Busy, busy! Between the 2 services this morning and the revival service I'm preaching tonight, I had to take the kids to their soccer practices. My training plan called for 4 miles, and I am quite grateful for that, because I got home from worship at 12:30, and the kids had to be at their practices at 1:00, so I had to scarf down some lunch real quick, get changed and head out the door. Fortunately the boys were both practicing at the same school, and so I was able to just run around the entire school property, which each lap was just a little bit over a mile. Beautiful weather, though the wind was bit strong, but at least I wasn't wet or cold - we should always be thankful for the little things.
Mi 1 - 8:52.15
Mi 2 - 8:53.72
Mi 3 - 9:06.47
Mi 4 - 9:02.56
0.28 Mi-2:27.55
Total = 38:22.45
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Exercising Restraint
I had on my training schedule an easy 2 miles for Wednesday, but I just could not justify getting hot and sweaty for only 2 miles, so I did 3 instead (actually it was 3.33). Since I have really not run much on back-to-back days as a way of not over-stressing my legs (no stress fractures, please!), I knew that if I did run the 3 the day after running a quick tempo 5 miles, I knew that I would need to try to make it slow. The Runner's World Smart Coach plan called for me to do 2 miles @ 11:49. Seriously? That's fast walking. I know some people would consider the pace that I run at "fast walking," but for me it's doing pretty good. I knew that I was going to need to make some adjustments to that Smart Coach plan, but anyway - I just went out and did 3 miles averaging 9:16 per mile. For whatever reason, my stride just feels best when I am moving along at a pace around 8:30 - but right now I cannot sustain that as long as I want to. I also know that you need to vary your pace because every different type of run serves a purpose in your training. I think next week when I run on back-to-back days (Tuesday/Wednesday), my Wednesday run needs to be slower.
Mi 1 - 9:33.82
Mi 2 - 9:07.01
Mi 3 - 9:04.25
0.33 Mi 3:03.56
Total = 30:48.64
Thursday I did another "core" workout, which was a difficult thing to motivate myself to do. Wednesday night I needed to lift my head to put another pillow under it, and as I tried to lift my abs hurt so freaking bad I decided to not worry about the other pillow! However, I did manage to get through it, and today I'm not too sore. We'll see how tomorrow feels.
Today I had a 7 mile "long" run on the schedule. Again, the training plan that needed to be revised called for 7 @ 11:49, and I just could not do that. I will say that the run was not as easy as I had hoped, but I was really glad to get it in. Today I got changed and ready, ate a pre-run snack, stretched indoors (because it was cold outside - 41 degrees!), and got myself really psyched up to go run, and I stepped out and it was raining. I very quickly decided I did not feel like going out and getting soaked in the rain today, so I went back in. However, after 10 minutes of fretting around the house about not getting my run in, I changed my mind and said "heck with it," and out I went. Fortunately the rain was now just a light mist that was on again off again. Really not too bad. The wind was a factor at times, as it was pretty strong winds with gusts up to 21 mph. As I ran today I ran down some streets that led into so not-so-nice parts of town. I think I actually impressed some of the drug dealers. As I got into downtown Goldsboro and ran the sidewalks, I came upon 2 guys (not drug dealers - or at least I don't think they were) and one of the guys called out to me "Hey, you need to pick up the pace, buddy!" I kind of resented that, because from the looks of things neither one of the dudes have not run a mile for quite some time, if ever. So I called back to him, "You're right! Why don't you come join me?" He had nothing else to say - or maybe he did, but I was moving so fast I wasn't around any longer to hear him. :-)
Today considering the cool, I knew that I would tend to run faster than what I really wanted to run. When you are cold, it feels much better to be burning it up like that, however as I learned at the marathon, it is not always wise. Today I had to exercise the same restraint that I did on my Wednesday run, and I feel like it is something I'm getting better at, but still have to work on. Here are my splits for today:
Mi 1 - 9:25.93
Mi 2 - 9:12.22
Mi 3 - 8:52.79
Mi 4 - 9:16.43
Mi 5 - 9:20.71
Mi 6 - 9:20.05
Mi 7 - 9:15.9
Total = 1:04:44.03
I did do a revised Runner's World Smart Coach training plan. I really wanted a plan with what I thought were realistic times and mileage, and so today I played around with the numbers and this is what it came back with:
Mi 1 - 9:33.82
Mi 2 - 9:07.01
Mi 3 - 9:04.25
0.33 Mi 3:03.56
Total = 30:48.64
Thursday I did another "core" workout, which was a difficult thing to motivate myself to do. Wednesday night I needed to lift my head to put another pillow under it, and as I tried to lift my abs hurt so freaking bad I decided to not worry about the other pillow! However, I did manage to get through it, and today I'm not too sore. We'll see how tomorrow feels.
