Tinker Bell Kids Races

runDisney Tinker Bell Kids Races

In my opinion, the Kids Races were one of the best and most beneficial things I can do for my kids! As a new runner, my kids have been training almost as much as me. They go to the gym with us, see mom and dad running for endless hours.  The front door of the daycare has a view of the treadmills and I often spotted Luke peaking out and waving.  This was important to me to teach my kids how to be active, set a goal and achieve it. So when I signed D and I up, I automatically signed the kids up without a second thought! For $20, they got a shirt they LOVE, ran a race, WON it, and were crowned with a medal. What other Disney experience offers you all that for just $20?? 

As D and I trained, Luke would often ask me what he needed to do to train. Of course, for only 200 meters, he didn't need to do much, but when the weather was warm, I would have him run drills around the yard, run with me up and down the side walk, and made sure he had running shoes he loved. Same for G- we went and bought some cute sneakers and she proudly tells everyone that they are her running shoes! 

When we got to the expo, Luke and G were so excited to get their gear and find the fun things in their bag. The kids' bags had their race bibs, t-shirt, and a kid's Luna bar in it, which they quickly ate and put the shirts on immediately. 

That night, we made sure to lay out their things and I tried to explain what the drill would be the next morning.  We made sure to eat a good healthy breakfast "just like mom and dad would eat on race day" and were off.  The park was super busy! That morning was also the morning of the inaugural 10K for Tinker Bell, so that added to a bit of the chaos.  There was some confusion as to where to go, but there were so many volunteers around to point you in the right direction and show you where to go, so we never got lost! 

There were photographers as well and they took lots of pre-race photos. We made a pit-stop at the port-a-potties and then D and I split up. D was with Luke and I was with G.  

The races start from oldest to youngest, so 400 M to 100 M. Be prepared for your little ones! As I looked around in our corral (the 2-4 year olds and Diaper Dashers) I noticed that a lot of parents were unprepared for the wait.  The race information asked us to get there by 9:15, the 400 M started at 9:30 promptly. We joined the crowd around 9:00, so there was quite a bit of waiting. A lot of the kiddos around us were getting anxious and impatient and parents had little they could do. It was also hot at 9 AM. and we were in direct sun light. Little to do about that, too.  I would say, that unless you are dead set on being in the front of the group, it really isn't 100% necessary to be in the lines earlier than 9:15.  I saw people getting into our corral right up until we ran- so well after 9:30.  

200 M Crowd Waiting to Start

We got to see D and Luke file out. They are good about letting the first comers start first, and they have the groups start racing in intervals so it isn't one big mass of kids and parents dashing around. It was very safe, and I never worried about their safety.  They also have "Fairy Coaches" going around to all the groups to get everyone excited. It was cute to see older men in track pants, sweat shirts and fairy wings trying to excite the kids. G got a good laugh out of that! 

Luke and Dad waiting

So we filed to the 100 M start line. The Fairy Coaches counted down and we were off! I really tried to get some running-in-action shots, but it was too hard to get so I just put my phone down and enjoyed running with G.  

My little Tink. She was apprehensive at first

I didn't know what to expect- would she want to walk, would she run and then slow to walking towards the end... but Nope! She ran the entire way! D later told me that Luke did too! 

The exhilaration of a race is not lost on kids! So G and I held hands the entire time and I weaved her in and around the littler kids and the walkers. I could hear her laughing as we ran.  

Donald and Mickey were at the finish line giving high fives, so we held out our hands and everyone cheered for my little girl! 
Volunteers were every where cheering and saying "You Did It!! Great Job Tink!" A kind gal medaled G and she had a grin from ear to ear! Someone else held out a water while someone else held out a Luna bar, and G graciously took both. 

A photographer quickly ran up to take her picture, and as soon as that lens was on her, she posed beautifully without me coaching her. "I did it Mommy! I did it!" she kept saying. I don't know if I myself could have taught her a better lesson this young.  

Something else I noticed while we were walking around looking for D, Luke and the Grandparents, not very many kids were dressed up. Dress up your kids for this! Its a fun event, encourage them to pick their favorite character and make it happen. Gianna often wavered on who she wanted to be, so I encouraged Tinker Bell since it was the theme of the weekend. Luke kept picking different guys to be, but when it came down to it, he picked Jake from the Disney Jr. show.  Both costumes would have been easy enough to make, but I got lucky with sales and was able to pick up both costumes for relatively inexpensive. Get them involved- take them to pick it out, or to pick out the materials to make it.

