Star Wars 1/2 Marathon-Dark Side Challenge

I know it's been about a week, but I'm finally taking the time to think about the race and review it.  Simply put, the race was better than I expected and I did better than I was expecting.  I did better than expected even while I was running.

The race was not easy by any account.  I was still a bit tight from the 10k, although stretching did definitely help.  I kept a pretty decent pace and was able to run/walk a really nice pace for longer than expected.  The morning started off nice, the overall temperature was cool, but the humidity did start pretty early.  I think this was the first race that I wished I ran with a sweat towel because I was sweating pretty decently and my shirt was just as wet.  I've learned that when it comes to running pictures, it's all about wearing a shirt that hides the sweat.  My roommate commented that I always wear the same shirts at these races, and it's because I take good pictures in them!

          

Around mile 7 I was used to the humidity and the pace, but that's also where I started hitting my walls.  My knee decided to give up first, but with the help of Biofreeze and a little walking and stretching, it survived until the end.  It actually started to feel decent enough around mile 8.5.  My legs started to get a bit tight, but they never froze up like they have in the past, which was impressive.


Considering I haven't run more than 4 miles since the start of the year, I was really happy with all that I was able to accomplish.  I knew it was going to hurt and be a struggle, but I really surpassed that.  In all honesty, my only goal was to get to the finish line and I did that with a time that wasn't far from some of my best.  It made me excited to see what I can do healthy and even halfway trained.

Overall, I really liked the course and it seemed like the photo stops were going over well.  All the stops had long lines and it made me happy that while I like Star Wars, I didn't need pictures with anyone.  In Hollywood Studios they had multiple stops with storm troopers, which helped shorten those lines.  The 501st legion was also there cheering on and taking pictures of the runners.  I really liked the course because while there wasn't a lot of park running at the beginning, we got to take up the whole road and really spread out.  I think that helped later on and also helped me get into my pace.

I would definitely run the race again, but because I'm a fan of some of the other themes, it may not be my first choice.

After the race we went to Epcot to celebrate and enjoy all Epcot has to offer.  We got fish and chips from England for lunch and it was some of the best fish and chips I've ever had.  Walking was definitely a good idea to help everything keep moving and relax, but the heat eventually killed us and we returned home for naps and movie night.  It was definitely a great day and everything was worth celebrating.

          

Bored...

This whole not running outside thing is driving me insane.  Luckily I am able to workout and run on the elliptical so I have kept my endurance up, but I miss running through the local neighborhoods.  I miss having that time to myself and to clear my head.  I have started going to a local nature preserve to get outside still and while I enjoy my time, it's still not the same.

I hit the gym today for my normal elliptical workout, but my roommate had reminded me that I had wanted to run a half marathon on the machine during this time.  That reminder got to me and I indeed went 13.09 miles on the elliptical.  Why not .01 more to hit a real half?  I don't want to mess up my records on my Nike+ app.  It's stupid and petty, but I want those records to be on the road, not on the elliptical.

It was hard, not going to lie.  My quads are tight and I'm definitely going to be sore, but I made it and I'm proud of myself, and my legs.  Tomorrow I'm back to hiking, but I might get another go at the elliptical on Sunday.

Hopefully good news is on the horizon.  I have my follow up appointment next week, and while I expect I will have to get another imaging appointment, and then another follow up, hopefully I will be back running outside and on the streets in the next few weeks!  I cannot wait!

Running To The Dark Side

After some debate with coworkers we finally settled on another race to all run together.  Originally it was supposed to be the Glass Slipper Challenge during Princess Weekend, but then one of the guys wanted to run the challenge with us, but didn't want to do a princess themed race (can't really blame him).  So we changed our focus.  Three of us have now signed up for the Dark Side Challenge during Walt Disney World's Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend.

I'm excited since this will be the first time running during the Star Wars weekend.  I was lucky enough to work last year's race, but now to get to run it and add it to my growing list of races run... I'm excited!  Not sure if we'll do costumes... that might include more convincing, but you never know.

Another Race On The Schedule

I know I said I was only going to do a few races before Dopey, but that list is already growing.  I have the Lumiere challenge and a few 5ks this year, just like planned.  But next year I have now added the 20th Anniversary Donald's Half Marathon to this list.

That means I now have four halves before the Dopey challenge and three of which are paired with a 10k as a challenge.  I guess my training will definitely be constant and hopefully by the time 2018 rolls around I'll be back and ready for the Dopey!

I think the best news about signing up for the half marathon in January is the fact that I convinced my roommate to do it with me and then we have a bunch of people from work also signed up.  While I don't really like running the race with people (I did it once which was great, but it was with a close friend and we had similar paces), I am happy we're making it a social event.  It will just make it that much better.  This is just helping me get more and more prepared for my challenge, but it is helping my roommate keep running and staying healthy as she's had a tendency to quit when things get hard.  We're helping push each other and the rewards will be sweet...

The More I Run...

My goal this week was to get over 11 miles done.  If I was able to do that, great.  If I was able to do more, even better!  If I was able to get to 18-20 miles, perfect!

So I might not have gotten to the 18-20 mile mark, but I did run more than 11.  I was able to get in 13.18 miles... just over the half marathon mark.  The best part, it felt better for longer.  Almost to mile 9 I was feeling pretty good with only a few small annoyances.  That's what I've decided most of my aches and pains are... annoyances.

The picture above came to mind during my run.  I was so impressed with how good I felt and how strong I was feeling.  I was so proud of myself, partially because the night before I was so tired and sick of running I wasn't even sure if I was going to get out there and do any of these longer runs.  The night before my run I was at one of my lowest lows about my feelings toward running... kind of like a runner's depression, but I got outside and I was able to run 13 miles!  So, so proud of myself.