Today I had a 7 mile "long" run on the schedule. Again, the training plan that needed to be revised called for 7 @ 11:49, and I just could not do that. I will say that the run was not as easy as I had hoped, but I was really glad to get it in. Today I got changed and ready, ate a pre-run snack, stretched indoors (because it was cold outside - 41 degrees!), and got myself really psyched up to go run, and I stepped out and it was raining. I very quickly decided I did not feel like going out and getting soaked in the rain today, so I went back in. However, after 10 minutes of fretting around the house about not getting my run in, I changed my mind and said "heck with it," and out I went. Fortunately the rain was now just a light mist that was on again off again. Really not too bad. The wind was a factor at times, as it was pretty strong winds with gusts up to 21 mph. As I ran today I ran down some streets that led into so not-so-nice parts of town. I think I actually impressed some of the drug dealers. As I got into downtown Goldsboro and ran the sidewalks, I came upon 2 guys (not drug dealers - or at least I don't think they were) and one of the guys called out to me "Hey, you need to pick up the pace, buddy!" I kind of resented that, because from the looks of things neither one of the dudes have not run a mile for quite some time, if ever. So I called back to him, "You're right! Why don't you come join me?" He had nothing else to say - or maybe he did, but I was moving so fast I wasn't around any longer to hear him. :-)
Today considering the cool, I knew that I would tend to run faster than what I really wanted to run. When you are cold, it feels much better to be burning it up like that, however as I learned at the marathon, it is not always wise. Today I had to exercise the same restraint that I did on my Wednesday run, and I feel like it is something I'm getting better at, but still have to work on. Here are my splits for today:
Mi 1 - 9:25.93
Mi 2 - 9:12.22
Mi 3 - 8:52.79
Mi 4 - 9:16.43
Mi 5 - 9:20.71
Mi 6 - 9:20.05
Mi 7 - 9:15.9
Total = 1:04:44.03
I did do a revised Runner's World Smart Coach training plan. I really wanted a plan with what I thought were realistic times and mileage, and so today I played around with the numbers and this is what it came back with:
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010
1st Half Marathon training run
Well now that I've got my first marathon under my belt, time to turn to my second half-marathon. I ran a half-marathon in November of 2008, and I finished in 1:59. My goal this time around would be to go faster, but that was a while ago. When I plugged my numbers for the marathon into Runner's World SmartCoach program, it came back with a decent training plan, but I'm definitely going to revise the plan a little bit. Because my marathon time was 4:50, the SmartCoach program is projecting a 2:15 half-marathon, which is not what I want to happen.
Yesterday I followed the plan and did not run, instead I did some core exercises. That has been one thing I have not done at all - any abs, back, shoulders, arms, etc. This time I'm going to do it, and today I feel the burn. Pretty soon this 3-pack may turn into a 6-pack! Today was supposed to be 5 miles - 1 mile warm up, 3 tempo miles at 10:11 per mile pace, and 1 mile cool down. I tweaked that a bit. :-)
Mi 1 - 9:37.89
Mi 2 - 8:17.86
Mi 3 - 7:49.98
Mi 4 - 7:38.95
Mi 5 - 8:33.64
0.11 Mi 0:53.73
Total = 42:52.05
Those 3 tempo miles represent a 23:44 5K, which would be a PR for me - and I could still have gone faster. I was telling my wife that mentally something seems different about running now for me. When I was running those 3 tempo miles, though at times it was difficult, all I could think about was "at least it's not 26 miles!"
Yesterday I followed the plan and did not run, instead I did some core exercises. That has been one thing I have not done at all - any abs, back, shoulders, arms, etc. This time I'm going to do it, and today I feel the burn. Pretty soon this 3-pack may turn into a 6-pack! Today was supposed to be 5 miles - 1 mile warm up, 3 tempo miles at 10:11 per mile pace, and 1 mile cool down. I tweaked that a bit. :-)
Mi 1 - 9:37.89
Mi 2 - 8:17.86
Mi 3 - 7:49.98
Mi 4 - 7:38.95
Mi 5 - 8:33.64
0.11 Mi 0:53.73
Total = 42:52.05
Those 3 tempo miles represent a 23:44 5K, which would be a PR for me - and I could still have gone faster. I was telling my wife that mentally something seems different about running now for me. When I was running those 3 tempo miles, though at times it was difficult, all I could think about was "at least it's not 26 miles!"
