Spectating the NYC Marathon

Last weekend I had the pleasure of being on the sidelines during the biggest and one of the most popular marathons: The NYC Marathon! A long-time friend and run coaching client was running his first marathon, and I promised (especially after bailing on him for the Staten Island half) that I would be out there to support. Lucky for us, it was a beautiful day and we probably would have gone even if he wasn't running!

Some things to know:

The marathon starts in waves, anywhere from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Our runner wasn't starting until 11, so we took the opportunity to watch the elite runners finish on TV before heading into NYC.

The app rocked my world (hello, runDisney, can we get in on this?!?!?). The tracking was incredible and the maps were perfect. Of course, NYC is easy to get around with it's simple grid layout. The app let us pick the best places to watch as we were riding the train into the city.

Central Park is pretty much off limits unless you pay, so you'll have to decide which end of the map to cover.

We took the Metro North train and got off in Harlem. It's the perfect place to see your runner twice without much travel for yourself. We got to spectate at mile 19 and at mile 23.

All in all, it was a fun day. I'm glad we decided to just plan to see my friend, since it's tough to be in NYC with a baby in the cold (you know, with trying to breastfeed and change diapers--those things are much more comfortable when it's warmer). If you start with the elite runners and plan to stay until the end, it would make for a very long day.

Of course, I would have loved to run too! This race has been on my bucket list for years, so I'll just keep throwing my name in the lottery and hoping for the best.

Is NYC on your bucket list? What are your tips for spectating a big race?

Race Report: 2016 Disneyland 10k

I know, I should have done this all BEFORE leaving for Paris, but c'est la vie!

The 10k is the first part of the Dumbo Double Dare. This was the 4th running of the race, and therefore the 4th time I've done this race. I have to say, this has been my favorite Disney course. There is SO much park time, backstage time, and downtown time. The race literally flies by!

Going with the partners theme, the race theme was Genie and Aladdin. We had a bunch of friends running this race too, so we decided a group costume was the only way to go. Of course, none of us actually wanted to be Aladdin or Jasmine, so we managed to be every other character from the movie. That left Bill and I as the carpet and lamp. I have to admit, my lamp was LAME. It was not my best showing for sure, but Bill's carpet was pretty awesome.

If you remember, we started at the back of the pack because I forgot to add a proof of time for Bill (I had just had a baby...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!). We had our friends go ahead and the two of us stayed behind in the last corral. Truth be told, we weren't properly trained and just wanted to have fun.

Party Corral! 

The first mile is on the streets and through the Anaheim Convention Center. We always laugh here because we often stay at that Hilton, and on more than one occasion have said, "Let's just go back to bed instead of finishing this race." when we pass the entrance. After that mile or so is out of the way, it's all Disneyland!

Last chance to take this pic!

There were a few changes to the course this year. One thing I noticed and didn't care for was not running UP Main Street. Yes, you still get to run through the castle, but I miss that first glimpse of the castle from Main Street. It's always been my favorite part of the race (and spoiler, they did the same thing for the half marathon course).

The miles ticked by quickly and we stopped for a few selfies along the way. Tower of Terror is always a favorite. We're going to miss taking those pics! A bit before mile 5 you head through the castle. We aren't big on standing in line for pictures, but we pulled over for a quick selfie, and POOF, there was the rest of our crew! They had taken full advantage of the many photo ops and we caught up with them. It made for a great pic in front of the castle and a really fun end to the race. Don't you just LOVE running with friends?!?!?  runDisney is the BEST for that!!!

Pic Credit: Holly Casino (aka Genie!)

Just like that, the 10k was over. It still tops my list for favorite course, even with the changes. We finished the race in 1:39:58. Okay, it's almost laughable, but we had fun! That's what it's all about. Someday I'll get focused on running fast again, but until then, I'm just enjoying the ride!