Race Recap: Tinker Bell 10K 2015

Since I am having some serious FOMO about missing the Disneyland Half weekend this year, what better time to think about the last time I was in Disneyland and finish my Tink weekend recaps! 

Tinker Bell 10K
May 9, 2015

This recap is long overdue and a lot has gone on in my life, so I definitely don't remember all the details.  But either way, let's get to what I do remember!

Going with the theme for the weekend, I was going to be Peter Pan for the race.  It was a pretty simple costume to pull together and I have to tell you, one that a lot of people seemed to like.  I got a lot of 'Go Peter' cheers throughout the course which was nice.  It was also very comfortable to run in, so I think this is one I'll definitely repeat at some point.

#FlatSarah ready to go!

My mom was doing the 10K, as were Abby and Adrienne.  Once we met up in the lobby, we made our way to the start.  The best thing about DL races is how close you are to the start.  The Tink start is not as close as DL (and I've never done Avengers or Star Wars so I can't comment on those), but it's still only a couple minutes away walking.

After arriving at the start area, we made our way to the corrals.  Since we walked there, we didn't have a lot of time to kill and everyone said goodbye as there corrals approached.  I was in corral A and since I knew I wanted to stop for some pictures, I made my way to the front.

The race started on time - I think Tink or another fairy sent us off, but I honestly can't remember at this point.  The race starts going to opposite of the DL 10K (literally we run the other way on the same road) and we headed into Disneyland first.  After running around the outside of the park, we made our way down Main Street.  Chip and Dale were along Main Street and I stopped for a quick photo with them.

Hey Dale, what you looking at?

And as no race in DL is complete without a picture with Walt (in my opinion), I made sure to get one during the 10K.

After a quick pass through Frontierland, we passed by the carousel where Alice and the Mad Hatter were holding court.  Because I started in corral A, the line was short (luckily, they all were for me) and was able to get in and out with a picture.

And since I had just seen Alice, I figured a stop in a teacup was in order!

Teacups make me C-R-A-Z-Y!

After passing by the teacups, we made a quick right and looped around the Matterhorn before heading back towards It's a Small World.  It was during this section I stopped for photo's with some of the fairies.  Iridessa (I think, my niece would probably know better!) and Rosetta.

From there, we made our way into TownTown (briefly), before heading out of the park.  I did snag a pic with the cows in TownTown (Clara Bell and not sure what the other name is).

After some time spend backstage, we made the cross to California Adventure.  The course takes you all over California Adventure - starts in Hollywood Land, into a bugs land, Paradise Pier and finally, Cars Land (my fav!).  There were a couple of Tink's pals out during this section - Silvermist and Vidia.

And because I can't resist cheesy photos, one of my "flying" in front of Mickey's Fun Wheel! Side note, the number of photo's of me "flying" that the race photographers got was a ridiculous amount. 

Because Peter can fly, duh?

After leaving Cars Land, we made our way to the finish!  After finishing, I got my medal and NO SNACK BOX!!! We had gotten then for the 5K, so I was confused why we didn't for the 10K.  Apparently, someone realized the applesauce in them had expired, but still.  No one checked that before race weekend?

Once I got a photo, I headed back to the hotel to grab some coffee (and put on my compression socks) before heading back to cheer on my mom's finish.  She's a walker, so it worked out perfectly time wise!  So proud of her for finishing!

I was really proud of my time for this race.  My legs were feeling good and since there were no lines, I was able to jump in for photo's and get going right away.  I actually PR'd for the 10K during this race!  I will say my 10K was years old and did not reflect my current pace, so it's not that surprising.  I was still pretty please though with all the photo stops!

Overall, I really liked this race.  The course is almost entirely in the parks, which makes me very happy.  There were a lot of characters out, especially compared to the lack of characters at last years Disneyland 10K.  I can't speak to the lines since I was in corral A and lucked out on that front.  My only issue would be the lack of a snack box, but I think that was a unique situation and wouldn't happen again.

Results
Official: 6.2 miles, 51:47, 8:20 pace
Garmin: 6.3 miles, 51:48, 8:13 pace

Those who also ran the Tinker Bell 10K, what were your thoughts?

I seriously love this medal!

Tinker Bell 2015 Expo Goodies!

This post is so overdue, but I really liked my goodies from the Tink expo so I wanted to share what I got.  I definitely didn't exercise as much self control as I had originally hoped to be, but since I ended up not purchasing any of the Dooney bags, I had a little extra in my budget.

