Hakuna Matada - Racing into January!

[Lynn G]

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, we got out for a short bike ride (still dealing with high altitude conditioning), and a dog walk. Woke up today to high wind and snow, even the dogs will not go outside!

Have a great day all!

 

[windwalker]

Erin Taylor-Talcott, the gal competing in the mens 50K Olympic trials has busted the american record at 30K and at 35K along the way. That Warrior Princess is giving it all she has, no one can ever say she took this shot lightly, she is on a mission to show that women can compete at any distnace men can and deserve to have Olympic race distances equal to the men. Go Erin!!!!

Dave

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hello everyone! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Congrats to Rick, Mike & Liz on their half marathon on the snowiest of days!

Dave - Congrats to Erin! That's a huge victory especially for a woman competing in a all men's race. I like your way of thinking - there's no shame in losing when you're competing among the best! It sounds like Snowball has decided that Sally is boss! Hope your walk with Sally went well!

Lynn - It must be especially blustery if your pups don't want to go outside. I was going to ask what it was like transitioning from the different altitudes since you and Scott travel so much.

Rick - Thanks for the heads up on the race certificates! I had been wondering when those would be coming out! Which design do you like better or are you going to print them both?

Tandy - Congrats on the 2lb loss! That's great news! How was the dinner theatre? One thing my physio told me when he was working on my knee was to make sure that I was keeping my core tight and my back straight when I was running. But I've also found that keeping it in a brace when I'm just doing my everyday chores or in the office is a help too.

Yes! Dragon boat is like crewing but there are a few more people in the boat and a drummer to keep the rhythm. I am most like 90% in for DL - assuming there are no injuries in between now and then

Elizabeth - Hope your back is feeling better! Were you able to get in any running this weekend?

AFM - Well I got stuck at a garage this morning taking my car in for an oil change. I thought I was there early enough but it turns out I had to wait 3 hours. I think they were doing the oil change in between other things. Well that will learn me for taking a car to just any garage instead a dedicated oil change place.

I did get some reading, shopping and writing done in that three hours. I finished writing the second part of my RR. So I'll get that posted afterward.

I got to have lunch with Sue on Friday which is always fun! Back to work tomorrow and I'm off to the gym in the afternoon!

Have a great night everyone!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Part I

It's 2AM and I am up! That never happens unless I am already up - as in haven't gone to sleep yet. Just to make sure I would get up, I had set 2 alarms and a wake up call. Did I mention I hate that Stitch wake up call? I had texted Eva the night before and we made plans to meet at the bus stop at 3:30AM. It sounds like a lot of time but it wasn't really because I don't move that quickly in the morning. I showered, got dressed and ate. Before I knew it, it was 3:20! I went out to the bus stop and I was surprised by the number of buses out there for the runners. Mike and Rick were there too and we got to ride over to the start together. The bus ride was quick! I was a little worried because I'm use to taking the monorail over but it was smooth sailing all the way. No delays or the driver getting lost or anything like that!

We walked into the family reunion area - the part in Epcot's parking lot where you hang around before and after the race. There were a ton of people - lots of runners and lots of spectators. I snapped a few pictures of the food tent and of the crowds. We managed to meet up with Dave and got a Hakuna Matada group picture. We did chatted for a few more minutes, did a quick porta potty stop, dropped our stuff off at the bag check. This year it was cool but not cold so I decided to save my throwaway shirt and put into the checked bag. But after ditching my shirt, I found it was a little more chilly than I would have liked and when Eva ditched her garbage bag, I picked it up. The walk over to the corals was s-l-o-w! It moved at a snail's pace the entire way. Several times I nearly walked into concrete poles - big thanks to Mike for stopping me each time. Maybe I would have been warmer if I could have walked a bit faster!

