Tag Archives: disneyland

May15

Disneyland Paris

Posted on May 15, 2025 by mscurlgurl78

Lets not forget that the tagline of my blog has to do with “Running, Disney & Dad”…so I MUST include a recap of my trip to Disneyland Paris. This trip was part of my trip to do the London Marathon, and was one of the main bargaining chips I used in order to convince Ali to come along to see me run the race. Given how Easter fell this year, I had Spring Break for the week or so before the day of the London Marathon. This allowed for earlier travel to Europe, and what better than just going to London….but to also go to Paris…namely, Disneyland Paris. So here is my quickly done post (frantically doing it during my prep period at work) about an amazing trip overseas.

It is obvious to anyone who has read my blog in the past 10+ years that I am a Disney Parks fan. Growing up going to Walt Disney World, eventually getting to Disneyland & California Adventure…doing many of the RunDisney races on both coasts, going on family trips, friend trips, you name it…I do it. But I had yet to go to an international Disney park. And that changed with Disneyland Paris.

Ali & I both flew in to Charles De Gaulle on the Tuesday morning after Easter. We were flying in from different originating airports, but we were able to manage getting flights that arrived around 30 minutes from one another. We easily found eachother past customs in the baggage area, got our stuff, and headed on out. We had done a little research into the transit options to Disneyland Paris (lets just call it DLP from now on…too much to type), and the Metro seemed potentially sketchy with all our luggage due to pick-pockets. And a long time because if you check a map, it would include a transfer and its all not very direct. There is also a direct high-speed train but it is expensive and runs at limited times. So we opted to book an Uber and chose the option for a female driver who would only drive female passengers. Perfect! Our driver happened to speak decent English also and she was so nice. The drive took around 45min-1hour, and we really just went through some different countryside areas until we happened upon the DLP resort.

We booked our resort, Hotel Cheyenne, through MEI & Mousefan Travel. DLP does hotel & ticket packages if you want to book at one of their hotels, so we didn’t even try to look at hotels on the outskirts because this just simplified everything. We were on property this way, could walk to the parks, and had 1 hour early entry by staying at a hotel property. In this post, I will mention some differences (good and bad?) that we noticed between DLP and the US parks. First weird thing for us was the check in process. We had our bags with us but they wouldn’t let us into the hotel check-in with our suitcases…we had to wait in a line outside to check our bag with an attendant, then went inside to check-in. When we checked in, we found out that our room was ready early (it was around 1:30 pm I think?) so then we had to go BACK outside to reclaim our suitcases. Anyway, we got to our room early so we could wash our faces, change and feel refreshed (even though I had not slept at all on the flight).

Hotel Cheyenne is themed like the infatuation people have with US cowboy stuff. Ali and I started calling it Hotel YeeHaw. Room was fine and worked for us. Had a double bed and a trundle bed. I slept on the trundle and it was actually the comfiest bed I had all trip. There was AC and a fan in the room, thank god, and we got that going. When looking at hotel options, we had first wanted Hotel Sequoia as the rooms are a bit nicer, a little bigger, and resort theming is better. And initially, the price point was the same. But in about 5 days from when we received the quotes and made a selection, it went up quite a bit more than Yee Haw. So we stuck with Yee Haw.

One positive we noticed at Yee Haw compared to US hotels is how quiet is was on property. This maybe had to do with the fact that none of the hotels have an outdoor pool (Yee Haw had no pool, but Sequoia has an indoor), but then also even though there was themed background music, it was only playing surrounding the main building. Our building area was silent. And we NEVER heard kids running down the hallway, screaming, yelling, etc. It was very peaceful.

The walk to the DLP version of Disney Springs/Downtown Disney is very easy and along a small river. There is a ton of construction right now because they are doing loads of upgrades at downtown, along with Studios Park & Disneyland. So yes, it’s an eyesore. But it was easy enough to get to and get through. We stopped at Petit Rosalie for cheese & wine to make our France arrival official. I am dumb and didn’t read a label on something that I thought was cheese wrapped in foil and instead took a bite out of a stick of butter, but yeah….we headed to Disneyland Park and then were ready to take it all in.

We right away noticed all the beautiful gardens as you were entering DLP. There is so much focus on gardens and nature in DLP-a lot less of a concrete jungle than the US parks. The architecture is also stunning. The castle…wow. WDW castle is larger, but this castle appears to be larger due to how it is built up. And what’s awesome is how you can walk through the castle in many different levels….below to see the dragon, above to see the stained glass. We spent a lot of time taking pictures and just wandering.

