Race Report: 2014 Expedition Everest Challenge

Disney's Expedition Everest Challenge is still my favorite Disney race.  Not because it's a short race (5K "adventure" race), but because it is just so much fun.  You get to run through Animal Kingdom at night, have a few fun obstacles along the way, then get to solve clues thru the park to get to the finish line.  And the best part?  Getting to party in the park until the wee hours of the morning-which means you get to ride Expedition Everest at night!

This was my 4th year in a row participating in the Challenge.  Just like the last several races I've done up at Walt Disney World, I volunteered for a couple of shifts before the race-once at the expo on Friday (I worked at one of the gear bag pickup booths), and once at the Family Edition race Saturday morning.  I've mentioned before that I love volunteering at the runDisney events, and this one was no exception...great group of people to work with, and of course the athletes are fantastic!

On race day, since I was up pretty early for my 6:30am volunteer shift, afterward I just took it easy back at my hotel (I sprung for Coronado Springs this time around, just love that place!) relaxing and trying-but failing-to take an afternoon nap since the race wasn't until 10pm.  The weather wasn't really cooperating-in the morning we had rain and it was like that for most of the early evening as well.  I headed over to Animal Kingdom just before 8pm, but with the constant misting rain and cooler temperatures-okay, cooler for Florida, it was in the upper 60s-I wound up hanging out in the car until about 45 minutes before race time.  At that point the rain had kind of tapered off so I headed straight for the start corral.  I decided to wear a jacket as with the breeze, misty on and off rain and "cooler" temperature I was kind of chilly.

Once the race started, we headed around the outer portion of the parking lot toward our first obstacle-the hay bales to hurdle over.  This is my favorite obstacle, mostly because I can jump them pretty easily (although I usually look pretty silly when I do):

Too bad they didn't get an airborne shot

Right around the 1-mile point I had warmed up enough so tied my jacket around my waist for the remainder of the race.  The cool air felt wonderful at that point, and the rest of the race was quite comfortable.  The second obstacle were those big tires on the ground that you have to get through (you know, like you see football players doing at practice).  At least I didn't wind up doing a face plant like some other people did:

Yeah, running through these would have been disastrous with my clumsiness

On toward the end of the 5K course where the final obstacle was a belly crawl under netting...yeah, I skipped that one again this year, so no funny pics for that one.  So it was across the 5K finish and on to collect my map and first clue, then heading into the park.  Clue #1:

The answer was green-found by checking our bibs for the flag color on the right side of the bib.

Clue #2:

On the first clue card that this clue refers you back to, you'll find the words three and one hidden-add them up to get the answer=four

Clue #3:

I like word puzzle so I flew through this one-they told you how many of each of the letters listed you could use to finish the phrase above.

Clue #4:

This was simple-using the answer to #3, you punched out the items that would keep you warm

Clue #5:

You take Clue card #4 and place it over this to get your answer

Final solution:

Easy, right?

And so I crossed the finish line like this:

Here's the answer to cross the finish!

I swear I was smiling the whole time thru the finish chute so I could get a decent finish picture...and yet, I got this pic instead.  Ah well,  here's my own:

I finished the overall event in 1:31:54, a little under a minute faster than last year.  Still not as good as two years ago (1:14 and change), but still a good job considering I walked the whole thing this time.  And of course one of the best parts of this event?  Getting to party in Animal Kingdom after dark!  If you thought Expedition Everest was fun, you should try it after dark-it will become your favorite Disney "mountain" coaster!  And be sure to ask for the front row-you may have to wait just a few minutes longer to ride, but it will be worth it---trust me ;-)

Until next year, keep on running, walking and enjoying Disney my friends :-)

A new fuel source to try-PowerBar's Energy Blends

If you've been following my posts for a while, you know I'm signed up with BzzAgent, a social marketing site that promotes word-of-mouth advertising.  I was lucky enough to get signed up for a new campaign for PowerBar's Performance Energy Blends.  They're made with real fruit (and are gluten free for those that need that) with no artificial flavors and come in a neat resealable package.

Well, my BzzKit arrived today and I received two for free to try (banana blueberry and apple mango strawberry) plus 10 coupons to give to friends ($1.50 off of two).  Once I've tried them out, I'll post a review here for everyone.  Here's the nutrition info: 

Since I've kind of started getting yucked-out when I have too much Gu on really long runs and Chomps get stuck in my teeth (though they taste yummy), it would be cool if these work out for me...plus they'll fit in either the leg pockets or zippered pocket of my SparkleSkirt ;-)

I'll bring the coupons with me to Everest for anyone who'll be there and wants one, just let me know!

