The very long epic story of a slow chubby chick who finally got her Goofy Medal!

[Chiomaca]

I think this is what I am gonna need to do. I guess you could theoretically put several pairs on a no interest credit card and then return the ones you didn't like. I totally had no clue that any running stores offered this policy.

That might work. Sad that your local stores don't do this. I am fortunate to live in a runner-centric area with several great local running stores. I haven't bought anything without having at least run around the block in them - and that's usually after having run on a treadmill already.

Good luck with the shoe search! I found that shoes make a huge difference for me, not just with blisters, but all the way up to my knees, hips, and lower back.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Your story has touched me deeply. Love the details. Love how you let us live through your struggles as well as success. BTW - the struggles are successes. I am an overweight 50yo woman who took up running a year ago. I get some injuries and back off and then up it and get hurt. I am really planning on doing the princess next year. I am trying to train more gradually now. I want to run on the treadmill but am only letting myself walk and am trying to increase my walking pace a good deal before I run again. I am also going to look for some exercises that strengthen my hips, quads and hams and stretch them and put them into the mix to try and avoid the injury thing. I want to look up the book you read. Could definitely use some inspiration. I want to support the get thee to a running store mantra. My son is a distance runner and coach. When he first started running he had many problems. A good running store is a big help. Our experience is anything ending in running company. It's a small chain staffed by runners so they are called Haddonfield Running Company or Philadelphia Running Company... Also most Fleet Feet stores we have been in are also good. You can go and get fitted. Then when you find the type of shoe and size you can buy them elsewhere if you like. Also, like others have said, big change from model to model sometimes. I always wore asics. The new ones came out. I can't wear them now. I wear Mizuno.

 

[Tiggeroo]

It is worth making an hour and half ride to get to a running store one time. Call ahead and make sure somebody will be there who can be the most helpful and go then.

 

[goofeygirl]

I did not have a chance to read your story now....(ran home to take a quick coffee break before heading out) but will read it later.

However...

I remember reading your story the last couple of years. If I am not mistaken, a few years back you had been swept around mile 20 when your sister in law finished the full. I am sure that was your story..and it made it very hard because you had to listen to the sil tell her story while you felt left out because you couldn't finish the race.

I believe last year you were swept around the same time....


So now I read you have your Goofy medal...and I am very proud of you! I never met you but for on here but you are the story that dreams are made of. Too many people quit...they quit before they even start! You had a goal and by hell or high water you were going to see it thru and you did!

What I love about this is that I want to achieve something else in life but it will require an aweful lot of disiplin from me....change of diet...working out longer and harder and I will now think of you.

Anything is possible....in order to succeed first we must fail or how we know what success was???

So later on or on Sunday I would like to read your whole story...but I am pretty sure you are the person I read about the past few years...

 

[irishtwins1112]

So later on or on Sunday I would like to read your whole story...but I am pretty sure you are the person I read about the past few years...

Yep. That is me, haha.

Btw, I just got wright socks and ininji socks in the mail as well as some trail toes blister stuff from Amazon. I will be test driving them soon. I have a 15k next Saturday and another half in about three weeks.

 

[goofeygirl]

Now that I have finished a goal that has been present in my life for 7 years I have to make some new ones. The Dopey will happen at some point....assuming it is still around in 2018. My husband….who has never been into races says he wants to do it…..and if he does it….I will have to do it too because I will be jealous of the medals. Another goal I have is to improve my speed so I can do the full marathon by itself and do fun things like ride Everest and take pictures on the course. I would like to do a sub 3 hour half marathon. Maybe a triathlon....who knows. Whatever I do, it will definitely be worth doing.


Runners (or Run/Walkers…. whatever you want to call them) are an amazing group. Every person has a story and a purpose to their run. Most runners are the nicest people you will ever meet. They will help you if they can. The camaraderie is amazing…. especially in Disney races. Sometimes it feels like this was all a dream. That I just made it up. But this is my actual reality!!!! You can take a lot of things from me but you can never take away that I am a Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge Finisher.




Best signs at the Disney marathon:
If you haven’t **** your pants yet, you have already won.
If it was easy, it would be called your mom.
Don’t stop, go faster….that’s what she said.
Someday you will fail. Today is NOT that day.

Favorite quotes that helped me through the year of training:
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
You don’t have to go fast, you just have to go!
You can only find out how far you can go by risking going to far.

I hear you. I know for me I wanted to get a better time so I wasn't racing against the balloon ladies.
This year I decided to do the half (did the Dopey last year and the Goofy the year before that)...but this time I decided to chillax! I walked the race in over three hours but stopped and took photos along the way...I enjoyed this race so much this time...also knowing I didn't have a full to do the next day.

Like you....I did what I had set out to do and now I think...what is next?
I don't plan on doing any full marathons anytime soon..as of now I have already proven I can do them. So now I have other goals in mind....

 

[Lindsay22]

you are amazing. just amazing. i may have started to cry at my desk and told my co-worker that i have allergies (which he didn't believe because it's currently snowing outside) It's interesting because when we were at mile 19.5 a rundisney person told us that we were 4 minutes ahead of the sweepers. we were corral n and averaging a 15.5 min mile pace so i KNEW he was wrong, but that worry put a damper on the next few miles of our race... we finished in 6:50. congratulations.
also, you should google running stores in your area. i had just moved when i started running and did a simple google "running store tampa" and found one that did a gait analysis. you never know what you'll find. i think nike's are horrific to run in...

 

[irishtwins1112]

It's interesting because when we were at mile 19.5 a rundisney person told us that we were 4 minutes ahead of the sweepers. we were corral n and averaging a 15.5 min mile pace so i KNEW he was wrong, but that worry put a damper on the next few miles of our race... we finished in 6:50.