I’ll end up blending things from both our days in this post, otherwise it’ll get too long. We did Small World as our first ride and it was fun to see a different iteration of it, especially being North American and how they include our homes in the ride. We eventually made it over to The Disney Studios Park, which many will say lacks in Imagineering…oh, it does. But they are building the World of Frozen so eventually it’ll be better. I was able to get on Remy in single rider very fast going over there, and we got to experience the terrible Cars Road Trip tram ride. Oh, it’s so bad it’s funny. We later on did Pirates (and ate at Captain Jacks) and Phantom Manor. Both iterations of these rides I thought were better than the stateside ones, in particular Phantom Manor. Haunted Mansion is loved by many, but Phantom Manor really knocks it out of the park. We ended up doing it 3 or 4 times over the days we went to the park.

We were going to try to stay up for the nighttime show that first night, but we knew we needed to give in and shower and get back to the room. We did early entry the next day and were on Main Street while it was completely empty, albeit raining. We didn’t think through our morning attack, and I had neglected to see which rides were actually open at both parks for early entry, so we sort of wasted time trapsing around. But we got Hyperspace Mountain done (it goes upside down!), Buzz Lightyear and Pinocchio. Did more wandering in the rain. Did the Indiana Jones Roller Coaster (also upside down…who am I?), ate some comical Dorito nachos thing, before heading back to room for me to run and both of us to refresh.

What we started noticing by this point was how different the clientele at DLP are. In the stateside parks, everyone is complaining and pushy and rude–to other park goers and the employees. Here, we notice that European’s have no spatial awareness, in that they are always sort of cutting you off or in your personal space. However…no one is complaining. No one is fighting or arguing. Everyone just exists and goes with it.

After our little break, we luckily had a reservation at Walt’s on Main Street. This was our special treat for our 40th birthday’s. It was a three course meal and it was fantastic. We did more rides after, some repeat, then were able to check out Hotel Marvel Skyline Bar. It was very cool. When we made it back to the park later we trekked it over to Phantom Manor, again, and then eventually got onto Main Street for the nightime show. I was impressed with the show-it’s a mix of lights, projections, drones and fireworks. There are less fireworks than at the US shows, but we were comfortably able to get a spot on Main Street and see everything well. Yes, you could pay more for a reserved spot near the front, but being right down the middle of Main Street was great for us, and made it quick to exit when the show was done. Show started late-10:40 PM. It doesn’t get dark until very late in Paris, so it has to be this late really.

Our two night hotel package included three days of park tickets, so before checking out the following morning we took advantage of going in one more time to just soak everything in. To anyone who loves Disney Parks but hasn’t been to an international park yet….do it. I would encourage going to DLP, but maybe wait until all the current construction is done (we were sad when we found out a few months ago Thunder Mountain would be closed…you go in a tunnel under the lake to an island for the ride. Damn) so all the new enhancements are completed. I have spoken about a lot of positives we saw compared to the US parks. One thing that is different and I am not sure if it is a negative (or just something we take for granted) is the lack of good snacks and counter service restaurants. Our meal at Walt’s was excellent. Captain Jack’s was good. But all the other sit-down restaurants were buffets mainly. And the quick-service items were less than to be desired. Maybe North American’s just love their weird snack foods/appetizers/food-on-a-stick/etc…and maybe we are just used to all the options you can have at someplace like EPCOT. So that is different.

Will I go again? I have no clue. But I knew that if I was heading to Europe to do a marathon in London, I sure as hell wanted to try to check going to Disneyland Paris off my bucket-list while there. When we checked out, we took an uber to our hotel in Paris (near Gare du Nord) and had less than 24 hours to explore Paris itself before hopping on the Eurostar the next day to get to London. We had a great time in Paris and the Eurostar was an efficient and enjoyable experience. I can’t wait to get back to France someday in the future, hopefully with Dan and Andy, and take in more of Paris itself.

Dec30

2024 Recap &2025 Sneak Peak

Posted on December 30, 2024 by mscurlgurl78

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Running, Disney & Dad….That’s what the title of this is, right? So I’m going to do a short recap of 2024 and a look ahead at 2025 for each of those things!

2024

Running

If you’d like to read my recaps on the races that occurred this year, that was one thing that I actually posted about! This year I had some minor goals for myself that I wrote on a high-quality post it note. Some achievable time and health goals, meant to help me get back on track. I did my own training and planning this year, and I really just wanted to build consistency and get back to where I once was.

Disneyland half marathon weekend, Moonlight Run as a family in the snow, numerous 5km runs with Andy…they were great! Red Deer Half in May holds a special place, as I achieved a time goal I set and somehow won the whole thing (despite having ran faster half marathons in the past). This was a great confidence boost.

