In Training: Marathon Weekend 2013 (Dopey Challenge)! 1/17 - LINK TO TRIP REPORT!

[annabanna]

I think it's pretty cool that you pushed through the race - I can see why it would be a not-so-fun race to run. I find something degrading about out-and-back races, I just hate it when I am just passing mile 1 while the elite runners are passing me on their way back!

I have been saving for a D&B bag since I started this journey, a dollar a mile. So I am hoping they have a good one for the PMH!

 

[Ariel484]

I think it's pretty cool that you pushed through the race - I can see why it would be a not-so-fun race to run. I find something degrading about out-and-back races, I just hate it when I am just passing mile 1 while the elite runners are passing me on their way back!

I have been saving for a D&B bag since I started this journey, a dollar a mile. So I am hoping they have a good one for the PMH!

Thanks! I don't think I was ever SERIOUSLY considering dropping out...but the thought was definitely there, if only for a brief moment! I think mostly because if I'd seriously hurt my knee and had to derail training for Marathon Weekend as a result, I would have hated myself. One thing I kept reminding myself about afterward was that the Disney courses are NOT like this. There are out-and-backs here and there (you describing them as "degrading" is perfect - exactly how I feel! ) and there are sloped roads here and there, but it's not constant like the course was on Sunday.

A dollar a mile - great idea! Honestly, whoever came up with making Dooneys for the races is a GENIUS. I bet they make Disney tons of money. Did you see pictures of last year's pattern?

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2874180&highlight=princess+half+marathon+dooney

I posted a picture in that thread of a Dooney that my brother bought during the 2011 Princess Half for the girl he was dating at the time...but he actually bought it at Downtown Disney, not at the expo. I don't think this was a special one for the race, just a limited-edition pattern that they happened to have out during race weekend...so it wasn't as exclusive. At any rate, I think I like the one he got better than the pattern from last year (though I like last year's too). I actually REALLY liked the pattern for the Tinkerbell Half bag, and I don't even like Tinkerbell. SO great that they are now doing them as something you can pre-order online...I hadn't yet been to a race where they had the D&B patterns at the expo but I always thought it was unfair that all runners (i.e. ones that didn't arrive at the expo right at opening on the first day) didn't have a chance to get the bags. I'm glad to see Disney is changing that!

 

[Ariel484]

Week 13: Strength training
Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Ack, almost forgot to post here today!

Not that I have a ton to say about this workout, except that I was able to complete it! Yay! I thought maybe I'd need to cut out some of the leg stuff after Sunday's half marathon, but I woke up this morning feeling almost completely recovered. Yesterday afternoon I began wondering if I should have taken yesterday off to recover from the race, but I seem to have handled it okay. It gives me hope that marathon weekend won't be super incredibly painful...even though running a half one day and 4 miles the next is in no way similar to running Goofy. But still...

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

BIG TRIP UPDATE! (knock on wood)

So way back in the beginning of this thread I mentioned that this trip would be me, Will and Craig for sure...my mom has been a question mark. She's been dealing with some bull**** (no other way to put it ) and wasn't sure when it would be resolved, but as of yesterday it sounds like she'll be able to join us on our trip! I think she's 99% sure at this point (she sent me a text saying she's going to take something to my brother "in Jan" - seems like a good sign to me!). She's had a tough year and I would have hated for her to miss out. I know she would have been sad to not be in Disney with the three of us since we don't see my brother too often. So yay!

Once she officially gets things figured out I am sure she'll book a room to share with my brother...which is good because I have learned from past experience that getting my brother to book a room is like pulling teeth. Last year a pretty good room-only discount came out and the two of them stayed at the Yacht Club in a room with an AMAZING view...I was so jealous.

Seriously...room of my dreams

Despite the fact that the Yacht Club room totally spoiled them, my mom decided (somewhat begrudgingly, I think) that this year they should go the moderate route. There's a room-only discount out now and it looks like there's availability at Carribbean Beach (pirate rooms only ) or Coronado Springs. I think my mom would like the decor of the Coronado rooms better, but who knows...if they stayed in a pirate room that would be pretty hilarious.