Friday, January 15, 2010
First post-marathon run
All week I have been looking forward to running again. I knew because of the tightness and soreness that I needed to take a few days off, but I also really just wanted to get out there and move. Due to time constraints, I knew that today would really be the only day I could run, and God truly blessed me with an AMAZING day! Today it is beautiful and sunny, and WARM! 60 degrees!! I find it strange that I had to return to sunny North Carolina to warm up from icy Florida.
Today I went out to Waynesborough Park, which has a trail that snakes along the Neuse River. I haven't run this trail for quite a while, and I figured that it would just be nice to run out in the REAL animal kingdom. It felt like real trail running - mud, tree roots, animal tracks, and hills - lots of small hills. Still, it was awesome to be out there and it really felt good.
This weekend I plan on signing up for a couple of races that are coming up in the next couple of months. In February there is a half marathon in Morehead City that I had planned on running last year, but I was out of commission due to my stress fracture. There is another half marathon coming up in Raleigh at the end of March that looks pretty cool. I might as well take advantage of all the training I've done and keep this thing going!
Mi 1 - 9:00.17
Mi 2 - 8:40.41
Mi 3 - 8:56.89
Mi 4 - 9:12.67
Mi 5 - 8:41.04
0.22 Mi - 1:47.96
Total = 46:19.14
Today I went out to Waynesborough Park, which has a trail that snakes along the Neuse River. I haven't run this trail for quite a while, and I figured that it would just be nice to run out in the REAL animal kingdom. It felt like real trail running - mud, tree roots, animal tracks, and hills - lots of small hills. Still, it was awesome to be out there and it really felt good.
This weekend I plan on signing up for a couple of races that are coming up in the next couple of months. In February there is a half marathon in Morehead City that I had planned on running last year, but I was out of commission due to my stress fracture. There is another half marathon coming up in Raleigh at the end of March that looks pretty cool. I might as well take advantage of all the training I've done and keep this thing going!
Mi 1 - 9:00.17
Mi 2 - 8:40.41
Mi 3 - 8:56.89
Mi 4 - 9:12.67
Mi 5 - 8:41.04
0.22 Mi - 1:47.96
Total = 46:19.14
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Disney World Marathon 2010 Race Report
In December of 2008 I decided I was going to run a marathon in 2009. I had run a half-marathon in November of that year, and I really felt that I could do a marathon, so I began looking through Runner's World trying to determine exactly what marathon I would do. I began joking around with my family that if for whatever reason I couldn't do one in 2009, then maybe we could all go down to Disney and I would run that one in early January of 2010. Two stress fractures later, I was not able to run a marathon in 2009, so Disney 2010 it was. The marathon training program that I was following called for 16-weeks of training, however during the first week of the training I was still wearing a walking boot from my last stress fracture. Anyway, if you've been following this blog at all, there is no need for me to bore you with the details of the training.
I had heard so many great things about the Disney marathon. I had heard about the great entertainment along the course. I had heard about the fantastic finishers medal that you'd get. I had heard about how flat the course was. And best of all, I had heard about how in January you could go to Florida and run in warm weather in the middle of the winter!!! Yeah, it only happened to be the coldest Disney marathon ever run, with a starting temperature of 26 degrees!
My family and I planned on leaving for Florida last Thursday, but we actually got a little excited and went ahead and left Wednesday night and drove 5 hours down to Georgia. We all just couldn't wait to get down there. First thing we did when we got to Orlando was head straight over to the Wide World of Sports where we had to go to pick up my registration info and packet, and then got to walk through the Runner's Expo. I had heard it was a good idea to go early in the week, because the closer it got to the race, the more crowded it would get. I think whoever told me that lied. It was absolutely SLAMMED in the expo, and we could hardly walk anywhere. But it was really cool to be in the midst of that many idiots, umm - I mean runners, who were all there for the same reason. After we left the expo, we checked in to our resort (Disney's Caribbean Beach), and off we went to the Magic Kingdom. We spent all day Friday at the parks, and by the end of Friday I was beginning to have a new understanding of the word "cold." Saturday morning began with snow, changed to sleet, and eventually changed to rain. I can honestly say that I NEVER guessed I would see snow or sleet in Orlando, but sure enough it was there. My heart really went out to the people who were running the half-marathon on Saturday, because they had to run in that crazy stuff.