Remembering Determination and the Importance of Support

Yes, I know I haven't posted for a couple of weeks but I'll address that in a different post.  I wanted to get back to the blogger challenge and catch up a bit.  I'm skipping the day 13-15 topic...I did two posts for the day 10-12 topic so in my mind, that makes up for the skip ;-)

So the next topic was to pick any picture from your Facebook or Instagram pics and write about it.  You can see the pic I chose above; I actually didn't take the photo (obviously, I'm the one the red hat!).

This photo was taken by a ROTE friend during the 2011 Disney full Marathon as I was making my way from World Showcase in Epcot toward Future World.  I would guess this around mile 25.5, maybe a bit farther, and by that point my feet were killing me, my back was sore and all I was thinking was "just keep walking, don't stop, one foot in front of the other".  I was focused straight ahead when I heard one of the ROTErs, Joey shouting at me, "You're doing it Carra!"  I saw him walking with someone else-I can't for the life of me remember who-toward World Showcase and waved.  He is the one who actually posted this picture on Facebook and tagged me in it (thank you Joey!), and was the last ROTEr I saw before I crossed the finish line.

Even though my body was overwhelmingly sore, tired and ready to just collapse by that point, hearing and seeing people I knew cheering for me continued to lift my spirits and drive me on.  I didn't stop-even though I really wanted to have the Photopass photographer take my picture when I got by the fountains in Future World-I knew if I stopped I'd never get going again and I just wasn't going to let that happen with the finish line so close.  I was DETERMINED to get my Mickey medal!

My point in choosing this particular picture?  The importance of support.  When I first started my journey into the running world, I happened to come across an online forum of people who were runners who loved Disney and running Disney races.  I've made a lot of friends from that forum and having them online for support, advice and friendship before and after races and especially along the course cheering me and everyone else on is invaluable and tremendously motivating.  I can tell you without any doubt in my mind that I would have never been able to finish that race if it wasn't for my ROTEr friends-especially those I saw from the point of exiting Animal Kingdom through the end of the race.  They helped spur me on and get me going enough to leave those sweepers in the dust.

I gave shout outs to them in my 2011 Disney Full Marathon Race Report post, but I just wanted to recognize and thank them again-Joey (of course-you're always there with such kind and supportive words before and after races), Erica (super big hugs!), Tracy, and especially Colleen and Dawn-if you two hadn't of been there outside of Animal Kingdom, I would never have been able to dig so deep and start running to get away from the sweepers that were closing in-seriously.

Don't ever underestimate the power of your support crew-whether they are there so you can just hand off a jacket, grab a drink, pass you some Twizzlers or just clap/cheer/ring a cowbell/hold a sign...or scream your name, jump up and down or honk their horn as they're driving by you on the course.  They'll help keep you going and give you that push you need to make it across that finish line.

And if you're looking for a group that will do all that for you-and so much more-be sure to check out Running of the Ears.  I know you'll be glad you did.  Here's some pics of the group:

This pic is from the Monday after the 2010 Marathon Weekend (my first half marathon)

A bunch of ROTErs at Downtown Disney at the start of race weekend 2010

A bunch of us volunteering at the mile 13 water stop at the 2010 Disney full marathon (see our red hats?)

Group shot before the 2012 Princess Half Marathon

Group shot before the 2012 Tower of Terror 10-Miler

Do you have a support group for your running/walking/racing?

ONLY the Marathon

I already knew I’d be doing the full marathon at Walt Disney World for January 2014.  Once they made the announcement about adding a 10K and Dopey (doing the 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and full Marathon), I was also thinking I would add on the 10K since it’s on Friday and the Marathon isn’t until Sunday...what’s another 6.2 miles, right?  Well, now I can rest easy knowing I’ve saved $100...the 10K has already sold out.  And that leads me to the title of my post...I’m ONLY doing the Marathon.  Betcha never thought you’d hear that phrase coming from me, huh?  That’s right, I’ll JUST be doing 26.2 miles for the weekend.  Ha!

Well, I’ll be getting 26.2 miles of fun on the same course from the 20th anniversary year.    Apparently there will be a new marathon medal for 2014 so at least I’ll get one different from the one I got back in 2011.  I’m planning on volunteering again, probably one or two shifts at the expo as well as the 5K and 10K.  I’m planning on cheering for the half again as well...need to be there on Main Street with my glittery ROTE sign!

Should be another fantastic trip...who’s coming along with me?

Oh, and don’t forget, if you’re headed to Marathon Weekend too, I can help you book your trip...just drop me line ;-)

Here's some memories from 2011:

10 Words That Describe My Blog-April Blogger Challenge #2

1-Disney-my biggest addiction!  Especially Walt Disney World...I can never get enough of WDW :-) 

2-Running-or, okay, walk/running...but still, I’m out there moving! 

