2014 Tower of Terror 10 Miler - Expo, Race Recap and Villains Hollywood Bash Review

I had been looking forward to the 2014 Tower of Terror Ten Miler for quite some time. It was my first runDisney race since the Dopey Challenge back in January and runDisney events are so much fun! The on-course entertainment is tough to beat, but for me, meeting up with old friends and making new ones in the most Magical Place on Earth is what brings me back.

Unlike my previous runDisney experiences, I was just driving in for the event, running the race, attending the after-party, catching a quick night of sleep before heading to the airport to fly home. I'm lucky to travel to Central Florida for work about once a month so I was able to piggy back this event to a business trip.

2014 Rochester Marathon - Race Recap

The first event in my Race-A-Rama was the 2014 Rochester Marathon. I ran the Half Marathon in 2013. Back then it was organized by the Arthritis Foundation and there were several snafus including running out of shirts and medals. Over the winter, Fleet Feet Rochester and Yellow Jacket Racing announced they were buying the event. I was excited to hear that because their races are always top-notch, from their shirts and medals to marketing to pre-race communications to race day logistics and volunteer support.

After a two-week taper my legs were feeling fresh and I was eager to run. A day or two before a long race, I like to map out my strategy in Excel. I create a little cheat sheet which I print and laminate and carry in my pocket. It helps me remember what pace I should be running as well as the location of water, food and bathroom stops.

Everybody does this, right?

I've been training with :30/:30 run/walk intervals but I wanted to increase those to :60/:30 for the race. My "A" Goal was to finish under five hours, and with keeping to the paces you see above, I would have about 10-15 minutes to spare.

Seven Days Until the Start of Race-A-Rama

I'm a week out from the Rochester Marathon. It's the first race in my 113 day Race-A-Rama (hat tip to my friend Stephanie's WAY more ambitious MarathonPalooza), during which I'll run three marathons, two half marathons, a 10 miler, a 10k and two 5ks. It's been a busy summer, and I've ramped up my mileage enough to support this marathon and next month's Marine Corps Marathon.

Although I'm good to go for the 26.2 miles of the marathons, the biggest challenge I'll face will come in November and December as I work in the back-to-back-to-back-to-back training runs for the 2015 Dopey Challenge. Just like last year, over a four-day period I'll be running a 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon -- 48.6 miles in all -- through the Walt Disney World theme parks.

I won't be taking any classes for my Part Time MBA program this fall so that will free up time, but the difference between an easy training cycle and a challenging training cycle is what kind of weather is in store. If it's like last year's Polar Vortex, getting the miles in will be a struggle. But if we have more mild conditions through November and December, it will be a much more pleasant experience.

Top 5 (+1): Things I Learned Running in the Rain

I’ve been running for about 18 months, but I had been able to avoid running in the rain… until last weekend. With a 15 mile training run on the schedule and ten weeks until the Rochester Marathon, postponing for a week was not an option. So I stalked the Weather Channel radar until the thunderstorms had cleared and set out.

Here are the Top 5 (+1) things I learned:

5. Don't venture too far away.

Thunderstorms had just rolled through, and there was a chance for more, so I stuck close to home.

Running 15 miles on the high school track about a half-mile from my house wasn't the most scenic long run I've had, but it afforded me the opportunity to bail if severe weather rolled in.

2014 Walt Disney World Marathon - Dopey Challenge Race Four

I woke up before my alarm for the fourth straight day, but unlike the other mornings, my headache was gone. I had a feeling that things were going to go my way today. I got showered and dressed and headed to Epcot for the final time. I stayed in the car as long as possible to spend as little time on my feet before the race as I could. As I was getting ready to head to the starting area, the perfect song came on.

Whenever my rental car has XM it's All E Street Radio All The Time

The early morning temperature was cool, and despite forecasts earlier in the week for a high temperature around 80, the actual high was now only expected to reach the lower 70s with lower humidity than the half-marathon. Things were really lining up well!

I met up with a few members of Team Studios Central and some Mickey Miles Podcast listeners I met at the meet up earlier. We made our way to the corrals, with them making plans to run together from a forward corral, and I promised to try to catch up from Corral I.

2014 Walt Disney World Half Marathon - Dopey Challenge Race Three

Again I woke up before my alarm, and was out the door at 3am. The logistics for the Half and Full marathon were very different from the 5k and 10k. For one thing, instead of 10,000 runners, there were closer to 25,000 in each race. It was a lengthy walk between the bag check area and the starting corrals. Everything just seemed “bigger.”

Like all four races, the starting line was in the Epcot parking lot. We would run up World Drive, through Magic Kingdom, then back down to Epcot. Quite a few highway miles, but with the joy and excitement of Cinderella's Castle and a fair amount of entertainment along way it would be a ton of fun.

2014 Walt Disney World 10k Race Recap - Dopey Challenge Race Two

The 10k start was at 5:30am, so I set my alarm clock earlier than the day before, but still woke up well before it went off. I checked Twitter to see if anyone was already up and posting (they were) and got up and showered. I still had a dull headache but it was much improved over the morning before. 

I arrived at Epcot about 3:15am and hung out in the car for about half an hour before making my way over to the Bag Check area where I would be meeting up at 4am with some fellow Team Studios Central members. On the way I saw the legion of volunteers breaking up and heading to their posts.

Thank you, volunteers!

Unlike the morning before, we were immediately directed toward the corral area, so I headed over there and passed by racks and racks of the inaugural 10K medals.

My precioussssss...