Half Marathon - Train with me for Jan '11 - ...Shock - an update! 4/06! new pix

[maroo]

Does that stinkin' no-choice gratuity get tacked on for ALL sized groups?? Like when the 3 of us go, are they going to shaft us with that too?

Yes.

But they sorta get jipped from me...I usually leave 20% - especially in Disney! And have been known to leave more for fantastic service.

And if you have poor service, you simply speak to the manager and they take it off and you can then tip what you would like.

I budgeted a 15-20% tip on all of my meals with or without the card and with or without the Dining Plan.

No, the automatically added gratuity starts at either parties of 6 or 10. I can't recall which one right now.


maroo: Congrats on the weight loss!!!

Thank you!!

If you are paying with a Tables in Wonderland card they do add the 18% before they take the 20% discount.

I think they do this so that people are tipping on the "real" total and not the total - 20%.

Normally they only do it with larger groups, but in this case they do it even if you are a small group.

 

[Sandy321]

Maroo

dh just got home, so off I go...

but - the job just got really muddy - not in a good way

He was just piecing together days here and there - and the company that laid him off hired him to work on their network - well today they found out that they got stiffed - a company they worked a job for paid the $40,000 then that check bounced - the company may be no more - no paychecks. nothing. cease. the end...

so he's not done any work. He has continued to apply tho.

He goes camping tomorrow!

 

[maroo]

Sandy! Oh no! I am so sorry. That is just awful!


Well...

I did walk tonight, but I stopped at 1.5 miles. I was going really fast...maybe too fast.

I have figured out that music makes a HUGE difference at this point in my training. I don't know if I will use music on the course...but to get my pace going, it really does help right now. "Celebrate" by Kool and the Gang is my song!

However, my potassium is low and I probably need to get it up before I try THAT again. When I stopped my heart rate was over 180 and my legs were cramping so bad. I was afraid I was about to have a heart attack! So...no more of that until after I see my doc to get some potassium pills and get my potassium level back to normal. Hopefully when I get some of this extra weight off, my body will get its equilibrium back!

 

[Sandy321]

Maroo I am no doctor - so please, do see and discuss this all with your doctor!!

That being said - before anyone exercises you MUST give your body fuel!! I usually take a 1/2 banana and water - then when we come in from a run, we take MORE water, and maybe 1/2 banana - but some PROTEIN!! a slice of cheese, or a cheese stick.... a small glass of milk (ok fine - yes, I put chocolate in my milk! and I only do this now that its so cold! when its hot - no milk for me, but cheese is ok!!)

potassium levels are nothing to mess around with!! Glad you are on top of it and pulled back!!

And ITA with the music - can you imagine - Dolce is doing this sans music!!!

BUT I want to reassure all HALF and FULL DISNEY marathoners - no music or ipods are NEEDED - nope - none - trust me on this!!! Seriously!! Disney volunteers have got this covered - just the joy of running - but guess what at every mile there is entertainment - and its so sweet!! When dawn finally comes - you see the entrance to the MK - and you try really hard not to cry - going under the water by the Contemporary - no problems - more music... getting to go in the CM entrance - you want to watch your footing - so you cant have music on - then rounding into Mainstreet

It all takes your breath away - you are in a Half Marathon - - you are running thru the MK - lots of characters waving - cheering you on - thru the castle! Then over to Frontierland - use the bathroom (whether you need it or not, it will save you from "having" to later on!!)

The lonliest strip is outside of the MK then by the Poly - there is a Scream Team here - it helps!!

but by the time you get passed the sweepers at Mile 10 - - you can do anything!! and then you are so overwhelmed - you are tired of all the crap you thought you "had" to have!!!

Dont know if you like the Judds - but I'm saying they have some inspirational pieces... "I know where I'm Going... doncha wanna come too"

This is the Moment (Broadway - I have it on my ipod sung by Donny Osmond)

EKYLL:
This is the moment!
This is the day,
When I send all my doubts and demons
On their way!

Every endeavor,
I have made - ever -
Is coming into play,
Is here and now - today!

