You’ve probably heard many times that running is the cheapest way to get fit-all you need is a good pair of shoes, right? Yeah...but then you decide to try a local 5K race or two; which then leads to more races and then longer races. A 10K here, a 10-miler there. Then you think, let’s go for that half marathon! And of course after a bit you want to start doing races out of your area to see new course and such...and after several half marathons you finally decide to try a full marathon. And all you need to do all of this is a good pair of shoes, right? Right??? Uh-huh, sure thing.
If you’ve ever been to a decent-sized race expo, you’ll suddenly find that there are TONS of things you really, really need (read “want”, “covet” or “desire”) and just can’t train without. And while a lot of the stuff out there may seem like (or actually is) overkill, I’ve found many items that have proven quite useful to me. So I’ve decided to do some blog entries highlighting my favorite pieces of running gear.
First up-my absolute favorite piece of running gear-my Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS watch and heart rate monitor. When I first started adding running intervals to the walking I was doing to try and lose weight, a friend had given me a Polar F11 heart rate monitor watch which, when worn in conjunction with its chest strap, would calculate calories burned when I was exercising and it was a great way to keep track of my calorie burn on my exercise tracker. Then I started to read about the different GPS watches and many of my running forum friends recommended the Garmin 305 so I put it on my holiday wish list...and my hubby kindly put it under the tree for me.
I love my 305. You can set it up to view several things at once on the large screen; I have mine set up to show elapsed time, distance covered, current pace and heart rate. I can even set it up to beep when I’m supposed to change from walk to run. It has cool software that you can download so when you connect the 305 to the computer, it can show you how fast you did each interval (I have my intervals set up as 1 mile so I can see my per-mile stats), elevation, calories burned, average heart rate, maximum heart rate...plus it shows you your route on a map. There are so many things you can do, like marking certain points on regular routes and such, that I haven’t even tried everything on it yet and I’ve had it for over a year. You can even you it for multiple sports, so if you want to try your hand a a duathlon or triathlon it will measure the different sports (run/bike/swim) for you---yes, you can swim with it on.
Nowadays I almost never run with the chest strap to monitor my heart rate as I tend to have chafing issues with my sports bra even without the strap on. The 205 model is basically the same as the 305 but without the chest strap/heart rate monitor...but I like having the HRM available to me if I want to use it (and I did use it all the time for about the first 6 months or so). Amazon runs some great deals on the 305, I’ve even seen it as the Deal of the Day on the Gold Box page a couple of times. This is one piece of gear I’d highly recommend, it really is a great training tool and one thing I’m really glad we splurged a little bit on (well, DH did since it was a gift LOL).
Since it is a GPS, normally you’d be using it outside so the satellites can track you to provide the feedback, but if you want to use it for indoor training (like an indoor track or treadmill), they do sell a foot pod accessory so you can use it indoors. I do 99.9% of my miles outside and when inside use a treadmill which measures my distance anyway so I haven’t gotten the foot pod. Also, another accessory they offer is a quick-release kit which has a velcro wrist strap and quick release bracket and bike mount. I’ve got this on my Amazon wish list as my current wrist strap is starting to crack between the holes a little...plus having a velcro-adjustable strap is just more comfortable...and I eventually would like to get a bike and then I can use my 305 while biking too.
Tune in next time for more Gear Talk...and feel free to post your favorite things in the comments, you may see them in one of my future Gear Talk blog entries :-)
MAKING IT HAPPEN- Reading, reviews & travel. Sometimes you just have to make things happen.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
2011 Disney Full Marathon Race Report
Warning you now...this is pretty long...
Last January I completed my first half marathon at Walt Disney World. Not even two weeks later I had made the decision that I was going to register for the Disney full marathon for 2011. I figured I had a whole year to train so it should be no problem. Yeah...
After getting pretty burned out after doing my first three half marathons plus some shorter races in less than 90 days, I wound up taking much of the summer off and started training for the full around mid-August. Training went well until I hit my 16 mile LR...when I first found out what sore feet REALLY meant. Same thing for my 18-miler. I was reassured some when my 20-miler went well with almost no soreness but still was nervous in the days leading up to the race.
I left for WDW on Thursday after work but was too late to check out the expo so just headed to Pop Century to check in and crash. Friday morning I got up early to get some walk/jog time in before heading over to pick up my race packet. I was at the expo when it opened so was able to get in and out pretty quick. The goody bag didn’t really have a lot of “goodies” in it, a lot more flyers and ads for other races...and I was disappointed it was just the plastic bag that we could use for bag check and not like the nice mesh drawstring bag we got last year. I did pick up the “I did it” shirt and a cool t-shirt that said “Runner by day, Park Hopper by Night” which I just LOVE. Spent the rest of the day at Epcot with my husband who was able to finish work early and come join me for the weekend. Saturday I decided to just take it easy with a leisurely breakfast and just spent the day reading and relaxing---I didn’t want to be on my feet at the parks all day. Went to bed about 8pm with my alarm set for a 2:30am wake-up.
