Hakuna Matata - Motivational May

[es45]

Looks like everyone had good races this weekend. Looking forward to reading the details in the race reports.

AFM: I had a good run/walk this morning. My official training schedule starts next Tuesday so I'm doing mostly conditioning runs and lots of stretching this week. I'm following the runDisney ToT Galloway training schedule so if any one has advice about Galloway's training plans, please let me know.

Have a great Monday!

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Elizabeth - good luck with your training plan!

We got in a 10 mile bike ride yesterday, as usual, wind was calm when we started, but picked up while we were out. The dogs have been getting walks every morning, first thing, before breakfast, so they get in walks before it gets too hot.

Pixie Dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day team!

 

[Hockeychic]

Hey Lynn, welcome back!!! How was your latest adventure?

 

[RunRookie]

Wow! What a race weekend! Congratultions to Kim, Robbie, Regina, and Elizabeth for bringing home the GOLD this weekend! Way to represent!

AFM: No races for over the weekend but I sure got the miles in. On Saturday, I walked for 6.3 miles early in the morning and then spent the morning and half the afternoon fundraising for the AVON Walk. Then Sunday, some of our team went to Wisconsin to do our 20-mile walk in Lake Geneva. We decided to walk the circumference of Geneva Lake which we were told was 21 miles.

Well, it turned out to be 22.4 miles and was not just a 'walk'. The 'path' we followed turned out to be one heck of a 'trail walk'! I mean sections of forest, fallen tree trunks to climb over, rocks, grass, dirt, steep hills, steep declines, you name it. It was tough! At about the halfway point, my right foot caught a root and i fell down -- inches from the edge of the lake (it would have been an ugly 10 foot drop). Luckily, I caught myself (embarrased but alive).

I brought plenty of fuel and a hydration pack (which was a godsend) so I was good there. But I could've used some trail shoes and not my usual Brooks running shoes. It took us, including a few rest breaks and three porta-potty breaks, 8 hours and 19 minutes to complete the walk. Way longer than we had expected (none of us realized what kind of walk we had gotten ourselves into) but it is in the books!

It was a beautiful walk, actually. But most of the time, we dared not take our eyes of the 'path' we were following lest we get tripped up and get hurt. It was a lot of fun though. The first thing I did when I got home was take an ice bath. Heavenly!

When I woke up this morning, I was full of energy, and other than some soreness in my quads, I felt really good! I guess I should do more 22 milers, eh?

Hope everyone has a great week!

 

[windwalker]

Wow Rick that was hiking not walking. Yes anyone who whould like to learn to race walk is welcome to join me at Disney for some training.

I was able to actually get in some walking this morning vertually pain free. It was slow but it was race walk technique. A new beginning, we stayed around 13:30 per mile and I was fine, a few twinges op pain every now and then but slowing down for a few min took care of it. Then a PT session. It appears that the set back from friday wasn't a fall back to far.

Hope everyone else is feeling good and strong.

Dave

 

[Piglet24]

Hi Team!

It has been way too long since I’ve been here!!

Robbie- I try to be in bed by 9pm (9:30pm at the latest) when I plan to get up at 4am for a run. Anything after that just isn’t quite enough sleep for me, although I could probably manage to get up at 4am if I went to bed at 10pm for a day or two if I absolutely had to. The nice thing here is that the sun is coming up by 5-5:30am now so it doesn’t seem quite as early running at 4:30am now as it did during the winter. Congrats on your great 5k time on your first 5k race!!

Dave- Thanks for the report on your race. I’m glad you were able to recover okay and that you learned something from your experience. That sounds very scary. Glad to hear your training is going ok and your PT seems to be helping.

Saylan- I’m sorry to hear your DBF and mom don’t think you can do it. I still believe it can be done, but if you’re having concerns it might help to plan to walk the half or go at a much much slower pace for the half, or both races. I am so sorry to hear you had such a negative experience at the Goodlife half marathon. It sounds like it was a pretty upsetting couple of days.

Elizabeth- Congrats on being cleared to run!!! That is wonderful news!!! Yes I think back at the beginning is a good place to be because you get to build up to where you want to be. I hope your official training goes well next week!

Kim- Good luck with weight watchers! How is it going so far? Congrats on finishing your 10K race and getting your best time!

Emily- That’s a good idea too! I hadn’t though about watching TV shows on DVD, but that would also work for longer runs. I'll have to try it sometime. How long have you been taking ballet? Glad to see you’re keeping busy! We saw the Avengers last Thursday and thought it was good and liked it.