The good news is that from the beginning I planned in such a way where I assumed she was going the entire time, so I made all of our dining reservations for 4 (except for my and Will's 'Ohana breakfast). However mom did mention over the phone yesterday that she might try to get one of my aunts to come along as well. At first I was like "Oh, cool!" And then my second thought was "WHAT ABOUT MY 'OHANA RESERVATION?!!?!??!?" I mean...hmm. So we'll see what happens.

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Scouting the Courses: 2012 Walt Disney World Half Marathon (January 12, 2013), Part 1

Okay, I feel like I can actually speak with some authority when it comes to this course. Despite the fact that this will be my first time running the Walt Disney World Half Marathon, I have run this course before…it’s exactly the same as the Princess Half Marathon Course.

Look familiar? Since my thread has, like, zero pictures I think I can use some of my Princess Half pictures here. Seems somewhat appropriate.

So the morning of the race I’m going to hop on the monorail from the Grand (3:30AM at the latest…I’m not taking any chances getting to the starting area late!) to the TTC, then transfer there to Epcot. Can I just take a pause here to say that I still CANNOT believe we’re staying at the Grand Floridian?! I don’t think it’ll actually hit me until I wake up there the morning of the 5K. Anyhoo, taking the monorail to the start is going to be a first for me – in the past I’ve taken race-day buses from Port Orleans Riverside and the Beach Club. We’ll see how this goes. Since my brother and I will be staying at different resorts (as I said above, I am guessing he and my mom will end up at Coronado Springs or Caribbean Beach) we’ll have to meet somewhere in the staging area.

The staging area is in one of the Epcot parking lots – the Wonder Lot. Here there are lots of different tents set up (info, medical, merchandise, etc.), a DJ, some photo-ops, and of course, porta-potties. There will be big lines for the porta-potties here…if you don’t want to wait in the staging area, don’t. There’s a long walk ahead and as you make your way to the start you’ll pass porta-potties galore. The ones closest to the staging area always have the longest lines…the ones closest to the starting corrals have the shortest.

Speaking of, runners are supposed to be in the starting corrals by 5AM and are required to walk there from the staging area. I feel like everyone complains about this walk (it’s about a mile long…20ish minutes), but I don’t mind it – it keeps me moving and loose, and it really builds the excitement. During this walk the bro and I will eat breakfast (I’m planning on bringing plain bagels and small, disposable containers of peanut butter from home). From the starting area runners first walk past bag check (if history is any indication we won’t check anything) and then just keep on walking to the start on Epcot Center Drive. Again, there will be LOTS of porta-potties along the way, and it’s likely you’ll also catch your first glimpse of someone who’s decided that the lines are too long and prefers doing their business in the bushes. Not the first time you’ll see this. Also keep an eye out for some extinct Backlot Tour Trams (so odd???) and the Lights of Winter wrapped up in plastic.

At the corrals, a volunteer will check runners’ bibs and grant entry to the corral. Last year we were in Corral D for the marathon…I’m hoping to move up to at least C this year. We were in C for the Princess Half. The full and half marathons in January have 8 corrals and the Princess Half has 6, so we may move up, especially since I’ve submitted a significantly faster time this year for corral placement.

At this point, expect totally lame banter from the runDisney folks on the stage at the starting line. Also expect them to pick one popular pop song to play over and over and over. Seriously…at the 2011 Princess Half it was “Firework” by Katy Perry. At the 2012 Marathon it was “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. I heard the song of choice for the Tower of Terror 10-miler was “Call Me Maybe.” So what’ll it be this year? Inevitably whatever song they will pick will be one that I find super annoying, but once I get home I will love it because it will remind me of the races (that totally happened with “Firework” and “Party Rock Anthem”).

If we’re in Corral C like I hope we will be, we’ll start the race at 5:47…each corral will get a round of fireworks for their start, and I will take an awful picture of ours similar to the one below!

The first mile heads past Spaceship Earth (which will be beautifully lit up) and up Epcot Center Drive…so right past the park, but not actually IN the park. After Mile Marker 1 I’m expecting to see some characters out for meets, but I have no idea who it will be. The first water station is somewhere between the first and second mile (they’ll also have Powerade) and we’ll hit mile marker 2 right after turning onto World Drive. Again, should be more characters on this stretch of the course, and if I’m guessing correctly, we’ll run under the Magic Kingdom Entrance gates!