We got into Coral C and I think we were probably somewhere in the middle! Usually there's time to sit, stretch, walk around a bit and maybe go for another bathroom stop before the start but I felt like this time, we only waited a few minutes before they started the national anthem. Mike did a team cheer and that really got me pumped! We waited for the send offs for the first few corals and then it was our turn. I love that Disney does fireworks for each wave! We got a countdown, a big fireworks display and then we were off! Eva and I ran with Mike and Rick for a few minutes but then they picked up their pace and were gone. Show offs!

The original plan was to do intervals of 2/2 but the course was soooo crowded we agreed that it would be better to run non stop for the first few miles. The idea was that the half was going to be a slower race and we were going to take pictures along the way. Our first photo opportunity came before we got the gates leading into the MK area. There was this blow up Christmas house and some short duck character standing outside. I didn't see the character, only the house. As we passed, Eva said "Isn't that Scrooge McDuck? Do you want to stop?" I want to stop but we'd kind of run right past them and were in the middle of the course. So I think I probably had a few irate runners dodge around me as I tried to double back. Sorry runners! Maybe next year, Disney can put up signs saying that there are characters coming up. We waited in line for a few minutes, got our picture and ran off. Turns out that character was Ludwig von Drake. B'oh.

We ran into the MK parking lot and walked the third water stop. I grabbed a water and ate my Clif block. I also saw the CM who had checked in Kim and I at Pop. On Wednesday, when we checked in and found out we were doing the race, she said she would be at the third water stop and to say hi! I saw her and said "Hey! Pop Century right?" She smiled back and said "You remembered! Good luck!". As we entered the TTC, Eva and I decided it would be a good time for a bathroom break. I'm thinking we'll use the "secret" bathrooms. Well it turns out that they weren't such a big secret anymore. There was a bit of a lineup but at least the toilets flushed, the space was heated and there was running water, soap and paper towels.

We continued on our way and even ran up the water bridge hill! I love and hate that hill - I love it because it means you're close to MK (the halfway point) but hate it because ... well it's a hill! What can I say about running through Magic Kingdom? If you've done it, you know what I'm talking about it! The crowds and atmosphere as you run up Main Street are so energetic! There are tons of spectators cheering you all the way into Tomorrowland! The only downside is that the course is so narrow. This is probably less of an issue for the faster runners but it was shoulder to shoulder when we came through. I saw the Mayor of Main Street and wished I could have stopped for a picture but again I was on the wrong side of the road. It wouldn't have been possible to get over. With my luck, I probably would have been half marathon road kill trying to cross over. Oh well. Maybe I'll see him on Sunday! When we entered Tomorrowland we saw Buzz Lightyear but Eva and I agreed that he was a common character and the line wasn't worth it. We also saw the Mad Hatter and Alice and characters from Tangled but decided not to stop either. As we approached the castle, we both saw Princess Daisy and Prince Donald. I had never seen them before and wanted so badly to stop. There were about 15-20 people already in line and it would have cost us too much time to stop. But I was on the right side of the course and everything!! Waaahh!! We did stop in front of the castle and we took a picture together and then one of each other.

We kept running and passed a couple more characters - Princess Tiana, and a Country Bear. Too bad there aren't any Haunted Mansion characters out for the half. We stopped to take a picture with one of the train conductors just as we past Splash Mountain. He was so cute! We started to run maybe another 5 steps and saw the Pirates of the Caribbean. I was sooo glad that Eva wanted to stop! This line was even longer than the one outside of the castle but we decided to get that picture. We waited, and waited ... watched runners go by, and waited ... watched more runners go by. It really felt like a long time but it was finally our turn. Jack Sparrow was so charming! We got a picture with each of our cameras and we were off again!

Once we exited MK, and got onto the back roads it was quite chilly. It was around here that we saw Emily and Patrick! We ran with them for a few minutes - I can't remember if they passed us or if we sped up (sorry!) We passed Mary Poppins and a penguin at the Grand Floridian and then saw Minnie and the Mickey golf cart. The line wasn't too bad and so we stopped for a photo. I figured next to the Green Army Men (Man), that would probably be the one of the last characters we'd see for the day. We pass the gel stop and I can never figure out why it's never right beside a water stop. I always wonder how many people try a gel for the first time ... without water and have a tough time getting it down. Yuck!

