of 2013 when making it to the airport was the stressful part.

Think we were the only ones excited about the weekend? Not hardly. Even Southwest was getting in on the action.

This is where the universe tested us a bit. We had forecasts of strong winds in Vegas and when the pilot announced a delay at the gate. It ended up being a lot of traffic coming into Vegas and since we were still on the ground, they pushed us down in priority. We had a 90 minute delay, putting our arrival time at about 3:00. We'd be cutting it close for Caryn.

In 2010, Susan and I renewed our vows at the Run Through Wedding at Rock n Roll Vegas in a daytime ceremony at mile 3.8. In 2013, we did it again at the starting line, that time with Beth and Jim. This year, we had something else in mind.  Al has a minister's license and he renewed our vows some 30,000 feet over the California-Nevada border. The video was too large to upload to blogspot, but its on my Facebook wall for all to see. I should have asked Wes and Martin if they wanted to join in, but their real first wedding is scheduled for some time next October.

We landed at just before 3:00 PM. We scattered to our respective hotels to get ready for the second race. Caryn did make it to the SLS to the starting line of the 10K just as the first corrals were getting released. The rest of us at the half got there around 4:00 - pretty leisurely as these things go.

Race 2: Rock n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon

The 4:30 start time had low enough light so that it got harder to take pictures. We found Lisa Marie and Ken in corral 10 and waited for the the Run Through Wedding parties in corral 11. A few pictures turned out OK. Ish.

Lisa Marie had been at two races where the weather was so bad they canceled all or part of the race. We were ready to blame her if we didn't make Vegas. Fortunately, we did make it, so we'll just blame her for the 30 mph winds.

Ann Wessling, as usual, lighting up the start line. 

A seriously blurry picture of Carl and Ilona with their entourage on the way to the Run Through Wedding at mile 3. The scooter now has sound effects. I was thinking maybe in San Antonio, she'll add a cooler with beverages.

The Welcome to Vegas sign. You can already see the winds through Susan's hair.

Sherry caught up to us at mile 2. It was tough to focus the camera knowing the road had some potholes and a few million people in front of me.

I pretty much shut down the pictures between mile with the rain starting at mile 7 and the winds coming at our face at the turn. It went from challenging to miserable for a while. Al and I had talked about stopping at the Stratosphere and doing the free fall during the race, but it was closed due to the conditions. Probably a good thing. The GPS trace would show you going down, out, back, up, and splatting against the building as your heart rate flat lined.

Right about this point, things slowed down. Literally.  Al was on his last few treatments of an allergy shot regimen and just receive the highest dose on Thursday. His doctor told him that if his heart rate shot up too high, he could go into anaphylactic shock. He didn't feel at all bad, but that's not something you ignore. He took it easy in Disney, but his corral started a full 10 minutes before us so we never saw the effects. We took it easy. I mean 15 minute/mile easy.

One highlight was being able to meet Jennifer's fiancee, Blair. They were stationed at the full/half split at mile 11.5. The rain had stopped, but she mentioned the wind got even stronger after we left. Major props to the staff and volunteers staying out there past 3.5 hours and the folks doing the full.

The wind didn't let up at all for the last mile and a half and with the slow pace, the moisture activated thermal reflective gear didn't quite do the job is should have. We gave Ann a hug and Chris a high five at the finish line and made our way to see Ryan and Mindy at the Heavy Medal tent. The Hall of Fame microphone medals went right into a box with our post race snacks and we headed to the Westin to warm up a bit. Kamika drove Susan back to the hotel to rest and I went over to Johnny Rocket's with Al and Caryn for some massive burgers.  I would have taken pictures, but the food was inhaled before I remembers to pull out my phone.

Our total elapsed time for both races was somewhere in the 6 - 6.5 hour range. Back when we started racing, that would have easily been a full marathon PR walking and I consider that good perspective. Days like this go on our calendar to push ourselves a little and to further cement some friendships that we hope last another few decades.

Oh. And the calorie deficit isn't bad either. We hit the Spice Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood the next morning with fellow race walker, Gary. We chose that because Susan has this thing for cotton candy.

I swear, I only sampled each. Honest.

Part of the 11 AM lunch buffet menu, made fresh before your eyes!

It didn't occur to us that we hadn't even put the medals around our necks until we got home. I guess we were waiting for the right background. I still have about 10 medals to put on the 2015 rack from SportHooks and a special bib holder for our latest one.

Dozens of pictures and hundreds of memories. Four days, two states, two halfs for the third year in a row. 

And we're signed up for Vegas 2016 and are just waiting for Avengers 2016 registration to open.

~//~

The runDisney Avengers Half Marathon is in its second year. Given that the Infinity Gauntlet (10K and Half) sold out in a few hours, it's likely the race will continue for some time to come. The bonus medal for doing both races has six slots for Infinity Stones, so it makes even more sense to continue (though I'd heard reports of some of the stones falling out of the medals and littering the park that afternoon). This year, the weather was just about perfect with none of the high winds from 2014. There were 10,765 finishers in the half, 6,778 finishers in the Captain America 10K. Over 6,000 finished both races for the Infinity Gauntlet challenge. Military results are totaled separately adding about 500 more finishes.  The 2015 course was slightly different than last year, but like most Disneyland races, had the first 3 - 4 miles and the last mile inside the park grounds. We got a shout out at Angels Stadium which is always a hoot and a half. Support on the course was top notch as always with ChEAR Squads and costumed characters all along the course.

