Keep Knowing & Keep Kicking, Kiddo – A 2015 Princess 5K PTR/Mini-TR ~ Completed 5/1

[SarahDisney]

Hello, DISworld! I’m Sarah, and welcome to “Keep Knowing & Keep Kicking, Kiddo” – a Princess 5K PTR.

NOTE (Added 1/21/15): For those of you just finding this PTR, it's a lot to read through. If you have the time, feel free to read everything, but if you don't, check out the Table of Contents in the next post. The introductory information is good background info (well, mostly), and the trip was booked on 12/15, so any planning updates after that (starting with the 12/17 update) are relevant information or plans. Reading the running journals is not necessary (and most of the links below take you to the google doc of the actual running journal), but if you skim through the posts, there are a few interesting tidbits there. Anyway, feel free to read as much or as little as you want, and please say hi!
I now return you to your regularly scheduled introductory post...

I know what you’re all thinking: What does that nonsensical title mean?

I wanted a title with 5 K words to commemorate my first 5K.
As for why I chose those particular words:

• Keep Knowing – I know that I’m working hard training for this race and trying become healthier, and I need to keep knowing/remembering that I’m running because I love it and because it’s good for me
• Keep Kicking – I need to keep kicking and keep going, even when it’s hard and I may want to stop
• Kiddo – I’m on the younger side (according to some people … personally, I feel old), so I guess that fits

Okay, fine, I really just picked random words that start with a "K" and then tried to make them fit.

Some of you may be reading my November 2014 trip PTR (if you’re not, here’s a link to it in case you want to: All My Bags Are(n't) Packed(But I'm Ready to Go)), so for those of you, this part is a bit of a repeat.
As I said earlier, I’m Sarah.

Me circa August 1993 - the last race I ran (or at least the last one we have pictures from ... I could have sworn I was still running for a few years after that)

Rather than figure out how to introduce myself (which is super difficult for me), I’m going to copy and paste my self-introduction from my 11/2014 PTR, with a few changes/additions and minus the creepy and oversharing parts.
Me: Sarah, late 20’s. Neurotic, compulsive over-planner (and over-packer). Occasional coffee drinker, aspiring runner, and generally considered strange.
Favorite Princesses: Ariel, with Belle as a very close second
Favorite Non-Princess Characters: Winnie the Pooh & friends (especially Tigger, but really all of them), Olaf, Mickey Mouse
Favorite Disney Movie (animated): The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo
Favorite Disney Movie (live-action): Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Mighty Ducks trilogy (but not the Lindsay Lohan version of The Parent Trap … there’s no way I secretly love that movie)
Favorite WDW Ride: Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Test Track, Toy Story Midway Mania!
Favorite Disneyland Ride: Radiator Springs Racers, California Screamin, Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters, Toy Story Midway Mania! (anyone seeing a theme here …)
Favorite Disney Accessory: Mickey Mouse earrings (I have two pairs, gold and silver)
MagicBand Colors: Green, Pink/Gray (haven’t decided which one yet … we have until the beginning of October to decide)

Those of you who are reading my November PTR may have noticed that I update about once a week (with an occasional interlude/mini-update) and my updates are very structured. This PTR will not be like that.
This PTR will have two parts:
1 – Planning Posts – the first few will be background and introductory information, followed by planning tidbits as they happen. These will come when things happen (or shortly after) – there may be updates two days in a row and then not for another two weeks. There will be no schedule, just updates when something is going on or I have something to share
2 – Running Logs – basically a typed version of the running journal I keep (I’m still keeping the handwritten version, though … just also typing it … I don’t mind the extra work). You’ll see what these are when I post the first one. These will usually happen on the day of a “run” (or the next day if I don’t have time to update on day of) – I generally run twice a week (often on Mondays and Thursdays, but sometimes Wednesdays, and sometimes not Mondays, and once on a Friday … the days aren’t so much predictable). (Just a heads up – more on this in a later post – but I’m currently doing walk/run intervals, with the hope of being up to just running once the race comes around. But I’ll post my training schedule later).

So … that’s basically it. I’m hoping to post today’s running journal soon (I’ve got it all typed up already, but I have a few things to do before I can post it), and then we’ll see where we go from there (I have some introductory posts waiting to be written, but … I got other stuff to do, too, so time isn’t exactly my friend this week).