So in a nut shell, here are my tips to making the best out of the Kids Races: 

1. Get your kiddo excited from the start! Let them know that everyone wins, and there are no losers. If they do the best they can, you will be so proud of them. 

2. Get up early on race day- you don't want to be late and miss out. Feed them a good breakfast and use this as a learning experience for good eating habits and why its important. 

3. Be Prepared to Wait!! Older kids usually have a higher tolerance for waiting. But if you have impatient kids or little ones, bring a back pack with a few toys, some water and maybe a snack. When the race starts, sling it over your shoulders and go.  

4. Don't feel like you need to get in line as soon as you get there. If your kids are good at waiting and you're prepared- go for it. Otherwise, walk around- call it their warm up, and get in line. Don't fret about being towards the back- your kids will get their time to shine. 

5. Dress up your kids!!! 

6. Make this SO about them! Make a big deal about what they're doing. And when they get their medal- be so proud and let them know it! Its a big deal to run in a race and get a medal! Who knows what goodness you'll instill in them for the future! 

7. Lastly- take you camera/phone. The official photographers are SUPER expensive! If you don't mind dropping $30 on a single shot- do it. Otherwise, you can get great shots yourself. 

The next West Coast runDisney event is the Disney Land Half Marathon. This weekend will also feature Kids Races and registration starts on January 28! It will be so worth your time and effort! 

I would love to hear about any experiences you have had with putting your kids in runDisney races, or any kids' race! 

** And again... stay tuned! I'm working on my write up of the HALF MARATHON!!! **

Tinker Bell Half Marathon Expo

runDisney Health and Wellness Expo

What a great event! Very busy! Lots of energy! and PACKED! 
My biggest point of advice here if you are running a runDisney race, is to get to the Expos early and with plenty of time to kill. There is so much to see and so much offered, that I really felt pressed for time to take in everything. As we were walking out, I realized I hadn't taken a single photo! Oh well. Also getting to the Expo early will better your chances of getting the items you may have your heart set on. By the time we got there Friday afternoon, all the Dooney's were gone, and the Track Jacket I kinda wanted was gone.  I also heard some people talking about the New Balance Disney shoes being picked over, so be sure to plan to go the day they open if you MUST HAVE something. 

My other piece of advice- If you can avoid it, don't take the kids. Unless you are comfortable with your kids not having anything to do. I had my two in tow in our sit-n-ride stroller, and it was so difficult to navigate around people. Especially in the Race Gear area. People randomly stop in front of you- I swear I think I shin checked a few people because they short-stopped me. So if you can, leave the kids at home. 

My biggest mistake was going straight there after a 5 hour drive. And there were just way too many people to let them run free like they wanted. But still, I think my kids would still have been stir crazy. And let's face it- this piece of the weekend just isn't geared towards the kiddos.

The Expo has a lot of really great vendors.  We did end up going on Saturday again, after the Kids Races and they were a bit better behaved. But I still felt rushed.  We were able to stop at a few other vendors that we hadn't seen yet. The Team Sparkle booth was super busy- but what a perfect way to add a bit of bling at the last minute. 
I also really loved the Raw Threads vendor.  They had a ton of super cute and unique shirts. I grabbed the "Mermaid" one with the tail on the back, and also the "Thirteen Point One" shirt with Tink wings on the back. I love them both! If you are going to a runDisney Expo, make sure to check them out. 

 

















I also got to ogle the race bling. Makes me want to set an outrageous goal to get ALL OF THEM! Lots to do and lots to see. So be sure to take it all in.   

Stay tuned... I'll be posting about the Kids Races and my experience with the Half as well! :) 

Preparation for the Race

I have to apologize... I really can't get the race out of my head. So since that is on my mind- you get the read about it. 

I have been getting over my cough and sinus infection, and still nursing my hip pain, and my confidence was waning regarding actually running the race, and even finishing.

On Monday, I forced myself to the gym to run, and not even at the 1 mile marker, I had to stop. My hip was screaming at me, and when I tried to run, I couldn't breathe. That did very little for my confidence. I ended up stretching while Dustin ran for an hour and got in about 4.5 miles. After all that stretching my hip did feel better, so I started an ibuprofen regimen and decided I would stay on that and stretch gratuitously every day until the Race. 