This is the moment,
This is the time,
When the momentum and the moment
Are in rhyme!

Give me this moment -
This precious chance -
I'll gather up my past
And make some sense at last!

This is the moment,
When all I've done -
All the dreaming,
Scheming and screaming,
Become one!


This is the day -
See it sparkle and shine,
When all I've lived for
Becomes mine!

Surely you can see how inspirational this is on my run - but I 'zone out' and then suddenly I hear it . . all the dreaming, scheming, and screaming, etc...

it helps!1

OR how about "Tuff Enuff" (mine is by Wynona Judd)
Gonna Fly now (Rocky - you gotta love the theme from Rocky!!)
do you have "Awesome God" on your playlist? it does help!!
Life Is A Highway (Cars Rascall Flatt)
Life's like a road that you travel on
When there's one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind
There's a world outside ev'ry darkened door
Where blues won't haunt you anymore
Where brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore
We won't hesitate
To break down the garden gate
There's not much time left today

[Chorus:]
Life is a highway
I wanna ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I wanna drive it all night long

 

[Dolce27]

Sandy: I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that something else comes his way very soon.

maroo: Good job for getting out there. I'm sorry that it had to be cut so short. Please get that checked out with your doctor. I never know what my heart rate is when I run. Back when I used machines at the gym, I hated the heart rate sensor. It was especially annoying on the elliptical machine. There were too many times I'd move the position of my hands and it'd hit the sensor. Then the machine wanted me to hold onto the sensor for a reading. Whenever I would allow the sensor to take my reading it always said that my heart rate was too high. I always disagreed with it. It's a stupid machine, what does it know?

Tonight I got in four miles. Last night I got in my six. I'm still having some problems with my feet and knees. Not injury really, just twinges and some discomfort. I think maybe it's more like bruising? I experienced this in my feet when I first began running but for the past month or so I've been fine. I guess that now I've gotten into the double digits my body is having to readjust. I guess that if you count the 1/2 marathon (that I didn't fully run) I had 36 miles last week. After my 14 mile run this Sat I'll have in 28 miles for this week.

 

[eandesmom]

Sandy

I am so sorry to hear about your DH. I hope he can enjoy camping and find some peace, that is just awful.

Maroo

I agree about the bananas and cheese sticks...and a visit to the doctor! Great job recognizing your issues.

Dolce

That makes sense about the bruising. Just don't overdo it, that's when injuries happen. I hate those heart rate monitors on the equipment. If did what I should for my "age" I'd never feel like I was getting a workout!

 

[Sandy321]

Dolce go to Walgreens and just try the gel - it is $10 - but even dh was surprised that it did provide relief!! Synovium (it has glucosimine in it - topical gel - you rub it in and think - wth? This is like that Purell carp... but then you walk around and think.. hmmmm maybe?? wow? really??!!

its worth a shot!! (my knees, ankles, and plantar fascia - the Plantar doesnt really find any difference...)

DH is really down - he found out his old company wont fold completely - they only have 15 employees now (they get work outsourced by other big companies, as well as inventors.... an optomalogist hired them... but getting people to pay their bills has an effect everywhere... sad that. )

He will enjoy camping - its going to frost some at night, and be cloudy - but because of that huge storm on the eastcoast - it will hold off rain here! Its the annual "Thanksgiving Campout" The scouts make a traditional Thanksgiving feast and invite the parents and others out Sat night - turkeys cooked outside - about 6 of them, homemade cranberry sauce, pies baked in dutch ovens etc...

its all about the "male bonding" and feeling needed!!

Guess I'm going to work tomorrow... and its just DD and me for the weekend (not I for the weekend, me for the weekend - the teacher in me wants to make sure I get that one right!! I know I'm no math major... DD and I will sing for supper, eesh!)

I got up at 4 am - time for some shut eye...

 

[eyor44]

Sandy - sorry about DH. What a rollercoaster. Will keep praying he finds something soon.

