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

[SarahDisney]

Yay! You're alive! And very busy... I'm getting exhausted just reading about everything you have going on.

In terms of the runDisney experience ... yes, it's awesome, and personally, I loved it. But I think you need to go in there with managed expectations. I went into my first runDisney race assuming that it would be the greatest thing ever and I was let down a bit by the experience. You have more race experience (including some big races and some destination races) than I do, so I think you'll be better at knowing what to expect, but just make sure you're being realistic about what to expect.
I think that if you go in there with the right mindset, the weekend will be amazing and you'll love it, and hopefully it'll help bring your motivation back. But remember that it probably won't be perfect ... but few things ever are. I'm sure you'll have a great time, and I hope that when you get back from California your motivation will be at an all-time high!

 

[Keels]

Yay! You're alive! And very busy... I'm getting exhausted just reading about everything you have going on.

In terms of the runDisney experience ... yes, it's awesome, and personally, I loved it. But I think you need to go in there with managed expectations. I went into my first runDisney race assuming that it would be the greatest thing ever and I was let down a bit by the experience. You have more race experience (including some big races and some destination races) than I do, so I think you'll be better at knowing what to expect, but just make sure you're being realistic about what to expect.
I think that if you go in there with the right mindset, the weekend will be amazing and you'll love it, and hopefully it'll help bring your motivation back. But remember that it probably won't be perfect ... but few things ever are. I'm sure you'll have a great time, and I hope that when you get back from California your motivation will be at an all-time high!

Tell me about it! AND I just remembered that we're slated to go to the lake with friend's for a big birthday bash this weekend.

I'm afraid my dogs are going to start remembering who I am!!

As for Disneyland, I think I'm just ready to be there, do the races and spend quality time with my family and friends and their little who has never been to DL (she's 7 - about to turn 8, so man ... this is going to be SO fun).

I was joking with my husband today and it really, frankly, is the truth - at this point, I need to "train" more for waking up at 3:30 in the morning than I actually need to do the race. #NightOwlProbz

 

[LSUlakes]

Glad to see you posting again. Looks like you have a lot of exciting things going on as well. Glad to hear your making a trip to NOLA. Depending on your schedule, you can try to meet up with the Varsity sports group to get your long run in on Saturday. As it gets closer to your trip you can look them up and check out the calendar for where and when they will be running. The original location is here in Baton Rouge and the people are great. They host runs with no charge from various place around time with different goals for the weekend run and some midweek runs. When the marathon training groups get going they have large numbers show up with people who can run a 2:30:00 marathon to 6:00:00 runners. Anyway, good luck and enjoy your trip.

 

[SarahDisney]

Since I don't remember when you're leaving (and I've been having a hard time finding DIS time lately anyway), I wanted to stop by early to say good luck with the races and have a great trip! I hope you really enjoy your time at Disneyland and the runDisney experience!

 

[Keels]

Since I don't remember when you're leaving (and I've been having a hard time finding DIS time lately anyway), I wanted to stop by early to say good luck with the races and have a great trip! I hope you really enjoy your time at Disneyland and the runDisney experience!

Awwww, thanks sweet Sarah! I just finished packing, so I think I'm pretty much as ready as I'll ever be! I leave in just 48 short little hours, but who is counting, right??

 

[LSUlakes]

Awwww, thanks sweet Sarah! I just finished packing, so I think I'm pretty much as ready as I'll ever be! I leave in just 48 short little hours, but who is counting, right??

Done packing with 48 hours to is impressive. I don't take long to pack, and probably spend more time on packing running stuff that I will wear one day, then I spend on all my other stuff. I guess I could pack all I needed in less than 2 hours. Now, my DW would continue packing and adding till we both get in the car to leave. Then she will remember something we left behind, so we turnaround and add even more stuff. We end up only using ~ 50% of items packed.

Anyway, a little sidetracked... so how are you feeling about the upcoming race?

 

[Keels]

Done packing with 48 hours to is impressive. I don't take long to pack, and probably spend more time on packing running stuff that I will wear one day, then I spend on all my other stuff. I guess I could pack all I needed in less than 2 hours. Now, my DW would continue packing and adding till we both get in the car to leave. Then she will remember something we left behind, so we turnaround and add even more stuff. We end up only using ~ 50% of items packed.