It’s not always running…family biking is great cross training!

Age group award at a very Wisconsin 5km!

In the last 1.5 years, I have lost over 20 pounds. I attribute this to diet and lifestyle changes. Cutting back on alcohol intake definitely made a huge impact. I also know that getting off an antidepressant had to have some effect on me too. I am also now off my blood pressure medication, so the only things I take daily are vitamins. I now just need to cut out tortilla chips and maybe then I’ll be in perfect health…wait….don’t be crazy Lammers….Being lighter has helped me start to push myself more again on the road and trails and it feels great.

Disney

I mentioned above I was in Disneyland for the half marathon at the start of the year. This was great because later in the year, my bff Ali actually moved from Southern California away from Disneyland. She is now in Florida and lives right outside Walt Disney World (so convenient!)

In August, Andy and I flew down to Disney World for a trip with Grandma. Since Ali now lives there, she spent time with us too! It was a hot and busy trip, but fun had by all!

France Pavillion…Remy ride and lunch was a hit!

Dad

June 8th, 2024, was the date Quebec opened up submissions for family history research. Well, let me explain….they have been under lock and key for some time in various capacities about what those who were adopted can find out. But their Bill 2 was set in stone that day, and how that benefits me is that as the child of someone who was adopted….I can now request information regarding my dad’s birth parents. I filled out and submitted all the paperwork promptly that first day I was allowed. I have received confirmation of the receipt of the submission.

So now…I just wait.

It has been 6 months. And now news yet. I know they probably were swamped with submissions. And who knows how many people are tasked to finding the information for those requesting it. And how long each submission takes. I last emailed in the summer (probably unnecessary, but whatever) to make sure everything was still in process. Sure is…now I just need to wait.

2025

Running

I’m going to run in to the new year with the great base I built and I have even bigger plans! In April, I will be heading to Europe to run in the London Marathon! This will be my 5th Abbott World Major, and I am beyond excited. The way Easter falls this year makes it possible for me to participate, due to Easter Break. Dan will stay back with Andy, but I won’t be alone…Ali is going to come along with me and cheer me on! We will be celebrating our 40th birthdays together.

I am also registered for Lost Soul Ultra 50km in September. I am making it a goal to try to beat my 2019 time of 6 hours and 48 minutes. The race is slightly a different route now than it was in 2019, and back then it was closer to 54 km…now around 51km.

Other smaller races will occur during the year too….Going back to Red Deer for the half and other family 5km races. The main goal this year is to stay healthy and strong as I train for everything. I hired my friend Tracey to be my coach, and my training plan for London officially starts on New Years Day. Maybe I will write more about how the training is going…I will try to, that’s for sure!

Disney

No Disney trip planned with Grandma this year, however, I forgot to add above that while in Europe for London Marathon, Ali and I will first be flying in to Paris to go to….Disneyland Paris! I will definitely post photos from that trip and a recap of our two days there. We have hotel reservations at Disney Hotel Cheyenne and two dining options booked…Captain Jack’s and Walt’s an American Restaurant. Neither of us have been to a Disney park overseas, so this will be an exciting adventure!

Dad

…Now, I just wait. I hope, hope, hope I get some answers and closure on this long search for my dad’s birth family. I have myself prepared to not find out much. And that the information given doesn’t get me anywhere…people have passed away, people don’t want to talk, etc. But to get a confirmation on a name, even if only his mom….my grandma…would be amazing.

2025 has so much ahead…and I simply cannot wait!

Apr24

A reframe, per say.

Posted on April 24, 2023 by mscurlgurl78

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Hello.

Yes. I still exist.

Life is funny. And busy. And not linear.

I have really dropped off with keeping this site updated over the years. Back to work after maternity leave, COVID and excuses all weigh in.

But, doing this site has really brought me JOY over the years. I would to start writing monthly again. But I am not sure what to focus on.

Yes, I am still running. I actually did the Disney Marathon weekend this January and did Goofy Challenge and had a blast. I’ll share a photo(S) below.

And prior to that , I did my first 100km trail race in September 2022. I never wrote a recap on that race. And I plan to do a second 100km this September.

And prior to that we went to Disney’s Aulani in Hawaii! I didn’t even do a recap of that! Well, we returned and moved into our new house so timing was a challenge.

I’ve gone to Disney world a few times since the Pandemic. We bought a new house. And the 19th anniversary of my dad’s passing is tomorrow.

19 years with him. Now, 19 years without.

