Confessions of a reluctant runner, a DL 1/2 & PHM PTR. 7/5 race recaps and final thoughts

[fairymum]

following along, I am on a similar journey. My brain WANTS to run. My body, not so much. Excited to read your story!

 

[MEK]

following along, I am on a similar journey. My brain WANTS to run. My body, not so much. Excited to read your story!

I can totally relate to this!!!!! Especially when I try to go out for a run before work and my coffee hasn't even kicked in.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

You said you have no business starting another PTR/TR and I have no business subbing on another one, but here I am! I know I won't keep up, but I do want to pop in here and there for sure.

I'm so happy you have found a new satisfaction with your fitness level. I tried running with my track star friends once in high school - 5 am which is NOT by best time of day, and one practice and I was DONE! Worst morning of my life. Now I'm just happy if I get to water aerobics twice a week.

I am impressed with what you've done and looking forward to seeing you finish what you've started!

 

[pooh'smate]

Joining in. I am a reluctant runner also.

 

[chattadisser]

Hi Cynthia! Long time reader, mostly lurker.

I loved reading your back story to running. Especially the part about people’s perception of others and their fitness level.

I was always athletic growing up, competitive swimmer and gymnast. Then, as time and kids seem to do, my activity level went down and my weight up. I decided a few years ago that I wanted to run a half marathon. Just so I could say I did it. I didn’t tell anyone either, much for the same reasons that you did – pace, tempo runs – what the heck??? I ran the Princess Half in 2012 and the WDW Half in 2014. I can’t say that I enjoy running but it does seem to keep the weight at bay and I do feel better afterwards! But, back to perception, because I don’t have a runners body, I often get the look of “yeah, sure you’ve run half’s” when I tell people. Of course, I just want to challenge them to go run then, knowing that I am more fit than they probably are even if they are skinnier!

I’m glad you joined all of us who convinced ourselves to try running just so we could get one more trip to Disney. I’ve ran other races and while they have all been good, I refer to Disney as the concierge of courses, you’ll never have to worry about not having hydration or medical care on the course.

I can’t wait to read more!

Christine

 

[eandesmom]

I am here! Shows you how far I am behind that I didn't even realize you started a PTR!

Ann!

Ha, not at all! I got it up and then didn't have time to send out a bat signal or even a link. LOL!

I just felt like I was talking about my own stuff way too much on my other TR and yours too!

I simply love your intro! I think that it is PERFECT. I mean... it is a disney trip but there is so much more behind it. I find that my intros are like a lot of people have . "yep, I love disney...going to disney.. bla bla bla." This intro was so full of substance. You have had quite the journey and you should be so proud of yourself!

Back at you.

following along, I am on a similar journey. My brain WANTS to run. My body, not so much. Excited to read your story!

Yeah, my body is often not overjoyed. Then again sometimes my brain argues and the body is fine. Go figure!


Happy to have you here!

I can totally relate to this!!!!! Especially when I try to go out for a run before work and my coffee hasn't even kicked in.

I can NOT run that early. Which means the DL half will be VERY interesting.

You said you have no business starting another PTR/TR and I have no business subbing on another one, but here I am! I know I won't keep up, but I do want to pop in here and there for sure.

Tammie!

You know me, it won't move all that fast.

I'm so happy you have found a new satisfaction with your fitness level. I tried running with my track star friends once in high school - 5 am which is NOT by best time of day, and one practice and I was DONE! Worst morning of my life. Now I'm just happy if I get to water aerobics twice a week.

Yeah, I decided back then to let my track star friends do their thing without me. It's interesting. I"m running now, because I didn't then. They all have injuries now from long term running...and are doing other things. Go figure. Can't win.

I am impressed with what you've done and looking forward to seeing you finish what you've started!

Thanks!

Joining in. I am a reluctant runner also.

! So happy to have you here.

Hi Cynthia! Long time reader, mostly lurker.

Hi and Christine!!!

I loved reading your back story to running. Especially the part about people’s perception of others and their fitness level.

I think many people struggle with this in one way or another. Bottom line is that no one likes being judged no matter what that judgement is.