I don't remember much between running up the on ramp and mile 12. World Drive and Epcot Drive are nondescript in my opinion anyway. Fortuntely, they're not very long but still b-o-r-i-n-g! I did miss seeing Thunder Matt with his Sorcerer's hat and Mickey gloves waving on the overpass. I love that he helps get racers to the finish! I noticed this year there was a giant TV screen at the hairpin turn to re-enter Epcot. Probably to distract from that hill... Needless to say I was very happy to enter Epcot at mile 12. The crowds really pick up and it gives you another boost to keep going. I saw Debra's (deekaypee) DH waiting in the crowd and he gave me a high 5 as I ran by. Woo! I'm sure he had been done for more than an hour by the time we passed. You speedy runners! I think we stopped for one more water break and then we ran through Epcot, looped around the Christmas tree in the World Showcase and headed toward the finish. We ran by the choir at mile 13. Something about them makes me smile and I always wished I could stop and watch them. We went around one more corner and headed down the chute! So I always mean to run down the right side of the chute but my brain never seems to be working at that point. What's the big deal about the right side? Usually there's some combination of Mickey, Goofy, Donald and Minnie waiting on the side high fiving runners. Oh well, I'll remember tomorrow ... I think. We finished in 2:55 with more than enough of a cushion for the 3:30 Goofy cutoff.

We went straight into the med tent to grab some ice. Good call Eva! I got my left knee iced, we stretched and were off. We collected our medals, got a space blanket and took our finisher's photo. We lined up for the food tent and then went to pick up our stuff from the bag check tent. The plan was to head over to the Polynesian for a post race breakfast of Tonga Toast but I wanted to make a quick stop at the cupcake food truck. Something sugary because I'm still on vacation! Now we were off! We caught a monorail pretty quickly and the walk over from the TTC was only a few minutes long. It's hard to believe that we had just run through there not too long ago. Breakfast was good but I think we got a lot of funny looks from people who weren't aware that it was marathon weekend! Of course we also got comments from the runners who joked that we must have run back to the Polynesian ... um yeah. That joke never gets old.

At the resort, I did my ice bath and then a epsom salt bath, showered and then walked around the resort for a bit... tried not fall asleep and then I was off to meet Regina and Kyle for dinner. We did 1900 Park Fare and it was my first time there. The characters are a hoot! Kyle got an awesome picture with the wicked stepsisters! After dinner, it was time to get ready day 2!

(Thanks for reading ... sorry it's long )

 

[RunRookie]

Hello everyone! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Congrats to Rick, Mike & Liz on their half marathon on the snowiest of days!

Rick - Thanks for the heads up on the race certificates! I had been wondering when those would be coming out! Which design do you like better or are you going to print them both?

Thanks! It was an adventure! And I got to run the last two miles with a Half Fanatic who had just finished 52 Half Marathons in 52 weeks for his 10 Moons! That was pretty awesome too!

Edited: Here is my race report!

I decided that I will print both the certificates. But I think I prefer the Donald one since it is "his" race. Which one did you decide to go with?

 

[Hockeychic]

HI all just a quick check in.

Lynn: Thanks for the tips, my cholesteral and weight where down from my last appt but because I have a strong family history he wanted me to be on a low dose and I go back in 2 months to see how it is going. I will then again ask him if I can be weanned off them if I keep my numbers low.

Weekend just went to fast I intended on getting on here a few times and it just didn't happen.

Hope all is well with everyone. Believe it or not I asked Mike yesterday if he would ever do Goofy again and he said ya maybe in 2013 depending on his PF I am shocked. Might just have to do it

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Vicky - Altitude really plays a part in activities, when we go to sea level, we feel like we could do anything for about 2-3 days, which is why we would go to races the day before the race, so we could still have the high altitude conditioning for the race. It is lost very quickly, then it takes about 5 days to a week to get it back when we return. The first few bike rides and walks we tire easily and do not go as fast. Great race report!

