In Training: Marathon Weekend 2015 (Dopey Challenge)! **COMPLETE**

[annmarieda]

No! Isn't that crazy?! Pretty lame for a race being put on by a running club.

I finally am thinking I am going to do a local race that I think is put on by our local running club. I think it was you I complained to about them. Anyway... I went to sign up under the "family" option. Well, it only asked for one name and one shirt size. What? How can that work for all of us? I mean.. bare minimum we are all going to need different shirt sizes. So I will be signing us up individually.

It's the last full week of June! How did THAT happen?!

I seriously can not believe that half of this year has flown by. The second half will definitely go by fast since once the DLH is out of the way (in less than 60 days now) the ToT and Avengers will be right behind... and then Christmas...

It's also my peak week in 5-miler training. I guess when this week is over I should be topping out at 21ish miles? Seems like sort of a big jump to me from last weeks mileage total, but whatever.

I always find training plans interesting and how miles or increase in them can vary depending on the plan.

Shopping update #1: After many recommendations to check out the Athleta website from my cousin (the one who just got married - she does Crossfit 5-6 times per week and is a coach, so she knows her athletic wear!) I ordered a swimsuit (top/bottom) from the site that came last week. I freaking HATE swimsuit shopping...I think I have the hardest time shopping for swimsuits, bras, jeans and glasses (yep, one random non-clothing item thrown in there). Just not fun! But I picked a suit and so far I like it enough that I ordered a second one in another color (the one I have is grey and I just ordered a red one). My swimsuits that I took on last year's cruise were from Victoria's Secret, and I just never felt comfortable in them, so hopefully I will like these better!

I feel your pain. Those things are not fun to have to shop for. I know we have discussed my odd body shape.... it just makes shopping for things a challenge.. and swimsuits are among the worst!

The one thing that Crossfit cousin pointed out about Athleta that really sold me is that they have a great return policy - free shipping on returns AND you can return them any time - which is pretty crazy and awesome! So after reading many reviews and taking some measurements, I originally ended up ordering my suit in a few different sizes (free shipping when you spend $50) and sent back what didn't fit for free. Knowing my size then made it much easier to order suit #2.

I have heard really good things about their return policy. I need to seriously look at them.... if I were not so obsessed with other places like SS, RT and SB.

Athleta has a bunch of different kinds of clothes (dresses, shoes, swimsuits, athletic wear, etc.) but I haven't tried any of their running clothes yet. I'm sure I will eventually, but I just don’t need any new running clothes right now. Of course, that hasn't stopped me from continuing to buy SparkleSkirts and Raw Threads tops…

Do you belong the the facebook ss group? Dangerous if you are willing to purchased slightly loved skirts from other gals at a lower price.

Shopping update #2: Speaking of Raw Threads, I've decided that I'm definitely going to order a second set of the ill-fated racerback bow tops, but in the equilibrium style. I wanted to do that this weekend but didn't get around to it, and now I think I'll wait a bit...there's no hurry just yet. My one firm deadline is that I want to wear one of the tops for the Jingle Jungle 5K, and that's not until November. Plenty of time. Once I get those tops I'll be totally set for Marathon Weekend race outfits, except for one Sweaty Band that I'm hoping to get at the Wine & Dine expo (135 days from today!!) and, like...shoes and stuff like that. I'll post about my outfits sometime in the fall. Goodbye money!

OMG! Did you see the sweaty bands sale? Promo code JULY40 ???? 40% off site wide!!!

Fun fact: I opened the countdown app on my phone to see how long it was until Wine & Dine weekend...and noticed that Marathon Weekend is less than 200 days away (197 to be exact!). Time is going to FLY!!

I know I mentioned it above... but YES!!! time is going to fly by!!!!

Cruise Update: Look what came in the mail today!

Mickey Mail!!

Yep, that's right. A brand-new set of MagicBands for our 1-night, room-only stay. Seems like sort of a waste to me but I guess we have to get into our room somehow.

I am with you! I think that it is a waste. I wish they could have you just reuse them.

The class is on July 5th - the day after the 5-mile race - and is called Yoga Flow for All Levels - "an awakening and fluid vinyasa yoga experience with attention to the breath and movement. Appropriate for students of all levels as modifications and embellishments will be offered accordingly." Keys words in that description: "all levels" and "modifications." This ain't gonna be pretty!


So maybe this can become a new habit - on Fridays instead of doubling up on running and strength training I can double up on running followed by yoga? (I wanted to do a class this Friday right after the race but the scheduling won't work out.) That might actually feel pretty good. And I'm sure it'll be really helpful for Dopey Training, assuming I actually keep up with it. HMMM...

Namaste!

You continue to amaze me with your commitment to fitness and adding new elements to keep your routing well rounded.

...and I would LOVE this Haunted Mansion Dooney. It becomes available in the parks and online periodically and then sells out immediately (in fact I saw it on the Disney Store website this morning, freaked out and went to buy it...it was sold out). It COULD be mine for somewhere in the neighborhood of $500-$1900 from eBay (seriously), but, well...I don't want it that badly.

That is CRAZY! I didnt know that they went on ebay for that. I don't own any Dooney but the HM one is amazing. I could see needing that one in your collection.

ANYWAY...none of the patterns that have come out since Marathon Weekend in 2013 have particularly thrilled me. But back in January the Disney Parks Blog posted a preview of a new Dooney & Bourke print called Mickey and Minnie Downtown.


GAHHHH. LOVE. Great job Disney, you've pulled me back in again! Is that not the cutest print ever?

OH So cute!!! I can see why you would be pulled back in!

I definitely got caught up in the moment and just ordered the thing (which took a long time...again, crappy locker room reception). Disney was also running a promotion where with any Dooney purchase, one could also get the cosmetic bag for $25.


Do I need a cosmetic bag? Of course not. Did that stop me from adding it to my order? Of course not.

Need? Does need really apply to any of the disney related purchases?

So the order finally went through and I went on with my morning...but then I got to my desk (somewhat late thanks to all of the ordering madness) and took a closer look at what I'd just ordered and started to have second thoughts. For one thing, I don't like the red/grey pattern as much as I like it in pink/green. But the bigger issue was the actual size of the bag. I've been using my marathon letter carrier over the past few months, and it's pretty small. So small that I couldn't use my regular wallet with it. I took a look at the crossbody specs and found that it's is even smaller than the letter carrier! So there was a good chance I'd just ordered a not-so-useful bag that would be a giant pain to carry, if I carried it at all. Arg!

I hopped back onto the website...bags were still available in the new pattern. I started looking at the satchel again...reviews were good on other satchels, and I thought back to last year's Marathon Weekend Dooney pattern...which I didn't love.

I think I like the pink and green better too.

You can see where this is going...I placed a brand new order for a pink satchel!

Woohoo for a new bag that I definitely don't need! And you're welcome, everyone...because now that I've bought THIS satchel after being resolved to wait for the Marathon Weekend one, I'm sure 2015’s pattern will be awesome and I'll *have to* buy that one too.

What a cute bag. Congrats!

Sidenote: I just realized I used 8 of my allotted 25 images per post up on Dooneys in my running thread. Shows where my priorities are!

Down 0.4 pounds this morning! I finally made the app happy...

OMG, that ap!!! Silly ap!

I am happy with the loss but I think I could have done a wee bit better. I was pretty hungry this week, so I feel like I was snacking a lot - there's been a bake sale going on at work as part of a fundraiser for cancer research, and the goodies are right by my desk. That's been dangerous. And delicious.

Still...a loss is a loss, and I will take it!

Good for you!! I too would take it!

