Why the Runner's World Festival and Half is Great for Runners AND Spectators.

I participated in the Runner's World Half and Festival Oct 18-20, 2013.  Runner's World invited me to represent our blog at the event and they paid for all the activities/dinners I participated in.

The Runner's World Half and Festival truly puts on an activity for everyone. The events for the public kicked off on Friday afternoon starting with the Runner's World Health and Fitness expo in the Arts Quest building. Although I couldn't get a lot of good pictures in this building where the expo was held (all windows on one side, no windows on the other), it was the perfect spot for the expo! Three floors for bibs, shirts, and vendors. I felt there was enough room for everything and didn't feel cramped like at other large expos.

At 5:00 pm on Friday there were Kid Races.

There were a variety of different distances for each age group and every child received a finishers medallion.

For the adults, two movies played that evening: To Them That's Gone and Spirit of the Marathon II.  If a movie wasn't your thing, you could go to a Race Weekend FAQ Seminar.  Later that evening Bart Yasso held a night time run, it was a run with the Amish.

Saturday started with the 5k race.

I Caught a glimpse of Summer Sanders running this race with her son.

There was an hour and a half between the 5K race and the 10K race. Some people ran both races back to back. This was called the "Five and Dime". I however chose only to do the 10K.

I had packed shorts and a running tank to run the race in but the weather was much cooler than I expected. I had run in compression capris and a long tech the day before, so I thought I would be comfortable in something similar for the 10K and I was.  I thought the 10K was a continuation of the 5k course that we ran the day before. Boy was I wrong!  I was not expecting as many hills as there were. I was expecting two hills, but I'm not sure which of the inclines on this course were those "two hills".  Even thought the course was hillier than I expected, it was a good challenge and I thought it was a good race. I never felt like the inclines had taken too much out of me. In the end, I finished with my best 10k time yet!

After the 10K race and the awards ceremony, there was a dog run.

Are these not the cutest little racers ever?

After all the races were completed on Saturday, participants and their guests could go to the expo for some more shopping, participate in one of the many seminars, or see one of the movies that was playing. All these things were open to the public as well.

Runner's World editors, and authors were on hand at the book signing area to sign copies of their books.

Participants also had an opportunity to have a pasta dinner with  the Runner's World editors later that evening.  There were  three times offered for this event. There is an additional fee for the dinner, but Runner's World paid for us bloggers to go.

The Runner's World staff put out an incredible spread. Again, all recipes were from The Runner's World Cookbook!

After dinner we were all invited to listen to the Keynote Speaker, Dave McGillivary, Race Director of the Boston Marathon.  For an additional fee, this event was also open to the public.

( Toni from Running, Living, Loving)      Dave McGillivray has got to be one of the most fascinating people I have ever had the pleasure of hearing speak. There is so much I want to say about him, but in an effort to keep this post a reasonable length I will have to save it for later. I will just say this, if I were still in school, he would definitely be someone I would want to do a report on!

Sunday morning's half marathon was the last of the big events for the Runner's World Half and Festival that weekend.

Those of us who were not running the half marathon chose to come to the start line and cheer on those who were running. Although the finish line for the half marathon is the same as for the 5K and 10K, the start is in a different location. It starts up on the road in front of the Sands Casino ( near the bridge). Take note if you are driving a car, there is plenty of parking near the finish line, but you may not leave the lot until the road opens again at 12:30pm.

This is one of our blogger friends Jocelyn from Enthusiastic Runner running towards the finish line at the half marathon. 
I'm so proud of all the girls that participate in all three races, AKA The Hat Trick!
The finish shoot was long enough that there was plenty of room for anyone who wanted to see the runners up close. Another plus was that spectators could watch from both sides of the finish line. Many larger races I've been to, the spectators could only watch from one side, making it rather crowded at the finish line area. But wait, if it was too chilly for you outside ( remember it is October in Pennsylvania), you had all the comforts of waiting inside the Arts Quest building until it was time to go watch your runner cross!

Since the Start and Finish lines for the 5K and 10K were held in this area, runners had a nice warm place to wait between races, grab a coffee or a bite to eat, and actually use a real bathroom! Now how many races have real bathrooms for you to use right at the start line? The ability to go indoors and stay warm was definitely something that made this race a bit better than the others I've been to!

I think one reason this race was top notch all the way was because it was a race put on by the running professionals, not just a marketing department. If you want to host a good race, have people who run actually put it on!  Kudos to Runner's World for a job well done!

And of course here is the great race shirt and the bling I earned!

I really enjoyed my time at the Runner's World Festival and Half. I am so glad that I got to be a part of this event! Thanks Runner's World!

Have you ever been to a whole weekend of race events?