 

[SarahDisney]

Mini TR Posts:
Day 1 Recap
Day 2 Recap Part A (Race)
Day 2 Recap Part B (Park Time)
Day 3 Recap
Day 4 Recap
Day 5 Recap
Day 6 Recap/Trip Summary/What's Next



Older Posts - Table of Contents:

Introductory Posts
Introduction to the PTR - 9/21/14 (Updated 9/22 - added picture)
The Basics: Who, What, Where, When, and Why - 9/22/14
Sarah's Running History - 9/23/14
Why Did I Sign Up For This Race, Anyway? - 9/28/2014
My Training Plan - 10/1/2014
You Wear What? My Running Outfits - 10/27/2014
Will I Run in a Costume? - 11/8/2014
All About That Sis ... And Other Things - 12/23/2014

Planning
An Introduction to Planning - 10/6/2014
Hotel - Quick Update - 10/12/2014
Hotel - Booked! - 10/19/2014
Did I Find the Perfect Flight? - 10/21/2014
Mickey Mail! - 10/25/2014
Misc. Comments: Airfare, Florida Running, Shopping List, Disneyland 2015 - 11/13/2014
Flights ... Maybe - 11/16/2014
Mini Planning Update - 11/30/2014
Tentative Plan - 12/10/2014
Mini-Update: Mickey (Incredibles) Mail -12/12/2014
Booked! - 12/17/2014
Notes - What to Expect - 12/21/2014
Plans for Day 1 - Thursday, February 19, 2015 - 12/27/2014
Plans for Day 2 - Friday, February 20, 2015 - 12/29/2014
Plans for Day 3 - Saturday, February 21, 2015 - 1/2/2015
Plans for Day 4 - Sunday, February 22, 2015 - 1/4/2015
Plans for Day 5 - Monday, February 23, 2015 - 1/5/2015
Plans for Day 6 - Tuesday, February 24, 2015 - 1/6/2015
DisneyBound Ideas - 1/14/2015
Shopping - 1/26/2015
Old Pictures - 2/1/2015
Miscellaneous Updates - 2/6/2015
More Shopping - 2/9/2015
One Week - 2/12/2015
(Maybe) Last Update - 2/17/2015

Running Journals - If you read through this thread, you will find links to my running journals from all of my various runs. Originally I had them index here, but with the new boards, it seems to be too long of a post. If you're really interested in the running journals, scan through this thread and you'll find all the links. Otherwise ... don't worry about it.

 

[SarahDisney]

Intro to Running Journals:
This is literally just a typed version of the running journal that I write in after each run. This is stuff that I think is relevant to the run and I’ll want to know if I look back at this. Things make sense to me, but feel free to ask if there’s anything you don’t understand or that doesn’t make sense to you.
Most runs take place at Cunningham Park, my local park, and warm up & cool down is usually walking to/from the park. Occasionally there might be a run somewhere else (like, say … Disney World in November maybe?), so you can be on the lookout for that, but … this is my regular route. There are two “loops” (which are the same for 3/4ths of the loop), so when I remember, I’ll try to point out which loop I used (often it’s both) and how many laps of each.

NOTE: Rather than having all my Running Journals clutter up the PTR, I'm (slowly) uploading them to my Google Drive and linking to that - I'll still post on this PTR when there's a new one, but it will be a link to the journal on Google Drive rather than all the information

See the Running Journal Here!

 

[SarahDisney]

The Basics: Who, What, Where, When, and Why​

Who? Me and possibly my sister (we’re both signed up, but I might consider doing it alone if she can’t do it and I can solve all of my logistical issues). I’ve already introduced myself (see above), and I’ll add more about my sister once it’s determined that she’s definitely going.

What? Princess 5K (part of Princess Half-Marathon Weekend). Our first RunDisney race – and our first 5K!

Where? Disney World, of course. The race is at Epcot, not sure yet where we’d stay (our general choice of hotel is Art of Animation Little Mermaid section, but I might think about something else for this trip).

When? The race is February 20, 2015. Most likely we’d go down Thursday and come back Sunday (although … I’d love to say the whole next week, but that’s probably not possible)

Why? That’s a complicated question, and will have its own post in a bit. Right now there are probably more reasons why not … but nobody wants to hear those!

I know this was a short post, so hopefully I can make it up to y’all by posting again soon.
Coming next … my history of running (will also be another short one … so hopefully I can get it up soonish).