Cruise Update: I've been thinking about what we have planned for this cruise and why we actually booked it in the first place. The main two reasons were for our anniversary (which was in May) and for some relaxation. We've got 3 upcharge meals booked (Palo for brunch and dinner, and Remy for dinner), so I would say those meals and the trip as a whole take care of anniversary stuff. But in thinking about the rest of the cruise, I wondered if we were losing the relaxation portion...specifically by adding the chocolate tour in Nassau. After talking about it with Will last night, we decided to cancel it exactly 1 week after making the reservation. That didn't last long!

Honestly, I don't think either of us are disappointed. I booked it mainly because Will mentioned possibly wanting to get off the ship in Nassau, and I just figured, "well, if we’re disembarking that day, may as well do something!" But when I asked Will about it yesterday, he made it seem like he's less sure he'll actually want to disembark that day. And one thing that bugged me from the beginning was the timing of the tour - 10:45AM until 1:45PM. It would really break up the day and I was afraid we wouldn't have a chance to really utilize those Rainforest Spa passes we bought - and we are really looking forward to that. Plus, that tour would have cost $59 for each of us. That's, like, 4 extra Mixology classes we could do! (NOTE: We will NOT be doing 4 Mixology classes

Sounds like you gave it lots of thought though and it sounds like it was more than the right decision.

So the chocolate is out. No worries...I know from firsthand experience that we'll still eat ourselves silly on the ship.

From what I have seen of other cruise Tr's... yep, I bet you will.

Friday, June 27: Run #3 (6-mile out-and-back)
Weather: 77 degrees and sunny

Worst run ever!

Wait, didn't I say that last week? Well, it applies this week, too.

Splits:

The first two miles were fine...

Mile 1: 10:48
Mile 2: 10:03

At the beginning of mile 3 I took a 1-minute walk break, and things went downhill from there. My legs felt heavy and sore, and it was hot out. Because it was sunny out I was wearing a visor, which I normally don't do…now I remember why. My head was SO hot! I went from feeling okay to feeling like I was in survival mode very quickly. I needed multiple walk breaks to make it through, and despite drinking plenty of water I was thirsty almost the entire time. And nauseous. Bleh!

Mile 3: 11:03
Mile 4: 10:54
Mile 5: 11:31
Mile 6: 11:49

Total time for 6 miles: 1:06:09, 11:01/mile pace

That was me today! UG!!! I do not like running in the heat. I am so sorry that you felt sick... sounds like your core got too hot.

While the temperature and sun were definitely factors, I started wondering if I need to re-think my weekly schedule. I've been following my training plan closely, but shuffling the days around, so maybe I need to just follow the plan as written. Specifically the plan calls for running Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, no running Friday, then the long run Saturday. Maybe that would help? I think I'll start to try doing that. Also, I need to get up earlier to get these runs done during cooler parts of the day. Seriously.

I am with you! Seriously I have to get out earlier!!!

I got back from the run, showered, had a smoothie, and passed out for almost 2 hours before dinner! The sun really beat the crap out of me.

It really does!

Random aside - remember how I mentioned above that my workplace is doing a big fundraiser to support cancer research? As part of the fundraising there was a 50/50 raffle (where half the pot goes toward the cause, and the other half goes to a winner). Guess who won the pot? Yep...ME! First time I've won something since being chosen as the winner of a free pair of tickets to the ice capades back when I was a wee lass (a Disney on Ice show, incidentally enough). As a result...

That is AWESOME!!!

Shopping Updates #4-7: Etsy is a dangerous place, especially for a Disney fan. I've been reading through the Homemade Fish Extender thread in the cruise section of these boards (people are so talented!) and actually found a few of the gifts people made for sale on Etsy. I ended up purchasing a Castaway Club lanyard key fob, a Disney Cruise Line vinyl sticker for my car, and a Mickey Mouse camera strap. I'll post photos when they come in...and even with this little shopping spree I still have some 50/50 money left over. Yay!

What a great way to spend some mad money!

Saturday, June 28: Run #4 (7-mile out-and-back)
Weather: 81 degrees and sunny

So after yesterday's disaster of a run, I make a couple of changes:
1. Started earlier (10AM instead of noon)
2. Ditched the visor
3. Programmed intervals into my Garmin (run 4 minutes/walk 1 minute)

All 3 of those things helped but I think the intervals made the biggest difference. The bad thing about intervals with the Garmin is that the watch doesn't spit out mile splits, which is what I use to determine when to drink and take fuel. So this time I drank water every 20 minutes or so and had 4 Gu chomps at the 40-45 minute mark.

Total time for 7 miles: 1:50:50, 10:49/mile pace

I have to think you did it in less time that that. Sounds like a much better run. I did similar intervals today in order to accomplish my speed work (yes, the thought of running 30 times around the track did not appeal to me in the least so I decided that intervals would work better. ) Anyway... I think the only reason I survived was because of them... but it was touch and go.

So not only did I finish today's run NOT feeling like death (like yesterday)...I also ran 12 seconds per mile faster. Needless to say, I heart intervals.

I like that it made my speed work easier to tolerate, but my joints hate all the starting and stopping.

Shopping Update #8: I purchased my mom's birthday gift today (her birthday is July 13). I'm hoping she'll find it useful for a trip we are planning to take together next year (more on that later!)

You are just a shopping maniac this week.

YAY REST DAY! Boy did I feel like I needed it.

You certainly deserved it!

Also, today was packet pick-up! Not a lot to report here, except that the race shirt is nice and they gave me the correct size. Woohoo!

yay! that is awesome!!!

Shopping Update #9: Packet pick-up was at my local running store, so while I was there I decided to pick up a few things - some Honey Stinger Waffles (strawberry flavor?! Hmm...), some salted caramel Gu, and 2 new pairs of socks (Balega Hidden Dry). I also ordered 3 pairs of shoes - one for Will and 2 for me (my trusty Brooks Adrenalines - one pink pair and one blue pair). When those shoes come in I should be set for the rest of the year - I still have one unopened pair at home so that pair and these other two pairs (which should come in by the end of this week) should get me through Marathon Weekend.

I stand by my previous statement. Sounds like you got some great new items!!

Shopping Update #10: The last update in the Week of Shopping (it's been an expensive week!) - I went on Shutterfly and ordered some personalized luggage tags for my and Will's suitcases in preparation for the cruise. We have some pretty old Disney tags (those plastic ones with the holograms) and they are starting to crack, so it was time. Hooray for 20% off and free shipping! Hmm, would have been a good idea to get some for my mom too...oh well.

Sounds like a fun item!

 

[Ariel484]

The bag is adorable!!

My sis just bought a Dooney that is that same style bag and I thought it was a perfect size too.

I love the bag so much! It really is a great size - not too big, not too small. Love all the pockets.

I finally am thinking I am going to do a local race that I think is put on by our local running club. I think it was you I complained to about them. Anyway... I went to sign up under the "family" option. Well, it only asked for one name and one shirt size. What? How can that work for all of us? I mean.. bare minimum we are all going to need different shirt sizes. So I will be signing us up individually.

Yep, that was me! One shirt for the family?! Um...what?? How does that make any sense??

I seriously can not believe that half of this year has flown by. The second half will definitely go by fast since once the DLH is out of the way (in less than 60 days now) the ToT and Avengers will be right behind... and then Christmas...

That is a very busy - and awesome! - second half of the year, for sure!

I've been reading about people starting their training plans for Marathon Weekend and I'm just like... It's getting closer already!

I always find training plans interesting and how miles or increase in them can vary depending on the plan.

Yeah, this was my first time using this one. I liked it overall, but it really did seem to go up and down.

I feel your pain. Those things are not fun to have to shop for. I know we have discussed my odd body shape.... it just makes shopping for things a challenge.. and swimsuits are among the worst!

Seriously...no one likes shopping for swimsuits!!

I have heard really good things about their return policy. I need to seriously look at them.... if I were not so obsessed with other places like SS, RT and SB.

SS, RT, SB... You know I am with you on that!

