"Do or do not. There is no Try." First Half-Marathon/Dark Side Training Journal

[DisSconnie]

Two weeks until Dark Side! I'm so excited. Today was the last long run before the race. For whatever reason, this week's maintenance runs were pretty awful, but the long run went much better than expected.

Monday - 3 miles with the magic mile. Again, my magic mile was 10:12 exactly. I don't think that's completely accurate though. I have a hard time pushing myself really hard, and it was also at night, after a looooong day of work. I'll take another shot at the "magic mile" next week, but plan on focusing on speed improvement for the 10ks I have scheduled for the summer and fall.

Wednesday - I almost bagged this run. It was a rough week of work and I was actually walking a couple of miles each day at work (for a job which is mostly sedentary) so I just wasn't feeling it. I got out though and finished the 30 minute run. Average 13:42 min/mile pace.

Saturday - 14 miles planned/13.6 miles completed! For my birthday my MIL got me the shirt below. It seemed fitting to wear it on my last long run of the training plan:



Well the t-shirt worked, because I hit my goal of running 13.1 miles in under 3 hours! Even managed some negative splits, which was mostly due to the fact that there was an 11 mph headwind on some miles that made running tough. It finally got into the 70s up here, so we got to run in "warm" weather to try and prep for the Florida heat. Splits were:

Mile 1: 14:16
Mile 2: 13:33
Mile 3: 13:08
Mile 4: 14:08
Mile 5: 13:58
Mile 6: 13:32
Mile 7: 14:34
Mile 8: 14:15
Mile 9: 13:21
Mile 10: 14:08
Mile 11: 13:21
Mile 12: 12:33
Mile 13: 13:12


I sped up towards the end because I knew I was close to hitting my under 3 hour goal. I'm super sore, but all-in-all it was a great run! I hit my goal, feel confident in being able to finish strong, so bring on the Dark Side!!

 

[ZellyB]

Congrats on a great last long run! You got this!

 

[DisSconnie]

It's almost here! Less than a week to go. I'm getting more nervous about the hot weather, but hey - we'll slow down and just enjoy it if we need to The last week of training was relatively uneventful. Short runs went well, last "long run" of 3 miles went well. Had to do one of the runs in the rain which was cold and uncomfortable. I feel like I've checked off all the uncomfortable running conditions - snow, rain, cold, super cold, icy, so what's some unbearable heat

So excited to get there and show my little guy the wonderful world of Disney, I'm hoping he loves it just as much as his momma does. Trying not to get my hopes up too much though, since toddlers can be fickle beasts . Two more days of work and we'll be one our way!!!

 

[ZellyB]

Have a wonderful trip and a great race!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Have fun!

 

[DisSconnie]

Race Recap!!​

We've been back from our trip for a couple of days and now I've had time to rest and digest the full race experience. It definitely wasn't my best pace and the race went wrong in a couple of ways, but I finished with a smile, so I'm pretty sure that's a win!



We were staying off-site at Bonnet Creek so we got up at 2:30am and got into our car at 3:00am to head to Epcot. No traffic to speak of, parked quickly, and got on the shuttle to the start. By the time our shuttle was pulling out it looked pretty crowded getting into the parking lot, but seemed like things were moving relatively smoothly. We got to the start around 3:30am, which gave us plenty of time to mill around, take pictures and freak out (mostly me freaking out, husband was as cool as a cucumber). We made our way to the corrals a little bit after 4am. At first, we were right up at the front of corral F, but my nervous bladder got the best of me and we headed to the line of toilets which pushed as back further in corral F when we got back in. I will say, if I was ever in danger of having a panic attack on the course, this was the moment. There were so many people in corral F, and while it wasn't crammed shoulder to shoulder, it was a little claustrophobia inducing. It got better once the corrals started moving to the start and by the time we started, it was crowded, but not tooo crowded.




Our game plan was to start out fast, since we didn't know what the weather would be like once the sun came up and wanted to get as far as we could so that we didn't have the sun beating down on us. The first two miles were full of weaving in and out of folks and we averaged about a ~12:30 min/mile. Both DH and I had to go to the bathroom badly by the first bathroom stop, so we pulled over and stood in line. I stopped my Garmin and the difference between my watch and official time was 4 minutes, so this bathroom stop cost us at least that, yeesh.