I hope to take a better version of the above picture at this point. Mile Marker 3 will be right after the MK gates. So at this point, the excitement is building – we’ve run past the gates, and we’re almost there. Just want to get to the Magic Kingdom already! Not just yet though…running under the entrance gates is such a tease since there’s still over a mile until runners actually enter the park. In the meantime I’m expecting more characters, and we’ll have to pass Mile Marker 4 first, which is just before the Transportation and Ticket Center. This is an exciting part of the course, because it’s likely that this will be the first time there will be a significant number of spectators! It’ll also be the first place (I think) where there’s an opportunity to use a REAL bathroom (though I expect the lines to be pretty long).

I’m expecting some really cool entertainment here…in the past there have been drum groups and trampolinists. There’s a water stop somewhere in here…I’d recommend not passing this one up, as there won’t be another until the Magic Kingdom portion of the course is over, and the sun will most surely be up by that point.

Then it’s on toward the Contemporary where the first significant incline and the only true hill of the course comes as runners head down a hill, under the water bridge, and up the hill on the other side. I’ve handled it well in the past, so we’ll see how it goes this year. Mile Marker 5 is right in front of the Contemporary.

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Scouting the Courses: 2012 Walt Disney World Half Marathon (January 12, 2013), Part 2

And now, its time for the Magic! Runners enter the Kingdom from backstage...before you know it, you're running right down the middle of Main Street USA!

Obviously this part of the course is amazing. There are spectators and volunteers cheering, the castle is off in the distance...its just incredible. This is the portion of the course that I picture if I'm having a really tough run or if I'm bored out of my mind on the treadmill. If you pull off of the course onto one of the sidewalks (taking care not to bump into any other runners around you ), a volunteer will be happy to take your picture. Oh, and before I forget, I'll say it here: the race volunteers are AWESOME. Thank them as much as possible!

After the jaunt down Main Street, we take a right into Tomorrowland.

One of my favorite race pictures from the 2011 Princess Half!

Expect a character to be out in front of the Lunching Pad&most likely theyll have a long line. Ive seen Buzz Lightyear and Stitch out (didnt stop for either)&Ive also seen pictures from past races of Chip and Dale or Pluto dressed in space gear. Totally would have stopped for those guys! This is another opportunity for real bathrooms the ones by Merchant of Venus. I never remember to stop because I am too distracted by all of the awesomeness.

Next up we head into Fantasyland. Expect characters out in front of the Mad Tea Party (Ive seen Alice, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum and the Mad Hatter). Then its back toward the castle. Definitely expect characters out in front of the castle&best guess Id say Cinderella characters (Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella or Cinderella and Charming). And then, another high point of the course...running through the castle!

Theres a photo-op in front of the castle (you can see photogs sitting on the ground in the above picture) but I believe its ONLY official photography I am pretty sure they wont take a picture with a personal camera, but Ive never asked. This one is set up to get runners in and out as soon as possible!

From here you enter Liberty Square, and finally theres another Mile Marker - #6. This portion of the course is the same in the half and full marathons, and its always the longest for me since I want to take everything in and stop for character pictures. So if youre like me and like the character stops, except this mile to be a long one. There should be another character here (Princess and the Frog characters most likely LOUIS! or Haunted Mansion characters, but I have also seen Colonial Mickey, Goofy and Donald pictures before...and I would LOVE to see them). Next up is Frontierland...Ive met Jessie and seen Woody here before. If Bullseye is out I will squeal and jump in line.

And then, sadness...we exit the park. Once backstage expect a character meet or two, possibly with parade floats as a backdrop (in the past its been the Genie, Hook and Smee, Pinnochio, Geppetto and Jiminy Cricket or Mary Poppins and Chimney Sweeps). Mile Marker 7 will come up soon. Expect to possibly be stiff from stopping and starting running so many times (if you stop for all of the character pics in the Magic Kingdom, that is), and honestly, expect to be bummed because the MK portion of the course is over.

