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

[dmross]

Adios, Chalene...hello IronStrength and Powersteps: In researching this issue, it sounds like a big cause is poor arch support. This makes sense because I do have low arches. Five years ago, when I was first starting to run regularly, I had a bad case of Runner's Knee and made an appointment with the doctor I mentioned above. She told me I had somewhat flat feet and recommended Powerstep inserts for my shoes. Voila - Runner's Knee cured. I haven't had to use Powersteps for a few years now but since they were such a magic pill for me last time, I bought a pair yesterday ($30 and they should last through 2-3 pairs of shoes) and put them in my shoes. Whenever I decide I want to try running again, it'll be with the Powersteps.

Took me a while to catch up, but thanks for putting all the details in your thread!! So enjoyable to read!

Strangely enough, I had the same experience. For a couple of years I used orthotics similar to PowerSteps. Now I don't... I've even changed the type of shoe that I use. It's amazing how my body has adapted to running over these last years. BUT the first clue that I have that it's time for new shoes is still that knee pain. I can feel it coming on...

I know that feeling of stress, soreness, and stiffness that you're talking about during a pause. It's as if I feel WORSE if I don't run.

Good luck as you ease back into training.

 

[joeyvt]

Hey I am hoping you can answer some questions for me about the Disney races my wife, kids and I are huge Disney fans like you and I am a regular runner since our January Disney trip we are considering going in January and me attempting the Goofy. We have some points a can use at Swan and Dolphin with or airline but I wasn't sure I will be running near there and sine she will be solo with both kids she would like to stay on the course so they can see me run by, does the course go by swan and dolphin? I have been reading your reviews for a while when making my training plans and you seem very knowledgeable about the rundisney events and also arethe planner for your family just like I am.

 

[Ariel484]

Took me a while to catch up, but thanks for putting all the details in your thread!! So enjoyable to read!

That's kind of you to say, I know I ramble on a lot!

Strangely enough, I had the same experience. For a couple of years I used orthotics similar to PowerSteps. Now I don't... I've even changed the type of shoe that I use. It's amazing how my body has adapted to running over these last years. BUT the first clue that I have that it's time for new shoes is still that knee pain. I can feel it coming on...

I think that's really common for a lot of people...getting in better shape, losing weight, whatever. It's amazing the effect it can have on your feet!

I know that feeling of stress, soreness, and stiffness that you're talking about during a pause. It's as if I feel WORSE if I don't run.

I totally agree. I think the mental part has been worse for me than the physical part. It stinks.

Good luck as you ease back into training.

Thank you!

Hey I am hoping you can answer some questions for me about the Disney races my wife, kids and I are huge Disney fans like you and I am a regular runner since our January Disney trip we are considering going in January and me attempting the Goofy.

Hi! If you want to do Goofy and haven't signed up yet, you definitely should ASAP! It's 98% full!

We have some points a can use at Swan and Dolphin with or airline but I wasn't sure I will be running near there and sine she will be solo with both kids she would like to stay on the course so they can see me run by, does the course go by swan and dolphin?

For the half marathon - NO. If they wanted to come see you they'd have to either get up early (like 4AM) to take the bus to the Magic Kingdom to watch for you on Main Street, or watch you in Future World in Epcot, or wait for you at the finish. But with the half you'd almost certainly be finishing by 9AM so maybe they'd sleep through it anyway?

For the marathon - yes! That's a great place for your family to stay.

The end of the marathon course goes right through the Epcot resort area. Mile Marker 23 is in Hollywood Studios. From there, you exit the park and run down the path toward the Epcot area resorts (warning - it can get very cramped in here). Mile Marker 24 is by the Boardwalk.

(These pictures are from 2012/2013 but the course is the same.)

After MM24 you run over the bridge near the Swan and Dolphin - Swan & Dolphin is on your left, Yacht and Beach are on your right. Then you take a right to run in front of Yacht & Beach toward the International Gateway, where you finish the race by running through Epcot.

So they could easily walk to the bottom of the bridge to watch you, or walk over to Yacht & Beach and wait for you there...or even watch you in World Showcase. Lots of options. And the best part for you is that it would come late in the race, probably when you could use a boost. My husband was waiting for me in front of the Beach Club and my brother was in the UK pavilion in 2013 during the marathon, and it was so awesome to see them! We all had phones and I'd signed them up to track me using Disney's runner tracking system, so that helped a lot. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I have been reading your reviews for a while when making my training plans and you seem very knowledgeable about the rundisney events and also arethe planner for your family just like I am.

Yep, I'm definitely the planner! Thanks for reading!

 

[Ariel484]

Week 3 of Dopey Challenge Training
Monday, September 22, 2014 - Sunday, September 28, 2014

3 miles completed
6 miles completed in Dopey Challenge Training so far
544.71 miles completed in 2014 so far

Monday, September 22: Strength training (IronStrength)

After 4 days of nothing, I wanted to do SOMETHING this morning.

I headed to the gym for another session of IronStrength. I kept all of the same modifications I did last time, except that I did real jumping jacks this time. Otherwise, I didn't do any plyometric moves and I didn't do the burpees. 5-10 reps of everything (occasionally 15) for 3 minutes instead of the prescribed 5-6 minutes. It DID go better today - the jumping jacks didn't kill my foot and my quads didn't seize up. It's a few hours later now and my legs don't feel sore, so hopefully this won't incapacitate me for the rest of the week like it did last week.

Foot is definitely better today. Still not normal, but better. I tried to wear my regular work dress shoes and so far that brief time when I had them on marks the only time all day that my foot has been sore. I'm back in my Black Brooks Adrenalines with compression sock and things feel okay.

I decided that even if I feel 100% recovered from this by next week, I'm keeping that doctor's appointment. I can't have this happen to me again before January (and preferably ever). So I ran that by my boss and am set there. Depending on how that goes and how I feel I may try running again a week from tomorrow (unless I feel super great and try a short run this weekend).

In the meantime I'm signed up for 3 yoga classes this week and am planning on getting in at least 1 more IronStrength session. If improper conditioning is really the cause of this issue I want to get that fixed ASAP! Plus it just feels good to exercise again - I feel less stiff and sluggish than I did this time last week for sure.

Tuesday, September 23: Yoga Flow for All Levels completed

The yoga studio I go to has a second location, and I headed there this morning for a 6AM class. This one was with a teacher I've never had before, and it was...okay. She had us do a lot of the same poses over and over, so the repetitiveness got a little old. Then we were in the final pose (savasana, aka corpse pose) where you essentially lie on your back, totally relaxed and still. So I was really ready for and really looking forward to this relaxation, and then suddenly the yoga teacher starts to SING. Like, really loudly. She's a good singer and everything - really good - but it wasn't very relaxing. It was sort or jarring and in a way kind of like, "hey, listen to me and how good of a singer I am." I could have done without that.