Dave - Congrats to Erin!

Kim - Good luck on the cholesterol tests.

Rick - Great race report!

AFM - Weather stayed bad all day, we both got on the spin bike today but dogs did not get a walk. Today looks better, a bit windy this morning, but nothing compared to yesterday, and it is supposed to quit later today.

Pixie dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day team!

 

[windwalker]

And so it begins: This is my first interval session since Disney and it was a satisfying effort. One mile warm up then 6 X 200m race walking sprints with 200m recovery intervals. 1:06 1:06 1:06 1:08 1:07 1:09 then a one mile cool down of comfortable race walking. I concentrated on technique. This workout differered from last years track work in that I did only 4 instead of 6 repeats and I only recovered with 200m where last year I recovered with 400m intervals. All together it was a 5 mile workout. By the end of Sept I need to be doing 1500m in 8 min flat.

We are thinking of returning to DisneyWorld in the 3rd week of Sept, not for a race but just to enjoy the parks. I haven't made the trip before just to have fun. Does anyone know if the free dining is being offered this year and if there is a link to information?

Dave

 

[RadioFanatic]

Hi! I hope you don't mind me intruding but windwalker invited me over here as I did my first half this past january with a group of friends; and intend to do the full in 2013, but will be doing it by myself bc they are sticking with the 1/2. I'm 39 mama of an almost 4 year old boy, will be 40 by the race; and was goaded into doing this past 1/2 by friends who knew I could do it although I hadn't run a minute in my life. I started training on May 1, 2011 by doing couch to 5k and the first day was miserable where even running that minute made me want to die. Since then, I've lost 70 pounds, ran the whole 1/2 and am looking forward to my new goal. I'm planning on doing a 1/2 in april and in september, my first full in october here locally and some other 10k and 15k runs in between and my second and most exciting full on the 20th anniversary at disney! I would love to have some people to do this with to help me along the way. I hope I can join you guys! Thanks!

 

[windwalker]

Hi! I hope you don't mind me intruding but windwalker invited me over here as I did my first half this past january with a group of friends; and intend to do the full in 2013, but will be doing it by myself bc they are sticking with the 1/2. I'm 39 mama of an almost 4 year old boy, will be 40 by the race; and was goaded into doing this past 1/2 by friends who knew I could do it although I hadn't run a minute in my life. I started training on May 1, 2011 by doing couch to 5k and the first day was miserable where even running that minute made me want to die. Since then, I've lost 70 pounds, ran the whole 1/2 and am looking forward to my new goal. I'm planning on doing a 1/2 in april and in september, my first full in october here locally and some other 10k and 15k runs in between and my second and most exciting full on the 20th anniversary at disney! I would love to have some people to do this with to help me along the way. I hope I can join you guys! Thanks!

Welcome to our newest Princess!!! I for one will be doing the marathon and I'm sure that there are several more of our team that will be doing the full also. Eva, Vicky and Mike all ran together and I think next year that Rick will be joining them. It's an anniversery race so the medal will be special.

Dave

 

[RadioFanatic]

Welcome to our newest Princess!!! I for one will be doing the marathon and I'm sure that there are several more of our team that will be doing the full also. Eva, Vicky and Mike all ran together and I think next year that Rick will be joining them. It's an anniversery race so the medal will be special.

Dave

Thanks! I'm very excited! and would love to have people to do this with so thanks again!