I was always athletic growing up, competitive swimmer and gymnast. Then, as time and kids seem to do, my activity level went down and my weight up. I decided a few years ago that I wanted to run a half marathon. Just so I could say I did it. I didn’t tell anyone either, much for the same reasons that you did – pace, tempo runs – what the heck??? I ran the Princess Half in 2012 and the WDW Half in 2014. I can’t say that I enjoy running but it does seem to keep the weight at bay and I do feel better afterwards! But, back to perception, because I don’t have a runners body, I often get the look of “yeah, sure you’ve run half’s” when I tell people. Of course, I just want to challenge them to go run then, knowing that I am more fit than they probably are even if they are skinnier!

Skinny doesn't mean anything when it comes to fitness level. That comes in all shapes and sizes. I work with a guy who is a tank. He is training to run an Ultra. His first half was at DL. You would not look at him and go "oh there is a runner" and yet he may well average a half a month, a full every other. He could run me into the ground and I don't mean just based on his size! Looks mean nothing and I really wish people would get that.

I can't say I enjoy it either, at least not all the time. There are moments certainly when I do. Moments I despise it. The bulk are more like it's a job I need to go do. Which isn't any different than hitting the gym. Either way, I feel better afterwards! SO that part yes, I do enjoy a lot.

I’m glad you joined all of us who convinced ourselves to try running just so we could get one more trip to Disney. I’ve ran other races and while they have all been good, I refer to Disney as the concierge of courses, you’ll never have to worry about not having hydration or medical care on the course.

Well I wouldn't say that I convinced myself to try running so I could get another trip. I felt like I had to to it regardless. But if I was going to do it anyway and could leverage more trips, it certainly lessened the pain!

I'm not looking forward to the massive corrals and super early start. I have heard nothing but amazing things about the on course support so that is exciting (not that I've ever had a bad experience, luckily).

I can’t wait to read more!

Christine

Thanks!

 

[eandesmom]

I am a planner.

Those of you who know me, know that. It extends beyond trips into pretty much all aspects of my life, both work and personal. In fact, this thank top was a gift from my family as a thank you gift for planning our NYE trip.



It cracks me up!

Give that, it should come to no surprise that when I decided I was going to have to start running, I applied my normal over analyze, research to death, forge ahead all in kind of approach.

To start I looked at couch to 5K plans. Truth be told just the name bugged me. I wasn't on the couch. But...I read over and over and over that new runners shouldn't overdo it, that most people do and that it was critical to start slow. Reading the plans though, I couldn't get into the idea. I looked at couch to 10K plans. I wanted an app that would tell me what to do.

I downloaded at least 4

During this time the weather started to get nicer. Jeff and I went for some power walks. One thing quickly became very clear.

I needed new shoes.

Mine were probably 10 years old. I'd been wearing them only to the gym so I really hadn't noticed any issues since I wasn't using them for anything with impact. When we'd hike, I had shoes for that. Zumba and bike, I had specific shoes for each. Running. Not so much.

I looked into shoes. They were a pretty big topic for most and having good ones seemed critical. I have a few foot issues so figured it was worth it to go to my local running store and get "fitted". Fitted in my case ended up including some custom molded inserts and new socks.

It was not a cheap trip.

After that, I HAD to start, even if the Hawaii trip was almost a month away.

And so I did.

On April 28, 2013 I ran a whole mile. Not a very fast mile, but a mile nonetheless. Now I say that I've never run before, that I always refused to and that is not 100% true. I had run 3 miles, twice prior to this. My son Evan was training for his first black belt test in Tae Kwon Do. Part of that test was a 3 mile run. He needed to practice running that far. So I did it with him. Being the adult jerk I was...I didn't want my 10 year old kicking my behind. He did of course but I managed to come in around 30 minutes.

He passed his test.

Meet DS Evan



2 years later when he went for his 2nd degree international one, I did another training run with him. His shoe fell off and he just kept going. "I can’t stop Mom!" I can’t imagine where he got that from!

He really doesn't look like this any more but it's fun to see



That was the year he broke his hand at his black best test but that’s a story for another day.

That was my baseline. Two 3 mile runs, the most recent being 2 years prior.

That mile I ran on April 28 was nowhere near the pace I'd pulled off trying to beat my kid. I tried again on May 2nd. Both times I attempted a run/walk ratio suggested by one of the apps I'd downloaded. It made me crazy. And cranky. For a person used to a solid 30-60 minute workout, the idea of running 2 min, walking one or even running 5, walking 1-2 made me nutty. I could not handle the start/stop nature of it. The shoes...gave me shin splints.

