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

[Ariel484]

Week 1: Run #2 (3 miles on the treadmill)
Wednesday, August 29, 2012

6 miles completed/15 miles planned for the week
6 miles completed so far in training

Same routine as yesterday...3 miles on the treadmill before work. Total time was 29:32 (9:50ish per mile? Too early for math ). I arrived at the gym really, really not wanting to do this run - not at all unusual for me on days when I'm going to run on the treadmill - but it went by quickly and I feel pretty good now. Mostly I passed the time by listening to Lady Gaga and watching the news (if any of you live down South...be safe! ).

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Non-running trip details: Resort and ADRs

Right now I’m in that weird limbo period where most everything is all set for our trip, but the trip itself is still so far away. You’ve all been there before…hotel reservation has been made, AP vouchers have been purchased right before the price jump over the summer , ADRs have been squared away for a few weeks, and flights have been purchased (mostly). There’s nothing for me to do at this point except wait for a room discount to be released (PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE) and for the flight down to MCO I’m looking at for Will to drop in price (PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE…again. Come on, Southwest, help a girl out!). ETA: Just checked Southwest and the price dropped $100...that's what I was waiting for!! Will's flight is booked...such a load off my mind!

Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Will and I are going to arrive on different days. Normally for these race trips we’ll arrive at MCO late Friday and head to the expo on Saturday. Whatever race we’re there for would happen on Sunday and we’d fly home on Monday. Not ideal (I’d LOVE to stay 4-5 days after a race), but Will’s a teacher and his time off during the school year isn’t very flexible. My signing up for the Goofy Challenge - and now the 5K as well - throws a wrench in the works. When this was a Goofy-only trip I needed to be at the expo at some point on Friday in order to pick up my bibs and race packets before the half marathon on Saturday, so from the beginning I knew we’d be arriving separately. Both of us agreed that it seemed like a better idea for me to get there on Thursday and have more time to settle in. This made me start to think about doing the 5K as well – I was going to be there on Friday by myself anyway and this really seemed like my shot to do one at Disney since we normally don’t arrive in time for the 5Ks (the 5K always takes place Friday morning of Marathon Weekend). I told myself I’d wait until Disney announced the theme before deciding if I wanted to register, assuming it would be a Brave-themed 5K just because that’s the most recent Disney movie. I liked Brave – didn’t love it, but liked it – so really this wasn’t going to help me in my decision.

Then I saw the 5K “In Training” banner on runDisney’s Facebook page, which is most likely what the finisher medallion will look like:

WAIT. HOLD UP. JUST HOLD THE BLEEP UP.

All the classics…on the medallion…AND on the t-shirt included in registration?!

Forgeddaboutit. I’m a sucker. Well done Disney, have more of my money. Really, just take it.

Ahem.

So that’s why I’m doing the 5K as well as Goofy (aka the Dopey Challenge). This means I absolutely need to be at the expo on Thursday to pick stuff up in time for the 5K on Friday. I’ve heard rumors of a mysterious secret race-day packet pick-up for the 5K, but I don’t see it mentioned on runDisney.com and I’m not going to take any chances assuming it’ll be there. Plus, I have to go to the expo anyway for the Goofy stuff (and, let’s be honest, the shopping …it’ll be easier to get everything done at once. So I’ll be arriving late morning Thursday, while Will is going to arrive late Friday as usual. So yeah…I get almost 2 FULL EXTRA DAYS IN DISNEY. No complaining here!

My plan is to Expressly and Magically arrive at my resort from the airport, drop my carry-on at bell services and high-tail it to the expo. I’m hoping to have a pleasant, neat, orderly experience at the expo but, well…who knows how that will go. At some point I’ll head back to my resort to finally check in. And WHERE will I be checking in, you ask?!

THE POLYNESIAN, PEOPLE. THE FREAKING POLYNESIAN.

Aloha, indeed! Now you see why I NEED some sort of room discount to be released, like…yesterday.

Yes, it’s pricey, but here’s my reasoning: 1.) We fell in love with the place during our honeymoon trip and knew we’d stay there some day…this is a short trip, so it seems like the perfect time to do it. And 2.) If I’m smart (and that’s a big IF), I’ll be staying off my feet more than usual over the weekend. Perhaps staying at the Polynesian will encourage me to relax and enjoy the resort rather than being a total park commando over the weekend.
…perhaps. We’ll see.

