runDisney costumes - from behind

It all began with my Minnie Mouse running costume for the 2013 WDW Marathon. I wanted my Minnie Mouse ears to be super special! Rather than having my name embroidered on the back, I had them add my social media handles! That is how most people know me at first after all. 

Sure you want the front of your costume to look great for the pictures, but runners don't spend much time looking at each other! Most of the time they are running behind each other looking at their back side! When I see other great costumes on the course I always notice them first from behind. It really takes work to actually see the front side! 

WDW Half 2014 wearing my Minnie ears

These 3 princesses really caught my eye on the half course! They actually are laced into those dressed! Not bad choices on the jog bras either!

Next up was this great Goofy runner! Way to wear your Goofy pride on your belt! I saw lots of plush character charms clipped onto belts, but using the bottle cage, pure genius! 

This tuba player takes the cake! He was playing Sesame Street songs while running! How could you miss Big Bird!

They were back for the full marathon ... with the tuba!

Eeyore and Pooh were trooping along with their music on looking fabulous! I did tell them how amazing they looked, but this time I was too tired to get a front shot! One mile to go in the half and I needed to be done! Such simple costumes so perfectly executed! 

Moving on to the full marathon! Generally speaking I love how runners transform the landscape! What was once only the expo grounds was now the "do or die zone" of the marathon! Miles 17-20 at ESPNWWOS! Everyone is in pretty standard running attire, but you have to love the RunningSkirts chevron skirt and heart socks! I have always wanted that skirt!

Around mile 20.5 I ran across these ladies! Dopey to the core! I had to capture their awesomeness! They did Dopey proud ... Stride for stride!

Their smiles made the costumes! Amazing run buddies!

Finally there is my WDW Marathon running Mickey dress! If ever I needed that extra boost I knew Dopey had my back all the way! He helped me get to the finish line where his medal was waiting!

Next time you put a running costume together think about the back. It's a great place to send a special message out to your fellow runners and to hold something close to your heart! 

Send me your pictures and I will add them!

Dani Holmes-Kirk as Snow White

Brandi as Figment

"The Tremaine Sisters had their back bibs PHM they were a HUGE hit. People took back photos." - from Julie

Sarah Franklin

"Here I am, running the Donald Duck half last weekend!"

Emily Bosworth Harmer 
"Here's the back of my costume from Princess Half two years ago."

Deb Strong ‏@dboswo1now
"Hey! I made @emomily5 Emily's sign! She was pregnant with twins ;) 
Had such a fun time as Anastasia and Drizella!"

Lilly Barajas Funny u mentioned this! 

I Just posted our pic on my Instagram from this morning!

#Tink10k run buddies!

You Inspire Me

You all inspire me to blog! Your questions often illicit answers that make me think "That is worthy of a blog post!"

Here is one such comment/question.

Andolise Bradshaw

"I love looking at your pics. WHAT an inspiration you are! I was curious after doing the Dopey challenge how are you feeling? Mentally &/or physically exhausted?"

The Dopey Challenge was an amazing experience.  I totally goofed around during the 5k, 10k and half and that made all the difference.  My plan was to have so much fun I would be able to run 48.6 miles and cross 4 finish lines! It worked! Of course I had nothing left in me when I finished, but I did feel like I could have run another half on Monday.  My body had become accustomed to the schedule and the effort. Then again when it was all over mid morning on Monday my body began to shut down driving to the airport.  My "Disney high" kept me going until it was over.  

I had just enough left in me to climb into the stands and watch my sister and trip mates cross the marathon finish line! Watching there effort was spectacular! These races mean so much to so many! 

Let it Go! Dopey Challenge Anthem

It was totally a Let it Go week for me! I let all those Dopey miles slide away from me as I ticked them off and let them go for even better ones ahead! I am completely and utterly a mental runner and this song is my anthem!

From the moment I saw Frozen I knew I was going to kick some Dopey butt this weekend! It was just the mental edge that I needed! If runDisney ever wants to get into the mind of a mental runner, i'm their girl! Until then I will keep running with the knowledge that I am one with the wind and the sky and I can do anything!!!

WDW Marathon! Leg 4 in the Dopey Challenge!

Minnie Marathon Bra

When the runDisney blog posted the new Minnie Marathon Bra made by Champion I was very excited! I run exclusively in Champion bras ... the $17 version from Target. I was a bit shocked to see that it was going to retail for $54! My plan was to look at it, but there was only a slim chance I would try it on. 

When I saw the bra at the WDW Marathon expo it was as good as it looked online! 

Champion provided me with a Minnie Marathon Bra to test run during the Inaugural Minnie 10k. I know what you are thinking ... Is she crazy? I had never run in the bra before and I was going to race in it! Yes I am crazy! So crazy that I did not apply the usual body glide and challenged the bra to prove its "no chafe, no bulk, no sweat" promise! 