I've realized my biggest issue is the lack of true strength training.  It's going to be on my focuses, I think, for next year and my next (shall I really say it?) marathon.  If anyone has any favorite circuits or routines for strength training for runners, I would love to hear them!

In other news, another reason I had to run yesterday... Christmas party!  I hosted my work's cookie exchange and white elephant.  The hard part was that I was on my feet for a majority of the day AFTER my run, but I did get to eat all these yummy cookies.  My red velvet cookies were a big hit and considering how addicting they are, I'm stopping by work today just to get them out of my house!

1 Month To Go- Will I Ever Be Ready?

I've decided that I will probably never be ready for this marathon.  I had my so called long run today and ended up running 11 miles.  I could have run more, but I don't want to risk anymore injuries or knee issues.  I actually felt pretty decent on the run.  Tired and sore, definitely, but no major aches or pains.

My knee did start to hurt around mile 10, but then calmed down a short time later.  It's kind of like I hit my wall and my knee hits its own wall and it's all about over coming both of them.  I did push through some of the tiredness, but I couldn't beat it all...

I kept repeating this mantra in my head towards the end of my run and I'm sure it's going to become my anthem during the marathon.  It's going to be part of my mental plan to keep me going.  That whole 80% mental 20% physical saying... it's completely and utterly true.

The closer this marathon gets, the more and more nervous I get.  I do have a few friends running the race as well and one is having even worse knee problems and than me.  I figure that at the least, we'll pull each other across the finish line if it comes to it.

I was thinking for a little bit today while I was icing my knees and I realized... this is pretty similar to how I felt right before my first half marathon.  I was just as nervous, just as worried... Now about 2.5 years later, I love half's and while they will always be a challenge, I'm totally and utterly addicted.  Maybe that will happen with this marathon?  One can always think positive...

Slowly Catching Up

Considering all the candy I ate last night (thanks to the lack of trick-or-treaters), I really needed to stick to my plan and complete my long run this morning.  Now, I've been fighting my legs and all the different problems they seem to have for a while now, but I think we've finally come to an agreement (or at least a compromise).

Earlier this week I was able to get in a nice 5 mile run... it was one of my best feeling runs in a while.  It gave me hope in all honesty.

So this morning I was able to build on that 5 mile run and get in 9 miles.  I was debating 10 miles, but my legs were already burning, it was cold out, and I didn't want to push myself too far and create anymore issues.  Anyway, next week I have the Wine and Dine Half Marathon so that's when the real pushing will happen.  Next week I'm supposed to run 20 miles, probably won't happen but I've been playing with the idea to run 7 miles the morning of the half and then the half that evening which technically equals 20... right?

The great thing was that I only had 3 miles that were at a 10+ min pace, most were around 9:50 or below which got me really excited.  So maybe while my endurance was having issues, my strength and speed were actually improving, I just didn't see it.  I'm still nervous considering the marathon is just about 2 months away, but I know I'll finish it one way or another. Maybe I'll finish hard, maybe I'll crawl across the finish line, or maybe I'll stop in EPCOT on my last mile and cross the finish line with a few drinks... who knows, either way I'm finishing.

Marathon Dreams

I was driving around the Walt Disney World property today and checking out all of the stuff they've already got up for the Half Marathon and Marathon this weekend.  It made me start thinking about a few things...

First, it started bringing back memories of the Princess Half from last year which made me excited for the half this year.  I was wondering if they would have the same characters out or if some of the same signs will be out again?  My favorite sign they had on the course was about taking naps:

Still, now I'm excited for the Princess and getting anxious for that weekend to finally get here.

Second, I'm thinking about doing the full marathon in 2013.  This Sunday would mark 1 year until the race then so I have a lot of time to train and actually decide if I'm going to do it or not.  I have a friend running the WDW Marathon as his first marathon, and well his first race in general so I might follow in his footsteps (kinda) next year.

Never in my wildest dreams growing up did I think I was going to even consider running a marathon.  When I was competing in triathlons, I refused to even consider the farther distances because of the run... and yet here I am looking at doing 26.2 miles!  As soon as I decide if I'm going to do it or not, this blog will be one of the first to know...

Cross Training and Looking Ahead

I've gotten back into cross training recently, partially thanks to my roommates who have been hitting the gym at different times than me.  They've inspired me to go a second time during the day and I'll just use whatever machine is open so the cross training is coming pretty easy right now.  I've gotten on the stationary bikes, done some uphill walking (I even kept the pace pretty fast), and I've been working on my pull ups and dips.

All this working out has made me feel great about myself.  I love being sore and I've been really, really sore the last few days.  I just feel good.  I don't know if it's the endorphins that have been released with all the working out or if it's just me finally feeling good about myself again, but I'm really not going to question it, I'm just going to enjoy it.

Looking ahead, I've decided to look for some 5 and 10k's to do.  I think it would be a great way to get out and explore the city a bit more, support different charities, and a great workout push.  The first one I'm looking at is the Jingle Bell Run 5k in December.  I've worked 5k's before (I attended the Salmon Run in Ventura CA for the marine mammal rescue I worked for in college), but I've never been able to actually run at one.

It's funny, I jumped straight into half marathons, I never built up to it from the 5k to 10k to half marathon. So yes, I might be doing things backwards, but I've never been one to do things the normal way anyway...

I'm still looking for more races, I'm thinking I might want to try finding one race a month.  It would be a good escape from life and would keep my training focused.  Now I just have to find the races and possibly some people to join me...