Do you belong the the facebook ss group? Dangerous if you are willing to purchased slightly loved skirts from other gals at a lower price.

I'm not on Facebook, but sometimes I do look at their page. I have a SS I'd like to sell though...

OMG! Did you see the sweaty bands sale? Promo code JULY40 ???? 40% off site wide!!!

I DID!!! But somehow I was able to resist...I have been shopping too much lately!

I know I mentioned it above... but YES!!! time is going to fly by!!!!

So true!!!

Mickey Mail!!

I am with you! I think that it is a waste. I wish they could have you just reuse them.

I agree. I'm wondering if they will tweak things as time goes on.

You continue to amaze me with your commitment to fitness and adding new elements to keep your routing well rounded.

Well thank you, but don't be too amazed yet...I signed up for yoga but didn't actually get there this week.

That is CRAZY! I didnt know that they went on ebay for that. I don't own any Dooney but the HM one is amazing. I could see needing that one in your collection.

I'm not sure if anyone actually pays those prices, but still! Crazy!

Honestly, I think part of the reason I tried to buy the bag was to see if I could. Like I said, I already have a few other Dooneys...one of my friends REALLY wants the HM Dooney so if I'd been able to buy it I probably would have asked if she'd wanted it (and not upcharged her, of course).

OH So cute!!! I can see why you would be pulled back in!

Need? Does need really apply to any of the disney related purchases?

You speak the truth!!

I think I like the pink and green better too.

What a cute bag. Congrats!

Thank you!!

OMG, that ap!!! Silly ap!

Right???

Good for you!! I too would take it!

Yep, as long as it's not going in the other direction I can't complain!

Sounds like you gave it lots of thought though and it sounds like it was more than the right decision.

I think it was. Neither of us were really super excited about the chocolate tour.

From what I have seen of other cruise Tr's... yep, I bet you will.

It will be gluttonous!!!

That was me today! UG!!! I do not like running in the heat. I am so sorry that you felt sick... sounds like your core got too hot.

Isn't it crazy how much of a difference it makes?! And it hasn't even gotten that bad yet (not here, at least)...

I am with you! Seriously I have to get out earlier!!!

Yeah, it helps SO much...just gotta start doing it!!

What a great way to spend some mad money!

Again, more stuff I don't need!

I have to think you did it in less time that that. Sounds like a much better run. I did similar intervals today in order to accomplish my speed work (yes, the thought of running 30 times around the track did not appeal to me in the least so I decided that intervals would work better. ) Anyway... I think the only reason I survived was because of them... but it was touch and go.

Oops, you're right! That was definitely a typo! Thanks!!

I'm thinking intervals will be my saving grace this summer... 30 times around the track?!

I like that it made my speed work easier to tolerate, but my joints hate all the starting and stopping.

I could see that. I think what helps me in speedwork is not walking the entire time during the rest intervals...I walk at the beginning, then start to lightly job, then I start up the speed interval again.

You are just a shopping maniac this week.

I know!... I've cooled it since then!

You certainly deserved it!

Gotta love a good rest day!!

yay! that is awesome!!!

Yes, after all that shirt drama, I do like the shirt and it does fit!! Yay!

I stand by my previous statement. Sounds like you got some great new items!!

It's always kind of fun getting new running stuff...

Sounds like a fun item!

I hope they last a long time! And that they get here before our trip!

 

[Ariel484]

Week 7 of 4th of July 5-miler Training
Monday, June 30, 2014 - Sunday, July 6, 2014

13.25 miles completed
87.15 miles completed in 5-miler Training
359.7 miles completed in 2014 so far
64.7 miles completed in the month of June (April remains my peak month so far...which makes sense since I was peaking for 10-miler training then)

Monday, June 30: Run #1 (3-mile treadmill run)

Race week is here!

I am still not really looking forward to the race. The forecast looks better than last year (temps in the 70s vs. temps in the 90s)...oh well. At least it's a 5-miler and not a marathon or something.

Decent run this morning. I felt a little sore at the start but it got better as the run went on. I did run 5 minutes/walk 1 minute intervals. Total time for 3 miles was 32:40, 10:43ish/mile pace.

Also, I collected my winnings from the 50/50 raffle at work this morning. $109 for meeeeee!

Tonight we also took the dog to the vet to get his ear checked. He definitely has an infection and he was none-too-pleased to be at the vet's office. After his exam and a thorough ear cleaning, we walked out $150 poorer with some medicine, ear cleaner and a very unhappy little dog. We have to clean his ear and give him drops twice a day and a steroid once a day for about a week. Hopefully that'll clear things up!

Mom, if you could just leave my ear alone, that would be super. Mmmkay? Mmmkay.

And lastly...this lovely was waiting for me when I got home.

Along with the cosmetics case (which is way too small for my make-up...I'll find another use for it):

LOVE!

Tuesday, July 1: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Burn 3)

Last strength training session before Friday's race. This one is sooooo hard - lots of legs stuff which means pretty heavy (for me) weights. I don't know if the gym was extra hot this morning or what, but I was drenched in sweat by the end of the workout.

Wednesday, July 2: Run #2 (4x400 @ 5K pace…2.25 miles completed) + Extreme Abs

Last day of speedwork before Friday's race. The cardio room was HOT today, and the first two intervals seemed to take forever...the last two seemingly flew by. After the run I did some abs stuff. Yeehaw!

Thursday, July 3: Extreme Abs/Stretching

Race day is tomorrow! Forecast looks good - only a high of 70. Last year I think temperatures were in the 90s or something, and I remember the race being completely miserable.

Just some abs and some push-ups today. I was supposed to do day 2 of the push-ups yesterday but I was still sore from day 1! The workout went well today.

**WW UPDATE**

Up 0.2 pounds today. I know I got a little sloppy this week so I am at peace with the small gain. Still hoping to make my mini goal by the time our cruise happens (17 days!!!). But in order to do so I'll really have to buckle down. I know I CAN do it...I just need to want to do it, I guess.

Friday, July 4: Run #3 (4th of July 5-mile race)
Weather: 66 degrees and mostly overcast

I woke up for this race at about 7AM and did my usual pre-run routine - coffee, bagel with peanut butter, sunscreen, etc.

I arrived at the race WAY too late - about 12 minutes before the start. Luckily driving to the race was less than 5 minutes, I found a parking spot quickly that was about a 100-foot walk to the start, and I'd taken care of my pre-race bathroom trip before leaving home.

The race started a little late at 8:35AM...I was hoping to keep a pretty even 9:00/mile pace

Mile 1: 8:43 --> right before this mile marker a volunteer yelled to me, "great skirt!"
Mile 2: 8:55

I started WAY too fast...again. Silly me thought maybe I could hold this way-too-fast pace...again. I feel like that's been happening to me a lot in races lately...

Partway through the second mile I could have sworn I heard a couple behind me talking about Chip & Dale, Daisy and Donald... I wanted to turn around and be like, "Talk to meeeeee!"

I took a 1-minute walk break at the beginning of the third mile. The halfway point is pretty close to our house, so I saw Will (who had just finished his own run) out on the course! Always great to see him. Unfortunately this is when I started to kind of lose it. My legs felt sore from lifting...I feel like this has happened to me in each race I've run this year?! Lesson learned, apparently I need to not strength train AT ALL during race week.

Mile 3: 9:30
Mile 4: 9:23

I wanted to stop and walk at the beginning of, and throughout, the 4th mile...but I convinced myself to wait until the end of it and I'm really glad that I did. At the beginning of the 5th mile I was pretty sure I could hold on to beat my PR!

Throughout the race I was trying to keep up with a group of 3 high school-aged girls...they probably wondered why this dorky old lady was following them, huffing and puffing so loudly. Partway through the last mile a high school-aged boy caught up to them, and he clearly had some sort of developmental disability. The girls greeted him really warmly by name (Michael) and were clearly excited to see him. And he was obviously having a blast. It was really...heart warming.