I need suggestions on what I should post about below. Yes, the origin story of my dad is still in question and I have some new avenues I need to pursue. Yes, I am still running and doing Disney races and crazy races. Im going to Disney this summer with my good friend, her son and Andy. And we are making our own family memories.

What do you want me to write about if I start up monthly writing?

Aug9

RunDisney Virtual Running Shorts 2017

Posted on August 9, 2017 by mscurlgurl78

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I’m not someone who partakes in “Virtual Races” much. For those of you who don’t know what a virtual race is, it’s any event where you register to race the set distance but on your own course. Some actual road races offer virtual options, which usually need to be completed and logged during a certain window of time. And some companies put on virtual races just as events where people can log their times and earn a medal to commemorate the run.

The times I have done so was when I did a Digital Running Virtual Run to tack on to my RunDisney Dopey Challenge in 2014 (Hat Trick medal, Grand Slam medal), an “Interstate Challenge” (run a race in Canada and USA…easy!) which then led me to doing a “Time of the Season” challenge with them (run at least a km race in every month of 2014….HUGE four piece medal once done!) I also did the Knotts Berry Farm Coaster Run 10km as a Virtual Race in 2015 solely for the Snoopy medal. I mean, duh….

I would rather just be out running an actual race than doing a Virtual Race. And a lot of the Virtual Races that I see people doing are through promoters in the USA, which then means its a US dollar registration fee, and since our exchange rate in Canada isn’t really that great at the moment it just gets pricey. It has to be something special for me to consider a virtual event.

In Spring 2016, RunDisney announced their first “Virtual Running Shorts” which would take place in the summer. There would be 3 different 5km virtual runs you could do, one for each month, with a different medal for each month plus a challenge medal if you did all three. I was intrigued by this last year since I knew I couldn’t run that much distance in the summer, as my foot surgery was early June, but opted to not push myself post surgery with events (even if just a 5km virtual run).

This year, RunDisney offered the Virtual Shorts again and I jumped on board pretty quickly. The price tag sort of made me contemplate if it was worth doing-each virtual race was either $40 a piece or you could pay $142 for all three plus the challenge medal and other goodies. This was then when our Canadian dollar was really at its worse, so after the tax and fees and exchange rate, I did end up paying quite a bit for what is basically just appears to be 4 medals. Would it be worth it?

I was impressed with that I received my package from RunDisney very early in June—even before some other people in the USA! They mail you all four medals right away, each individually packed, plus the other goodies which was a collapsible dog bowl, dog tag, and cool towel. The additional goodies were only for if you registered for the whole challenge, and are dog items since the mascot for the series was Pluto. They are definitely not something on their own worth registering for, and if you don’t have a pet there really isn’t a use….but I have to say we used that dog bowl a lot this summer with all our travels to and from Calgary for Snoopy’s acupuncture!

I opted to keep all the medals in the box and would only remove each one as I completed a race. What’s the point of hanging them all up right away?…I needed to earn them!

Since I wanted to be able to hang my medals early each month, I tend to chose early dates to complete my virtual run. I also tried to choose days that were important to me, just to make them a bit more special. I ran my June 5km on June 7th, which would have been the day of my dad’s 65th birthday. I was 19 weeks pregnant at this point, and full of emotions, as Snoopy was not yet back to walking. I finished this 5km in a time of 34:55.

I opted to use the Canada Day Red Dress Run 5km event as my July digital run. That event ended up being closer to 6km in length, but I made sure to stop my watch once I reached the 5km point so I had a time for my virtual run. I had most fun doing this run as part of the RunDisney Virtual Running Shorts series mainly because I took the “Dress in Red & White for Canada Day” theme as the opportunity to wear my Minnie Mouse tutu! It was also fun for it being during an event, as I pushed myself a bit more and ran a 31:45. I was 22.5 weeks pregnant.

I couldn’t wait any longer for my last medals, so once August 1st rolled around I went out and did my final event. The whole month of July had been incredibly hot, but I had stuck with my 4 days a week training plan of running. Honestly, having these little 5km virtual events each month helped keep me going through the heat and this pregnancy! I was just shy of 27 weeks along in my pregnancy when I completed the final 5km, in a time of 35:41.

All four medals are hanging proudly on my medal hanger, and I even made sure to hang them right by all my other RunDisney bling! Participating in this virtual event was perfect for me, given that my last half marathon was end of May and that I wouldn’t be doing any other long races this summer during my pregnancy. It helped keep me accountable this summer, when otherwise I may have just gotten frustrated that I wasn’t registered for any summer time 10km or half marathons. If someone needs a little extra push, this race series may be a good option for you. While I most likely won’t do it again next year (I’m doing Start Wars-The Dark Side and Disneyland Half Weekend, so I get the real deal!) I am happy that I registered for it this summer!