They went back. We tried a different pair.

I stuck with the couch to 10k plan, but skipped ahead a few weeks. Which totally felt like cheating but darn it, if I was giving up a gym night, eating a late dinner to get it in, darn it I wanted a workout. The 2nd pair of shoes gave me immediate calluses.

They went back too.

And then we went to Hawaii. I didn't run there. I did hike. I did some crazy steps







And came back home VERY sore and realizing I really needed to build up some muscles in some different areas as I was awfully imbalanced.

I started "running" again. But I was frustrated. I joined a FB group for DVC runDisney runners. Got some advice that changed my whole journey.

It really was ok to toss it all out and just run. Even if everyone said not to.

A suggestion was made for me to look into the "experienced" runner training programs that Jeff Galloway, the official trainer for runDisney had. It had never occurred to me to look at those, I wasn't experienced at all. But, for some reason, the structure of those plans, fit me so much better. For one thing, they were simpler.

Run a total of 3 times a week. Cross train 2, if you like, or not at all. On two of the running days, run a set amount of TIME, not miles. On the third day, do a longer run. Somehow, this was very freeing to me. Even though at that time my first race wasn't in sight and PHM 2015 was very very far away, I decided I would use the Tower of Terror 10 mile experienced runner "finish in the upright position' plan as a starting point. A longer race plan didn't make sense to me, I didn't need to run that far any time soon! His schedule does call for interval training and something called a magic mile. Frankly, I decided to ignore it. I wasn't officially training for anything. I just wanted a workout. There is nothing wrong with it, and a ton of people have huge success with it. I just wasn't interested. I stuck with it and slowly the miles crept up and the pace crept down. I learned a lot of things.

I learned that my contact allergies (spandex, lycra, elastic, neoprene, etc) were going to be an issue while running and what seemed to be a cheap sport at first glance, really wasn't going to be for me. A lot of emails to manufacturers and a fair amount of cash later, I slowly figured out what I could wear that didn't irritate my skin too much.

I learned that the GPS on my phone and in my area is really bad and if I wanted to really track stuff, I needed a sports watch. So I bought a cheap one when I stumbled across a great deal. It has its limitations but gets the job done most of the time. I also learned that while I often didn't love the actual running part, I enjoyed getting a bit better each time and sharing that time with my husband. I enjoyed our new routine.

By the end of August I realized something else. I wanted a reward sooner than the PHM in 2015! I had also realized, at the time, that the timing of Princess seemed pretty difficult for me from a training perspective. Really though it was about having something sooner rather than later. Folks were registering for things and well, I wanted to be part of it! So I set my sights on the Disneyland Half. I had really wanted my first race to be at WDW to be honest. But when pencil hit paper and dates attempted to line up with other things in my life like work and vacations, none of the 2014 ones really worked out and if I didn't do those, then I might as just well wait for Princess in 2015. The DL half though was another story. On a holiday weekend, during summer, it was easy. From where I live I can do it in a weekend. I can do it, and thanks to the fact that we had an unexpected spring trip there, I can do it without feeling guilty that I'm not taking my kids. That's important. I love my kids. However. I don't really want them there when I run my first half. That sounds weird I am sure. Perhaps it sounds selfish. It is. I want good sleep. I don't want to be tempted to overdo it in the parks because of things they want to do. I also didn't want to take a ton of vacation time and for DL, I don't have to. As I thought it made more and more sense. The only part that didn't?

Anaheim in August is hot.

Jeff used to live in Long Beach. His position was NO WAY JOSE. Or more accurately, better you and than me! He supported it, just had less than zero interest in going himself.

But hey, I told myself. I'd run in Denver in August! Ok maybe I almost died but still, I lived! This would be as hot but at least it would be at sea level. And yeah, it'd be more than twice as far as I had ever gone distance wise, but hey, I had time to train, right?





We had a hot summer here last year and on the day of the DL half, seeing just how brutal it was, going for my own 4.5 mile run and melting it gave me slight pause. Still. I wanted my first half to be a Disney race. Chatting with a few others, a loose plan of who might go with me started to form.