I wanted to be cautious with my foot and I am a little sore from IronStrength yesterday (nowhere NEAR as bad as I was last week, thankfully) so I modified quite a few of the poses. Despite that and despite the fact that this was not a "warm" or "hot" class, I still worked up a decent sweat. This was unfortunate since there are no shower facilities at the studio and I was planning on heading right to work after class! Eek! Sorry, co-workers!

Even though this was far from my favorite class I have taken at the studio, it still felt really good and I'm glad I went.

I'm having a good foot day so far. I wore my compression sock overnight last night and wanted to bring it to work to wear today, but I forgot it at home. I also tweaked my foot slightly during yoga. Despite both of those things, I've walked around a decent amount today and it feels good. I can feel it occasionally when walking, but then it’s gone. And when I say I "feel it," it's not necessarily sore or painful, I can just feel that it's not 100% yet. But it's definitely encouraging that it’s not painful and the "not 100% yet" feeling is not there all the time. I'm forgetting about it a lot. So I'm getting there.

Wednesday, September 24: Strength training (IronStrength) completed

Definitely making progress over here. I think I'm finally turning the corner on this thing.

IronStrength was good this morning - I kept all of the same modifications I had before (no jumping, no burpees, 3-minute supersets instead of 5-6 minute supersets, cutting down some of the reps) and managed to add another set of 15 isometric squats. So I'm definitely still far away from doing the complete workout as prescribed, but at least I'm doing something. And my legs feel almost completely fine, unlike last week where I took 4 days to recover from IronStrength session #1. The bad thing is that I can already feel myself getting bored with this workout. I'm gonna try to keep it up though - I know it's good for me and really, at this point, it's only one hour of my entire week (2 approximately 30-minute sessions). If it keeps me healthy it's more than worth it.

Foot is feeling really, really good today. Still not 100%, but closer. The alarming thing is that I am occasionally feeling pain in the same area on the OTHER side. Not as bad as I had when I initially injured my right foot, but still. This makes me think there's definitely some sort of issue with either my shoes, my running form (well, walking form now) or both. I'm really hoping the doctor I'm seeing on Monday will have some ideas.

I had to give my presentation for next week's work conference to my team this afternoon, and beyond having a typo on the VERY FIRST SLIDE in the title of my presentation (SO FREAKING EMBARRASSING ) it went well. I always get WAY more nervous for the practice presentation than I do for the real thing, so I’m glad this is over.

Thursday, September 25: Rest Day

**WW UPDATE**

Down 0.2 pounds this morning. If I can come away from this injury period of reduced exercise without gaining anything, that would be super awesome.

Originally I was signed up for another 6AM yoga class this morning, but I decided to bag it and take a rest day. Not because I'm in pain or anything, just to be safe. Feeling good on the foot front, but work has gotten really stressful all of a sudden. Two big projects due around the same time that I JUST got assigned to, and they want them ASAP. And I'm due to go out of town next week. Of course.

Friday, September 26: Warm Yoga Flow/1-mile run (!!!) completed

Big day over here!!!

It started off with a yoga class. Love this teacher and her class - I'm definitely going to try to continue to make it a regular thing.

My foot was feeling good after yoga, and has been for a few days. The weather here has been so nice lately...I couldn't resist. Had to throw on my shoes for a run!

I told myself I’d go one mile - no more, hopefully no less. I set my watch for run 2 minutes/walk 1 minute intervals and before I could change my mind, I was off. I had the Powerstep inserts that I bought last week in my shoes, so I was hoping they would help.

And it felt great. The first half-mile was awesome. I could feel my legs wanting to go faster and forced myself to rein it in. But I was just so happy to be back out there again!

I reached the turn-around point, briefly considered going further, but talked myself out of it. Good thing I did - around 0.75 miles my foot was feeling a little sore again. ARG!

But I did it!!! I ran again! (1 mile in 11:15.)

Afterward I iced my foot and wore the compression sock...and the foot recovered. So while I'm a little disappointed to have still felt some soreness, it was still VERY encouraging.

Saturday, September 27: Akron Half Marathon planned, unscheduled rest day/DNS taken

NRR (Not Running Related): Today we took on our most ambitious DIY project to date - tiling! I'm sure it doesn't sound like a big deal to some, but this was our first time attempting it. It went pretty well.

We actually tiled our stair risers. After getting our floors re-finished our already terrible stair risers looked worse than before - beat up, dirty, just yucky. So we tiled them!

Before:

After with photobomb (we ran out of thinset and time before getting to the top step - one freaking step! Arg!):

Still need to seal and grout, but it looks sooooo much better.

We had (I think) 15 stairs to tackle...plus running to the hardware store to buy/exchange stuff we needed, plus, lunch break, etc. All this to say that I was busy enough all day that I forgot that I was originally supposed to run the Akron half this morning. I know it was the right decision to DNS in light of what’s been going on with my foot, but it still doesn't feel good.

After tiling all day we were both totally spent. And my hamstrings were weirdly sore? Ooookay!

Sunday, September 28: 2-mile run completed (!!!)

Oh yes! On a roll over here!

Same story as Friday - with Powersteps, 2:1 run/walk ratio...I did feel occasional soreness but it didn’t start until mile 1.5 or so, and it wasn't constant - it would sort of come and go. I did 2 miles in 23:01 (11:30/mile pace) and wore my new, Lilo-inspired SparkleSkirt.

I’m not going to lie...the pace is a little discouraging, but I know it'll come back. If it were me talking to someone else in my position, I'd tell that person to not worry about pace and just be happy to be able to run again. So that's what I will try to do!

My foot was a bit sore afterward, so I made sure to take ibuprofen and ice. I also took a nap with my compression sock on, and once I woke up, the pain was gone! Yeehaw.

Continued in Next Post

 

[ZellyB]

Woohoo on getting back out on the running!! You are being very smart about it by being slow and easy. And, yes, I would tell you not to worry about pace right now. That will return quickly, I'm sure. So glad that you are on the mend.

And, I thought the part about your yoga instructor singing was hilarious. I had this vision of all of you laid out in the corpse pose relaxing and suddenly she bursts into song. What did she sing?