The race finishes on the high school track where we almost have to do a full lap around. I wanted to surge past these young whipper snappers, but it just wasn't happening! As we approached the finish, the girls let Michael go ahead and people in the stands were cheering for him. Clearly he's very popular! I actually teared up a bit.

Mile 5 (0.92 miles): 8:33, 9:21/mile pace

Anyway, I finished the race too...my watch read 45:04. It also indicated I'd run 4.92 miles, not 5 miles. Arrrrg!

I didn't stick around for very long - just grabbed some water and a popsicle, which really hit the spot. They didn't have any food at the finish area at all - no bananas or anything - so that was weird. And I saw the couple that had been running near me talking about Disney characters - the girl was wearing a Minnie 10K shirt! So I'm guessing they were definitely talking about Disney race costumes.

The official results were posted later that day...5 miles in 45:02, 9:00/mile pace. I was smack dab in the middle of my age group (15/31), overall 120/297 - small race!

Overall I am pretty happy with how this race went, but I wish I would have run it a little smarter. I was really struggling at the end after starting out way too fast. And I'm still wondering about my watch not matching up with the race distances...I am definitely making a real effort not to weave and to run the tangets (math! ) so as not to add to my overall distance, but that doesn't mean I should be coming in UNDER what the distance is.

I was talking to Will about it and he said these races must measure the courses out by driving their cars to do it, and since I'm paying extra close attention to taking the turns as closely as possible, that’s why my watch comes in short. I have to think he's right - the only race this year where my watch has been right on with the race distance was the Cleveland 10K, which is also the only certified race I have run. I'd hate to think my watch is off since I paid a pretty penny for it, and Garmins are supposed to be top-of-the-line. Oh well.

Anyway, good race overall. The weather was AMAZING this year - last year it was hot, humid and I wanted to die. Such a difference when it's cooler out!

My patriotic attire!

Saturday, July 5: Run #4 (3-mile loop)
Weather: 73 degrees and sunny

Rolled out of bed this morning, got dressed and got this run done! My quads and hamstrings were a bit sore from yesterday's race, so I decided to keep this run pretty relaxed. I set my watch to do intervals (run 4 minutes/walk 1 minute), and the run was pretty pleasant. Total time for 3 miles was 33:10, 11:01/mile pace.

After taking a shower, Will and I went out to lunch and I spent what felt like all day painting some built-in shelves we have in our room. For painting such a small area, it took for-freaking ever! So glad that's done.

Sunday, July 6: Rest Day

Ahhhh...just grocery shopping today. Notice what I did not do this week? That's right - yoga. Other stuff just kept coming up. But I am determined to go to a class next week! I've already signed up. It'll happen eventually...I swear.

Also, earlier this week I got my first item from last week's Etsy shopping spree - a DCL decal for my car!

Now I just need to CLEAN said car and I can actually use the decal. We'll be on the Disney Dream TWO WEEKS from today!!!!!!!!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Fall Goal Half Marathon Training

Oh man...this is the last goal race I'm training for before Dopey Training begins!!! What the what?! Where did this year go???

I'm signed up for 4 half marathons (!!) this fall - this one, Akron, Rock & Roll Cleveland* and Wine & Dine - and I think this is the best chance of the 4 for me to break my PR for a few reasons:

1. It doesn't have Disney characters along the course - let's face it, I will NEVER set a PR at a Disney race because I love stopping for character photos way too much ...so Wine & Dine is out
2. Akron, Rock & Roll Cleveland* and Wine & Dine are during Dopey Training, so these will really be training runs where I get a shirt and medal - I'm planning on taking it easy at these races. Since this one is not during Dopey Training I can do dedicated goal race pace and speed work runs and try to race fast
3. This is the elevation chart:

An almost constant downhill! I can live with that.

*I am pretty (like 95%) sure that I am going to drop down from the Rock & Roll Half Marathon to the Rock & Roll Mini Marathon (3.5 miles), which I'll talk about later.

My current half marathon PR is 2:13:32 (10:12/mile pace) and it's almost 2 years old, so I'm really hoping to set a new one here. Specifically, I'd like to get my time under 2:10. That is my A++++++ possible but maybe not totally realistic goal. I've plugged both my 10-miler and 10K times from this spring into pace calculators and based on those, it'll be close. Eek!

This is a race I have wanted to run for the past few years, but it's never worked out - when I was first looking into it 3-4 years ago I decided not to register because I was nervous that I'd finish last (I think most runners have that fear at some point!), and once I got a little more confident it just didn't line up with my schedule. But this is the year! And it's the second half of our local race company's "distance journey,' so when I finish I'll get a bonus medal!

It's also very, very close to my house - I'll drive to the high school in the town next to ours and park, get shuttled to the start line (it's a point-to-point course), and then the finish will be back near the high school. So in terms of race-day transportation I'm hoping it'll be pretty easy.

As usual, I'm using a training plan by Hal Higdon - his Intermediate Half Marathon Plan - and am dropping out the Thursday 3-miler so that I'm running 4 days per week. This training plan actually has goal race pace runs, so I'll be curious to see if/how these help me going forward. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, instead of switching the days around I'm going to follow the plan more closely this time to see if that helps me have better long runs. So most likely I'll run Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, strength train on Monday and Friday, and hopefully make it to yoga on Fridays...rest day on Sunday. Speaking of strength training, I'll be keeping up with my girl Chalene 2-3 times per week. Well, I say 2-3 times per week, but realistically I think my days of strength training 3 times per week are numbered for the rest of the year. Like...probably 2 weeks from now I won't be able to do it anymore. Oh well!

I'm curious to see how (if at all) this increase in mileage affects my weight loss - whether it helps it or hurts it. We'll see.

Due to the 5-miler I just finished training for, I'm starting this half plan a little late (it's a 12-week plan and I'll be starting at week 4), but the last few weeks of 5-miler training line up decently with what is called for in the first 3 weeks of the half marathon plan, so I think I should be okay.

My one challenge is going to come in just a few days when Will and I go on our Disney cruise!!! Ahhh, I can't believe it's almost here!! We're flying to Disney on Saturday the 19th, so I'm hoping to have that week's runs completed before we fly out. Once on the ship I'm planning to hit the treadmill one morning for a tempo run, run the Castaway Cay 5K, and get a strength training session in (I'd say that's the least likely of the three to actually happen). Will is also hoping to hit the gym while on the cruise, so since we're both on the same page with wanting to keep up with our workouts I'm hoping we'll actually, you know...do it.

We fly home on Thursday the 24th and I'll have 2 more runs to round out the week...so that should be doable.

Another challenge is freaking summer. I really can't say I'm looking forward to long runs in July and August, but I guess that's what I get for signing up for an early-fall half marathon.

The other races I've run and am planning on running this year were/are either exact courses I've run before, or they've had portions of courses I've done before during other races or training runs...despite the fact that this race is only one town over from me, it's the only one on my calendar for this year that is a completely, 100% brand-new-to-me race course. Looking forward to it!

And now, some pictures...the 13.1-mile mark of the WDW marathon course is in Animal Kingdom!

Somehow I don't think the ladies will be there to greet me But I’ll be seeing them soon!

Tentative Training Plan for 2014 Fall Half Marathon

COMPLETE

Week 1 (7/7 - 7/13): 16.75 miles completed
Monday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Burn 1) + Ab burner
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: 35-minute tempo run...3.25 miles completed
Thursday: 3.5-mile run
Friday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Burn 2) + Ab Burner
Saturday: 7-mile run
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 2 (7/14 - 7/20): 18.8 miles completed
Monday: 4-mile run
Tuesday: 3-mile goal race pace run
Wednesday: Strength Training
Thursday: 7x400 @ 5K pace...3.8 miles completed
Friday: 8-mile run
Saturday: Travel to Disney!!
Sunday: Embarkation Day!!!