That meant I'd need to run a local race first. I would need a "proof of time" or I could end up in the last corral. Corral placement is a big deal in big races. Big meaning 16,000 +/-. If you are in an earlier corral, you start sooner with less people. Less likely to get trampled or caught in a traffic jam. The later, the bigger they are and the more congested. Disney races aren't especially fast by nature compared to some. There are characters to stop and take pictures with and a lot of folks who walk the entire course. It’s a first half for a ton of folks. While I wasn't uber fast, I wasn't exactly slow either and I knew I'd be frustrated at the back. So I signed up for what appeared to be a fast and easy 10K, at the end of October hoping to secure a nice middle of the pack corral placement time. Fall is a busy work season for me and keeping up with training was hard. I managed to run even when I was away on trips, both for work and for fun!

San Francisco on a short date trip to see the America’s cup



Hawaii for work



Believe it or not, that’s not sweat, its liquid Sunshine!

Chicago, also for work, though somehow I can't find those pics!

Acclimating to running in the rain was an adjustment too and of course, meant more $$ for wet weather gear I wasn't allergic to.

When race day came I was full of nervous energy.

It was cold

It was raining

Apparently the combination of all of that, with the pressure of getting a proof of time, served me well.

My first official race photo, ever



Yeah, I didn't buy it.

Luckily my PT group was a sponsor and they took one of the two of us!



It was an amazingly fast race for me. Results I've not come close to duplicating. Which frankly is mildly concerning but it is what it is. It did give me that POT I was looking for, a much better one than I could have ever hoped for. Overalll, it was exciting and the entire event was fun. Great food after at the race itself, and then we went out for breakfast, all kinds of fun things and even more neat to share it with Jeff.

Work sped up and winter training took a hit on the miles. Though I do have a watch, and an app I use to track my runs in my heart I’m a spreadsheet gal. Many of you know this. Thus it will come as no surprise that I track this stuff in excel.

December. Not so good.



But hey, I ran on vacation!



Twice actually but didn't really get a picture on the 2nd run. Now that it was a new year (insurance wise) I splurged and got real running glasses. Thanks to my dry eye, I can’t wear contacts. I can’t stand things not being clear and I really need to protect my eyes from the wind. Plus I wanted them for for my next race. A 15K. This seemed to me a logical next step. Except....thanks to some work trips, I was having a hard time getting to that mileage level before the race. This was complicated by a truly scary episode of Frozen Shoulder that completely sidelined me for a couple of weeks. Thankfully, due to a great Orthopedic Doc, a lot of massage and yep, more stupid stretches, I unlocked it and got back to work. I finally made it to the magic 9 mile distance, one week before the race. It was a perfect day and for the first time, really truly felt like a perfect run. My first official runners high. The weather was perfect, the miles felt great, the pace was pretty darn decent. I was a happy happy girl and Jeff and I celebrated it with a stop at the nearby brewpub for what we fondly refer to as "beer on a stump".



The problem with running 9 miles a week before a race of that distance is that if you've never done it before, then proceed to do your “normal” weekday runs, your legs might be a bit tired.

And the weather might be crummy

You might in fact have 35 mph headwinds, rain, and a hill at the end.

Which means your finish might look like this

(thanks Ann!)





Sigh. Completely passed by 2 older guys. Darn Canadians (the race was near the border and it was a FAST uber competitive one, a 15K and a 30K).
Yeah. The video was worse. LOL! You know you have those images of how you think you look when you run…and then how you really look!

It was fun. Kind of. And kind of not. It was a drive, a lovely night out as we stayed up there at a resort the night before, and the sun came out after the run.



We had a lovely lunch after.

It was not the best race experience. Not the worst but certainly not the high of race #1. Or of the 9 mile run the week prior. My heart wasn't in it the same way and I wasn't sure if it was just me, or the fact I’d overdone it prior to the race.

I also felt, after the race, like I had a pulled adductor. Not fun. I added a bunch of different stretches into my cross training, worked on some new stuff at PT and that (so far) has seemed to fix it. As long as I keep doing it.
I kept plodding along with the training, but no serious long runs scheduled. The next race would be in April, a 12K. All I wanted to do here, was do better than I had at the 15K and not injure the adductor

Which I managed!