 

[Ariel484]

Woohoo on getting back out on the running!! You are being very smart about it by being slow and easy. And, yes, I would tell you not to worry about pace right now. That will return quickly, I'm sure. So glad that you are on the mend.

Woohoo! I'm trying to be smart about it but I am finding it hard to be patient and not get competitive with myself. I feel like I'm "on the clock" with these Disney races coming up...

And, I thought the part about your yoga instructor singing was hilarious. I had this vision of all of you laid out in the corpse pose relaxing and suddenly she bursts into song. What did she sing?

That's EXACTLY what happened! I read a review of the class from someone else who referred to it as "chanting." It reminded me more of gospel singing, I guess? I mean, I was impressed that her voice was so strong and clear at 7AM...but STILL. It was jarring!

 

[Ariel484]

No Abnormalities!

Foot-wise, at least...that's what my x-rays said. I'm sure I'm still abnormal in other ways...

My appointment went well today! It started with the x-rays (again, nothing of note there) and then the doctor poked and prodded my feet, had me stand up on my toes, balance on one foot, do one-legged squats, etc.

After all of that, she said some things that I was expecting to hear - that she thought it was a muscle thing, and not a stress fracture or a tear . Also, that I have flat feet. I knew this, but apparently this is something that I can sort of try to fix? That I did not know.

Another thing I did not know - apparently the way I performed all of those balances and whatnot (poorly) told her that I have weak hips and ankles. She thinks that and the flat feet are what messed me up here.

The best thing - she said that she thinks I'm doing the right thing and to keep running!

In addition to the running, she wants me to go to a physical therapist - I'm not sure how long or how often I have to go, but the first appointment I could get that works with my schedule isn't until mid-October. In the meantime I'll be doing some exercises the doctor gave me (standing on one foot a lot, 1-legged squats, etc.). She also wants me to try a specific core-strengthening class at a nearby studio. I read the description of the class and I'm pretty sure I won't make it out alive, but it's always good to try new things, right? Sad part is that this class is only offered at 5:15...AM!!! And it's about 20 minutes from my house. Ouch. It's only offered twice per week so I'm going to try it on Friday and see what I think.

Her notes also said to do yoga, so at least I was doing something right!

To say I am encouraged by how this appointment went is an understatement. I told her what races I'm signed up for and was just like, "I just want to make sure I'm not dumb for wanting to do this with this foot issue." And she said I should be okay. Such a relief. I told her what the Dopey Challenge was and she was like, "...oh. That sounds cool." Definitely the right doctor for me.

Continued in Next Post

 

[ZellyB]

Woohoo on the doctor visit!!! You must be so relieved. Sounds like she gave you some really constructive steps to take. But, yikes on the core strength class time. I'll be curious to hear how that goes.

 

[Ariel484]

A New Plan - Jingle Jungle 5K/Wine & Dine Half Marathon

So with this new outlook, I'm doing a reset on my training. There's just no way I'm going to catch up to the plan I originally wanted to use (Hal Higdon's Dopey Challenge Training Plan) without increasing my mileage too quickly and injuring myself.

Instead I am going to take this one Disney race weekend at a time (keeping the overall goal - Dopey - in mind) and focus on the Jingle Jungle 5K/Wine & Dine for now.

Right now I'm just hoping to get back to running 4 days per week, and to get up to at least a 10-mile long run (ideally 12) before getting on that plane to WDW. I think those are both reasonable goals.

Basically I'm thinking that I'll try to keep the following schedule (revised on 10/15):

Mondays: core training (60-minute class) + my shortest run of the week
Tuesday: run
Wednesday: run
Thursday: rest day
Friday: core training (45-minute class) + yoga
Saturday: long run
Sunday: yoga

Cameo appearance from the husband

This first week I'm hoping to run tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday. Wednesday will be a rest day. I'm going to start out with running 2 minutes/walking 1 minute like I did last week, and if that goes well for me this week, I'll add 30 seconds to my run intervals each week. If I can get up to running 4 minutes/walking 1 minute comfortably by race weekend I will be more than happy with that.

As I said in my last post, PT doesn't start until mid-October, unfortunately. I have myself on a wait list for an earlier appointment that works with my schedule (because all available appointments are, like, Tuesday at 11AM, or Monday at 2PM...how do people with jobs go to PT?!) so hopefully that will come through.

Hoping to start with 10 miles this week and get up to 23 miles the week before Wine & Dine.

Mostly I am just so relieved to have the all-clear to start up again. Hopefully this was just an ugly warning sign and not something that will happen again! I vow to be a model cross-training runner!

So here it is...part 1 - the Wine & Dine part - of my revised training plan. Color-coded and everything!
ETA: Revised again on 10/15! Why it's all blurry, I have no idea.

It's sort of based on Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Marathon Training plan. Hopefully it'll get me to the finish lines in November in 1 piece.

COMPLETE

Week 1 (9/29 - 10/5): 10 miles completed ** TRAVEL FOR WORK THIS WEEK**
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: 3-mile run + Extreme Abs
Wednesday: Rest Day
Thursday: 3-mile run + Ab Burner
Friday: 45-minute Core class
Saturday: 4-mile run
Sunday: Rest Day (travel to Chicago for work)

Week 2 (10/6 - 10/12): 14 miles planned ** TRAVEL FOR WORK THIS WEEK**
Monday: 3-mile run around Chicago!
Tuesday: Rest Day (travel home from Chicago)
Wednesday: 2-mile run/Ab Burner
Thursday: 3-mile run/Extreme Abs
Friday: 45-minute Core class
Saturday: 6-mile run
Sunday: Hot Yoga Flow

Week 3 (10/13 - 10/19): 17 miles completed
Monday: 60-minute Core class/3-mile run
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: 3-mile run/Extreme Abs
Thursday: Rest Day
Friday: Hot Yoga Flow
Saturday: 8-mile run
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 4 (10/20 - 10/26): 20 miles completed
Monday: 3-mile run + planks/push-ups
Tuesday: 4-mile run
Wednesday: 3-mile run + planks/push-ups
Thursday: Rest Day
Friday: Warm Yoga Flow
Saturday: 10-mile run
Sunday: Hot Yoga Flow

Week 5 (10/27 - 11/2): 23.1 miles completed
Monday: 60-minute Core class
Tuesday: 5-mile run
Wednesday: 3-mile run
Thursday: Rest Day
Friday: 45-minute Core class/12-mile run
Saturday: Bernie Shuffle 5K RACE RECAP!
Sunday: Rest Day

Week 6 (11/3 - 11/9): 17.8 miles completed **WDW!!!!!**

Monday: 60-minute Core class
Tuesday: 3-mile run planned, 1.6-mile walk completed
Wednesday: travel to WDW!!!
Thursday: WDW!!!
Friday: WDW!!!
Saturday: Jingle Jungle 5K /Wine & Dine Half Marathon!!!
Sunday: WDW!!!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Woohoo on the doctor visit!!! You must be so relieved. Sounds like she gave you some really constructive steps to take. But, yikes on the core strength class time. I'll be curious to hear how that goes.