Week 3 (7/21 - 7/27): 16.76 miles completed
Monday: 40-minute tempo run..3.56 miles comlpeted (on the Disney Dream)
Tuesday: 3-mile run (Castaway Cay 5K)
Wednesday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Burn 1)
Thursday: Debarkation Day and travel home
Friday: 4-mile run
Saturday: 10K run
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 4 (7/28 - 8/3): 16.75 miles completed
Monday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Burn 3) + ab burner
Tuesday: 4.5-mile run
Wednesday: 8x400 @ 5K pace
Thursday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Burn 3) + ab burner
Friday: 4-mile goal race pace run
Saturday: 9-mile run planned, 4 miles completed
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 5 (8/4 - 8/10): 23 miles completed
Monday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Push 1) + ab burner
Tuesday: 4.5-mile run + Extreme Abs
Wednesday: 40-minute tempo run..3.5 miles completed + Extreme Abs
Thursday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Push 2) + ab burner
Friday: 5-mile goal race pace run + warm yoga
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: 10-mile run

Week 6 (8/11 - 8/17): 22.05 miles completed
Monday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Push 3) + ab burner
Tuesday: 3-mile run + extreme abs
Wednesday: 9x400 @ 5K pace...4.75 miles completed
Thursday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Push 1) + ab burner
Friday: 5-mile run + hot yoga
Saturday: 15K run
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 7 (8/18 - 8/24): 25.1 miles completed
Monday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Push 2) + ab burner
Tuesday: 5-mile treadmill run
Wednesday: 45-minute tempo run (4.1 miles completed)
Thursday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Push 3) + ab burner
Friday: 5-mile goal race pace run
Saturday: 11-mile run
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 8 (8/25 - 8/31): 17.75 miles completed
Monday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Push 1) + ab burner
Tuesday: 5-mile treadmill run
Wednesday: 10x400 @ 5K pace (5.25 miles completed)
Thursday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Push 2)
Friday: 3-mile goal race pace run
Saturday: 12-mile run scheduled, 4.5 miles completed
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 9 (9/1 - 9/7): 22.05 miles completed
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: 4-mile treadmill run
Wednesday: 30-minute tempo run...2.8 miles completed + Ab Burner
Thursday: 2-mile treadmill run + Extreme Abs
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: RACE DAY! HALF MARATHON!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Sounds like a good training plan for the Fall Half Marathon!

Let me know how the treadmills on the ship go - I have to do 4 runs during our week cruise and while one of them is the 5K, the other 3 will end up being the treadmill.

Looks like your 5 miler was fun! I wonder if you keep coming up short b/c you are not weaving. Maybe they are assuming enough will happen to make up that much of a difference.

 

[Ariel484]

Sounds like a good training plan for the Fall Half Marathon!

I think so! Hal hasn't let me down yet!

Let me know how the treadmills on the ship go - I have to do 4 runs during our week cruise and while one of them is the 5K, the other 3 will end up being the treadmill.

So it looks like you'll be on the Fantasy? We'll be on the Dream, and I've run on a Dream treadmill before (in September). The treadmills are nice, but the weird thing for me was that as I was running, the ship was moving...so I was running straight ahead but the water was moving right to left. It was bizarre!

Deck 4 on both ships is a jogging track, and that's supposed to be pretty nice (2.5 laps = 1 mile).

Looks like your 5 miler was fun! I wonder if you keep coming up short b/c you are not weaving. Maybe they are assuming enough will happen to make up that much of a difference.

It was much better than I expected. I think you're right that my not weaving is most likely making the difference on these non-certified courses. Oh well!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Yeah, I think it's the running while the ship is moving is going to mess with me but it's not like I don't have a choice if I want to stay on plan.

One of my friends is using Hal. I do like how he does additional cross training unlike Galloway.

 

[Ariel484]

Yeah, I think it's the running while the ship is moving is going to mess with me but it's not like I don't have a choice if I want to stay on plan.

Same here. I guess using the track is always an option, but I think I'll just stick with the treadmill. Are you going to do the Castaway Cay 5?

One of my friends is using Hal. I do like how he does additional cross training unlike Galloway.

I agree! The cross training is definitely important. I also like how HH spreads the mileage out a bit more evenly throughout the week...Galloway really piles it on during the weekends and then has those short 30-minute runs during the week. Definitely works for some, but not for me!

 

[Ariel484]

Race Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Whrilwind of activity over here today!...okay, not really. But I did make a couple of changes for some upcoming races.

Rock 'n' Roll Cleveland

Last year I ran the Inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Cleveland Half Marathon. The race itself was good (good on-course support, entertainment, etc.), but my performance was not. I was in the middle of a running funk and, that morning, was plagued by stomach issues. Just not a great race for me.

Last year's shirt and finisher medal:

RNR races are notoriously expensive - right after completing the 2013 half I got an email with an offer to save $20 on registration for 2014. I believe that put the registration price at $65 for the half marathon - pretty decent. So I signed up.

A couple of weeks ago my mom sent me a text telling me that my 13-year-old cousin (one of the two who was a volunteer at the Cleveland 10K in May) was interested in running a race, and my mom wanted to know if I had any suggestions. After looking into a few options I thought that the Rock 'n' Roll Cleveland Mini Marathon would be perfect. I haven't run the race myself, but it's part of the RNR Cleveland Half Marathon Weekend - the races start together and then the mini marathoners break off during the third mile to finish the race, while the half marathoners continue on. The mini is 3.5 miles, there is on-course entertainment and a festive environment, and participants get a dry-fit shirt at the expo and a medal at the finish line.

After running it by my cousin, my mom signed her up. My mom is signed up for the mini as well, but she will walk the race (she ran/walked it last year but now thinks running is too hard on her knees). Will signed up for this race back in June.

According to my mom, my cousin wants to try to RUN the race, which means she won't be content to walk it with my mom. I know Will wants to try for a fast time*, so that leaves my cousin without a racing partner. Because she's only 13 and the race is downtown, none of us want her to run it alone, so I decided to switch from the half marathon to the mini marathon to run with her. It didn't cost me anything to switch...though I am trying to forget that I paid $65 to register for the half and if I signed up for the mini now it would only be $40 (RNR is not refunding me the difference)...arrrrg.

*Just want to note that Will did offer to run the race with little cousin, but I know he wants to see how well he can do so I told him not to worry about it. He's swell.

Despite the lost money on my end, I think this is a good decision. Like I said, I don't want little cousin running alone, and since it's her first race, I can help pace her. I was never going to try to break my half marathon PR here anyway - from what I remember the course is pretty tough (insaaaaane hill at mile 10 ), and this will be right in the middle of Dopey Training, so I was planning on treating this race as a long run and keeping a relaxed pace. Now, I'll be running the mini with little cousin and will need to do a 15-miler the next day. Fun!

Wine & Dine Half Marathon

So far this year I have tried really hard to focus on getting a wee bit faster. It's always good to see improvement, right?

Beyond that, a big area of motivation for me this year has been trying to get better race times to submit to Disney for corral placement. Right now the 10-miler is really the only time that will work for Marathon Weekend, and both the 10-miler and the 10K work for Wine & Dine.

For W&D last year, I submitted my 2013 10-miler time (1:37ish). This landed me in Corral E, the "<2:15" corral.

Last year's corrals:

E is for excellence! Or something!

I've been working pretty hard this year to move up a corral (to the "<2:09" corral, corral D...assuming corral assignments for 2014 are similar to what they were in 2013 ). Plugging my 10K and 10-miler times into pace calculators online put me there, but I was sort of waiting until that upcoming September half marathon to see what I could do there before submitting anything.