Next well pass the Grand Floridian (hope to see Will here!) and the Golf Course. Im expecting a few meets here, hopefully rare ones, and some with the classics dressed in their golf gear. I really, REALLY want to get a picture with Mickey and Minnie in their golf outfits. Mile Marker 8 is somewhere in here.

Probably some other character after Mile 8 followed by the one food stop on the course they'll hand out Clif gels. Well go right past it...I'm planning on bringing Gu chomps from home. If you don't have your fuel plan figured out by now...well, what are you waiting for?! Race day is not the time to try Clif gels for the first time you never know how your stomach will react!

Anyhoo, the speedway is up next (lots of classic cars set out, I bet) followed by Mile Marker 9. From here its back on to World Drive, where there will hopefully be a few more character stops, followed by Mile Marker 10. This part of the course is tough just after #10 we go up a highway on-ramp, and it is not fun. By now a lot of people are breaking down, and the last thing anyone wants is a long, slow incline. Once at the top, its crazy to look down and see all of the other runners that are about to climb up the same ramp. And awesome news should be able to see Spaceship Earth at this point!

Mile Marker 11 is soon after finishing the on-ramp portion. Probably another character here before Mile Marker 12...at this point Epcot is so close you can taste it. There'll probably be another character here before entering Epcot for the final mile of the race.

Hooray, were finally back in a park! So now well loop around Future World (probably a couple of character stops here) before exiting the park. The gospel choir will be on the right and Mile Marker 13 will be on the left! The finish line is just around the corner...but if you're a character lover like I am you'll surely stop for a picture before finishing the race...

...or maybe 2.

If I have one character-related goal for race weekend (although lets be honest...I have many ) it's this - I WANT A FREAKING PICTURE WITH MINNIE AND MICKEY IN THEIR TRACK SUITS. Is that so much to ask for??

Ahem. Anyway, from here its on to collect that finisher medal!!

There should be an official finisher picture area as well as post-race food for runners muffins, fruit, granola bars, water, etc. Then its back through bag check and suddenly youll find yourself back in the staging area with the photo-ops, med tent, etc... Its surreal to think that this whole thing began in the same place just hours ago.

A couple of things...

1. Despite the fact that I studied the map ahead of time, one thing that really shocked me while running the Princess Half was just how little time is actually spent in the parks less than 2 miles out of the entire 13.1. I almost wish I hadnt said that...its sort of a sad realization. Good thing Disney does a great job with entertainment throughout the entire course.

2. BE VERY AWARE OF THE ROADS YOU ARE RUNNING ON. I cannot stress this enough. Try hard not to run on sloped roads...it will KILL your knees. Both my brother and I had achy knees by mile 10 of the Princess Half it hit us both at almost the exact same time on the same side. Coincidence? Maybe, but it was something we were hyper aware of during the full marathon, and neither of us had pain anywhere close to what we had in 2011...and that was during a race that was twice as long.

3. As I mentioned before, there is only one fuel stop on this course at mile 8.7. I highly suggest figuring out your fueling situation BEFORE race day: do you prefer gels or chomps? Is one fuel stop enough (for me, the answer is no)? Does a certain flavor not agree with you (i.e. I tried min chocolate gu gels and they made my stomach BURN...no good)? This is part of what you want to test out in training NOT on race day.

So yeah, Ive blabbed on a lot here...its a fun course, and Im excited to run it again! Woohoo!! The countdown is almost into the 40s...!!!!

Continued in Next Post

 

[longhorns2]

Just read your Marathon report and LOVED it. I have been thinking really hard about giving Marathon 2014 a try... and I think YOU might have convinced me!

Following along to hear how Goofy goes! Love the report so far!

 

[Ariel484]

Just read your Marathon report and LOVED it. I have been thinking really hard about giving Marathon 2014 a try... and I think YOU might have convinced me!

Following along to hear how Goofy goes! Love the report so far!

Hey, thanks for checking out the marathon report! If you think your schedule will allow you to train for the marathon, then by all means go for it! I bet you won't regret it.