 

[SarahDisney]

Sarah’s Running History
​

My father ran track in high school and college and ran races for 20 years after that.
When we were kids he put us in a lot of races – short local ones (the longest was probably 1/2 mile … although my sister did at least 1 mile). I was never very fast or very good, but I completed the races.
The last race I did was Heartbreak Hill 1-mile Race (in Newton, MA) in 1998 – I walked it with a friend (who ended up running across the finish line without warning me … so I finished last).

When I was about 13, I developed something called Osgood-Schlatter Disease (although I wasn’t actually diagnosed until a few years later - going to the doctor is not a big thing in my family). I know it sounds bad (the word "disease" tends to have that effect), but … it’s not abnormal in teenage boys (in fact, one of my friends had it too). Basically, sometimes when a kid is very active (as I was), the muscles of front of the thigh can pull on the leg bone, leading to extra bone growth that can be painful (by the way, this is my summary based on what I remember from my science education ... so if there are any mistakes in that description, blame me). The pain was bad, and running made it worse. After walking the mile for gym one year, I could barely move for at least 20 minutes. So I stopped running and stopped being super active.

Since then, I’ve had on and off knee pain (kneeling especially is NOT FUN). To be completely honest, much of the pain probably comes from the coping mechanisms I developed to help me with the pain back then (because I was diagnosed so late, I had already developed some bad habits as coping mechanisms). But whatever the cause, it’s there, so I was always afraid to start running again because of the extra stress it might cause on my knees.

Cue 2011. I had recently dropped out of graduate school and I was looking for a job, but I had lots of free time on my hands. In August 2011 I decided to try running … I wasn’t expecting much, but I decided to try. So I tried. I took it slow because of my knees, but I did it. And I kept doing it. I started using a SparkPeople plan to train for a 5K. Walk/Run intervals, 3 times a week (or not so much) … it went okay.
Then in November 2011, something great happened … I got a job. But I stopped running. When I started getting busy, I didn’t consider running a priority, so it fell by the wayside.

In about April 2013, we got a treadmill. I started off just walking on the treadmill, but then I started doing walk/run intervals. I knew I was quitting my job, so I think I always had in the back of my mind that I would go back to outdoor running. I restarted the SparkPeople plan I had started in 2011, and completed it over the course of 3 months (October – December) – but did most of the later runs on the treadmill. Once it got cold, I didn’t want to run outside.

A few months ago I decided to start running again. I started with 2:30 walk/2:30 run intervals (more on that in a later post). I’m hoping to stick with it, even if/when I get a job, and even when it gets cold. I hope having a 5K race goal will help me stay motivated, even when there are other things in my way.

Also - anyone out there reading this - consider yourself tasked with helping to keep me motivated! If you notice that I haven't posted a running journal in a while, remind me to keep running no matter what!

 

[SarahDisney]

See the Running Journal Here!

 

[SarahDisney]

I’m going down to Disney in November for a 4-day trip, so why did I feel the need to go down to Disney just for a race 3 months later?

A few reasons:

• I love the idea of running at Disney. Ever since I discovered the existence of RunDisney, this became my dream. I knew that I needed to start small (5K), but I’m hoping to eventually work up to a half-marathon (marathon is not a goal for me).
• Characters on a race path seems like a great way to “pace myself” during my first 5K … even if I am fully running then (right now I’m doing walk/run intervals), it will be nice to have built-in breaks (and an opportunity to take pictures with characters in my running clothes!)
• I want to prove to myself that I can do this. A lot of things in my life have pointed me in the direction of feeling like a failure, and I want to put my mind to a goal and accomplish it. If I can run this race, then I can prove to myself that despite a history of knee and back problems, I can become a runner if I really want to – nothing has to stand in my way.
• Mostly, I wanted to do something stupid and irresponsible … and what could be more stupid and irresponsible than signing up for a race in Florida that I probably won’t run? I hope something good will come out of it, but if it doesn’t … at least it’s a story to tell.

