Rock 'n' Roll Providence - The Race!

August 19th I ran Rock 'n' Roll Providence after working the expo the day before for RunningSkirts!  I got to the race start with plenty of time and was able to park in one of the State lots with no problem.  I headed down the hill to get ready for the race.  There were something like 3,500 runners.  A significant group, but less than last year.  Thankfully there was less rain than last year!  In fact the weather was perfect (upper 60s).

Check out that start line!

Once we all got in our corrals we looked like a significant running party!

I don't know about you all, but I have never run with a pace group and I was starting to wonder if I should try it out!  Well there was a 1:45 and a 2:00 pace group and I was somewhere in the middle.  I had submitted an estimated finish time of 2:00 so that put me in corral 4.  The 2:00 pace group was also in corral 4.  So that was the pace group I would be with if I wanted to try it out.  The 1:45 pace group was in corral 2 so that was not going to work.  Anyway I ran close to the 2 hour pace group through mile 3.  I was carrying water and fuel on my belt, so when they slowed down around mile 3 for water I decided to just keep going.  I figured that if they caught back up to me I would just fall back in with the group.  The result was that I got a great 3 mile warm up and then I headed of at my own pace.

Finish line medal shot!

Happy runner across the finish line!

In the end I PR'ed the course! I finished in 1:54:52! I had a fantastic run.  I was giving thumbs up to all the bands along the course and loving every moment of it!  It really helped that I had pre-run the route 2 weeks prior.  If you are ever looking for a mental edge, pre-run the course.  Then on race day you will know every hill and turn on the course.  Nothing will scare you and you will own the course!  Okay that seems really powerful...because it is.  Power to the runner who knows the course!

Yes I rocked Rock 'n' Roll Providence
...and my Running Skirt
...and my Mickey in Training runDisney skirt
...and my race bib
...and...and...and it was fantastic all around!

After the race I met up with a great group of runners!  Linda Bachand-Doucet set up a wonderful post-race cookout right behind the stage! I may have been the only non Half Maniac in the group!  I need to check into that!  Anyway we all enjoyed her offerings including the police officers working the event.  Thanks Linda (Lady Gaga)! You rock!     

Until next time...Fairy Dust and Pixie Wings Forever!

Rock 'n' Roll Providence - The Expo

You may already know this, but I love race expos! Today was my first time actually working an expo. I was given the opportunity to work the RunningSkirts booth at the Rock 'n' Roll Providence expo and I went for it! It was one year ago at the same expo when I was first introduced to their skirts.  I went to the expo just to check them out, even though I was only volunteering for the race.

The expo was a lot of work but we also had a ton of fun.  I really like talking to people about running and running gear.  The subject matter was very diverse! I could not have predicted I would discuss nursing and running tops at the beginning of the day, but the ladies I was talking with were very happy about the conversation.

Kelsey and her relay mate!
They actually have to carry  the drumsticks to exchange.

Aimee looking very festive at the expo.

Darcy...you must be a head taller than I am!
Put that height to good use in the morning!
I am going to be looking for those run buns!

Now I am home fueling and getting ready for tomorrow.  So off to prep for the morning and to bed with me. See you all in the am when we get our race on!  Happy running!

Catch a Wave - Sidewalk Surfin Triathlon

This morning my sister said she wanted to do a mini beach triathlon.  She had in mind a 5k run, 5k bike ride and a pool swim.  We upped the swim to a sound splash.  Of course it was so shallow that I was either dragging my bum doing the back stroke or hitting my knees with the breast stroke.  But we had fun and my body is now very relaxed!

She thought the street name was perfect!

It is a sunny day down here and she was making me laugh.
This is a pre-run shot.

Every now and then you take an action shot you never intended to take,
but you really like it! This is one of those!

Out on the bikes with my sister.

"Movin' right along.
Footloose and fancy-free.
Getting there is half the fun; come share it with me."

So where are the swim pictures?  Well we did not have a photographer with us and I was not taking the camera out there...so no sound pictures.  We had a crazy fun swim.  My sister was very skittish about the crunchy bottom and the crabs having had a bad experience in the past.  I was determined to actually swim even if it was incredibly shallow.  I don't know if it ever got deeper.  I turned around after a while and swam back in as far as I could until I was forced to walk again...Triathlon completed!  Why the name?  Well that was the song bits that just kept repeating in my head!

I needed a little motivation...

...and my team was there for me!  Sometimes you just need a little help to get the job done.  

Yesterday I was not so sure about going out for my run, but I was due for an outing!  

So I asked for a little motivation and my Facebook pals 

(at for the love of Disney running)came through for me.  

They pulled out all kinds of motivation ideas.  

In the end I picked out one of my runDisney Princess shirts and my RunningSkirt and headed out the door.  Once I was outside I realized just how beautiful it was.  I was so glad I went out!  

It was one of those perfect summer twilight runs.  

Use whatever motivation you can and get it done!

Princess Weekend Kids Mile - Feb.25, 2012

The 1 mile race team - in the sun!

This year we focused on the Kids mile.  Before the timed race began Jester Goofy came out to get the kids all excited to run!

The signage was much better this year!

My 2 daughters and my nephew did the mile together.  Well they were at the start line together.  My oldest took off like a shot.  She was wearing her RunningSkirt, a tank top and her Rapunzel flowers in her hair.  I ran along with my youngest.  She had on her RunningSkirt with a yellow Rapunzel flower on her shirt.  My brother-in-law ran with my nephew.  The youngest two were both little troopers.  They did a little run/walking along the way.

12:15 on the fields at ESPN can be a brutal time of day and it was full sun and warm despite a cool wind.  The official water break was a welcome stop for my youngest.  Once we got around to the track for the finish line stretch she took off and I stepped aside to the outside of the stands so I would not get in the way of runner photos.  This year runDisney did special Tangled medals for the kids races.  They were a huge improvement over the shields they got the last few years.  They also got Tangled t-shirts instead of just I Did It shirts.

Great mementos to go with great memories!

The happy finishers on a very sunny field!

They all grabbed their snacks after the race and we were off again.  I had to head back into the expo to exchange my Princess 1/2 shirt for a smaller size.  I had exchanged my 5k shirt earlier in the day.  I had intended to check the shirt sizes on Friday, but had overlooked that detail.  I registered for these races the day they opened...July 5 and needed smaller sizes after all the focused training and lifestyle changes.

4 cousins - 3 milers & 2 5k runners among them

Love the medallion - They look like a happy couple!