SO RELIEVED. I thought it would be okay just based off of how I've been feeling lately...but you never know.

The core class...I just signed up for it. Slightly terrified.

 

[sumlee]

Yay!!! So glad you were able to get out for a few successful runs! That must have felt so good! The dr. Appt sounds like it was pretty positive too! What a relief! Good luck with your new plans!!

The singing yoga instructor made me laugh! I can't even imagine that. Weird.

Ooh, and your tile stairs look awesome! Good work!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Looks like you have a pretty decent plan between now and WIne & Dine! Yes, it sucks that you have to slow down on your training/pace but doing something is better than nothing & you don't want to hurt yourself again.

Hope that you get your waitlist through so you can start PT earlier.

Hopefully you can keep up with your training with all your work trips as I know that can be rough.

 

[RnbwSktles]

Glad things are looking up!

Have you tried to plan our your training post W&D yet? Or are you really waiting until after the race to see how you feel? It looks like you definitely have time to get up to 18-20 miles, but without rest weeks in between. I'm very curious to see what you come up with!

Good luck!

 

[Ariel484]

Yay!!! So glad you were able to get out for a few successful runs! That must have felt so good! The dr. Appt sounds like it was pretty positive too! What a relief! Good luck with your new plans!!

Thank you!! Seriously, that appointment probably could not have gone any better. I was thinking about canceling because I was feeling better, but I'm so glad I didn't.

The singing yoga instructor made me laugh! I can't even imagine that. Weird.

I feel like my description was not doing it justice. It was just, like...you're supposed to be completely still and relaxed in a dimly-lit room, lying on your back with your eyes shut. Other instructors I've had will light incense and maybe come around to give you a shoulder rub or whatever - nope, this chick was singing like she was in a gospel choir.

Ooh, and your tile stairs look awesome! Good work!

Thank you!! We are so happy with them!

Looks like you have a pretty decent plan between now and WIne & Dine! Yes, it sucks that you have to slow down on your training/pace but doing something is better than nothing & you don't want to hurt yourself again.

Totally agree. I am trying really hard to keep that in mind!

Hope that you get your waitlist through so you can start PT earlier.

Yeah, me too. The guy had other times available but it would have meant missing work... I have other things I can do in the meantime but I'm still hoping I'll get moved up.

Hopefully you can keep up with your training with all your work trips as I know that can be rough.

Thankfully this upcoming trip will be the only one! It's not even that far away from home (just a 1-hour flight) so it's not going to be like you going to California.

This will be the 4th year in a row I've gone to this specific conference and I have a history of being weirdly good with sticking to my schedule while there, so hopefully that will continue this year!

Glad things are looking up!

ME TOOOOO

Have you tried to plan our your training post W&D yet? Or are you really waiting until after the race to see how you feel? It looks like you definitely have time to get up to 18-20 miles, but without rest weeks in between. I'm very curious to see what you come up with!

Yes, I do have it mapped out, but I would say I'm not 100% settled on it yet. It's mostly based on Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Marathon Training plan. I'm not sure if it's too ambitious or not ambitious enough. I think I'm going to see how I feel after Wine & Dine and then revisit it.

Good luck!

Thank you!!

 

[Ariel484]

2014 Jingle Jungle 5K - The Outfit!

Alright, now that I'm running more and whining less, time to start talking about fun stuff again!

One month from Sunday, I'll be flying to WDW...!!! A few days later (God willing) I'll be running the Jingle Jungle 5K and the Wine & Dine Half Marathon. So it's time to get some outfits together.



Disney runners are known for their crazy running costumes. Mickey, Goofy, Merida, Figment, Tron...you name the character, someone has probably dressed as them for a Disney race.

I am NOT one of these runners that puts together elaborate costumes. In my mind I guess I don't want to spend the time and money on something that I'll probably only wear once, and whatever I DO wear needs to be comfortable - lightweight, moisture-wicking, etc. It still needs to look cute, though. Or presentable, at least.

From the beginning I've worn some sort of sleeveless Nike dri-fit top with a Sweaty Band, my Garmin and my Oakleys...camera in hand, always.

2011 Princess Half Marathon - wearing the above with Nike Track Tempo shorts. HORRIBLE chafing thanks to these shorts! They went right into the trash as soon as I got back to our room after the race, and I will never buy that style of shorts again! Also wearing an Amphipod fuel belt...camera case attached to the fuel belt. Some kind of Saucony shoes…

2012 WDW Marathon - longer Brooks shorts this time = less chafing! Switch to Brooks Adrenalines (still running in that same shoe now - LOVE!)

After the 2012 Marathon I made a very momentous, very expensive, very awesome discovery - SPARKLESKIRTS!!!!! Life-changing and addicting. Seriously. These allowed me to ditch the fuel belt and I haven't looked back since.

Though I did still wear shorts for the WDW 5K in 2013…at this point I only owned 2 skirts. I also tried out a shoe wallet!

2013 WDW Half Marathon...skirts!!! Never looking back, these things rock!

2013 WDW Marathon

So yeah, in general, no special outfits here. I think the first time I felt like I should maybe have a little more fun with what I was wearing was during last year's Jingle Jungle 5K. The race has a Christmas theme...and here's what I wore:

Fine...cute (at least I'd like to think), but being surrounded by other runners in Santa hats or dressed as elves or Disney characters, in such a festive environment I felt a little, well...boring.

My Wine & Dine outfit later that night was the flipped image of my JJ5K outfit. Except this time I paired it with matching KT Tape (wahhh ) and a ridiculous facial expression:

In between the Wine & Dine weekend and this year's Princess Half Marathon weekend, I re-discovered Raw Threads. This year's Royal Family 5K was a milestone for me - group costume! Sort of...in spirit. I ran with two friends, one of whom was the "sea witch"...the other was "Flounder"...and I was the mermaid.