Kimberley- Congrats on winning 2 running related contests! That’s pretty cool!

Mike- Great RR for EE!! Thanks for sharing!! Congrats on finishing the Chicago Spring half marathon even though it wasn’t your best day and you were having pain issues! I hope you’re able to get out of your funk soon.

Rick- Glad your 15 mile walk went well! And way to go on your 22.4 mile walk! I am really glad you were able to catch yourself and didn’t fall into the lake. Wow, what a long training day for you!

Kipp- Way to go getting your training plans figured out for your 11/3 race and WDW marathon weekend. I'll need to work on that this summer.

Vicky- Congrats on your PB on your 10k!!!! Your pancakes looked so good!

Eva- Congrats on your pregnancy!

Lynn- Way to go getting out on the spin bikes daily on the cruise!! Glad you made it out for 12 miles on Saturday! Sounds like you’re getting back into the swing of things!

AFM, DH and I are back from our race in Portland. We are a little sore today, but otherwise in good spirits. I didn’t realize it was going to take me so long to respond to all the posts I’ve missed, so my RR will follow sometime in the next few days.

Congratulations to Robbie and Kimberley on your races this weekend as well!! Looking forward to reading your RR’s also!!!

 

[RadioFanatic]

Thanks for all the support everyone! This 15k was one for the books for me for a variety of reasons, but I'll just start in with the report.

I was running this inaugural race bc, frankly, I won to be able to run it for free. I'm trying not to spend a lot of money on races right now, to save for disney before the price goes up. I had one for july already paid for, but this one fit right in a great spot so I was happy to get it - $35 saved! I was not happy the race didn't start until 9 am, which is late for me for running, but free is free! DH and DS didn't go bc of church (most of the races around here are unfortunately on sundays) and I didn't want them to miss it bc we are missing next weekend (they notice such things there!) so I was on my own which is fine with me!

Now, it was very obvious to me that this was the first time they did this race. First, the website, although having a map of the course itself, didn't tell of number/location of the water stops or how to get to the starting line. I'm glad I left early (7 am) bc all of the directions I had found on-line got me to closed off roads, presumably bc of the race. finally, I had to go around the barricade bc I didn't know what else to do; and I knew I was much earlier than people would be out there. I finally found where I was going. The park where it was started was small and the registration was outside (wonder what they would have done in the rain?) they only had 4 outhouses to use before the race - so it's a good thing there were only 122 people running the 15k and about 200 running the 5k. but there was always a line. the tshirts, however, were very nice - lime cool1 green with a great design.

then we found out there were only 3 water stops for 9.3 miles. which is not good when it's already 70+ degrees and it's also a very hilly race. everybody was really surprised about that and not very happy about it either. then, they postponed the start of the run from 9 to 9:15 bc others were having the same parking/driving problems I did. then the starting line was simply a painted line across the road and I didn't see ANYTHING to show the start of the race to trigger our chip-timed bibs. the finish line was a flimsy overhang.

so we're off! since the race only had 122 people (really 75 until day of) I had a feeling I would be at the end of the pack bc of it would be hardcore runners and me - I was right. the race started down hill for about 1/2 mile, then it seemed to just keep going up, up, up. It was honestly the hilliest race I've run so far. Bc of the heat and the hills, I told myself just to care about not overheating, not getting sick and not to stop running.

admittedly, the race felt long and the sun kept getting hotter. although I had short sleeves, it made me realize I need to get sleeveless before my race in july. i did get a good tan. I actually stopped at the water stops to drinking instead of my normal course of trying to drink dribbles while running bc I knew I needed to get the water in me. i actually saw one male runner run into the grocery store on our route - I hope he was okay. I kept with a small pack at what I thought was the end of the line through all of it. it was nice to have them near to keep me going.

another fun part of the race is I picked my second race with cobblestones - seriously, who thinks cobblestones are a good idea on a running race route? these were even worse than the last though bc they were in a park, in the grass, about 2 feet wide and lasted for about a mile. I just decided to run in the grass bc they were so annoying.

and those water stops? not only were there only three - the last one WAS ONLY AT MILE 5! yep, you read that right, I had 4.3 more miles to go with no water. i've never carried liquid before, but I may reconsider. thankfully, I nice neighbor at mile 7 was sitting in a lawn chair on his front lawn with a sprayer, asking each person if they want to be sprayed - I didn't say a single person say no. and honestly, I truly think that's what saved me.

