26.2 miles in 26 pictures: the 2020 walt disney world marathon

As our spring races seem to be dropping like files these days, I thought it would be fun to look back on the 2020 Walt Disney world marathon, in photo form! So without further hesitation, I present 26.2 miles in 26 photos!

Running Isn't Cancelled: Staying Motivated Without Races

The short story: a virtual community is keeping me accountable and motivated during this time of social distancing.

So, at the beginning of the year, I had a packed spring race schedule - the NYC half, the Delaware half, the Long Island Half, and the Brooklyn half, among a assortment of shorter races. But one by one, my races got cancelled (understandably) as a result of the impact that Covid-19 has had on the world, and more specifically, on the tri state area. As a runner that usually jumps from race training plan to race training plan, it was weird to suddenly have no race goal - I felt almost like there was nothing to work for, and was unsure of what I should be doing. It seemed silly to continue following the training plan that I originally had in place, and burden my body with race specific workouts when there was no race at the end of the plan.

I took inventory - what did I want to be doing? How many miles did I want to be running? It was a strange question to ask myself. But I found that when I took the obligation of a training regiment off of myself, I was finding more time for strength training. For yoga. For the things that I want to do, but was too wiped out after a speed workout or a long run to get around to.

Knowing that I still (hopefully) have fall marathons on the horizon, I knew that I wanted to keep a solid running base. So I decided on a goal of 28 miles a week. Why 28? Because for the last two years I have tried to hit 1500 miles for the year, but was kept from it in 2018 by a wicked cold that lasted for most of December, and by a knee injury that lingered from August until the end of the year in 2019. So, to hit this goal in 2020, I need to run an average of 28 miles a week. So that was my starting point. For the most part, I have been keeping to runs that average around five miles, and trying to hit a double digit run every other weekend - usually 10 miles.

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Mike and I started challenging each other on solo runs, since group runs are ill advised at the moment - we would run at the same time, and make up a scavenger hunt list for us each to find, from chalk drawings to holiday decorations. Once Mike downloaded the Peloton app, we started “meeting” on our treadmills, towns away, and taking the same classes, commiserating via texts and taking photos “together,” often coordinating outfits from the many races we have run together.

I knew that strength training usually falls by the wayside for me, but with all this extra time at home, it was something I suddenly had consistent time for. I am thankful that my job has allowed me to work from home for the last month, but now that I am not commuting, I have extra time on my hands. I don’t have a huge gym setup at home, but I have some dummbells and resistance bands, so I started taking classes through the Peloton app (which is currently free for 90 days). When one of the instructors started hosting a “21 day core challenge” through his instagram, I started taking daily 10 minute core classes. Though short in length, they are certainly challenging at times!

Eventually, the Merrick Bicycle Tri-Team came up with an idea - the REQ challenge. In this case REQ stands for the “Race to Escape Quarantine,” and the concept is simple: Different strength moves are worth points, and the goal is to earn a total of 12,300 points in a 30 day period. Of course, it is all for a good cause - the proceeds from the challenge’s $25 registration fee would be donated to local long island charities, to help families who are in need as a result of this pandemic. I hesitated about signing up at first, because I questioned my ability to complete the challenge. But I love the sense of community that the Tri team brings to everything they do, and the opportunity to help my community - so on the last day of registration, I closed my eyes and hit the register button - what had I gotten myself into!? Like the planner that I am, I sat down and wrote out 30 days of workouts, that would get me to my point goal, that way it would be thought free when it was time to pick my workout each day - I would just need to pick an envlope.

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Now, I won’t lie to you and say that keeping moving has resolved all of my quarantine woes - I am beyond thankful that Dennis and I are able to stay safe at home, but I miss my parents. I miss my friends. I miss my people. But I know that we are all safer this way, and we are keeping people like my brother, who is a NYPD officer, safer by staying at home. But, having a sense of community, virtually at least, has helped to carry me through this pandemic. Knowing that the other members of the tri tream are working to hit the same numbers that I am. Knowing that Mike is shouting at the peloton app just like I am as we hold planks and sprint on our treadmills. It is not normal, but slowly it is settling into a weird, new normal, for now at least.

I hope that you all are staying safe, and have found some way to keep moving forward, one day at a time, through all of this craziness. And if you can, stay home to stay safe. We will all be able to return to a more standard day to day, one day.

Spring 2020: The Season of the Virtual Race

Disclaimer: I received an entry to the Virtual Lincoln Park Run for the Zoo as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I assume that you all had a march that was similar to mine - the month started with business as usual (heck, I went to Tijuana for my job, and then to California for the Napa valley half marathon at the beginning of the month), and then over the coming weeks, the world became a really weird place. Covid-19 started as something that we heard about happening in other countries, but that quickly spread to the United States, and then in what felt like a blink of an eye I transitioned from being in an office everyday to working from home, and staying put as much as possible. While I am so thankful that I have the ability to work from home, I would be lying if I said I was not bummed when suddenly all of my spring races started to get cancelled - first the NYC half, then the Long Island half, and finally the Delaware half - not to mention the shorter races that I had on the calendar.

When the NYC half was cancelled, I headed out locally with Mike and Michal to get in our 13.1 miles, bummed that it wasn’t through the city, but glad I was still able to get out with friends… but shortly after that, even running with friends was cancelled, as recommendations to social distance grew stronger, to help flatten the curve, so that hospitals would not become overloaded with patients as Covid-19 continued to spread.

So, whats a runner to do when her spring races get cancelled? Well, first I scaled back my training - my knee still isn’t 100%, and with no spring races to worry about, it made sense to scale things back, and focus on strength training a little more. The runs that I did head out on changed too, as my running partners changed from people with two legs, or Dad on his bike, to a four-legged pal - my mother-in-law’s dog, Riley. We even got a great running leash that I can wear around my waist when I head out with him, and I am thankful to get a little companionship at least. My husband and I are living with my in-laws currently, and with everyone home we have a five person, three dog, and two cat house hold - so it can be a little bit of a zoo at times!

Through BibRave, I heard about the Lincoln Park run for the zoo event - the Lincoln Park Zoo is free and open every day of the year, and their annual “Run for the Zoo” helps keep them running! While it was not in the cards for me to travel to the race, like many races this season, it has become virtual - which allows runners near and far to help keep the Zoo going. I am hoping I will even get to take a visit to the zoo when I visit Chicago in September!

This virtual race includes a race packet, that will be mailed to each participant, with a bib and a tech shirt. Plus, if you are someone who is highly motivated by bling, a $25 donation to the zoo adds a medal to your swag! The proceeds from this run help to support the more than 800 animals - including 50 endangered species - that are cared for at the zoo.

After each runner completes their virtual race, they just need to upload their results to the Race for the Zoo website to make it official, and the “winners” with the fastest GPS verified time will win a special plush animal from the zoo’s gift shop. The virtual race runs from June 7-21, and runners and walkers of all levels can participate - so if you are looking for some motivation to get moving, use the coupon code “BIBRAVE10” to save 10% off the cost of registration.

So wether it is your first race or your hundredth, I hope you will consider joining me in the Virtual Run for the Zoo!

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Race Recap: The Napa Valley Half Marathon

Disclaimer: I received an entry to the 2020 Napa Valley Half Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I got to head to Napa Valley, California to run the Napa Valley Half Marathon! This post covers the expo and the 13.1 mile run through the hills of Napa.

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