12 Months of Medals: My 2015 (And Beyond!) Running Challenge

[Dis5150]

I'm pretty terrible at this, but just for fun...
The one piece of advice I'd give someone is to not measure themselves against anyone else and do what works for them. Each person is different and their process, progress, and results will be different.

This! I have such a hard time not doing this. Especially on the event boards. It's no one's fault but my own - you guys are all awesome and so supportive! But when I see people's awesome times I start getting down on myself, thinking I am lacking somehow, since I can't run fast at all. I want my running to be an accomplishment for ME, not a comparison to someone else. Thanks, @SarahDisney for the reminder!

 

[Dis5150]

That's What Friends Are For ...

Yesterday, I got one of the sweetest gifts a gal could ask for.

After secretly talking to my Mom (behind my back!) and arranging things with her husband, one of my BFFs (Dr. S for those who read this journal!) will be coming out for Florida to support my Dopey Challenge.

S came out to cheer me on and watch me finish (very slowly, by the way), my first half marathon in March. As a doctor/physical therapist, she was originally concerned about the strain and wear & tear that training and Dopey would take on my body. But she knows me. And she knows that once I get an idea in my head, not a damn thing on this planet will stop me from accomplishing that goal.

She was originally planning to come out Wednesday and was going to buy a bib and do both the 5k and 10k with me, but after talking with my Mom, she's going to fly in the night before the Half so we'll have a little time together before I call it a night before the half (I figure the night before the 5k and the night before the half will be my two 'late' nights - like 10 p.m. bedtime or so), and be there to support me during the Half and the Full.

THEN. Because my Mom is a freaking-amazing-rock star-Best Mom in the World, the three of us will be going on a short celebration cruise leaving the Tuesday after marathon weekend! She thought I'd be ready for some laying around in the sun, some spa time and some cocktails with my favorite girls.

I can't wait.

Currently, my plan is to go into the parks after the 5k and full for indeterminate amounts of time. For the half, we're going to do a nice brunch and then keep it low-key so I can get my mind right and my body ready for the last leg of the Challenge.

S hasn't been to WDW since she was in college (she was lead twirler for the TCU band!), so I'm excited for her to explore it with me as an adult.

Thinking about doing an early dinner at either California Grill or Citrico's the evening of her arrival, though I'm also tempted to take her in to EPCOT to have dinner at one of the countries and maybe see Illuminations (it was at 9 p.m. last year). I think I can pull that off if I head back to the house after the 10k, have a nice brunch and then relax/nap/hang out in the pool for the majority of the day.

Also, thanks to my parents, I'm working with Disney Dining to see if we can get a couple of tables reserved at Cava del Tequila post-full marathon for a celebration of all my DisFriends running Marathon weekend. Once I get that locked down, I'll let everyone know details!

Keels, that sounds so fantastic! Your mom IS awesome!

 

[Neoflynn]

After secretly talking to my Mom (behind my back!) and arranging things with her husband, one of my BFFs (Dr. S for those who read this journal!) will be coming out for Florida to support my Dopey Challenge.

That is so awesome, I have a friend who's become one of my best running buddies (we hold each other accountable even though our schedules don't always match up to be able to run together) Who actually came and ran the 5k and cheered me on at my first half and then sprung it on me a couple weeks before marathon registration that she was going to register for the half and come cheer me on at the full.....I swear there is no better motivation than a good group of friends who support your craziness LOL

 

[Keels]

This! I have such a hard time not doing this. Especially on the event boards. It's no one's fault but my own - you guys are all awesome and so supportive! But when I see people's awesome times I start getting down on myself, thinking I am lacking somehow, since I can't run fast at all. I want my running to be an accomplishment for ME, not a comparison to someone else. Thanks, @SarahDisney for the reminder!

I was in the SAME place mentally, too! I felt like I was trying so hard and I just wasn't getting any better. But the peeps around here remind me all the time that it's MY race, and it's MY finish - regardless of where it is. Finishing is the most important thing!

Keels, that sounds so fantastic! Your mom IS awesome!