It was a super fun run and very re-energizing for me. Gorgeous weather, rolling hills and I felt good and strong. Plus in addition to Jeff, I ran it with friends! I'd never run any part of a race actually with someone at my same pace, that was cool.





Meet Ann aka annmareida here on the DIS (ok many of you know her already lol). She is my travel partner for the DL half, my sounding board on so many running things and really has been an amazing source of support and inspiration throughout this journey. We met through the DIS. We actually almost met through another DISer several years ago, Ann just recently pieced it together. We live (in the scheme of the DISworld) relatively close to one another and have been able to meet up a few times for coffee in addition to this race. My IT band acted up for the first time after this, and I added yet more (different) stretches to my routine. This was the biggest race I'd ever done, about 4,000 people and I learned a lot about dodging folks at the start to try and break away from a crowd. That had little to no pacing assigned to it which did cause issues, especially at the start. Poor Jeff somehow missed the first wave, then the 2nd (which we were in) and Ann and I were pretty surprised to see him fly by us around the 1st mile marker.

After this, more training and an Easter Spring Break at the Happiest Place in the world…west coast style! My son Marched down Main Street on Easter Sunday. Before we watched that, I managed to run on the beach after sunrise service!



It was hot. My first official test DL run. LOL!

While I was there I decided I needed a bit more formal plan for my DL half training. I had a few more races scheduled but between that and work trips, I realized I needed to sit down and map out what I wanted to to so that I could ensure I got the miles up high enough before the actual race.

I went back to the Galloway plans for the DL half and looked at 2 of them. Came up with a hybrid of my own. Which, is what I’m pretty much sticking to. I'll get into more detail on that shortly. It started out basically with what I was already doing, so not much change there. I needed to make my own as I had more vacations to get in! Including one to WDW. Where I managed to run, a whopping total of one time.



It was REALLY hot. SO hot in fact that after the run (which was OKW, through SSR to DTD and back) I literally jumped in the pool with my running clothes on.

Mary Ellen (MEK on the DIS), my travel partner, can vouch for it.

Continued in next post

 

[eandesmom]

Continued from previous

I had 2 races in May, an 8K and a 15K.

I flew home from WDW sat night, got up and did the 8K. The 8K was a blast, and a family event, raising $ for Juvenile Diabetes. 2 of our kids did it, my Stepdaughter Kendall and my youngest son Eric, along with K's best friend. It was a timed event where you need to run a certain pace to "beat the bridge" before it goes up. The bridge is about half way through the course.
Super fun. Not my best time but considering I stopped to take pics of Eric and his buds, I felt good about it. We'd never done a family event before and after that, I know we will again sometime. It was a neat thing all around and a community event to boot. Our team, about 100 local folks from Eric's middle school, supporting a classmate and track/XC teammate of his, raised 15K!

Meet DS Eric!



and DSD Kendall (on the right)







They even beat the bridge!



I LOVED the end of this one, running into my college stadium with the Seahawks drumline playing. Very cool.

Next up, the 15K. Jeff was only going to the 10K. His hip had acted up after our first 15K. Even he is not invincible from overdoing it and the reality was he was upping his miles too and I think in his case, assuming he could just do that without repercussion. We both over did it right before that first one, and paid for it.

I tested my DL half outfit here! For the first 10K it was an amazing race. And then the bladder kicked in and I actually had to stop and take a bio break, something I’d never done in a race before. Then, at mile 9 (of the 9.3) a blood blister that had been hanging out under a callus on my right bunion, burst with a vengeance. Not fun. Serious OW. Bio break, hills after the bio break and the blister burst put a bit of a damper on the total time. Still, it was a blast of a race.









Except afterwards…I found myself totally paranoid about my foot. That had HURT. I decided to see a podiatrist. I have foot issues, always have. I've had surgery and have just managed my calluses as they come up. The reality was, and likely due to mileage increasing, that they were getting significantly worse much faster and starting to cause issues. She hacked away at my foot, told me to put a bandaid on it and try some met bar pads on my custom inserts. Other than that, normal activities were ok.

I ran that night.

BAD idea.

Holy bloody sock. Put the mess from the race to shame. Really bad idea.

I took it easy for a few weeks. Tried to use the pads. Idea behind them is it lessens the pressure on the bunion area. Which it did for sure. Calluses slowed down. They were replaced by shin splints.