DH got me up just before the alarm was supposed to go off and stayed up until I left for the bus (HUGS to him!). I was on the bus by 3:15am along with some of my Running of the Ears friends and we made our way over to the “H” tent to meet others from our group before the race. I had my pre-race PBJ sandwich while waiting to head to the start, then tried to remain calm so it would stay down. Walked to the start line with Julie, Mark, Nancy and Tricia...Julie, Mark and I entered Corral H and made our way as close to the front as we could get. As each wave was sent off I felt a little more nervous, then finally it was our turn and we were off!
I started out running for the first thirty seconds or so, then settled back to walking for the first mile and a half until I started my walk/run intervals. I was doing a 30 second run/90 second walk which had been working well for me during training (that summer break totally put me back at square one after working my way up to a 3 min walk/2 min run before the Disney Half last year). I was able to keep that up through a little more than 8 miles. My back had started to bother me around mile 6 so I popped some Tylenol to try and keep it in check. With the exception of mile 1 when I was getting warmed up (cause you know standing around in the corrals for 45 minutes before our start just killed any kind of warm up you might do before), I was doing between 15:22-16:05 minute miles. I was confident early on that I’d be able to keep that up so I stopped for some pictures with Pluto, Chip and Dale then again with Eeyore and Tigger, then Woody and Jessie and finally the Pirates of the Caribbean (and boy, that last one it really looks like Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa!). I got to see Tracy at the #7 water stop which was a lift!
After I hit mile 9, my body said it didn’t want to run anymore so I switched over to just walking but still doing 16 minute miles...then after mile 11 my back really started to howl at me so again with the Tylenol and my pace started to slow a bit. That’s when I started to see those people on the bikes with the little orange flags in their packs. They were all very encouraging to everyone, letting us know we were still X minutes ahead of pace every mile or so. I lost enough time though that a little before the mile 17 sign, the TNT coach/pacer that was at the back of the pack was telling everyone, “come on everyone, pick it up, run for the next mile sign” because the infamous lady wearing the balloons to signal the 16mm pace point was almost upon us. So about thirty of us just started running all-out until we crossed the 17 mile sign...this happened again at mile 18 and when I realized how much I’d dropped off, my brain just blocked out what my back was saying (the Tylenol helped with that too LOL) and I really started to pick it up. I also saw fellow Running of the Ears members Colleen and Dawn just after leaving Animal Kingdom and they were there cheering away---thank you ladies, that REALLY gave me a boost!!! To the point where mile 19 was actually my fastest mile of the race!
I actually was still trying to get back ahead at mile 20 where I saw my first orange flag (ran to get past that one!), then kept booking it to make up time-I didn’t want to see those bike people and their little flags anymore. Heading in toward Hollywood Studios I heard a car horn honking and people yelling my name, and there were Colleen and Dawn again, cheering me into DHS as they were driving by! You two were really spurring me on, thank you so much!! (((HUGS))) There was a guy next to me when you were driving past that said “hey, they look like they know you, you should ask them for a ride”. I was actually passing people I hadn’t seen the whole race since they had always been way up ahead of me! I even caught up to Santa (did you all see him? Santa actually did Dopey!) which was fun with the spectators that were calling out to him and the kids with the wide eyes and open mouths so surprised to see Santa in the race, just more to keep me excited even though by this time my feet were starting to hurt. I got to see Tracy again and she walked with me for a little bit to make sure I was doing good (THANKS Tracy, HUGS to you too!!).
Once we exited DHS, I saw one last place they had the special “Parade Buses” for those being swept in the parking lot...after that though I knew there was nowhere left they could sweep...I was SAFE! I must confess, I did slow a little here as I was really feeling it in my feet-my brain was still blocking out anything my back was saying. Saw more ROTErs along the walkway to the Boardwalk (I remember Cath offering me water and was that also Chris there? I can’t remember anymore, it’s all becoming a blur, but believe me, you were ALL very appreciated!). Then suddenly, I was re-entering Epcot! I was almost there! A little more than a mile to go! More ROTErs! Erica giving me Twizzlers and walking with for a bit making sure I was doing good, thank you so much! Around the world I went, then heading toward Future World and there’s Joey telling me I’m doing it!