Well, DUH...the cut-off to update times for W&D is August 1! That's just a few weeks away, and obviously, my September half marathon will be too late to use.

On the W&D page I noticed a link that navigated to a page to update times (similar to the one used for this year's Disneyland Half Marathon). In searching for myself I found that the time I had submitted when I registered (my 10-miler time from 2013, exactly what I used for W&D in 2013) was there. They also had my anticipated finish time...I forget what it was but it was definitely above 2:10. After fooling around with online calculators to see which would give me the better result - the 10-miler time or the 10K time - I plugged my 2014 10-miler time in to the Disney page and submitted it. Instantly, it spat out my updated, unverified anticipated finish time - 2:06! Whaaaaaa? I was expecting some improvement, but not that much.

So woohoo for potentially moving up a corral! Now I just gotta get that September half marathon time down so I can move up even more in January.

Continued in Next Post

 

[annmarieda]

I'm not on Facebook, but sometimes I do look at their page. I have a SS I'd like to sell though...

It is amazing how fast the skirts sell on that thread. People will post and sometimes within 10 minutes it is gone. Plus they sell for not to much off of what they go for new.

I DID!!! But somehow I was able to resist...I have been shopping too much lately!

I can understand. You had a lot of shopping you got a lot of purchases done. Last week was a big shopping week for me too. The bands were among mine.

It will be gluttonous!!!

I think that is what cruises are for!

Isn't it crazy how much of a difference it makes?! And it hasn't even gotten that bad yet (not here, at least)...

Not here either and I still feel like I am dying.

I'm thinking intervals will be my saving grace this summer... 30 times around the track?!

I could definitely see taking on my longer runs with them. 17 miles will be the longest and I am sure I will be breaking that up. And yes... 30 times. I think that is right. 10x800 with 400 in between each set. So yes, 30 right?

 

[Ariel484]

It is amazing how fast the skirts sell on that thread. People will post and sometimes within 10 minutes it is gone. Plus they sell for not to much off of what they go for new.

Reeeeeally... that is interesting. Might actually be worth making a Facebook account in that case!

This is the skirt I would potentially sell...a medium DoloTech. I LIKE it, but I just don't looooove it anymore. I think I've worn it 5-10 times.

HMMM...

I can understand. You had a lot of shopping you got a lot of purchases done. Last week was a big shopping week for me too. The bands were among mine.

Sweaty Bands are just so fun though!!! Can't wait to see which ones you got.

I think that is what cruises are for!

I'm going to try to control myself but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to the food!!

Not here either and I still feel like I am dying.

The weather here so far has really been pretty awesome. I HATE really hot and humid weather - running or otherwise - and we've been having a pretty mild summer. On Saturday there's a forecasted high of 81 so I will DEFINITELY have to get out early for my long run!!

I could definitely see taking on my longer runs with them. 17 miles will be the longest and I am sure I will be breaking that up. And yes... 30 times. I think that is right. 10x800 with 400 in between each set. So yes, 30 right?

17 miles...that's almost marathon training, Ann!!!

Yep, I think you are right that it's 30 laps! Great job getting that done. Mentally I think I struggle more with running around a track than running on the treadmill, to be honest. Though now that I think about it the last time I tried running on a track it was an indoor one with something crazy like 14 laps - 1 mile. Crazy!

 

[Outonarun]

I could definitely see taking on my longer runs with them. 17 miles will be the longest and I am sure I will be breaking that up. And yes... 30 times. I think that is right. 10x800 with 400 in between each set. So yes, 30 right?

(I may be completely misunderstanding your workout and calculation(s), and if so, I'm sorry.)

Are you planning on doing (what I calculate to be) 22 x 800 repeats?!?! That is intense!! And not an easy goal!! Awesome!!

[My calculations:

On a 400 meter track, 4 laps = 1600 meters, or approximately one mile. So, 17 miles would require 68 laps (17*4=68).

17 miles worth of 800's with 400 recovery after each 800 would be 22.66 repeats (22.66 * 3 laps = 68, or 17 miles).]

 

[Ariel484]

(I may be completely misunderstanding your workout and calculation(s), and if so, I'm sorry.)

Are you planning on doing (what I calculate to be) 22 x 800 repeats?!?! That is intense!! And not an easy goal!! Awesome!!

[My calculations:

On a 400 meter track, 4 laps = 1600 meters, or approximately one mile. So, 17 miles would require 68 laps (17*4=68).

17 miles worth of 800's with 400 recovery after each 800 would be 22.66 repeats (22.66 * 3 laps = 68, or 17 miles).]

I think (and Ann, correct me if I'm wrong ) she's talking about two separate runs - the "30 laps around the track" is the speedwork run she did this weekend, and then 17-miler is scheduled for sometime later.

 

[Outonarun]

I think (and Ann, correct me if I'm wrong ) she's talking about two separate runs - the "30 laps around the track" is the speedwork run she did this weekend, and then 17-miler is scheduled for sometime later.

Yes, okay! I get it! Thank you! And, I must say, 10 x 800 ?!?!?!!!! What an athlete!! I am whipped after a 4 x 800!! ... not to mention the 17 miler!!

 

[Ariel484]

Yes, okay! I get it! Thank you! And, I must say, 10 x 800 ?!?!?!!!! What an athlete!! I am whipped after a 4 x 800!! ... not to mention the 17 miler!!

Oh yeah, Ann is getting it done!!

 

[annmarieda]

13.25 miles completed
87.15 miles completed in 5-miler Training
359.7 miles completed in 2014 so far
64.7 miles completed in the month of June (April remains my peak month so far...which makes sense since I was peaking for 10-miler training then)[/B]

I am still not really looking forward to the race. The forecast looks better than last year (temps in the 70s vs. temps in the 90s)...oh well. At least it's a 5-miler and not a marathon or something.

Oh my! even 70 is hard for me to deal with.

Also, I collected my winnings from the 50/50 raffle at work this morning. $109 for meeeeee!

Tonight we also took the dog to the vet to get his ear checked. He definitely has an infection and he was none-too-pleased to be at the vet's office. After his exam and a thorough ear cleaning, we walked out $150 poorer with some medicine, ear cleaner and a very unhappy little dog. We have to clean his ear and give him drops twice a day and a steroid once a day for about a week. Hopefully that'll clear things up!

And there went your winnings.

Mom, if you could just leave my ear alone, that would be super. Mmmkay? Mmmkay.

Awe..poor pup!

And lastly...this lovely was waiting for me when I got home.

Congratulations! So pretty!

Wednesday, July 2: Run #2 (4x400 @ 5K pace…2.25 miles completed) + Extreme Abs
Last day of speedwork before Friday's race. The cardio room was HOT today, and the first two intervals seemed to take forever...the last two seemingly flew by. After the run I did some abs stuff. Yeehaw!

UG.. speed work.

[
**WW UPDATE**

Up 0.2 pounds today. I know I got a little sloppy this week so I am at peace with the small gain. Still hoping to make my mini goal by the time our cruise happens (17 days!!!). But in order to do so I'll really have to buckle down. I know I CAN do it...I just need to want to do it, I guess.

I understand what you mean... I think when you are close to your goal weight it is really tricky because you know you can do it...but sometime is just like "meh, close enough"

Friday, July 4: Run #3 (4th of July 5-mile race)
Weather: 66 degrees and mostly overcast

sounds much better than last year!

I woke up for this race at about 7AM and did my usual pre-run routine - coffee, bagel with peanut butter, sunscreen, etc.

I arrived at the race WAY too late - about 12 minutes before the start. Luckily driving to the race was less than 5 minutes, I found a parking spot quickly that was about a 100-foot walk to the start, and I'd taken care of my pre-race bathroom trip before leaving home.