 

[Ariel484]

Week 13: Run #2 (9-mile made up of 2 loops)
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Weather: low 50s and sunny

13 miles completed/36 miles planned for the week
274.1 miles completed so far in training

I was really looking forward to this run and for whatever reason it was just an okay one. Oh well, I guess that happens sometimes. Gee, could it have anything to do with the fact that I didn't take a rest day after Sunday's half marathon? Um, DUH.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 10:36
Mile 2 - 10:16
Mile 3 - 11:11 --> Gu/water/walk break at the beginning of this mile
Mile 4 - 10:20
Mile 5 - 10:29 --> water/walk break at the beginning of this mile...and partway through I just wanted to be DONE.
Mile 6 - 10:14 --> Got a second wind!
Mile 7 - 11:05 --> Gu/water/walk break at the beginning of this mile
Mile 8 - 10:06
Mile 9 - 9:34 --> OMG THIS NEEDS TO END.

Total time: 1:33:56 for 9 miles
Average pace: 10:26/mile

Why is it that on days where I don't feel as much like running I have a GREAT run, and sometimes on days where I really want to get out there it's just okay? Oh well.

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Week 13: Run #3 (5 miles scheduled, 2012 Cleveland Turkey Trot completed)
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Weather: mid-40s/low 50s and sunny

18 miles completed/36 miles planned for the week
279.1 miles completed so far in training

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Fun race this morning. The course was more challenging than I expected, but I am happy with how I did.

I got up at about 7:20 to have coffee and was out the door by 8:30. The wild card with doing races downtown is always parking (I think) so I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to find a spot. I found one pretty easily (had to pay $4 ) and was at the starting line by about 9:10. Big complaint - NO BATHROOMS. Well, maybe that's not true. I assume they had some somewhere but if they did I didn't see them. Booooo. The one time I finally get to a race early enough to use the bathroom and I'm outta luck.

Anyhoo, a guy played the National Anthem at about 9:30 (similar to the iconic Jimi Hendrix version, except...you know, not as good. Obviously. But it was still very cool and very appropriate for Cleveland). And then we were off! For this race I was really hoping to beat my 5-miler PR (51:13 from a boiling hot 4h of July race)...I figured if I had a great run I could possibly go under 49 minutes, but I wasn't trying to hold myself to that.

Mile 1: 9:25

Went out faster than I meant to, just like Sunday's half marathon...and just like Sunday's half I decided to try to hold the pace anyway. Someone next to me tripped (roads were rough...cracks, small potholes, etc.) but managed to catch herself.

Mile 2: 9:13

Approaching Browns Stadium at this point! A little boy (12 years old I think) tripped behind me and didn't catch himself...fell flat on his face and was limping/crying afterward. Luckily his mom was there with him... I felt so bad for him. Went down a hill approaching Browns Stadium and at this point I'm thinking that yes, there is a good chance I can go under 49 minutes...

Mile 3: 9:16

...but DUH, if we went down a hill surely that means we need to go UP the other side. We made it around the stadium and I heard lots of swears around me as people caught sight of the hill. It wasn't very steep, but it seemed sort of long - 0.25 miles maybe. Yuck. Only water stop of the race was at the end of this mile and the volunteers were shouting, "It's all downhill from here!" which pleased me...

Mile 4: 9:24

...but they LIED, because we rounded the corner and were faced with ANOTHER hill, which seemed longer than the first one. BOO! Somewhere in here I realized that I was on pace to go under 48 minutes, so that became my new goal.

Mile 5: 9:02

No more hills! Yay! All done!

Official time: 46:11.27
Average pace: 9:14/mile

Where did THAT come from??

So, woohoo, Turkey Trot complete, and even though my legs have felt tired this week from not taking a rest day yet, it was worth it - tomorrow is a rest day, followed by Saturday's long run, and then another rest day on Sunday!

Enjoy the holiday, everyone!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Week 13: rest Day
Friday, November 23, 2012

So the whole point of not taking rest days after Sunday's half marathon was so that I could have 2 rest days this week: one before and one after my scheduled 18-miler. I mean, it IS vacation, right?

