Halloween Costume Run

Lu and I decided to join the Disney running group for their annual Halloween costume run in Celebration. We didn't spend any time planning an outfit so I just threw on some of Maddy's cat ears and Lu found some Minnie ears. Unfortunately though, we didn't actually manage to find the group so we did it alone. So we were a cat and a mouse running around Orlando for no good reason. Ridiculous :)

The Neon Run!

There are just tons of novelty races doing the rounds right now. We had heard that the Neon Run was a lot of fun so we signed up for the Orlando race to find out for ourselves. We were not really sure what to expect...or what to wear...

 

When we arrived, there were absolutely thousands of people and some fantastic costumes!

 

Our goal was just to have a fun workout and experience something new :)



We covered ourselves in glow paint but it just didn't do anything in the dark really...

 

At the Start line there was a great buzz. Lots of dancing and positive energy and a really great DJ. And then we were off...

 

There were 5 main stations and each one blasted you with more glow paint. After getting soaked you got to run through a tent tunnel full of UV lights. When we saw everyone glowing for the first time - it was so cool!!

 

 

Each station was a different color and we all had a great time laughing and taking pictures of each other! And there was music throughout the whole event - not just at the stations :)

 

 

It was very difficult to get a decent picture on my camera so the photos don't really do the experience justice. But you get the idea from these :)

 

 

 

Needless to say, there wasn't much running going on :). In fact the first mile took over 24 minutes! But we had a great time :)

Armageddon Ambush

Armageddon Ambush (link here!) was a lot tougher than Mike had planned. Seems like the race organizers had a lot of bad press but he had a great time regardless:)

 

Tower of Terror 10 Miler - we're back!!!

Last year we did the Tower of Terror 10-Miler and I think it was my least favorite race ever (link here). Several things went wrong for me that night but heat was probably the single biggest factor. I was determined to do it again this year and make peace with the terrible experience to put it behind me!

For our training we added a mile each week, ran in the heat, and didn't miss a single long run:). Lu came back from her cruise in the morning where she had done some hypnosis too so we convinced ourselves that we would PR and focused on the power of positive thinking...

We did the expo in the morning and showed up after a day of carb-loading not too early this time. And we didn't make the mistake of wearing the terrible, fugly shirts that last year didn't help one bit with the heat...

 

We kept telling ourselves it was cooler than last year but to be honest - I'm not sure that was true. It was still 400 degrees:(. But we were ready for it this time!

We had to wait for over an hour in the corrals but had a nice time with the other runners :)

 

And at about 10:30pm we were off!!

 

 

Last year I thought the entertainment wasn't very good (compared to the Princess Half) but this year I actually really enjoyed it. I think to be honest it was probably exactly the same but my expectations were just different. Funny how that works:). I really liked the lasers, running on the ESPN track and the final mile through Disney Hollywood Studios was just fantastic!!

 

 

The race was really tough though and the blister I had gotten earlier in the week started bothering me pretty soon in. My mind played tricks with me for most of the race so I fought really hard to stay positive and we stayed close to the 2-hr pacer the whole time to keep our PR dream in sight!

 

We both cried as we crossed the line!! It was such a victory for the power of positive thinking and we were so happy that we performed so well! The time was just under 2 hours and 3 minutes which was almost 6 minutes faster than last year!! And I placed in the top third of my age category which I am really proud of!

 

The photographers must have seen how happy we were and asked if they could take a picture of us for the Run Disney Facebook page! Are you kidding?! This is the moment we have been waiting for!!

 

 

We were the main picture the next day!!! Lu said it must be a "diversity shot" Hahahaha! The medals were as gorgeous as ever too...

 

 

But I knew I was hurting and when I finally got home at about 2am I got a look at that pesky blister...

 

 

No wonder I was in pain...which goes to prove the point - if I can run for 10 miles on that, it really IS about mind over matter! Now I just have to decide what I will do next :)