And suddenly, there’s the turn and that 26 mile sign, I can hear the crowd and the announcer ahead...I straightened myself out and suddenly I could see the grandstands and finish chute...and my DH, best friend and godson (who was ringing the cowbell Julie gave me during the half to cheer with like mad) were right there at the fence before the bleachers started----I beelined straight over, slapping hands while they cheered as I headed to the finish line where I got a high five from Donald as I stepped across and heard the announcer calling out my name and city (since by that time there weren’t tons of people crossing together so he could call out people individually)! OMG I just finished a MARATHON! Me! I kept wandering along and saw a ROTEr (Snowball/Anita I think?) handing out mylar blankets so headed straight for her...and then there were the people passing out the medals. My Mickey medal. For finishing a FULL marathon. Me!
Finally I made my way to the H tent where I found Julie waiting for me, she wanted to make sure there were ROTErs at the tent to greet me when I finally finished. A HUGE HUG for you Julie! We both did it! DH, BF, her DH and my godson made their way over...got a kiss from my godson (“Eww, tastes like sweat” he says) and then said goodbye to the ROTErs before heading to the car (which by the way was located at the opposite end of the Epcot lot way past the monorail station...I must’ve looked a sight waddling all that way LOL). Finally back to the room where I rested for an hour, then showered and headed out for a great steak dinner to celebrate (cause by then I was seriously craving the protein!). Finished up the trip on Monday with a delicious ROTEr lunch at Via Napoli, then it was finally time to head home.
All in all an AMAZING weekend, accomplishing something I never dreamed I’d ever do...what, me-run? You’re joking right? Nope, I’m not just a runner-I’m a marathoner. Yes, me. And to all of the Running of the Ears friends who were cheering me on, you are the most fantastic group of friends anyone could wish for! I would have never made it without all of you...the support you have given and continue to give has made (and is still making) such a difference. Special shout-outs to Colleen, Dawn, Julie, Erica, Tracy and Joey...and I know I’m forgetting people but it’s all starting to fade to a dull roar, but believe me, I knew everyone was there and was profoundly grateful that you stuck it out until I passed! It may be a while before I try a full marathon again (now don’t you all start talking about Goofy, I may be a little nuts but I haven’t hit the insane mark...yet) but with this group, I’ll still be doing lots of races if for no other reason than to enjoy the ROTErs!
I know this has been long, but I just had so much I wanted to put down about this experience. Oh, and in case you were wondering? 6:59:09.
Last January I completed my first half marathon at Walt Disney World. Not even two weeks later I had made the decision that I was going to register for the Disney full marathon for 2011. I figured I had a whole year to train so it should be no problem. Yeah...
After getting pretty burned out after doing my first three half marathons plus some shorter races in less than 90 days, I wound up taking much of the summer off and started training for the full around mid-August. Training went well until I hit my 16 mile LR...when I first found out what sore feet REALLY meant. Same thing for my 18-miler. I was reassured some when my 20-miler went well with almost no soreness but still was nervous in the days leading up to the race.
I left for WDW on Thursday after work but was too late to check out the expo so just headed to Pop Century to check in and crash. Friday morning I got up early to get some walk/jog time in before heading over to pick up my race packet. I was at the expo when it opened so was able to get in and out pretty quick. The goody bag didn’t really have a lot of “goodies” in it, a lot more flyers and ads for other races...and I was disappointed it was just the plastic bag that we could use for bag check and not like the nice mesh drawstring bag we got last year. I did pick up the “I did it” shirt and a cool t-shirt that said “Runner by day, Park Hopper by Night” which I just LOVE. Spent the rest of the day at Epcot with my husband who was able to finish work early and come join me for the weekend. Saturday I decided to just take it easy with a leisurely breakfast and just spent the day reading and relaxing---I didn’t want to be on my feet at the parks all day. Went to bed about 8pm with my alarm set for a 2:30am wake-up.
DH got me up just before the alarm was supposed to go off and stayed up until I left for the bus (HUGS to him!). I was on the bus by 3:15am along with some of my Running of the Ears friends and we made our way over to the “H” tent to meet others from our group before the race. I had my pre-race PBJ sandwich while waiting to head to the start, then tried to remain calm so it would stay down. Walked to the start line with Julie, Mark, Nancy and Tricia...Julie, Mark and I entered Corral H and made our way as close to the front as we could get. As each wave was sent off I felt a little more nervous, then finally it was our turn and we were off!