Heading into the expo!

We decided to head straight to merchandise and then go pick up our numbers.  It was a good thing, because even though the expo had only been open a couple of hours, things were already on the road to selling out.  The Sweaty Bands were almost completely gone - I managed to find a Glass Slipper Challenge one, but it was literally the last one left.

Other than that, I was able to get everything I had hoped too.  But I know people who couldn't go until Friday, did not have such luck.  I've talked about it before, but I don't understand why they don't make more merchandise.  runDisney fans love their merch, so it would sell.  I just find it ridiculous that they don't have more.  It's really not far to those who can't get there on Day 1.  Okay, rant over.

So, let's get to the purchases!

I was really excited to get one of the Pixie Dust Challenge Jackets.  I loved the logo and the color!  I also picked up on of the challenge 'I Did It' shirts.  Same color as the jacket which made me happy.

I also added to my (ever-growing) drink wear collection.  I needed none of these, but I loved them so much, I had to have them.  They make me happy every time I drink from them.

And lastly, I picked up some magnets (my fridge is overflowing with them, I should probably stop buying more...), a Sweaty Band for both the Half and the Challenge (which, as I said above, I just barely got - they were already so picked over) and my traditional mini medal pin.  

That's it!  It actually seems like a lot less when I group it like that =)

From there, we headed into number pick up and then to get our shirts.  I really liked race shirts this year.  The color scheme was awesome and I liked all the designs this year.

5K and 10K shirts

Half and Challenge shirts

And you know I can't resist a photo opp!

What did you get at the expo this year?

Training recap week of 5/4 & 5/11 (Pixie Dust Challenge Week 18 & Recovery Week)

Hi!  I'm alive.  Sorry for the bit of radio silence, came back from Tink last week and got crazy caught up in work.  Sometimes I wonder if vacation is worth it?  Just kidding, vacation is always worth it! 

Since I am a bit behind, let's do two weeks in one?  Tink went really well!  I actually managed to set a PR in the 10K which makes me very happy (it even included photo stops).  My 10K PR was pretty old and not reflective of my current speed.  Hoping to maybe find another 10K I can actually race and see what happens.  I'm hoping to get all my race recaps up in the next 2 weeks (fingers crossed!). 

The week after Tink basically became a recovery week.  I wasn't planning on it, but my body was clearly calling for it, so I decided to listen.  Especially since I have another half this weekend!

In terms of cross training, I did not do so well.  Hoping to get back on the cross training bus this week!

Week of 5/4 (Pixie Dust Challenge Week 18)

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: 21 Day Fix - Lower Body Fix

Tuesday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy
Actual: 3.07 mi, 28:46, 9:22 pace
Cross Training: 21 Day Fix - 10 Minute Fix for Abs

Wednesday
Scheduled: 2 miles easy
Actual: 2.03 mi, 18:31, 9:07 pace
Cross Training: 21 Day Fix - 10 Minute Fix for Abs

Thursday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Friday
Scheduled: Neverland 5K
Actual: 3.12 mi, 27:02, 8:40 pace

Saturday
Scheduled: Tinker Bell 10K
Actual: 6.30 mi, 51:48, 8:13 pace

Sunday
Scheduled: Tinker Bell Half Marathon
Actual: 13.36 mi, 2:00:33, 9:01 pace

Total miles: 27.88

Total May miles: 32.92

Miles until goal (1,250): 835.25
Cross Training: 3/4

Week of 5/11 (Pixie Dust Challenge Recovery Week)

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Tuesday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Wednesday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Thursday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Friday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Saturday
Scheduled: 4 miles easy
Actual: 4.02 mi, 39:05, 9:43 pace

Sunday
Scheduled: 8 miles long run
Actual: 8.16 mi, 1:20:06, 9:49 pace

Total miles: 12.19

Total May miles: 45.11

Miles until goal (1,250): 823.06
Cross Training: 0/4

Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend Race Costumes

Happy Tinker Bell half weekend!  I did this race the very first year and loved it, so I am excited to do it again.  When I ran it the first time, I did not dress up.  I wore a sequined lime green headband and called it a day.

If you've been following this blog for a while, you'll know that I spent many, many hours making my Donald shirt.  I didn't really talk about how long it took me, but trust me, it took way longer then I wanted it too.  There were several times during the process that I wanted to throw something.  In the end, it was worth it, but man was it frustrating.

