2013 Goofy Challenge - Part I

WARNING! Sit back and relax, this is going to be a loooong post!

 SPOILER! It's official! I am the proud finisher of the Dopey Challenge.

What is the Dopey Challenge? You run the Disney Family Fun Run 5k on Friday, followed by the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday, followed by the Walt Disney World Full Marathon on Sunday.  Let me start from the beginning.


Thursday,  Jan 10th - Expo

After a 7 hour flight from San Diego, we arrived in Orlando at 9:30am.  We took tDisney's Magical Express Bus to our new home for the next couple of days, the Art of Animation (Cars) Resort.

We quickly unpacked and headed off to Disney's Health & Fitness Expo held at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

I must say this is the mother of all running expos. Anything you can imagine, you can find it here. If you like running and you are a Disney fan,  you better leave your wallet at the hotel.  This place is dangerous. Today, however, I chose not to spend too much money at the expo. Instead, I waited for nearly 45 minutes to be able to exchange my gigantic race shirts, from size S to XS. For the Goofy Challenge, they gave us 3 nice shirts. Lucky me, I was able to swap the WDW Full Marathon one. I went back 2 days later and with the help of my cousin I was able to exchange the Goofy shirt as well. As for the Donald race shirt, well it's my new PJ.

Take me out of here or lose me forever!

The item that stole the show at this expo was the New Balance Minnie-Inspired Limited Edition. Pretty cool, huh? I am glad they are not Brooks or I would have bought them.

After the expo, we headed to Downtown Disney for a delicious Cuban dinner at Bongos Cafe.

Friday, Jan 11th - Disney Family Fun Run 5K ( Epcot)

Race Course

Summary

We woke up at 4:30am and left our room half hour later.  My kids ( 4 and 7 years old) were half asleep.   My husband brought the stroller for my youngest one, just in case. Unfortunately, strollers were only allowed in Corral D and my daughter wanted to start in Corral A with "the fast people" ( her words), so we split.

The race started at 6:30am with a beautiful firework display. The first mile was outside Epcot. We entered the park via Mexico and ran around the World Showcase. We saw Goofy dressed up in colonial clothes. We also saw Pluto in Paris and a Canadian Donald Duck.

From the World Showcase, we went to Future World and took some pictures on the go before arriving at the finish line.

We ran, laughed, and talked a lot during this race. I loved it! This was my daughter's second 5k and she did great!

Post Family Fun Run 5K

After the race, we went to Disney's Magic Kingdom for 7 hours. I went to bed at 10:00pm. 4 hours of sleep until the next race, the WDW Half.

Friday,  Jan 12th - Walt Disney World Half Marathon

Race Course

The 13.1 mile course starts outside of Epcot, up to Magic Kingdom, back to Epcot through Future World, and finishes in the Epcot parking lot.

Summary

My alarm went off at 2:30am. YES, 2:30am. You read right. I grabbed a banana and an orange and headed out.

I met my friend April aka Bella at 3:15 am at the bus line.

We arrived at the Epcot parking lot at 3:45 where I met a few friends.

My friend Edna aka Vanellope Von Schweetz from Wreck-It Ralph.
We both participated in the New York Marathon

My friend Greg V. We both ran the RnR Edinburgh and Madrid last year

I also made a new friend, Julius. He is a friend of Caro who also ran the RnR Madrid. Little I knew that Julius would become my new running buddy at this Goofy Challenge. We ran together the entire WDW Half and Full.

Aladdin and his friends. LOL

At 5:00am, we headed to our corrals. We thought that a half hour would give us plenty of time to get there but I was wrong. At 5:30am, the gun went off, another big firework display. We jumped on corral B. We just made it by a hair.  At the starting line, there were Goofy, Mickey and Donald in running clothes wishing us good luck!

Photo Credit: Run Disney

Photo Credit : Run Disney

My strategy for this race was to take it easy and save my legs for the full marathon the next day.  The plan was to stop at Magic Kingdom for pictures with the characters and then run some more. This is exactly what we did.

The first 4 miles were a "breeze",  literally and figuratively.  We ran between Epcot and Magic Kingdom. Nothing too spectacular entertainment wise, except for a big pirate ship and some kites.  The temperatures were perfect. Not too cold, not too hot, not too humid, at least at 5:30am. At mile 4 or so, we arrived at Magic Kingdom. Running through Main Street was magical. Of course, I had to stop to take pictures at Cinderella's castle!