 

[RunRookie]

Hi! I hope you don't mind me intruding but windwalker invited me over here as I did my first half this past january with a group of friends; and intend to do the full in 2013, but will be doing it by myself bc they are sticking with the 1/2. I'm 39 mama of an almost 4 year old boy, will be 40 by the race; and was goaded into doing this past 1/2 by friends who knew I could do it although I hadn't run a minute in my life. I started training on May 1, 2011 by doing couch to 5k and the first day was miserable where even running that minute made me want to die. Since then, I've lost 70 pounds, ran the whole 1/2 and am looking forward to my new goal. I'm planning on doing a 1/2 in april and in september, my first full in october here locally and some other 10k and 15k runs in between and my second and most exciting full on the 20th anniversary at disney! I would love to have some people to do this with to help me along the way. I hope I can join you guys! Thanks!

Welcome to our crew! Congrats on your weight loss, and on finishing your first 1/2 at Disney! Wasn't it amazing?!! I ran my first 1/2 there as well and it was so awesome! I plan on running the Full in 2013 with Mike, Eva, Vicky, and Dave. Join us and we can all cross that Mickey Finish Line together.

I am planning on going Dopey in 2013 -- a crazy notion since I've only been running since April 2011 -- but then again, what's life without challenges! And the training will help me lose the remaining 50 pounds I'm carrying around!

 

[RadioFanatic]

Welcome to our crew! Congrats on your weight loss, and on finishing your first 1/2 at Disney! Wasn't it amazing?!! I ran my first 1/2 there as well and it was so awesome! I plan on running the Full in 2013 with Mike, Eva, Vicky, and Dave. Join us and we can all cross that Mickey Finish Line together.

I am planning on going Dopey in 2013 -- a crazy notion since I've only been running since April 2011 -- but then again, what's life without challenges! And the training will help me lose the remaining 50 pounds I'm carrying around!

thanks RunRookie, I would love to join you guys! And I'm impressed you are doing dopey, esp. since you just started running a month before I did! I would love to do the goofy, but don't think I have the time to train with a little one. one long run a weekend is going to take enough time for me - let alone two long runs - but I'm jealous!

 

[RunRookie]

thanks RunRookie, I would love to join you guys! And I'm impressed you are doing dopey, esp. since you just started running a month before I did! I would love to do the goofy, but don't think I have the time to train with a little one. one long run a weekend is going to take enough time for me - let alone two long runs - but I'm jealous!

I figure I have a year to prepare and train, right? I am running my first full marathon in October which I am thinking will give me perspective and experience prior to Disney that will help me plan a strategy that will let me finish Goofy still able to walk! I was really inspired by my WISH team members who ran the Goofy this year as I cheered from the fence. They were awesome!

There are a lot of great folks in WISH that I know will help me along the way and give me good advice for making this a reality. And my WISH running partner Mike lives near me, so he will keep me on track!

But the real reason is that I am just NUTS!!

 

[Saylan]

Welcome to the team! You won't be alone, as you've seen, and provided I can get time off again, I'm hoping to do the Full or Goofy as well. . So far there's three votes for Going Goofy: Mike, a FB friend named Becky, and my trainer. No one wants to see me do 'just' a full.

Vicky and Kim: Do you guys have any insights into Ontario races coming up? I really want to get into some before January next year.

AFM: Sorry for the long MIA everyone. I kept saying I'd come back, read all the posts and comment to everyone and yet I never seemed to get to it. Now there's waaaaaay too many posts for me to catch up on so I'll have to start from scratch. I hope every one is doing well.

I did manage to meet two team members, Mike and Rick, (through the flukiest of flukes) this January race weekend and it was great! Thanks for taking a chance to guess, Mike! lol I think you shocked my father almost as much as me!

A mini-race story (I owe a report, I know, but I'm at work and work is busy busy!): I went down on the 5th with DBF, DM, and DF. We checked in at Pop and finaggled a king bed for DBF (doesnt' fit in a double) and myself.

Then it was off to the expo. I had purchased a ChEAR package for my mom since she was coming all this way to see me. I was going to get one for dad but he was insistent that he wanted to 'meander' the course rather than stay in one place. I thought he was so clueless. Little did I know.