Yeah, she's pretty super awesome. I'm a lucky gal!

That is so awesome, I have a friend who's become one of my best running buddies (we hold each other accountable even though our schedules don't always match up to be able to run together) Who actually came and ran the 5k and cheered me on at my first half and then sprung it on me a couple weeks before marathon registration that she was going to register for the half and come cheer me on at the full.....I swear there is no better motivation than a good group of friends who support your craziness LOL

That's so awesome!!! And you're so right - the motivation because people believe in your crazy goals is the best motivation!

 

[Keels]

I may have tweaked my knee today.

I'm currently laid up with ice on my knee, and strong eyes holding back tears.

 

[SarahDisney]

I may have tweaked my knee today.

I'm currently laid up with ice on my knee, and strong eyes holding back tears.

Ouch! I hope it ends up just being a minor tweak that can be fixed with a few days rest and nothing major.

 

[Neoflynn]

may have tweaked my knee today.

I'm currently laid up with ice on my knee, and strong eyes holding back tears.

Im no doctor but Ice and Rest should have you back up and at it in no time, as long as its not a serious isssue

 

[Dis5150]

I may have tweaked my knee today.

I'm currently laid up with ice on my knee, and strong eyes holding back tears.

Ugh! I'm sooo sorry! I know just how you feel.

 

[Keels]

Update: I don't think it's anything serious (cursory investigations by my doctor friends think it's probably patellar tendinitis ...). So, I've got some serious time planned with ice and a foam roller on my IT band. Blergh.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Update: I don't think it's anything serious (cursory investigations by my doctor friends think it's probably patellar tendinitis ...). So, I've got some serious time planned with ice and a foam roller on my IT band. Blergh.

That's good news - take it easy until you are recovered. Better to risk being slightly undertrained than risking an entire running season to injury.

 

[Keels]

Woke up feeling pretty great today, so I bit the bullet and went ahead and ran the 10k. (DON'T ANYONE YELL AT ME!!!)

The Good: I finished, and finished strong! My fastest mile (3-4) was one of the fastest I've run in a race situation. No pain during or after the race, so that was a bonus!

The Bad: Oh man, was it HOT. Like, surface of the sun hot. And this was at 7:45 in the morning. The rain and having to train inside has really put my conditioning for the elements behind where it needs to. So, now my runs of all distances will go back outside. If only we had our normal gradual increase to 90 degrees. Nope, thanks to the rain, we went from three-plus weeks of constant rain and 60-70 degrees straight into sunny, humid and 90.

 

[Neoflynn]

Woke up feeling pretty great today, so I bit the bullet and went ahead and ran the 10k. (DON'T ANYONE YELL AT ME!!!)

The Good: I finished, and finished strong! My fastest mile (3-4) was one of the fastest I've run in a race situation. No pain during or after the race, so that was a bonus!

The Bad: Oh man, was it HOT. Like, surface of the sun hot. And this was at 7:45 in the morning. The rain and having to train inside has really put my conditioning for the elements behind where it needs to. So, now my runs of all distances will go back outside. If only we had our normal gradual increase to 90 degrees. Nope, thanks to the rain, we went from three-plus weeks of constant rain and 60-70 degrees straight into sunny, humid and 90.

No yelling here but I'm not your doctor

I would take the no pain during or after as a good sign, my knee likes to act up on me every once in awhile but its literally only when I run, I can walk and not feel anything but as soon as I run there it is luckily its not painful or anything just some mild discomfort but I can usually deal with it

I totally feel you on the heat we are dealing with that here in Georgia as well seems like we nearly skipped spring and went right to summer, I struggled with my 9 mile training run on Saturday as it was upper 80's with pretty good humidity too, here's hoping your body adjusts well to it

 

[Keels]

No yelling here but I'm not your doctor

I would take the no pain during or after as a good sign, my knee likes to act up on me every once in awhile but its literally only when I run, I can walk and not feel anything but as soon as I run there it is luckily its not painful or anything just some mild discomfort but I can usually deal with it

I totally feel you on the heat we are dealing with that here in Georgia as well seems like we nearly skipped spring and went right to summer, I struggled with my 9 mile training run on Saturday as it was upper 80's with pretty good humidity too, here's hoping your body adjusts well to it

Knee still feels good today! Did a little "quick" two miles outside just to stay loose.