Maroo - be careful. Great job on listening to your body. Are you visiting the doctor soon? How is Lauren doing? I need to visit your other threads.

Dolce - when you added up the miles you have done all I could think was WOW!!! you have really racked up some mileage. I hope your feet start feeling better soon.

I didn't get a walk in last night. Took DD to the dentist and that took way longer than normal. Afterwards I took her for a combination good job at the dentiist/early birthday surprise. She had her first manicure and pedicure. She loves having me do it, but I'm no good at the polish. So by the time we got home, it was starting to get cold. Okay in the 50s but I didn't want DD out in in as it was very damp also. I will hopefully get something done tonight and then plan a long walk tomorrow. Gotta check the weather.

 

[Sandy321]

EIGHT WEEKS TO GO!



Its all about the last 3.1 miles. Respect the distance... Just do it...

My mantra...

Lisa 50 degrees can be very cold.... until you put it into perspective of 20 degrees... 17 degrees... I am so NOT looking forward to December training..

for today - I'll get out there after work...

 

[dislvr74]

Sandy,
I'm just starting to read this, but I noticed that your son attends/attended U of I. Is/was he at UIUC? I work there! Let me know if you have any questions about anything. I would be happy to offer advice via PM.

 

[Dolce27]

Sandy: I'll check out the gel. Oh, and I would love for the temp here to get into the 50's for my runs! It's currently in the low to mid 70's and it's waaaay to hot for long runs! Mid-50's to low 60's is a lot nicer. I've already figured this out.

I leave 8 weeks from today for Disney. That should be what my ticker reflects; my ticker date should be Friday, Jan 08, 2010 as that is my arrival date. It's not my marathon date.

eyor: good luck on your walk tonight. I must get in some Pilates tonight. While I've been really good at sticking with my running schedule, I'm absolutely horrid with doing yoga/Pilates.

eandesmom: I'm trying hard to keep from injury. I'm sticking to my beginner marathon schedule. My knee was fine last night during my run. My other knee is letting me know today that it exists. Go figure!

 

[Sandy321]

Sandy,
I'm just starting to read this, but I noticed that your son attends/attended U of I. Is/was he at UIUC? I work there! Let me know if you have any questions about anything. I would be happy to offer advice via PM.

Thank you so much - DS #2 did transfer from UofI to UIC - he just sounds so happy!! I havent heard him sound happy in so long!! The only question I have is how to make UofI give us the money from 2nd Semester (he was in the hospital the entire first week before start of 2nd semester - and we called and told people he was unable to return - we want the money transfered to UIC -

no one knows how to do this!

His girlfriend is at UofC

This college stuff can be confusing!! UofI - Univ of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana
UIC = Univ of IL Chicago
UofC = Univ of Chicago

 

[dislvr74]

Sandy,
Did he attend any classes at all spring semester? Do you remember who you talked to (Dean of Students/Emergency Dean or a college office)? Which college was he enrolled in? I might be able to find a good contact for you depending on where he was enrolled. (Maybe he belonged to us - that would be a riot!)

He might be able to do a retroactive cancellation, but the rules are kind of weird for that. I've approved that for some students depending on their circumstances. I've also approved withdraws that were back dated in order to get at least a partial tuition refund. Again, it depends on the circumstances. I don't think it is possible to transfer the money to UIC, but you might be able to get a refund.

Changing the subject... You should really consider the Illinois half/full marathon in May. I did the half last year and it was awesome. It was the first time that I finished in less than 3:00 (2:58, but it counts!) so it holds a special place in my heart. I can't wait to do it again this year. The course is flat, naturally, and you get to finish in the stadium. Even though your DS isn't here anymore, I think you would still enjoy it.

 

[maroo]

Hey guys! Quick update...

My dr appt is December 4th. That is forever away...but I have to go on a Friday and with the Holiday, that was the best they can do.

Gives me a couple of weeks to lose some more weight.

In the meantime...the plan...is to keep going.

I am going to go slower, though. Not really keep track of my pace. Try to maintain a steady pace and get the miles in...as that is important at this point.