We continued down Bear Lake Rd and really enjoyed the laser fight scene, and the run by Ewoks. We didn't stop for any on course photos since we knew it was only going to get hotter and wanted to finish as quickly as possible. By the time we hit Animal Kingdom, the sun was mostly up, but it was overcast which kept things cooler. Unfortunately, I had taken the hydration talk very seriously and had been taking powerade at every stop with sips of water from my hydration belt inbetween. So I had to stop again (this time at real bathrooms!) in Animal Kingdom to pee. No idea how much time this stop added since I left my watch on, but the line seemed shorter and moving faster.




Heading past Everest and out of Animal Kingdom was a pretty cool sight, but this is the part of the race where mentally I started to come a little undone. Our pace had slowed significantly (especially with the potty stops) and I was feeling a little defeatist. I knew that we could pretty much walk the rest of the way and not get swept, and it was hot enough that I was tempted. I broke out my frogg togg at this point to keep me cooler (I'd also been dumping water on my head at every station) and kept on trudging. The stretch between AK and HS was pretty boring but my DH tried to talk and keep me entertained. We had been doing 1:1 run walk intervals up until this point, but I started to stretch the walking portions so we were more like :45/1:15. Early on I'd had the energy to run through a couple of walk intervals, but now the opposite was true and I was walking through some run intervals. AND, I had to go pee again at the port-o-potties between AK and HS. I've never once had to go to the bathroom during a training run so I was clearly very well hydrated.



By the time we hit HS, the sun was out, it was hot and my legs were feeling like lead. I kept trudging and actually ended up picking up some time because I insisted on running past all the on-race photographers, hahaha. I was glad the last three miles were all through the parks, it made it so much more enjoyable and easier to ignore my aching legs. I knew I wasn't going to hit my under 3:00 hrs goal this time, but kept pushing. The course was super crowded between HS and the Boardwalk, but honestly, I kind of liked the excuse to run slower, haha. The folks cheering on the course also was a huge pick-me-up and I got chills running through them and reading the signs.



The final mile around World Showcase has never felt so long! We picked back up to 1:1 intervals, although I walked through 1 or 2 run intervals as we got closer to the finish line. We started running as we got closer and my parents and son were waiting and cheering us on right at the finish line. Seeing my little guy right before crossing the finish line was probably the best part of the whole race. We finished, got our medals and wandered over to the Medic tent. Neither of us was feeling awful, but DH wanted to try out the biofreeze on his calfs that were cramping. I discovered they had misters and ice to put on the back of your neck and I was in heaven. We sat there for a couple of minutes to cool down and then headed out to reunite with my folks and son.



My official finish time was 3:14. I had certainly been hoping for better, but given the weather and bathroom stops, it was pretty darn good. Emotionally, completing this race was a big victory for me. As mentioned before, I struggle with anxiety issues and have for most of my life, but after my son was born, my post-partum anxiety got significantly worse. I went on medication, which helped for awhile, but right as he turned one I was still having panic attacks daily, was terrified of driving, and was terrified of being left alone with him. It was a pretty miserable experience. I started seeing a therapist who recommended aversion therapy (confronting my fears/eliciting panicky feelings on purpose) and suggested getting my heart rate up would be a great thing. So when I started running, it was pretty much like having one long panic attack. Obviously it improved, although I do still have some panicky moments when running, they are fewer and farther between. Outside of running, my anxiety has greatly improved and I no longer feel like it's controlling/inhibiting my life.



All in all, I had a great time and an even better time visiting the parks with my little guy before and after the race. Disney really is a magical place to share with your loved ones

 

[DopeyBadger]

CONGRATULATIONS!



Great recap! It looks like you had a good time out there and kept a smile on in the face of adverse conditions. Ugh to potty breaks! They're the worst. It's been fun following along throughout this journey and I'm excited to see what the next chapter holds for you!

 

[ZellyB]

Great job and I loved your race report! Heat is my nemesis in running, so I'd say it sounds like you did really well under difficult conditions. Your little guy is just adorable and you got some great race pictures. Congratulations!!!

 

[cavepig]

Great run! That humidity was rough for sure! Awesome photos, your Jabba tank looks great and your husbands shirt makes me laugh! I loved how they played the whole Jabba & Leia strangling him scene. Glad you enjoyed your trip!

 

[DisSconnie]

It's been fun following along throughout this journey and I'm excited to see what the next chapter holds for you!

Thanks! I'm already signed up for two 10ks. I think that'll be my main distance since it's easier to train for with a little guy running around. Would you be able to help with some plans to get me speedier?

 

[DopeyBadger]

Thanks! I'm already signed up for two 10ks. I think that'll be my main distance since it's easier to train for with a little guy running around. Would you be able to help with some plans to get me speedier?