Saturday I was starting to be filled with nervous energy. I could NOT stay still. We hit Hollywood Studios early that morning (it was only light rain at that time), and were completely frozen and headed back to the room by 1:00 PM. The family was all tired and wanted to nap, but I just could not sit still, so I went off for an hour-long walk around the resort - just thinking about the race ahead. I had so many things running through my head, worried about what I would eat that night, what time I should go to bed, how many layers of clothes should I really wear to the race, etc. After my walk I probably should have settled into the room for a while, but no - I convinced the family to head out to Epcot for the night. I have no idea how many miles I ended up walking that day, but I would guess it was pretty close to the half-marathon distance.
When I got back to the room that evening, I began laying out all that I would need for the marathon. Because of the early start time, and the large number of participants (24,000 had signed up), Disney said you had to be on a bus leaving the resort no later than 4:00 AM to be able to be on time for the start. I got everything out, tried it on to make sure I was good to go, set my alarm for 3:15 AM, and went to bed. I think because I had been on the move so much that I was really able to sleep remarkably well - I was already worn out!
When the alarm went off, I got up no problem and quickly got dressed. As I went out the door of the resort, my first thought was "hey, it's not all that cold out here!" I was wrong - very wrong. I was wearing a base layer sleeveless shirt, an outer layer tech shirt, a sweatshirt, and a hoodie sweatshirt. Disney had said to wear layers and when you got hot you could take off a layer and throw it on the side of the road, and they would come and pick it up and donate it to a homeless shelter. I wore my outer layers planning on donating those, but things don't always go as planned. For my legs I had on a pair of shorts and running pants.
The bus ride over was really pretty cool. You knew that everyone getting on the bus was getting ready to experience the same thing you were, and there was great camaraderie. When we got to gathering area I was a bit overwhelmed. Port-a-johns for miles (or so it seemed)! There was a DJ and lots of bright lights that made you feel like you were at a dance club (though I didn't necessarily start dancing). I heard the DJ making all kinds of announcements of the "house" music, and one of the announcements was: "OK marathon runners! We need everyone to start making their way to the baggage check, because very soon we will start making our way over to the start!" I heard that announcement, and since my watch was several layers under all of my clothes, I just followed what he said, checked my bag, and realized I still had over an hour and a half to go before the start. :-( I walked around a bit, and talked to some random people, stood in line at the port-a-potties, and eventually just found myself sitting on the ground, balled up and cocooned with my outer sweatshirt stretched over my entire body - and I was shivering. I have a new appreciation for homeless people. I have NEVER been so cold in my entire life.
I think it was around 5:30 AM that they began making the announcement that we needed to start walking towards the starting line. It was about a 10-15 minute walk (at least) to the start from where we were, and it was hilarious to watch so many people who could no longer wait in the port-a-potty lines just run to the woods to take care of business. As we walked, you could really begin to taste the excitement in the air. At a race this big, they have you somewhat divided up according to you estimated finish time, and I was a little anxious as I had to walk past so many corrals to get to mine. And once I finally found where I was supposed to go, before I could even realize what was happening, fireworks were going off and the race had begun!
It was so crowded all you could do was go with the flow, as Crush would say in "Finding Nemo." It was a little slower than I wanted to run - I mean, I was still FREEZING!!!! I needed to get some blood flowing!!! About 5 or 6 miles into the race I began to notice what appeared to be frost on the shoulders and arms of the runners around me, and I really began to notice it on some of their hats. As I ran past one dude I saw ice on his beard, and I thought, "Huh! That's funny!" I thought it was funny until I reached up and realized I too had ice in my goatee, and my outer layers were also covered in ice. Our sweat was freezing, along with the condensation in the air, and it was an amazing site. We had to be careful at every water stop, because as people would drink the slush (because the water and PowerAid was freezing), they would spill or just drop some on the pavement, which would immediately freeze. They were trying to throw out salt and sand on the ice, but it still was treacherous at places.
Around mile 8 we were approaching the Magic Kingdom, and you could see to our left as some of the elite runners were already exiting the park. In other words, when I was at mile 8, some of them were already at mile 13.5. It was an amazing thing to see for me - just to realize how fast those guys really are. I joked with the people around me as we all watched them with amazement that those dudes were probably just looking at us, and we were making them jealous with how easy we were making it look. When I hit mile 13.5, I looked over, and all you could still see was people running to mile 8, and I realized I was THAT far ahead of so many other runners. It was a surreal feeling. My family was trying to get to Magic Kingdom in time to see me run through the castle, but I was SMOKING at that time, and they missed me. I had taken my phone in a special belt I had so that I could text and call her along the way so that we could be sure to meet up, and when I got a text from her telling me where they were along the road I was running, I just really began to get emotional. As I passed them and I heard them call out "Dad!", tears definitely began to flow because it became real that I was achieving something I really wanted to do. And that was only about halfway through the race!