(Please excuse my pits. )

(Not me, obviously, but here's what the back of the shirt looks like):

At that point I thought I'd found my sweet spot and started purchasing Raw Threads tanks to wear for upcoming races...and then I figured out that Raw Threads tanks make my armpits chafe. So I'm sticking to the shirts with sleeves, just like the one I wore for the Royal Family 5K. And that's where I've landed at this point - Sweaty Band, Oakleys, Raw Threads with sleeves or Nike dri-fit tank top, Garmin, SparkleSkirt, Balega Socks, Brooks Adrenalines and camera - ALWAYS a camera. With that basic "formula" in mind, I've started to figure out what I'm going to wear for my six (!!) upcoming Disney races!

Let’s start with the next one...the 2014 Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5K.

Last year I didn't feel very festive for this race, so this year I thought I'd try to actually dress somewhere Christmas-y. But then I made an impulse purchase in August...a new-to-me SparkleSkirt in a pattern called Rainforest.

I can't explain what made me buy this skirt - I was sitting on the Facebook page of one of the SS fan groups, and the skirt popped up for sale in my size. And I just wanted it. So I waited...and waited...and told myself to keep waiting. If the skirt was still there in 45 minutes, I'd buy it. People commented on the skirt, but no one posted "SOLD"...so I did! And it's mine! And I freaking love it.

During my first run in the skirt I remember thinking that this would make a good back-up outfit for the JJ5K. The more I thought about it, the more I liked it - I mean, it's still on-theme, right? Instead of going with the Christmas theme, it would be sort of a jungle-themed outfit? The "jungle/rainforest" angle started to outweigh the Christmas-themed outfit I'd been planning in my mind.

I kept the idea to myself for a bit. I'm running the race with a friend, and we'd both sort of agreed on the Christmas thing, so I didn't want to be the one to change it up. But then my friend scored a Raw Threads top on the RT resale Facebook group - the "Believe in Yetis" top! That got the wheels turning in HER head, and we both agreed that her running in a Yeti-inspired outfit, and me running in a rainforest/jungle-themed one, could be pretty cool. So that’s what we're doing!

The skirt is the main piece of my outfit. Unless I find something better, I'm pairing it with a plain old, tried and true, Nike dri-fit top.

This is the exact outfit I was wearing on that run where I thought about changing up my JJ5K outfit...it was fate! The tank has some flaws in it...I have had it for years and it's been well-loved, to say the least!

And lastly...the ears. I impulsively bought a pair of Christmas Minnie ears last year during our Wine & Dine trip, but never wore them. They've just been sitting in our guest room. My friend happens to be super, super creative, crafty and talented, and she really has a knack for doctoring up Minnie ears by making personalized bows that can be easily switched out. So I (very carefully) removed the red bow and my awesome friend will be constructing a new bow for me just for the JJ5K. I left the little holly leaf with the Hidden Mickey, though...still a little bit Christmas-y!

This is what the ears look like...except they now do not have the red bow. They will almost surely clash with my skirt...oops!

(source)

I haven't worn ears during a race yet, but I am pretty sure I won't like it - I don’t even like wearing hats while I run, but I think I can stick it out for a fun, relaxed 3.1 miles. I fully predict I will start the race with the ears on and make it about two steps before taking them off and carrying them with me until I come across photo stops where I can throw them back on, but hey, at least it will (hopefully) make for cute pictures. And darn it, I WILL wear those ears for pictures, especially my friend is making a bow for me (in some sort of animal print, I think - zebra maybe?).

So that's the JJ5K outfit! Nothing earth-shattering as far as craziness and creativity, but it's crazy and creative FOR ME. I'm sure we won't be the only ones that went the Animal Kingdom/rainforest/jungle route in our outfits, but based on what I saw at last year's race I have to think we'll be in the minority since so many people were really getting into the Christmas-themed costumes. The best of my outfit part - I already own everything, and I have already gotten (and will continue to get) multiple wears out of the top and skirt. The ears...well, we'll see how they hold up to racing!

Continued in Next Post

 

[ZellyB]

The outfit for the JJ5K sounds awesome! I think the two of you have picked great and unique ideas for the run. I'm like you in that I want to dress fun and festive for the Disney runs but it needs to be practical.

I have that same sparkle skirt and I love it so much. I really love those vented slim cuts. I wish they would make more in that style.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I think your JJ5K outfit is going to be really cute! Hope your bow turns out exactly as cute as you expect it to be!

 

[Ariel484]

The outfit for the JJ5K sounds awesome! I think the two of you have picked great and unique ideas for the run. I'm like you in that I want to dress fun and festive for the Disney runs but it needs to be practical.

Yeah, I'm trying to have a little more fun with it, for sure! But I can't see myself ever being a runner who goes all out on the costumes. I saw a couple of girls running the 2013 in full-length princess dresses - they looked like old Halloween costumes, maybe? That will NOT be happening for me.

I have that same sparkle skirt and I love it so much. I really love those vented slim cuts. I wish they would make more in that style.

I didn't know you had that one too!! SparkleTwins! So which skirts do you have then - Rainforest, Pink MiniTech and Haunted?

I'm with you, LOVE the vented slim and wish they made more. The only other one I have seen is plaid or something? I don't love it. I did get in on a group custom on the Facebook group where they had all 4 styles (swing, slim, vented slim and hiker) available, so I will be getting a vented slim there. I think you said you like the slim cuts better than the swing, right? All of my skirts except for Rainforest are swings. I need to try a slim cut on again at the Wine & Dine expo. They look so good on some other ladies but I'm not sure if it's for me. It certainly wasn't when I tried one on at the Princess Half expo in February...

I think your JJ5K outfit is going to be really cute! Hope your bow turns out exactly as cute as you expect it to be!

Thanks! I hope so too - I'm so relieved that my friend offered to make the bow for me. I am confident she will do an awesome job! If it was me making the bow, I would be much less confident.

Have so much fun this week at Disney!! Can't wait to hear about the 10-miler!

 

[Ariel484]

Week 1 of JJ5K/W&D Training
Monday, September 29, 2014 - Sunday, October 5, 2014

10 miles completed
10 miles completed in JJ5K/W&D Training so far
554.71 miles completed in 2014 so far
31.05 miles completed in September 2014 (eek!)

Monday, September 29: Rest Day

First of all...I opened my countdown app for the first time in awhile this morning. 36 days until the Wine & Dine trip, 99 days until the Dopey trip.

Honestly, I am not that excited at this point. If the doctor gives me some good news today I will let myself get excited, but worse case scenario is...well, let's just hope Akron will stand as my only DNS for awhile. I'm trying not to think about it too much.

Anyway...it's been a health-focused day here. First up I got my annual flu shot - everyone that works here has to get them (I work in research at a hospital - definitely some controversy surrounding the flu shot program, but I don't mind it even though I never work with patients) so I normally just get mine done on the first possible day to get it over with. That day was today. It didn't hurt that badly at the time but now that it has been a few hours my arm is SORE.