Nov22

Claus Cause 10km Recap

Posted on November 22, 2016 by mscurlgurl78

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I have participated in the Lethbridge Claus Cause since 2013. I have done the 10km twice (2013, 2014) and the 5km once (2015). I opted to register for the 10km this year 1.) because I am training for a full marathon and need distances! And 2.) I needed a challenge.

I don’t normally get anxious or nervous for 10 km events, but this one was causing some grief. I knew before even setting foot at the starting line, my time would not be what it was back in 2013 and 2014. Those times were 45:37 & 45:52 (2013 and 2014, respectively). My most recent 10km times (up to this race) had been 44:10 (Moonlight Run 2016), 43:28 (Disneyland 10km 2015) and 41:30 (my personal best, Rattler Run 2015). Those events, especially the 2015 ones, were surrounded by training focused on speed work. It was also before my foot got the best of me. So I was fully prepared to not run anything close to those. But I still wanted to run something that was respectful for me. I decided the night before the race that I would be happy with anywhere from a low 46 minutes to an upper 47 minutes.

The weather was perfect for running on race morning! Minimal icy spots on the paved course, and a nice brisk winter air. I was one of the only fools wearing shorts, but I did have layered long sleeve shirts and my tall compression socks, so really there was not much skin being hit with the elements. I made sure to arrive early enough to allow for a proper warmup. My husband came to cheer me on (I sort of forced him because of my nerves). Race began at 9 am, with the 10km and 5km runners heading out together.

For the first loop, all the runners were together. This allowed us to be near other runners, but you have to be careful….those 5km runners are potentially going at a faster pace than you would for a 10km (I mean, they should be) so I didn’t want to get wrapped up with trying to stay ahead of people near me….they may be doing the 5km! I was able to check race bibs, as the different colours signified which event you were in. I was able to determine by mile 1.5 I was the 3^rd female in the 10km. It was around mile 2 and 3 that my mind started playing games with me, and I didn’t know if I could hold pace. Was I going to fall apart?

Photo Credit to Shay, who was volunteering on the course!

The 5km runners head to the finish line as the 10km runners do another loop (plus some). I started to get my groove back, but then also got myself comfortable. I was a bit behind runner 1 and 2, but I didn’t see runner 4 nearby. I held my pace and then in the final straightaway pushed in the best I could. I successfully held my position of 3^rd place female the whole race, and also ended up placing 1^st in the 30-39 female category. My splits were: 6:58, 7:50, 7:40, 7:53, 7:53, 7:45 with an average pace of 7:39. Official chip time of 47:30.

Post race-got my sweatpants on and a water, so I’m good!

Takeaway on my splits….I ran my first mile like I was going to run a sub 43 minute 10km. I want to get to that point again, really I do! But that obviously hurt me in the miles after. What would have been ideal is if I could have hit consistent 7:30 splits, but I can’t go back and change that. I am happy, however, that I was able to reach my goal of being faster than 48 minutes. I also was able to have a faster pace per mile at this event than I did back a month prior at the Bare Bones 9km. A farther distance and a faster pace; I’ll take that! My foot felt strong during the race, and I didn’t have too much pain afterward. My cardio (and confidence) is what needs to come back. And it will in time. I was definitely feeling the ‘race pains’ then next day, but I couldn’t lay around….I had a 15 mile training run for the Goofy Challenge to do, and honestly….it went better than expected! Countdown to Goofy is beginning NOW!

After awards with Bob and his daughter Abby

Sep4

My Best Friend

Posted on September 4, 2015 by mscurlgurl78

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I’m flying to Los Angeles for the second time this year. And for the third time in a rolling calendar year. I used to go to LA to visit Ali while she was out on summer program at USC, and then while she was there doing her masters and after. That would be maybe once a year…sometimes summer, sometimes college breaks. I’d go and visit, and we would attempt to go to Price Is Right (which we got into while Bob Barker was still host, but not never called to “Come on Down!”!), drive to Tijuana, Mexico (before it was basically a ‘do not enter zone’ as it is now), or go to Conan O’Brian tapings. But now, I apparently go for racing. And not just for myself.

