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

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Cynthia! Looking at your itinerary and my clock I would say by now you have either finished our race, or are about to. I'm sure you did great - you did the work leading up to this so CONGRATS!!!

I feel so sorry for you, having to go on a work trip to Hawaii! Love that you got to steal some moments at Aulani - and no flames for drinking the coffee from me. Technically, you have already paid for it. Sorry you'll be losing the Marriott for future trips - looks like a great spot. Nice job getting the elusive sunset pics, BTW!

 

[Leshaface]

The view from your room is AMAZING! Slightly better than Aulani view you had with Jeff.

Ahh, the sunset pictures are gorgeous. Glad you were able to catch one!

So I had no clue that Hawaii got humid In fact, I always thought Hawaii had the best weather. Is it only like that in the Summer? We were thinking about doing Aulani for our 10 year wedding anniversary July 2016...

Oh man, i'm so sorry about your bracelets. That really sucks! I had stuck a Tiffany bracelet down the front of one of the luggages on time and when I went to look for it when I got home, it wasn't in the pocket. Turns out there was a very tiny hole and the bracelet had managed to slip into the inside of the luggage. But during that moment where I couldn't find it, I was panicking, almost to the point of tears. I know they are things that can be replaced, but it sucks that there are people out there that just don't care and will take whatever they want.

I cannot WAIT to hear about your run at DLR!!! I saw the one picture you posted and you looked AMAZING!

 

[eandesmom]

You had a very hectic Hawaii trip! However not the worst location for a business trip!

No, not the worst location. Lots of travel time though

Good job on getting your runs in! The time change definitely helps with the early morning runs. I should have packed running clothes for this weekend since I know I will be up at the crack of dawn! Looking forward to seeing/meeting you tomorrow!

I am so sorry we didn't get to hook up again, it seemed the weekend just got away from us! I really enjoyed meeting you "live" and having lunch with you and your sister!

I've been reading all of your updates! Heat training in Hawaii sounds pretty nice! Good luck this weekend! I hope your trip runs smoothly!!!

Thanks!

A big dose of

Have a great run and a wonderful trip!!!!!!!

Thanks! It was a GREAT trip!

Can't wait to hear about your race. Good Luck!!!

Thanks!!

How cool that your work trip brought you right next to Aulani! That's pretty darn cool and the view pictures are to die for.

It's more like how cool the office is literally 15 minutes away from Aulani. LOL!

Good luck traveling tomorrow and good luck with the race on Sunday. I know you both will do great. Just make sure you post that picture of the you with the medal ASAP!

Thanks! It was fun

I forgot to add that I am sorry about your bracelets. That totally stinks. I had that happen to a friend who packed a brand new shirt, with the tags on, and it was stolen out of her suitcase at the local airport here in Wilmington. That is so NOT cool. Those Alex&Ani bracelets are so cute and they aren't cheap - especially the Disney ones. I know you really liked them and wore them a lot.

I have been looking for a running one, but no luck. I did find a biking charm bracelet, so I had to get it.

I did wear them a lot, like ALL the time. Very sad. 2 are gifts and really can't be replaced (one they don't make any more and one was a special order I think, though I could likely find it). I did consider buying one this weekend but was still a bit too sad over the whole thing to start over. Wearing just one wasn't enough and I wasn't up for buying 3 or 4 at once.

 

[eandesmom]

I know I am late in the game here, but I loved what you said here. I was definitely a runner who didn't know it. No one is more shocked than I am!

I admit I am still not convinced I am a runner or remotely think of myself that way. It's a weird thing. I run, but don't necessarily think of myself as a "runner" at all.

Not late at all! Race just happened and the PTR was a lot of blah blah blah blah blah.

WOW! Mega update.

Love the pictures of sunset and you. Both were gorgeous!

Have fun! Not long to go.

Thanks!!! It was very pretty there to be sure. I'd love to be back there right now and not at my desk. Although I could do without the flight.

Me too!



I love being associated with Monkeypod! Not so much with getting lost.

You were associated with the scary drive part, not the getting lost part

Wish that had been open when I was there...

Me too!

Cool mug! I like that one a lot.

I've yet to risk the dishwasher...

I've got burgers, you've got Mahi Mahi. We all have our thing.

This is true!

Wow, that sounds really good! Except for the spinach.

It was SOOO good!

I'm glad you finally saw the sunset there! Looks beautiful over the water.

It was incredible

With the amount they charge for the mug, you should get free drinks for life!

Seriously!

That stinks! My wife is a big fan of those bracelets too.

I missed them this weekend, big time

Good luck! Have fun storming the castle!

Storming is an overstatement but I did run through it! It was VERY cool

Hi Cynthia! Looking at your itinerary and my clock I would say by now you have either finished our race, or are about to. I'm sure you did great - you did the work leading up to this so CONGRATS!!!

Thanks Tammie!