Anyway, a little sidetracked... so how are you feeling about the upcoming race?

Packing is such a funny thing. Back when I was in the working world, I was on the road A LOT. Pretty much three weeks a month, from Sunday after brunch through late Friday. I would wait to pack until when I woke up on Sunday morning and could easily do it in 15 minutes before we'd head out to meet friends for brunch.

This time was pretty easy - I have two "gear bags" from previous races at the very top of my suitcase (one with my two running outfits and two sets of shoes, the other with my "Race Essentials" - Honey Stinger Waffles for breakfast, Gu Chews, SpiBelt, meds, KT Tape, extra safety pins, etc.), and then my Stick and clothing for the rest of the weekend (two pairs of Chucks, a pair of Reef sandals, a couple of sundresses and cropped cardigans, a couple of shorts, my swimsuit and my Texas Rangers jersey for the game on Saturday!). Toiletries (just the minimum - special sunscreen, MaxFreeze, spendy face wash) and makeup bag always go in my big tote. The "gear bags" are just in case TSA at DFW won't let me carry-on my bag with The Stick. I can just go back, pull the two "gear bags" out and stuff them in my tote, check my rollerboard and be on my way.

The thing you learn about traveling so often is that if you forget something, you can always buy it elsewhere. Sure, the up-charge may be a couple dollars more, but I've never had to replace something that was up-charged more than the cost of checking a bag.

Anyway ... on to the race!

I'm feeling pretty good. My plan is to hit the gym for one last decent run tomorrow after I take my husband to the airport. I'm shooting for 6 miles because I want to see how my "carry" knee acts when I wear a neoprene compression sleeve/brace on it versus KT Tape. I tweaked it a little bit when I fell off my bike a few weeks ago, and while I haven't noticed any pain while running, I have noticed twinges of pain when I do things like sit down-to-stand up and at night when I've tried to find a comfortable sleeping position. It's probably more IT band than knee itself, so I've been focusing a lot of time daily on rolling out my IT band with The Stick (hence why that little buddy is coming with me this trip), but I got the compression sleeve brace and have been sleeping in it at night and have found immediate comfort.

My plan is to take the 5K pretty easy and make sure I get the pictures I want, etc. For the half, this may be a dumb idea, but I'm planning to go with a pretty conservative interval for the first 6.5 miles (either 90 secs/30 secs or even 60/60) and then try to "speed it up" once we get way outside of the parks and it seems like the course will open up a bit.

Should I have hit training a little harder in the last six weeks than I have? Absolutely. And I know that. But - this is going to sound like a cop-out - the July 4th fall and following three weeks I was down really screwed with me mentally. Yeah, a lot of it was self-pity, but what followed was a lot of fear. I mean - it's not just me running this weekend, and it's not just me going on this trip. There's a lot of money already spent on this weekend across three families and ... well, I was really afraid of getting seriously injured where I couldn't compete at all and it was too late to defer.

Not that I needed any justification for how I did my training (you know, the whole "listen to your body" thing), but, man - it seems like almost hourly there is a person on one of the groups on FB for this weekend posting that they hurt themselves and need to swap bibs or sell bibs since they can't defer. I'm just glad that's not me.

Will I hit my ultimate time goal? Doubtful. Will I run a great race and have a great time and a super-fun weekend? Absolutely.

OMG. What a "War and Peace"-length post! My bad.

#KeelsConfessionSession

 

[LSUlakes]

Packing is such a funny thing. Back when I was in the working world, I was on the road A LOT. Pretty much three weeks a month, from Sunday after brunch through late Friday. I would wait to pack until when I woke up on Sunday morning and could easily do it in 15 minutes before we'd head out to meet friends for brunch.

This time was pretty easy - I have two "gear bags" from previous races at the very top of my suitcase (one with my two running outfits and two sets of shoes, the other with my "Race Essentials" - Honey Stinger Waffles for breakfast, Gu Chews, SpiBelt, meds, KT Tape, extra safety pins, etc.), and then my Stick and clothing for the rest of the weekend (two pairs of Chucks, a pair of Reef sandals, a couple of sundresses and cropped cardigans, a couple of shorts, my swimsuit and my Texas Rangers jersey for the game on Saturday!). Toiletries (just the minimum - special sunscreen, MaxFreeze, spendy face wash) and makeup bag always go in my big tote. The "gear bags" are just in case TSA at DFW won't let me carry-on my bag with The Stick. I can just go back, pull the two "gear bags" out and stuff them in my tote, check my rollerboard and be on my way.