Rock n Roll Las Vegas also had a slight course change to increase the amount of lighting on the north end of the course between miles 7 and 9. Unlike last year when the temperature was just chilly, we had a good soaking of rain at mile 7 and sustained 20 mph winds out of the southwest with gusts that blew over many of the course barriers. Many thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who braved the conditions and thanks to the amazing staff at CGI. There were 23,093 finishers in the half, 3,107 in the full, 5,124 in the 10K (formerly the "Half of the Half") and 6,785 in the 5K race on Saturday. 

The races are on the same weekend again in 2016 (November 12/13th). If you're looking for a challenge and one half marathon isn't enough for you, this is a great one to take on!

Susan and I took advantage of the down time for the weekend before Thanksgiving to plan the 2016 Rock n Roll schedule and signed up for 12 more halfs and 4 5K's with Philadelphia and Denver not currently open for registration. We're waiting on any word for Portland, Los Angeles and a rumored new race in Texas before committing to the last few races.  Thanks to CGI for the Global TourPass for saving us the trouble of registering at the expo for the next year's race. Not like we weren't going to anyway, but it's nice to have that flexibility. 

Marathoning For Life

When 13.1 Miles YOU Reach, Look as Good YOU Will Not - The Inaugural runDisney Star Wars Rebel Challenge 2015

When Disney bought the rights to the Star Wars franchise, fans everywhere were elated. One of the biggest companies in the world was going to take the classic series and apply their special brand of magic. When runDisney announced there would be a Star Wars themed race weekend, the race world went insane. The Rebel Challenge (10K/Half combo) sold out in just 58 minutes. Pre-sale for annual pass holders was closed in less than 10 minutes. We were lucky enough to get into this Inaugural event to add to our experiences.

We arrived early afternoon on Friday, met Al and Caryn at the Sheraton and headed off to the expo early enough to scoop up a bunch of race souvenirs and take pictures. There were some posts on Facebook saying that the lines for merchandise and bib pick up were long, but we had no trouble at all. Just like Avengers, there was no shortage of good backdrops to go along with the theme.  

World traveler and future Triple 7 Quest runner Kamika had done the 5K that morning, adding to his string of 5 Disney races in a week after completing the Dopey Challenge in Orlando. Before the weekend was over, he'd have 11 medals - 7 for races, 3 more for the Goofy, Dopey and Rebel Challenges and one for the Coast-to-Coast challenge. Those of you who think we're crazy need to understand that crazy is all a matter of degree.

Our friends Marcey and Pete at Sport Hooks debuted their new Star Wars medal hangers, ready just in time for the Rebel Challenge Weekend.  They also had their brand new Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics racks first released at Dopey Week.

Al, Kamika and Caryn all had park passes so Susan and I caught a really nice dinner at Labrea Bakery just outside of the park. We stayed until the nightly fireworks display and headed to bed for the usual 4 AM wake up call. (Note for future Disney racers. The course this year started in the same general area, but since the direction of the start line had changed, we needed to walk another 10 - 15 minutes to get to the mid and back of the corrals. Be sure to check your start line maps!)

Rudy and Carissa were having a blast on the announcer stage. Disney took full advantage of the jumbotrons to show off the parade of characters visiting the start line including C-3PO, R2-D2, several storm troopers and a few miscellaneous characters. The big screen was useful for those of us starting in the Corral Far, Far Away.

The 10K course was different than Dopey and Avengers, passing through 'a bugs land' later in the race. This was great because in the low light, I may have even completely missed that section of the park last time.

Al was on a mission to find specific characters for photo ops - Yoda, C-3PO and R2-D2, Chewbacca - mainly because they wouldn't normally appear outside of film events and they're a bit harder to copy well with a store bought costumer. I was on the lookout for Darth Vader who took a bathroom break when I was at the head of the line at the Dopey 10K. 

Mile 2-ish: Score one with the Wookie.

Mile 2.5:  Susan skipped Chewy but went ahead to wait in line for Darth. I'll seriously consider buying the MarathonFoto for this one later.   

Main Street:  Kamika catches up to us in time to pose with characters from the New Rebels series. Something else to add to the DVR list.

On the Boardwalk:  We meet Jennifer Walker in the Boba Fett line. Jennifer was another Coast to Coast Disney runner who claimed 10 medals in the last week. Three weeks into January, she has already logged over 80 race miles.

Epic selfie fail as I cut off Al's head. The cast member photobomb is only slight redemption.

Somewhere on the back lots, I found my favorite costume.  When we signed up for the race, I joked with Susan that she should come dressed in Princess Leia's gold bikini (*look of horror*). This woman topped that - Lego style. Her partner rocked the Lego Jabba the Hutt as well.