Well it preformed impeccably! It felt amazing! Like I never even was aware of it! Of course I knew I was wearing a bra, but it was a zero issue bra. After the race I was thrilled with its performance. We all know how it usually turns out ... you strip down for your shower and immediately see where your bra failed. Painful red chafing that burns when you get it wet. To my utter surprise I was entirely free and clear of all chafing! I was 100% unscathed! 

So why have a fancy fun bra that no one will see? Well it is only $6 more and darn it, it makes me happy! Plus it turned out it worked amazingly well with my Minnie Mouse polka dot running dress. There are those ladies who can wear the bra shirtless with confidence and cheers to you, but I probably won't be one of them. Of course I am sharing a story about my bra with all of you, so who knows maybe one day I will wear it running for all to see!

I washed the bra and plan to wear it again tomorrow. This time for Donald's Half Marathon. We see how it does over twice the distance. 

Day two update: I wore the bra for the half and again it preformed amazingly! I was fully saturated, dripping with sweat for most of the half marathon, and again I had no chafing! So I am taking this challenge all the way! I am going to wear the Minnie Marathon Bra in the Mickey Marathon! I am putting it to the full distance test!

You all know (I am sure) that things (including garments) work or don't work depending on any number of factors. One of the basic principals of running is don't try new things on race day! I obviously threw this out the window on this one. 

Champion provided this bra free of charge for me to test run. They placed no requirements on me in exchange. I did offer to post my thoughts on the bras performance on social media. All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. 

My WDW Marathon Weekend 2013

I put together a short video clip to share how special WDW Marathon weekend was for me this year.  The conditions in New England and so very different than in Florida this time of year.  With a little adjustment and some great training under my belt I had two fantastic races filled with friends, characters and fun!






 I hope you enjoyed my efforts!

WDW Marathon Thursday - Jan 10 2013

WDW Marathon Weekend...I have been looking forward to this since the Princess Half in Feb 2012.  My plan going into Princess was to follow it up with the Wine & Dine half, but that plan went out the window when Bob Hitchcock described what was in store for the 20th Mickey Marathon!  Bob is the head of runDisney PR and he is a salesman!

I was so there!  But it wasn't just going to be me...my sister and brother-in-law wanted in on the action and a new family plan was hatched.  Unlike all of our previous runDisney trips this one was going to be adults only!  It was going to be all expos, meet ups, racing and park fun!  So we planned, we booked, we registered, we trained and finally the weekend arrived!  Along the way I did 3 other marathons and at least a handful of half marathons as well.

I was ready for this race, but was the Florida weather ready for me?  I left snowy New England and arrived on Wednesday morning.  I picked up the rental car and the groceries at Whole Foods before checking in at Bonnet Creek.  It is wonderful to have familiar food, a two room suite and a full kitchen when there is some serious racing and fun to be had.  That afternoon I got in a 3 lap run around the Boardwalk just to test the conditions.  I was in a full body sweat within a mile!  The main goal of the weekend became staying hydrated for the races.

Thursday morning our plan was to get to ESPN and the expo before it opened. We took some photos around the area and then got into line for our race bibs.  We were going for official runDisney stuff only that day.  Friday we would return for everything else.

My first sighting of Goofy!

Ladies in waiting (Jen, Marcia and Erin)

Always wonderful to bump into Bob Hitchcock!
He was out early to make sure that things were ready to go!

I peeked into the expo before it opened to scout the area!

Check out that merchandise! Donald Half merch for sale.

Clif products anyone? Yes me please!

Over at the speaker area Jeff Galloway was giving advice.
Someone asked how to fuel after the 1/2 for the full.
 Jeff said to take in 300-500 calories within the first 30 minutes.
(I think I have the calorie figure correct)
So that is what I did.
I crossed that line and headed for my fuel,
but not until after I had stopped to talk to Dennis from runDisneyTV.
More on that later.

Okay so even though it was not at the official runDisney booth/bib stands we stopped to check out the runDisney shoes at the New Balance booth.

After leaving the expo at something like 10:30 am...I could not believe we were leaving so soon either...we were off to MK.  We had a noon reservation for lunch at the Plaza Restaurant.

Sisters on the Monorail headed to Magic Kingdom!

First stop Mickey Mouse! Know your priorities people!

Then the major...

...and of course the castle!

Before lunch I popped in to have a set of Minnie ears embroidered with
"for the love of Disney running"
and
"@LoveDisneyRun"
 Then I wore them almost all weekend!!!

 After lunch it was time to visit a few good friends and have them sign my race book.  I put together a book of all my favorite photos from the Princess Half and had folks sign it (runDisney folks and character folks).

I could not resist taking a seat!

Hungry runner...please let me in...

Be Our Guest

"Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate" or at least that should have been  the name of it!

It is all about the dessert cart!

Which one looks good to you?

At the end of the evening we said goodnight to the Beast.

Between dinner and the fireworks we said hello to Tink.  She loved my book!
Of course I was dressed as her for the Princess Half...so 75% of the pictures were runner Tink!

 I leave you for now with the fireworks! I made a lot of wished that night!  Next up WDW Marathon Friday and you know what that means...WDW Marathon Meet Up!