Reasons Why I Likely Won’t Run:

• Friday race is really hard for me, because I won’t have time to get back to NY before sundown, so I’ll need to make plans for Shabbos (as an Orthodox Jew, I don’t travel or use electronics (or any number of other things) on the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to nightfall Saturday, and I prefer to be within walking distance to services at an Orthodox synagogue, which Disney is not). My sister has a friend in Orlando, but she has 2 kids (one of which is a newborn … as in born last week), so I don’t know that we want to impose on her. If I can’t make Shabbos plans, I can’t go down. That’s why I wanted to do Marathon Weekend (the 5K is on a Thursday so I could fly home late Thurs or first thing Friday), but it was sold out by the time I could get on a computer.
• I don’t have a job right now (I do some very limited freelancing, but make very little money from that). I’m hoping that will change soon, but if I doesn’t, I won’t be able to afford the trip.
• Every time I try running, I stop when I get a job or the weather gets cold. At least one of these two things will likely happen before the race, and while I say I’ll find a way to do it … my past is against me. I know I have to try, but I honestly don’t know what will happen.
• Everyone in my life thinks it’s ridiculous. I think they’re being ridiculous. Why shouldn’t I? Just because they wouldn’t? This is something I think I would enjoy, and I should be able to do things that I think I will enjoy without being ridiculed by my family. HOWEVER, just because I know it shouldn’t bother me, doesn’t mean the disapproval from the people around me won’t stop me from doing it.

#1 Reason Why I Hope I Can Run:
BECAUSE I WANT TO!
This is something I really want to do – I think it’s a really cool idea, and I think I would enjoy it. That should be enough – and that’s why I’m going to try my hardest to make this happen.

 

[SarahDisney]

See the Running Journal Here!

 

[SarahDisney]

My Training Plan​

Rather than train by distance, which can be hard for me to calculate sometimes, I train by time.
I started a few months ago doing intervals of 2:30 walk/2:30 run for 20 minutes, then upped the total time to 25 minutes, then changed intervals to 2:00/3:00, and last week I upped my total time to 30 minutes.

My goal for race day is to be able to run for 45 minutes straight. Here’s how I plan to increase my running time & total time (with the runs I’ve already done filled in):

As of right now, I have 5 runs scheduled at each “level” over the course of about 2.5 weeks. I’ll probably end up missing some runs. My current plan is a minimum of 4 runs per level – so if I miss 1 run and the deadline passes, I’m okay with that, but if I miss more than one run, all the deadlines get shifted back a few days. Deadlines can also get shifted if I do an extra run at one level because I’m not feeling ready to move up to the next level.

This should have me running 45 minutes straight a few weeks before the race. I don’t know if that will actually happen, and I’m okay if it doesn’t. While I would like to be able to run the whole race, just for myself, I know that plenty of people walk/run this race, and if I don’t run this whole thing, there will be more opportunities for me to run the whole thing in future years or other races (I hope!)

So, that’s all the introductory information I have to share. Over the coming days and weeks, I’ll start posting more about my planning – what I think I need to do, what I’ve already done, and updates on what (if anything) is happening.
And, of course, there should be running journals coming twice a week or so. Including one in the next 1-2 days.

 

[SarahDisney]

See the Running Journal Here!

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

Hello. I saw you on the Princess board and thought I'd drop by. My running journey started by adding a few minutes to the run portion of my walk on the treadmill. For example, I would walk 25 minutes then run for five. Do this three times a week. Then I would add to minutes to the run, 7 minutes, and walk 23 minutes. So on and so forth until I could run a half hour straight. At this point, if I stop running, the thought of starting all over again is scary. That's why I continue to run. Up to this point, I've put a lot of time and effort into it. Tomorrow I have to run nine miles at least, ten would be ideal. Even though I've run this distance a lot over the years, it still makes me nervous. This is the last long run before a quarter marathon, 6.55 miles, in mid October. My sister and niece are using the time for Princess half corral placement.

 

[SarahDisney]

Hello. I saw you on the Princess board and thought I'd drop by. My running journey started by adding a few minutes to the run portion of my walk on the treadmill. For example, I would walk 25 minutes then run for five. Do this three times a week. Then I would add to minutes to the run, 7 minutes, and walk 23 minutes. So on and so forth until I could run a half hour straight. At this point, if I stop running, the thought of starting all over again is scary. That's why I continue to run. Up to this point, I've put a lot of time and effort into it. Tomorrow I have to run nine miles at least, ten would be ideal. Even though I've run this distance a lot over the years, it still makes me nervous. This is the last long run before a quarter marathon, 6.55 miles, in mid October. My sister and niece are using the time for Princess half corral placement.

Thanks for sharing!
I'm also afraid of having to start over if I stop now (that's what happened to me last time I stopped), so I'm really trying to stick with it this time.

 

[SarahDisney]

See the Running Journal Here!

