col1
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2010
- Messages
- 332
So having just turned 50 this year I have spent some time reflecting, partially influenced by lockdown.
In my first running life which began on December 26th 2003. I gave up a 20 a day cigarette habit which I had for the previous 24 years (yes I started at 10 years old !!!)
I decided I need a public goal that I could not complete if I started smoking again..... my wife and I were huge Disney fans and whilst the idea of a January vacation was not that appealing to Mrs Col I signed up and started training ..... kind of.
It began a cycle of being over ambitious and over optimistic and trying to beat every run on the next one.
A serious issue with ITB nearly sidelined me completely but I toed the line, ran all out for first 3 miles then hobbled for the next 23
just shy of 7 hours.
My weight was around 14 stone having shot up due to eating to replace smoking and the extra exercise making me more hungry
Still I was motivated to do better and lost around 40lbs and did a number of local events although training approach was still the same and went back to WDW for the half in 2005.
The weight loss had helped me to improve to around 8 minute miles for the 5k and 10k so I arrived with some expectations of a good sub 2 finish, however I arrived 2 weeks before the race did no running in that time lots of eating and the humidity on the morning of the race was brutal..... I kept my goal pace for around 6 miles then had to take the decision to either keep hanging on and DNF or slow down and finish...... I finished but was not very happy and so began a 3 year hiatus from running !!
I did during 2003 - 2006 join one of the Team Penguin Boards (Team Penguin Disney) and whilst it kind of faded away around 2006 with not many people posting anymore I did find it really motivating. I came across a photo from a meet up from that first Marathon of 6 of us in the cold (it was freezing that year) and I am still in touch with most of those guys today
. A diverse group as well from a 1.37 half marathoner to me !! 6.58 for
the full
Reflecting on that photo and remembering the motivation of that group I began searching for a Disney running community and have ended up here.
I feel on this latest incarnation of my running journey it would be nice to have somewhere to record what I have been doing and see what other have been achieving, hence this post.
I returned to running in 2008 when I ended up working with some one who was a runner, we would only meet up once a month at a monthly meeting but would run at lunch time, we were both trying to regain our running form however my training partner was a former 2.37 marathoner so despite being 20 years my senior was always the better runner, we would run for an hour then sprint for the finish, I never did win one. Job moves meant that did not last but I did get back to a 48 minute 10k but fell away again.
For the next 6 or 7 years I rarely ran for anything other than weight management.
But in 2016 a move from the U.K. to California beckoned for a 2 year work contract, we moved out and knowing it was a fixed term we wanted to make the most of it so we became AP holders at Disneyland and I did the Disneyland Half, The Avengers Half and A Star Wars one. Also ran the Peace Love half in Sacramento and the American river Parkway Half, oh and the Folsom Firecraker. A few of these were run with my son which was nice. I did not train well for these due to lack of time during the work week and the heat in California but I was fairly content to run them for fun and was very glad i did them.
I save all my medals for my Granddaughter who loves them ( she also thinks I am really good at running)
I returned to the U.K. in Early 2019 and have did couple of Parkruns and one half marathon (Had to drop back from the full) mainly running for weight management other than that half marathon.
I am now about to enter a 4th running phase, following another injury following a run I sustained just before lockdown so I had chosen to walk only for last 8 weeks to try and rehab properly.
I have built up to 3 miles again but am using a 2 minutes run 30 seconds walk plan and will run 3 miles every other day. Once I can cover 3 miles at under 10 mm pace I will start increasing one of my runs by 0.5 miles per week for my long run.
I have over the years had a pattern of Signing up for a race to motivate myself , under training then getting injured, taking a small breakthrough and trying to take it too far too soon or the worst of all comparing myself to others and trying to keep up.
Now with no races on the horizon I will build up slowly and hopefully build something sustainable. I want to get fit and I feel I have a lot of good running in me yet, not getting out for 8 weeks made me realise what a gift it is to be able to do it.
I am currently trying to lose some weight as at 5” 7 and 196lbs I am significantly overweight so anything I can lose is free speed right?
I will post up some Goals and previous races and such later on, just finished a nightshift so off to be.
Thanks if you have read along until the end
————————————————
Running Goals
Beer Mile
Run age in miles (54)
Ultra (Belt Buckle race)
Triathlon
Run up a mountain ⛰
Boston Qualify
Kilt race
Boston park run
Park run t shirt. (100 runs)
Running blog
Santa dash
Join a running club
Sub 25 5k
Sub 2 half
Run Victoria Dock Parkrun (Fastest)
Run Bushy Park (Original)
Run Inverness (Beat JD)
1000 miles in a year
100 miles in a month
——————————————
In my first running life which began on December 26th 2003. I gave up a 20 a day cigarette habit which I had for the previous 24 years (yes I started at 10 years old !!!)