at that point, I just wanted to be finished and didn't care about my time at all. until I was about a quarter of a mile from the finish and could see I was beating my previous PR. WHAT?!?!?!?! never expected that in a million years. I wasn't sure of my time before that bc, although they had small signs showing miles, they never had any timing devices adn I couldn't hear my gps. so that really sparked my running and I beat my PR by almost four minutes! 1:43:50 when my last 15K was 1:47:40. My dh said he wondered how I would have done without the crazy heat and hills - hopefully I'll find out at my next 15k in july but I have a feeling that one will be a scorcher too! when I finished the race it was 81-82 degrees. oh, and there were about 20 people still behind me I found out, which was a nice surprise too!

I was really wiped after that, but dh and I took our ds to an amusement park when the heat got up to 92. then to red robin for a big ol' cheeseburger and fries and a milkshake. and I fell asleep two minutes after I put my son to bed at 8 pm.

And I ran 5.13 miles this morning - woot! so I may make my 100 mile goal this month!

Piglet - congrats on the family finishing your race as well - can't wait for the RR!

Rick - that walk/hike/mountain climb sounds tough - so the avon walk will be a cinch for you!

es - good luck iwth the start of your official training schedule!

lynnG - and thanks for the luck!

bunnyfoo - although DS didn't come, he made sure to get up to give me a "good luck hug and kiss" which I much appreciated - then I got a "congrats mama, you stink!" when I got home - but he hugged me anyway!
and that bus driver is a jerk!

Eva - congrats - so much better than running! a little or

 

[RunRookie]

RadioFanatic: Congratulations on finishing that race, and reaching a new PR in the 15K to boot! I couldn't imagine no water for almost 5 miles.. that is just crazy, especially in that kind of heat! And cobblestones? What an experience! Glad you came through it strong.

So, are you going to sign up for it next year?

 

[RadioFanatic]

RadioFanatic: Congratulations on finishing that race, and reaching a new PR in the 15K to boot! I couldn't imagine no water for almost 5 miles.. that is just crazy, especially in that kind of heat! And cobblestones? What an experience! Glad you came through it strong.

So, are you going to sign up for it next year?

Good question I hadn't thought about. Now thinking about it, I would probably say no. Nice to have run the first race and (literally) get the tshirt to say been there, done that, but I have to be really smart about where/when to spend racing money and $35 is pricey for what you get. But if I get it again for free . . . then definitely yes!

I just wish there were more longer races around here - there's always a million 5k's, but I'm really not interested in doing them anymore unless it's a really interesting one (like a christmas one they have here where the entire run is through their christmas light show - and you get a really cool windbreaker instead of a tshirt)- I would rather longer distances -and I NEVER in a million years thought I would ever say that - not too long ago 3.1 miles seemed like too much to drive in a car! Now I'm sounding all cocky! There's not a lot of 15k's or above in the vicinity - so if I can't find something else, maybe I will be back.

 

[es45]

Great job on the race, Kimberly! With all of those unexpected events (lack of water stations, late start, cobblestones, etc.) you showed your mental stamina as well as your physical stamina. Those issues can derail a race for someone if they aren't mentally ready too.

AFM: Another conditioning run/walk this morning. Just happy to be back out there with all of you. Have a great day, everyone!

 

[LuzzBightyear]

Hi all

Congrats to all other who raced last weekend. Here is my report on the Blue Nose:

On Sunday May 20, I ran the Blue Nose half marathon in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was my fourth half marathon and my first not in my home province of PEI. With about 2,000 half marathon runners, it was also the largest race I have ever participated in.

Race:
The race started at Citadel Hill in mid-Halifax. From there we headed into the North end. We then reversed direction and headed to the south end of the peninsula via harbour/shipyards and the downtown core. At the southern end of the peninsula, we made our way through Point Pleasant Park (PPP), then headed north again to finish up back at the Citadel.