The thing you learn about traveling so often is that if you forget something, you can always buy it elsewhere. Sure, the up-charge may be a couple dollars more, but I've never had to replace something that was up-charged more than the cost of checking a bag.

Anyway ... on to the race!

I'm feeling pretty good. My plan is to hit the gym for one last decent run tomorrow after I take my husband to the airport. I'm shooting for 6 miles because I want to see how my "carry" knee acts when I wear a neoprene compression sleeve/brace on it versus KT Tape. I tweaked it a little bit when I fell off my bike a few weeks ago, and while I haven't noticed any pain while running, I have noticed twinges of pain when I do things like sit down-to-stand up and at night when I've tried to find a comfortable sleeping position. It's probably more IT band than knee itself, so I've been focusing a lot of time daily on rolling out my IT band with The Stick (hence why that little buddy is coming with me this trip), but I got the compression sleeve brace and have been sleeping in it at night and have found immediate comfort.

My plan is to take the 5K pretty easy and make sure I get the pictures I want, etc. For the half, this may be a dumb idea, but I'm planning to go with a pretty conservative interval for the first 6.5 miles (either 90 secs/30 secs or even 60/60) and then try to "speed it up" once we get way outside of the parks and it seems like the course will open up a bit.

Should I have hit training a little harder in the last six weeks than I have? Absolutely. And I know that. But - this is going to sound like a cop-out - the July 4th fall and following three weeks I was down really screwed with me mentally. Yeah, a lot of it was self-pity, but what followed was a lot of fear. I mean - it's not just me running this weekend, and it's not just me going on this trip. There's a lot of money already spent on this weekend across three families and ... well, I was really afraid of getting seriously injured where I couldn't compete at all and it was too late to defer.

Not that I needed any justification for how I did my training (you know, the whole "listen to your body" thing), but, man - it seems like almost hourly there is a person on one of the groups on FB for this weekend posting that they hurt themselves and need to swap bibs or sell bibs since they can't defer. I'm just glad that's not me.

Will I hit my ultimate time goal? Doubtful. Will I run a great race and have a great time and a super-fun weekend? Absolutely.

OMG. What a "War and Peace"-length post! My bad.

#KeelsConfessionSession

Its your thread, you can make it as long or a short as you want! That's why its here isn't it? To talk to like minded people who understand what it is you are going through and do not think you are crazy for thinking the things you think of in regards to everything that is running... Type away my friend!

I hate to fly, not because of the actual "flying" part, but because I am 6'-5" and well its just uncomfortable. When I must, I fly. Glad you are going into the race healthy and I am sure you will do fine. Hope you have great weather and a good time. Let us know how you do!

 

[Keels]

Its your thread, you can make it as long or a short as you want! That's why its here isn't it? To talk to like minded people who understand what it is you are going through and do not think you are crazy for thinking the things you think of in regards to everything that is running... Type away my friend!

I hate to fly, not because of the actual "flying" part, but because I am 6'-5" and well its just uncomfortable. When I must, I fly. Glad you are going into the race healthy and I am sure you will do fine. Hope you have great weather and a good time. Let us know how you do!

I can totally understand your heigh pains, for sure! One of my closest friends from childhood is the same height as you and he always gets mad when he sees I get an exit row.

 

[Keels]

Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend
So, I decided to go to Disneyland and run TWO races over a holiday weekend. Here's what happened:

Preview: The Highest Highs and the Lowest Lows
Day 1: Leaving on a Jet Plane
Day 1 Continued: Radiator Springs or Bust!
Day 2: You Say EX, I Say PO ... EX-PO, EX-PO!
DANCE BREAK: New, Shiny Things Update!
Day 2 Continued: Meet-Up, Anniversary Party ... and the Night Before 5K
Day 3: 5K - my very FIRST runDisney Race!
THOUGHTS: The 2015 Disneyland 5K
Day 4: Parks Day and Baseball, Baby
Day 5: Half Marathon, Here I Come!
Day 6: Relaxation and ... Napa Rose Chef's Counter
Day 7: I Really Have to Go Home Now?