I am doing 3 miles tomorrow afternoon and keeps me on track (less 1.5 miles) - for the most part.

 

[eyor44]

I didn't get out Thursday night and last night got all messed up. It was DD's birthday yesterday.

But...........I did 10 miles today!!!!!!!




I won't lie, it was hard, but I did it. and I felt really good afterwards. Clif Bloks, where have they been all my life??????? Thanks Dolce and Sandy, these really helped I think. I took a couple at the beginning of mile 7. I had the strawberry and liked it.

Dolce how are the knees today?

Sandy did you get out walking? When is your next long one?

Maroo, well at least you have an appointment. Just watch your self and I think you will be okay until then.

 

[Sandy321]

LISA did TEN MILES!! WOOHOO!!


OH YEAH!!

WOOHOO WTG LISA!!

OMG!! THAT is just so FANTASTIC!!

I keep thinking, today's weather was perfect!! but 3 - 4 hours away from home??

and then - dd I am glad I stayed home (dh is out camping) she just doesnt have her blood sugar, pressure, and now I'm going to add iron levels stable!!

she faints!!

its horrible!!

but its not serious... she wants to be a vegetarian, but she hates vegatables I cant get her to eat beans (I make a very nice baked bean!! handed down recipe!!) she wont watch her carbs and sugar levels - too much junk food..

and I truly believe it is all catching up with her...

not easy being mom!!

(she also wont swallow pills - advil for her headaches!! Just awful!)

 

[Dolce27]

I did 10 miles today!!!!!!!

Go you!!!!! Awesome Job!!!!!


My knees held fine, thank you for asking. Maybe last Saturday was a shoe issue? I purchased new shoes the week before that run. You're supposed to buy new shoes every 300 - 500 miles. I lost count as to where my old shoes were at but I know they were over 300 but less than 500. I could feel a difference in them and knew that they needed to hit retirement. I had bought new shoes the Monday prior but had only done one 4 mile run in the new shoes before last Sat's 13 mile run so I chose to do the long run in my old shoes since the new ones weren't fully broken in yet.

Maybe that was a mistake. Today's 14 mile run had no pains ... until I stopped! I walked a 1/2 mile to cool down... limping and trudging is probably a better description than walking. I did complete the 14 miles but man! was that rough!! How am I to make it to 26 miles??? I wanted to bail at mile 4 and next Saturday I have to do 16 miles!

I'm seriously struggling with the upper milage here. I'm stubborn and not a quitter and will keep moving forward but oh how I wish that I was only doing the half marathon! I did improve my time a little bit this run but, and I seriously think that I'm the only person the entire on WISH board saying this: I'm trying to slow down. I need to conserve energy. As a new runner, I'd be happy with a 10 minute/mile pace. If I do low milage, such as a 3 mile run, my pace is moving up around 8 1/2 minute miles and this without any speedwork. I'm very pleased with how well my pace is for being such a new runner. But I need to slow down for this long of a distance.

They say that miles 18 - 26.2 can take you just as long as miles 1 - 18 and by mile 14 today I was desperate to be done so I can believe this! I was averaging at a 9'33 minute/mile pace. I completed the 14 miles in 2 hours and 9 minutes. That was a slight improvement from last week as I hit mile 13 at 2:00:00 where as last week I hit mile 13 at 2:03:00.

Someone over on the WISH board posted a great link.

http://www.clifbar.com/play/pace_band/

It's actually in regards to the Cliff pace teams. But there's a link on that page and you plug in your desired finish time. For example: I put in that I would like to complete a full marathon in 4:10:20 and it broke down my splits and it also highlighted which miles I need to take my Cliff Shot Blocks in. (It's the same miles that I've already been taking them so at least I was on track with that.) It lets you print out a pace band so you can keep track if you're hitting the miles where you should in order to meet your goal. Per my pace band, I should have hit mile 14 at 2:13:42. Soooooo... back to the whole: I need to slow down. If I can make the full marathon in this time; I'll be very proud of myself. But who knows what can happen in those upper miles. Over the next year I'll work on speed training for a better time in the 2011 Disney marathon. As for the Disney 2010 marathon: I just need to finish. And I really hope to finish under 4 1/2 hours.