The race started a little late at 8:35AM...I was hoping to keep a pretty even 9:00/mile pace

Mile 1: 8:43 --> right before this mile marker a volunteer yelled to me, "great skirt!"
Mile 2: 8:55

I started WAY too fast...again. Silly me thought maybe I could hold this way-too-fast pace...again. I feel like that's been happening to me a lot in races lately...

Partway through the second mile I could have sworn I heard a couple behind me talking about Chip & Dale, Daisy and Donald... I wanted to turn around and be like, "Talk to meeeeee!"

I took a 1-minute walk break at the beginning of the third mile. The halfway point is pretty close to our house, so I saw Will (who had just finished his own run) out on the course! Always great to see him. Unfortunately this is when I started to kind of lose it. My legs felt sore from lifting...I feel like this has happened to me in each race I've run this year?! Lesson learned, apparently I need to not strength train AT ALL during race week.

Mile 3: 9:30
Mile 4: 9:23

I wanted to stop and walk at the beginning of, and throughout, the 4th mile...but I convinced myself to wait until the end of it and I'm really glad that I did. At the beginning of the 5th mile I was pretty sure I could hold on to beat my PR!

Throughout the race I was trying to keep up with a group of 3 high school-aged girls...they probably wondered why this dorky old lady was following them, huffing and puffing so loudly. Partway through the last mile a high school-aged boy caught up to them, and he clearly had some sort of developmental disability. The girls greeted him really warmly by name (Michael) and were clearly excited to see him. And he was obviously having a blast. It was really...heart warming.

The race finishes on the high school track where we almost have to do a full lap around. I wanted to surge past these young whipper snappers, but it just wasn't happening! As we approached the finish, the girls let Michael go ahead and people in the stands were cheering for him. Clearly he's very popular! I actually teared up a bit.

Mile 5 (0.92 miles): 8:33, 9:21/mile pace

Anyway, I finished the race too...my watch read 45:04. It also indicated I'd run 4.92 miles, not 5 miles. Arrrrg!

I didn't stick around for very long - just grabbed some water and a popsicle, which really hit the spot. They didn't have any food at the finish area at all - no bananas or anything - so that was weird. And I saw the couple that had been running near me talking about Disney characters - the girl was wearing a Minnie 10K shirt! So I'm guessing they were definitely talking about Disney race costumes.

The official results were posted later that day...5 miles in 45:02, 9:00/mile pace. I was smack dab in the middle of my age group (15/31), overall 120/297 - small race!

What a great race recap! You did awesome!!! Love that someone noticed your skirt. How cool to have the Disney runners in the race too! And the story of Michael... very touching. Oh and I am dying with your old lady comments. You are a just a young thing! Now me... I am old

Overall I am pretty happy with how this race went, but I wish I would have run it a little smarter. I was really struggling at the end after starting out way too fast. And I'm still wondering about my watch not matching up with the race distances...I am definitely making a real effort not to weave and to run the tangets (math! ) so as not to add to my overall distance, but that doesn't mean I should be coming in UNDER what the distance is.

That is interesting on the tagents. It makes total sense. But maybe not as to why you are under the 5

I was talking to Will about it and he said these races must measure the courses out by driving their cars to do it, and since I'm paying extra close attention to taking the turns as closely as possible, that’s why my watch comes in short. I have to think he's right - the only race this year where my watch has been right on with the race distance was the Cleveland 10K, which is also the only certified race I have run. I'd hate to think my watch is off since I paid a pretty penny for it, and Garmins are supposed to be top-of-the-line. Oh well.

That makes sense.

Anyway, good race overall. The weather was AMAZING this year - last year it was hot, humid and I wanted to die. Such a difference when it's cooler out!

My patriotic attire!

I spy a sparkle skirt.

Saturday, July 5: Run #4 (3-mile loop)
Weather: 73 degrees and sunny

Rolled out of bed this morning, got dressed and got this run done! My quads and hamstrings were a bit sore from yesterday's race, so I decided to keep this run pretty relaxed. I set my watch to do intervals (run 4 minutes/walk 1 minute), and the run was pretty pleasant. Total time for 3 miles was 33:10, 11:01/mile pace.

Do you keep your pace lower than race pace then? It would seem all of your races you run a lot faster than your training runs. I ask... because even though I know that is the way you are suppose to do it... I just can't seem to. I am trying to not focus to much on my pace while running and just do what feels comfortable. (today was hot..but I slowed WAY down and it was great run)

Ahhhh...just grocery shopping today. Notice what I did not do this week? That's right - yoga. Other stuff just kept coming up. But I am determined to go to a class next week! I've already signed up. It'll happen eventually...I swear.

I think you do a great job fitting so much in! You will get to it, I am sure.

Also, earlier this week I got my first item from last week's Etsy shopping spree - a DCL decal for my car!

How cool is that?!

Now I just need to CLEAN said car and I can actually use the decal. We'll be on the Disney Dream TWO WEEKS from today!!!!!!!!

Oh my!!! that is even more cool than the decal.

 

[annmarieda]

Fall Goal Half Marathon Training

Oh man...this is the last goal race I'm training for before Dopey Training begins!!! What the what?! Where did this year go???

If you figure out where it went... let me know cause I too am really confused.

I'm signed up for 4 half marathons (!!) this fall - this one, Akron, Rock & Roll Cleveland* and Wine & Dine - and I think this is the best chance of the 4 for me to break my PR for a few reasons:

For some reason I didn't realize that you too had 4 halfs... that is awesome!

An almost constant downhill! I can live with that.

I think all races should be like this!

My current half marathon PR is 2:13:32 (10:12/mile pace) and it's almost 2 years old, so I'm really hoping to set a new one here. Specifically, I'd like to get my time under 2:10. That is my A++++++ possible but maybe not totally realistic goal. I've plugged both my 10-miler and 10K times from this spring into pace calculators and based on those, it'll be close. Eek!

You can do it!

This is a race I have wanted to run for the past few years, but it's never worked out - when I was first looking into it 3-4 years ago I decided not to register because I was nervous that I'd finish last (I think most runners have that fear at some point!), and once I got a little more confident it just didn't line up with my schedule. But this is the year! And it's the second half of our local race company's "distance journey,' so when I finish I'll get a bonus medal!

A bonus medal always is inspiration!

As usual, I'm using a training plan by Hal Higdon - his Intermediate Half Marathon Plan - and am dropping out the Thursday 3-miler so that I'm running 4 days per week. This training plan actually has goal race pace runs, so I'll be curious to see if/how these help me going forward. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, instead of switching the days around I'm going to follow the plan more closely this time to see if that helps me have better long runs. So most likely I'll run Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, strength train on Monday and Friday, and hopefully make it to yoga on Fridays...rest day on Sunday. Speaking of strength training, I'll be keeping up with my girl Chalene 2-3 times per week. Well, I say 2-3 times per week, but realistically I think my days of strength training 3 times per week are numbered for the rest of the year. Like...probably 2 weeks from now I won't be able to do it anymore. Oh well!

Sounds like a great plan!

Due to the 5-miler I just finished training for, I'm starting this half plan a little late (it's a 12-week plan and I'll be starting at week 4), but the last few weeks of 5-miler training line up decently with what is called for in the first 3 weeks of the half marathon plan, so I think I should be okay.

I think that when you train for multiple races it makes it hard. You kinda have to pick and choose what you can do based on what race you are "more" training for at the time.

My one challenge is going to come in just a few days when Will and I go on our Disney cruise!!! Ahhh, I can't believe it's almost here!! We're flying to Disney on Saturday the 19th, so I'm hoping to have that week's runs completed before we fly out. Once on the ship I'm planning to hit the treadmill one morning for a tempo run, run the Castaway Cay 5K, and get a strength training session in (I'd say that's the least likely of the three to actually happen). Will is also hoping to hit the gym while on the cruise, so since we're both on the same page with wanting to keep up with our workouts I'm hoping we'll actually, you know...do it.

