The FINAL day of the Dopey Challenge was the Disney marathon – and it started off with a BANG! No really – each wave is sent off by fireworks and they were especially awesome for the marathon. I was running a little late, but managed to give myself a pep-talk on the way to my coral. I had no idea how this day was going to turn out – was I going to get swept? Was I going to make it?
runDisney Marathon Weekend HALF MARATHON – Florida Part 7
The 3rd day of the Dopey Challenge during marathon weekend at Disney World was the HALF MARATHON! I have run 13 miles, but never in a race – and this run was ESPECIALLY exciting because I would get to run through the castle in the Magic Kingdom! I had been dreaming about running through the castle since I first heard of the runDisney races. After looking at numerous beautiful pictures and videos of happy people running out the front of the castle I was so ready to have one of those amazing photos to call my own…unfortunately my castle moment wasn’t quite how I thought it would be…
runDisney Marathon Weekend 10K – Florida: Part 6
Dark and early (I can’t really say bright and early because I was up well before the sun) Kevin dropped me off at Epcot and I made my way with the other runners to the starting corrals. I felt a little more confident because I knew where I was going since I was just through it all the day before for the Marathon Weekend 5k. I made my way through the crowd admiring the awesome costumes. I kept the mylar blanket they gave me the day before for extra warmth while waiting to start. The lines for the characters were outrageously long so I knew there was no point waiting because I wouldn’t have time to get a picture before the race started. Little did I know that later in the run I would have a very comical “character stop”….
runDisney 5K (Florida: Part 5)
It was almost a year ago that I spent my lunch break at work huddled over my computer trying to get a spot in the Dopey Challenge at Disney World. These races usually sell out very fast – and 2018 was no exception because it was the anniversary of the 25th Marathon and the 5th Dopey Challenge – this meant the medals would be extra cool.
Kevin dropped me off in the parking lot at Epcot around 4 AM and I followed the sea of people in the 32* weather towards the start. As I walked it hit me that this challenge was finally here and I was going to attempt to run 48.6 miles in 4 consecutive days with very little training due to my heel injury. I felt very confident I could complete the 5K and 10K – and pretty sure I could do the half marathon – but could I add a full marathon on top of that?!
RunDisney EXPO Florida: Part 4
It was another cold and rainy day in Florida for the runDisney Marathon Weekend expo. It was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which was HUGE. I had never been there before, but Kevin had been there several times while playing softball tournaments. We left so we could be there close to noon when it opened to hopefully avoid the crowds – I apparently had a lot to learn about the runDisney expo….
Florida: Part 3
It didn’t rain on the day we went to Epcot, but it was really cold and windy – and of course if you have been following my Florida trip so far you know I was really sick. I could barely talk this day, but there was no way I was gonna waste my vacation laying around the rental house the whole week!
Florida: Part 2
We were disappointed that the weather took a turn for the worst, but tried to not let it interfere with our trip so on New Years day we headed to the Magic Kingdom. I felt horrible with a sore throat and cough. When we got to the park, it was raining so we were hoping that most people would stay home – we thought wrong.
FLORIDA: Part 1
2018 has started off with a BANG! Most of my family and I headed to Florida to celebrate New Years, go to Disney, and I was going to attempt the Dopey Challenge! Plus I was a guest on The Joyride Podcast – all this within the first 9 days of January – pretty awesome! 🙂
I was a guest on The Joyride Podcast
EXCITING NEWS FRIENDS!!!
One of my favorite podcasts is The Joyride Podcast which focuses on women cyclists – and it is awesome. I have been an avid fan of the show since close to the start of the podcast when I binge listed to all the episodes.
I was delighted to be a guest on the show on the first episode of season 3! If you want to listen to me talk about bikes with Cat, the host, check out Episode 31 of The Joyrode Podcast here – or wherever you listen to your podcasts!
ENJOY!
Snowy Bike Ride
The day after the Merry Little Bike Ride, it snowed all day long and well into the night in PA. I have seen that people cycle when it snows and have been curious how my bike would handle it. Also, I have all those lights strung on my bike and thought it would look pretty awesome in the snow, but do I need studded tires for my bike like I have read about? Would I be slipping all over the road? Do I need a fat tire bike? I decided to see what would happen if I took my hybrid out for a spin.
blisters and bug bites 