From Main Street, we went to Tomorrowland and the new Fantasyland where I saw some of my favorite characters, Alice and the Queen of Hearts. I had a big smile on my face. I also stopped for pictures with princess Tiara.

From Fantasyland, we headed to Adventureland and out of the park to Epcot via World Drive.  The sun came up and the temperatures was rising. This part of the course was not very exciting but the sight of the pirate ship that we passed earlier on made me smile. I spotted my friend April around mile 10. She decided to join Julius and I for the rest of the course. Soon after, we were at Epcot. I could see the Spaceship Earth. YES, we are almost there!  It's the final stretch. There was a nice gospel group entertaining us just a few yards from the finish line. I usually sprint the last mile or so but I decided to take it easy. After all, I was running a full marathon the next day.  My finish time was 2:24:17 including 20 minutes for picture stops.  Mission completion! 16.2 miles done 26.2 to go!

My beautiful medal.

Post-race

After the race, we headed to Disney's Animal Kingdom. The plan was to stay only for few hours but we returned to the hotel at 10:00pm. Only 4 hours of sleep until the full marathon next day.  OMG!

Check  2013 Goofy Challenge - Part II.

36 days until the Goofy Challenge!

What is the Goofy Challenge? 

Jan 11th - Walt Disney World Family 5k

Jan 12th - Walt Disney World Half Marathon

Jan 13th - Walt Disney World Full Marathon

 Walt Disney World Half Marathon

Walt Disney World Full Marathon

Goofy Challenge Medal

 Have you participated in this challenge before? Any word of advice?  

Bilingual - Valencia Marathon Race Recap

Fair warning! This is going to be a looooooooong post! So sit back, relax and grab some coffee ¡El que avisa no es traidor! Esta entrada es muy larrrrrga. Siéntense, relájense y disfruten :-)

Tuesday, November 14th - 11:40pm

After a 17-hour flight from San Diego to London to Madrid, everyone was tired but happy to be back in Spain. I was suddenly feeling grateful for the opportunity to run my second marathon in my country. Unfortunately, we arrived in Spain at turbulent times. There was a General Strike scheduled on Wednesday and there was little we could do or see before our trip to Valencia. At least we got to have some quality time with family and friends.

Después de un vuelo de 17 horas desde San Diego a Madrid, pasando por Londres, llegamos todos cansados pero muy felices de estar de vuelta en España. Siento mucha alegría y un profundo agradecimiento por la oportunidad de volver a correr  otra maratón en la madre patria. Desafortunadamente, llegamos a España en tiempos turbulentos. Hay Huelga General y apenas podemos salir a la calle con los peques antes de nuestro viaje a Valencia. Por lo menos compartirnos unas tardes maravillosas con la familia y amigos.

Friday, November 16

We left from Atocha Train Station to Valencia Sorolla on the early morning AVE high-speed train. The trip was very short and pleasant. It took approximately 1:30 hr and my kids were asleep all the way. Salimos de la estación de Atocha a Valencia Sorrilla a primera hora, en el tren de alta velocidad AVE. El viaje es corto y placentero. Dura unos 1 hr 38 min y los peques se han quedado dormidos. 

Once we arrived in Valencia, we took a taxi to Hotel Primus, which is located just a few steps from Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. This is where the start and finish line of the race takes place. Our room was nicely decorated with pictures of the city. Una vez en Valencia cogemos el taxi al hotel Primus, localizado a un par de manzanas de la Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias en donde se encuentra la feria del corredor, al igual que la salida y la meta de la maratón. El hotel esta decorado con mucho gusto y unas fotos preciosas de la ciudad. 

Soon after, we unpacked and headed to the running Expo. I was excited to see Santiago Calatrava's Masterpiece. I am familiar with his Auditorio de Tenerife (Canary Islands) as well as his Ground Zero in NY but I have never been to Valencia. It was truly breathtaking.

Tras la llegada al hotel, desempaquetamos maletas, nos ponemos cómodos y nos dirigimos a la feria del corredor. Me hace muchísima ilusión ver la obra maestra de Santiago Calatrava. Conozco su Auditorio de Tenerife así como su edificación en la Zona Cero de Nueva York, pero nunca he estado en Valencia. Como todas sus obras me parece realmente impresionante.