I finished the first half of the race in 2:06, which is only 7 minutes off of my best half-marathon time. I knew I was probably going too fast, but I felt really good and I just wanted to keep going! It was not too long after that that I bonked. Hit the wall. Seriously hit the wall.
Below is the text messages that were sent back and forth from 8:09 AM to the finish.
Me: Hitting wall - started too fast.
Jennifer: U were making great time. Walk a little. U can do it!!!
At 9:35 I sent the following text: Hardest thing I have ever done. Hurt so bad. So disappointed. May have to walk to finish.
Her reply to me was just what I needed: So? U should feel proud to finish. It is hard! Boys said u can do it!!!
I could tell you about the horrible smells as we passed by the sewage treatment plant between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I could tell you about the people I saw fall. I could tell you about the amazing crowd support, and the awesome appreciation I have for all the Disney cast members who were out there early in the cold to encourage us. But above all, I'd rather tell about the strength that I was able to gain from the other runners. The way we would encourage each other, help each other, and just pull each other along was amazing. It didn't feel like it was something I was doing on my own - it was a giant body working together.
When I hit Epcot again at the end and I knew the finish was very near, everything changed. There was no pain, and I was not tired. All I knew was that I was about to do something that I was not even certain that I could do. And when I crossed the finish in 4:50, I knew I had met my goal of finishing within 4:30-5:00. And yes, I'm already wanting to run another. Come run with me!
There is so much more I could tell, but this is really long. Maybe I'll tell more in the next few days. I know I've got pictures I'll want to add, but for now I think that's enough. Thanks for all the encouragement and support!
I had heard so many great things about the Disney marathon. I had heard about the great entertainment along the course. I had heard about the fantastic finishers medal that you'd get. I had heard about how flat the course was. And best of all, I had heard about how in January you could go to Florida and run in warm weather in the middle of the winter!!! Yeah, it only happened to be the coldest Disney marathon ever run, with a starting temperature of 26 degrees!
My family and I planned on leaving for Florida last Thursday, but we actually got a little excited and went ahead and left Wednesday night and drove 5 hours down to Georgia. We all just couldn't wait to get down there. First thing we did when we got to Orlando was head straight over to the Wide World of Sports where we had to go to pick up my registration info and packet, and then got to walk through the Runner's Expo. I had heard it was a good idea to go early in the week, because the closer it got to the race, the more crowded it would get. I think whoever told me that lied. It was absolutely SLAMMED in the expo, and we could hardly walk anywhere. But it was really cool to be in the midst of that many idiots, umm - I mean runners, who were all there for the same reason. After we left the expo, we checked in to our resort (Disney's Caribbean Beach), and off we went to the Magic Kingdom. We spent all day Friday at the parks, and by the end of Friday I was beginning to have a new understanding of the word "cold." Saturday morning began with snow, changed to sleet, and eventually changed to rain. I can honestly say that I NEVER guessed I would see snow or sleet in Orlando, but sure enough it was there. My heart really went out to the people who were running the half-marathon on Saturday, because they had to run in that crazy stuff.
Saturday I was starting to be filled with nervous energy. I could NOT stay still. We hit Hollywood Studios early that morning (it was only light rain at that time), and were completely frozen and headed back to the room by 1:00 PM. The family was all tired and wanted to nap, but I just could not sit still, so I went off for an hour-long walk around the resort - just thinking about the race ahead. I had so many things running through my head, worried about what I would eat that night, what time I should go to bed, how many layers of clothes should I really wear to the race, etc. After my walk I probably should have settled into the room for a while, but no - I convinced the family to head out to Epcot for the night. I have no idea how many miles I ended up walking that day, but I would guess it was pretty close to the half-marathon distance.
When I got back to the room that evening, I began laying out all that I would need for the marathon. Because of the early start time, and the large number of participants (24,000 had signed up), Disney said you had to be on a bus leaving the resort no later than 4:00 AM to be able to be on time for the start. I got everything out, tried it on to make sure I was good to go, set my alarm for 3:15 AM, and went to bed. I think because I had been on the move so much that I was really able to sleep remarkably well - I was already worn out!
When the alarm went off, I got up no problem and quickly got dressed. As I went out the door of the resort, my first thought was "hey, it's not all that cold out here!" I was wrong - very wrong. I was wearing a base layer sleeveless shirt, an outer layer tech shirt, a sweatshirt, and a hoodie sweatshirt. Disney had said to wear layers and when you got hot you could take off a layer and throw it on the side of the road, and they would come and pick it up and donate it to a homeless shelter. I wore my outer layers planning on donating those, but things don't always go as planned. For my legs I had on a pair of shorts and running pants.