If you didn't get to read the first two post I did on the Runner's World Half and Festival you can read them here:
1. Runner's World Blogger Event: Barbecue at Runner's World Headquarters.
2. Runner's World Blogger Event: A day of Running Activities and Cool Sponsors.

A Day of Running Activities at the Runner's World Blogger Event

We were up bright and early on Friday morning and headed to the visitors center at the historic Bethlehem Steel Stacks.   This day was SO busy, but I want to at least briefly mention each activity we did.

First we met "Running on Air" author Budd Coates. Budd has been running marathons for over 5 decades and has been completing them in under 3 hours! Isn't that amazing?  He did a brief breathing demonstration for us ( which I will talk about later) before we went out on our 3 mile shake out run with him and Bart.

Budd Coates shows us how to breath from our belly instead of our chest.

Then we prepare for our 3 mile run.

It was a bit chilly when we started but quickly warmed up. I stayed comfortable in my black compression capris and long sleeve tech shirt. ( photo on left courtesy of Linda of Running4two)

Since the roads were still open, we all had to run along the pedestrian path as we crossed the bridge. It was a little tight, especially when there were runners (not from our group) speeding by us going the opposite direction.

When we got to the top of the hill, we stopped at an overlook and Bart told us some history about the Lehigh Valley!  Then we had to get a group shot.

                                               Photo courtesy of Monica @ Runeatrepeat

The 3 miles that we ran was pretty much the same course that the 5K runners would follow the next day. It was pretty easy and really only had one incline that wasn't so bad.

When we arrived back at the Steel Stacks complex, it was time for the Running Skirt's Olympics.

Now I know why everyone loves Running Skirts! Not only are their products great, but Cindy, the head of Running Skirts is Super Sweet!  We had a race were we had to run back and forth putting on running skirt products. Even Bart participated! Running Skirts put together a quick video of the event!  Click here to watch it.

Next was Breakfast and a shoe demonstration from the great people at Altra.

As you can see, I am debating between two different pair of shoes. Golden Harper, founder of Altra Drop Zero shoes, explains the difference between each pair.  I ultimately ended up with the Pink and black shoes that I am wearing on my right. ( this photo courtesy of @janetober)  After the shoe demonstration, we headed outside for a running demonstration also presented by Golden.

 

Next, we headed back over to the visitors center where the great people from Icon Health and Fitness did a "Recovery for Runner's" Presentation.

We were each presented with a yoga bag full of products. Our instructor Melanie showed us how to use each of these products properly after our runs!

 

I think by the time this session was over, we were all ready for lunch!

Everything on the lunch buffet was from the new Runner's World Cookbook: Caprese Farro Salad, Simple Green Salad ( with either mustard and cumin dressing or nutty olive oil dressing) Mushroom Tacos ( that were gluten free), Spicy Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw, and for dessert Banana Oat Energy Bars.  I'm not a big seafood eater, so this was the first time I've ever had fish tacos. I have to say they were not bad. The pineapple slaw was an nice addition to the taco. The banana oat bars were very yummy too! While we ate, we were introduced to the editor of the cookbook and one of the chefs who came up with some of the recipes.

 

 

As if we hadn't had enough fun already, after lunch we got to meet Olympian Summer Sanders!

 

Summer is a great speaker! I could have listened to her stories for hours. She talked about how she became interested in swimming and how her career had grown. She talked a bit about her children and the sports they are involved in as well.  We got some time to talk to Summer one on one and I showed her the picture of her and Lacey( which I still had on my phone) at the Runner's World event at the Boston Marathon this year, and after looking at it for a moment, her faced lit up and she said she remembered (I truly think she was being honest too because she told me right where that picture was taken).  Summer ran the 5k with her family on Saturday and then the half on Sunday.

The last thing on the agenda today ( before picking up our race bibs) was the Pro-Form and IFit demonstration.

These treadmills are super cool! The ones they had on display where the new Boston marathon treadmills, but they make other brands that are iFIT compatible (ex: Nordick Track, Gold's Gym, ). I can't wait to share with you more about a really cool app I experienced here at this demonstration!  After the demonstration we each received a really cool Nike Running tech shirt from iFIT.

Now it was finally time to go to the expo and pick up our race bibs/shirts/etc!

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All the sponsors/vendors I had mentioned in this post have been extremely generous with their time and products that they gave to us! I will mention each one of them more in depth in future posts.

Thank you to everyone who made this day so much fun!

Click here to read Why the Runner's World Half and Festival is great for runner's AND spectators.


Click here to read Friday night's blogger even at the Runner's World Headquarters.

Runner's World Blogger Event: Barbecue at Runner's World headquarters

The past four days have been SO busy but so much fun! That's why you haven't seen a post for a few days! Let me first disclose that I was invited by Runner's World to represent our blog Fairytales and Fitness at their running festival this past weekend. My hotel room and all events that I attend were paid for by Runner's World.  All reviews of the event however, are my own opinion.