The finish area had a Jedi DJ and some bigger than life Wars decor. Race 1 was a great day for pictures. I had a PW 1:56 for the 10K and didn't mind a bit.

Interestingly enough, I didn't hardly took any pictures at dinner. Susan was working and had dinner at the hotel. We met "Rhode Hazard" Andrea for the first time at the ESPN Zone. The only picture I had was of Al's "That's No Moon" drink. 

There may also have been some badly undercooked hot wings. We will not elaborate. Rather, let's ooh and ahh at the 10K medal.

It turns out the fireworks were better viewed from the parking lot of our hotel. 

I had some regrets about not taking the selfie-stick that Caryn gave me on the 10K. It came in handy on the half the next day. We gave ourselves an extra 15 minutes to get to the starting corrals, so we had some extra time. We met at the elevator 4:45 as planned. Al texted ahead to see if we had any cough drops. Fortunately, Susan gave me a whole bag when we were in San Antonio.

Gypsies Assemble!

It took me a while to get comfortable with the fact that my phone was on the far end of a stick and we were surrounded with people. It got better as we got going. Turns out there were a lot of us 'stick people' on the course.

Rudy was fighting a cold. As the corral in front of us went off, I think Carissa asked him if he wanted anything for his birthday the next day. "Cough drops". I don't think this could have been better if we planned it.

For future reference, Rudy likes Lemon flavored cough drops.

The early darkness made for tough picture taking, but there were a lot of good moments. Back lot spot lights:

The shot in front of the Castle.

The brightly lit mile markers. This time, no wind issues.

We skipped Darth and Chewie this time and looked for new characters. Mace Windu and a few younger Jedi had a short line. They really stayed in character, even asking what the strange weapon was that I was wielding.

The selfie-stick came in handy more than I thought it would.

There was a beautiful sunrise over Cars Land that I just could not get the right lighting. We turn the corner in the back lots and saw this though. Nothing like a California sunrise!

The sunrise over Cars Land was pretty spectacular.

The highlight of the race was in the southern loop of the course where the 501st Legion came out in force. The 501 performs charitable events in full Star Wars garb. I bet most people lost 10 - 20 minutes on their race time here alone. Al was up ahead sending intel back on the characters so we knew where to stop.

I really need to keep my comments to myself around these guys.

One of many bounty hunters

Just hanging with Darth and the boys.

 Let the Wookie win. Seriously.

 Given the hat, I just had to do this one with C-3PO.

After realizing that the lighting was good enough to take a moving picture, I had to go back and take this picture in mid-jump. I didn't think this would ever happen at a regular Disney race since Darth is usually inside the park with a 20 minute line. The guy behind me took the burst pictures perfectly.

Susan was waiting for me just before the turn back into downtown Disney. The time on the mile marker was pretty consistent with our last Disney race. Speed is not an issue. Go for the PR for character pictures!

We met Jeff, Jen and Connor in the finish area. Jen had done the 10K the day before and Jeff had a solid time at the half. Connor got to wear the medals. Connor probably had more pictures taken of him than all of the characters holding his sign cheering on mom and dad.

First race weekend of 2015 done! While we're lagging behind quite a few of our friends on medals per week, this wasn't a bad start.

For the record, some signs just won't have the same effect anywhere else.

~//~

The Inaugural runDisney Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend was an unqualified success. There were about 20,000 finishers overall (9,194 in the 10K, 10,374 in the Half Marathon). There was a good turnout for the 5K which was untimed (so no count available).  While I didn't see or hear a number, I bet that a good portion of the participants completed the 10K and Half as part of the Rebel Challenge.  

The half marathon course was typical Disney, starting in Downtown Disney and winding through Disneyland for the first 4.5 miles. After leaving the park, we headed south on Harbor Boulvevard turning west on Garden Grove, north on Euclid, east on Chapman, then back up Harbor to make our way back to the finish. The overhead view of the course looks a lot like a bath tub and shower head. While we didn't get the chance to go through Angels Stadium like we did at Dumbo and Avengers, we also didn't have to brave the high winds off the flood control channel.  Several runDisney veterans were saying this was the best Disney World course they've run.

Weather this year was cool to comfy, starting in the low 50's at 5:30 AM and warming to the mid 70's by 8:30. This was a welcome break to a bunch of our friends who came from the Dopey and Goofy Challenges in Walt Disney World the previous week where temperatures were in the low 40's.

This particular weekend in January was busy for our usual race companies. runDisney used to have the Tinkerbell Half Marathon Weekend until this year (moving it to Mother's Day weekend). The Biggest Loser RunWalk had a race in Las Cruces New Mexico which is still our list of half marathon states. Competitor Group always holds Rock n Roll Arizona this weekend. This is a bummer since, RNR started a four-year medal series with RNR Arizona where the medals from 2015 - 2018 all fit together to form a super-medal. It should be noted that if we knew about that before Star Wars was announced, we may have chosen a different path since it was already included in the cost of the TourPass 2015.

We had a blast at Star Wars weekend. Depending on how our run for RNR Hall of Fame goes, we may do it again in 2017.