Run, Karla, Run!

The Jerusalem Marathon and Half Marathon. (Photo: Nati Shohat/Flash90-IsrealTourism/Flickr)

In exactly seven weeks from today, I’ll be on the starting line of the Jerusalem Half Marathon as part of a press trip sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism in cooperation with El Al Airlines. Last week, I wrote about how meaningful this race will be for me. Now, it’s time to dive back into my half marathon training plan.

After the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday, January 11, which marked the end of my 46-day running streak, I took two weeks off from running. My body needed it. I did run once during that time: On Saturday, January 18 to participate in Meg’s Miles, honoring a runner killed by a drunk driver and raising awareness for runner safety.

Come Saturday, January 25, it was time to ease back into training. The Jerusalem Marathon and Half Marathon is an odd duck in the running world in that it’s on a Friday. So my new training schedule is Saturday to Friday, instead of the usual Monday to Sunday. I’ve got an eight-week half marathon training plan mapped out and am happy to say that Week 1 is successfully behind me.

Half Marathon Training Plan

Anticipating that I’d want to run a spring half to finally nab my sub-2-hour half marathon goal, the first week of December I started using a 12-week half marathon training plan from Greg McMillan’s book, “You (Only Faster).” Read the rest of this entry →

The Disneyland 10K and 5K finish. (Photo: runDisney)

So you didn’t get into any of the Disneyland Half Marathon 2014 races including the Dumbo Double Dare, the Disneyland 10K or the Disneyland Half Marathon? It was a record sell-out for runDisney this year. But limited entries are still available through charity and tour groups.

The major Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend races and events sold-out even faster than the 26 hours from last year for a new runDisney record.

All 35,500 of the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend‘s running bibs sold out within 12 hours and 13 minutes. The Dumbo Double Dare, where participants complete both the Disneyland 10K and Half Marathon on back-to-back days, filled up in just 41 minutes. The Disneyland 10K sold out in 53 minutes, followed by the runDisney Kids Races, which closed in 2 hours and 48 minutes. The Disneyland Half Marathon itself sold out in 9 hours and 20 minutes, while the Disneyland 5K closed in 12 hours and 13 minutes.

But if you really want to be a part of the Disneyland Half Marathon 2014 races from August 28-31, you still can if you register through a charity or tour group. Contact the following groups directly to find out how to register for the race through them. Read the rest of this entry →

The 2013 Disneyland Half Marathon (Photo: runDisney)

UPDATE: The Disneyland Half Marathon, Disneyland 10K, Dumbo Double Dare, Disneyland Family Fun Run 5K, runDisney Kids Races and Welcome Event featuring Runner’s World are now sold-out. Limited entries are available through charity and tour groups. Registration is still open for the Pasta in the Park Party.

Run Disneyland Half Marathon 2014 Races For Charity

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Registration opens for the Disneyland Half Marathon 2014 Weekend on Tuesday, January 28 at 12 pm EST. I’ve never actually run the Disneyland Half Marathon, but did run the inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon in 2012, courtesy of runDisney. Running Disneyland and Anaheim was one of my favorite race experiences.

The 2013 Dumbo Double Dare medal (Photo: runDisney)

The race weekend from August 29-31 in California includes the Disneyland Half Marathon, Disneyland 10K, Dumbo Double Dare, Disneyland Family Fun Run 5K and runDisney Kids Races. Runners, friends and family can also buy tickets to the Pasta in the Park Party and ChEAR Squad packages for the half marathon.

Last year, 15,872 runners finished the Disneyland Half Marathon and another 7,839 finished the Disneyland 10K. Over 5,000 of them finished the Dumbo Double Dare. Runners came from all 50 U.S. states and 15 countries for the races.

Participants run through Angel Stadium at the Disneyland Half Marathon. (Photo: runDisney)

If you want in on the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, and especially the Dumbo Double Dare, be prepared to register right away. The 2013 Disneyland Half Marathon, Disneyland 10K and Dumbo Double Dare sold out in just 26 hours. The 10K and Dumbo Double Dare sold-out first, with the half-marathon closing just a few hours later. Read the rest of this entry →

Runners pass the Tower of David at Jerusalem Marathon (Photo: Kobi Gideon/Flash90-IsrealTourism/Flickr)

In its fourth year, the Jerusalem Marathon has grown to become a large international event. In 2013, 20,000 runners from 54 countries competed at the Jerusalem Marathon weekend; 1,730 of them came from abroad. This year, I’ll be one of them.

I’m going to the Jerusalem Marathon on March 21 as part of a press trip sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism in cooperation with El Al Airlines. The event includes marathon, half-marathon, 10K, 5K and 800-meter races. I’ll be running the half-marathon.

The 2012 Jerusalem Marathon (Photo: Uri Lenz/FLASH90 – IsraelTourism/Flickr)

The courses were designed, the race website says, to trace Jerusalem’s history, taking runners through the Old City and past the Tower of David to more modern locales like the Knesset and Hebrew University.