3-Pictures-I like to include pictures with my blog entries, I think it makes them more interesting
4-Recaps-as in race recaps, I try to recap all of my races-not just because others may be interested in them, but as a way for me to be able to look back and remember all the fun (and not-so-fun) times.  Interesting tidbit?  My Expedition Everest recaps are my most viewed posts and continue to get views every week!

5-Lighthearted-most of the time anyway.  I prefer to have people smile when they read than have to break out a box of tissues
6-Honest-I don’t put fake stuff out there
7-Free-that’s right peeps, you don’t pay a cent for any of this content!  Okay, you had to buy that computer...and get internet service...but hey, you didn’t just get that to read my blog, right?
8-Friendly-I welcome everyone to come read.  Even if you don’t agree with something I say, as long as any comments you post or emails you send me aren’t nasty, derogatory or the like, everyone is welcome here :-)
9-Personal-yes, I am writing about my own life, experiences and opinions.  Not too personal of course (that’s reserved for only my DH) 

10-Growing-my audience has grown and is still doing so.  I’m looking at ways to expand pages within my blog, connect with other blogs and sites and just keep things interesting here.  After all, if there’s nothing to bring others here, it’ll just be me all by my lonesome...and that’s no fun, everything’s more fun with friends :-)

If you have a blog, what 10 words would you use to describe it?

Don't forget to check out my post from yesterday with my test giveaway.  I'm giving away a fun Disney Parks Growth Chart...just something simple to test out the Rafflecopter widget (my first time using it) to prepare myself for future giveaways on my Disney World Files blog.  I know the growth chart is not a big, fancy prize, but I'm just using it as a way to learn the Rafflecopter stuff.  Please try it out.  If you win and really don't want the chart (though you could give it to a friend or family member who might use it), I can treat you to a drink during any race weekend we're both at instead. Deal?

The Dreaded “Starting Over”; Training Calendar update; April Blogger Challenge

You know how it’s easy to become complacent once you’ve lost a bit of weight, and you start to slip a bit..you know, a soda here, some larger portions there?  And how quickly that slippery slope becomes one of those terrifying rides into the dark where when you finally get off, you wonder how the heck you ending up where you did?  That’s what happened to me.  I had lost 45 pounds after I started my initial weight loss journey back in September of 2008.  Then I kind of got stuck where I was and those little slips started happening.  42 pounds later and I’m almost back to where I started.  Well, now 41 since the scale said I lost 1.4 pounds when I got on this morning (yay!).

I had planned on doing the Disney full marathon this past January, but training issues last fall (caused in part by the extra weight gain which gave me problems running more than 30 seconds at a time) caused me to defer my entry to January 2014 instead.  And there’s no way I can do the full without dumping a bunch of this weight again.  And so I started working on my training calendar for the rest of this year (finished it this past Friday, click on the link to take a look)...and started tracking my food again yesterday using Sparkpeople.com (LOVE the site, so much info and several tools like the food and fitness trackers...all for free!). 

So basically, I’m starting over.

Another thing I’m doing is trying to get myself posting more frequently here on my blog.  Not just running stuff, but other stuff as well.  To get myself going, I’ve joined the April Blogger Challenge over at The Dragyn’s Lair.  It’s a fun site that I’ve been following for a while now, and she’s having a blogging challenge-nothing too crazy, it’s not every day of the month, but once every 3 days.  So along the way you’ll learn some stuff about me and see some general posts in addition to my other stuff.  Feel free to join in, either by joining her challenge or you can see my posts as they go up this month and you can do yours off of that.

So that’s what’s up right now...tomorrow will be my first challenge post, so see you then!

Race Recap-Tower of Terror 10 Miler

So this should be subtitled “the race report I never wanted to write”.  That may clue you in to where this is headed, but I’ll tell you everything anyway.

I set out early Friday morning to drive up to WDW so I could be at the expo when it opened.  The packet pickup and expo went like most all other WDW ones and I got through pretty quickly.  The only real difference was the expo size-it was much smaller than what you’d see during Marathon Weekend (where every millimeter of floor space is used to its fullest) which is what I’d expected. We got a cool tech shirt that glows in the dark and as I was expecting with the corral assignments made public beforehand, my bib # put me in the last corral (D).  I was a little disappointed about that since the only Disney race I’ve been in the last corral for was my very first one, but considering the shorter distance and only 4 regular corrals I guess I knew it was going to be like that.