The three of us that ran the 10k are doing the Disneyland Half in September (husband has done one half, but this will be M's first half) and the heat really pummeled all three of us. So, we're forcing ourselves outside for training for the time being to condition for the heat. If we can handle it here, then it should be no problem in Anaheim in September.

My real issue yesterday was not so much the heat or humidity, it was that there was ZERO shade. So even though it was in the low 80s and there was a nice breeze at times, sometimes I still felt like my skin was sizzling like bacon. I just don't know how to combat that other than wearing long sleeves. Yikes.

Up next is the Jalapeño Half in two weeks. My friend B placed first in our age group in the race last year (she's the "elite" of our running group). I'm not expecting much from that one other than a really cute medal.

I'll work on a race recap and my next week of training when I'm hanging at the pool today.

Happy Sunday FunDay!

 

[Keels]

Training Talk: DLH Week 6, W&D Week -5ish, Dopey Week -4ish
Weekly guide to my training!

The Countdown: 88 Days until Disneyland; 150 Days until Wine & Dine; 211 Days until Dopey

So, the start of the "fun season" of training hit with a vengeance this weekend. And by "fun", I mean not fun.

Going in to this quest, I always knew that the summer months would be a real force to be reckoned with and would require conditioning just to be able to survive the elements. I don't mind being hot. I don't mind being in the sun. BUT, I also thought I'd have most of the month of May to physically prepare for training in the heat. I definitely didn't expect Mother Nature to rain down all the rains on North Texas during the whole month of May. To put this in to perspective - practically the entire state of Texas went from being in a four-year-long state of EXTREME drought to being drought-free in just three short weeks. Here in Funkytown, my little neighborhood alone has had over 30 inches of rain since May 1.

I've put the miles in, but really set my conditioning back by running on a Dreadmill in a nice, chilly, climate-controlled environment.

The other thing to contend with - May showers bring ... June mosquitos! Like, all of the mosquitos. I run in my neighborhood and in different sections of our large river and trail system. And even yesterday, almost two weeks removed from the last serious bout of rain, there are still large swaths of land with standing water. The ground is still pretty saturated and the water just has no where to go. Our lakes are overflowing. Oh - and there's been really no wind either, so those little beauties are just stagnant and teeming with bugs as well.

I'm now having to layer the sunscreen with insect repellent just to get in a little 3-mile training run. Talk about feeling gross.

Anyway. Enough of my complaining - on to the important things!

This Week's Training Plan:
While I'm technically training and prepping to train for both the Disneyland Half and the Wine & Dine Half, the ultimate goal is Dopey. Each week, I will post my scheduled training as dictated by a hybrid Dopey Training schedule I've created combining elements of Hal Higdon's Dopey Training and Jeff Galloway's Dopey Plan.
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3+ miles/45 minutes
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: 3+ miles/45 minutes
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 7 miles
Sunday: Cross-Training
Notes: This week, I'm planning to slow it down with a 1/1 interval for my runs outdoors. For the 10K the previous Saturday, I went with 2:30/1 and ... while I definitely felt the heat was a strong player in my need to take a little longer on the walk breaks, I think ultimately the 2:30/1 or even possibly 3/1 will be my best intervals for longer races. I've got two weeks to really work on my conditioning in the heat before the Jalapeno Half.

Recipe of the Week:
During the week, the husband and I try to eat lean protein and vegetables, with a minimal amount of carbs and little-to-no processed food. Each week, I'll highlight a recipe that I made and enjoyed that meets that criteria.