But the course itself has been an issue of political debate. The Palestine Liberation Organization asked runners and sponsors to boycott the 2013 Jerusalem Marathon because it traveled through East Jerusalem. Read the rest of this entry →

Goofy and Donald Duck at the Walt Disney World Half Marathon finish. (Photo: runDisney)

The Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday, January 11 was the third of four races at the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend: the Disney Family Fun Run 5K, Walt Disney World 10K, Walt Disney World Half Marathon and Walt Disney World Marathon.

Done! (Photo: MarathonFoto.com)

runDisney invited me to be their guest at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. I was running the first three of the four races, so the Walt Disney World Half Marathon was the finale to my running weekend.

I’ve never run this race before; I was really looking forward to it. I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon in 2012, which had a nearly identical course but with a slightly different start and finish, and I had a blast at that race.

I had one goal and one goal alone for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon: get a picture with Cinderella while dressed as Cinderella.

It was my sixth Disney race and I had yet to achieve that feat. Read the rest of this entry →

Kim Smith passes the Cyclone roller coaster on her way to victory at the 2013 Brooklyn Half. (Photo: NYRR)

Mark your calendars. Registration for the 2014 Brooklyn Half Marathon on May 17 opens this Wednesday, January 22 at 12 p.m. EST.

The Brooklyn Half Marathon may not be as famous as the New York City Marathon or NYC Half, but it should be. The event, also put on by New York Road Runners, is a world-class race on the verge of becoming very big, indeed. Mark my words: the day will come when this event is popular enough to have its own lottery. For 2014, NYRR is expecting its biggest field yet. Read the rest of this entry →

Minnie Mouse presides over the Walt Disney World 10K. (Photo: runDisney)

The Walt Disney World 10K on Friday, January 10, 2014 was the second of four races at the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend: the 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon.

runDisney invited me to be their guest at the race. Some 7,000 runners were completing all four races as part of the Dopey Challenge. Another 3,000 runners, like me, were just along for the ride.

It was the inaugural Walt Disney World 10K with a brand new race patron and medal: Minnie Mouse.

I can’t believe Minnie is only just now getting her own race. (UPDATE: A few readers have pointed out that Minnie Mouse used to host a Women Run the World 15K, known as the Minnie Marathon, that was eventually replaced by Disney’s Princess Half Marathon in 2009. Glad this isn’t Minnie’s first race!)

Of the three races I was running at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend—the Disney Family Fun Run 5K, Walt Disney World 10K, and Walt Disney World Half Marathon—I was most excited to earn that Minnie Mouse medal.

Minnie Mouse medals! (Photo: runDisney)

Going into the Walt Disney World 10K I had just two letters on my mind: PR. I desperately wanted to break 54 minutes and my personal best of 54:09. I was well trained and ready to run. But I had four things working against me come race day.

1. Sleep deprivation
2. Humidity
3. A blister
4. Dopey Challenge runners

More on that after a breakdown of the race itself. Read the rest of this entry →

Pausing for a pic in Epcot with my mom during the Disney Family Fun Run 5K. (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

This year, I took the name of the Disney Family Fun Run 5K seriously and did it with my family—my mom to be precise.

runDisney invited me to be their guest at the race. When I asked her if she wanted to join me at Walt Disney World, she jumped at the chance and quickly pronounced her desire to do her first 5K.

The Disney Family Fun Run 5K on Thursday, January 9, 2014 was the first of four races at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend: the 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon with some runners doing all four for the Dopey Challenge.

The 5K was the first of three races for me. I was doing everything but the marathon, and in costume, of course.

My Mom’s First 5K Read the rest of this entry →

This Dole Whip Pineapple Float celebrated the end of my running streak.

That’s right, my running streak has officially died. As my husband predicted, it passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 12, the day after the Walt Disney World Half Marathon, which I ran as a guest of runDisney.

As Walt Disney World Marathoners and Dopey Challengers arose at 3 a.m., I slept in until 8:15 a.m., the latest I’d slept all week.

And then I did the unthinkable: I didn’t go for a run. I ate a Dole Whip pineapple float at Magic Kingdom instead.

Sure, I walked a few miles around Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I even jogged a few steps to hurry to nab Fast Pass tickets for a few rides. But I did not run the requisite mile.

And so, my running streak ended after 46 days and 166 miles, averaging 3.6 miles a day. I started with a race in the first week and ended with three races (1, 2, 3) in the last week.

Here’s the run down of its final days since my last recap. Read the rest of this entry →

Cinderella did it! Three races in three days. (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

Read my full Walt Disney World Half Marathon Race Report!

Three days. Three races. Three costumes. Two theme parks. And lots of fun.

I ran the Disney Family Fun Run 5K, Walt Disney World 10K and Walt Disney World Half Marathon at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend as a guest of runDiseny. My full race reports are still to come!

But here are the pics I snagged while dressed as Cinderella, in the dress the mice made for her, at the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday, January 11.

Hope everyone who ran this weekend had great races!

Walt Disney World Half Marathon Slideshow Read the rest of this entry →

Cinderella is Pretty in Pink!

What a week! The Disney Family Fun Run 5K and Walt Disney World 10K at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend are already behind me.

Pluto made me miss my pup, Cinderella.