I rested up Friday afternoon since I went to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party that night (LOVE the Halloween Party!).  I honestly can’t remember what I did on Saturday before getting ready to head to the race.  I ate a late lunch/early dinner, nothing different than what I’ve had for my other night races.  I was a bit concerned about the weather.  Not rain, but the humidity since the forecast was trending high.  We went to the start area early and met up with a bunch of the ROTErs and hung around chatting.  

Once it was time to start heading to the corrals I tried to make my way to the front of D, but there were SO many people it made it pretty hard.  I was finally able to get almost all the way to the front-I wanted as much room between me and the last person starting as possible.  Finally it was corral D’s turn to set off.  I was already sweating from standing in the huge mass of people...it didn’t help that it was still 80 degrees with 80% humidity (yes, you read that right).

I started off fine, walking a bit more than I normally would but still keeping my pace where it needed to be for Disney’s standards.  The first part of the course was an out-and-back down Osceola Parkway which was neat since you got to see the runners on the other side going the opposite direction and could shout out to each other when you saw someone you knew (or just random strangers if you really felt like it LOL).

Now, like I said I was keeping pace--so when the balloon girls (the Disney pacers who start after the last person crosses the start line and keep the 16 minute mile pace) had caught up to me by mile 3, I was wondering what the heck??  One of them I remembered from Princess, and it seemed they were doing the same thing I saw at Princess--once they would get to a mile marker they would stop for a bit since it seemed they were actually ahead of pace so they needed to pause to let the clock catch up to them.  So I was kind of concerned...especially when I really started to feel the humidity after mile 4.

Yes, I train in the heat and humidity since I live down here in SoFla where 80+ degrees and 80% or even 90% humidity is a regular thing (and it was like that throughout ToT training too).  But that night, it felt so much worse and actually made it hard to breathe properly when running-I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath...and so after mile 4 I was down to walking.  And after mile 4 I couldn’t see the balloon girls anymore.  But I wasn’t giving up.  I was going to keep going as fast as I could, period.  I was hydrating properly (and had for the days leading up to the race too) but the humidity was just so draining physically and it was making me feel a bit nauseated.

I think it was just after I hit mile 5 that the turn into Wide World of Sports came and we were on a dirt road for a while--which I hated.  I kept watching the ground, worried I was going to step wrong on a rock or something.  And that’s when I really started feeling the chafing from the huge amount of sweat making everything I was wearing wet (and in places you never want to chafe.  Don’t ask.).  But I kept going.  Through the stadium (which honestly didn’t wow me) and around the track, then back out to the WWoS exit.  As I was getting slower and slower-down to an 18 minute, then 19 minute mile there were fewer and fewer runners (well, walkers by then) all the way at the back.  But there were still people behind me...though many were starting to take the option of climbing into the extra-long golf cart that was trundling along at the back.

I refused to stop.  Once out of WWoS and back on the road, I knew I wouldn’t be finishing.  Just after the 7 mile point, one of the big charter buses was sitting right on the course (they normally position them off to the side on a side road or an off-ramp) along with one of the police cars positioned in such a way as to say “your race ends here”.  A man with a clipboard was waiting by the front of the bus to tell us that unfortunately, we’d have to stop there as they had to get the roads opened back up (um, for who?  It was right at midnight by then and we were only 3...miles...away...from...finishing).  There were several people who started to cry once they reached that point (and yes, I felt like it but held it back) and one guy who embraced his girlfriend/wife/SO to console her when they were stopped and her tears started to fall.

This is the first time I have ever been swept in any race.  I may have seen the bicycle people with their little orange flags and been passed or played leapfrog with the balloon girls before...but I was never swept.  Until now.

As we were ushered onto the bus, a runDisney person had a clipboard that she wrote our first name and bib numbers on as we boarded.  We were offered water and Powerade so I grabbed a bottle of water but just the thought of drinking the Powerade made my stomach do flips since that nauseous feeling was still happening.  I dropped into a seat and felt so tired and worn out--so horribly worse than I felt after doing the Disney full back in 2011 and the back-to-back days of halfs when I did the half marathon and marathon relay back in January 2012.  I didn’t want to move from my seat.  The runDisney person climbed on board the bus with us once the last person had been loaded.  She tried to be perky and smiling, saying we did a great job but we all knew she was just trying to cheer us up.  It didn’t work.

The bus dropped us near where the finish chute let out (I know it was after the finish line   since the runners coming by already had their medals).  We walked through a tent where we were handed a bottle of water and what I thought at the time was some food.  I wasn’t paying attention to what they were giving me since my stomach wasn’t very happy and I was looking around for anyone I knew and the way out, just trying to keep moving forward.  It wasn’t until after I was past the tent and trying to juggle what was in my hands that I realized the girl at the tent had handed me a medal, not some snack.