I feel so sorry for you, having to go on a work trip to Hawaii! Love that you got to steal some moments at Aulani - and no flames for drinking the coffee from me. Technically, you have already paid for it. Sorry you'll be losing the Marriott for future trips - looks like a great spot. Nice job getting the elusive sunset pics, BTW!

Thanks for the no flames

The view from your room is AMAZING! Slightly better than Aulani view you had with Jeff.

It was a different view, I am not sure one was better or worse but equally gorgeous. The lanai itself was lovely!

Ahh, the sunset pictures are gorgeous. Glad you were able to catch one!

It was spectacular

So I had no clue that Hawaii got humid In fact, I always thought Hawaii had the best weather. Is it only like that in the Summer? We were thinking about doing Aulani for our 10 year wedding anniversary July 2016...

It is more of a consistent pleasant humid, except early morning. Unless you are out running at 6 am I wouldn't worry too much about it!

Oh man, i'm so sorry about your bracelets. That really sucks! I had stuck a Tiffany bracelet down the front of one of the luggages on time and when I went to look for it when I got home, it wasn't in the pocket. Turns out there was a very tiny hole and the bracelet had managed to slip into the inside of the luggage. But during that moment where I couldn't find it, I was panicking, almost to the point of tears. I know they are things that can be replaced, but it sucks that there are people out there that just don't care and will take whatever they want.

oh I WISH that was the case with mine. I lost a Tiffany earring once...Elsa Peretti heart, STILL extremely sad about that one.

I cannot WAIT to hear about your run at DLR!!! I saw the one picture you posted and you looked AMAZING!

Aw, thanks! I look a sweaty mess but thank you It was a ton of fun though wicked humid. Thankfully the temps weren't awful and we had cloud cover.

 

[eandesmom]

I am BACK from my trip!
I RAN through a castle!



It was pretty stinking cool.



And pretty stinking humid

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Last week, I was here:

• JG Finish Upright. Total time: 16.5 hours + long run miles 107.5 (+ 6 magic miles)
• JG Time Improvement. Total time: 24.75 hours + long run miles: 122.80
• My plan. 20.49 hours + long run miles: 133.45
• Total actual time to date: 19.29 hours + long run miles: 117.03

This week, I was here:

• JG Finish Upright. Total time: 17.5 hours + long run miles 120.6 (+ 6 magic miles)
• JG Time Improvement. Total time: 26.25 hours + long run miles: 135.90
• My plan. 23.33 hours + long run miles: 133.45
• Total actual time to date: 19.75 hours + long run miles: 130.13

And that's it. That is where I finished training wise. My goal was to finish upright and I can say I managed that. Are there things I may do differently to train for Princess? Yes. Maybe. But I will save that for later, I know everyone would rather see pictures of the trip!

It was an interesting week . I have decided there is no such thing as normal! LOL.

Monday: Walked 3 miles. I've been walking in the new orthotics. So far they seem good but I do think they are too small for the shoes, I have them in my older running shoes.

Tuesday: Rest day. Which wasn't restful at all. This day was marching band uniform handout. I had sewed the night before for a couple of hours, sewed that morning, came home early and sewed and got it done JUST in time to go help distribute uniforms. I am SOOOO glad that is over.

Wednesday: I had really hoped to do a killer tempo run (tempo meaning at race pace). And I had really hoped to do 4-5 miles at it. However, the day before I got an urgent text requesting a family meeting about my dad. UGH. I didn't see the point but the requester was unclear as to the nature. Had I known, I would have been far less annoyed. Fitting it in before my trip though...was not going to be easy and this was the only night. As a result, I had a very short time window to work with. I decided to try 2 faster miles and one slightly slower in the middle. It was hot, 82 I think, but the humidity wasn't awful. Hot enough I ran in just my sports bra, which I never do! I managed 3 miles at 8:46, 9:34 and 9:04 respectively. Not quite the pace I had hoped for. I did go to the meeting (a hot sweaty mess) and we did the HI I mentioned earlier (or maybe that was on my other TR? I mentioned it somewhere lol). It was all fine. Or as fine as it could be under the circumstances.

Thursday: I had really hoped to go to the gym. However the house needed food and I went to Costco instead so they didn't starve while I was gone. I packed, did online check in, went to bed. Super exciting stuff I tell ya!

I did do some dorky predictions based on the previous night, and months run. I like numbers and knowing where I stand. I wanted to see how, over the month, my training runs stacked up in terms of predicted times for the half. I felt like things were slower overall than they should/could or I would like them to be and wanted to check. I have a pace calculator app I use that will predict this.

Here is what things looked like, the night before the trip.

Half Marathon Estimated Finish Time A, based on the average prediction time from all races done to date:

• 2:04:21 (fastest 1:58:37, slowest 2:07:37). Bear in mind that the longest run in this estimation was a couple of 15K’s. Only one bio break in the batch and limited water stops.

Half Marathon Estimated Finish Time B, based on the average prediction from all August training runs.

• 2:18:36 (fastest 2:08:20, slowest 2:56:30). Bear in mind that this batch had longer runs, and runs in significantly warmer/more humid weather than the races. It also had several bio breaks and water stops.

