If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead

[MommaoffherRocker]

Biweekly Update​

9/16 Rest

9/17 7 miles, I was going to wait and run this the next day with DH but just needed to get out. Felt good and ran it in 1:34:22

9/18 Rest

9/19 Rest

9/20 3 miles after PT, leg was feeling pretty good 39:49 total time

9/21 Rest

9/22 3 miles after PT (last session) 38:27 total time

9/23 Rest

9/24 3 miles I ran this through my in-laws neighborhood. I was suppose to get up before DH left for the day but I was lazy. It was so hot and I have learned my lesson a little extra sleep is not worth running in the heat! total time 40:39

9/25 Weekly long run. I started out early morning and was going for 14 miles. First time going past half marathon distance. I have been messing with my intervals and I started this run with a 1/:30. I liked this interval. It just seemed easier to get back into than the 3/1 I had been doing. By the time I made it to 6 it was getting hot. I also had to run past a car accident where the driver was ejected. Another runner stopped me to tell me the details and The last I read the driver was in critical condition. At mile 7 I turned to head back and decided to stop at the gas station for a powerade. I felt like the water I brought just wasn't doing it. When I got to 10 miles it was nearing 90 degrees so I decided to end the run. I ended up doing a split run and went out for 4 miles later that day with DH. 10 miles total time 2:32:09 4 miles total time 53:58

After the Sunday run I decided I needed a new plan. So I am going to try something new for Goofy training. I am super excited and I want to thank @DopeyBadger for all his help!

9/29 First run on new plan, 3 miles at an easy pace. Goal pace was 15:30 and my miles were 14:04, 15:23 and 15:56 respectively. I also tried to focus on keeping a better running form.

I have also signed up for my first ever nonDisney half. 10/8 I am doing the Jacksonville Marine Corp Half Marathon. I am really nervous because I am sure I will be going from the middle of the pack to the back. But I am also excited to prove to myself that I can do it!

 

[wehrengrizz]

your 3-miler times are awesome! I bet you'll love the Marine Corps run...jodies galore!

 

[ZellyB]

Looks like a solid week of training. Yikes on running past the accident though. I hope the driver recovers. Another @DopeyBadger plan! It seems his plans have worked well for a lot of people. Hope you have success as well.

 

[huggybuff]

Following along here! You're going to do awesome on your first non-Disney half! Don't worry about where you finish. Finishing strong is the most important part. Good luck!!!

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Training update

I have to say first that these past couple weeks of running have felt great! I feel like this new training plan allows me to enjoy my runs even more than before. While it has been hard trying to slow myself down and shake that fast mentally. It has allowed me to take everything in and focus on my form.
​

9/30- 3 miles Easy A goal pace of 16:32 per mile, times were 15:18, 16:00, 16:10- no intervals

10/1- Rest day

10/2- Long run of 4 miles goal pace 14:59, times were 14:26, 14:54, 14:37, 14:29- no intervals

10/3- 3 miles Easy A, times: 14:26, 15:09, 15:54

*as the weather improves I am finding it even harder to slow down!*

10/4- 3 miles Easy B, times 14:27, 14:37, 14:46

10/5- Rest day

This is when hurricane Matthew decided to throw a wrench in my plans. The Marine Corp. Half I had planned was canceled and some runs were missed. Luckily the storm wasn't as bad as they thought it was going to be and we were only without power for 24 hours.

10/6- 2 miles Easy A, I got to run this one with DH since he didn't have to work for 2 days (one bright side to the storm) It rained during the run and at times it got pretty heavy but it was a lot of fun

10/7- Hurricane Day!

10/8- No electric so we headed to Animal Kingdom so I had a cheat day and didn't run. DH said the hours of walking would make up for it

10/9- Things starting to get back to normal, started to go for my long run but took a detour after finding this is the road

He was really feisty and giving my neighbor a hard time. I couldn't just leave him in the road so I went back to get DH, who is good with reptiles. He picked the snapping turtle up walked him to our pond.



Ok with the turtle safe it was time for my long run. 6 miles with a goal of 14:59/ mile. I tried to use my Garmin but it wasn't catching the satellites so I had to rely on Strava. I always find Strava to be 30 secs off so my times were 13:44, 13:38, 13:20, 13:41, 13:38 & 13:04. I went out later in the morning and it reminded me why I wake up early. Crossing some of those roads can be scary later later in the day.
​

10/10- 3 miles @ Easy A. Times: 14:16, 14:56, 15:22 (Garmin working again!) DS6 decided to join me and so he could talk to me all about Clash of Clans We had a great time even if he can walk as fast as I run.