I know all the controversy there is surrounding medals for those who didn’t finish.  By the time I saw what I had, I was too far down to go back (I just felt awful and wanted to get where I was going and just be done)...so I just wrapped it up and zipped it away in my pocket.  I wasn’t about to hang it around my neck.

I saw Kimberly from ROTE and congratulated her, admitting that I was actually swept.  Actually saying that was so strange.  (It was great to see a familiar, friendly face after that, thanks for your kind words Kimberly!)

I finally made it out of the backstage area and into Hollywood Studios.  I texted my SIL and went to the Indiana Jones show area to pick up the bag I had checked.  Waiting in that line, going down the steps to the stage area and then back up the steps to get out I could feel the waves of nausea wanting to overcome me.  But I held on.  Once out I met up with my SIL and her friends (one was worse off than me).  I was craving some kind of soda, and made do with a bottle of Coke from one of the carts.  It actually made my stomach feel better when I drank it (and the burping helped too).  I still felt crummy so headed back to the hotel for the night.  I wasn’t in the mood for celebrating.

One thing was upsetting to me.  There was a large stretch of the course that was comprised of the out-and-back.  I actually saw several people cut from my side over to the other side, totally cutting out the WWoS section of the course.  At some of the points I saw people cut over well before WWoS, some cut from 2-2.5 miles off their course.  That just pissed me off.  Here I was, pushing as hard as I could given the conditions, not stopping until I was made to do so, covering every mile of the course as it was laid out.  Sure, I could have cut across--and though the thought of it was tempting once I hit that mile before WWoS, I have never cheated in a race and wasn’t about to start, even if I knew it might mean getting swept.  There were some people around me asking each other, “are they really cutting across?” and saying, “that’s just not right”.  Uh-huh, yeah.

Anyway.  Oddly enough (or maybe it was just a sign, or my body telling me something, or whatever), in the weeks leading up to the race and especially the day of and our waiting time right before the race started, I just had this “feeling”.  It was kind of a nervous butterfly feeling, you know?  It just felt wrong.  Even on days where my training was going great and I was excited for the cool new medal...I felt “fluttery”.  I don’t know.  

And so that’s my report.  The one I never wanted to have to write.  And I never want to write another one like it again.

Oh, and the medal?  I’ve never put it around my neck.  It’s not on my rack...and I'm not posting a picture of it.  And now I’ve got a sticker on it that says “DNF, 7.12 miles”.  It’s just sitting on a shelf.  It will never hang on my rack, but it is a reminder for me...and motivation to never let it happen again.  And yes, I’ll be back to try again...the whole redemption thing, right?

It's almost time for The Jelly Bean Virtual Race!

Yup, that's right-Spring is just around the corner (well, here in SoFla we haven't really even had a winter)...and that means it's almost time for The Jelly Bean Virtual Race!  If you haven't heard about it, head on over to the Run with Jess site and check out the post for the 3rd Annual Jelly Bean Virtual Race.

Haven't heard about virtual races before?  It's like doing an actual in-person, live race but all by yourself...or with a group of local friends if you feel like getting a group together to do your miles.  You basically do the number of miles for the race length(s) you choose, then report your results.  And don't worry about how fast or how slow you may be-it doesn't matter.  Everyone who finishes gets an entry into the prize drawings, and the more events you complete, the more entries you earn...up to 4 entries for the 4 events.  The events are Run 5K, Run 10K, Run Half Marathon and Bike 21K (13 miles).  You can enter 1, 2, 3 or all 4 events and you have from March 20th thru March 31st to complete the ones you register for.

Did you catch the part about the prizes?  Yup, Jess has some fantastic sponsors like Nuun, Racer Frames, Gone For A Run and more and you could win a prize from one of them just for participating.  Again, it doesn't matter if you have the fastest time or the slowest one-if you finish and report a time for one or more of the distances you register for, you get entries into the prize drawings.

Best of all?  It's all free!  Now, if you want some bling (AKA a medal for those unfamiliar with the term) then you can pony up the $10 for the optional race medal but if you'd prefer not to and just want to take your chances with the drawings, you can do that too.  This year there's also team options (5 or 10 person teams) where you can purchase the team pack and not only get the bling for each person but some other goodies as well.

I did the Jelly Bean last year and had a good time (even if my neighbors thought I was a bit nuts out there in my bunny ears)...you can read my blog post from it here and see some of the pics I took.  I've already signed up for this year for the 5K and 10K.  I still don't own a bike (*sniff*sniff*) so no bike event for me...and while I was thinking about adding the half marathon, I've scaled back my Spring calendar to prepare for this year's Expedition Everest 5K adventure race at Walt Disney World and don't have any training miles over 7 planned so it'll probably just be the 5K and 10K for me again this year.