The big con with the Polynesian is that they don’t have their own hot tub…how heavenly that would be on my sore muscles. I think it’s very possible that we’ll end up hopping to the Grand Floridian at some point to use theirs, but I may just be too lazy for that.

Anyhoo, hooray for the Poly! And since we’re staying on the monorail, we plan to take full advantage of the great dining around us. Here’s my tentative plan so far:

Thursday: This is my little solo day so I’m just gonna wing it. No plans really, except that, as I said before, I HAVE to get to the expo on this day. I am pretty sure I will pop over to Downtown Disney as well. If I do I will probably get dinner at the Earl or Wolfgang Puck Express. I’ll most likely also trade in my AP voucher for the actual AP and buy a new Tables in Wonderland card.

Friday: The 5K begins at 6:30AM…my first-ever solo Disney race! If I was running this like a normal 5K I’d probably be done a bit before 7. However, this is a 5K at Disney and my first race of the weekend, so I’m just going to relax, go slowly, and take lots of character pictures. I expect I’ll be done by 7:30 at the latest (depending on the character turnout). Then I’ll head back to the resort to shower and probably take a nap. Not sure what I’ll do afterwards.

For lunch this day I’d like to try The Wave in the Contemporary. I’ve wanted to go here for awhile but Will’s not interested, so my solo afternoon seems like the perfect time to check it out. Right now I don’t have a reservation…I am pretty sure I don’t need one, but I know myself…I’ll make one eventually. This will be my first time dining solo at a Table Service restaurant…eek! I have no idea what I’ll do after lunch. I’m assuming that my brother (and my mom, if she ends up coming on this trip) are going to arrive at some point during the day, and we have an ADR at Via Napoli for dinner. Yum! Hopefully Will is going to arrive by 11 at the latest.

(You know you're planning a Disney trip when you have already planned out EXACTLY what you'll be eating 5-6 months from now )

Saturday: The half! Yay! I expect I’ll be starting the race around 6AM and finishing by 9ish. The timestamp on my picture at the finish line of the 2011 Princess Half says 9:07, and the course is exactly the same, so 9 or 9:30 seems like a good, safe guess. After the race I’m looking forward to brunch at Kona Café...our first time here when they’re still serving breakfast! Our other ADR for Saturday is dinner at ‘Ohana, one of our favorites! It’s going to be really hard not to completely stuff myself…I really cannot with the marathon the next day. If I can resist the big, heaping bowl of bread pudding staring me in the face I’ll be super impressed with myself.

Sunday: The 20th running of the Walt Disney World Marathon! Last year I finished the race at 12:09 PM and hope to be done a little earlier this year, but with it being the day after the half who knows how I’ll feel. We’re planning on heading back to Kona after the race, this time for a delicious celebratory lunch. I love their Island Chicken sandwich:

Those onion straws…so good! And I’ll probably treat myself to the Kilauea Torta, my favorite dessert on Disney property (for now, anyway!):

For dinner that evening we currently have a late ADR at Narcoossee’s (our first time there) but I may end up changing it to Jiko, which is our favorite restaurant in WDW.

Monday: Time to sleep in! After 3 ungodly early wake-up calls in a row, I’m sure I’ll need it. We’ll pack and then I’ve got a late breakfast ADR at ‘Ohana for just me and Will. Really looking forward to this one…if I can move.

After breakfast we’ll check out, head to a park and probably catch the Magical Express back to the airport around 2:30 or 3.

So that’s the plan. I didn’t list it above but obviously there will be park time somewhere in there. I know I need to stay off my feet more than usual…I KNOW I need to…but let’s face facts, I probably won’t. It just seems silly to have some rigid day-by-day park plan in place when I really should be taking it easy between races. The only thing I’m keeping in mind is hopefully catching Fantasmic! one of the evenings we’re there (Sunday seems like the best bet) and going to the Magic Kingdom for evening EMH, also on Sunday. And since we’re eating at Via Napoli on Friday, we’ll obviously be in Epcot that evening. And lastly, Will and I MUST ride Tower of Terror multiple times, for it is the BEST RIDE EVER. Other than that things are pretty up in the air…very unusual for me.

