My Magical Journey to Running the Half Marathon TR Link! p.107

[Native NYer]

Welcome home Chuck!
Hope you have been enjoying your time together and staying cool these past couple of weeks

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

carissa the pictures brought tears to my eyes so I only can imagine how emotional it must have been for you. I am so glad he is home safe. As for the pics you both look amazingly wonderful. You should be so proud of yourself. You look great.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Welcome home to Chuck! I know you must have all been beside yourselves with excitement at being all together again! Hope you are feeling better now!

 

[ljcrochet]

Welcome home Chuck!

 

[glennbo123]

Two weeks ago, Chuck came home!

Frist off, welcome home Chuck!

Watching the ship come into port with all of the sailors manning the rails was one of the most amazing sights I have ever witnessed.

That's gotta be an awesome sight to see.

Chuck had started a cold with a fever the day before and so he wasn't himself that first day back. Then he was nice enough to pass it on to me!

You two probably accidentally drank out of the same glass or something.

Liz was kind enough to make a couple of ADRs for our trip. We now have ADRs for Chefs de France and The Plaza. It's also time for me to start booking some plane tickets!

Yay! Keep us posted.

 

[carissanboys]

I'm so happy that Chuck is home! It must feel great to be back together as a family again.

Amanda

It sure does, Amanda! It was hard "letting" him go back to work after two weeks of leave. For the rest of the month he has 24 hour duty every 4th day and he has to spend the night on the ship. It's better than him being gone for 7 months, but still kind of stinks.

for Chuck coming home! You guys both look great! I'm so happy you're back together again!

Thanks Jenny

Welcome home Chuck!
Hope you have been enjoying your time together and staying cool these past couple of weeks

We've been having a great time.

carissa the pictures brought tears to my eyes so I only can imagine how emotional it must have been for you. I am so glad he is home safe. As for the pics you both look amazingly wonderful. You should be so proud of yourself. You look great.

Thanks so much!

Welcome home to Chuck! I know you must have all been beside yourselves with excitement at being all together again! Hope you are feeling better now!

We are all healthy now. Thanks Jackie.

Welcome home Chuck!

You two probably accidentally drank out of the same glass or something.

Yup. That was it.

Yay! Keep us posted.

I will! It's such a short trip and centered around the race so I don't feel like there's much planning to do. My main focus will be on packing everything I could possibly need!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

glad to hear your hubby home safe and well

 

[jmskinner]

That would be so cool!! When are you guys due to move?

Next Summer. He is just trying to get his wishlist together. It will be the last move before retirement. Not sure to whether to be or about that.

 

[carissanboys]

glad to hear your hubby home safe and well

Thanks!

Next Summer. He is just trying to get his wishlist together. It will be the last move before retirement. Not sure to whether to be or about that.

Cool. We'll still be here. I know what you mean. We probably won't be moving again before he retires. He'll have one year left before retirement when he's due to rotate and I figure they'll just extend him a year here (or just get stationed to a different ship out of Norfolk). We're actually considering buying our first house next year. There is always a part of me that is scared about settling down somewhere. I like adventure and get bored so easily. We're looking for him to retire and get a civilian job (maybe as a contractor) in the area. After a few years we can see about maybe moving overseas or out west.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Hi Carissa! I followed the news coverage of the Ike coming in that day hoping to catch a glimpse of you...no luck, but certainly an exciting event! WELCOME HOME CHUCK!!

You look awesome, by the way!

 

[carissanboys]

Hi Carissa! I followed the news coverage of the Ike coming in that day hoping to catch a glimpse of you...no luck, but certainly an exciting event! WELCOME HOME CHUCK!!

You look awesome, by the way!

There were thousands and thousands of people there so no surprise you didn't spot me! ;-)

Thank you, lady

 

[jmskinner]

Saw your pics of the Ike on FB, but seeing them here still brought a tear to my eye. You both look GREAT by the way!

Jonas can't decide what to do. As much as we love living here, no way is he going to retire to work where he does now. It is one of those organizations that can really zap the life out of a person. He says he doesn't want anywhere near the military, but with the job market the way it is I don't see anything better coming his way. He has mentioned he would love to work for WDW, which surprised me.

We may end up renting our current house when we move, and then probably rent wherever we end up. We still have a year though for the housing market to turn around.

That would be cool to purchase your first house, very exciting.

 

[MeMom]

So good to hear the news that Chuck is home!

You guys have fun just being a family again. It's good to see you back on the DIS.

 

[carissanboys]

Saw your pics of the Ike on FB, but seeing them here still brought a tear to my eye. You both look GREAT by the way!