 

[maroo]

Lisa - Woo Hoo!! Double Digit Land!!!! Is that a total first? That is fantastic!


Dolce - Awesome job on your miles! I bet it was the shoes.


Sandy - I don't envy you Moms in some of the stuff you guys have to deal with.


Well...I think I have found my "secret weapon" to keep pace. LISA! She walks fast! Faster than I do. I went walking with her yesterday - got all 3 miles in! - and I believe we were very close to the 16 mile pace. It felt pretty good. Till this morning. I am sore!

 

[eyor44]

Thank you everyone. Yes, it was the first double digit walk for me.

Sandy, how is DD today? Did DH enjoy his camping trip? The weather was nice in our area this weekend also.

Maroo Sometimes walking with others does help. One thing I have found is when you are with someone else, you are talking, get into a pace and really start moving cause you are concentrating on something besides what you are doing. Way to go on getting the three miles in. and at 16 mintues! Your time is really improving.

Dolce I agree, it was probably the shoes. I had a similar issue. I needed new shoes, got a different style than what I normally wear, and they didn't work. AT ALL. Hurt my feet as soon as I started walking in them. So I had to wait a couple weeks before I could buy another pair of what I normally do. Then had to break those in. So I kept wearing my old shoes. Now that they new ones are broken in, I can really feel the difference. I won't make the mistake of waiting so long for new ones again, and I definitly will stick with what works for me.

I have had the same issues with wanting to quit right after I start also. Mile 3 seems to be hard for me. I go through the whole, "why am I out here?
why am I doing this? There is no way I can complete 13+ miles." etc, etc. Then I start envisioning the route, the pictures I have seen (thank you Sandy) and it helps so much. Once I got past mile 5, then I am past the doubts and become very determined. Mile 8.5 I started envisioning the finish line. Will I just keep pace and act all cool or will I sprint for the finish line when I see it? Will someone be there to take my picture? I know they take your picture coming through the castle, but I really want a picture crossing the finish line.

Sandy I agree with something you said a bit back about upper body strength, especially the arms getting you through it. I was really concentrating on my body and how it reacts to different types of issues and I can really see how the upper body does help you walk, especially up hill. I am going to try really hard to work on this. This whole thing has turned into so much more than I initially realized in the beginning. But not in a bad way. This whole process has really helped me a lot.

 

[Sandy321]

Lisa That upper arm strength really comes into play in the later stages of the game - I hurt, I want to put my arms down - training - training... Its part of the whine for me - to focus on something else - pain in my toes, ankles, calves, arms... lol

Glad you enjoyed the blocks!! I dont do the gatorade, just plain water and a few blox every now and again - but then at the end - that's when I have the nutrition and water!!

Dolce I think thats why I lately have been playing my mind game with myself - and train for the last 3.1 mile - every step I take - I have to go a bit further - to train for that last 3.1 miles - I really believe you are going to be right on track. Do keep in mind not to burn out to early - the whole atmosphere at Disney - you get caught up in it and move to fast - of course you are the one that cautions me!!

We're going to do this!! right?

Maroo 16 mm pace seems so slow - till you get out there and try and maintain it!! the first few miles is ok - its "maintaining" the last 3.1 miles that I just couldnt keep up with the 16mm pacer... it was sad. very sad.

so you'll have to try and train with Lisa every now and again -

and take an advil for that soreness - get going!!

DD went to school today - We had a major "nag session" She has to be responsible for her health! I have to get it thru her naive skull that kids with diabetes go to school, lose blood sugar, etc and they persevere! I did realize she was probably anemic as well - so we got her the vitamins with iron and will try and get her to take a vitamin every day. bought her snacks (peanut butter crackers) Her response "mom, I cant eat every 2 hours, they wont let me" There is little trust with the school and us!!

Hey I ALSO HATE when "they" move the smilies!!