After a wonderful Thanksgiving at my aunt's house, Friday was pretty relaxing. I did venture out in hopes of getting a few good Black Friday deals, but I think I was out too late (noon-ish) to get the super amazing ones. I did order a new oven though (we HATE ours ) and get these beauties!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Week 13: Run #4 (one 10.2-mile loop + one 7.8-mile loop = 18 miles)
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Weather: low-mid 30s and overcast with occasional light snow and/or wind

36 miles completed/36 miles planned for the week
297.1 miles completed so far in training

Week 13 is dunzo!

For whatever reason, I was very, very nervous for this run. I'm not sure why, but I think the weather had a lot to do with it. All day Friday I wondered if I should have done the run then (when it was warmer) instead of waiting for Saturday when I knew it would start to snow and the temperature was due to drop. I think I made the right call taking the rest day and waiting for Saturday, but it was challenging.

The first 2 and last 2 miles were really tough - in the beginning I felt super nervous and stiff, and I really had to work to calm myself down. It was weird...I mean, running is HARD, but it's not scary (and I know scary - I was a competitive diver in high school and college. THAT is scary). Eventually I chilled out (literally and figuratively) and just told myself to try to keep the pace around 11:00/mile. Somehow giving myself permission to slow down relaxed me a bit and the run was okay for the most part...except for the last 2 miles. It felt like the temperature dropped about 10 degrees immediately and the wind really picked up...and suddenly I was miserable. Oh well. Overall it wasn't too bad...in fact, I don't really remember being stressed or anything. I think I just zoned out and listened to my music.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 10:55
Mile 2 - 10:54
Mile 3 - 11:01 - walk/water break at the beginning of this mile
Mile 4 - 10:30
Mile 5 - 11:15 - Gu/walk/water break at the beginning of this mile
Mile 6 - 10:19
Mile 7 - 10:39 - walk/water break at the beginning of this mile
Mile 8 - 10:30
Mile 9 - 11:24 - Gu/walk/water break at the beginning of this mile
Mile 10 - 10:25
Mile 11 - 10:58 - walk/water break at the beginning of this mile
Mile 12 - 10:27
Mile 13 - 11:55 - Gu/walk/water break at the beginning of this mile
Mile 14 - 10:44
Mile 15 - 11:07 - walk/water break at the beginning of this mile
Mile 16 - 10:31
Mile 17 - 11:40 - Gu (totally pointless this late in the run from a fueling standpoint, but I was SO hungry)/walk/water break at the beginning of this mile
Mile 18 - 10:52

Total time: 3:16:09 for 18 miles
Average pace: 10:54/mile

As worried as I was for this run, I'm SO glad I got it done and kept the pace I wanted. Just 2 more runs longer than this one left!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Week 13: Rest Day
Sunday, November 25, 2012

Woohoo, rest day #2!

Lots of relaxing today and trying not to think about going back to work tomorrow. I feel REALLY good after the run yesterday. Some soreness here and there, but not bad at all. Very pleased. I tell ya, ice baths, stretching and foam/stick rolling work wonders.

Continued in Next Post

 

[helloirishkitty]

Woohoo for an awesome long run! I have been going through a similar phase lately, it takes everything I have to get me off of the coach and into running mode and then the run goes well. Ice baths sound scary... Is it just a really cold bath?

 

[Ariel484]

Woohoo for an awesome long run! I have been going through a similar phase lately, it takes everything I have to get me off of the coach and into running mode and then the run goes well. Ice baths sound scary... Is it just a really cold bath?

Yep, that's pretty much what an ice bath is. I make the water cold, throw in some ice (which optional, I guess) and hop in for as long as I can stand it ...which has been about 7-10 minutes lately. It's the last thing I want to do after being outside in such cold weather but it really does help me a lot! For some people it does absolutely nothing.

 

[Ariel484]

Week 14: Strength Training
Monday, November 26, 2012

And just like that...back to a normal schedule. Which means back to work. I don't wanna talk about it.