The bus ride over was really pretty cool. You knew that everyone getting on the bus was getting ready to experience the same thing you were, and there was great camaraderie. When we got to gathering area I was a bit overwhelmed. Port-a-johns for miles (or so it seemed)! There was a DJ and lots of bright lights that made you feel like you were at a dance club (though I didn't necessarily start dancing). I heard the DJ making all kinds of announcements of the "house" music, and one of the announcements was: "OK marathon runners! We need everyone to start making their way to the baggage check, because very soon we will start making our way over to the start!" I heard that announcement, and since my watch was several layers under all of my clothes, I just followed what he said, checked my bag, and realized I still had over an hour and a half to go before the start. :-( I walked around a bit, and talked to some random people, stood in line at the port-a-potties, and eventually just found myself sitting on the ground, balled up and cocooned with my outer sweatshirt stretched over my entire body - and I was shivering. I have a new appreciation for homeless people. I have NEVER been so cold in my entire life.
I think it was around 5:30 AM that they began making the announcement that we needed to start walking towards the starting line. It was about a 10-15 minute walk (at least) to the start from where we were, and it was hilarious to watch so many people who could no longer wait in the port-a-potty lines just run to the woods to take care of business. As we walked, you could really begin to taste the excitement in the air. At a race this big, they have you somewhat divided up according to you estimated finish time, and I was a little anxious as I had to walk past so many corrals to get to mine. And once I finally found where I was supposed to go, before I could even realize what was happening, fireworks were going off and the race had begun!
It was so crowded all you could do was go with the flow, as Crush would say in "Finding Nemo." It was a little slower than I wanted to run - I mean, I was still FREEZING!!!! I needed to get some blood flowing!!! About 5 or 6 miles into the race I began to notice what appeared to be frost on the shoulders and arms of the runners around me, and I really began to notice it on some of their hats. As I ran past one dude I saw ice on his beard, and I thought, "Huh! That's funny!" I thought it was funny until I reached up and realized I too had ice in my goatee, and my outer layers were also covered in ice. Our sweat was freezing, along with the condensation in the air, and it was an amazing site. We had to be careful at every water stop, because as people would drink the slush (because the water and PowerAid was freezing), they would spill or just drop some on the pavement, which would immediately freeze. They were trying to throw out salt and sand on the ice, but it still was treacherous at places.
Around mile 8 we were approaching the Magic Kingdom, and you could see to our left as some of the elite runners were already exiting the park. In other words, when I was at mile 8, some of them were already at mile 13.5. It was an amazing thing to see for me - just to realize how fast those guys really are. I joked with the people around me as we all watched them with amazement that those dudes were probably just looking at us, and we were making them jealous with how easy we were making it look. When I hit mile 13.5, I looked over, and all you could still see was people running to mile 8, and I realized I was THAT far ahead of so many other runners. It was a surreal feeling. My family was trying to get to Magic Kingdom in time to see me run through the castle, but I was SMOKING at that time, and they missed me. I had taken my phone in a special belt I had so that I could text and call her along the way so that we could be sure to meet up, and when I got a text from her telling me where they were along the road I was running, I just really began to get emotional. As I passed them and I heard them call out "Dad!", tears definitely began to flow because it became real that I was achieving something I really wanted to do. And that was only about halfway through the race!
I finished the first half of the race in 2:06, which is only 7 minutes off of my best half-marathon time. I knew I was probably going too fast, but I felt really good and I just wanted to keep going! It was not too long after that that I bonked. Hit the wall. Seriously hit the wall.
Below is the text messages that were sent back and forth from 8:09 AM to the finish.
Me: Hitting wall - started too fast.
Jennifer: U were making great time. Walk a little. U can do it!!!
At 9:35 I sent the following text: Hardest thing I have ever done. Hurt so bad. So disappointed. May have to walk to finish.
Her reply to me was just what I needed: So? U should feel proud to finish. It is hard! Boys said u can do it!!!
I could tell you about the horrible smells as we passed by the sewage treatment plant between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I could tell you about the people I saw fall. I could tell you about the amazing crowd support, and the awesome appreciation I have for all the Disney cast members who were out there early in the cold to encourage us. But above all, I'd rather tell about the strength that I was able to gain from the other runners. The way we would encourage each other, help each other, and just pull each other along was amazing. It didn't feel like it was something I was doing on my own - it was a giant body working together.