But the big event for today, in my mind, was the appointment for my foot. The hospital system has a program where you can create an account and log in online to view your appointments, messages, test results, etc., and I had a message this morning that I need to be at radiology 5 minutes before the actual appointment - so x-rays were ordered. Makes sense, but it also made me nervous. Best to be thorough though, I guess.

The appointment went well though! Such a relief...and now I feel like I can get excited for my upcoming Disney races.

Tuesday, September 30: 3-mile treadmill run!! + Extreme Abs

Woohoo! I ran today!

It went pretty well! For the first mile I did run 2 minutes/walk 1 minute intervals (set the treadmill to 5.8 MPH - 10:20/mile pace for the running portions...3.2 or 3.2 MPH for the walking portions. Not sure what pace that is). I did feel some occasional twinges in my foot, but it wasn't bad. For the last 2 miles I did run 2:30/walk 1 minute. The last 2 miles actually felt better than the first mile - not perfect, but better. I even upped the speed a bit torward the end (5.9 MPH/10:10 pace and 6.0MPH/10:00/mile pace for about 30 seconds each). Definitely an encouraging run! The overall pace still isn't where I want it to be (35:50 for 3 miles, 11:57/mile pace) but I know it'll come back! And I will try not to harp on it too much. I am keeping the Powersteps in my shoes for the foreseeable future, which I don't love - they are definitely taking some getting used to. Just so STIFF. But if I can run in them and not have to limp, I won't complain.

After the run, I did Extreme Abs. It sucked. My core sucks. Woof.

After that, I went into the weight room and balanced on the BOSU ball for a bit. This thing:

Apparently the lack of stabilization is really helpful for strengthening the ankles/feet. This went okay - I did each foot for about 30 seconds at a time (needed a hand on the wall for stability) twice, and then stood on each foot on the ground for 30 seconds, also twice. I did all of these things without my shoes on (sorry for the stank, fellow gym-goers). My feet and ankles were sort of sore afterward, which was a bit of a wake-up call as to how weak they really are. Just 4 minutes of these "exercises" and I'm sore. Hmm...

With my foot getting better and my getting the official go-ahead to run, my mood has improved considerably over the past few days. This is good because I'm working on a really frustrating project at work. If this had come 2 weeks ago, when I was REALLY depressed about the foot stuff, I probably would have been in a VERY dark place. Now my brain is fried, but at least I'm not, like...sad overall. Just one of those deals where I had to drop everything to get it done ASAP and didn't even realize I hadn't eaten or drank (drunk? Drank...I think) anything all day until almost 3PM. FUN!

Anyway...I plan on doing my other prescribed exercises later this evening at home. In case anyone is wondering, in addition to balancing on one leg (without shoes on, both on the floor and on the Bosu ball), these are the exercises the doctor told me to do: 1-legged squats (self-explanatory...with the non-standing leg behind the standing leg), put my feet flat on the floor and sort of scrunch them up while keeping my heels and toe joints on the ground (I can REALLY feel that in my arches), and A-D in the picture below, using a band:

(source)

I'm going to try to do the stuff on the Bosu ball Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after running (I mean, I WILL...when I remember). Will said we could get one for our "gym" at home but I looked it up and on Amazon they cost $110. So I think I'll just stick to using it at the gym for now.

Wednesday, October 1: Rest Day

After a super stressful day at work, I came home last night (eventually), sat on the couch like a total slug...and did manage to get in my hip/feet exercises. It really only took a few minutes, so I have no excuse to ever not do these!

Today is nothing. I thought about getting up early to go some core stuff, but I think it would be smarter to take it easy. No running, no core, no hip or feet exercises. Total rest. Gotta take it slowly.

One thing I AM doing today is wearing my normal work shoes again, something I haven't done since I hurt my foot. Before I was wearing my black Brooks Adrenalines. Now I'm wearing what I'd normally wear to work (TOMS or - in today's case - Coach sneakers. Pushing the limits of the dress code over here). I have the Coach sneakers on, so they don’t have as much support...they feel okay, not perfect. But I'm getting there!

That work project continued on today but I was able to send my portion of it out by 1PM - YAY! Although I have a feeling it'll still come back to haunt me tomorrow...hmm.

Disney news: Finally! Some Disney stuff to talk about!

Our 60-day mark for Wine & Dine came and went about a month ago, so clearly I'm late on that one. One of my friends set up some FP+ for us, so that's done. The only one we missed out on was an Anna & Elsa FP+ from Magic Kingdom. Sadness.

Then today, another friend remembered that we still need to personalize Magic Bands! I'll have two coming for this trip - one for my one-night stay at Pop, and a second one for the rest of the trip. Seems sort of silly to have two, but whatever. (Actually I have 3 since I also have an AP holder Magic Band...oy!) The AP band is green, the Pop band is orange, the other band is yellow. I also checked in online for the Pop night. And that's all my news! Really not that much at all. Oops!

Also...I decided to do one of those monthly Disney picture challenges on Instagram (username _shannymac4 if you want to follow me )...I thought it might be a fun way to get even more pumped for Wine & Dine. And then I thought it might be fun to post them here!

So here's #magicaldisneypicschallenge Day 1: Happy Birthday...to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot!

Thursday, October 2: 3-mile treadmill run! + Ab Burner

**WW UPDATE**

My recent good luck with weigh-ins finally ran out this morning - up 1.4 pounds! Arg. I’m blaming that on not tracking my food at all lately, drinking coffee and pop and practically water, and work stress (that project that *had* to be done yesterday? It had to be re-done today...totally saw that coming. At least it was a quick fix and wasn't my fault!). Now that I’m back to running again I'm going to try harder to track my food. This will be sort of difficult with that work trip coming up - at least the trip is a short one.

Anyway - another successful run this morning! This time I did intervals of running 2:30/walking 1 minute. During the walking intervals I had the treadmill at 3.3 MPH. For the first 2 miles I did 5.8 MPH (10:20/mile pace) for the running portions...for the last mile I bumped it up to 5.9 MPH (10:10) and threw in a few 30-second bursts at 6.0 MPH (10:00/mile) and 6.1 MPH (9:50/mile). Total time for the run was 35:12, 11:44/mile pace.

This run felt really good for the most part! There was one running interval during the first mile where my foot was sore, and I realized that I had it sort of turned out, I guess - so I started to really concentrate on keeping it pointed straight forward, and that helped a lot. I’m still adjusting to running in the Powersteps - it feels completely fine on my left foot, but on my right foot (the one recovering from the strain) I can still feel some stiffness in the top of my foot. Oh well.