Not good. While attempting to get my long runs up to where I wanted them to be on my plan I stopped, mid run, literally took the inserts out, ripped the pads out and then kept going. I decided that they probably didn’t work as they’d gone in on top of already formed inserts and perhaps it was just too much. Insurance would pay for "real" casted versions through the podiatrist and so those were ordered.

In the meantime though I had another race, a 10K.

It was a good race. Very different for me as it was a "non technical" one. Meaning gravel and dirt paths instead of paved. It went relatively well but between my foot paranoia and a hyperactive bladder I walked a bit more than I'd have liked. Not horrible, but not ideal either. Still, by luck of the bracket, I ended up placing in my age group. Sometimes it really does pay to be old! I would not have placed in either the bracket above, or below me. It was a solid 30 seconds slower than my first 10K. It was also a solid 20 degrees warmer. Interesting.







Gotta love a beer garden!





That bring us to today. Well almost, that was about 3 weeks ago. Since then the inserts have come. They are…weird. I have to break them in slowly, can’t run in them yet. I hope they soften up, smash down or something. Check them out.



The pink is the insert the shoe comes with (yes, they look new as I’ve never used them)

The blue is the one I had made for me at my local running store. Basically they heat them up and mold it to your foot

The one in the back is the new one based on an actual cast of my foot. They take that cast, make a wooden mold and then build the insert to your foot. You can get all kids. Small narrow ones for heels, sports ones, and ones like these. Technically this isn't the sole they usually recommend for an athletic shoe insert. They like to use a sole made with a fabric called "Spanko". To me, that name implies that there is spandex in the material. Spandex + me = bad. Burning itchy icky bad. Instead, to be safe (allegedly my doc was going to check and if it did have bad stuff in it, go with an alternate..and the alternative is what showed up) mine were made with EVA, which is a simulated foam rubber. Because it's not real rubber and doesn't have the nasty chemicals, that is ok. It is not as cushy though.

Check out the arch difference up close



Yeah, it’s like walking on a block. Not exactly comfy. Nor is it a fast break in process. Supposed to gradually increase how much you wear them in a low impact scenario and then slowly move it to running. UGH.

In the interim, while I try to break them in with power walks and trips to the gym, I've kept up the training. I managed my longest run ever yesterday, 11 miles! Unfortunately I also managed another first. Leg chafing. Sigh. Not fun. It shocked the heck out of me. I really thought I'd escape it. I'd run in hot weather in my shorts before.

However. I'd never run 11 miles in hot weather, in my shorts before.

Apparently there is a cut off for these things and I never got the memo. I've decided that over 75 degrees that cut off is probably 6 miles tops. For me. Just another learning moment. OW. Needless to say I am rethinking my long run clothing options for the rest of the summer. Body Glide or Vaseline? Yeah, no thanks. But hey, there was a bit of a prize at the end. It was so hot that at the end of my run, I jumped in the lake in my running clothes.

It's a silly thing but oh did it feel good and oh was it fun!



I will say this, that run did not do a thing for my average pace this month! Then again the heat, plus a longer run the previous Sunday than scheduled, 2 extra 4 mile power walks combined with our regular runs added up to way more miles than I normally do in a week, or have ever done in a week total. So maybe there was a bit more fatigue in my legs than I realized. Who knows. I just hope the next super long one is a bit better. It wasn't bad, obviously I lived, but it wasn't running nirvana either. LOL!

Jeff's been a trouper. He’s run more than he wants to at times to be out there with me (like when I did the 11 miles on Sunday, he did 8. He didn't really want to do 8 but felt he'd be lame if he only half as much, which would have been his normal sunday run. LOL! He has been nothing but supportive. He does think I am crazy. He just runs. He doesn't plan, plot and track. To each their own!

For me, I need a plan. A BIG FAT PLAN. Here is mine.

I thought it might be fun (because I am a DORK) to look at how I came up with my "plan".

I first looked at the plan for the experienced runner to “finish in the upright position”. Upright seemed really good to me!

A 19 week plan, it had you run (or do intervals) 2x a week for 30 minutes each, then for the long run it looked like this each week.

I didn't like the 30 minutes during the week, which felt a bit short. I did like that it only went to 14 miles. I didn't like that some of the alternating weeks were only 4. He also has the "magic mile" in there but basically I threw that out. LOL!