This is where we picked up our running bibs

This is where we picked up our running shirts

My husband and I spent 30 minutes at the expo while my grandparents were watching the kids.  Everyone was still experiencing jet lag, including me.  My kids were having serious stomach problems too. Right after the expo, I headed to the pharmacy to get some medication and learned that they were are on strike too. "Nooo, it can't be" I thought. I took a  taxi to the city center where I found a pharmacy opened with a very loooooong line, 32 people in front of me. I told myself "It is what it is and there is nothing you can do about it".

Mi marido y yo estamos en la feria unos 30 minutos mientras mis abuelos cuidan a los niños. La familia entera padece del famoso "jet lag", en definitiva tenemos los horarios trastocados y es que son 9 horas de diferencia entre San Diego y Valencia. Por otra parte, mis hijos empiezan a sentir molestias estomacales. Nada mas salir de la feria me dirijo una farmacia cercana para comprar medicamentos. Una vez allí me entero que las farmacias de la Comunidad Valenciana también están en huelga porque la Generalitat no les pagan. ¡Que fuerte! Cojo un taxi al centro de la ciudad en donde encuentro tan solo una farmacia de guardia abierta. Las colas impresionantes. Cojo turno como en el mercado, el 32. Yo que suelo vivir con positivismo pienso "nada, esto son 10 minutillos" pero que va, ahí estoy mas de una hora esperando la cola. Que se le va a hacer.

Saturday, November 17 - The Day Before The Race

We spent the day visiting the city. We saw the Miguelete, the Lonja de la Seda and las Torres de Serrano. Nos pasamos el día recorriendo el casco antiguo de la ciudad. Visitamos el Miguelete, la Lonja de la Seda y las Torres de Serrano.

Fallera doll

We did some serious carb-loading too. Starting with Valencian horchatas and fartones for breakfast,  delicious paella for lunch and bocadillos for dinner.  Ole!  Hacemos la famosa carga de carbos.  Empezando con unas horchatas valencianas para desayunar, paella para almorzar y bocatas para cenar. Ole!

The new restaurant of well-known chef  Tomas Arias

The BEST paella I've ever had

There was also a FREE paella-party available to all runners at the Expo location or some park nearby but we didn't make it back on time. También hay "paella-party" GRATIS para los participates de la carrera cerca del recinto ferial pero a esa no llegamos a tiempo. 

Late in the afternoon, we met my friend Lynne ( Beginners Run Marathons Too) at the hotel. She had come from Copenhagen to run a few miles with me.  What an honor! We had a blast in Madrid and wanted to repeat the experience. Lynne was familiar with the race course since she ran it last year. She gave me some great tips and told me to look for her after some bridge around km 30. I was overjoyed to see her again. What a friend! A última hora de la tarde nos encontramos con mi amiga Lynne en el hotel. Ha venido desde Copenhague para correr unos cuantos kilómetros conmigo. ¡Que honores! La verdad es que nos los pasamos genial en la maratón de Madrid y queríamos repetir experiencias.  Lynne participó en la Maratón de Valencia el año pasado por lo que se conoce muy bien el recorrido. Me dió un par de consejos y quedamos en vernos al día siguiente después de un puente a la altura del kilómetro 30. ¡Que ilusión!


What I was not too happy about was with the weather outside. It was pouring. You could hear thunderstorms all night long. Between this, my sick family and the worse case of jet lag EVER, I thought "I am in BIG trouble tomorrow!". De lo que no estoy muy contenta es del tiempo. Está lloviendo a cántaros y se pueden oír grandes truenos. Entre las lluvias, mi familia pochita y el peor caso de "jet lag" jamás habido y por haber, no hago mas que pensar: ¡Agüita! como dicen en mi tierra. ¡Lo que me queda!. Yo con tal de que no cancelen la carrera por inundaciones soy feliz.

Sunday, November 18 -  Race Day

I "woke up" at 6:30am after sleeping for only 2 hours. I left the hotel an hour and a half later. I decided not to take my iPhone with me because of the weather.  I regretted this decision. I wish I could have taken pictures at the starting line. The rain had completely stopped and left us with incredible levels of humidity, around 95%.  At least, the temperatures were mild, for now. Me "despierto" a las 6:30am después de dormir tan solo 2 horas. Una hora y media mas tarde salgo del hotel. Decido no llevar mi iPhone por si acaso se me moja.  Cuando llego a la salida me arrepiento de la decisión. La lluvia ha cesado por completo. Eso si, los niveles de humedad entorno al 95%. Hoy no se bate el récord. Por lo menos las temperaturas a la hora de la salida son buenas, ni mucho frío ni mucho calor. 