After that, I decided costumes should be easy.  For right now, the most I am willing to commit to is doing an iron-on.  And yes, I continued that commitment for these costumes, so they were quick and easy to pull together!

Since I am going all three races, I needed three costumes ideas.  Tinker Bell has always been one of my favorite characters (and Peter Pan one of my favorite movies), so I decided to do all costumes from Peter Pan.  Given the theme of this race weekend, I am sure I will not be the only one in any of these costumes!

Let's start with the Neverland 5K!  I'm going as Smee!

Fortunately, I already owned the tank (I picked it up a couple of years ago from Gap Body) and the Sparkle Athletic skirt from a previous costume.  The only item I needed to pick up was the red hat, which I got from Amazon for a couple of bucks.

For the Tinker Bell 10K, I decided to go with the man himself - Peter Pan.

Unfortunately for this one, I owned nothing.  I was worried about finding the shirt, but I was able to get one from Amazon for like $7.  It's technical too!  I'm pairing it with a kelly green Sparkle Athletic skirt and red feather.  I also ordered a matching sparkle visor, but decided to get it too late for it to be delivered in time.  I'll be picking that up at the expo.

And of course, the main event - the Tinker Bell Half Marathon.  I think it should be no surprise to anyone that I am going as Tinker Bell!  She is my favorite after all :)

I ordered the wings and lime green skirt from Sparkle Athletic.  For the shirt, I ordered the tank on Amazon and did an iron-on from Etsy show DesignsbyMKC (same person who did my Anna and TOT iron-ons).  The tank and skirt colors do match - it just seemed to photograph weird.  I order the bow on Etsy as well - they are from miniPanda (a fellow runDisney fan and blogger).  I also ordered some white pom poms from Sparklet Athletic for my sneakers that I am picking up at the expo.

So those are my costumes for Tinker Bell weekend!  I am a little nervous about the wings, but I am sure it will be fine.

What is everyone else dressing up as for Tinker Bell weekend?  Share your costumes in the comments below!

Training recap week of 4/20 (Pixie Dust Challenge Week 16)

I am at a little bit of a loss at what to do with my training schedule - at least in regards to speed work (I still need to do my progression runs).  I had it build around Tinker Bell, even though I wasn't planning on racing it.  But then I went and PR'd during Raleigh which has thrown me off.

I don't think I need to do as intense speed work as I was originally planning for these last couple of weeks.  I don't want to burn out before marathon training starts as I am starting to think I will try and race it (nothing is set in stone though).  I still want to do some as I don't want to lose the speed... but I probably don't need to do it.

So this week, I decreased my planned speed and didn't push the pace quite as much.  Felt good though, which is always nice!

This week also included my final progression run before the Pixie Dust Challenge and it went really well.  The 12 mile run on Sunday started a little rough - I was tight and stiff for the first two miles, but once I loosened up, felt really strong.  Think I am ready for Tink weekend!

I've really been slacking on cross training these past couple of weeks.  I gave myself permission the week after Raleigh, but I had no excuse this week.  I know all the core work I did helped with the PR so I need to get back into it.

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: Tone It Up Beach Bombshell , Sleek Arms Day 15

Tuesday
Scheduled: 4 miles easy
Actual: 4.18 mi, 41:57, 10:03 pace

Wednesday
Scheduled: Speedwork - 4 x 0.5 miles @ 10K pace (with 0.5 mi recovery) + WU and CD
Total miles: 5.61
Paces: 8:05, 8:09, 7:59, 8:08

Thursday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: Refine Method

Friday
Scheduled: 2 miles easy
Actual: 2.00, 19:34, 9;46 pace

Saturday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy
Actual: 5.01 mi, 47:16, 9:26 pace 

Sunday
Scheduled: 12 miles long run
Actual: 12.05, 1:52:16, 9:19 pace

Total miles: 28.84

Total April miles: 101.97

Miles until goal (1,250): 879.90
Cross Training: 2/4

Training recap week of 4/6 (Pixie Dust Challenge Week 14)

Let's just say that this week's training recap is not at all what I thought it was going to be about.  I thought it was going to be about a pretty normal training week with a half marathon thrown in.  Which I used as part of a Pixie Dust Challenge progression training build (Friday, Saturday and Sunday runs).  But, if you follow me on Instagram, you already know that was not quite what happened - I got an unexpected, pretty big, PR!