10/11- 3 miles @ Easy A. Times: 14:33, 14:52, 14:44

10/12- Rest

10/13- 3.5 miles @ Easy B. Times were 14:14, 14:32, 15:07 & 1/2 was 8:11

I found out Thursday that they were able to reschedule the Marine Corp Half for this Sunday. They had to change the course so I will no longer be crossing two bridges. I was a little relieved since I don't have hills I can train on. (I should probably make more of an effort to do that) But now it is a loop course. I'm not too thrilled with that but as DH pointed out they can see me multiple times now. I am excited about that and I am sure that will give me a much needed boost.

​

 

[DopeyBadger]

Training update

I have to say first that these past couple weeks of running have felt great! I feel like this new training plan allows me to enjoy my runs even more than before. While it has been hard trying to slow myself down and shake that fast mentally. It has allowed me to take everything in and focus on my form.
​

9/30- 3 miles Easy A goal pace of 16:32 per mile, times were 15:18, 16:00, 16:10- no intervals

10/1- Rest day

10/2- Long run of 4 miles goal pace 14:59, times were 14:26, 14:54, 14:37, 14:29- no intervals

10/3- 3 miles Easy A, times: 14:26, 15:09, 15:54

*as the weather improves I am finding it even harder to slow down!*

10/4- 3 miles Easy B, times 14:27, 14:37, 14:46

10/5- Rest day

This is when hurricane Matthew decided to throw a wrench in my plans. The Marine Corp. Half I had planned was canceled and some runs were missed. Luckily the storm wasn't as bad as they thought it was going to be and we were only without power for 24 hours.

10/6- 2 miles Easy A, I got to run this one with DH since he didn't have to work for 2 days (one bright side to the storm) It rained during the run and at times it got pretty heavy but it was a lot of fun

10/7- Hurricane Day!

10/8- No electric so we headed to Animal Kingdom so I had a cheat day and didn't run. DH said the hours of walking would make up for it

10/9- Things starting to get back to normal, started to go for my long run but took a detour after finding this is the road

View attachment 201140

He was really feisty and giving my neighbor a hard time. I couldn't just leave him in the road so I went back to get DH, who is good with reptiles. He picked the snapping turtle up walked him to our pond.

View attachment 201141

Ok with the turtle safe it was time for my long run. 6 miles with a goal of 14:59/ mile. I tried to use my Garmin but it wasn't catching the satellites so I had to rely on Strava. I always find Strava to be 30 secs off so my times were 13:44, 13:38, 13:20, 13:41, 13:38 & 13:04. I went out later in the morning and it reminded me why I wake up early. Crossing some of those roads can be scary later later in the day.
​

10/10- 3 miles @ Easy A. Times: 14:16, 14:56, 15:22 (Garmin working again!) DS6 decided to join me and so he could talk to me all about Clash of Clans We had a great time even if he can walk as fast as I run.

10/11- 3 miles @ Easy A. Times: 14:33, 14:52, 14:44

10/12- Rest

10/13- 3.5 miles @ Easy B. Times were 14:14, 14:32, 15:07 & 1/2 was 8:11

I found out Thursday that they were able to reschedule the Marine Corp Half for this Sunday. They had to change the course so I will no longer be crossing two bridges. I was a little relieved since I don't have hills I can train on. (I should probably make more of an effort to do that) But now it is a loop course. I'm not too thrilled with that but as DH pointed out they can see me multiple times now. I am excited about that and I am sure that will give me a much needed boost.

​

Glad to see you are enjoying the training thus far. Keep up the great work. And don't worry about the easy days feeling too easy. That will catch up with you as the plan builds and then you'll say "thank goodness" for the easy days! Just continue to try and hit the prescribed paces as best you can. Best of luck this weekend!

 

[wehrengrizz]

Great job, hooray for new training plans, your times are consistently faster than your goal

I'm not too thrilled with that but as DH pointed out they can see me multiple times now.

love this!!! so awesome. Have a great time and let me know if you get any jodies stuck in your head

 

[ZellyB]

Great job on your training! That turtle is huge!!!!

 

[roxymama]

Glad to see you are enjoying the training thus far. Keep up the great work. And don't worry about the easy days feeling too easy. That will catch up with you as the plan builds and then you'll say "thank goodness" for the easy days! Just continue to try and hit the prescribed paces as best you can. Best of luck this weekend!

This x 1000!

I love that grumpy looking turtle...it embodies how I feel at work today. I wouldn't mind someone carrying me over to my home right now.
Great job on all your training!