At almost 9:00am, the famous Valencia "mascletas" or fireworks went on.  Unfortunately, some elite runners confused them with the sound of the official starter's gun and proceeded to run. This resulted in a false start for all of us and consequently some delays. It was all very confusing since we didn't know what was going on at that moment.

A eso de las 9:00am las famosa mascletá valenciana empieza a estallar. Los corredores africanos desconociendo los sonidos falleros los confunden con los pistoletazos de salida y salen embalados. Salida falsa. Tenemos que empezar de nuevo. ¿En serio? ¡Vale! Mientras tantos los corredores de las 10K continúan.  Hay mucha confusión en el aire. Volvemos a nuestros cajones de salida y esperamos instrucciones. Cinco minutos mas tarde salimos. Esta vez de verdad. 

The roads were wet with big water paddles, found especially on the right side of the road. There was hardly any wind. The humidity, again, was sky rocketing and the temps were getting hotter and hotter, reaching 24 degrees by 11:00am.  The course was fast and flat as promised. There were drinking stations every 2.5 which was nice too.  Las calles están mojadas y hay grandes charcos de agua por todos sitios. Apenas hace viento. Eso si, la humedad por las nubes y las temperaturas cada vez mas altas, alcanzando los 24 grados a las 11:00am. La carrera es rápida y plana, como habían prometido. Hay avituallamientos cada 2.5 km. Mucha agua, bebidas isotónicas pero poca fruta.


The first half was interesting.  We ran near Playa de La Malvarrosa y Las Arenas and headed towards the center.  At km 12-13 , we passed the Catedral and the Miguelete, which I visited the day before. I was in familiar territory once again.  At km 14, we ran by the Plaza de Toros and later by the Torres de Quart. La primera mitad de la maratón es interesante. Corremos cerca de la Playa de La Malvarrosa y Las Arenas dirección centro ciudad. En el Km. 12-13, pasamos por la Catedral y el Miguelete los cuales visitamos el día anterior. Estoy en territorio conocido. En el Km. 14, pasamos por la Plaza de Toros y mas adelante por las Torres de Quart.

At km 16,  I joined a group of local runners. We ran side-by-side for about 8 km and then we lost each other. We reunited once again right before the two tunnels (around km 29). By the way, this was the only hilly part of the course. The first tunnel was fun. The music was blasting inside the tunnel. Everyone was singing. The second tunnel was claustrophobic. Thank goodness it was short. Soon after, I met Lynne. We ran together for 10 km. She had fresh legs. She was taking pictures, making police smile and most important helping me out with the last push. En el Km. 16, me incorporo a un grupo de corredores locales. Hacemos juntos unos 8 Km. y nos volvemos a encontrar a la entrada de los túneles, por el Km. 29. Por cierto, esta son las únicas subidas del recorrido. El primer túnel me resulta divertido. Música a toda mecha, todo el mundo cantando. El segundo túnel es mas cerrado y un tanto claustrofóbico. Menos mal que es corto. Acto seguido me encuentro con Lynne. Corremos juntas unos 10 Km. Lynne va fresca. Se acaba de incorporar a la carrera. Saca un montón de fotos, se pone a bromear con los policías y lo mas importante me ayuda a seguir adelante en esa recta final.

I, on the contrary, was dying slowly. Don't believe the picture above ;)  It was too hot and humid, like a Bikram Yoga room. I can't recall being this tired in a race before except in the New York Marathon. Yo por otro lado me siento fatal. No se crean la sonrisa de la foto de arriba ;) Hay tanto calor y humedad como en un estudio de Bikram Yoga. No me acuerdo de sentir tanto cansancio en ninguna maratón anterior, quizás en la de Nueva York.  


At km 31-32, a car almost ran over me. The police was not paying attention and didn't stop traffic. At km 37, I almost hit the wall. If it wasn't for Lynne, I would have walked. Thank you, rubiales! At km 40, we said to each other hasta luego.  I turned the music on and used every single inch of energy left in my body. The last 3 km were the longest EVER. As we entered the last stretch I heard my husband screaming. He was at the 42km sign with my grandparents and kids. I screamed back. "YES, only 195 meters to go!". The finishing line was amazing. We all got to run over water.