I started out running for the first thirty seconds or so, then settled back to walking for the first mile and a half until I started my walk/run intervals. I was doing a 30 second run/90 second walk which had been working well for me during training (that summer break totally put me back at square one after working my way up to a 3 min walk/2 min run before the Disney Half last year). I was able to keep that up through a little more than 8 miles. My back had started to bother me around mile 6 so I popped some Tylenol to try and keep it in check. With the exception of mile 1 when I was getting warmed up (cause you know standing around in the corrals for 45 minutes before our start just killed any kind of warm up you might do before), I was doing between 15:22-16:05 minute miles. I was confident early on that I’d be able to keep that up so I stopped for some pictures with Pluto, Chip and Dale then again with Eeyore and Tigger, then Woody and Jessie and finally the Pirates of the Caribbean (and boy, that last one it really looks like Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa!). I got to see Tracy at the #7 water stop which was a lift!
After I hit mile 9, my body said it didn’t want to run anymore so I switched over to just walking but still doing 16 minute miles...then after mile 11 my back really started to howl at me so again with the Tylenol and my pace started to slow a bit. That’s when I started to see those people on the bikes with the little orange flags in their packs. They were all very encouraging to everyone, letting us know we were still X minutes ahead of pace every mile or so. I lost enough time though that a little before the mile 17 sign, the TNT coach/pacer that was at the back of the pack was telling everyone, “come on everyone, pick it up, run for the next mile sign” because the infamous lady wearing the balloons to signal the 16mm pace point was almost upon us. So about thirty of us just started running all-out until we crossed the 17 mile sign...this happened again at mile 18 and when I realized how much I’d dropped off, my brain just blocked out what my back was saying (the Tylenol helped with that too LOL) and I really started to pick it up. I also saw fellow Running of the Ears members Colleen and Dawn just after leaving Animal Kingdom and they were there cheering away---thank you ladies, that REALLY gave me a boost!!! To the point where mile 19 was actually my fastest mile of the race!
 |
| The dreaded orange flags! |
 |
| Santa! |
 |
| How good it feels to see this sign! |
Finally I made my way to the H tent where I found Julie waiting for me, she wanted to make sure there were ROTErs at the tent to greet me when I finally finished. A HUGE HUG for you Julie! We both did it! DH, BF, her DH and my godson made their way over...got a kiss from my godson (“Eww, tastes like sweat” he says) and then said goodbye to the ROTErs before heading to the car (which by the way was located at the opposite end of the Epcot lot way past the monorail station...I must’ve looked a sight waddling all that way LOL). Finally back to the room where I rested for an hour, then showered and headed out for a great steak dinner to celebrate (cause by then I was seriously craving the protein!). Finished up the trip on Monday with a delicious ROTEr lunch at Via Napoli, then it was finally time to head home.
All in all an AMAZING weekend, accomplishing something I never dreamed I’d ever do...what, me-run? You’re joking right? Nope, I’m not just a runner-I’m a marathoner. Yes, me. And to all of the Running of the Ears friends who were cheering me on, you are the most fantastic group of friends anyone could wish for! I would have never made it without all of you...the support you have given and continue to give has made (and is still making) such a difference. Special shout-outs to Colleen, Dawn, Julie, Erica, Tracy and Joey...and I know I’m forgetting people but it’s all starting to fade to a dull roar, but believe me, I knew everyone was there and was profoundly grateful that you stuck it out until I passed! It may be a while before I try a full marathon again (now don’t you all start talking about Goofy, I may be a little nuts but I haven’t hit the insane mark...yet) but with this group, I’ll still be doing lots of races if for no other reason than to enjoy the ROTErs!
I know this has been long, but I just had so much I wanted to put down about this experience. Oh, and in case you were wondering? 6:59:09.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
12.19.10-I did it! 20.05 miles done!
After my horrible outing two weeks ago for my then-longest-ever 18-miler, I was not feeling very optimistic about the 20-miler I had on tap for today. This would be my longest ever training run and the longest training run before my taper for the Disney Full Marathon in three weeks. When I got up this morning, I so so so did not want to do 20 miles. I knew though that I really needed to get out there and try so I finally got ready and headed out the door around 9:30am. Normally I like to get out for my long runs by 7am so I was a little worried about it getting too hot during today’s outing, but it turned out to be a non-issue as it was 60 degrees/96% humidity with low, overcast skies and a breeze of 5-10mph with gusts to 15-18mph. Even once it “warmed up” it was only 64/84%. The sun was out maybe 20 minutes total for the entire time I was out there.
