Seven Weeks (50 Days) To Go:
I know, I know, I know - you've all been thinking "Yup, NOW this feels like a normal PTR by Keels!" Well, guess what ... I'm back with an update!
By The Numbers:
0: Days Until FP+ Day
50: Days Until the WDW Marathon Expo
54: Days Until the WDW Marathon
114.1: Total Miles run by the four of us over the course of four days
#SquadGoals:
What's everyone up to this week?
ME: I'm back in Texas after a three-week stint in Florida, and I'm just plugging along with my training while enjoying this beautiful Texas weather. My alternative plan seems to be working out, for the most part. I'm about a minute off pace-wise where I'd like to be, but that's OK. I'm allowing myself not to worry about pace at this point and just keep building up aerobic endurance and making sure I can get my long runs in. Ideally, I'd be back around a 12:00/mile (that's what I was training at back when I was training for Chicago), but I'm hovering right around 13:00/mile. I'm also taking it PRETTY easy, because I just want to get runs done and avoid the injury bug that seems to be JUST HANGING AROUND ME all this year. I'm also doing more active recovery after my runs, more stretching and resistance work than I'd done previously. And I've added in 30 minutes of core strength workouts daily - I use an app called SWORKIT for on-demand workouts on my iPhone that I can mirror to a TV via Chromecast - and so far, I can tell they may be helping?
The real big difference for me is I'm ONLY focusing on mileage for my weekly long run. Everything else (including bike rides) are 100-percent time based. For example, today was 35 minutes running followed by 90 minutes biking. NO EXCEPTIONS. Tomorrow will move up to 45 minutes running, 120 minutes biking, Wednesday will be 60 minutes of running, Thursday will be 90 minutes of biking, Friday will be back to 35 running, 90 biking, and Saturday will be this week's "long run" - which is only four miles since it's a step-back week. And on Sunday? On Sunday, we rest because Sunday FunDay. If by my 12-mile week I feel like my long runs are struggling, I'll scrap this plan and pick up the Higdon Dopey plan from that point to the 18-mile week (which should still be the week BEFORE Dopey as I'm planning on no taper). While I'd ideally love to be faster, I'm more focused on setting myself up for long-term success. So, if that means I'm doing Dopey at a consistent 12:00-13:00/mile, so be it. I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be corralled in H for the Half/Full this time (or, at worst, I), which is a big jump from where I was for my first Dopey (L), thanks to a pretty stellar 10-miler I had towards the end of last year during my Dopey training. Plus, the goal of Dopey THIS time around is "HAVE ALL THE FUN. ALL OF IT." So, things are looking great! Remember what I said about that injury bug, though ... keep reading and you'll understand.
M: Has been running with a local running group that is training for our local marathon in February (same weekend as Princess), so she's been attempting to do her long runs with them, but usually hits some frustration point. This past Saturday, she was slated to run 16 miles with the training group. The coach has instructed her to run at more of 11-12:00/pace during her training runs ... and she's been trying to do that, but it's been really frustrating to her. This week, by around Mile Six, she'd had enough and broke away from the pack to finish on her own. Around Mile 12, she was feeling a little soreness in her knee/IT area - but a quick stop for a 30-45 second stretch, and she was back to feeling good. 16 miles completed, in a 10:27 pace. Her longest run yet! She's going to be a Marathoner in NO TIME! Speaking of Marathoners ...
B: So, shortly after finishing the Chicago Marathon, I got to meet up with B and her husband at WDW for some F&W Couple fun! It was great to see her as we hadn't had a chance to see each other since September (the weekend BEFORE
Disneyland Half). After returning from Disney, B was set to head to Barcelona for a week-long work trip. Unfortunately, she caught my "stumble bug" and ended up tripping and falling on a mountain run the day before she was set to leave Barcelona. The results? A pretty gross gashed-up knee. But because B #NeverEverQuits, she still ran a 10-miler this past weekend ... and PR'd. Because, really? She's such a show-off. Her husband even finished top-3 in his age group! She's taking a little time off before the St. Jude Half Marathon in December, which will feature a PR effort. And then it's time for Goofy! So, if you thought B's fall and knee bust-up was bad, well, here's the worst update I have to post ...
S: So, if you had been paying attention to the "By The Numbers" up top - you're either thinking "Wow, Keels TOTALLY hates math" or you got the feeling that something was wrong. Well, here it is: S is officially out for her pursuit of Dopey. Non-displaced heel fracture. Walking boot for 6-8 weeks. She's currently trying to keep up with her fitness via spin to make the Disney portion of the trip even happen, but it's not looking real great at this point. Cue sad trombone.