I'm still a bit in shock - PR'ing was in my goals for the year, but I did not think it would happen yesterday.  I wasn't planning on it and spent several hours on Saturday tasting my way around Raleigh's breweries and eating lots of barbeque.  I didn't get enough sleep Saturday night.  The course was hilly (oh so hilly).  But somehow, it still happened (maybe Tinker Bell visited me while I slept and gave me some Pixie Dust?).

I'll have a full recap of RnR Raleigh soon (and I promise, I want to write it while I still remember everything!), but it was just one of those days were everything comes together.  It was magical.  It made me so appreciate the times I dragged myself out to do runs in snow, sleet, freezing temps, etc.  It definitely would not have been possible if I hadn't put in the work, that much I know.  More to come in my recap this week!

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: :45 second plank, Sleek Arms Day 6

Tuesday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy
Actual: 4 mi, 38:54, 9:43 pace
Cross Training: Tone It Up Bikini Arms, :50 second plank, Sleek Arms Day 7

Wednesday
Scheduled: 7 miles easy
Total miles: 7.06 mi, 1:07:04, 9;30 pace
Cross Training: Tone It Up Mali Booty, :55 second plank, Sleek Arms Day 8

Thursday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: New Balance Girls Night Out - The Sports Barre, 1:00 second plank, Sleek Arms Day 9

Tonight was the first Girls Night Out of 2015!  It was another fun time and challenging workout!

Friday
Scheduled: 1 mile easy
Actual: 1.00, 9:30, 9:30 pace
Cross Training: 1:01 second plank, Sleek Arms Day 10

Saturday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy
Actual: 3.1 mi, 29:27, 9:30 pace 
Cross Training: 1:02 second plank, Sleek Arms Day 11

Sunday
Scheduled: Rock and Roll Raleigh Half Marathon
Actual: 13.19 mi, 1:47:39, 8:10 pace (based on my Garmin)
Cross Training: 1:03 second plank, Sleek Arms Day 12

Total miles: 28.35

Total April miles: 49.93

Miles until goal (1,250): 931.94
Cross Training: 3/4

Training recap week of 3/23 (Pixie Dust Challenge Week 12)

 

Another week of training done and we are officially 2/3 of the way to the Pixie Dust Challenge! Only 6 weeks to go -  get excited!

This week took a slight down turn in mileage as I was fighting a bit of cold early in the week.  I never got fully sick, thankfully, but it did kill my energy levels.  I didn't do my speedwork on Wednesday and just did an easy run.  Although, won't lie, there was part of me that still wanted to do it, but I knew that it would just delay my recovery.  I was feeling better by the weekend for my long run, so that was good!

Got in a solid amount of cross training and strength workouts, so that was good.    

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: Total Body Cardio Fix (21 Day Fix) 

Tuesday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy
Actual: 4.58 mi, 46:01, 10:03 pace
Cross Training: Upper Fix (21 Day Fix)  

Wednesday
Scheduled: Speedwork - 3 x 1 mile @ Half Marathon Pace, 90 second recovery (plus warm up and cool down)
Total miles: 3.01 mi, 30:02, 9:59 pace 

Thursday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy
Actual: 5.51 mi, 54:37, 9:55 pace
Cross Training: Lower Fix (21 Day Fix) 

Friday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: Pilates Fix (21 Day Fix) 

Saturday
Scheduled: 12 miles long run pace
Actual: 12.02 mi, 1:54:22, 9:31 pace 

Sunday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: Cardio Fix (21 Day Fix) 

Total miles: 25.11

Total March miles: 97.86

Miles until goal (1,250): 986.37
Cross Training: 5/4

Tink Updates

Yay!  We are only 6 short weeks from the start of Tinker Bell race weekend (or long weeks depending on how you look at it!).  I know I cannot wait for this weekend to come!  So, I thought I would share some Tink items that I've been ruminating on for a while.

1. The Medals

I've been meaning to write a post on this since I came home from Princess.  But time got away from me, so let's do it now (yes, my Princess Half recap is coming... it's about halfway done.  My goal is to finish it this weekend!).  Anyway, on to the shiny stuff.

I love, love, love the 10K and Half medals.  First off, it makes me so happy that the half medal hasn't changed a whole ton since I did this race back in 2012.  I love that spinner so much!  I like the addition of the pearl/silver foil that makes the wings iridescent.  Love!  I am not as big of a fan of the Pixie Dust Challenge Medal.  Don't get me wrong, I like it, I just don't love it like I do the 10K and the Half.  I wish it tied slightly more into the styling of the other medals and included Wings.  I also really like the 5K medal with the Lost Boys on it.  Of course, I forgot to take a picture of it.