Also, just a warning ... this report is going to be a whole lotta words and very little pictures. I just realized I got focused on so many other things, I didn't take a ton of pics! Oh wells.

 

[Neoflynn]

Good luck this weekend @Keels cant wait to hear all about it!!!!

 

[Keels]

Good luck this weekend @Keels cant wait to hear all about it!!!!

Thanks, @Neoflynn!! I'm so beyond excited!!!

-------

And in a travel update - IDK what the deal is with American Airlines, but I'd been watching flights (I bought my ticket with points months and months ago), and not only had the price for the outbound dropped dramatically (I'm talking you can still buy a one-way ticket from DFW for TOMORROW for $68!), but pretty much EVERY flight between here and SoCal opened up as a points flight for no charge.

I'd already moved my flight earlier once (from early Thursday morning to late Wednesday night). So, imagine my surprise when I go to check in for my flight tomorrow and see that I can change it again to pretty much ANY flight non-stop tomorrow.

A quick phone call to Get Sports to upgrade my Mom's ticket to add an extra day so I can take the single-day ticket we'd previously purchased for my Dad who now won't be making the trip, and NOW I'm on a flight that lands at LAX at ... 1 p.m. tomorrow!!!

I plan to have Dole Whip in hand and be making my way to Radiator Springs Racers by 3 p.m.! GAH!

Disneyland, here I come!!!!!!!

 

[SarahDisney]

Yay!

Think of me while you're on RSR .... I miss that ride!

 

[FFigawi]

Will I hit my ultimate time goal? Doubtful. Will I run a great race and have a great time and a super-fun weekend? Absolutely.

Having a great time is usually more important than hitting a time goal

 

[roxymama]

@Keels I'm so excited right now which is funny because I'm sitting at my desk right now which is the opposite of being there. But it is fun to live vicariously through you and all the other Disneyland runners this week. I am going to go stalk the thread for the race weekend at lunch because that sounds like more fun than staring at spreadsheets.

Good luck! Have Fun! And sparkle!

 

[dancingtodisney]

Hey @Keels!
I commented back when you first started but I've just now read through your journal. WOW you have done so much over these last few months...

It sucked to read about your injury and the struggle you had around that time but delighted to hear that you're in much better spirits now!

I completely understand the 'Fear' that you are talking about, I had a bit of a bad patch a few weeks ago, I've been having some issues with my right quad and it's put me out of training here and there and then I had a 10k run that was super hot and just horrible and I was feeling super stressed and panicked about the whole thing. When you've got other things to think about like your friends and family travelling to see you or running for a particular cause it can be quite stressful when you start having doubts. Like others have said Dopey is still quite a way away. I think I was prepared for the physically side of this training but I don't think I expected it to be as mentally challenging. Anyway I thought you'd like to know that there are others here with the same fear and I'll be routing for you!

I'm really excited to read about your trip!

 

[Keels]

Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Recap: Preview
The Highest of Highs, The Lowest of Lows

Hey y'all!

I just got home about two hours ago from California, and the whole race weekend experience is still just sinking in.

Honestly?

It was ...

AMAZING.

It was everything - and more! - than I hoped for when I first told my girlfriends last November that I wanted to run this race. Sure, I could have put out a better showing in the half (I've narrowed it down to three factors that were part of that - one was COMPLETELY out of my control, one was completely my fault and one was ... well, I'm not really sure there's any blame to be assigned there, it was just part of the whole deal).

Around Mile 9, something happened that forced me to really face all of my fears, my doubts, my self-consciousness, everything and REALLY tested my inner fortitude and strength. Oh - and did I mention that this was on the trail portion of the half-marathon course? On a gravel trail so similar to where I took my big fall back in July?

I won't tell you what happened - you'll have to wait until I write up that part of this trip review - but I promise you that I did not fall! I didn't even hurt myself!

Fear has been a big thing with me lately. It's one of those emotions that's so intimate and personal, I don't think it can really be expressed enough for another person to understand the depths of it.

I was really afraid of getting hurt again, after my running fall and my bike fall. The thought that after all of the training, and all of the money spent, that I wouldn't be able to run any of the races this weekend - it would be just devastating to me. So, I went into what I call 'Bubble Mode'. No running outside, no bike riding, nothing significant that could keep me from the races.