It’s only been the last year that Ali has started doing road running races. She did her first ever 5km in Independence, Iowa, in August 2014. Don’t know Indee? Yeah, unless you’re an Isham, you don’t know Indee. There’s an Insane Asylum museum there you can go on a tour at…We have pictures in straight jackets. There’s also a lot of corn and Dollar General stores we used to ride a two-person bike to when visiting her grandparents in the summer. Anyway, Ali did her first ever Spartan Race later that same month of August when she came to visit me in Lethbridge, Alberta….the other LA. We drove the two hours to Calgary one Saturday morning to compete in the Spartan Sprint. She has admitted it being one of the hardest fucking things ever. She could have stopped trying after taking 1 hour and 44 minutes to finish a 5 km obstacle race.

But she hasn’t.
This girl has always hated running. I’m serious. While she was a competitive swimmer growing up, she would loathe dry land practices. I do remember once having her go on a run with me when we were both in Franklin and she did a 2 mile loop on the bike trail and hated her life. The fact she went back at it after having such a hatred for it so many years later is admirable.
Ali has found a love and healthy addiction to Crossfit. Crossfit works for her. It motivates her. She is focused. She has caught on to healthy habits and lost a shit ton of weight the healthy way. She has achieved so much since being part of it. And she keeps pushing herself. She has now, since that 5km, run numerous other 5 km and also 10 km races. She is hooked on Spartan Races (she even bought a damn spear to practice throwing) and the Rock N Roll series of races. She has become a “bling addict.” Last year at this time I was flying down to run her first ever 10km race with her in Disneyland. We ran it together in a 1:27. This past May she ran the TinkerBell 10km in 1:04.

So this weekend I head to LA not for Tijuana or late night shows. I’m going to run the Disneyland Half with my best friend. I’m going to push her towards her goal time, and we are going to have a great time doing it. She may hate me partway through (I can already picture the look of death at mile 10) but I’m there for her. I’m always there for my best friend.

Lanikai

Aug26

…And that was Summer 2015

Posted on August 26, 2015 by mscurlgurl78

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Tomorrow is the first day back to work for us teachers in the Lethbridge School District. So, farewell summer—it’s been nice knowing you. The first couple days will be a lot of the general small talk of “How was your summer? Do anything fun?!?” And I personally have had people already ask me, or more so say to me, “You must have run a lot Andrea?”

I did run. I did my one race of the Summer Alberta Summer Games, but I trained a ton. Followed a training plan from my coach Dean Johnson pretty well, which was meant to keep me on track and work toward the goal of a 40:30 10km personal best while running the Disneyland 10km, which is coming up this Labour Day weekend. I also have the Lethbridge Police Half this weekend, which I hope to run my best time at! We have been having Air Quality Warnings in Southern Alberta the past few days, due to wildfires in Washington state. Hope it clears up! I also have in two weeks the time Red Deer Spartan Super and Sprint….and also the Hurriciane Heat! I have never done the special Hurricane Heat before in all the Spartan Races I’ve done before, so this will be a first! If you don’t know what one is, you’ll have to wait for my recap! And rounding out September is my Spartan 2015 grand finale—Sun Peaks Ultra Beast. 26.2 miles of Spartan hell.

So I am excited for the school year to start because I have some great races ahead! And not just that; I do love my job. It is my sixth year in the district and I’ve been at the same school the whole time. It’s great looking at your class list and seeing familiar names year to year, and it’s also great having courses you’ve taught before. I have gotten the opportunity to be involved in our schools IB (International Baccalaureate) program over the past year, so that’s always a great challenge. And today, while we didn’t have to report to “the office” officially, I went in to do a couple hours of housekeeping items. And I even decided to get to work the best way I know how-I ran. So long Summer 2015, and hello new school year!

Hanging out at my desk after running to work!

Jul8

Southern Alberta Summer Games 10 km Recap

Posted on July 8, 2015 by mscurlgurl78

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As a teacher, I have summers off. But every summer even since I was a kid, my summers consisted of family vacations, going to camp, working at camp, and then going on my only vacations with my friends and my husband. I usually take off quite a bit during the summer, so my training plans fall through, and I never stay consistent with my running. I mean, two years ago I went to Disney World for 16 days….in August….how was I going to keep a stable running routine while there?