Jonas can't decide what to do. As much as we love living here, no way is he going to retire to work where he does now. It is one of those organizations that can really zap the life out of a person. He says he doesn't want anywhere near the military, but with the job market the way it is I don't see anything better coming his way. He has mentioned he would love to work for WDW, which surprised me.

We may end up renting our current house when we move, and then probably rent wherever we end up. We still have a year though for the housing market to turn around.

That would be cool to purchase your first house, very exciting.

I know what you mean. One of the things I have always loved about military life is the job security.

So good to hear the news that Chuck is home!

You guys have fun just being a family again. It's good to see you back on the DIS.

Thanks MeMom! We've been having lots of fun.

 

[carissanboys]

I need some help from experienced runners and especially those who have competed in races before. I'm feeling a little lost as to what I should be training for exactly.

The C25K program got me running 30 minutes straight. Do you know the last time I actually ran for longer than 10 minutes at a stretch? It's been a while. Since I've been working on increasing my speed, I've kept my run intervals to 10 minutes or less. I'm not sure if I have a mental block or if running for longer at faster speeds would just be too difficult physically right now.

What I'm unsure of is how I should plan to run my races. I figure I can plan to completely run the 5K with no walking. That is something I will have to train for over the next two months. But, what about the 10K and the half-marathon? I know I will have to do some walking during both of those races. Should I train to run the first 3 miles or so and then start adding in my intervals? And if so, what should my intervals be? I imagine it's probably a personal choice, but I'm feeling kind of lost trying to figure it all out.

I need a personal trainer!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm almost to the point where I can run for 10 minutes at 5 mph. I think a goal I've had in my head for a while now is to be able to run for 30 minutes at 5 mph. I think I'm still quite a while off from that, but I see it as doable in the near future. I'm just kind of lost after that.

So, any thoughts or suggestions from experienced runners?

 

[dismagiclover]

Have you read Marathoning for Mortals? It talks quite a bit about the advantage of walking intervals and how to best use them. Here is my advice (but I'm no personal trainer and you get what you pay for). The absolute worst thing you can do in a long distance race is start out too fast. If you do that you will burn out and have to crawl the last few miles. It's best to actually start slower. The goal for most long distance runners is to ultimately be able to do negative splits. This means you run the second half faster than the 1st half. This makes the racing experience much more pleasant. So the thing with walking intervals is once you decide what you want thost intervals to be start them from the very beginning of the race. Those first few intervals you will feel like you don't need to walk, but trust me you will be much happier at the end of the race if you do. If at the end of the race you still feel like you don't need the walking intervals then don't take them. In long distance running you don't want to get your heart rate up too high. The walking intervals help to keep it steady. And normally you'll want to train with the same intervals you're planning on using during the race.

 

[carissanboys]

Have you read Marathoning for Mortals? It talks quite a bit about the advantage of walking intervals and how to best use them. Here is my advice (but I'm no personal trainer and you get what you pay for). The absolute worst thing you can do in a long distance race is start out too fast. If you do that you will burn out and have to crawl the last few miles. It's best to actually start slower. The goal for most long distance runners is to ultimately be able to do negative splits. This means you run the second half faster than the 1st half. This makes the racing experience much more pleasant. So the thing with walking intervals is once you decide what you want thost intervals to be start them from the very beginning of the race. Those first few intervals you will feel like you don't need to walk, but trust me you will be much happier at the end of the race if you do. If at the end of the race you still feel like you don't need the walking intervals then don't take them. In long distance running you don't want to get your heart rate up too high. The walking intervals help to keep it steady. And normally you'll want to train with the same intervals you're planning on using during the race.

Yes, I have read it. And what you said is pretty much what I expected. I know from experience that it's bad to push yourself in the beginning. Like just now - I made myself do 10 minutes at 5 mph right up front. I did it, but my energy was gone for the rest of the run.

I assume you've done 5Ks? Do you do intervals for those or do you just run the whole thing? And what ratio do you do for your intervals? I remember you said you walk a part of every mile, but curious how much you run to walk. Also, I'm unsure what speed to aim for with my walks. Right now I try to keep my walks at 3.8 - 4.0 while I run between 4.5 and 5.0. Even at 4.0 it takes me 3 minutes to really recover from my runs. I'm not looking for you to tell me a specific speed to walk at (that's going to be different for everyone and different for me as I get faster), but more how much the difference should be between my walk and my run. Does that make sense?

Thanks for the help Jenny!

 

[loritemp]

I have been lurking on your PTR but saw today's post so thought I would pop in. I am by no means an expert runner but I have done a handfull of distance races (10Ks, 10milers, a half). SO take my advice with a grain of salt

I agree with the PP, if you know you will need to walk, the best thing to do is train with scheduled walk breaks. And like PP said, don't wait till you need them because generally, by then it's too late!! Have you ever heard of Jeff Galloway? He advocates walking in distance events and has a lot of info and training programs available, google him!!