After the run I did Ab Burner and some one-legged balancing (without shoes, on the floor and on the Bosu ball - still not great at that). Hip exercises and whatnot are on tap for later this evening.

Here’s something annoying - September 30 was supposed to be the day that refunds would be processed for the canceled Rock & Roll Cleveland races. I checked our credit card statements - Will’s refund was there, mine was not. I dug deeper into my email and realized that we actually don’t have the credit card that I used to purchase my registration any more - that card was canceled because we happened to use it at Target when that big data breach happened last year. So I don’t have my refund! I emailed Rock & Roll Cleveland and they made it sound like it’s the “bank’s” probably, so I’m probably going to make to make some calls to get my money back. And I really want that money - since I originally signed up for the half marathon I should be getting at least $60 back. I could buy a new SparkleSkirt with that money!!

But seriously. Give me my freaking money back!

I'll end this day in a happy note...#magicaldisneypicschallenge Day 2: Happy (how convenient!) - just a few weeks to go until I see this sign! Instant happiness.

Friday, October 3: Core 45

First ever core class! I went to this on the recommendation of the doctor I saw earlier this week. It was described as "challenging" and "not for beginners." Also, it's about 20 minutes from my house and starts at 5:15 AM.

I kind of loved it. We did stuff with the BOSU balls (so now I'm more interested in buying one), we used body bars, medicine balls, discs (like frisbees...one foot on each disc, get in plank position and slide your feet around), did push-ups and lunges...I modified a lot of stuff and wasn't great at it, but the time flew by and it was so different from any other workout I have done. I will definitely be back!

I wanted to go to yoga today but we had a plumbing issue and the plumber was there literally all day. UGH! Still not solved yet.

In happy news...#magicaldisneypicschallenge Day 3: fall. Dapper Dans in fall gear!

Saturday, October 4: 4-mile out-and-back
Weather: 46 degrees, partly cloudy and windy

WOOHOO! First week of post-injury week of running, complete!

It definitely feels like FALL here. It’s chilly and windy today. Bring on the fall weather!

So along with this fall weather comes a little change in wardrobe - today I wore a long-sleeved shirt, hat (50% chance of rain - it stayed dry through my run, thankfully) and a new pair of crops. The Raw Threads Dynamite crops. People have been raving about these things on Facebook and I could use a second pair of crops, so I thought, “why not?” Raw Threads is running a free shipping promotion through November 1 (code: DISNEYLAND) so I ordered a pair in medium and large. The larges seemed to fit better (i.e. weren't see-through) so I kept those.

Verdict? They SUCKED. They were falling down the entire time, I didn’t really love how the fabric felt, and they left a ton of black stuff on my legs. Clearly I kept the wrong, too big size, but when I tried the mediums on they looked see-through to me. So while there are people that are fans of these pants, they are definitely are not for me - the larges will be going up for sale on the Facebook page after my work trip. And I’ve ordered 2 more pairs of the Lululemon crops that I love. Pricey, yes, but they’re awesome.

Anyway, beyond having to pull my stupid pants up the entire time, the run was pretty good! I can definitely feel that I’ve lost some speed and endurance, but I felt zero pain in my foot - that’s the important thing. I stuck to the run 2:30/walk 1 minute intervals, and I think I’ll do that again for another week. Then maybe bump it up to run 3/walk 1. Total time for this run was 45:06, 11:15/mile pace (faster than my treadmill runs this week!).

I keep forgetting that I have to get on a plane tomorrow for work...bleh. At least it’s a short trip!

And now, #magicaldisneypicschallenge Day 4: Drink...this is a caramel frappuccino from Fountain View at Epcot. My husband asked for no whipped cream, and this is what he got! A Hidden Mickey made of caramel...how deliciously magical.

Sunday, October 5: Rest Day
1 MONTH UNTIL DISNEY SQUEEEEEEZOMGNJESNRGNSFISEO!!!!!!

Ahem.

Originally I was signed up for a yoga class this morning, but I canceled it last night. I felt run-down all day yesterday, and I thought it was my body really not being used to running...but then my throat was sore. So I was afraid I'd caught Will's cold (he missed two days of work this week). I think I'm right because I fell asleep at 8:30 and slept for almost 12 hours!! Like a rock. Hopefully that helped prevent serious sickness.

And then I flew out of town for work. Bleh.

#magicaldisneypicschallenge Day 5: #chandycandy (a hashtag that is like nails on a chalkboard to me!)...love this lighting in Animal Kingdom Lodge!

Continued in Next Post

 

[ZellyB]

Anyway...it's been a health-focused day here. First up I got my annual flu shot - everyone that works here has to get them (I work in research at a hospital - definitely some controversy surrounding the flu shot program, but I don't mind it even though I never work with patients) so I normally just get mine done on the first possible day to get it over with. That day was today. It didn't hurt that badly at the time but now that it has been a few hours my arm is SORE.

I got my flu shot last week too. It's also mandatory here at our hospital and, yes, that can cause some people to get upset. But, I always get it regardless and they offer it to family at no cost too, so I consider it a nice benefit.

The appointment went well though! Such a relief...and now I feel like I can get excited for my upcoming Disney races.

Woohoo!!!

It went pretty well! For the first mile I did run 2 minutes/walk 1 minute intervals (set the treadmill to 5.8 MPH - 10:20/mile pace for the running portions...3.2 or 3.2 MPH for the walking portions. Not sure what pace that is). I did feel some occasional twinges in my foot, but it wasn't bad. For the last 2 miles I did run 2:30/walk 1 minute. The last 2 miles actually felt better than the first mile - not perfect, but better. I even upped the speed a bit torward the end (5.9 MPH/10:10 pace and 6.0MPH/10:00/mile pace for about 30 seconds each). Definitely an encouraging run! The overall pace still isn't where I want it to be (35:50 for 3 miles, 11:57/mile pace) but I know it'll come back! And I will try not to harp on it too much. I am keeping the Powersteps in my shoes for the foreseeable future, which I don't love - they are definitely taking some getting used to. Just so STIFF. But if I can run in them and not have to limp, I won't complain.

That sounds like great progress. It must have felt great to get to run again. I know when I had to take time off early with my injury I got in such a bad mood.

After the run, I did Extreme Abs. It sucked. My core sucks. Woof.

I hear you! Mine is the same.