Anyway, go check out the race info and sign up...and don't forget to buy some jelly beans before your race(s) to celebrate with after...or even along the way-jelly beans are actually pretty good fuel when doing miles!

Have you ever done a virtual race before?  Did you like it, and will you be signing up for the Jelly Bean?

Race recap-2012 ING Miami Half Marathon 1/29/2012

Yes, I know this is very late--hey, I'm almost caught up though!

I was really lucky with the registration for this one.  They were running a promotion for the first however-many to sign up once registration opened that registration would only be $25 (I think it was the first 50 people).  Registration opened February 1, 2011 at 6am...I was registered by 6:04am...total was $33.50 with Active fees (lordy how I hate those Active fees!).  Couldn’t pass that up for a race as big as this one, especially since the 2012 race was the 10th anniversary promising special bling!  The race would be held January 29, 2012

I already knew I’d be running an event during Marathon Weekend at Disney earlier that month...I didn’t realize at the time that I would actually be running both the half and the marathon relay--3 weeks before ING.  Ah, well...it would be an experiment to see just how far I could push myself, right?  Sure.

The expo was held at the Miami Beach Convention Center and SIL and I went down to it together.  We met up with our friend Tracy and a couple more ROTErs we ran into there (hi Paul and Bill and Todd!) and got a free pic together at one of the booths.  After, some of us wandered down to Lincoln Road for some lunch before we headed home to rest up for the race.

The morning of the race my SIL and I drove down and got caught in a bit of a traffic crush trying to get to the parking garage by Bayside across the street from the American Airlines Arena (in front of which the start line was located).  Thankfully we made it with plenty of time.  We met up with some ROTErs who were in town for the race and hung out until it was time to get to our corrals.  It was great to see people down here that I normally have to travel up to Disney World to see.

The only problem?  I had this nagging feeling that I really didn’t want to do the race.  I mean, I had no issue with doing the miles (that never bothers me)...I just didn’t want to RACE.  I don’t know if my body was just telling me it was tired out after my back-to-backs during Marathon Weekend, or if it was a mental thing or what.  I just did NOT want to be there racing.

Unfortunately, we were both in the very last corral so it was quite a long wait until it was our turn to cross that start line.  One of the neat things about our corral though was that we were actually on a side street right next to the start line (we’d feed into the main road to cross the start), so we were able to see everyone start before us really close up.  And finally it was our turn and we were off.  

Now, normally when I start a race I’ll run for the first 30 seconds to one minute-excitement of the start and all that-and then settle into a walk for a bit to ease up on my shins before starting my intervals.  And that’s what I did for this race...though I probably ran a bit longer than I should have as my shins felt like what they feel like when I need a new pair of running shoes (and no, I did not have old shoes on).  This usually would be no big deal-I would just walk slower for longer before starting my intervals.  Except this course threw in a bit of a curveball.

After a small straight start, we turned right headed toward Watson Island...and the first bridge, only a quarter mile into the race.  Now, the bridge would normally be no problem-if it wasn’t so soon in the course.  My shins hadn’t had a chance to break themselves in and already I had to go up...up..up.  Those of you from other places in the world probably think I’m one heck of a softie, I mean it’s just a bridge right?  But I’m the very definition of a flatlander (South Florida native, and while I did live up in the NC mountains for five years, I was not active while there)-and I so very, very rarely ever have any kind of inclines in the races I do that I haven’t bothered with hill training so far.  Hitting that bridge right after the start and with my shins not really worked out yet HURT.  And so I slowed down...a lot.  Like almost 18 minute miles.  At least I had the cruise ships to look at along the MacArthur Causeway as I went along.  There was a second bridge along the causeway, but thankfully my shins had loosened up by then.  Too bad I was never able to get my speed back to normal.  Here's some pics from the first part of the race:

or this...

I'd rather be on this...

Approaching the 2nd bridge

 I do have to say, I’ve done a few races down in Miami Beach and I do like going along the Causeway.  Too bad most of the rest of the course did absolutely nothing for me.  We had maybe a little more than a mile (I’d guess around mile 4.5 through about 5.75) that was along Ocean Drive and the beach...other than that it was just going through the city streets, then along the Venetian Causeway-which had a whole bunch of construction along it.  It wouldn’t have been a big deal, but at the pace I was at, somewhere between mile 9 and mile 10 I (and everyone else still out on the course-which was a pretty good number of people) had to move up to the sidewalk as they were trying to open the roads back up.  Again, usually not a big deal when that happens, and I know that’s something I might encounter during a race if my pace is or falls below race pace (I’m just glad when they still let you finish and just move you to the sidewalks).  However, the sidewalks along the Venetian Causeway were mostly pretty narrow so there were many of us single-file and it was very difficult to pass anyone (which I was still able to do at some points, yay for me!).  