The first 15 km were pretty uneventful running wise. I maintained a pretty quick and even pace throughout. At the 15km, I was on track to finish well ahead of my goal of 1:48. Then I hit PPP. PPP has an extensive trail system that cuts through a wooded area. Near the end of the trail was a very nasty steep hill. But the steep hill was not my big downfall…it was the running surface. I run on trails regularly here on PEI, but this one was very different. It was like someone poured truckloads of kitty litter type pebbles all over the trail. Not only did this affect my traction, but also lots of the tiny pebbles kept finding their way into my sneakers and bothering the heck out of me. So by the time I hit the steep hill, I was already feeling uncomfortable and started losing focus. Added to that is the fact that the temperature was climbing to the mid twenties (mid-high 70s)…and that is beyond my running comfort level. I was very glad to leave the park, and was able to return to close to my goal pace…however the final few kms was a gradual uphill climb and I was a too fatigued and hot to go faster and make up the time I lost in the park.

Result:
Gun time: 1:50:31
Chip time: 1:50:22
Overall place: 424/1971 runners
Gender place: 306/868
Age group place (M30-39) 97/242

So did I PR this race? Well, kind of…but unofficially. Before every race, I set my Garmin to count down the distance I run. From 13.1 miles, all the way to zero. Once it reaches zero, the timing stops. My watch stopped at 1:49:16, so obviously I ran another minute and six seconds after 13.1 miles. So while I ran the 13.1 miles faster than I ever had before in a race, it is not official and the only proof is on my watch...most importantly, no good for Disney corral proof!

My thoughts on the event

Pros:
Crowd support and course entertainment: Support of people lining the route was way better than PEI, both in terms of numbers and enthusiasm. There were tons of funny and inspirational signs. There were families/kids offering runners food/drink between water stations. In the final 3K, there was this guy who would randomly pick a runner, and run with them for like 100 yards shouting encouragement, then peel off and find another runner. Also, I got a real kick from the bagpipers!

Aid stations: Very elaborate and well maintained. Lots of volunteers, I never had to wait for anything. A few of them had some mist thing going on, which was very welcome on a warm day.

Overall event: From the fitness expo and race kit pick up, to the post-race recovery are, to the post-race party, I think the overall event was well organized and well done.

Cons:
The start corral: In the PEI half marathon, they had big signs with expected finish times, and runners were supposed to line up close to the appropriate sign. The idea is to obviously allow faster runners closer to the front so slower runners and walkers would not obstruct them. The Blue Nose had no such signs. The MC/starter gave no instructions where anyone should (fast or slow) should line up either. Fortunately, I arrived early enough to secure a good spot.

Pace bunnies: Ever since a particular pace bunny (who I tried to stay ahead of) blew by me with like 5K left in another race, I wanted to try following one. I was debating following the 1:50 one (and trying to break away near the end), or being really aggressive and following the 1:45. Turns out, I didn’t have a choice; there weren’t any pace bunnies faster than 1:55. PEI half marathon, about half the size of the Blue Nose, definitely had more pace bunny options.

The bling: Of all the running medals I got, this was blandest. I know blandish is subjective, but this medal didn’t even have the year on it!

Point Pleasant Park: I already belly ached about that!

Pictures
Don’t feel like paying $60 to get the pics, but here is a link of watermarked samples if anyone is interested.

Robbie

 

[es45]

Great report, Robbie, and a great run time too! I'm surprised at how often I read about clock time discrepancies or course mileage discrepancies during a race. Do you have another run on the calendar to use for Disney corral placement?

AFM: Another conditioning run/walk. This time my daughters went along. They fought the entire time about the types of birds we saw, what we ate last Saturday, who would take a shower first, etc. I believe that I'll start my run tomorrow before 6AM.

I'm looking for a local 5k in June to test my time now that I'm back to training. Part of me wants to jump in right where I left off but I must remind myself to take it slower this time to avoid re-injury.

And speaking of moving too fast, I'm considering signing up for the 2013 WDW full. Mentally, I'm ready to go. When would be a good time to check to see if I'm ready physically? Perhaps 4 months from now? Will I have time to register after the ToT in September or does the race usually fill before then?

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

 

[RadioFanatic]

Thanks for the report Robbie and congrats - you ran 4 more miles than I did in only 7 more minutes - amazing! I'm going to steal Rick's question to me and ask if you would run it again.

ES - I hope you do the full too - another to our group! I plan on getting down to it starting in july after my 15k race.

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hi team! Is it Wednesday already? I guess that's what happens when Monday is a holiday.

Elizabeth - Sounds like my sister and I when we were that age. Sadly not much has changed LOL As far as I can remember, the full usually doesn't fill right away. In fact, it's the last race to fill. I *think* it closed or filled in October last year. Based on an 18 week training plan, you wouldn't have to start training until September anyway so you have time How's your back feeling today?