En el Km. 31-32 un coche casi me atropella. El policía iba despistado sin prestar atención al trafico. En el Km. 37, flirteo con el señor del mazo. Si no fuese por Lynne acabo caminando. Gracias, rubiales! Pero no, sigo adelante. En el Km. 40, nos decimos adiós. Me enchufo los auriculares, subo el volumen y hago un pacto conmigo misma. A por todas. Hoy corro hasta la meta.  Los últimos 3 kilómetros se me hacen larguísimos. Cuando llego al tramo final oigo a mi marido gritando desde el póster que señala los 42 km, junto a JT se encuentran mis abuelos e hijos. ¡Solo quedan 195 metros! No me lo puedo creer. La llegada fue simplemente espectacular. 

My finishing time was 4:36:09. It's not what I anticipated but I was happy considering all the factors. By the way, this is my 4th marathon in the last 7 months!! My 5th since last November. Mi tiempo final: 4:36:09. Un poco más lento que lo que esperaba, pero no está mal considerando todo los factores. Así concluye mi última maratón del 2012.  4 maratones en 7 meses, 5 maratones desde el noviembre pasado. No está mal, ¿no?

After the race, we received a bag full of oranges, some pastries, a blue towel and a SUPER awesome massage. Después de la carrera recibimos una bolsa de naranjas, unos pasteles, una toalla azul y un SUPER masaje.

Race Summary
Pros
- Beautiful city
- Well organized expo
- Amazing start & finish
- FREE paella-party for all runners
- Lots of water stations
- It's not freezing cold in the month of Nov
- Post-race snack, massages, etc..

Cons
- Not enough food during the race
- It can be hot and humid.
- It would be nice to run next to the beach on the Promenade, instead of the side streets.


Sending a ENORMOUS hug to my friend Lynne! Un abrazo muuuuy fuerte a mi amiga Lynne.

Sending a BIG thank you to my husband for all the support! I love you! Las mil y una gracias a mi esposo por todo el apoyo!

Sending lots of love to the rest of my family and friends for their support

<3 my grandma!

Silver Strand Half Marathon Race Recap

Date: Sunday, November 11th
Starting Time: 7:00am
Starting Location: Coronado
Finishing Location: Imperial Beach

I signed up for this race in the last minute. I just wanted to complete one last long run before the Valencia Marathon ( Nov 18th) and since my friend May was running it I told myself "Why not?". I heard it was flat and fast but a tad boring. Honestly, I didn't care about my finishing time. I was doing it for fun.

At the starting line with my friends

This is a point to point race, from Coronado to Imperial Beach via Silver Strand Beach. I've never been to this part of town and I didn't have any expectations. It was a pretty day. It started cold but soon it was hot and windy. 

The first 8 miles were on the highway. Nothing too spectacular. There was no view of the coast from there but we could see the bay on the left side.  Soon, we arrived at mile 9 and some residential areas.  The next 2 miles felt like an eternity. On the horizon, I could see a small hill. On the other side, I could see the 12-mile sign. Mile 11 was my least favorite part of the race course. The area was fenced and against the highway. It looked like a concentration camp. A thought invaded me "Are we running for our lives here? If that is the case, I better go faster". Soon after, a fast 70-year old passed me. "Whaat? No frigging way" I thought. "I'll keep up with him or I'll die today". And that is what I did. I ran side-by-side with my new running mate and a BIG smile on my face until the finish line. I crossed it at 2:06:23. Not bad for a training run. 

  

Imperial Beach

Minutes later, I met my friend May and learned that she has ran a sub-2. BIG congrats!!

The Color Run (5k) San Diego

Race Info

Race Rules

Rule #1 - All participants are welcome ... fast, slow, runner, walker, old and young.

Rule #2 - White shirt dress code at the official start line and ready to roll.

Rule #3 - Completely colored Willy Wonka goodness at the finish. 

Location:  Qualcomm Stadium ( 2 loops)

How does it work? I think this video explains it all.

This was my 7 year old daughter's first 5k. She was very excited about the event. We even had matching running outfits. 

Like Mother Like Daughter

We arrived at 8:15am to beat the traffic. It was easy to park.  We walked around and took some pictures before heading to the starting line where thousands of people were wearing white tops, per official rules.

The white scenery was about to be changed.

Beautiful explosion of colors

This is how we looked before the race

This is how we look after the race

As for my daughter, she truly enjoyed running this race. She's already asked me to sign her up for another 5K. I think we have a runner in the family!