My dad excused himself to the washroom while I was getting my bib and my mom acted as decoy until dad returned.... CARRYING A BIB . My first thought was DBF had signed up and I looked at him asking that. He said no, his legs were still too sore. Dad gets close and I see his name on the bib. My father, 61 year's old and a heart attack survivor, had signed up in November and secretly been training to 'walk' (he walks as fast as I run, seriously!) the half marathon with me when it was clear DBF wouldn't be able to race.

So now I have the night of the 5th and the 6th to educate my father on running long distances... Seriously, he had been training without fuel, water, or anything. I'm pretty sure his shoes were shot as well. I asked him how many miles they had and he ball paked 550-600... Well, I got him a couple GUs since I was getting some for myself. I told him not to eat them if he didn't want to, but just in case, I'd rather he try one before race day. He made due with just the water on the course (something I could never do) and since he'd trained without water, that was plenty for him. He'd also made up his own training plan so he'd done 13 mile twice already in the last two weeks before the race.

I'll update on the race itself later but the punchline is: My mom got to see my father and I both finish. I saw the finish video for him and I can't remember the last time I saw him so excited! He rocked it and finished it with a walking time of 2:36 (faster than all of my previous races, though I stopped for photos). I'm very very very proud of him.

 

[RunRookie]

Saylan: That is a fantastic story!! How awesome an experience (and surprise)! I think that has got to be one of the best race stories I have heard. I am very happy for both you and your father! And you've got my vote for you going Goofy in 2013!

 

[America]

Hi, I was reading another thread about forming a team and someone directed the person to the Hakuna Matada thread. I was wondering if I could also join the group. I seen many WISH team members during the marathon weekend and thought it was nice to be part of the community. I have been running for the last two years with 2012 Disney marathon being my first full at Disney and my first half was 2010 Wine and Dine. I'm not a fast runner but proud to say I finish and completed a marathon. I would love to meet other people that love disney and running 2013 Going Goofy.

 

[Saylan]

Saylan: That is a fantastic story!! How awesome an experience (and surprise)! I think that has got to be one of the best race stories I have heard. I am very happy for both you and your father! And you've got my vote for you going Goofy in 2013!

Rick: Thanks! It was an amazing experience to run 'with' my Dad. He and I really bonded a lot over the race prep and trip. I know he feels an amazing accomplishment (and he should). We had such a great time even just going to the corrals together (he was G and I was C). Even though I couldn't watch it live, seeing him finish the race on the photography website... I was crying. He was my inspiration for getting healthy and my motivation to push my limits with running half marathons. When I registered for the Donald, I said up front to him and everyone who asked: This is for my Dad (also named Donald) and I'm going to run it in his honor. The honor was mine to be able to not only run it FOR him but WITH him too. I'm so very very proud of everything he overcame to get there (the race was 4 days after the 6th anniversary of his heart attack). And yes, I'm secretly trying to get him to race again. No luck so far.

4 Votes it is.

America: Welcome and congrats on your race accomplishments. You're in great company with this team. They're all wonderful and super supportive!

 

[Hockeychic]

Welcome to our crew! Congrats on your weight loss, and on finishing your first 1/2 at Disney! Wasn't it amazing?!! I ran my first 1/2 there as well and it was so awesome! I plan on running the Full in 2013 with Mike, Eva, Vicky, and Dave. Join us and we can all cross that Mickey Finish Line together.

I am planning on going Dopey in 2013 -- a crazy notion since I've only been running since April 2011 -- but then again, what's life without challenges! And the training will help me lose the remaining 50 pounds I'm carrying around!

And Mike and I we are in for the full for sure but are playing with the idea of Goofy again.

 

[Hockeychic]

Welcome to our group. We have a awesome team here. Very supportive and just great people. We had a few meets this last marathon weekend and I think there will be even more next year.

Mike and I are playing with goofy again next year we will watch registration and see how the injuries go. My biggest obsticle is losing about 40-50 pds and to continue being able to run.

Mike/Vicky/ Eva what splits where you doing during the half and full? What to know what to stive for so I can be with the gang.