I was more concerned today about endurance and so I deliberately kept my speed down, doing 16+ minute miles for the first 10 miles and 17+ for the 2nd 10 miles. Again like I did during my 18-miler I did an out-and back twice from my house so I could run in for a quick potty break and load up a 2nd set of bottles for my fuel belt that I already had filled and ready to go at the midpoint. Thankfully that little break didn’t totally derail me like it did for the 18-miler. I actually felt just as good during the 2nd half! And while I knew sooner or later my back would start to bother me, it didn’t do so until around mile 16 and even then it was not really a big deal. I did have something new though-about 14 miles in, the front side of my lower left leg about 2 inches or so above the top of my foot I started feeling a strange twinge. I slowed down a bit for about a mile or so but it didn’t go away. Now about two hours after it is still a bit stiff and sore in that spot...not sure what it is, this is a new one for me.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to find my feet NOT hurting like they were for that yucky 18-miler. My feet actually just felt like they do after doing a half marathon. So all in all a pretty good outing, and now I just have a 12-miler and an 8-10 miler to go. That makes me giggle-JUST a 12-miler, right? They seem so simple and quick now, even going slower than I did the first half of this year. Who would have thought that I’d be saying “JUST a 12-miler”? Even though I put weight back on and it’s taking me longer to lose it now, I’m still in the best shape I’ve been in since high school. Now, don’t expect to be hearing “JUST a 20-miler”, okay? This marathon training really is a strain on the body---my hat goes off to those who do them all the time. I am pretty sure after doing the Disney Full Marathon this January I’ll be sticking to half marathons going forward-I really like the half distance (hey, it’s JUST 13.1 miles LOL).
3 weeks to go...and I still think I’ve lost my marbles. Just sayin’.
I was more concerned today about endurance and so I deliberately kept my speed down, doing 16+ minute miles for the first 10 miles and 17+ for the 2nd 10 miles. Again like I did during my 18-miler I did an out-and back twice from my house so I could run in for a quick potty break and load up a 2nd set of bottles for my fuel belt that I already had filled and ready to go at the midpoint. Thankfully that little break didn’t totally derail me like it did for the 18-miler. I actually felt just as good during the 2nd half! And while I knew sooner or later my back would start to bother me, it didn’t do so until around mile 16 and even then it was not really a big deal. I did have something new though-about 14 miles in, the front side of my lower left leg about 2 inches or so above the top of my foot I started feeling a strange twinge. I slowed down a bit for about a mile or so but it didn’t go away. Now about two hours after it is still a bit stiff and sore in that spot...not sure what it is, this is a new one for me.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to find my feet NOT hurting like they were for that yucky 18-miler. My feet actually just felt like they do after doing a half marathon. So all in all a pretty good outing, and now I just have a 12-miler and an 8-10 miler to go. That makes me giggle-JUST a 12-miler, right? They seem so simple and quick now, even going slower than I did the first half of this year. Who would have thought that I’d be saying “JUST a 12-miler”? Even though I put weight back on and it’s taking me longer to lose it now, I’m still in the best shape I’ve been in since high school. Now, don’t expect to be hearing “JUST a 20-miler”, okay? This marathon training really is a strain on the body---my hat goes off to those who do them all the time. I am pretty sure after doing the Disney Full Marathon this January I’ll be sticking to half marathons going forward-I really like the half distance (hey, it’s JUST 13.1 miles LOL).
3 weeks to go...and I still think I’ve lost my marbles. Just sayin’.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
12/12/2010-Weston Rotary Run for Tomorrow Half Marathon Race Report
When I first saw the signups for this race, they were running a special-the cost was normally $45 but the special was only $20. I figured, for $20, why not? Besides, the race is right here in my city (and it’s not like this is a huge city, only 26.28 square miles, almost 10% of which is water) so no 3am wake up. The organizers actually decided to keep the $20 special all the way up until the race sold out. For the $20, we not only got a t-shirt and nice spinning medal, as part of their whole “Get Fit Weston” campaign, they also gave us free fitness classes (24 every week), 10 free day passes to the local fitness club and a fitness festival after the finish line with lots of vendors, our local sports teams, the local hospital and the Walgreens-mobile on-site for wellness tests and so on. A great deal, right?
Now, the race is advertised as 3 hours, but they said the timing mats at the finish would actually be down for 3.5 hours-they just had to open up the closed roads after 3 hours. When I first signed up at the beginning of the year, I figured-no problem, I’m already at 3:15 doing a 3/2 walk/run...by the end of the year when I should be transitioned to at least a 3/1 run/walk 3 hours should be a snap, right? Yeah, right. After basically burning myself out the first 3 months of the year and skipping most of the summer training, when the end of August rolled around I was back to worse than square one. But I was able to do the Halloween Half in 3:40 so I was pretty positive about being able to get back to 3:30 for mid-December.