Shrimp and Avocado with Marie Rose Sauce
I first started making this dish when I received a copy of Jamie Oliver's "Ministry of Food" cookbook. It was the British version, so making the conversion from metric measurements was ... nice? Fun? OK, not really. This is the best replication of the recipe (it's also apart of the U.S. version of the cookbook, now titled "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution", if you're interested in checking it out). I choose not to flour my shrimp and instead just saute or even bake the little shellfish delights. This recipe is really great for cooking solo (which I'm doing this week), and last-minute as it features most things that I generally have in my pantry and fridge/freezer at all times. I could easily eat shrimp and avocados every day for the rest of my life and be a happy gal.

What's New?
Part of this week's training will be done on the road - literally! I'm heading up to Cleveland this week to meet up with my husband who is covering the NBA Finals for week. I love going for runs in new cities, especially my first morning there, to help me get a real feel of where things are. Luckily, we usually stay in hotels that are in nicer downtown areas with walking access to everything (since I don't like to drive in a city I'm not familiar with).

I'm going to do Wednesday's 5-miler here in Texas, but Thursday and Saturday's runs will be done in East Coast time!

This Week's Motivation/Inspiration:
"You DO have a choice. You can throw in the towel or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face."

This Week's Question:
Other than shoes, what's your favorite OR most important piece of attire or equipment for you during races and training?

 

[FFigawi]

This Week's Question:
Other than shoes, what's your favorite OR most important piece of attire or equipment for you during races and training?

My shirt. No one really wants to see my fat belly bouncing around while I run.

 

[SarahDisney]

Summer training is definitely a killer sometimes. We've had a lot of variety in weather over the past few weeks so I've also had a little trouble acclimating ... nothing as bad as what you've had, though.
You just have to keep going and figure out how to make it work for you.

This Week's Question:
Other than shoes, what's your favorite OR most important piece of attire or equipment for you during races and training?

Probably my phone ... I don't know how people ran pre-GPS, and I don't think I could run without my music.

 

[Keels]

Probably my phone ... I don't know how people ran pre-GPS, and I don't think I could run without my music.

SO - this is a great opportunity to pass along a funny story.

One of my closest guy friends trained for and ran his first marathon in 1996. He would do his training runs with a portable tape deck strapped to his hand and every so often, he'd have to stop to pop the tape out and flip it over.

The best part? He had to run wearing a fanny pack with extra tapes in it for long runs! And here my biggest concern is finding the right belt that works for me to carry my keys and ID and fuel on long runs. I can't IMAGINE running with a tape CD or a Discman.

 

[Neoflynn]

This Week's Question:
Other than shoes, what's your favorite OR most important piece of attire or equipment for you during races and training?

For me its absolutely my socks, I have weird feet (long story short my toes curl under each other) and wearing normal socks would cause me to get cuts on my toes where one toe would rub into the other while I ran, then one of my friends suggested toe socks and I found these awesome socks

I literally cant run in anything else now...they do feel a little different at first but once you get used to it you don't even notice them anymore and they are great for running even if you don't have weird feet like me as there probably isn't a better sock out there for blister prevention check them out here if you are interested http://www.injinji.com/

 

[Keels]

For me its absolutely my socks, I have weird feet (long story short my toes curl under each other) and wearing normal socks would cause me to get cuts on my toes where one toe would rub into the other while I ran, then one of my friends suggested toe socks and I found these awesome socks

I literally cant run in anything else now...they do feel a little different at first but once you get used to it you don't even notice them anymore and they are great for running even if you don't have weird feet like me as there probably isn't a better sock out there for blister prevention check them out here if you are interested http://www.injinji.com/

It's like you read my mind! I was going to ask about those this week and see if anyone was using them. I follow Injinji on Twitter and was ready to bite the bullet and try a pair, if I knew someone who used them and liked them.

I'm thinking that with my two different feet, these may be what I'm looking for!

 

[cavepig]

I wear Injinji socks & love them! I have the lovely toes that curl under each other too, the toe next to my pinky toes would get squished and blister before I found these socks! I have to get the midweight for the extra cushion. I noticed a couple of my pairs that were about a year old had gotten tight in the toe area as my toes were falling asleep, so I'm assuming they shrunk a bit over the year, so some new fresh pairs were bought.