When I hit Epcot again at the end and I knew the finish was very near, everything changed. There was no pain, and I was not tired. All I knew was that I was about to do something that I was not even certain that I could do. And when I crossed the finish in 4:50, I knew I had met my goal of finishing within 4:30-5:00. And yes, I'm already wanting to run another. Come run with me!
There is so much more I could tell, but this is really long. Maybe I'll tell more in the next few days. I know I've got pictures I'll want to add, but for now I think that's enough. Thanks for all the encouragement and support!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
I did it!!!
26.2 miles in 4:50.57! Absolutely the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life - not even close. But as I saw on a shirt in the marathon - "Pain is temporary - pride lasts a lifetime."
I will post a more detailed account later, but we are off for a celebratory lunch!
I will post a more detailed account later, but we are off for a celebratory lunch!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Skiing 26
I know Disney has a water park called "Blizzard Beach," but who the heck would have thought we'd actually see anything even resembling snow down here?!? This morning it snowed and sleeted on the half-marathon, and I am so grateful that there is no precipitation called for tomorrow! My family I and went out to Hollywood Studios and had a blast before we finally were just too cold - it was great while it lasted, because there was not much of a crowd. We rode Tower of Terror and Rockin' RollerCoaster back to back several times with no wait at all - it was awesome!
I did get in a short run yesterday morning here at the resort. This place is really beautiful, even if it is cold. There was a loop around a lake that was just over a mile, and I ran that twice yesterday morning, and I really feel like I am as ready as I'm going to be. Because of the CRAZY amount of runners (24,000), they say I need to be on one of the buses from the resort no later than 4:00 (yes, that is AM we're talking about). It's supposed to be around 29 degrees at that time (yes, this is FLORIDA I'm talking about), so I'll be wearing several layers. One of the neat things about the Disney marathon is that whatever outerlayers you want to take off once you warm up, you just take them off and leave them on the side of the road, and Disney picks it all up and donates it to a homeless shelter. Needless to same, I plan on being generous tomorrow.
Today I got to see a bunch of people wearing their medals for finishing the half-marathon this morning. I made a point to congratulate each one I saw. I can't wait to get to wear mine tomorrow! :-)
Here are my splits from yesterday's run:
Mi 1 - 7:42.82
Mi 2 - 7:44.21
0.34 Mi - 2:37.54
Total = 18:04.57
I did get in a short run yesterday morning here at the resort. This place is really beautiful, even if it is cold. There was a loop around a lake that was just over a mile, and I ran that twice yesterday morning, and I really feel like I am as ready as I'm going to be. Because of the CRAZY amount of runners (24,000), they say I need to be on one of the buses from the resort no later than 4:00 (yes, that is AM we're talking about). It's supposed to be around 29 degrees at that time (yes, this is FLORIDA I'm talking about), so I'll be wearing several layers. One of the neat things about the Disney marathon is that whatever outerlayers you want to take off once you warm up, you just take them off and leave them on the side of the road, and Disney picks it all up and donates it to a homeless shelter. Needless to same, I plan on being generous tomorrow.
Today I got to see a bunch of people wearing their medals for finishing the half-marathon this morning. I made a point to congratulate each one I saw. I can't wait to get to wear mine tomorrow! :-)
Here are my splits from yesterday's run:
Mi 1 - 7:42.82
Mi 2 - 7:44.21
0.34 Mi - 2:37.54
Total = 18:04.57
Monday, January 4, 2010
Nervous excitement
It's safe to say that I'm getting pretty excited about this weekend. It's also pretty safe to say that I'm getting pretty nervous about this weekend. As much as I feel that I am prepared for this, there is always that twinge of doubt that underlies it all. This whole marathon "taper" thing has been frustrating, but I guess because it just goes contrary to the way I've done most things in my life. Like most things, there is always preparation before you do something such as take a test, however the closer you get to the test, the more you prepare (late night study sessions, extra reading, etc). However, with the marathon taper, the closer you get to the event, the less you do. I understand the logic of this, because you want to be "healed" up and fresh on the day of the event, however it still feels like I should be doing more.
All that said, I went out and did something I haven't done much of lately - run on back to back days. I have tried to not to run on back-to-back days because of the wear and tear on your body, plus the 2 stress fractures that I had earlier this year. But I was really just feeling like I needed another run in. As it stands, after today's 5 mile run, I'll run 3 miles on Wednesday, at least 1 mile on Friday (at Disney!), and then 26.2 on Sunday. Once again, this was another FROZEN run - holy crap it's cold out there!