That’s what I’ve got so far. Is it January yet??

Continued in Next Post

 

[helloirishkitty]

Let me just say how awesome your previous TR was and this one is shaping up the same way. It was so insprirational that I almost signed up for the WDW Full! (which I didn't, I have the Tinkerbell half the week after and I've never run more than 10 miles at a time before lol).

I can't wait to read this

 

[butiflfeet]

Your plan sounds great so far! If I was running Goofy I would be worried about trying to stay off my feet too. I know I should but I don't know if I could while in Disney World, ya know? I'm having a hard time telling myself to chill out on the Friday before the half so I can't imagine at this point trying to stay off my feet 2 days in a row at Disney World. Maybe next year though. DH wants to do Goofy and I'm kind of leaning towards it more and more

Oh, and that pizza picture from Via Napoli just made me super hungry for lunch. We have an ADR there in January and I cannot wait!

 

[Ariel484]

Let me just say how awesome your previous TR was and this one is shaping up the same way. It was so insprirational that I almost signed up for the WDW Full! (which I didn't, I have the Tinkerbell half the week after and I've never run more than 10 miles at a time before lol).

I can't wait to read this

Thank you so much for such a nice comment! Glad you're here!

Woohoo for the Tinkerbell Half! Will this be your first Disney race? I'd love to run a race at Disneyland some day...hopefully I'll make it happen!

Your plan sounds great so far! If I was running Goofy I would be worried about trying to stay off my feet too. I know I should but I don't know if I could while in Disney World, ya know? I'm having a hard time telling myself to chill out on the Friday before the half so I can't imagine at this point trying to stay off my feet 2 days in a row at Disney World. Maybe next year though. DH wants to do Goofy and I'm kind of leaning towards it more and more

Oh, and that pizza picture from Via Napoli just made me super hungry for lunch. We have an ADR there in January and I cannot wait!

For my previous 2 Disney races (2011 Princess Half and 2012 WDW Full) I did NOT stay off my feet. So I can talk about it all I want, but if history is any indicator...

How fun would it be to do the Goofy Challenge with your husband! I keep trying to talk Will into doing one of these races with me but I am definitely fighting a losing battle.

OMG...Via Napoli. I seriously think that's my favorite restaurant in World Showcase. Have you been there yet? The pepperoni is my favorite, but the margherita pizza is good too. YUUMMMMMMM

 

[helloirishkitty]

Thank you so much for such a nice comment! Glad you're here!

Woohoo for the Tinkerbell Half! Will this be your first Disney race? I'd love to run a race at Disneyland some day...hopefully I'll make it happen!

My first disney race is going to be next month at the Tower of Terror 10 Miler. Hopefully I survive haha.

I'm trying to do coast to coast next year, it was my running goal because I want the partners medal.

 

[butiflfeet]

OMG...Via Napoli. I seriously think that's my favorite restaurant in World Showcase. Have you been there yet? The pepperoni is my favorite, but the margherita pizza is good too. YUUMMMMMMM

We have been to Via Napoli once about a year and a half ago and it was amazing! My sister and DH and I split the Quattro Formaggi, Margarita and pepperoni pizzas and I just about died I love the pizza there. And the waiters aren't too bad to have around either

 

[Ariel484]

My first disney race is going to be next month at the Tower of Terror 10 Miler. Hopefully I survive haha.

I'm trying to do coast to coast next year, it was my running goal because I want the partners medal.

ARG...I'm jealous! ToT is my FAVORITE ride...I wanted to do that race so badly, just didn't work out this year. You will have such a blast!! Disney races are super fun.

How fun would that be to get the Coast to Coast medal...you're right, the partners medal is really nice. I hope to get that one someday too.