2. Tink Dooney & Bourke Bags

The first year I ran Tink, I remember loving the Dooney & Bourke bags.  Unfortunately, I didn't get one that time around (I didn't know about the pre-order and the one I would have wanted was sold out by the time I got to the expo).  I was hoping to rectify that this time around.

They released the designs yesterday and pre-order started.  Of course, the bag style I liked last time (a tote bag) is not included in this years design.

Source: runDisney

Whomp, whomp.  I am also not as in love with the design as I was before (it's cute, but for me, it's not 'can't live without it' and given the price, it has to be 'can't live without it', you know?).

I think the main sticking point (for me) is that it doesn't actually mention the race on it.  It says it's a unique runDisney design and while that may be true, it looks like a Disney bag you could get normally.  Personally, I was hoping it would at least say the race weekend.

Fortunately, my wallet is safe this time around (okay, more money to spend at the expo on other items)!  Although, I reserve the right to change my mind at anytime on this point.

3. Costumes

Of course, what is a runDisney race without the costumes!  I am starting to work on mine and will share once they are finalized.  I've got 3 to plan this time around (5K, 10K and Half).  Again, I'm trying to keep it simple (no sewing or cutting apart shirts for me... again).  And given the theme of race, I am thinking one costume will be a fairy (I mean, I gotta, right?).  So here are today's question for you all...

Have you ever run in wings before?  Sparkle Athletic has some, but I am worried about actually running in them.  I see a lot of people wearing them, but don't actually know if they are comfortable.

If you've run them before, please let me know how it went!

Since they aren't finalized, I'm still taking costume suggestions.  Share your favorite costumes with me!

Training recap week of 3/16 (Pixie Dust Challenge Week 11)

Another week of training in the books! This past week was a busy one (hence the lack of posts) between work, training and going home for my niece's birthday.  It was a great time, but when all combined, a crazy week!

I also must have jinxed myself with the weather because after the nice weather the week before, it turned cold again and has been in the 30's!  And to top it all of we got 3 inches of snow on Friday.  Happy first day of Spring, right?  I am definitely ready for some more moderate temperatures!

I didn't do as great with cross training this week, only getting 3 days in.  But, I did get a nice set of progression runs in.  My legs were definitely feeling it by Day 3 so I need to make sure to keep doing these heading into Tinker Bell.  Only 7 weeks to go!

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: Twist and Shout (Tone it up)

Tuesday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy
Actual: 5.05, 47:48, 9:27 pace

Wednesday
Scheduled: 6 miles easy
Total miles: 6.00 mi, 58:04, 9:41 pace

Thursday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: Bikini Abs (Tone it up)

Friday
Scheduled: 1.5 miles easy
Actual: 1.53 mi, 14:31, 9:31 pace
Cross Training: 21 Day Fix 10 Minute Fix Abs

Saturday
Scheduled: 3.5 miles long run
Actual: 3.5 mi, 33:49, 9:40 pace

Sunday
Scheduled: 10 miles long run
Actual: 10.00 mi, 1:35:48, 9:35 pace
Cross Training: Yoga Shred Day 14

Total miles: 26.09

Total March miles: 72.75

Miles until goal (1,250): 1,011.49
Cross Training: 3/4

Training recap week of 1/5 (Disney Half Week 7 / Tink Week 1)

This week was not great running wise as the cold kept me inside and I ended up skipping two runs.  The temperature was just too cold!  I focused on cross training though, so that was good!

This week was also the first week of Tinkerbell training.  I am doing the 5K, 10K and Half so I want to make sure I am prepared.  I only have 2 other halves before then so those will be folded into my training schedule. 

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross training: Love Your Arms & Abs (Tone It Up)

Tuesday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy
Actual: 3.01 mi, 29:57, 9:58 pace
Cross training: Arms & Abs (Tone It Up)

Wednesday
Scheduled: 4 miles easy
Actual: Rest
Cross training: Love Your Arms and Love Your Abs (Tone It Up)

Thursday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy
Actual: Rest
Cross training: Love Your Total Body (Tone It Up)

Friday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Saturday
Scheduled: Disney World Half Marathon
Actual: 13.41 mi, 2:13:02, 9:55 pace

Sunday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Total miles: 16.42

Total January miles: 27.61

Miles until goal (1,250): 1,222.39
Cross Training: 4/4