It is so hard to keep up while on vacation.

Another challenge is freaking summer. I really can't say I'm looking forward to long runs in July and August, but I guess that's what I get for signing up for an early-fall half marathon.

I feel for ya. This summer training kinda sucks.

And now, some pictures...the 13.1-mile mark of the WDW marathon course is in Animal Kingdom!

Somehow I don't think the ladies will be there to greet me But I’ll be seeing them soon!

Tentative Training Plan for 2014 Fall Half Marathon

CURRENT

Week 1 (7/7 - 7/13): 16.5ish miles planned
Monday: Strength Training (ChaLEAN Extreme Burn 1) + Ab burner
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: 35-minute tempo run...3.25 miles completed
Thursday: 3.5-mile run
Friday: Strength Training + hot yoga flow
Saturday: 7-mile run
Sunday: Rest Day

UPCOMING

Week 2 (7/14 - 7/20): 17ish miles planned
Monday: 4-mile run
Tuesday: 3-mile goal race pace run
Wednesday: Strength Training
Thursday: 7x400 @ 5K pace
Friday: 8-mile run
Saturday: Travel to Disney!!
Sunday: Embarkation Day!!!

Week 3 (7/21 - 7/27): 17ish miles planned
Monday: 40-minute tempo run (on the Disney Dream)
Tuesday: 3-mile run (Castaway Cay 5K)
Wednesday: Strength Training (on the Disney Dream, VERY tentative)
Thursday: Debarkation Day and travel home
Friday: 4-mile run
Saturday: 10K run
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 4 (7/28 - 8/3): 19.5ish miles planned
Monday: Strength Training
Tuesday: 4-mile goal race pace run
Wednesday: 8x400 @ 5K pace
Thursday: 4.5-mile run
Friday: Strength Training + yoga
Saturday: 9-mile run
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 5 (8/4 - 8/10): 23ish miles planned
Monday: Strength Training
Tuesday: 4.5-mile run
Wednesday: 40-minute tempo run
Thursday: 5-mile goal race pace run
Friday: Strength Training + yoga
Saturday: 10-mile run
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 6 (8/11 - 8/17): 19ish miles planned
Monday: Strength Training
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: 9x400 @ 5K pace
Thursday: 5-mile run
Friday: Strength Training + yoga
Saturday: 15K run
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 7 (8/18 - 8/24): 25ish miles planned
Monday: Strength Training
Tuesday: 5-mile run
Wednesday: 45-minute tempo run
Thursday: 5-mile goal race pace run
Friday: Strength Training + yoga
Saturday: 11-mile run
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 8 (8/25 - 8/31): 22ish miles planned
Monday: Strength Training
Tuesday: 3-mile goal race pace run
Wednesday: 10x400 @ 5K pace
Thursday: 5-mile run
Friday: Strength Training + yoga
Saturday: 12-mile run
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 9 (9/1 - 9/7): 21.5ish miles planned
Monday: Strength Training
Tuesday: 4-mile run
Wednesday: 30-minute tempo run
Thursday: 2-mile run
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: RACE DAY! HALF MARATHON!

I love how you have a very clear and defined schedule.

 

[annmarieda]

Race Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Whrilwind of activity over here today!...okay, not really. But I did make a couple of changes for some upcoming races.

I think that sounds like a nice plan! I would hate losing the extra $25 but I could totally justify it because of being able to take someone like that and help her. Good for you!

So far this year I have tried really hard to focus on getting a wee bit faster. It's always good to see improvement, right?

It is!

On the W&D page I noticed a link that navigated to a page to update times (similar to the one used for this year's Disneyland Half Marathon). In searching for myself I found that the time I had submitted when I registered (my 10-miler time from 2013, exactly what I used for W&D in 2013) was there. They also had my anticipated finish time...I forget what it was but it was definitely above 2:10. After fooling around with online calculators to see which would give me the better result - the 10-miler time or the 10K time - I plugged my 2014 10-miler time in to the Disney page and submitted it. Instantly, it spat out my updated, unverified anticipated finish time - 2:06! Whaaaaaa? I was expecting some improvement, but not that much.

So woohoo for potentially moving up a corral! Now I just gotta get that September half marathon time down so I can move up even more in January.

Continued in Next Post

Yay! I bet you will be in D no problem at all!

 

[annmarieda]

So obviously I am trying to play some serious catch up on your PTR... sorry bout that.

Reeeeeally... that is interesting. Might actually be worth making a Facebook account in that case!

This is the skirt I would potentially sell...a medium DoloTech. I LIKE it, but I just don't looooove it anymore. I think I've worn it 5-10 times.

HMMM...

That is a really cute skirt. I think someone recently sold one... I can't remember how much for. I believe it was snatched up though. the 5 to 10 times might be a bit of a draw back... I don't know how or why all these gals have skirts just lying around that they "tried on once" or perhaps "ran in once" It is interesting.

Sweaty Bands are just so fun though!!! Can't wait to see which ones you got.

I am super anxious for them to come. I feel like it is taking forever.

I'm going to try to control myself but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to the food!!

Isnt that one of the best things about vacation?

17 miles...that's almost marathon training, Ann!!!

I know... I just don't understand why it takes the miles up so high. Maybe because it assumes more interval running when training and less during the race?

Yep, I think you are right that it's 30 laps! Great job getting that done. Mentally I think I struggle more with running around a track than running on the treadmill, to be honest. Though now that I think about it the last time I tried running on a track it was an indoor one with something crazy like 14 laps - 1 mile. Crazy!

So not a standard size track... which just made those laps feel extra long I bet.

I dont' know I can do the laps any more. Last week just using a timed interval was so much more pleasant. I will do that from here on out. You think it still counts? I am using what my goal 800 time was for the "fast run" parts.

 

[annmarieda]

(I may be completely misunderstanding your workout and calculation(s), and if so, I'm sorry.)

Are you planning on doing (what I calculate to be) 22 x 800 repeats?!?! That is intense!! And not an easy goal!! Awesome!!

[My calculations:

On a 400 meter track, 4 laps = 1600 meters, or approximately one mile. So, 17 miles would require 68 laps (17*4=68).

17 miles worth of 800's with 400 recovery after each 800 would be 22.66 repeats (22.66 * 3 laps = 68, or 17 miles).]

So Shannon did explain that it was two separate runs. Your calculations have my head spinning. UGH, there is no way I could do 68 laps. I think I would just die. Yup. die.

I think (and Ann, correct me if I'm wrong ) she's talking about two separate runs - the "30 laps around the track" is the speedwork run she did this weekend, and then 17-miler is scheduled for sometime later.

Yep. EXCEPT that I didn't do the 30 laps. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I mentioned already that what I did was I took my goal pace that I had done on my previous speedwork on the track. (when it was "just" 8x 800) I gave myself less recovery after. It didn't work out quite like I would have hoped. The "fast run" interval wasn't as fast as my times around the track.... but it was very warm. I don't think I would have been able to do each 800 segment as fast as I did the previous time.

Yes, okay! I get it! Thank you! And, I must say, 10 x 800 ?!?!?!!!! What an athlete!! I am whipped after a 4 x 800!! ... not to mention the 17 miler!!

Well, not an athlete in any sense of the word...but thank you. So I didn't quite get 10 in but rather did 10 intervals at what I had hoped I would be able to maintain. It was warm that day and while I do think my pace was pretty good it wasn't quite fast enough to get a full half mile in during the run segment. If I assumed a total of 1200m per set or .75 miles I came up shy by about an average of .15 miles. And I started out at just the 4 x800... it builds. AND I have not ever ever EVER gone 17 miles. It is later in my training plan and I am totally

Oh yeah, Ann is getting it done!!

Kinda... mostly...maybe.