We have been to Via Napoli once about a year and a half ago and it was amazing! My sister and DH and I split the Quattro Formaggi, Margarita and pepperoni pizzas and I just about died I love the pizza there. And the waiters aren't too bad to have around either

You guys split 3 pizzas?! Nice. You know, I wanted to try the Quattro Fromaggi the night before the 2012 marathon but got scared it would be too much cheese. I've heard that's not always a great idea the night before a race since it can lead to stomach...troubles. That one is still on my to-eat list. I keep hearing how good-looking the waiters are but I haven't noticed yet. The first time I went to VN I was with my husband celebrating our anniversary...so it seemed like a bad time to check out other men! The second time was the night before the 2012 marathon, so I was super nervous about that and was constantly making sure my mom and brother liked their dinners...I'm sure it will be the same in January. Oh well!

 

[Ariel484]

Week 1: Strength training and...nothing
Thursday, August 30, 2012

6 miles completed/15 miles planned for the week
6 miles completed so far in training

So when I go to the gym before work, I leave my house around 5:30 AM and it's very dark outside. This morning I saw the car in front of me (maybe 200 feet or so?) swerve and I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Turns out there was some chick running in the street, so I too had to swerve around her. She was very, VERY hard to see…the car in front of me gave me the heads up and I still didn’t see her until we were really close, 10-20 feet away or so? (I’m really bad at estimating distances.) At any rate, it was alarming. I wanted to roll down my window and shout “WEAR A REFLECTIVE VEST, YOU DUMMY!” and shake my first at her. I don’t get why she was in the street in the first place – she was in my lane running toward me (which is what you’re supposed to do) but why do that if you’re not going to wear a vest or head lamp (she was wearing a white top and black capris) and when THERE’S A PERFECTLY GOOD SIDEWALK NEXT TO YOU?? I understand running in the street in the winter, when the sidewalks are covered in snow and ice, but not now. Maybe she thinks it’s too uneven…whatever. Hitting a person with my car would have been a pretty unpleasant way to start my day, ya know?

Anyhoo, today was another day of IronStrength in the morning. I hate burpees. Apparently they are the most effective exercise out there right now, so...yay for that...but they suck. BOO!

What else? Oh yes...I was a bad, bad yogi and didn’t make it to class today. That’s what happens when class starts at noon and I get pulled into an 11:45 meeting…d’oh! Oh well, I’ll try to do better next week. Gotta make that money, right?!

In other news, I think my brother is starting to get nervous about the Goofy Challenge. I texted him on Tuesday that I did my first training run (I do that occasionally to drop hints that perhaps he should be training as well...I'll feel like a bad sister if I have to leave him in a med tent somewhere on the course) and he was just kind of like "woot." Then he started texting me last night, asking to send him my training plan. Yay bro, run your *** off! I think what I’m doing won’t quite work with his schedule – he’s an RN so he works 3 or 4 12-hour days per week – but hopefully he can figure something out. Now I just need to bug him to actually book his room…ahhh.

And lastly, I’m feeling pretty friggin’ tired today. I’ve consistently made it to bed around 10:30 this week, which is better than when I used to go to bed but still not good enough. I’d really like to be asleep more like 9:45 or 10. Yawwnnn.

And...that's it. It's almost Friday!! Yay!

Continued in Next Post

 

[dburg30]

Shannon,


I really, really enjoyed your other marathon TR and has subbed to this one also. Reading your PTR hopefully will be the thing to get me off my butt and back to exercising!! (as you've noticed in a couple of the WISH posts I've been horribly slacking in that area lately) So I'm along for the ride and cannot wait to read more!!!!!

 

[Ariel484]

Week 1: Run #3 (3 mile loop)
Friday, August 31, 2012
Weather: 76 degrees and sunny, 56% humidity

9 miles completed/15 miles planned for the week
9 miles completed so far in training

One of the great perks of my job is that I get to work from home one day per week, and that day is Friday for the most part. Woohoo! My hours on work-from-home days are a bit more flexible, which really helps me with my running schedule.

So today I had another 3-miler scheduled. I know a bunch of routes near my house pretty well and decided on a loop that I know is maybe 3.2 miles (which forces me to walk a bit at the end to cool down...otherwise I'm sure I would have bolted back into the house ti feel that sweet, sweet air conditioning). I pretty much rolled out of bed, slapped on a bunch of Body Glide and sunscreen, and was out the door.