After that, I went into the weight room and balanced on the Bosu ball for a bit. This thing:

Apparently the lack of stabilization is really helpful for strengthening the ankles/feet. This went okay - I did each foot for about 30 seconds at a time (needed a hand on the wall for stability) twice, and then stood on each foot on the ground for 30 seconds, also twice. I did all of these things without my shoes on (sorry for the stank, fellow gym-goers). My feet and ankles were sort of sore afterward, which was a bit of a wake-up call as to how weak they really are. Just 4 minutes of these "exercises" and I'm sore. Hmm...

I've never seen one of those. I'm sure my foot and ankles could use some strengthening as well. My balance and stability aren't great.

After a super stressful day at work, I came home last night (eventually), sat on the couch like a total slug...and did manage to get in my hip/feet exercises. It really only took a few minutes, so I have no excuse to ever not do these!

I need to be faithful about those exercises too, but I'm not. Like you said, it really doesn't take long, so I don't know why I'm so bad about doing them.

Today is nothing. I thought about getting up early to go some core stuff, but I think it would be smarter to take it easy. No running, no core, no hip or feet exercises. Total rest. Gotta take it slowly.

Rest is an important part of the recovery. You are being really smart about this!!

Disney news: Finally! Some Disney stuff to talk about!

Our 60-day mark for Wine & Dine came and went about a month ago, so clearly I'm late on that one. One of my friends set up some FP+ for us, so that's done. The only one we missed out on was an Anna & Elsa FP+ from Magic Kingdom. Sadness.

Then today, another friend remembered that we still need to personalize Magic Bands! I'll have two coming for this trip - one for my one-night stay at Pop, and a second one for the rest of the trip. Seems sort of silly to have two, but whatever. (Actually I have 3 since I also have an AP holder Magic Band...oy!) The AP band is green, the Pop band is orange, the other band is yellow. I also checked in online for the Pop night. And that's all my news! Really not that much at all. Oops!

All Disney planning is good news though!! It's getting really close now.

Also...I decided to do one of those monthly Disney picture challenges on Instagram (username _shannymac4 if you want to follow me )...I thought it might be a fun way to get even more pumped for Wine & Dine. And then I thought it might be fun to post them here!

Those are awesome!!

My recent good luck with weigh-ins finally ran out this morning - up 1.4 pounds! Arg. I’m blaming that on not tracking my food at all lately, drinking coffee and pop and practically water, and work stress (that project that *had* to be done yesterday? It had to be re-done today...totally saw that coming. At least it was a quick fix and wasn’t my fault!). Now that I’m back to running again I’m going to try harder to track my food. This will be sort of difficult with that work trip coming up - at least the trip is a short one.

Bummer. It's just so hard to keep the kind of focus necessary to consistently lose weight. I've been stuck at the same place for ever and still want to drop 10 pounds. But, I don't want to be super strict on my food which is what it will take for me to drop it. Ugg.

Anyway - another successful run this morning! This time I did intervals of running 2:30/walking 1 minute. During the walking intervals I had the treadmill at 3.3 MPH. For the first 2 miles I did 5.8 MPH (10:20/mile pace) for the running portions...for the last mile I bumped it up to 5.9 MPH (10:10) and threw in a few 30-second bursts at 6.0 MPH (10:00/mile) and 6.1 MPH (9:50/mile). Total time for the run was 35:12, 11:44/mile pace.

Way to go. Steady improvement. Perfect.

Here’s something annoying - September 30 was supposed to be the day that refunds would be processed for the canceled Rock & Roll Cleveland races. I checked our credit card statements - Will’s refund was there, mine was not. I dug deeper into my email and realized that we actually don’t have the credit card that I used to purchase my registration any more - that card was canceled because we happened to use it at Target when that big data breach happened last year. So I don’t have my refund! I emailed Rock & Roll Cleveland and they made it sound like it’s the “bank’s” probably, so I’m probably going to make to make some calls to get my money back. And I really want that money - since I originally signed up for the half marathon I should be getting at least $60 back. I could buy a new SparkleSkirt with that money!!

But seriously. Give me my freaking money back!

What the heck?!?! They need to get that fixed for you. And, new SparkleSkirt money is nothing to mess around with.

First ever core class! I went to this on the recommendation of the doctor I saw earlier this week. It was described as "challenging" and "not for beginners." Also, it's about 20 minutes from my house and starts at 5:15 AM.

I kind of loved it. We did stuff with the BOSU balls (so now I'm more interested in buying one), we used body bars, medicine balls, discs (like frisbees...one foot on each disc, get in plank position and slide your feet around), did push-ups and lunges...I modified a lot of stuff and wasn't great at it, but the time flew by and it was so different from any other workout I have done. I will definitely be back!

Sounds like a great class. So, good that it's close to the house. I'm glad you felt like it really worked for you.

WOOHOO! First week of post-injury week of running, complete!

It definitely feels like FALL here. It’s chilly and windy today. Bring on the fall weather!

So along with this fall weather comes a little change in wardrobe - today I wore a long-sleeved shirt, hat (50% chance of rain - it stayed dry through my run, thankfully) and a new pair of crops. The Raw Threads Dynamite crops http://rawthreads.com/dynamite-crop/dp/5496. People have been raving about these things on Facebook and I could use a second pair of crops, so I thought, “why not?” Raw Threads is running a free shipping promotion through November 1 (code: DISNEYLAND) so I ordered a pair in medium and large. The larges seemed to fit better so I kept those.

Verdict? They SUCKED. They were falling down the entire time, I didn’t really love how the fabric felt, and they left a ton of black stuff on my legs. Clearly I kept the wrong, too big size, but when I tried the mediums on they looked see-through to me. So while there are people that are fans of these pants, they are definitely are not for me - the larges will be going up for sale on the Facebook page after my work trip. And I’ve ordered 2 more pairs of the Lululemon crops that I love. Pricey, yes, but they’re awesome.

Anyway, beyond having to pull my stupid pants up the entire time, the run was pretty good! I can definitely feel that I’ve lost some speed and endurance, but I felt zero pain in my foot - that’s the important thing. I stuck to the run 2:30/walk 1 minute intervals, and I think I’ll do that again for another week. Then maybe bump it up to run 3/walk 1. Total time for this run was 45:06, 11:15/mile pace (faster than my treadmill runs this week!).

Congrats on a first post-injury week of running. It sounds like it went really well. That's a bummer about the new crops not working out. Just goes to show what works well for one person its terrible for another. I hope you can get them sold pretty easily. Zero pain in your foot to end the week on is great though and a solid improvement in pace too. That's just awesome!