When I arrived in my room, I was greeted with an amazing welcome bag!  In it were two running books ( yay,I love to read), products from Injinji, Ortholite, Running Skirts, Wild Planet, Bondi band, Spibelt, and Belvita, just to name a few. We were also given a scavenger hunt that we had to complete over the course of the four days we were there. This consisted of taking pictures of certain things or events and tweeting them on Twitter.  This was great because it got us really involved and we were able to meet a lot of people ( because we had lots of questions we had to get answered). Kudos to Beachy from the Runner's World NY office for coming up with this!

 

The first event on the schedule that evening was a barbecue at the Runner's World headquarters. Runner's World had sent a limo bus to pick us up at the hotel!

As soon as we got off the bus at the headquarters, there was a photographer that instantly started taking pictures of us and he continued taking pictures through out the event. It was almost as if we were being followed by the paparazzi!



PR Director Dave, Bart Yasso, and the photographer waiting to greet us at Runner's World headquarters

Being served all organic food, this was probably the healthiest barbecue I have ever been to!

After dinner we got a chance to introduce ourselves and our blogs to the Runner's World Staff and their families.

 

I got to meet up with Megan again!

Other bloggers: Linda from Runnig4two, Ashley from Runningbun, Meranda, and Ericka from The Sweet Life with Ericka

After much socializing, it was time for Bart Yasso to lead the tour of the headquarters.

I already have a complete tour of the Runner's World Headquarters on our blog, so I didn't feel the need to reiterate it here again since most of the stuff we saw was the same. If you haven't already seen that post, you can read it here: A Look Inside Runner's World Headquarters.

 

Here are a few fun pictures that we got to take during the tour.

 A picture of Bart Yasso's office with him in it this time! He's pointing to the mile 10 mile marker from the Antarctica marathon.

Some bloggers checking out the December issue of Runner's World that just went to press.

 A sneak peek of the December cover.

 

 Bloggers having fun!

 

 After our tour we headed back to the hotel. I was exhausted and couldn't wait to have that king size bed all to myself!

 

We had another amazing day planned for tomorrow, so we all needed some rest. The Runner's World staff really treated us well. We were all so thankful to have been invited to this event! 

 

Click HERE to read about day 2, see all the activities we did, the celebrity we met, and the cool products we received!

 

Click HERE to read about RACE DAY and Why the Runner's World Festival is so great!

 

 

Runner's World Headquarters Take 2: The Blogger Event

I am so excited to announce that I was invited ( along with a select number of other bloggers) to attend the Runner's World Blogger event this weekend at the Runner's World Headquarters!  I am leaving today( Thursday) and Runner's World has a jam packed schedule for us as soon as we all arrive. 

 Thursday:
We will be meeting at the Marriot ( where we will be staying for the weekend) and then we will be shuttled to the Runner's World Head Quarters for a meet and greet. I will get to take another tour of the head quarters and then RW will be hosting a barbecue!

Friday:
On Friday we will be starting our day very early. We need to be on the blogger bus at 7:15!  We will be meeting with running author Budd Coates and will be seeing demonstrations. After that we get to do a shake-out run with Bart Yasso and then finally have some breakfast!

After breakfast, more demonstrations, which I won't give too much info about now, but I am really excited about them!

And then what we all wait for, LUNCH!  I can honestly say I am really looking forward to this part, not just because I like to eat, but because everything on our lunch menu is coming from the Runner's World Cookbook!

 Even on the itinerary I was given it tells me what the meal will be and what page of the cookbook I can find it on. Very cool.  I can't wait to try the Caprese Farro Salad pg 82-83.  If you haven't already read my post on the Runner's World Cookbook, you can check it out here.

After lunch we have a meet and greet with Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders, another demonstration, and then it's off to the expo!

This is Lacey and Summer at the Boston Marathon expo this year. Friday I will get my chance to meet her too!

Saturday:
5k Race
10K Race
Eukanuba dog run
Multiple Running Seminars
Dinner with the editors and keynote speaker Dave McGillvray ( race director of Boston Marathon)

Sunday:
Half Marathon

We will be doing a Twitter Scavenger Hunt, so you can follow along with us @fairytalesnfit.  The hashtag for the event is #RWhalf.  Also make sure that you follow our facebook page as well www.facebook.com/fairytalesandfitness

Welcome to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party: 10 Things You'll Want to Know!

Any time is a great time to visit Disney World, but there seems to be a little bit extra magic floating around at Christmas time!

On certain nights during the Christmas season, the Magic Kingdom Park hosts Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. On these nights, the park is closed to the general public and open only to those who buy a special ticket.  We've been able to attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and are able to share some tips with you.