I don't do any kind of warm-up when I run...instead I treat the first mile of each run as my warm up and try to go pretty slowly just to get loose. As a result, I pretty much never enjoy the first mile of my runs just because I feel stiff. This was the case today...I ran the first mile in 9:53, probably a little faster than I should have.

I'm trying to keep these shorter 3-5 mile runs quick (quick for me, anyway) just so I don't lose any speed over the course of marathon training. I also try to negative split each run, meaning that the second half of the run is faster than the first. I think this is helpful because it's practice for running on tired legs...something I certainly will be doing during marathon weekend. So I tried to pick up the pace for the second mile, which came in at 9:29. Uh, oops. That's way too fast for me! By then I just wanted to be done, so I REALLY picked it up for mile 3, which I finished in 9:05! That is FAST for me, and I felt pretty decent afterward. But if it was a 4-mile run...there's no way I would've been able to finish without a walk break. Something to keep in mind as the runs get longer. I think part of the reason why I did this run so fast was the weather - it's supposed to get pretty hot today, and rather than slow my pace down like I know I'm supposed to, I speed it up to try to get done and back into the air conditioning as quickly as possible. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but I did a good job of staying in the shade, which helped a LOT. One other issue that I know is going to be a struggle for me is pacing on long runs. I've gotten a lot faster since last year (thanks to weight loss and speedwork I did in the spring)...so we'll see how that goes. Sunday's 6-miler will be my first test.

Other stats from the run:

Total time: 28:28 for 3 miles
Average pace: 9:29/mile
Number of dogs spotted on the run: Only 2

In other news...

2 good things related to the trip!

First, after I posted our trip plans and how excited I was to snag a decent flight for Will, he texted me that he wasn't sure he'd get the personal day he's taking for the trip approved. The plan was for him to take Monday, January 14th off from work and it was looking like that would possibly not be okay. I told him (truthfully) that if he couldn't get that day off we'd figure something out and it would be okay, but I'll admit I was disappointed just because I was really looking forward to having him there the WHOLE weekend. I was especially excited for dinner at Narcoossee's and our breakfast for 2 at 'Ohana. Plus, I would have had to change his flight coming home, which is through United, and I know we would get hit with a change fee if we had to do that. Well, today we got the GREAT news - his day is approved! Hopefully the higher-ups don't change their mind in the future...but YAY!

Second, I talked to my brother about training yesterday for a bit. Really, I was just glad to talk to him, period. He's been SUPER busy lately with his work schedule (he's an RN and works three 12-hour days per week, as well as another part-time job) and school schedule (he's taking a class here and there as pre-requisites for graduate school), so I feel like I haven't talked to the kid in ages. I sent him my training plan and we're (hopefully) going to text back in forth as sort of "virtual training partners." Fun! He said he's really excited for marathon weekend, which made me super happy since I'm the Disney freak in the family - I want an entire family of Disney freaks! He admitted he hasn't run at all for a few months, but he's getting started this weekend, planning on a 3- and 6-miler. GOOO BRO!

Coming up this weekend: a rest day tomorrow and my first long run on Sunday - 6 miles!!

Happy Friday everyone!!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Shannon,


I really, really enjoyed your other marathon TR and has subbed to this one also. Reading your PTR hopefully will be the thing to get me off my butt and back to exercising!! (as you've noticed in a couple of the WISH posts I've been horribly slacking in that area lately) So I'm along for the ride and cannot wait to read more!!!!!

Welcome, welcome!!

I can totally relate to what you're saying - it is SUPER easy to not be motivated to exercise. I think what's really helped me is to have a few goals in mind (specifically weight loss - which I'll talk about here at some point - and training for races). It definitely took awhile for it to become a HABIT and something that I just DO as a normal part of my day. So I hope that happens for you soon!

Thanks for following along!

 

[ZellyB]

Great job on your pace for your run! 9:29 is awesome. I was excited the other morning when we got slightly under 11:00. I know you said that's not a pace you can do for the marathon, but it's good to do more speed work on your shorter maintenance runs, right? At least that's what seems to be the word from people far more experienced than me.

Glad you brother is starting in on his training. And that Will got his day off approved.