I picked up my Pluto medal Thursday at the Disney Family Fun Run 5K while dressed as The Hunchback of Notre Dame‘s Esmeralda with my mom by my side. Read all about it in my race report.

Today, I got my Minnie Mouse at the 10K this morning while dressed as Beauty and the Beast‘s Belle. I didn’t run a personal best like a hoped, but I gave it my all and got some great pictures with Daisy Duck and Pluto. Read the full race report!

I’m attending the weekend as a guest of runDisney and I’ve got just one more race and one more Disney running costume to don: The Walt Disney World Half Marathon. A photo of my costume is below.

In case this is your first visit to my blog, I’ll start with this: I’m obsessed with Cinderella. Why? I have no idea. She’s just my boo. She has been since I can remember remembering things. Read the rest of this entry →

“I want adventure in the great wide somewhere!” Me too, Belle!

It’s a tale as old as time: wearing Disney running costumes to races. OK, maybe it’s not a tale as old as time, but for me it does go back to the 2012 Tinker Bell Half Marathon, where I donned my first of many Disney running costumes and emerged a changed woman.

I’m wearing three Disney running costumes while running three races as a guest of runDisney at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend: Disney Family Fun Run 5K, Walt Disney World 10K and Walt Disney World Half Marathon.

I ran the Disney Family Fun Run 5K as Esmeralda.

With the Disney Family Fun Run 5K behind me—dressed as Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame—and a Pluto medal around my neck (full race report is here!), the Walt Disney World 10K is my big target race of the weekend. It’s the one I’m racing for a personal best.

So for this race, I really wanted a costume I can race in. I ran a personal record at the 2012 Disney Princess Half Marathon while dressed as Cinderella with Prince Charming by my side. So I know that Disney running costumes and PRs can go hand in hand.

But it also means choosing one carefully. No wigs, no hats, no elaborate accessories, and, most importantly, I need to have my hair pulled back. Cinderella was perfect because she wore her hair in a bun to the ball. I almost always wear my hair in a bun when I race.

So I finally settled on the perfect Disney gal to guide me to a new running frontier: Beauty and the Beast’s Belle. Read the rest of this entry →

Esmeralda from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”

If you’ve ever poked around, “Run, Karla, Run!” you know I loves me some Disney running costumes.

This year at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, which I’m attending as a guest of runDisney, I got to come up with three—count ‘em—three Disney running costumes for the Disney Family Fun Run 5K on Thursday, Walt Disney World 10K on Friday and Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday. Read the rest of this entry →

Thanks for the thumbs up, Maverick!

We’re nearly a week into 2014 and my first three races of the year—the Disney Family Fun Run 5K, Walt Disney World 10K and Walt Disney World Half Marathon—are already upon us.

I guess it’s finally time to write down my running goals for 2014.

When I look at them, one thing comes to mind: I’m a Maverick. I want to go faster. In 2013, I made the realization I’m a Speed Demon, not an Endurance Monster. I love speed workouts. I hate long runs. I run a 6:46 mile, but have struggled to break 2 hours in the half-marathon. Speed, not distance, has been good to me. So I’m giving into that for 2014.

But let’s see how I did on my 2013 goals, first.

Running Goals For 2013

1.   Get even faster

SUCCESS! I make this goal every year because it works for me. Last year I wrote: “In 2013, I’m going to try to knock out a 5K and 10K PR.” Done and done. I knocked out the following personal records in 2013: Read the rest of this entry →

The 2104 collection of Disney New Balance shoes. (Photo: runDisney)

UPDATE 2/20/2014: New Balance has instituted a new shoe buying process for runners at the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend. Here’s the scoop:

How To Buy New Balance Disney Shoes At Princess Half

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I attended the 2013 Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend as part of a press trip sponsored by New Balance and runDisney, where they gave runners a first glimpse of the new Disney New Balance shoes. I’ve subsequently gotten a lot of questions about how to buy them.

First, the shoes are only available at runDisney race expos. Unfortunately, they are not sold online. Though I’m sure some enterprising individuals will hawk them for obscene amounts of money on eBay, as happened last year, or offer their services as virtual personal shoppers. There’s at least one personal shopping company already advertising their services around the shoes. (UPDATE: I’ve been told that particular company got shut-down at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.) Oh, Capitalism.

So you have to attend a runDisney race expo in person. There are currently seven runDisney race weekends throughout the year. Here they are for 2014:

• Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend: Walt Disney World, January 8-12, 2014
• Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend: Disneyland, January 16-19, 2014
• Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend: Walt Disney World, February 20-23, 2014
• Expedition Everest Challenge: Walt Disney World, May 3, 2014
• Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend: Disneyland, August 29-31, 2014
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend: Walt Disney World, date TDB
• Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend: Walt Disney World, date TBD

You don’t have to actually register for any of the races to buy the shoes. The expos are free and open to the public. But you do have to get to Florida or California at the right rime.

Second, to buy the Disney New Balance shoes at the upcoming Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, folks have to make a reservation at the Disney Health & Fitness Expo at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. They’re trying to minimize lines at the New Balance booth, which were mayhem last year.

Third, they’ve instituted buying limits so that a few people can’t scoop up all the merchandise. Read the rest of this entry →