On Wednesday, I decided my hip was feeling up to it and I wasn't coughing as much, so off to the gym we went again for round 2.  Before we left, I had D put RockTape on my right leg- down my entire leg to try to help alleviate the pain in my hip. My chiro thinks it might have to do with sciatica pain so I looked up how to tape for that: place the tape on whichever side is bothering you (my right) in the middle of the leg to just above the butt. And then a 5-inch strip horizontal over the area of pain. I might be crazy, but I feel it helped.  I decided that I would mainly walk, but I set the treadmill at 4.3-4.5 and walked as fast as my legs would allow.  When I felt good and warm, I did a tentative run for 30 seconds, and went back to walking, and it felt good. So I ran for 1 min increments, and walked for 2-3 minutes for the whole hour. I was really happy when I got over the 4 mile point, and my runkeeper app told me that I maintained, even with all the walking, 15 minutes per mile, and did a total of 4.25 miles. I felt a bit of my confidence come back. This was also the first time that my hour run went by pretty fast! I started running, and before I knew it, 45 minutes had passed and I was almost done. 

I also went to my chiropractor one last time before the race to get adjusted and have him work out the hip pain. I told him I was still feeling tightness in my hip and upper butt, so he did a little extra to try to help out. I know I’ll be seeing him the moment I get home.

That brings us to yesterday, Saturday.  This was my LAST chance to get in a long run. Again, I wasn't so confident that I could do it- I hate running on the treadmill for more than an hour, and the weather has been so cold and snowy, I didn't want to risk running outside and possibly catch an icy patch and injure myself further! So I talked to a few running friends and they suggested that I break up the run. Right- its not the same as running the mileage in one go- but even with a few hour break, it will still help condition my muscles.  So I figured I would go as long as my brain would allow on the treadmill, and then come back later. So we got to the gym, checked the kids into the day care and started out. The gym's daycare closes early on Saturday, so I had that looming as well. The first hour I did 4.25, and then I took a little break from the treadmill and walked outside to get some fresh cool air- it felt SO good to be outside. then I came back in a ran about 25 minutes until I had to get the kids agin. That brought me to just over 6 miles- pretty decent for 80 minutes. D hung back and got his full 2 hours on the treadmill, and then worked out further. I headed back around 4:00 PM and finished out my run. I got to 4 miles, and that brought my total to 10.09 miles for the day!! Made me feel really good. This morning I'm really feeling it, and I imagine this will be how I feel the day after the race. I felt pretty satisfied with myself and I'm happy I got the mileage in!!  I also practiced using some positive reinforcement phrases to help me through. I used a Forrest Gump one: “One day I decided to go for a little run…”  And “Leave it all on the road” and really just simply counting my steps “1,2. 1,2. 1,2.” Or the simple “1 more minute”. Something else that helped was thinking about the countless others that have made this journey and lived to tell the tale, and telling myself- if they can do it, I can do it. I can’t say enough of positivity.  If I doubt myself and tell myself I can’t, or I have to stop, then of course I do. But if you push forward in positivity and even run with a smile- it does a lot!

At this point in training, we start to tapper off the mileage, and just do a couple of maintenance runs, and I’ve already warned D that we won’t be running a full hour on Monday and Wednesday. The main thing to focus on this week is great sleep and hydration.  The night of the race, I will be lucky to get a few solid hours of sleep, so we gotta get our “sleep cache” up.

Trip preparation:
I have been racking my brain of all the little things I have left to do. Finish my costume. Put finishing touches on D's. The Disney Store had all their Halloween costumes out and on sale, and there was one left of Jake and the Neverland Pirates. So I nabbed it.  I had resigned to making a vest for Lucas, but I wasn't happy with it. So when I saw this- I knew it would be perfect and Luke would be happy that he got a costume like the rest of us.

There’s a meme I found on Pinterest that says “You know you’re a runner when you plan your vacations around runs.” Ain’t that the truth!! Not only are we going to Cali for the races, but we are also going for a vacation as well! I’m really excited to let myself get wrapped up in the events and get excited with my kids. My in-laws are coming as well to help cheer us on and tend the kids during the race, and it will be their first time to the DisneyLand Resort, so I also have thoughts of how to make this a great experience for them, too.

D has started to bring things out that we need to take. We'll be visiting the DisneyLand parks the day after, so that requires all our DL gear too. Our Ears are hanging on a mirror right now- can't forget those!
My awesome sister and brother in-law made D and I a “runners kit” for Christmas- SO thoughtful! I was really touched that they put so much thought and effort into it. They included Rocktape, freeze gel, Advil, Bodyglide, Epsom Salt, and a big chunk of chocolate. These will definitely be accompanying us on the trip.

What are your “must have’s” for a race? Anything else you would suggest?