My next run (hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday) I'm increasing my running time to 3:30 and decreasing my walking time to 1:30. Eek! I hope I'm ready for it!

 

[SarahDisney]

An Introduction to Planning​

Now that I’ve gotten through all the introductory stuff, it’s time to start planning the trip. So what all needs to be planned? That’s an excellent question!

Here’s what’s on my radar:

Race Registration: All taken care of! We (me and my sister) registered right after it opened – we had the same insane website issues as everyone else, but it got taken care of. That’s one thing off my list.

Flight: It’s going to be expensive. That’s all I know so far. I’d have to be down in time for the expo on Thursday, so I’d probably fly down some time Thursday. When depends on whether I do it as a park day. Will probably fly back some time Sunday.
Ordinarily I’d look into booking with points … but I used most of my points on my November trip, so I don’t think I’ll have enough points to book another trip soon.

Hotel: We usually stay at AoA Little Mermaid, with Pop Century as our second choice. I’m willing to stay somewhere else this time, and I’ll spend more if it’s convenient. When I looked at hotels a few weeks ago, the All-Stars were $135 … so it looks like I’m playing more than I want either way. I have to figure out if I want to just book now before prices go up more or wait until I know for sure to book (even though prices will be higher then).

Shabbos: I really can’t stay at Disney for Shabbos. I’m willing to go back to Disney Saturday night, but I need to be somewhere else Friday night. My sister has a friend who lives in Orlando, but staying by her may not be an option. I’m sure I could find somewhere to stay in Hollywood, but I have no way to get there (I checked Amtrak … 6 hours to Hollywood, and I don’t have that kind of time). So this is the big issue that could stop the whole thing from happening.

Park Tickets: If this trip is just Thursday – Sunday, it can be done with no tickets, 3-day tickets (I wouldn’t use Friday & Saturday – they’d both be half a day, so one would be DTD) or anything in between. It all depends on flights and timing, so tickets would probably be the last thing I buy. I would love to stay the whole next week and do the parks then, but it won’t be possible – either I won’t have the days off from work or I won’t have the money (depending on whether or not I’m working full-time by then – I’m not now).

ADRs: I wanted a BOG the night before the race, and thought about it the week before the 180 window opened … but I forgot until a few days after the window opened, and by the time I checked, there was nothing available. Oh well. Next race … (races are the only thing I can even think about planning 6+ months in advance)

So that’s the basics of what I’ll be thinking about & planning. I’ve got a few more planning things I want to mention (including the important question of what to wear), so hopefully I’ll have a chance to update over the next week or so, and after that I’ll update as things happen.

 

[SarahDisney]

See the Running Journal Here!

 

[SarahDisney]

See the Running Journal Here!

 

[SarahDisney]

Hotel – Quick Update​

Just a quick update.
Discounts came out last week, so I’m hoping to book a hotel (for Thursday night) this week. Usually I stay in Values, but I may go up to a Moderate for this trip – I’m willing to spend up to $200 for the night. I’m booking room only, and I’ll add tickets if/when I figure that part out.

From my research, it looks like I can cancel room only with no penalty before 5 or 6 days out, so I’d rather have the room and cancel it than not have it and have prices go up an insane amount.

I’m working on booking my parents’ January trip (which I so don’t want to be my problem right now, but whatever). Once I have that booked, I’ll book this … hopefully this week.

Originally I wasn’t going to tell my sister that I was booking a hotel, but I happened to mention it this weekend and she didn’t seem to think I was nuts. Still not sure if I’m booking for just me (and adding her later if necessary) or booking for 2 people. I’ve got a few days to figure it all out.

So, that’s my quick update. Hopefully I’ll have a hotel booking later this week to tell y’all about.

 

[SarahDisney]

See the Running Journal Here!

 

[SarahDisney]

So, this just happened:

It’s for one night (just the night before the race), and we’ll figure everything else out from there. I went moderate instead of my usual value because it’s only one night, and I chose Caribbean Beach because it was the cheapest. I hope it’s decent…

I decided to include my sister on the reservation, so it will show up in her MDE account (plus, I told her I was making the reservation). I can’t imagine what she thinks of this … she probably thinks I’m having some sort of psychotic episode or nervous breakdown.

I really want this to happen. I know it can’t and it won’t (which is part of the reason why I booked room-only – it’s fully refundable until 5 days before), but I really want it to happen.

So … yeah. Hotel’s booked.

 

[SarahDisney]

See Running Journal Here!