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Marine Corp Half Recap

A Little Background
I saw this race when I was looking for a race for DH to do for September. Our goal this year is to get a medal a month and with me doing the DLH he needed a Sept. medal. He decided he wanted to do a race with DS9 so when I saw this race I knew it would be perfect for them. The only problem was it was in October. He was ok with it so I signed them up. I also signed up DS6 since he has shown an interest in running lately. A couple days later I decided that I wanted to run it too because it sounded so awesome. I mean how many races finish under guns? I saw they had a half and debated for quite some time on whether I thought I could do it. It said that there was a 4 hour time limit and all paces were welcome, so I decided to go for it. This would be my first half outside of Disney.

The Hiccup
A week before the race the meteorologists were saying that there was a hurricane approaching the Caribbean and that it could possibly affect us. I had a bad feeling about it but held out hope that it would take a different path. Sure enough Hurricane Matthew decided to come up the coast of Florida (thankfully never making landfall in Florida) but it did a lot of damage and they had to cancel the race. I was a little sad because I couldn't prove to myself that I could do it (after DLH I was doubting myself after walking the last mile)

A Ray of Sunshine
After the storm passed they sent out emails that they were trying to reschedule. By Wednesday they had all of the details in order. They had to change the course because of permit issues but they were still going to have it. DH picked up our packets Friday night and we got some pretty nice swag.​

Shirt was dark green tech, but it is bumpy and reminds me of lizard skin and a bottle opener



Race Day
We woke up on Sunday at 5am! The boys were right up, I was shocked, they hate getting up in the mornings. Nanny and PopPop came to stay with the rest of the kids. We jumped in the car and were off to the Jaguar's Stadium parking lot. We ate our Clif bars on the way and talked to DS6 about what it was going to be like to race. I also took some advil since my back was hurting (this may have come back to bite me at the end) We got there at 6:15 and needed to be at the start line at 6:50. So we used the bathroom and then walked around. We saw the finish line with the guns, and some big trucks. They were setting up the start line so we walked over and saw they had pacers for the half. I was so excited they had a 3:30 pacer! Not that I wanted to use a pacer I was just glad that I wasn't going to be last. I saw the 3 hour pacer and made a mental note that I was going to stay in front of them. They explained the course a couple times for us since it was kind of confusing. The 5k and Half were starting together, at the end of the first lap the 5k runners were to head to the finish line while the half runners were going to stay to the left and make 3 more laps that were going to be a bit longer than the first lap.




I told DH I would stay with DS9 while he stayed with DS6 during the rush of the start. That way we wouldn't get confused about who had who. When the gun went off I started my watch and Strava app and we took off. We lost the others for a couple minutes but they caught back up with us not long after. At a 1/4 mile in they had a band playing and that made it even more exciting. By mile 1 DS6 was asking if we were near the finish line yet. He then started walking and DH slowed down to be with him. DS9 and I kept on. I kept thinking they will catch up with us. They never did. We made it to the final turn before the finish line for the 5k and I saw DH. He yelled to me to have DS9 to keep going to the finish and he would meet him there (like 5 minutes behind). When the last 1/2 mile or so we were next to a little boy that was DS's age. They had a great time chatting. When we got to the separation point I gave DS instructions to finish, get his medal and wait. The other boy looked at me and said don't worry he will be with me. DS has trouble making friend so it was just an amazing moment for me to see him bond with that boy so easily. I was happy that I got to see him cross the line as I went by. He did so well!!

After breaking away from the 5kers I kicked it up a notch. I decided I was racing smart this time. I used the time racing with DS as my warm up but it was now time to turn to race mode. I saw the 3 hour pacer in front of me and said to myself I am going to get ahead of them. I had to fight the urge to sprint to get ahead. I kept saying slow and steady, I am going to pass them but I have 10 more miles to get it done. I would get close and they would do their walk interval and I would get super close but then they would run and I was far away. I did pass them around mile 4 and once I got a head I never saw them again.

The interesting thing about the loop course was I was watched the leaders lap me. I was just in awl that I was on lap 2 and they were on their last lap. At the first water station I saw DH and the boys on the curb near the finish line and they gave me a wave. It was good to have them there. I took water at each station to make sure I had enough to digest my fuel. At mile 5 I decided it was a good time to fuel. I had brought Cliff bars and was going to eat 1/2. I got it down and was still feeling good. I rounded the far turn and headed back towards the finish line. I crossed the 10k mat and saw the boys on the curb where I gave them high fives. 2 laps down. I crossed by the band again and was pumped. At mile 7 I put my earbuds in and turned on my new favorite podcast, Another Mother Runner. These ladies are hilarious! I was feeling a little off and doubt might have been trying to creep in so I planned to grab Gatorade at the next water station. At that moment @Waiting2goback texted me which was perfect timing! When I got to the water station and drank the Gatorade I was immediately sorry I did. It was orange and warm. That was not a good combo. I passed the boys again and they came out to me and said Hi real quick. At this point I had only walked through the water stations. But right before I got to mile 9 I thought it was time to change things up and do intervals. I wanted to make sure I was going to finish strong.