I tried to stay positive though-at least the skies were overcast so the sun wasn’t beating down.  We had only had a few sprinkles (for me back around mile 5 or so and only for a couple minutes) so it was not hot at all. Here’s my “keep your chin up” pic:

Once back on the mainland, it was a couple more miles through the city streets of Miami...but most in areas that didn’t look so hot (I wouldn’t walk there by myself if I wasn’t on a race course, especially around mile 12).  Our spectators for that part were mostly several homeless men sitting with their bags of stuff along the sidewalks.  By miles 11 and 12 I was dipping back into the 18 minute mile range.  Then finally during mile 13 I just totally eased off, knowing I was going to finish and not really caring at that point how long it took.  Remember that feeling I had like I really didn’t want to be there?  Miles 11-13 that feeling was roaring back full force.  I made the final hairpin curve to the finish...you can see how totally blah I was by then:

And then I was done.  Final chip time-3:55:37.  While I was not last-there were over 140 more people who came in after me-and not the slowest I’ve ever done 13.1 miles-I’ve never felt more tired, sore and just so totally wretched after a race as I did after this one.    I made my way through the finishers area (here, I smiled with my medal, I dug deep for that one)...

...and through the post-race food tents where there was plenty to eat since those people running the full marathon still had a couple more hours to go.  I was starving.  I looked around trying to find SIL (I knew she had finished almost an hour before me) and made my way over to some benches in a little mini-amphitheater area where a lot of runners had decided to crash.  I did not want to get up.  I would have been happy just laying down on the bench and staying there for the rest of the day.  But she found me and after we both just sat for a bit, we finally, very slowly, made our way back to her car for the ride back home.  Where I crashed on the couch with food and a blanket (after a shower of course) for the rest of the day.

Personally, I don’t know that I’d ever do this race again.  Not because my experience just sucked from a physical/mental standpoint, but because I really didn’t care for the course.  The other two half marathons I’ve done in the Miami Beach area were much more scenic and just felt more comfortable to me.  I’m not really a metro-urban city kind of girl and would rather be where there’s a lot more trees, water and so on than city streets with businesses and such.  I’m glad I did it, especially since it was the 10-year anniversary (yay for spinning bling!) and I got in for such a cheap entry fee...but for me it’s certainly not a priority for a future race.  I’ll gladly ride down to cheer for friends though come next year!

Sorry for such a long report and a mostly down-in-the-dumps one at that...but it does accurately capture my whole mood that day.  No really great pics with the exception of our group pics.  

Have you ever had one of those “I just don’t feel like doing this today” feelings before a race?  

Have you ever done the ING Miami Half Marathon?  What did you think of the course?

Marathon Weekend 2012 recap part 2-the Half Marathon

Marathon Weekend 2012-part 2

Yes, I know it is 10.5 months late.  Sometimes you just don’t get around to things when you want to, then when you do have time you just don’t feel like writing a race report.  I hate leaving things like this unfinished so I’m finally finishing my report from Disney’s Marathon Weekend 2012 events.

First up-Saturday and the Half Marathon.  The Disney Half is a fun race and always has a lot of first-timers...this time my SIL was the first-timer which was a big reason behind why I went ahead and registered, setting myself up for a double half marathon weekend.  We went to bed really early Friday night-around 7am-and I got up at 2am to have my breakfast and get ready.  We headed over to the buses and once at the pre-race area I made my way over to the “H” tent to find the ROTErs while SIL hunted down some friends that came up to run with her.

Once it was time to head to the start corrals, we made our way over together to get lined up.  We were in the next-to-last corral, so it was nice to know I had a bit of a cushion since I wanted to take it easy with the relay coming the next day-plus we started as close to the front as we could get.  I knew SIL was going to be faster than me (isn’t just about everyone?) so after our corral took off, I ran for the first minute or so, then backed off to walk for a while before starting my intervals, watching her head off ahead of me.  It was pretty comfortable out weather-wise-certainly better than the crazy frozen weekend of 2010!