Anyway, back to the gym! Since I only did one day of strength training last week I thought today would be rough, but it went pretty well! Maybe a short break did me some good. I know that my little vacation as a whole was good for me...I feel really refreshed and rested, which is good, since I know the next 6ish weeks are going to be tough. I have a big project at work due right before the marathon trip, so that's weighing on my mind. HOWEVER, I must be getting wiser in my old age because I actually have 99% of the prep work done for it. It's a huge report that I run quarterly and I'll get new data for it on December 10. If all goes according to plan (which it won't) I just need to run my code and BAM. Report done and off to Disney. And of course training is really going to pick up over the next 4 weeks, but if things shake out the way I have them scheduled now I should be done with all of my tough training runs in less than a month...just in time to fully enjoy Christmas. Fingers crossed. And seriously, I AM going to try to get better about getting more sleep. I feel so much better after vacation that I did before, and I really think a lot of that has to do with getting more sleep. It's going to be critical as my weekly mileage gets up into the 40s.

In other news, mom still hasn't booked her and Craig's hotel room. She's decided that she wants to try to rent points at a DVC resort, specifically at the Boardwalk or Beach Club Villas. As I guessed, she got totally spoiled by the awesome location of the Yacht Club during our 2012 marathon trip. So hopefully that works out for them...if not I think they'll most likely end up at Old Key West or Caribbean Beach. And I'm still not sure if my aunt is also tagging along...if she is, then that messes up my dining reservations a bit. For the most part they'll be okay, but WHAT ABOUT 'OHANA?! Because we all know how easy it is to get a reservation at 'Ohana less than 2 months before one's trip. I was actually able to switch our 'Ohana reservation around last year a few weeks out, so I might get lucky...we'll see. Time to start checking the reservation system daily!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Week 14: Run #1 (5 miles on the treadmill)
Tuesday, November 27, 2012

5 miles completed/33 miles planned for the week
302.1 miles completed so far in training

Not a bad run this morning. It was one of those days where I was dreading getting on the treadmill, but it turned out not to be so bad. Glad it's done.

Total time: 48:50 for 5 miles
Average pace: 9:46/mile

Our holiday plans are starting to fall in to place, which means that I can start trying to plan my runs around our various gatherings. It's not as difficult as I thought it would be so far. We'll only be out of town for one night (at my in-laws' house, about 2.5 hours away)...otherwise we're staying pretty local. I can't believe we're thinking about this already!!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Week 14: Run #2 (5 miles on the treadmill)
Wednesday, November 28, 2012

10 miles completed/33 miles planned for the week
307.1 miles completed so far in training

There's no doubt about it - I am really starting to dread these 5-mile treadmill runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Well, maybe "dread" is too strong of a word, but I definitely don't look forward to them. But today's run was fine, even a little better than yesterday's run. The only issue I had was right around the halfway point when I had some pretty intense piriformis pain. One step it was there, the next step it was gone. This happened again about a minute later and then went away for the rest of the run. I definitely need to be more consistent with foam rolling and stretching.

Total time: 49:15 for 5 miles
Average pace: 9:51/mile

43 days until Marathon Weekend...

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Week 14: Strength training
Thursday, November 29, 2012

Just chuggin' along...not much else to say except pointing out the obvious that this is the lamest update ever.

Happy Thursday!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Two teeny trip updates

Aaaaaand...I'm back.

Trip Update #1: My mom and brother finally have a room booked! When we chatted at Thanksgiving, mom decided that she liked staying at the Yacht Club so much during the 2012 marathon that she wanted to be in the same area again. This was not surprising at all to me, and I can't blame her - the resort itself is beautiful (I really, REALLY want to stay there someday), but the big draw is, in my opinion, the location. You really cannot beat being able to walk to 2 parks, and the marathon course goes right in front of Yacht & Beach during the 25th mile. Problem is that she wanted to stay there on a budget...and let's face it, those Epcot resorts are anything but cheap. I thought the best solution was to rent DVC points, and mom finally sent in her request yesterday. Yes, yesterday...only 40ish days before Marathon Weekend. Any guesses as to how this turned out?....
















...poorly. It turned out poorly. DVC is booked solid for Marathon Weekend. I'm disappointed that it didn't work out for them, but really - is anyone surprised? The EXACT same thing happened last year - I rented points at Beach Club Villas in March, mom and Craig tried to do the same in, like, December and were shut out. Sometimes I feel bad nagging them to try to do this stuff early, but... Eh, what can you do.

But the good news is that there were still some rooms available with that general public discount that's out now. Most are gone, but there were openings at Coronado and Caribbean Beach. Coronado only had king rooms...and let's face it, that would just be weird. So Caribbean Beach it is!