Anyway, here is race day. The start was originally scheduled for 7am, but was pushed to 6:30 (or 6:40 depending on whether you were looking at the race website or the timing company website). The start line was just down the street from my house, so I woke up a little before 5am, had breakfast, then geared up and left at 6:05 to walk down the street. Temperature was a fabulous 55 degrees with 93% humidity. Did some warm-up walking back and forth while waiting for the start. When they finally got us started it was 6:49am...so much for the time changing. Now for the *doh* part-10 feet past the start line my fuel belt fell off. Seriously. The people behind me were jumping over it and trying to avoid stepping on it while I had to turn around and retrieve it, then maneuver it back on (making sure it was more secure of course), losing me a little time and letting almost everyone pass me by. Oh well, just one of those things, right?
Since I had been warm-up walking already, I started my intervals right up, 30 second running/90 second walking. Mistake-I should have kept walking for a little longer before starting that...after a half mile my shins were positively screaming at me. And so I slowed down, stopped the running intervals and stayed like that for a little over a mile until my shins stopped hurting...then started up the intervals again. A little sore at first, but it eventually went away and I finally got into some kind of rhythm. I was almost the slowest one out there...but around mile 5 I saw another girl about a half mile back from me and realized I wasn’t last, just next-to-last LOL. Just after mile 6 the water stop clean up crew and I started leapfrogging, they’d pass me to get to the next stop, I’d pass them while they started cleaning up.
I did my intervals through about mile 7, then just went to all walking-and amazingly, while I was doing between 15:27-16:58 for intervals, my walking miles were 16:06-17:58 (that long one being mile 13, to be explained) so not too bad. Once I hit mile 11, I realized that last girl must have dropped out as she was nowhere to be found. By mile 11.5, the truck that picks up the cones had caught up to me and the driver recommended I move to the sidewalk as the roads were getting ready to open up. At just over 12, the motorcycle cop that had been going back and forth along the last 1.5 miles asked if I wanted to move to the street or if the sidewalk was okay. I told him as long as I could make it through the final intersection, they could clear the street if they needed to. Mistake-they also cleared the last intersection so when I got there I had almost 2 minutes lost trying to get to the corner diagonally from me. Otherwise that last mile would’ve been pretty good. I finally arrived at Town Center where my best friend was with her DH and my godson (they were looking at the fitness fair booths that lined Main Street which was our last little sprint to the finish) so I slapped her hand, yelled hi to my godson and ran to the end where a volunteer with only 2 medals and a bottle of water was waiting for me. It had warmed up to almost 70 by then and we had a nice little breeze going. Almost all the post-race food was gone, just some bagel halves and orange sections so we walked over to the Jamba Juice and got smoothies.
Overall a nice, quiet (for me anyway, can’t be crazy-noisy when the closest person to you is at the least a 1/2 mile ahead of you) race along tree-lined suburb streets. The fitness festival at the end was pretty good too. According to the brochure in my race packet, if I register for next year’s Rotary Run by then end of this year, it will only cost $15. ***$15.00!!!*** Yes, you read that right. I’m thinking that I’ll be signing up, can’t beat it, basically right outside my door, shirt, medal, food, etc. And next year, the cone truck will NOT be passing me by.
Oh, forgot to stop my Garmin at the finish so had to wait for the official results to be posted---3:34:41. Yes, I’m slow. Yes, I finished dead last. YES, I HAVE ANOTHER MEDAL TO ADD TO MY COLLECTION. Hmm...think I’ll celebrate by going to Benihana tomorrow night (DH’s birthday dinner a day early) and Disney World Wednesday after work...oh, right I was doing that anyway LOL.
On to the Disney Full Marathon in January...I must be nuts.
Now, the race is advertised as 3 hours, but they said the timing mats at the finish would actually be down for 3.5 hours-they just had to open up the closed roads after 3 hours. When I first signed up at the beginning of the year, I figured-no problem, I’m already at 3:15 doing a 3/2 walk/run...by the end of the year when I should be transitioned to at least a 3/1 run/walk 3 hours should be a snap, right? Yeah, right. After basically burning myself out the first 3 months of the year and skipping most of the summer training, when the end of August rolled around I was back to worse than square one. But I was able to do the Halloween Half in 3:40 so I was pretty positive about being able to get back to 3:30 for mid-December.
Anyway, here is race day. The start was originally scheduled for 7am, but was pushed to 6:30 (or 6:40 depending on whether you were looking at the race website or the timing company website). The start line was just down the street from my house, so I woke up a little before 5am, had breakfast, then geared up and left at 6:05 to walk down the street. Temperature was a fabulous 55 degrees with 93% humidity. Did some warm-up walking back and forth while waiting for the start. When they finally got us started it was 6:49am...so much for the time changing. Now for the *doh* part-10 feet past the start line my fuel belt fell off. Seriously. The people behind me were jumping over it and trying to avoid stepping on it while I had to turn around and retrieve it, then maneuver it back on (making sure it was more secure of course), losing me a little time and letting almost everyone pass me by. Oh well, just one of those things, right?