I'd be more than happy to help! Let me know if you want to do it here on your journal, or you can send me a PM and we can figure everything out privately. Just let me know.

 

[DisSconnie]

I'd be more than happy to help! Let me know if you want to do it here on your journal, or you can send me a PM and we can figure everything out privately. Just let me know.

That'd be great! What do you need from me? I'm scheduled to run two 10ks, one on July 22nd or 23rd (haven't decided if I'm staying local or heading down for the Big 10k yet) and then another 10k in September. My goal is to be under 1:05 for the September 10k and back to pre-baby endurance.

My fastest 5k is 29:54 (pre-baby) and fastest mile since baby is 10:20.

 

[DopeyBadger]

That'd be great! What do you need from me? I'm scheduled to run two 10ks, one on July 22nd or 23rd (haven't decided if I'm staying local or heading down for the Big 10k yet) and then another 10k in September. My goal is to be under 1:05 for the September 10k and back to pre-baby endurance.

My fastest 5k is 29:54 (pre-baby) and fastest mile since baby is 10:20.

Start with these 20 standard questions that I ask everyone. If you'd prefer to keep any of the answers private just send me a PM.

1) What is your "A" goal?
2) What are some of your other running goals?
3) What are your lifetime PRs?
4) What are all of your race times in the last year? If any of the races had extenuating circumstances (weather, sick, super hilly, etc.) as to why they are not a good judge of your fitness please include that information as well.
5) What went wrong in your best races? What held you back from doing better? Did you feel the reason you couldn't go faster was because a) you were out of breath, b) your legs felt dead tired, or c) some other reason/combination of the two?
6) Have you had any recent injuries or do you feel over the long term you are injury prone?
7) If you've suffered chronic or a recent injury was the cause running related (because we want to avoid it then)?
8) How many and which days are you willing to run each week? How much time on those specific days are you willing to devote to running? (Most important question, so the more detailed response the better.)
9) What fueling do you do during runs? What fueling do you do after runs? What fueling do you do before you run?
10) Are there specific types of runs that make you feel more fatigued than others?
11) Why do you enjoy running? What is your motivation to run?
12) Why have you chosen the goals you've chosen?
13) What type of technology do you use to run? Treadmill, garmin, heart rate monitor, phone app run tracker, etc.
14) Are there any types of fuel pre-run, during run, or post-run that you like better than others? What led you to choose these items versus others on the market?
15) For races that provide splits, do you tend to be positive, negative, or even split? Why do you think that is?
16) What other training plans have you used in the past?
17) What kind of training have you been doing the last three weeks? Mileage, pace, etc?
18) If you run/walk. When you run about what pace do you do? When you walk about what pace do you do?
19) If I told you to run as slow as you can, how fast would you be running? This would be at a pace where you're barely breathing differently than normal walking. It feels like you're barely trying.
20) Most importantly, what is your upcoming race schedule? What/when is your next "A" goal race that you want to focus your training towards?

Some of the questions may seem redundant, but that's because I've found that they elicit different responses occasionally that give me more helpful information.

 

[DisSconnie]

May Training Update
​

So I'll be completely honest, running/training has been pretty much non-existent for much of May. We ended up having strep throat pass through our house, not once, but twice. My husband, son, and I all caught it the first time and the 2nd round was just my son and I. This is the 5th time in a year my son has caught strep, so if he catches it again they'll be referring us to an ENT to talk about taking his tonsils out. The idea of putting him under general anesthesia at this age (under 2 years old) freaks me out, but obviously don't want him to keep being sick. Both times I caught it this month it knocked me on my butt for a whole week and kept me out of work and running. To top it off, I had my first semester of grad school finals and a big event at work that took up a lot of time too. So in summation, I had a lot of excuses (some legitimate) to not run and I took them for May.

That being said, I've got my awesome new plan from DopeyBadger, and I'm ready to give it a try for the 10ks I have later this summer/fall. My first two runs were challenging. 1) I'm switching to non-stop running and still find myself missing the run/walk intervals on occasion. 2) My endurance seems to have taken a hit from taking almost a whole month off from running. 3) It was hot.

I also signed up to be a running buddy this weekend for a fun run aimed at increasing confidence in young girls and encouraging them to be active. It's a 5k, but not timed and mostly just about having a good time. I find myself worried that I might be too slow as a running buddy, but then realize that's ridiculous and the whole race is just about getting out there, doing it, and not worrying about how fast or slow you are. I'm really looking forward to it!

Fingers crossed strep throat stays away from our home and I can finally get back to regular running!!