Pretty big spread there. Mentally my target was 2:00-2:15. My data seemed to suggest it really should be 2:05-2:20.

Yes. I overthink things. This is not new news.

Friday: Travel, Expo, DISmeet and Park day. More info in next update. LOL!

Saturday: Park Day. More to follow on that too!

Sunday: Ran 13.1 miles! And I did not die! Other stuff this day too but from a training perspective, this is where it ends.

But to say more would be spoiling things. I will say this, we had a BLAST! It was a great trip. Up next, the TR begins with Departure Day!

 

[franandaj]

Looking forward to hearing about it!

 

[KatMark]

Welcome home, Cynthia. I can't wait to hear all about the trip and all the fun you and Ann had. And how cool to run through a castle (but I'll stick to walking through thank you very much).

 

[jedijill]

Welcome back and congrats on finishing and not dying!

Jill in CO

 

[elphie101]

Yay you're back!! And alive to boot

I can't wait to hear all about it

 

[MEK]

Welcome back Cynthia (& Ann) !


Sounds like an awesome trip and I look forward to hearing every sweaty detail about the 1/2, especially the things you would do differently.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Welcome back. Looking forward to reading all about it.

 

[Poolrat]

Yes I can't wait to hear all about it. Congrats on you finish and PR.

 

[ARmom30]

Welcome back! I can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[eandesmom]

Looking forward to hearing about it!

I hope to get an update up soon! It's been a nutty weekend, but when isn't it

Welcome home, Cynthia. I can't wait to hear all about the trip and all the fun you and Ann had. And how cool to run through a castle (but I'll stick to walking through thank you very much).

We had a blast, Ann is a great travel partner!

Welcome back and congrats on finishing and not dying!

Jill in CO

Not dying was very important!

Yay you're back!! And alive to boot

I can't wait to hear all about it

Alive is huge!

Welcome back Cynthia (& Ann) !

Thanks!

Sounds like an awesome trip and I look forward to hearing every sweaty detail about the 1/2, especially the things you would do differently.

I'm not sure I would do anything different for that one, in terms of the training I put in and how I went about it. I do think it worked pretty well for a first. It also worked with my life and travel schedule and that is pretty important! Yes, there is probably more I could have done but in the end I am not sure it would have made much of a difference.

I am considering some changes for the PHM from a training standpoint though. Mostly as I think if I keep doing what I was doing, I will not only have pretty much the same result, or worse, get a bit bored and I don't want that. I think I have found a plan that will fit these needs but we will see!

Welcome back. Looking forward to reading all about it.

Thanks!

Yes I can't wait to hear all about it. Congrats on you finish and PR.

Yes, it was a PR anything would have been.

Welcome back! I can't wait to hear all about it!

Thanks!

 

[Pinkocto]

Welcome back! I'm so glad you had a fabulous trip and didn't die!

I'm slowly getting caught up over here but I had to skip to Aulani. Loved reading about your work trip. No flames from me about the coffee, I read that and was impressed at your spunk. As cheap as drinks cost to make especially.

I loved seeing more pictures of the resort, oh I can not wait. I had to push my Aulani trip to May 2016 so pictures are good do you think reservations for the restaurants are necessary?

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Now that the race is over, I finally caught up!!
Glad to hear you had a good Hawaii trip and a fun race trip !!

 

[rentayenta]

Glad your back! Can't wait to read about running through the castle!

 

[eandesmom]

Welcome back! I'm so glad you had a fabulous trip and didn't die!

Not dying was a primary goal for sure!

I'm slowly getting caught up over here but I had to skip to Aulani. Loved reading about your work trip. No flames from me about the coffee, I read that and was impressed at your spunk. As cheap as drinks cost to make especially.

Well, it's a giant refill thing outside, I am not sure it took much spunk. LOL!

I loved seeing more pictures of the resort, oh I can not wait. I had to push my Aulani trip to May 2016 so pictures are good do you think reservations for the restaurants are necessary?

Honestly, no. It could depend on your dates but unless you are going for the character breakfast over memorial day weekend itself, I think you are likely ok. I made them for our last trip, and for my breakfast while there. For the breakfast I was glad I did as it was summer, peak season and the place was insane but depending on the dates, you are likely ok.

Good news is that none of them are CC holds

Now that the race is over, I finally caught up!!
Glad to hear you had a good Hawaii trip and a fun race trip !!

I am not caught up. Someday. In my dreams!

It was a ton of fun

Glad your back! Can't wait to read about running through the castle!

It was cool!

 

[afwdwfan]

Congratulations on successfully completing the half... and running through a Castle. I look forward to seeing the details!

 

[Pinkocto]

Thanks for the restaurant thoughts. We'll be there the middle two weeks, so won't touch Memorial Day. As of now I'm thinking of leaving things in the air. Two weeks is the plan, so hopefully we'll get all that interests us. One meal out a day, and the others food from Costco is the plan. I think that'll work, unless mom fills up with mickey bars at the pool, which could happen.