I then looked at the plan for time improvement. This one incorporates speedwork. Basically you run sets of 800's (half miles), time them, and basically work on your sprinting abilities. NO thanks. Bleh. Hard to do unless you are on a track. I run so I can be outside on a trail, in nature. Not on a track. Or a treadmill. It had you go 45 min on the weekdays and then it alternated between the speedwork and longer runs, going up to 17 miles. This is for folks who have done a half but want to do the next one faster. Yeah, I'm not really in that category. I am a bit more fit than just finishing upright though. I really wasn't interested in running 17 miles! Ann is kind of doing this one I think. 17 miles! Yikes.

Funny thing is, if you convert all those 800's to total miles, the actual long run miles between the 2 programs really isn't that huge. About 16 miles. However if you add on top of that the extra miles in there simply by running and extra 15 minutes twice a week, the spread gets a bit greater, probably more like 50+ miles total difference, depending on how fast you ran in those extra 15 minutes.

I don't want to run more than 3x a week. I don’t have the time, energy or desire. So I didn't look at other plans, they almost always have you running more days and I do believe, for me, that an element of cross training is very important. I decided to do the following.

40-45 minutes twice a week. The time varies as it depends on the route I pick, more than measuring the time. We have 2 normal weekday routes, one is slightly shorter. My pace can vary so if I'm faster and it's the slightly shorter route, it will be more like 40, slow and/or longer route, more like 45. No magic miles. Long run ramps up to 14. I plotted it around my scheduled races. And it ended up looking like this.



Yep. Dork alert.

How am I doing?

Ok. I've missed some of my shorter weekday runs. The end of the school year (June) is always brutal with kid stuff. I missed a weekend long run thanks to the blister issue (did a 4 mile hike that day instead). But overall I think I am ok. Maybe not exactly where I'd like to be and not as acclimated to the heat as I'd like yet but, not horrible either.

For comparison here’s what the other plans would look like as of today

JG Finish Upright. Total time: 9.5 hours + long run miles 54 (+ 6 magic miles)
JG Time Improvement. Total time: 14.25 hours + long run miles: 53
My plan. Total actual time to date: 12 hours + long run miles: 70.5

Except of course I'm skipping that nasty speedwork and the "magic mile" . I’m in the thick of it though. There are some LONG runs coming up. I can't say I'm uber excited about them especially given the foot insert situation. Oh and the fact I'll need new shoes and haven't decided what to do about that.

But that's a story for another day.

Here's the bottom line. Appearances aside, it hasn't been easy. It has required, more than anything, commitment and consistency. At the end of the day I truly believe that those 2 things, combined with a healthy dose of persistence, can get you through about anything in life. I realize there are many that may not agree with that or that feel it's been easier for me than others. Truth be told that really bugs me but it happens and it happens alot. We all have struggles and they are all different. As a general rule it is not for me to say whether mine are harder or easier than anyone else's, that's a very individual and subjective thing and it bugs me when people do that. But they do. What is easy to one is not to another and no one should judge. There have been injuries. There have been setbacks. There has been extra training or therapy in other areas which has increased the time spent component. There have been good moments and bad. It has not been nearly as inexpensive as I might have hoped. And that's not including race fees! But, I'm still here, still doing it and...

It is

52 days until I run through a Castle!


And a stadium. Supposedly there will be people there doing this!



And then I get one of these! The pretty pretty one with the floating D in the middle.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hi Cynthia!

I think your running is more about learning perseverance and determination, and overcoming obstacles than it is about running itself. Kudos to you for making it so far and accomplishing so much!

I'm in the group that really hates running, but I've been trying Couch to 5K...mostly because I realize I'm getting older and will need to keep in shape with a baby in the house!

Here's the bottom line. Appearances aside, it hasn't been easy. It has required, more than anything, commitment and consistency. At the end of the day I truly believe that those 2 things, combined with a healthy dose of persistence, can get you through about anything in life. I realize there are many that may not agree with that or that feel it's been easier for me than others. Truth be told that really bugs me but it happens and it happens alot. We all have struggles and they are all different. As a general rule it is not for me to say whether mine are harder or easier than anyone else's, that's a very individual and subjective thing and it bugs me when people do that. But they do. What is easy to one is not to another and no one should judge. There have been injuries. There have been setbacks. There has been extra training or therapy in other areas which has increased the time spent component. There have been good moments and bad. It has not been nearly as inexpensive as I might have hoped. And that's not including race fees! But, I'm still here, still doing it and...