Encouragement

I have been doing a lot of reading and researching on running long distance. I know, 13.1 miles isn't THAT long, but for me it's really a test of strength since before this, I've never been a runner.
Some of the things that I have looked up is strength training, learning to run correctly, how to push through a bad mile or one minute, and how to prepare your mind. 
Here are a few things that I have found that have helped me. I love Pinterest because it has been my place to put everything to prepare my mind, body, and heart for this race. Feel free to follow my "runDisney" board and find all the different things that I've found. 

This is one of the first things I found to encourage my running from Women's Health magazine: 6 Reasons to Start Running. 

Here are 13 reasons to run a half marathon from Active.com. I liked this article not only for this article, but the other links within it.  

Jeff Galloway is the official runDisney running coach and he has a lot out there about running better and running with better form.  One thing that really transformed how I looked at running is his run-walk-run method. 
When I was in school, and the gym teachers told us to go and run a mile, they never taught us how to run that mile. So I thought that I had to just set off running, and it was always the worst experience ever. I would get a stitch about 30 seconds into running, and I'd have to painfully hobble through the rest while the teachers berated us for not moving fast enough.
And then low and behold, I read up on Jeff's method of the run-walk-run and it changed everything for me. I actually enjoy running and it has become something that motivates me to go further.  Here are some tips for running from the runDisney site. One of the things that really stands out to me is by following this method and training schedule you are much less at risk for injury, and you have a higher ability of bouncing back after your runs. 

To me, it really comes down to finding what works for you. And then sticking to it.  
Another thing that has really helped me is finding support and encouragement from those around you.  For me, this is my husband who has chosen to take this on with me.  For some of my friends, it is finding a running group that has helped them push forward.  And for others, it may just be finding that running will help you push forward and give you the alone time that we all need. 
So lace up your shoes and hit the pavement or the treadmill and figure out what works. Running is a great exercise for your body, but almost more-so for your brain. 

Found It!!

I found my race outfit! With a few accessories, it will be great!! 

I tried on several things. When I first went in to Athleta on my short lunch break, I saw what I thought would be perfect. All pink and spunky... but alas, it was not meant to be when I tried it on.  But I was determined to find something bright and fun, so I told the two gals helping me about my quest for the perfect top to run my Tinkerbell Half Marathon in. They got to work about brought me top after top, and some bottoms just for fun.  
Here are some of the tops that I liked, but ultimately declined because they weren't THE one. 

So I really liked the last one. ----^But neither Dustin nor I LOVED it. So I told my gals and they brought me this one...

Really, pictures don't do it 100% justice. But it is NEON pink! BAM! It has a light shelf bra in place for low impact stuff, which is not fab for a 13.1 mile race, but with a regular sports bra on too, it is perfect! It is made out of nylon, polyester and spandex, which is great for wicking away moister. Its long for us tall mamas! And get this-- it also has polygiene which helps it to not hold smell between washes- I'm sold! haha
I also really liked the bottoms they brought to me, so I got those too. Really light weight, called "bare to run" because you hardly tell that you're wearing them.  I had such a hard time looking at traditional stores, so I was so relieved to find both the top and bottom of my outfit in one foul swoop.  

First Trial Run with new top and pants! 

The last few things I need is my tutu that I'm going to make.
I really like both of them and it is just simply black versus blue.
So we'll see if I can find a match like these at the fabric store. 

I also bought my wings tonight! So it's all coming together. 

The final thing on my list was my running belt.  

The Fitletic belt was what I wanted for awhile. It has received some great reviews. No one local carried it, so I settled for something else, and immediately hated it. I ordered this one from Amazon and now there's no turning back. My biggest peeve from the first one was that the waist band was nylon with no elasticity to it, which forced me to wear it high, on my ribs really. But this one's a more elastic material and I can wear it low like I like. No bounce, holds like 4 or 5 energy gels, my phone, and I can buy an add on water bottle for long runs that don't have water stops.  I really love it. 

On the down side- I have yet to make my 10 miles that I wanted to get to prior to the race. 18 days until race day and I'm still fighting my hip pain and I just went to the doctor today to fight a major cough and sinus infection. Like I said- the cosmos are really testing my wherewithal for this run. But I'm really just giving in to the mind-over matter thing of it. I have been running consistently for 4 months, and not so consistently for almost a year now. I know that I can do this, and I know that my body is capable of it, so now I just have to trust that.  1-2, 1-2, 1-2, right?
I got the outfit, I've paid the fees, all I need to do is show up and have fun!