Robbie - Great RR! And congrats on your time! I think the extra mileage comes in from weaving in and out of runners. I think the course is also measured on tangents (the shortest distance possible). The 30K race I'm planning on for August has a rocky pebbly surface like the one you described. I always worry about rolling my ankle there. I see a lot of corral hoppers in different races. I think it's hard for the volunteers to enforce the rules sometimes.

Kimberley - Congrats on your 15K PR! I feel like the trend I'm seeing is that race organizers can't seem to get it together when it comes to water stations. Even though I dislike wearing a Fuel Belt or carrying a bottle, I may do that for my next race. A cheeseburger and a milkshake sounds like an awesome way to refuel after a race. Yum!

Regina - How are you feeling post race? I can't wait to see your RR! Congrats to you and DH Is DL your next race?

AFM - We had a gorgeous long weekend! It was a little warm for running so I'm going to have to start getting into bed much earlier. I was also at the gym last night and did some deadlifting. It's funny to say but it feels good to start lifting heavy again. I made it up to up 155 lbs but that was from the rack and not from the floor. Tonight, there's a pilates/yoga instructor at the facility so I'm going to give the pilates class a shot. I haven't done pilates in years and I know I'm not flexible or bendy in anyway, shape or form. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. I'm hoping it won't be too bad because it will be immediately following my training session.

Oh and if anyone is interested in a healthier dessert, I made a chocolate "mousse" with greek yogurt and dark chocolate. It has a stiffer texture than real mousse but it also has all the protein from greek yogurt. Check it the recipe here! If you like it, hit the "buzz it" button on the top left of the screen I think it's similar to the 'like' button on Facebook.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Dave - Hope the ankle stays better!

Kim - Our latest adventure was fantastic! Or should I say “Wonderful”? The days at sea were really fun, seeing friends in Hawaii was great, and touring the 2 islands we did not know folks at was also fun, just not enough time at any of the islands.

Rick - Sounds like a great weekend!

Kimberly - Great race report! That sounds like a great Christmas 5K.

Robbie - Great race report!

Elizabeth - Good luck with your training plans! You might keep an eye on the WDW marathon thread, someone usually posts how full it is getting. Then maybe you can figure out how long you can wait to register.

Regina - I bet you are seeing some nice sunrises on your early morning runs.

AFM - We got a long bike ride in the other day (22 miles), first long ride of the season, then out again yesterday for another 10 miles (it was really breezy - 15-20mph wind). Today is windy (gusting over 30mph) and going to rain any minute, so todays activity will have to be in the basement work out room.

Pixie dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day team!

 

[Piglet24]

Portland RnR RR:

We headed off from the hotel to the nearest Max light rail stop that would take us to the expo. We went to the expo first thing Saturday morning right when it opened at 9:00am. Brooks was doing free gait analysis for anyone that wanted one and since we were there first thing, the lines weren’t long at all so we figured why not? The Brooks people and they were very thorough. I have had my gait analyzed 2 times previously at 2 different running stores and the guys at Brooks were the most informative and gave me the most information. They also e-mailed me my video of my gait analysis along with my recommended shoes. From there I found these inaugural sweatshirts and decided to buy one. DH decided he liked them and grabbed one for himself also. After some shopping and wandering we headed off back to the hotel. On the way back we stopped off and did some shopping downtown. When we arrived back at the hotel I was going through our purchases and I realized the “medium” sweatshirt DH had bought was actually a “small”. So we had to turn around and go back to the expo to exchange it. However, when we got to the expo, they were completely sold out of the sweatshirt, so we had no choice but to return it. I was really upset. DH was disappointed and I was angry with myself because I always double check the clothing tags inside the clothing to make sure the outer labels match the inner labels. I thought I had seen DH grab a medium and didn’t think anything else of it in the morning. I hate to see my DH disappointed, and it really upset me they were sold out because DH hardly ever asks for anything. So disappointed we headed back to the hotel again. To be honest, I am still really disappointed I couldn’t get my DH the sweatshirt he wanted.

