Spin Report

Last night was my first spinning class in years and I knew I was in trouble when the instructor started off the class with "This is going to be a hard one, one of the hardest actually."  Ya, I knew I was in trouble at that point.

The class kicked my butt.  Not enough that I couldn't drive home thankfully, but enough that I was pouring sweat and my legs were burning.  There was a lot of climbing and jumping (going from a sitting to climbing position... what I call a squat on a bike) with some sprinting at the beginning and the end.  The sprinting and climbing I had no issues with.  I was able to dig deep down and get through those.  It was all the ups and downs of jumping that were killing me!  My knees were definitely feeling all the ups and downs as well and about 20-25 minutes in they were starting to hurt.  So I simply sat out a few jumps, joined in on most, and they were fine.

Here's the greatest (yet weirdest part)... My legs and knees are totally and completely fine this morning. The only thing sore is my butt and that's from the stupid bike seat.  So overall, I'm feeling great considering how much I worked, how intense of a burn there was in the workout, and how tired I was after.  Plus, my knee that is always tight is looser this morning.  Is it from spinning?  I'd like to think so, but I won't base in massive conclusions on just one workout.

Now I'm not going to kill myself again tonight, at least not at another spinning class.  I'll probably spin 2-3 times a week and do yoga 1 day.  That leaves me 2-3 days for resting and running which should overall workout well.

My body was out of shape last week, but it's about to go through my version of training camp start now.  Hopefully it can still keep up...

Well Hello Again

Guess who's slowly coming back?

It's finally turning into a "slow" season at work and I'm returning to a position where my work schedule is a little more routine.  That means I can run again, and also get into new types of workouts, which I am of course excited for.

Taking March off from running was nice, but I'll admit that I was definitely becoming jealous of other runners by the end of the month.  I wasn't exactly stir crazy, like usual, but I wanted to be out there running instead of just being tired from walking all day for work.  The good news is that I managed my diet enough that I didn't gain any weight so I won't be fighting that battle as much as I was expecting.

Still, March is over, April is almost over, and I am just now regaining my footing in running.  I have a few months to get back into shape and get ready for this Dumbo Challenge at Disneyland.  I've been able to get up to 2.2 miles again and I can tell I'm definitely out of shape.  Luckily that's never stopped me before, nor will it stop me now.

 I'm not going to be returning just to running, but I'm going to go back to some of the cross training I did in college for swimming and triathlon.  I heading to spinning classes and maybe some yoga.

I finally found a gym that includes spinning, yoga, and other classes in the membership and, after checking out the gym in person, I've signed up.  I'm hoping to do my first spinning class tomorrow and I am super excited because I've really missed it.  I had a blast spinning in the off season for swimming.  Plus it will be easier on my knees, get my endurance back up, and should give me that distraction from just running.  Along with yoga for stretching and runs on the other days... this should be a pretty good workout schedule.  It will be a hard one, but if I can keep it up, it'll be a good one.

Goofy, Dumbo, and Dopey?

So I'm sure by now you've heard... there is yet another challenge in the runDisney world... the Dopey Challenge.  The same weekend you can be completing the Goofy Challenge, you can also be attempting the Dopey Challenge.  Andy yes, you really must be dopey to compete in this challenge.

The dopey is not just 2 races... not just 3 races... but 4 races!  A 5k on Thursday, a 10k on Friday, the Half Marathon on Saturday, and the Full Marathon on Sunday.  That's 48.6 miles of running in 1 either very magical or very difficult (or probably both so magically difficult) weekend.

Now the challenge intrigues me and some who know me are already expecting me to give in and sign up on April 9th... or April 2nd for the Runner's World Challenge.  I probably won't do the challenge... it depends on how much the race itself is, but considering the challenge doesn't even offer rooms this time... For more information on the run (and the Runner's World Challenge) visit the runDisney blog and their article on the announcement here.

I will definitely need to get some real help with my knees and ankles if I do decide to take on this challenge, but that's also something that has been a long time coming in all honesty.  But if I train right (and find the time to train) this should be fine.  I still have a few weeks to decide so we shall see...

I'm definitely taking on Dumbo... but Goofy and Dopey too?  This should be interesting...

A Running Vacation

No, I'm not going on a vacation where I just run... that would be interesting, but probably a bit tiring.  Instead, I'm actually taking a vacation from running.  It's something I believe my knees, legs, and feet desperately need this vacation.

The vacation is partially physically required and also required because of work.  I'm at work an average 10 hours a day with 90% of that day standing or walking (quickly).  I tried running before work on day and ended up with throbbing shin splints by the end of the night that nearly had me crying.  I've tried to run after work, but considering I get home typically when it's dark and the fact I'm usually asleep within an hour of arriving home... it doesn't always work out very well.  Plus right now, I'll probably be working everyday through the rest of the month.  If I get 1 or 2 days this month to get a few miles in, I'll be happy.

I'm actually looking forward to a bit of relaxing time, but I'm sure I'll be going stir crazy by the end of the month.  That should just help me stay motivated for a while to keep running...

Running Fashion Don'ts

Lets take a break from the run analysis and what not (which by the way I surpassed 100 miles for 2013 today!) and I want to talk about something that we think about at times, but usually don't... Running fashion.  Now these are not rules, they're just my opinions, but some of them are somewhat obvious...