Since I had been warm-up walking already, I started my intervals right up, 30 second running/90 second walking. Mistake-I should have kept walking for a little longer before starting that...after a half mile my shins were positively screaming at me. And so I slowed down, stopped the running intervals and stayed like that for a little over a mile until my shins stopped hurting...then started up the intervals again. A little sore at first, but it eventually went away and I finally got into some kind of rhythm. I was almost the slowest one out there...but around mile 5 I saw another girl about a half mile back from me and realized I wasn’t last, just next-to-last LOL. Just after mile 6 the water stop clean up crew and I started leapfrogging, they’d pass me to get to the next stop, I’d pass them while they started cleaning up.
I did my intervals through about mile 7, then just went to all walking-and amazingly, while I was doing between 15:27-16:58 for intervals, my walking miles were 16:06-17:58 (that long one being mile 13, to be explained) so not too bad. Once I hit mile 11, I realized that last girl must have dropped out as she was nowhere to be found. By mile 11.5, the truck that picks up the cones had caught up to me and the driver recommended I move to the sidewalk as the roads were getting ready to open up. At just over 12, the motorcycle cop that had been going back and forth along the last 1.5 miles asked if I wanted to move to the street or if the sidewalk was okay. I told him as long as I could make it through the final intersection, they could clear the street if they needed to. Mistake-they also cleared the last intersection so when I got there I had almost 2 minutes lost trying to get to the corner diagonally from me. Otherwise that last mile would’ve been pretty good. I finally arrived at Town Center where my best friend was with her DH and my godson (they were looking at the fitness fair booths that lined Main Street which was our last little sprint to the finish) so I slapped her hand, yelled hi to my godson and ran to the end where a volunteer with only 2 medals and a bottle of water was waiting for me. It had warmed up to almost 70 by then and we had a nice little breeze going. Almost all the post-race food was gone, just some bagel halves and orange sections so we walked over to the Jamba Juice and got smoothies.
Overall a nice, quiet (for me anyway, can’t be crazy-noisy when the closest person to you is at the least a 1/2 mile ahead of you) race along tree-lined suburb streets. The fitness festival at the end was pretty good too. According to the brochure in my race packet, if I register for next year’s Rotary Run by then end of this year, it will only cost $15. ***$15.00!!!*** Yes, you read that right. I’m thinking that I’ll be signing up, can’t beat it, basically right outside my door, shirt, medal, food, etc. And next year, the cone truck will NOT be passing me by.
Oh, forgot to stop my Garmin at the finish so had to wait for the official results to be posted---3:34:41. Yes, I’m slow. Yes, I finished dead last. YES, I HAVE ANOTHER MEDAL TO ADD TO MY COLLECTION. Hmm...think I’ll celebrate by going to Benihana tomorrow night (DH’s birthday dinner a day early) and Disney World Wednesday after work...oh, right I was doing that anyway LOL.
On to the Disney Full Marathon in January...I must be nuts.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
11.7.10-Reevaluating my training plan
So today I had a 15-miler on my schedule as part of my full marathon training plan. I’ve never done more than 13.1 so this was going to be a first for me and really my first big test during my training program. When I got up this morning, the weather was amazing-52 degrees with 82% humidity which for Southeast Florida is actually a bit chilly but felt refreshing. It was a little windy with sustained 10-15 mph winds and gusts of 20-25 out where I am. I wasn’t sure how to dress so I donned my running skirt, a tank top and a long-sleeved 3/4 zip wicking top. I probably could have gone without the tank top underneath but I didn’t know how quickly it would warm up so wanted something light in case I wanted to take off the other piece. By the time I was done it was 65 degrees and I just had my sleeves pushed up and I was fine.
I walked for the first mile to get myself warmed up, then started with 4/1 walk/run intervals. Everything felt great through the first 7.5 miles...at that point I was feeling a little tired of the running so switched to just walking. Got through mile 9 when I noticed I had started slowing down by almost a whole minute per mile. Up until then I was doing 16-16.5 minute miles which yes, is slightly slower than Disney standards but still much better than I have been doing (mid to upper 17s when I first started my training plan back in August). Once I hit 10 miles I had dramatically slowed to 18 minute miles and my hamstrings started feeling sore. By the time mile 11 came, I was feeling so tired and my feet REALLY hurt. Mile 12 was over 19 minutes, 13 over 20 and 14 over 21...and the last 1/2 mile was at 22. Really. When I got to my house, I could barely walk up the stairs.