It is

52 days until I run through a Castle!


And a stadium. Supposedly there will be people there doing this!



And then I get one of these! The pretty pretty one with the floating D in the middle.

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Love it!

 

[afwdwfan]

Ok, I'll follow along. Even though I'm clearly in the "would rather be poked in the eye with a sharp stick than run" camp. I'm glad that you discovered running and have allowed yourself to embrace it and dare I say, enjoy it?

By the way, love the minion shirt.

but I've been trying Couch to 5K...

 

[Chilly]

I'm knackered just reading about all that running. My fitness level is rock bottom and i'll be joining the gym when I return to work after my maternity leave, not looking forward to that and even less about going back to work.

That is a really nice medal. Do you have any running plan after this, Princess half next year did you say?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I didn't say "enjoying it". Or even "faithfully sticking to the schedule".

 

[Mndisneygirl]

That is quite the story -and quite the planning! Of course, it's totally how you would do it! Lots of research and spreadsheets!!
Kudos to you for working through all those issues. I'd for sure have given up.

That medal is really nice!

LOVE the minion shirt!! I want one!!

 

[MEK]

It was REALLY hot. SO hot in fact that after the run (which was OKW, through SSR to DTD and back) I literally jumped in the pool with my running clothes on.

Mary Ellen (MEK on the DIS), my travel partner, can vouch for it.

Continued in next post

It's true. I can vouch for it! She picked the hottest day to run and then she jumped in the pool. Well, they were all pretty hot, as I recall, except for Saturday. Saturday was a beautiful day to run. Yup, that was the day I put my shorts on backwards. I remember that. That and the low humidity!

Great chronicle of your journey. You really have come a long way. Strong work! Keep it up!

 

[Poolrat]

Love the running journey. I also like the plans and the lack of a plan if you will.

I really need to get back into it but the heat and work obligations have been insane. I did manage a 3 mile walk when it got cool here over the weekend but it should have felt better than it did and yes I was sore after. Man, back to square one.


You are right on with the plan, you need to do what works for you. I started real slow too know that excessive soreness or knee pain would get me to stop in a hurry.

You are doing awesome and will have great runs.

My only advice is that I probably over hydrated since it was so warm during my half and paid for it with being nauseous from mile 6-9.

Love the minions shirt !!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I'm a couch to 5couch kinda gal. But I really admire runners.

As a child, I could never run. Ever. Lots of teacher tried to teach me. Did I say that as a child I could never run?
I can shot put and high jump. You can't be good at everything, right?

(I wish I could run!)


Love the recap of the running journey. Good for you!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I missed the fact that you started your pre-trip report. I'm going back to catch up on the plans.

***I spent my lunch hour reading your running journey. You have come along way baby! I can't wait to see that medal hanging around your neck.

 

[Leshaface]

Here and off to catch up!

 

[Leshaface]

I really enjoyed reading about your workout history. I do workout 4-5 days a week. Doing the Brazil Butt lift (started that 1.5 months ago and WHOA it's tough!) along with the treadmill. Right now i'm doing treadmill intervals 2 times a week- run for 1.5 minutes at 8 then walking for 3.5 at 4 on an incline for 30 minutes. The other 2 or 3 days, i'm doing a walk/run combination for 45 minutes, so doing a total of 14-15 miles a week. And when I look at my total miles, I feel like maybe I can do straight running. Then I attempt to go more than just 1 mile and I feel like i'm dying and I just get back into my regular routine. Is there a running plan that you recommend for building up endurance? I know you didn't like the Cto5K, but do you think that would be a start for me?

I"m really looking forward to hearing about your DL race!

 

[fairymum]

I need to send an internet high five. My running plan spreadsheet has 7 tabs. I have Galloway plans for Avengers, what I predict Galloway will schedule for Star Wars, runners world plans, local 10k plans, etc. I smooshed them all together and made a custom one.
Yeah I have a problem.
Can't wait to actually run and put results in it!!!