We decided to try the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner for their pasta. DH looked it up on the map and told me it was NOT a long walk, so I said okay and agreed to walk. Unfortunately he was mistaken so we ended up walking forever until we finally arrived at the restaurant. I was not planning on walking so much so I was a tad grumpy when we arrived at the restaurant. I ordered a dish I had eaten before at 2 other restaurants, but when my dish came, it was different than what I had expected. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I was expecting and it wasn’t that great. DH had ordered the same thing and ate the whole thing so maybe it was just me. He said he liked it. I told him there was no way I was walking all the way back to the hotel and he agreed, so we decided to just pay the out of the free zone fee for their Max light rail. When we got onto the Max the driver went up a few feet, stopped and then exited while leaving us with the door closed inside. He walked out with a sandwich in hand and mumbled something about how he would be back. DH and I were the only ones on it at the time. We sat there for at least 10 minutes before he returned. He was eating his sandwich. I don’t have much experience with this form of transportation so it was surprising to me that he could just stop and take a break with us onboard. We weren’t in a hurry though so it wasn’t a big deal. Finally we were off and going again and in no time we were just a couple blocks from the hotel. When we returned to our room we laid out all of our race stuff and attached our timing tags to our shoes and our bibs to our belts so we were all ready to go for the next morning.

We went to bed early and woke up at 5am race morning. The race didn’t start until 8am, but corrals were open at 6:45am so we planned to leave the hotel by 6:30am so we had plenty of time to walk to the start and get our gear checked and not be rushed at all. As we headed out of the hotel at 6:30am we were joined by another racer from Michigan so we chatted with her as we walked to the starting area. She was doing her 8th RnR event and had 4 planned this year. When we got to the starting area I found the area was not too busy at all. There were a few people milling about but that’s it. We grabbed fresh bagels they were handing out and walked about as we ate them. They were really fresh and delicious! They had photographers everywhere so we were constantly getting stopped to take pictures. I thought it was a good idea to have photographers out pre-race taking pictures, as well as on the course. We used the port-o-potties and then checked our bag. The lines for the toilets were not long at all and they hadn’t yet gotten disgusting so that was nice!

About 7:20am we headed down to our corral. It looked like rain and as we started toward the corrals we could feel a very light drizzle. We were in corral 17 so we couldn’t even see the start from where we were. One thing I didn’t like about the corrals is that they did not have speakers far enough back for all corrals to hear when someone was talking or when music was playing. I get we are slower, but think even us folks in the back should be able to fully enjoy the experience and get our money’s worth. Anyway, we were like the 4th and 5th people into our corral as people were still milling about, but it was noticeably more crowded as more people seem to have shown up. We chatted with a couple people in our corral as we waited for the 8:00am start.

When it was finally time to go, it took us 15-20 minutes before we even moved forward. I was surprised by this as I didn’t understand why we were not moving forward at least one spot as each corral was let go. Well come to find out the corrals were not big enough. But I suspect this was because even though people were assigned certain corrals, a lot of people seemed to be going into whatever corral they felt like…another thing I didn’t like about the corrals. In fact, when we finally started moving forward, DH and I noticed some people had not bothered to get into the corrals at all. They were just standing to the side waiting and when the corral they wanted (not necessarily the one they were assigned) pushed forward they just hopped in and moved forward with them.

Finally our corral made it up to the start and we were off! We did do some dodging and weaving around the corral jumpers but it wasn’t too bad. The course was pretty open and there was only some bottle necking in a few places. I was worried about what I heard was a hilly course because I hadn’t trained on hills in several months, but mile 1 quickly came and went. There was some gradual incline between miles 2-5 but I didn’t really consider it bad at all. There were a few steeper hills, but they were short and I could see the top from the bottom so they went quickly. By this time the drizzle had picked up a little, but it still wasn’t what I considered to be raining. We also didn’t notice a whole lot of people walking/running. We passed by one group of women who were talking about run/walking but other than that it seemed people were either walking or running. My goal for the race was to finish in 2:30 or under. I was a little worried because my taper ended up being what I like to call “loosey goosey” and I missed a few runs and had to cut others shorter than scheduled. I managed to keep a consistent time throughout the miles and kept an eye on my watch. Based on how I was running, if I maintained my pace I knew I could finish in 2:20 or 2:15. But I didn’t want to put too much stock in that because I still didn’t know what hills were ahead. Before we knew it we were at mile 10. It was also raining harder. I have no idea when the rain picked up but I noticed around this mile how wet I was from the rain. By this time, I knew I could easily hit 2:20, but if I maintained my pace, I could get an even better time. We passed miles 10 and 11 and I was still feeling good. At mile 11, I looked at my watch and realized I might be able to get close to 2:10, but it wasn’t until mile 12 that I knew for sure it was possible. I picked up the pace a little and was exhausted by this point. I wanted to run faster but didn’t think I could go any faster. Then I saw the mile 13 sign. I was so close! Maybe I couldn’t go faster but I could at least try to maintain my current pace. I crossed the finish line and knew I was right around 2:10, but didn’t know the exact time. My official finishing time was 2:10:01! We were soaked and I was exhausted, but I was happy and felt good.