Summer 2015…turns out I am not flying anywhere, or doing much of anything. No week long trips home, no gigantic trips to Disney, no nasal surgeries, no binging in Newfoundland….nothing. So I needed to keep a training plan and have some goals to keep me motivated. My training plan from Dean (who did my Vancouver Marathon plan!) has me training for a pipe-dream time at the Disneyland 10km Labour Day weekend of 40:30. I need a challenge, might as well shoot high?! I had ran a 41:30 in the Rattler Run 10km back in April (right at the peak of my marathon training) so this seemed within reach.
In the midst of my training calendar I had the Southern Alberta Summer Games 10km race, which was held on Wednesday, July 8th. I had heard about the event from a friend, Danny, and he has done different running and cycling events in prior years. The one thing we have in common, other than running, is that we are adults. Why does this matter! Well, in my head I just always picture these provincial summer games to be for middle-college aged kids…not me. But, sure enough, they have age categories every 10 years up to 60+. The event would be held in Claresholm (45 minute drive) and since I am a teacher and have no work on a Wednesday morning in July at 9:45 am, I figured signing up was a good way to spice up my training routine!
Now, I said I wasn’t going anywhere or “doing anything” this summer. Sort of a lie. My Wisconsin mom is currently here and six days into her three week visit. I had also thought this would be fun for her to come watch, as she hasn’t been to many of my events before. I wrote about my first half marathon she ever came to here, where I did the Trailbreaker Half in Waukesha, Wisconsin, during Spring Break 2013. This would be a good day outing for us. I didn’t really know what to expect with this race, not the same way as I do with others. She asked me the night before “how many people are in it? How many are in your age group?” I was totally left in the dark. When you do a summer games event, in particular when you do a solo summer games event, it appears you don’t know who is showing up until you show up yourself.
We headed out to Claresholm at 7:30 am. My event wasn’t slated to start until 9:45, but registration would begin at 8:00 am. My first comment to the organizers is that they should have had the 10km be the first event. It was supposed to be a mass start of the 2.5/5/10km all at 9 am, but a week or so ago I noticed on the site it was changed to the 2.5 km beginning at 9 am and then the 5/10 km beginning at 9:45. A 9:45 am start for a 10km in early July? Eeeeee…..that makes me nervous.

Arrived and was happy to see Randy and crew from Racepro as the official timers! Yay! I went and checked in, received my race number and timing chip, and then I had plenty of time to relax and warm up. Saw my Lethbridge School District cohort Todd on site as a volunteer. He informed me that the route for the 10km would start as paved road but for about 2km you would be a fresh gravel. Also met up with my friend Danny, the one who told me about the race. He would be doing the 5km.

I had peaked at the entry list numbers just to take a look at how many were in my 30-39 female category. There was a number 4 listed there. Ok. I got this. We lined up at 9:45 for the mass 5km and 10km start. The weather felt comfortable standing at this point, with a slight breeze, but I could tell the heat was hiding. We started and I felt strong my first mile, settling in to a 6:45 mile one. Right on where I wanted to be. Then, we had turned onto the never ending rural road. This was still paved but it was one of those cases like when you are on the Vegas strip and you say “it’s right there….it’s just a short walk!” And it isn’t. I slowed my second mile split to a 7:03. Still in a good place.
The 5km runners had already hit their turnaround so now it was me and a high school kid in the middle of this country road. He was slightly ahead of me and I drafted right behind him. At the turnaround for the 10km, Todd was handing out water, which I took, but slightly slowed down. He yelled at me to catch that kid. So, I drank the water (oh man it tasted so good) and kept my eye on this kid. As we ran back on the same route that took us out to the turnaround, I counted all the people behind us. There were only 11 other runners. So 13 total. Small turnout indeed. The shade on this course was non-existent, and the gravel made my feet feel like they were sinking. It was pretty fresh gravel, so there were not any substantial tire tracks sunk in. I kept weaving back and forth trying to find a track to run on, but really just got stuck kicks up more gravel. My mile 3 & 4 times were 7:15 and 7:39. I was going downhill, figuratively.

At approximately mile 4 I did gain enough ground on the teenager and passed him. As much as the heat and terrain were getting to me, I think it was getting to him worse. I steadily increased my distance from him the last two miles of the race, despite having no “rabbit” in front of me to go after. And also, despite my last two mile splits being slower than some of my full marathon splits in Vancouver. I ran mile 5 & 6 in 7:49 & 7:45. I finished in a time of 45:55.

They did the award presentation about 25 minutes later, after the final 10km runner finished. There turned out to be only 2 people in my age category in the end. I also saw a bunch of race bibs not picked up. I wonder how many people were supposed to be in the event? I picked up my gold medal and got a picture with Danny, who also earned gold in his male 30-39 category of the 10km running a time of 19:32. His goal was for under 20 so that’s awesome!