I wouldn't be surprised if they just told everybody that......to move them along during those last few miles, lol. It worked for me. I didn't think they were right but I wasn't about to test it and find out, haha.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I am very touched by your story and have a few questions.
1 - having gone through your journey how would you recommend somebody train? I am an overweight 50yo woman hoping to do princess next year. Several months ago I was up to walk/running 5 miles a day. I am not anywhere near a regular 16 minute mile pace. I am now freezing and on a treadmill 5 days a week. I am trying to not get injured so I am building up much more slowly this time. I am not letting myself run until I can hold a 16 minute pace for 30 minutes. After I am comfortably walking a 16 minute pace I might try to bump that to a 15 minute pace. I hear many people walk at a 15 minute pace and if I can do that for 8 miles by July I will register. I am also working on strengthening my hips because I believe they cause much of my minor injury problems.
2 - I don't really understand the pace thing. I see lots of people finish around 4 hours. But when I calculate it that is a lot over a 16 minute mile pace. How much do they really worry about the pace thing? I will try to get a 10k in before I need to with a time and maybe I won't get stuck in the last corral and have a bit more time to stay away from the balloon ladies.
3 - I would love advice from somebody more like me and less like a fast runner.

Sorry - just re-read and I realized you were mostly working toward the full marathon. I would still love your advice including books you read as I have lost 50 lbs and need to lose some more.

 

[irishtwins1112]

I am very touched by your story and have a few questions.
1 - having gone through your journey how would you recommend somebody train? I am an overweight 50yo woman hoping to do princess next year. Several months ago I was up to walk/running 5 miles a day. I am not anywhere near a regular 16 minute mile pace. I am now freezing and on a treadmill 5 days a week. I am trying to not get injured so I am building up much more slowly this time. I am not letting myself run until I can hold a 16 minute pace for 30 minutes. After I am comfortably walking a 16 minute pace I might try to bump that to a 15 minute pace. I hear many people walk at a 15 minute pace and if I can do that for 8 miles by July I will register. I am also working on strengthening my hips because I believe they cause much of my minor injury problems.
When I first started walk/running in 2005 I walked for an hour on the treadmill every day. I was going less than 3 miles in that time. Then my goal was to do 3 miles in one hour. Once I hit that goal I started the walk/running. I did walk 2 minutes and run 1 minute. I really didn't like those intervals. Now I enjoy the shorter ones like 30/30 or 40 seconds walk/20 seconds run. As long as you are committed to it there is a lot of progress that can happen between July and February of next year so I wouldn't let the 8 miles with a 15 minute per mile pace be the deciding factor....but that is just me. If you want to do it, you can do it!!!!! All that being said, you don't need to walk 5 miles a day to do a half marathon. I would suggest finding a good half marathon training program. Then I would do the first two or three weeks of the program over and over for several months until time to actually start the real training program for the Princess. That way you get into a good habit of exercise. You don't need to go way up on your miles in July unless you are planning to do another half sometimes in August.
2 - I don't really understand the pace thing. I see lots of people finish around 4 hours. But when I calculate it that is a lot over a 16 minute mile pace. How much do they really worry about the pace thing?
The do sweep people. It does happen. It shouldn't scare you.....just be aware that it is not a myth, lol. What happens is a lot of people bust their butts during training and get in a really fast 10k (that is distance required to submit a proof for the half) and then they "enjoy" the race taking pictures and such. If you are in a corral that starts 30 minutes before the balloon ladies(the last people to start the race), then you theoretically have about 4 hours to finish the race.
3 - I would love advice from somebody more like me and less like a fast runner.

A couple of things:
-Make sure you submit a proof of time. My proof of time was pretty sad. I had a predicted finishing time of 6:54(for the marathon) I believe by their calculations and I was scared I would be in the last corral. I was second to last thankfully which gave me a little more time. The wording on their site says something like " anyone who doesn't submit a proof of time will be placed in the last start corral". I believe that submitting it is what saved me from starting last.
-The books I read that were motivating to me are "Marathoning for Mortals" by John Bingham and "The Courage to Start", also by John Bingham.
-I would also say.....don't push the running. I think doing those short intervals is what saved me from getting injured. Being overweight as well, I believe that it is worse on your joints to do too much running. If you can maintain the appropriate pace then by all means don't overload your joints with running. My walking pace sucks and that is the only reason I do any running at all.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor/sports medicine person/personal trainer/qualified in any way to make training plans for people. These are just my opinions. If anybody sees any huge problems with my advice, please feel free to critique it. Thanks!!

I hope to see you next year at the Princess. If finances allow I will be there!!

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

I am doing research on the races as I am planning on running the 2017 1/2 marathon and came across your story. Thank you so much for sharing! It is really an inspiration. My biggest fear is being picked up by the sweepers and your story has made me feel a lot better about that possibility- and how to use it (if it happens) to make myself better in the future!

 

[irishtwins1112]

You are welcome. It was fun times! Good luck on your endeavors!

 

[Jfine]

Great story! What an inspiration!

 

[irishtwins1112]

Thanks!

 

[cgattis]

The amount of courage and grit that it took to try this three times is just amazing to me. I've sort of plateaued in my running goals, and as busy as I am right now, I'll probably stay there for a few more years. But when I take that next step to my first full marathon (at Disney, I know!), I will be thinking of you all along the way. Thank you so much for sharing your story with all of us!!

 

[irishtwins1112]

You can do it Cgattis! Go get it. That goal is out there waiting for you!!