I decided I need a public goal that I could not complete if I started smoking again..... my wife and I were huge Disney fans and whilst the idea of a January vacation was not that appealing to Mrs Col I signed up and started training ..... kind of.
It began a cycle of being over ambitious and over optimistic and trying to beat every run on the next one.
A serious issue with ITB nearly sidelined me completely but I toed the line, ran all out for first 3 miles then hobbled for the next 23
just shy of 7 hours.My weight was around 14 stone having shot up due to eating to replace smoking and the extra exercise making me more hungry
Still I was motivated to do better and lost around 40lbs and did a number of local events although training approach was still the same and went back to WDW for the half in 2005.
The weight loss had helped me to improve to around 8 minute miles for the 5k and 10k so I arrived with some expectations of a good sub 2 finish, however I arrived 2 weeks before the race did no running in that time lots of eating and the humidity on the morning of the race was brutal..... I kept my goal pace for around 6 miles then had to take the decision to either keep hanging on and DNF or slow down and finish...... I finished but was not very happy and so began a 3 year hiatus from running !!
I did during 2003 - 2006 join one of the Team Penguin Boards (Team Penguin Disney) and whilst it kind of faded away around 2006 with not many people posting anymore I did find it really motivating. I came across a photo from a meet up from that first Marathon of 6 of us in the cold (it was freezing that year) and I am still in touch with most of those guys today
. A diverse group as well from a 1.37 half marathoner to me !! 6.58 forthe full
Reflecting on that photo and remembering the motivation of that group I began searching for a Disney running community and have ended up here.
I feel on this latest incarnation of my running journey it would be nice to have somewhere to record what I have been doing and see what other have been achieving, hence this post.
I returned to running in 2008 when I ended up working with some one who was a runner, we would only meet up once a month at a monthly meeting but would run at lunch time, we were both trying to regain our running form however my training partner was a former 2.37 marathoner so despite being 20 years my senior was always the better runner, we would run for an hour then sprint for the finish, I never did win one. Job moves meant that did not last but I did get back to a 48 minute 10k but fell away again.
For the next 6 or 7 years I rarely ran for anything other than weight management.
But in 2016 a move from the U.K. to California beckoned for a 2 year work contract, we moved out and knowing it was a fixed term we wanted to make the most of it so we became AP holders at Disneyland and I did the Disneyland Half, The Avengers Half and A Star Wars one. Also ran the Peace Love half in Sacramento and the American river Parkway Half, oh and the Folsom Firecraker. A few of these were run with my son which was nice. I did not train well for these due to lack of time during the work week and the heat in California but I was fairly content to run them for fun and was very glad i did them.
I save all my medals for my Granddaughter who loves them ( she also thinks I am really good at running
)I returned to the U.K. in Early 2019 and have did couple of Parkruns and one half marathon (Had to drop back from the full) mainly running for weight management other than that half marathon.
I am now about to enter a 4th running phase, following another injury following a run I sustained just before lockdown so I had chosen to walk only for last 8 weeks to try and rehab properly.
I have built up to 3 miles again but am using a 2 minutes run 30 seconds walk plan and will run 3 miles every other day. Once I can cover 3 miles at under 10 mm pace I will start increasing one of my runs by 0.5 miles per week for my long run.
I have over the years had a pattern of Signing up for a race to motivate myself , under training then getting injured, taking a small breakthrough and trying to take it too far too soon or the worst of all comparing myself to others and trying to keep up.
Now with no races on the horizon I will build up slowly and hopefully build something sustainable. I want to get fit and I feel I have a lot of good running in me yet, not getting out for 8 weeks made me realise what a gift it is to be able to do it.
I am currently trying to lose some weight as at 5” 7 and 196lbs I am significantly overweight so anything I can lose is free speed right?
I will post up some Goals and previous races and such later on, just finished a nightshift so off to be.
Thanks if you have read along until the end
————————————————
Running Goals
Beer Mile
Run age in miles (54)
Ultra (Belt Buckle race)
Triathlon
Run up a mountain ⛰
Boston Qualify
Kilt race
Boston park run
Park run t shirt. (100 runs)
Running blog
Santa dash
Join a running club
Sub 25 5k
Sub 2 half
Run Victoria Dock Parkrun (Fastest)
Run Bushy Park (Original)
Run Inverness (Beat JD)
1000 miles in a year
100 miles in a month
——————————————
Last edited:
science 
i give myself a C for this.