The finish line area was extremely crowded. People who had finished before us were crowding the area and it was a cluster. We got our finishers medals, grabbed some water, and Gatorade. One minor complaint here- they gave us lemon lime Gatorade, the same we were given on the course. I can choke down the lemon lime Gatorade but I didn’t understand why they couldn’t have offered flavors at the finish line. I did like the bottles they were giving us though that had the twist top. Oh and instead of whole fruit they had fruit cups. I didn’t get a spoon though. I saw people with spoons so I know they were there somewhere but I never saw them. It was crowded and people were filling both sides and you had to switch from side to side to get stuff, which didn’t make sense. Not knowing where you’re going or what they have and it’s easy to miss stuff. They also gave us this little snack box with pita chips, hummus, trail mix of almonds, peanuts, raisins, an immune system booster powder, a dark chocolate bar and a towelette and I thought that was nice. They also had more of the bagels they handed out pre-race. We also grabbed some chocolate milk. By this time though, I was having trouble keeping all this stuff in my hands. There was nowhere to sit and no end to the long line. DH wanted to just keep walking to the gear check to pick up our bag. This was a LONG way away and I thought it was crappy we had to walk so far to get our bags just to turn around and have to go back the way we came to get to the finish line area where the concerts were and everything else was. We didn’t understand why they would put the bag check totally out of the way and make the finishers walk back out of their way to go get them just to have to turn around to get back to the finish area. That was poorly planned. We got our bag and turned around and went back. We double checked their merchandise to see if they had the sweatshirt DH wanted, but of course they didn’t. Since we were already wet, I figured we may as well enjoy the rain and the music for a little while longer. We hung out for a while and then walked the short walk back from the finish area to the hotel. We got cleaned up and checked out.

When we signed up we were under the impression there was music at every mile. However, when we were actually on the course, there were only like 6-7 bands. We were both disappointed by this because we purposely left our ear phones in the hotel room in anticipation of having lots of music to listen to. If they didn’t have enough bands at every mile, it would have been nice if they had set up a stereo and just had music playing as you passed by so at least there really would have been music at every mile that way. All the bands seemed decent and we didn’t hate any of the music we heard so that was cool.

All in all there were a few disappointments and things that irritated us, but they were pretty minor. The biggest issue for me was the sweatshirt being improperly labeled and then being sold out when we went back to exchange it. That said, we still had a great time and would definitely go back and do it again. For an inaugural race the course was well laid out, open with only a few bottleneck issues and the start and finish were reasonable walking distance from our hotel. When we were back at our hotel, we heard a few people talking about how brutal the hills were. I really didn’t think they were bad at all. When I asked DH about it he said he didn’t think the hills were bad at all either. I was grateful they weren’t bad at all because they could have been so much worse!! Thanks for reading!

 

[es45]

Great finish, Regina! I've considered RnR events before so it is good to read your perspective. I'm surprised about the lack of bands, though. Aren't there usually more for those races? Sorry about the sweatshirt; that would bug me too.

Vicky: Do you consider the lifting helpful to your running? I'm considering doing some with a group at the gym but then I think I might need to cross train in other ways first.

Lynn: Do you watch TV during sessions in the basement? I always need a distraction so that I'm not watching the clock.

AFM: No run/walk this morning due to the weather so I've spent the time stretching and looking for a local 5k for next month. Of course, I spent some time reading reports from 2012 WDW marathon weekend too. Gotta be patient, gotta be patient....

Enjoy the day, everyone!

 

[Lynn G]

Good Morning Team!

Elizabeth - I either watch TV, or listen to one of my audio books (that I borrow from library) and put one of the bike riding DVDs on the TV without sound. The DVDs are made to ride along to, they have music in background and show a ride around various places, we have about 6 of them.

Regina - Great race report!