My Favorite Things
(One in an occasional series of my favorite things about WDW Marathon Weekend!)
7. The Walt Disney World 10K Course
Dopey 2016 was my first time to run any of the "traditional" WDW courses - and I use "traditional" since Marathon Weekend and Princess Weekend share the same course layouts for all three courses, and now the new W&D 10K uses a very similar 10K course. So, lotta crossover on these courses.
Anyway. The Friday of Dopey was my first chance to experience the 10K course - and while I mentioned above how much I LOVED it (despite the pouring rain and slippery conditions), I thought I might go into it a little bit more on the "why" I loved this race.
Personally, I think my racing "sweet spot" is the 10K distance. I take a while to get mentally "in to" a run and a race - I mean, it can range anywhere from a mile to three miles before I fall into a groove and get in the right mindset. So, in a 10K, even if it takes me three miles to get in a groove, it's a mental obstacle passed where I can tell myself "OK - feeling good. Let's kickass for the second half and get to the end." ... and in most cases recently, it's worked!
Also, I like the openness of the first three miles of the 10K course, along with how "naturally" the mile markers occur.
Let's take a look at the map above, shall we?
The first mile is straight out and through the parking toll booths at Epcot (Watch Your Speed, runners!!), before taking a sharp hairpin turn and up the overpass on Epcot Center Drive. Again, this is still a pretty wide stretch of real estate to get into a groove, with VERY little camber to worry about depending on where you run along the road. Mile Marker 2 comes up on you pretty quickly, and if you're a runner like me, you like to know where you stand amongst the field - this is a GREAT point to see where you stand. You'll likely still be able to see later corrals heading through the Toll Booths.
For Dopey, I started in Corral E (of F) for the 10K. For Princess, I was in D - so, pretty much the same situation. In both races, passing the Toll Booths from above was the "benchmark" I needed to mentally settle in to the race and focus on getting to the finish line.
If there is a mile that sucks of the 10K, it's the Mile heading in to Mile Marker 3. It's more highway ... but the payoff happens.
You cross the 5K mat through a Cast Member entrance backstage of Epcot, and you run straight towards the backstage loop of Test Track (on nice weather days, the cars are running and you can hear the "WOOSH!" sound as they race by), and then you bust into a beautiful illuminated World Showcase right next to Norway. And who doesn't like running through the World Showcase when it's all lit up, right? Exactly!
But then here comes my FAVORITE MILE of any WDW race I've ever done. That's right - I said it! Favorite. WDW. Mile.
I love Mile 4 of the WDW 10K that covers the bulk of the Epcot Resort area. Why? Here goes. I don't think I've been very shy about reasons why I prefer DL races to those at WDW - I really love the "local race" aspect of Disneyland Races, and that is in large part to the sheer number of citizens that post-up in their neighborhoods and along the streets of Anaheim. For me, as a runner, I'm really fueled by spectators and their vocal support - I know it's going to be blasphemy for me to say it as a card-carrying #DisneyRunner, but I would trade the character stops for throngs of cheering fans and fun signs in a heartbeat ... it's just what I love to see on a run!
And the awesome part of the WDW 10K is that the location affords an easy and accessible place for spectators, at a particularly crucial mileage-point during the race.
So, in this case, in the pouring rain, the Boardwalk through by the Swolphin and then down past Yacht & Beach was just LINED with people cheering, clanking cowbells, high-fiving, you name it. And - at that moment - I thought that if they could wake up early and STAND IN THE RAIN FOR HOURS cheering, then I could run my best and hardest for them. And, so I did! Fastest RD mile to date!
The Mile 5 marker is right by the Shipwreck in Stormalong Bay, and RunDisney does NOT disappoint with everything they pack into the last mile of this course. You go backstage right before the entrance to the World Showcase - and that will likely have your last hydration stop of the race - but when you pop back out, you're by the Land Pavilion (they had the Soarin' music playing, because who doesn't love Soarin'???), and the you race down by The Seas before going under the Innoventions underpass and then ... #BlessedBall! Under the shadow of the ball and then straight on to the finish line.
Pretty much the most perfect RunDisney course ever constructed, I mean, in my opinion!
I'm only planning to truly race one race this Dopey time, and weather-permitting I'm going to truly race this 10K and see if I can best not only my RD 10K PR, but also my personal 10K PR.
So, there you have it. I'm Keels, and I LOVE the WDW 10K course!
Next Week: I'm Thankful to be a #DisneyRunner
Yikes! 
Can't wait to do it again!!