The Fear was so big, it caused a pretty dumb rift between the husband and I. In his eyes, I was a "non-running runner" that "only cares about medals". And of course, I could understand - because at that point, I was afraid to even walk the dogs down the street. It's amazing how paranoid you can become when there is such a price tag already attached to a dream you have.

But, I did it. I ran two races in one weekend. I spent WAY more time in the parks than I should have. I learned more about myself, and I realized that I'm faster than I think, tougher than I thought and stronger than I knew.

So - thank you, RunDisney. Thank you, Disneyland.

And, most of all --

Thank you, Walt.

 

[girliea]

I can't wait to read the trip review! Your posts on FB and instagram were GREAT! Honestly I thought I would be so jealous seeing the pictures that you and Ariel posted, but I just enjoyed reading your updates and just pulling for you to finish these races....and waiting for more great pics!

Thanks for sharing! I am so glad that you were able to face your fear and do these races. And hurry up with the review!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

I am really late to this awesome party, but finally caught up on the thread! Congrats on all your accomplishments and victories. Looking forward to reading more because I'm also going Dopey (and my first marathon) and Pixie Dust next year!

Can't wait to read more about DLH.

 

[Keels]

Giveaway Time!

While you wait (patiently) for me to finish up my Trip Report from Disneyland (I've got the first couple of days written - just want to review before I post!), I'm going to host a little Giveaway Fiesta here on my training journal!

As most of you know, my journey was initially supposed to end with my running of the Disneyland Half Marathon. Of course, over the course of my training, things changed and my goals became more far reaching. And, honestly, I could never even begin to think of those dreams if it wasn't for the support I received here on these boards!

So, I've decided that I'm going to "pay it forward" by gifting out items that were very important to me in my training!

What YOU have to do is easy! Just comment after this post and tell me what item you're interested in, your size (if applicable!) and how it will help your training for YOU to accomplish your ultimate goal! Easy peasy, right? I'll let this go through the week and then I'll contact the giftees for contact information.

Don't want to comment because your goals are personal? That's cool - you can also email me at diskeels@gmail.com!

Anyway ... let's see what goodies I've got to share (also, these items will all be new, in packaging and in your size unless specified):

Garmin Forerunner 10 (used): This was my FIRST EVER running watch. I got it for "Mother's Day" from my dogs, so obviously it has some sentimental value to me. The Forerunner 10 is a great entry-level GPS watch, and I've loved it during the time I've used it. It's basic, so it just tracks your runs - it does not track steps or other activity outside of the running activity you start. It also has a great alarm, can do interval alerts and also has a Virtual Pacer function that I really liked during my training runs. This watch is all black, so it goes with everything! The silicone band is incredibly comfortable - I would often wear it all day and sleep in it (because of the alarm). I'll be sending along a Garmin charging cradle as well.

Keels' Favorite Snack Pack: All of these items are fuels and supplements I've grown to love while training. This little pack includes:
- Gu Chews (Watermelon Flavor)
- Clif Shot Blocks (Mountain Berry)
- JellyBelly SportsBeans (Mixed Flavors)
- HoneyStinger Waffle (Vanilla)
- NUUN (Mixed Berry)

SOCKS!: Man, who knew socks could really make or break you?? I will send 1 (one) pair of Feetures! Ultra Light No-Tab socks and 1 (one) pair of Pro Compression Marathon socks in your size.

Hydration Belt: THIS little pal was such a help during my long training runs. I will send you a FuelBelt Revenge2 two-bottle hydration belt. I also love this belt because it has a roomy pouch for fuel, and a wide and comfortable velcro closure.

Recovery Shoes: So, I have TWO favorites that I will offer up to two different people.

First - my daily sandals are Sanuks. These bad boys are structured from the same material as yoga mats.
Second - and these are new to me, but they're AMAZING. Oofos. I love that they help adjust your gait so you don't put stress on already tired joints.

Apps: I found that RunKeeper Premium was my favorite run tracking app, and Spotify has been my favorite streaming music system. I'll send you a gift card for your app store (iPhone or Droid) to cover trials of these premium app for three (3) months!