AFM - Got sidetracked yesterday, and no exercise other than house work and weeding. Will at least get dogs out for a walk today, should be a bit dryer this morning, rain forecast again for later in the day. We are headed to Atlanta for the weekend for nephews graduation, see you all on Monday - have a great weekend.

Pixie dust to all who are in need!

Have a great day team!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hi team!

Elizabeth - I'm told that lifting does help with running, especially with your knees. The way it was explained to me was that if you strengthen other muscles in your body - glutes, quads, core etc. then your knees end up doing less work. I also find it just makes me feel "stronger" all over and I like that feeling Start off with small weights and work your way up. For example, the bar that I use to hold the weights for deadlifting weighs 45 lbs by itself. So if you wanted to start doing that, I would suggest making sure that you're comfortable lifting 45 lbs and then practice the deadlift movement with just the bar by itself.

Regina - Great RR and congrats on your PR! That's a fantastic time on a hilly course! Sorry to hear about the sweatshirt. That sucks But from now on I'll be checking the inside tag to make sure it matches the outside tag. I was under the impression that there would be music throughout the course. I'll have to let you know what RnR Chicago is like.

The bus drivers here are like that too. They're only allowed to stop for washrooms during non-rush hour traffic and only if they aren't blocking anyone. That's never stopped them from bringing back food though.

Lynn - Welcome back! Did you end up using public transit on Hawaii? How did you find getting around without a car? Did your pups miss you and Scott?

Rebecca/Mike -

Robbie - Enjoy your second long weekend

AFM - I did an hour of training yesterday followed by a pilates class. The class was small but I can't say that I loved it. Plus going from work, directly to training to pilates was tricky. All I could think about toward the end of pilates was dinner LOL I will have to work on a snack.

If anyone's looking for a dinner idea this week, I made a cauliflower shepherd's pie. The recipe is originally from Rebecca Click here for the recipe and if you like it, can you hit the 'buzz it' button in the top left corner. It's like the FB 'like' button ... you don't have to register for the site or anything like that.

With the Memorial Day weekend coming up, what does everyone have planned?

Have a great day everyone!

 

[LuzzBightyear]

Regina: Congrats on the race results. Coming in 20 minutes ahead of your goal time is awesome. You rocked it!

Lynn: Have a great trip to Atlanta!

Eva: Congratulations on your big news!

Kimberley: Yes, already have plans to run the race next year. I have a bunch of friends who live in that city so it is a good excuse to get away for the weekend. Everyone around me said this was the hottest Blue Nose race ever. So I am hoping that next year the temperatures return to their normal levels for that time of year as well as familiarity with the course will help me get a better time. BTW, nice job with your race. A PR by 4 minutes in those hot conditions is really impressive!

Elizabeth: Well I have my first full marathon in October, but I think I am ok with corral placement no matter how I do in that. Most people on FB groups think I will be in A or B with my 1:50 half time. Even if I get into A, I might move back to B anyways to get a better view of the fireworks. And that is for the half only. For the full, I will probably just go wherever the team is. But I made a New Year’s goal to get sub 1:48, so I may have to run another half sometime this year. As for you wondering about whether you can physically do a full in January…I think if you can do a half now, and you have the time and determination to follow a proven program like Galloway or Higdon, I think you can definitely do it. Although I have yet to run a full marathon, the thought of running the WDW one does not seem daunting to me at all. Maybe it is because I am going into it knowing I am going to take my time, take lots of breaks for pictures and will be distracted by all the entertainment. Basically, at this point, I have no expectation for time other than not being swept.

Vicky: I think I know what I will be doing this long weekend: trying that Greek yogurt mousse, it looks great! Nice job with getting back to the weights. I know it would help my running, but I can’t seem to squeeze it in my schedule these days.

AFM:
In one last piece to by Blue Nose report, here is a link to the race video that was shown at the post-race party. I actually make an appearance on it…about 2:35 in at the bottom of the screen. White shirt, black hat and shades.

Now that the Blue Nose is over, I will soon be starting full marathon training for my October race. I could not find any program I really liked and that fit my schedule, so I created my own. Hopefully it works out!

In WDW Marathon weekend news, I will no longer be going down solo as my brother in law just signed up too. This guy lost like 70 lbs since January and wants to do an Iron man by 2015. He signed up for Goofy even though he has never been in a race longer than 10K as of yet. Talk about ambitious…or foolish lol! Oh yeah, he is even talking about Drinking Around the World at Epcot after the full!

Have a good rest of week everyone!