 

[Ariel484]

Great job on your pace for your run! 9:29 is awesome. I was excited the other morning when we got slightly under 11:00. I know you said that's not a pace you can do for the marathon, but it's good to do more speed work on your shorter maintenance runs, right? At least that's what seems to be the word from people far more experienced than me.

Glad you brother is starting in on his training. And that Will got his day off approved.

Thank you! : That's one great thing about running...it's easy to see improvement. Congrats on getting under 11:00!!

I think I have read it's good to run faster on shorter runs because it helps work muscles that don't get worked during long, slower runs...or something. For me it's mostly mental...I like getting done faster and I like mixing it up so I am not just going out and running slow and steady every time.

Speaking of the brother, I need to text him that I ran today...hopefully he'll get out there tomorrow. : And for Will getting that day off is right! I am SO relieved!

I hope you have a great (and dry!) 10-miler this weekend! :

 

[Ariel484]

Week 1: Rest Day
Saturday, September 1, 2012

Happy September!! Fall is almost here! Woohoo!

So remember how I said this in my training plan post?

I know I won’t stick to this training plan 100%. Life is going to get in the way, I’ll most likely catch a cold here and there, and I may possibly get an injury (fingers crossed THAT doesn’t happen ). But I’m going to try super hard to follow this schedule I’ve set up for myself. If I can get to the starting line(s) healthy and in good enough shape to completely enjoy myself and not want to die during any of the races, I’ll consider my training successful.

Well, I already had to deviate from the plan a little bit...I woke up on Saturday not feeling so hot. Nothing really awful, just a lot of congestion and some (ew) drainage down the back of my throat, making it super sore. In other words, an allergy flare-up. So my rest day was basically spent running some errands (including picking up some Allegra-D), blowing my nose a LOT, chugging water and taking a nap with the pup.

Have you met my pup yet? No? Here he is!

I felt better as the day went on and hoped to still get my 6-miler in on Sunday...

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Week 1: Run #4 (6 miles scheduled, 3-mile out-and-back completed)
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Weather: 73 degrees and overcast, 90% humidity

12 miles completed/15 miles planned for the week
12 miles completed so far in training

...however I did NOT sleep well Saturday night. I work up probably 10-15 times to blow my nose and eventually decided that 6 miles wasn't in the cards for today. I think I COULD have done it, but I have a lunch date with my mom and don't want to be late. I'd already decided to run tomorrow (Monday, Labor Day) since I'll be home, so it seemed to make some sense to sleep in today to try to really fight this thing off, run the 3 miles today I'd originally planned for Monday today, and try the 6-miler on Monday.

So I woke up feeling must better than yesterday - still a little stuffed up and my throat was still a bit sore, but nothing terrible. Runner's World says it's okay to run when you're sick from the neck up, not below the neck, so I figured I was in the clear. Actually, sometimes when I have a head cold, running makes me feel better. That was the case today: the 3-miler went well. My legs felt a bit tired and I dialed back the pace a bit, but I was happy with it considering that I felt like crap yesterday. Hopefully I'll be able to knock out 6 miles tomorrow with no problem and officially call Week 1 of training done.

Enjoy the long weekend, everyone!

Stats from the run:
Total time: 29:15 for 3 miles
Average pace: 9:45/mile (10:09, 9:43, 9:23)
Number of dogs spotted on the run: Just 1 today

Continued in Next Post

 

[ZellyB]

Sorry you're not feeling well, but good job on getting out there and doing it anyway. Seems like a smart strategy to take it easier today and do your longer run tomorrow.

Your pup is adorable!!!

 

[Ariel484]

Sorry you're not feeling well, but good job on getting out there and doing it anyway. Seems like a smart strategy to take it easier today and do your longer run tomorrow.

Thanks. I'm glad I did something today...hopefully I will be good as new tomorrow!

Your pup is adorable!!!

Thanks!! He's a great nap partner...haha

 

[helloirishkitty]

Congrats on getting the run in when you weren't feeling well! That's my biggest deterrent, it's so hard to run when you're feeling "off". And your puppy is adorable

 

[Hockeychic]

Loving this. I am also going for my first Dopey, did Goofy in 2010 - Ice Age it was a crazy cold year. I have done alot of disney races but really excited for Dopey in 2013. I look forward to following along with your training.

Kim