Color Coordination-

All athletes seem to love to mix and match colors (especially if at least one is a neon) just as much as we like to coordinate them.  Still, this does not mean that you should go overboard on the color combinations.

As it has been almost a week I cannot remember the exact details, but I did see a cringe worthy color combination at the Princess Half marathon.  If I am able to spot an outfit that stands out for all the wrong reasons at an event like any of the runDisney events, I just hope the person is trying to stand out and really doesn't wear that normally.  The worst part was there really wasn't anything resembling a costume to the ensemble.  It was normal running gear... In just all the wrong colors.

On the flip side, don't wear all of one color unless it's for a race and that's your uniform.  If you're casually running in all than one color, it looks funny a lot of the time.  I think all black might be the only exception, but thats not completely safe, especially for running at night.

You really can't go wrong in some great running tights, capris, or shorts and a tech shirt or tank top.  Plus that looks is classic... and it's classic for a reason!

Everyday Costumes-

We all have fun dressing up at times.  Heck, I finally decided to wear a costume for the Tower of Terror 10 Miler last year and while it was extremely hot (thank you October in Florida...), it was a lot of fun.

Luckily I can say that I have nor have I ever seen anyone wearing a costume in normal everyday running.  That's a good thing people...

Water Backpacks-

I'm guessing everyone is aware of these little beauties.  I think they're absolutely great... if you're a hiker, mountain biker... um... I'm sure there's another sport that benefits from them without looking dorky.  I've seen this in triathlons with cyclist wearing these backpacks and I've seen my first runner wearing one as well!

For cyclist... just learn to reach down and grab your water bottle like a real cyclist.  Have you ever seen anyone in the Tour de France or Ironman wearing one?  No!  There's a reason.

For runners... you have a lot of other options other than wearing one of these backpacks.  Carrying a water bottle, the great belts from companies like iFitness that have water bottle carriers, if you're doing laps, just leave a bottle somewhere on your route, or if there are parks or anything on our running route, I'm sure there are water fountains then.  See, lots of other options!

I still couldn't imagine doing a long run with one of these things.  It has to become uncomfortable after a while and the back sweat... I gringe thinking about it.


So those are my current fashion don'ts.  Hopefully I won't have to add anymore, but with people constantly inventing different things and certain creative individuals always wanting to stand out... who knows what we might see next!

Picturing the Princess Half

I know I'm late on this again, but it's better late than never...  I really don't have anything different to say about the Princess Half that I've already said in previous posts so I decided that this time I'd just focus on some of the pictures... Luckily they did change some of the characters you were able to meet...

The Ferrari Italia... My absolute favorite car that you can drive at the Richard Petty Driving Experience.

The castle was absolutely beautiful... I actually don't think I've run through it before when it wasn't completely light outside.

King Mickey... always a pleasure to see him.  Queen Minnie was also out, but needed to break for tea time or something along those lines.

Main street and the hoards of people who came out to support the runners.

Princess Tiana and the gang.

Mulan and Mushu.  

I don't think I've ever seen an opportunity to take a picture with Mary Poppins in this costume so I just had to stop and take advantage of it!

Princess 2013- Training Really Does Matter

My third Princess Half Marathon has officially be completed.  That makes my current track record 1 Marathon, 6 Half Marathons, 1 10 Milers, and 1 5K.  Technically I should probably have more 5k's, but hey, I never liked to do things the normal way.

February has always been my athletically cursed month.  Back when I was a swimmer, there was a meet about this time in February I was never able to compete in.  It was when I was first diagnosed with rotator cuff tendonitis (it was so bad I couldn't move my shoulder) and I was usually sick during that meet.  It seems as though that tradition has turned over into running because I did not feel my best this morning and this race was definitely not one of my better ones.  My time wasn't terrible (2:42), but I was in a lot of pain.

I decided not to stop too much this time as I have already photographically documented this race twice, I just took it easy.  I did get pictures a few times and those will be coming tomorrow probably.

I was hoping to get closer to my personal record during this race, but I could very soon tell that wasn't happening.  As soon as I woke up, I wasn't feeling good.  The first few miles was a mental fight between me and my stomach. Luckily I won, but my stomach didn't go down gently.  Plus it was incredibly hot for so early in the morning and by the first mile or two I had a fine layer of sweat.  The nice thing was that it seemed runDisney also adjusted for the heat and set up more water and medical stops than it seemed they had in the past.  I absolutely loved them for it!

The water and sometimes powerade were welcomed at every stop and I did force myself to stop at a medical station.  It was hard since I just wanted to finish, but my knee and ankle were getting tighter and tighter and I knew without biofreeze, they weren't going to last.  I did walk most of Mile 8, but pulled myself back together after that.  I forced myself to get to certain landmarks (the on ramps, water stations, etc...) and that really did help.

I do blame most of the pain and difficulty of this race on not training properly.  I had only gotten to a single 5 mile run during my training and I probably needed more than that.  Up through mile 5 and 6 I actually felt decent (other than the stomach bug).  Now I do have some time to relax, get through a busy season at work and then figure out my training for Dumbo's Double Dare Challenge.

This weekend I did decide on a few things...
1. I am training a hell of a lot better for Dumbo's.
2. I am going to train to run Goofy's Challenge in 2 years... Goofy's 10th anniversary.