But the best part is that the only rooms left were...

(source)

PIRATE ROOMS! I don't know why I find this so hilarious, but I do. I ended up booking the room for them on my phone (because I am a control freak and it is just easier to let me handle it ), and my mom texted to let me know that she got the confirmation email less than a minute later (wow! It took like 4 hours for me to get my confirmation email when I booked my and Will's room ). She seems pretty excited! I think I've mentioned that she has had a rough year, but stuff is finally getting resolved and things are looking up...and as a result I think she's started to really get excited for this trip. We started saying pirate-y things to each other over text (ya know, the standard "yar," "yo ho yo ho," "aye matey," etc.). And this dorky exchange made me very happy.

Maybe other people can relate to this, but as the "Disney person" in the family, I feel a decent amount of pressure during these trips. I want to make sure everyone is having a good time and is happy, and if things go wrong I feel like it's my fault for dragging them along. And I know that is crazy because I'm not MAKING anyone come on this trip with me. But when my mom gets excited about talking like a pirate and my brother tells me how much he's looking forward to the races the he may-or-may-not be training for rolleyes2) and Will tells me how excited he is to ride Tower of Terror again...well, that makes me feel pretty good.

Trip Update #2: This one is not as shiny-happy as #1. So Will and I are flying down separately (me on Thursday, him on Friday) and then flying home together. When we first started going to Disney in 2009 we only flew United/Continental because they have direct flights from our airport to Orlando. But now bags are $25 per flight and we got burned last year when Will decided it was best not to go on the marathon trip last-minute...we could get a refund for our flight but it was completely gone due to the cancellation fee we were charged. The baggage fees are annoying, but the cancellation thing was enough to make us think long and hard about what airline we use in the future (especially since we tried to jump through hoops to get that cancellation fee reduced - we knew they wouldn't completely take it away - since Will was missing the trip due to a medical reason. The process was too hard and we never got that money back).

We both really like Southwest - no change fees, the ability to re-book a flight when the price drops, and no baggage fees??? Yes, please. We'd like to primarily use them for the foreseeable future, but there's a big drawback - they don't do direct flights to Orlando from our airport. So we sometimes still fly United/Continental when we go to Disney.

On almost every one of our trips when we have flown on United/Continental at least one of our flights has gotten changed. It's annoying, but it happens - but what really peeves me is that when these changes happen they don't send me an email or anything - I've only found out when I happen to log in to look at our flights and find a change.

Anyway, I randomly decided to log in to look at our flights for the trip. Despite what I said about wanting to primarily use Southwest, I'm flying United/Continental to Florida and we're both flying United/Continental coming home. I wanted that direct flight so I could get in as early as possible for the expo, and Will wanted a direct flight home since he has to go to work the next day. He's flying Southwest in to Florida on the 11th.

So I log in and find that our United/Continental flights have changed. I would have had NO idea about this until the day of/before the flight if I hadn't logged in. The changes aren't terrible, but I'm still annoyed:

Monday - Our flight was supposed to leave for home at 5:45, and now it leaves at 4:40. I'm annoyed to lose a day in the parks, but I don't want to be a baby about it...it's not a big deal.

Thursday - I WILL, however, be sort of a baby about this one. Originally my flight was supposed to get in to Florida a little after 10, and it's been pushed back an hour. This one seems like a bigger deal to me because I'm not sure how that's going to affect the expo. My plan from the beginning has been to take Magical Express to the Grand Floridian, drop a bag with bell services and then hop right on a bus to the expo, hoping to get there as early as possible to beat the lines. BOO!

/rant over.

Ah well. There's nothing I can do about it, and it's not like I would have been able to get there before opening anyway with my original flight. I'll just have to make the best of it...but I won't lie, I'm annoyed that I lost 2 hours of my trip and they didn't notify me by email. But still...at least I still get to go to Disney and run the races. And the flights only changed by an hour - it could have been MUCH worse.

And for the record...Will's flight in on Southwest has not changed at all. Southwest is looking better and better.

This is someone filming the Welcome Video on the Magical Express...

Continued in Next Post