I did my walk/run intervals for a while, then around mile 7 or 8 started backing off to mostly walk. I didn’t even see the bike people (the ones who carry those orange flags to warn that the pace girls AKA the balloon girls are nearby...meaning you’re falling behind pace) until after mile 9, but I never saw the orange flags this race and those balloon girls never passed me.  The cushion of my corral placement and the fact that we were up at the front of the corral handled that for me.  I wound up finishing in 3:45...yes, slower than the 16mm pace but again, this was mostly on purpose since I didn’t know how my body was going to react with two half marathons in one weekend.  I was just happy to have another half marathon complete and very proud of SIL for finishing her first one!

I didn’t take any pictures along the course this time, but here’s a pic of us afterward...not my best, but we both have Donald Duck bling around our necks so that’s all that matters!  

My training calendar-now LIVE on my blog!

I figured how to embed a Google calendar, so my planned training calendar is now live on my blog on the "Training Calendar" page here.  I stress the word "planned" since of course days can flip-flop and be adjusted depending on what pops up in the family/friend/work world-if there's one thing I've learned during prior race training, it's that you have to be flexible.  There's still some tweaking to happen as time goes on.  This plan is both a Tower of Terror 10-miler and WDW Full Marathon plan merged together so it's about twice as long as just the full marathon plan by itself...so I'm hoping my endurance on the run intervals will grow faster so maybe once it's time for the full marathon I could hopefully be at a 2 minute walk/2 minute run instead of the 3/2 that's currently on schedule.  And again, I might alter it to make it so I'm walk/running every other day instead of just 3 days per week (so would be 3 days/4 days repeated), I just am not sure how to change the intervals if I do that.

Planning on really working on the yoga this time around (which I love) as well as core strength workouts (which I hate).  I'll probably be trying the 100 pushups program again, starting with wall pushups (yes my upper body strength is laughable), then hopefully moving on to "girly" pushups (from the knees but on the floor)...then if I'm really dedicated finally a "REAL" pushup.  Miracles do happen you know.

Did I say yet I'm going to try the morning-run thing?  We'll see how that goes.  It's cooler, just more humid.  Like 95%+ humid.  But the 90+ degree blaring sun won't be out to play yet.  It's a trade-off, need to see what's the lesser of the two evils.  Anything to stay away from that awful modern-day torture device known as the treadmill.

One thing at a time.  First to tackle this:

Then we move on to this (typed with the determined-face smiley):

Damn straight!

Oh, and if you see something amiss in the calendar or have suggestions or questions, please let me know.  The ToT part is based off of Hal Higdon's 15K/10 mile novice training plan and the WDW Full Marathon part is based off of the Walk/Run Marathon plan in Marathoning for Mortals...both with some slight alterations from me.  And yes, I know June and half of July is empty...the calendar is my "official" fall/winter training calendar.

Do you have your training plan in place yet?  What plan(s) do you use?

Yup, officially registered for the 2013 Disney Marathon!

I'd already committed to doing the Disney full marathon in January 2013, but now it's official-I handed my money over to the mouse this evening.

I'm actually looking forward to that crazy training again, I've already filled up my calendar with a blended plan that starts July 23 with Tower of Terror training, then moves in to the training for the Disney full.  Right now it's a 3-day-per-week running plan, but I'm thinking of altering it to every other day being a run day (which would mean my long run day would alternate back and forth between Saturday and Sunday).  I could just turn one of my cross-training days into the extra run day, but I think I prefer having the day in between each run day for recovery.  Any thoughts on that?

The only thing I'm not looking forward to about training?  Starting July 23.  No, I don't mean I want to procrastinate because I don't feel like training--I really am looking forward to it.  I mean the time of year.  Smack dab in the middle of the scalding SoFla summer when we'll be having daily high temps in the mid- to upper 90s...not to mention the frequent thunderstorms.

And yes, my training WILL be outside.  I more than despise the treadmill for running-the last time I tried running on one, I felt so wrong, so uncomfortable, I had to immediately stop.  I can't even explain what it felt like.  I tried just walking on it to finish out my training session but couldn't even do that.  I'd rather chance the heat and rain...thankfully there are many shaded areas around my neighborhood to help out.

And honestly, my body is used to it. When I was training for my first-ever half marathon (2010 Disney Half), even waiting until an hour before sunset to go out (during the week when I couldn't train in the mornings) it was still in the mid- to upper 80s...and I still went out.  I didn't know any better, I figured everyone trained like this, didn't they?  And since I've lived here in SoFla for over 35 years of my life, the temps just seemed normal to me anyway.  But don't get me wrong-I'll take those temps in the 40s at the start line every time!

Looking forward to seeing all the Running of the Ears peeps for another spectacular Marathon Weekend at my favorite place on earth!

Have you registered yet?  Which race are you doing?

Shot from the 2011 Disney Marathon...I wouldn't have minded making a permanent stop here ;-)