Immediately after while I was sitting logging my workout, I began thinking that there is no way in this world that I’ll be ready for a full in January. If my feet hurt that bad after 14.5 miles, I’ll be in a wheelchair for a week after 26.2. I started contemplating dropping from the full to the half. So I posted my workout on DailyMile (which feeds to my Facebook and Twitter) and got some feedback from my running friends. One suggestion is to have a drop-back week every other week. The plan I am currently following is from Marathoning for Mortals which I used to train for my first half marathon and worked wonderfully for it...so I was hoping to follow it for my full training. Another suggestion is to change my intervals to 30 seconds running, 90-120 seconds walking to see if only 30 seconds at a time would be easier on me, then work back up to the 1 minute running intervals. I like both of these suggestions but am just a bit frustrated--I mean, when I trained for my first half marathon (Disney January 2010), I was at a 3/2 walk/run with no problems...and I used the 3/2 for my 2nd and 3rd half marathons in February and March too.
Then came this past summer. After my 3rd half marathon (and another 10K at the end of March, I started backing off the walking and running as I felt burned out and really needed a break...which I may have taken too far over the summer with hardly any walking/running at all (the 90+ degree temps from April thru late September didn’t help any). Basically when I really got down to it again in August I was almost starting from scratch. But still, I seem to be worse off than when I first started adding running intervals to my walking 2 years ago. It’s just very frustrating.
I think I’ve decided to hold off on switching from the full to the half, I do have a little bit of time to think as the half is 88% full. I’ll see how it goes trying out my friends’ suggestions these next couple of weeks, and if anyone else has suggestions for me, please let me know. I really, really do want to do the full, but don’t want to be swept or DNF due to pain or whatnot. As long as I finish within the 7 hour time limit, I’ll be ecstatic. I just want to be able to say YES I have completed a full marathon...I just hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew by doing it now instead of a year or two from now. So I’ll change my long mile days and try the shorter intervals for a bit and see how it goes. Wish me luck and pain-free miles :-)
I walked for the first mile to get myself warmed up, then started with 4/1 walk/run intervals. Everything felt great through the first 7.5 miles...at that point I was feeling a little tired of the running so switched to just walking. Got through mile 9 when I noticed I had started slowing down by almost a whole minute per mile. Up until then I was doing 16-16.5 minute miles which yes, is slightly slower than Disney standards but still much better than I have been doing (mid to upper 17s when I first started my training plan back in August). Once I hit 10 miles I had dramatically slowed to 18 minute miles and my hamstrings started feeling sore. By the time mile 11 came, I was feeling so tired and my feet REALLY hurt. Mile 12 was over 19 minutes, 13 over 20 and 14 over 21...and the last 1/2 mile was at 22. Really. When I got to my house, I could barely walk up the stairs.
Immediately after while I was sitting logging my workout, I began thinking that there is no way in this world that I’ll be ready for a full in January. If my feet hurt that bad after 14.5 miles, I’ll be in a wheelchair for a week after 26.2. I started contemplating dropping from the full to the half. So I posted my workout on DailyMile (which feeds to my Facebook and Twitter) and got some feedback from my running friends. One suggestion is to have a drop-back week every other week. The plan I am currently following is from Marathoning for Mortals which I used to train for my first half marathon and worked wonderfully for it...so I was hoping to follow it for my full training. Another suggestion is to change my intervals to 30 seconds running, 90-120 seconds walking to see if only 30 seconds at a time would be easier on me, then work back up to the 1 minute running intervals. I like both of these suggestions but am just a bit frustrated--I mean, when I trained for my first half marathon (Disney January 2010), I was at a 3/2 walk/run with no problems...and I used the 3/2 for my 2nd and 3rd half marathons in February and March too.
Then came this past summer. After my 3rd half marathon (and another 10K at the end of March, I started backing off the walking and running as I felt burned out and really needed a break...which I may have taken too far over the summer with hardly any walking/running at all (the 90+ degree temps from April thru late September didn’t help any). Basically when I really got down to it again in August I was almost starting from scratch. But still, I seem to be worse off than when I first started adding running intervals to my walking 2 years ago. It’s just very frustrating.
I think I’ve decided to hold off on switching from the full to the half, I do have a little bit of time to think as the half is 88% full. I’ll see how it goes trying out my friends’ suggestions these next couple of weeks, and if anyone else has suggestions for me, please let me know. I really, really do want to do the full, but don’t want to be swept or DNF due to pain or whatnot. As long as I finish within the 7 hour time limit, I’ll be ecstatic. I just want to be able to say YES I have completed a full marathon...I just hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew by doing it now instead of a year or two from now. So I’ll change my long mile days and try the shorter intervals for a bit and see how it goes. Wish me luck and pain-free miles :-)
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