I had programmed my Garmin for a 3:1. I passed the finish line again and then the boys. I yelled to DH I hated orange Gatorade. 3 laps down. I was really starting to feel down, my stomach felt sick. My arms were starting to tingle. I couldn't really get into the podcast. But I told myself I would stick to my intervals no matter what. There was going to be no extra walking. I had heard on the podcast a couple days before someone's mantra was the body achieves what the mind believes. I kept repeating that to myself. Mile 11 came and went. I passed the final water station and said no way am I drinking anything else. The sun was so hot and there wasn't much shade(I, like a genius, wore a black shirt). I passed the boys one last time. I told DH it was getting so hard. He said you're almost there you can do it we will see you at the finish line. As mile 12 came up I was slowing down (my arms were still tingling not sure if that was from the Advil). But thought I didn't work hard in the beginning to lose it at the end (like the DLH). So I kept up with my intervals. I rounded the last turn and gave a smile to the cop that told me I was doing a good job. Only 1/2 mile to go! I tried to do some quick math to see if I was going to PR. I was close to my secret goal of 2:55. I tried to push harder put it just wasn't in me. I took one last walk interval and saw the boys right before the finish. I took off running again and crossed at 2:56:07. It wasn't 2:55 but it was still a PR and 1:10 seconds faster than my last PR! The Marines were at the finish handing out the medals. It felt like such an honor to let them put the medal around my neck and have them tell me I did a great job.


Bib and medal

Someone handed me a bottle of water and a glass tumbler with the race logo on it. I then made a beeline for some shade and I sat down. My face was so red at the end I thought it was sunburnt but it went away last night so I think I was just that hot. The boys came up to hug me and tell me how awesome I did. They got me a banana and told me what they had been up to while I was running. Apparently they cleaned up, free Dunkin' Donuts and Firehouse Subs. And I finished just in time for the award ceremony. I found out the winner finished in 1 hour and 9 minutes!!!!!




The Finish line, the guns are holding up the banner and downtown jacksonville is the background

As we headed home I went from nauseous to starving. Unfortunately
our traditional favorite post race restuarant was closed (it was Sunday) so we had to settle for Tijuana Flats.

Overall it was a fun race and I am so glad I got to run it. I was able to prove to myself that I could finish strong and that running a nonDisney race wasn't as scary as I thought.

Next race in 2 weeks!






​

 

[CherieFran]

Congrats on the PR - especially bouncing back from the schedule change!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Solid race! Congrats on your first non-Disney half marathon!

 

[ZellyB]

Congrats on the race and a new PR!!! Loved your recap and your boys are adorable!

 

[dis_or_dat]

Good job staying mentally strong! Great recap and congrats on your PR!!!!

 

[Ariel484]

Congrats on your new PR! Sounds like you have gained some mental toughness throughout your training!

 

[roxymama]

Awesome recap! A great job keeping those 3:00 pacers at bay & adapting to the changed race!

I read a funny running quote online and it's in my back pocket for my next long race when I hit that last couple miles.
"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired, you quit when the gorilla is tired."
I really don't know exactly what that means, but good job wrestling your gorilla???

And your kiddos are so cute!

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Thanks for all the congrats guys! ​

​

 

[Waiting2goback]

The PR is awesome. The recap is awesome. I love the pic with your son, and look how happy you look in that picture. But, the most awesome part is that you got over your fear of doing a non-runDisney race. All the other stuff is great but it wouldn't have happened if you didn't believe in yourself enough to try and that's the part you need to focus on. You can do whatever you decide you want to do. Awesome job!

Oh, I forgot to ask you, do you not normally drink Gatorade when you run? Sports drinks bother my stomach too, I just didn't know if it was a fluke that it bothered you during the race or if you just normally didn't drink them when you ran?

 

[ZellyB]

What a fantastic picture of you and your son! Love it!!

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Oh, I forgot to ask you, do you not normally drink Gatorade when you run? Sports drinks bother my stomach too, I just didn't know if it was a fluke that it bothered you during the race or if you just normally didn't drink them when you ran?

I don't drink Gatorade, I usually take Propel since it doesn't have calories. I like the blue Powerade at the runDisney races and that is something I don't normally train with so I thought it would be the same. I think it was more that it was warm than anything else.

"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired, you quit when the gorilla is tired."

Love this quote! I have a feeling it is going to pop into my brain at my next race LOL