Another thing, I sincerely think you goal for these races you have planned is to finish smiling. Don't worry about your time, no matter waht they will all be PRs (personal records) since you never ran those distances before. So don't put any crazy expectations on yourself, just go and have fun!!

Another point, practice fueling. One your runs now you won't need extra fuel but once you get to longer distances, you will. My personal favorite is sport beans, easy to eat on teh run and they taste good! But generally, any run over an hour and you will need to replenish.

Best of the best to you. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me

 

[mousescrapper]

Hi Carissa


haven't stopped by in awhile on your TR...but been reading your little bplips of "life's stuff" on FB

just wanted to send you some encouragement to keep it moving foward...the Marathon will be hear before you know it...I's mid August.

(think Dory on this one)​

J~

 

[BealsRwe]

I need to lose weight.

It’s as simple as that.

I have struggled my entire life with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As I prepare to turn thirty-six in March, I realize I seriously need to get this under control. Health issues are not something that I want to be dealing with as the years add up – and Diabetes is a real threat for me if I don’t do something about it NOW.

Sometimes, we all need a good, swift kick in the rear to get us moving, right? Well, such a kick came in the form of a challenge to myself. Want to know what I did to ensure that I would end this year at a healthy weight and in the best shape of my life?



I didn’t start off s-l-o-w-l-y.



I didn’t give myself baby steps to reach my goal.



I decided that I needed something REALLY BIG to motivate me.











Just moments ago, I registered for the Disney Half Marathon on January 8, 2011.


*gulp*


Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe I did that. Seriously?? What was I thinking?! I am 40 pounds overweight and have never really done any sort of running that didn’t include many breaks, huge gasps for air, and feeling like I was dying. What the heck have I gotten myself into??


*deep breaths*


I know I can do this.

I know I can do this.

I know I can do this.

This magical journey of mine -- and it truly needs to be full of Disney magic in order for me to reach my goal -- is just beginning. No training has begun. No plans have been made. In fact, I haven’t even talked to my husband about this crazy idea of mine.

I will need all of the help and support I can get throughout the next year so I hope all of my DIS friends, old and new, will come along for the ride. As I always do, there will be links at the bottom of this post to take you to each installment so that you can skip the chit chat if you prefer.


Links

1. The Plan
2. I Did It!! W1D1
3. Will Our Children Ever Forgive Us?
4. I Did It - Again! W1D2
5. Where to Stay?
6. W1D3
7. My Inspiration
8. The Rest of My Gang
9. Bring It On!! W2D1
10. I Hear Voices Inside My Head - W2D2
11. W2D3
12. A Wicked 10K?
13. W2D3.1 - Tentative Plans
14. W3D1 - Energy Smoothie Recipe
15. Super Bowl Sunday! (Southern Banana Pudding Recipe)
16. W3D2 - A Virtual 5K
17. Cynthia's Pizza Soup Recipe
18. W3D3
19. My Valentine
20. Virtual Valentine's Day 5K
21. W4D1 - Spring Is in the Air
22. Couple Only Itinerary
23. W4D2
24. W4D3 - Mind Over Matter
25. Before and Current Photos
26. W5D1 - I CAN. I WILL. I AM ABLE!!
27. W5D2 - Solo Trip
28. W5D2.1 - Help With Guidebooks
29. Breaking the News to the Boys
30. W5D3 - Party Time
31. Updated Itinerary and Questions
32. W6D1
33. W6D2
34. Success!!
35) Back on Track
36) Changes!
37) The Beach and a Freak Out
38) W6D3
39) Attempt Thrwarted and New "During" Photos
40) W6D3.2
41) Week 7 Update
42) Bellydancing and Trips
43) Week 8 Update
44) Week 9 Update
45) I'm a Graduate!
46) 1,001 New Family Members
47) Hodgepodge
48) Baxter and Running Update
49) Race Update
50) Summer Motivation
51) A New Milestone
52) Homecoming
53) Help with Training!

Well, I will be there with you. I have lost 50 pounds with the help of Weight Watchers, but I am trying to shed the last 25 to get to my lifetime goal weight. My hubby and I started running last June. I run/walk. We have a goal of 12 races this year, with the hald marathoon at WDW in Jan 2011.

We have run 8 so far (6 5k's and 2 10k's), we have registered for another 5k in Sept, and we are doing the WDW half marathon relay together on Oct 2nd.

It's really hot in FL right now, and with everything going on, my workouts have become few and far between. I know I have to kick it in gear this fall with 13.1 coming in January. My goal is to finish in time...don't care about my time...just want to finish. I hope some more motivation stories will give me the kick I need .

Good luck! My motto is I may be slow and steady, but I will finish the race!