Mi 1 - 8:59.99
Mi 2 - 8:43.1
Mi 3 - 8:46.54
Mi 4 - 8:46.75
Mi 5 - 8:28.08
Total = 43:44.46
All that said, I went out and did something I haven't done much of lately - run on back to back days. I have tried to not to run on back-to-back days because of the wear and tear on your body, plus the 2 stress fractures that I had earlier this year. But I was really just feeling like I needed another run in. As it stands, after today's 5 mile run, I'll run 3 miles on Wednesday, at least 1 mile on Friday (at Disney!), and then 26.2 on Sunday. Once again, this was another FROZEN run - holy crap it's cold out there!
Mi 1 - 8:59.99
Mi 2 - 8:43.1
Mi 3 - 8:46.54
Mi 4 - 8:46.75
Mi 5 - 8:28.08
Total = 43:44.46
Sunday, January 3, 2010
ONE WEEK!!!
Not that I'm too excited or anything, but the Disney World Marathon is now only 1 week away! The running bug bite me today, and I just had to go get in a short 4-mile run in. It felt really good - even though it was much colder than I would have preferred. The wind was REALLY blowing, and I ran past 2 time and temperature signs - one said it was 34, and the other said it was 32. Looks like any run I get in this week is going to be like that. Also looking at the forecast for Orlando, it will be a little warmer, but not a whole lot. Right now the forecast for next Sunday a high of 57, but a low of 37. Considering the race begins around 6:00 AM (and that I'm supposed to be at the race start area around 4:00 AM), sounds like it might be a cool/cold start to the morning. Maybe this week is just the thing to get me ready!
Remember, if you want, you can sign up for the runner tracking and you'll receive texts or emails automatically either when I finish or all along the race course (there will be a timing chip on my shoe that will communicate with sensors along the course, and then that info will be sent out to those who are tracking). If you are interested in tracking me, click here.
If you're just curious about the race course and some of the reasons I wanted to run it, follow these links and you can see some of the videos about parts of the course:
The Start and Epcot
Magic Kingdom Park
Disney's Animal Kingdom Park and Hollywood Studios
The Finish Line and Epcot
OK - here are my stats for today's run:
Mi 1 - 8:37.61
Mi 2 - 8:22.58
Mi 3 - 8:21.75
Mi 4 - 8:20
Total = 33:41.94
Remember, if you want, you can sign up for the runner tracking and you'll receive texts or emails automatically either when I finish or all along the race course (there will be a timing chip on my shoe that will communicate with sensors along the course, and then that info will be sent out to those who are tracking). If you are interested in tracking me, click here.
If you're just curious about the race course and some of the reasons I wanted to run it, follow these links and you can see some of the videos about parts of the course:
The Start and Epcot
Magic Kingdom Park
Disney's Animal Kingdom Park and Hollywood Studios
The Finish Line and Epcot
OK - here are my stats for today's run:
Mi 1 - 8:37.61
Mi 2 - 8:22.58
Mi 3 - 8:21.75
Mi 4 - 8:20
Total = 33:41.94
Friday, January 1, 2010
5 down, 995 to go
A week and a day away from the marathon - not that I'm counting it down or anything. It was last year at this time that I really began considering doing a marathon, as my goal for 2009 was to complete one. Unfortunately, 2 stress fractures derailed that plan, but not by much. I remember last year at new years talking with my wife and sister-in-law about the Disney World Marathon as a possibility, and we all thought how much fun that sounded, and now we're this close. I don't know if I'll ever run another after this one - I hope so, but we'll see. I am planning on a couple of half-marathons in the spring, but first things first - marathon on Jan. 10. One of my goals this year is to run 1,000 miles. To be honest, that really isn't much of a goal, considering in 2009 I ran 461 miles (remember: 2 stress fractures!). Well, to get to 1,000, today I began with some speed work/intervals that totaled 5 miles. I ran a warm up mile, then ran an 800M, jogged 800M, and repeat two more times, followed by a cool down mile. Though I wasn't running for my mile times, I'm still pretty pleased considering how much I felt like I slowed down the half mile after the faster half.
Mi 1 - 8:30.13
Mi 2 - 7:55.93
Mi 3 - 8:05.75
Mi 4 - 8:15.84
Mi 5 - 8:43.27
Total = 41:30.92
Mi 1 - 8:30.13
Mi 2 - 7:55.93
Mi 3 - 8:05.75
Mi 4 - 8:15.84
Mi 5 - 8:43.27
Total = 41:30.92
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