1. The event starts at 7pm. We in fact showed up a few minutes before 7pm and were told that we could have entered at 4:00pm!  Boy were we disappointed. We could have spent three extra hours delighting in the magic of the Magic Kingdom, but instead we spent time over at the boardwalk.  We did have a delightful dinner at Big River Grill though, so not all is lost!  If you have a regular day park pass in addition to the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party ticket you won't have to worry about what time you enter the park.

 2. Note that not all the attractions/restaurants will be operating at this time. Of course the bigger ones in each land will be.   Of course this is a map from a previous year, but we wanted to show it so you can see the potential for character stops and other goodies.  We enjoyed stopping at the various spots ( indicated by the gingerbread men) for some favorite holiday treats! ( and yes, they are free)

                                        Here is a guide so you know what to look for.

 

 

 

 

3. The characters are dressed in their best holiday outfits.  They'll be ready and waiting to give you a big holiday greeting!

4.You may see Goofy walking around dressed as Santa, but if you want to see the real Santa, you'll have to go meet him next to City Hall in Town Square!
 

 

 

 5. Pay attention to the details.  That's one of the super fun things about being at Disney around Christmas time. I love how Disney incorporates the holiday details in almost everything! Even more importantly you can find a Disney Christmas item in almost every store, not just the Days of Christmas!

 

 

6. Take time to enjoy the shows! During our visit, there was the "Celebrate the Season" show on the castle stage ( performances at 7:45, 10:15 & 11:40pm) and  Mickey's "Twas the Nights Before Christmas" Show at the Galaxy Palace theater in Tommorowland ( performances at 7:00, 8:00, 10:15 & 11:15).   You can assume the show times to be similar for your visit as well.

7. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade marched down Main street two times during our visit, 8:15 and 10:45pm. Don't forget Disney's "Holiday Wishes" Fireworks spectacular ( usually at 9:30pm).

8. In addition to character meet and greets, there just might be a character dance party going on.  During our visit the dance parties took place in Fantasyland and at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café in Tomorrowland.

9. When you are at your favorite character stop look for the Disney Photo Pass people and get a picture taken. At the end of the night we were able to get 50% off one 5x7 print!  That was certainly a nice pre-Christmas gift to us!

10. At the end of the night, there just might be snow on Main Street!


* This is not a complete list of all the fun things about Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party nor is it an exact list. These are just the things we experienced on our visit. More than likely, you can expect things to be similar during your own visit.


Have you ever visited Disney at Christmas time? Ever been to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party?  What's your favorite thing to see at Disney during the holidays?

Disney's Tower of Terror AND Happy Haunted 5K Trail Races!

This is a very special post today! Our friend Tricia from Disney Gals has agreed to share her recap from last weekends Tower of Terror festivities at Disney World!

Greetings! My name is Tricia Kalita and I am a Disney Gal (DisneyGals.com) that loves taking frequent trips to Walt Disney World with my family but my latest obsession has definitely become my “Mommy Retreats.” Sound fun? Well, here’s the definition: Mommy Retreats are my super-fun, adults-only weekends that occur at least once per year during the incredibly awesome runDisney events. My most recent adventure took place last weekend at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 Miler Weekend and it just took the top spot for my favorite Disney event so far.

My Next Run Disney Race Will Require A Skirt, A Sparkly One!

As we read through several blogs yesterday we were kindly reminded that there were less than 30 days until Wine n Dine race weekend. What?  That just sounds insane! Those of you who just completed the Tower of Terror 10 Miler, are you ready for another Run Disney race in less than 30 days?

 

I for one, finally got my butt in gear and finally finished up the skirt I will be wearing for Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5K that weekend. I've only had the fabric since June, but of course November seemed SO far away then, so I kept putting it off.  This is the final outfit I will be running in.

 

I chose the black tank because originally I was going to run with the Minnie ears on.  I thought either one of these would be cute.

 

But then I discovered the red Run Disney Sweaty band and knew that would probably work out better for me.

I am so proud of this skirt that I made. It is made all by hand ( with the help of my aunt). If you read my sister's 2013 Disney Marathon post, then you will remember that I made her a sparkly blue skirt to run in. Well when I made that skirt, I followed a tutorial I found online. After I made it, I just knew there was something not quite right about it.  I knew it needed to be redesigned and given a little style.  So lets just say there was a little trial and error before I discovered ( with a little help) the style I was looking for ( more fullness, more gathers). 

I used just one piece of elastic ( for the waistband) and less than a half a yard of fabric. It took me about half an afternoon to design this and put it together ( with out a tutorial). Now that I know what I need to do to make it look like this I'm pretty confident that I can make another one in less than an hour ( or maybe 2).  So if you are running Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5K and you see me in this outfit, please come up and say HI.


Have you ever made a piece of clothing for a race?  What's your opinion on this, do you think it's just easier to buy something?