Would I do the Southern Alberta Summer Games again? Depends. Location makes a difference. I wouldn’t drive all the way out to Medicine Hat for it, but 45 minutes or less sure. They really don’t advertise the event well at all or promote it. It would be very easy for the organizers to make a single page brochure to place in race bags at local Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and area races. Really, as far as the City of Lethbridge team goes, they just need to not just focus on the elementary schools, but other area athletic organizations who have athletes 18 years or older. So, not just running….but biking, basketball, etc. The City of Lethbridge is the biggest in Southern Alberta so there is no excuse as to why we shouldn’t have the most competitors, points, and medals in these games! I’m at the point now that when I run races, I need to be pushed, so the low entry numbers was huge negative. I’m not confident enough that I can just cruise at a my fastest race pace every time if there is not someone for me to chase after. I also wish the start time was earlier for the 10km. July has been ridiculously hot and we are fortunate it wasn’t any worse this morning. I know they have to make sure things don’t overlap with any of the track events happening, but I wish there was a way to make this an earlier start.

So yes, I finished the race first. But with a less than stellar time. Between the heat, no shade, gravel, small field of runners, and how early it is in my training….I should just be happy with how I did. And I pretty much am. It puts it all into perspective on how trusting your training makes a difference, and that training works. I trained for 16 weeks for Vancouver Marathon and set a new personal best in a 5km, 10km, half and then full when I qualified for Boston at that very race. I kept trucking through the month of May and capped it off with my first ever 50km. Took two weeks off and am now back in the grind, in a way starting from one of the very bottom steps. This just means I have more work to do in order to be where I want to be.

Jun21

This is Supposed to be Easy……

Posted on June 21, 2015 by mscurlgurl78

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I have hit a roadblock.

After the Vancouver Marathon on May 3rd, I still kept up with my training for that month, as I had the Spartan Montana Beast and the Calgary 50km Ultra. I mustered through those (pretty decently too) and forced myself to take a solid 15 days off. No running at all. My body needed some recovery time. Near the end of that rest period, I contacted Dean Johnson and asked him to make me a summer training plan, with my end goal being to get a sub 41 minute 10km at the Disneyland 10km Labour Day weekend. Training for a 10km…easy enough, right?

Well, last week Tuesday I started the plan. My first run went well, although I may have pushed myself a bit too much. On Wednesday, I was really sore and my hip flexors were in pain, but I did an awesome hill workout. Thursday, though, it started to fall apart. I opted to take off on Thursday (could take off or do 40-60 minutes easy) as I thought I would feel better come Friday. I went out to attempt my Friday run of 60-70 minutes at easy pace. Mistake 1 was doing this at noon. Holy hell it felt like hell. The heat is not my friend. Mistake 2 was trying for the lower end of the pace goal (8:15 minute miles). I should have aimed for 8:45 from the get go. I held it together the first 4 miles, but by mile 5 I had an 8:58. Then I self destructed and ran a 9:43 for mile 6. I ended up running 6.68 miles in 60 minutes and felt like garbage. This weekend, I skipped my 90-105 minute long run and took off both days. I am not even a week into this plan and I am already sliding.

The plan was supposed to help motivate me to achieve my goal of a personal best 10km time. But right now, I’m in such a weird place and having a hard time getting back in to running. Maybe it was the 16 weeks of intense marathon training this winter and spring that just has me burned out. I mean, it probably is. I guess I just thought getting back in to a rhythm would be easy, as I had such a successful first 5 months of 2015. I got my best 5km, 10km, half and full marathon times in that time frame, and I also ran my first ever 50km. I have been on Cloud 9 and flying high! But now, it’s month 6, and I am a proverbial pile of shit.
If this summer is going to be successful “running-wise” I need to get out of this funk and back in the game. I need to start establishing a routine again. Having the framework of one, with my training plan, clearly isn’t enough. I need to be getting up before work to do my runs, as if I wait until after it is too hot out. And if I run when it’s the afternoon sun blazing down, I get crabby. And frustrated. And even after this last week of school, I need to be setting an alarm each morning so I am up and have a normal breakfast and out the door doing my run by at least 9 am. If I can get into this consistency, the rest should fall in to place.

“…there are no shortcuts or paths of least-resistance on the road to reaching something worthwhile.”-Dean Karnazes “Run!”

Sep21

Dumbo Double Dare Photo Recap-Official MarathonFoto Pictures!

Posted on September 21, 2014 by mscurlgurl78

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Finally got around to ordering my Disney Dumbo Double Dare race photos from MarathonFoto. I knew I had to purchase the download package as the pictures of me and my best friend in the 10km were incredible, and the half marathon shots weren’t too shabby either.

Below are some of my favorite shots from the Disneyland 10km, held on August 30th, 2014!