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

[carissanboys]

Sounds like you had a great vacation! You weren't too far from me! I'm really glad you got to spend that time with Chuck. After him being gone so long, I'm sure it was really needed!

I can't get over how big the boys are now!

Good luck with your first race! I'm sure you'll do great!

Thanks Amy It was wonderful spending some quality alone time with my husband.

Beautiful pictures!!! I would love to spend several days lying in those blue chairs and reading!

It was my favorite part of the trip!

Sounds like a great vacation! I'm so excited for your first race! I can't wait to hear the report!

I'm excited too. Can't wait to tell you all about it!

Your Maine pics are amazing!!!
Good for you keeping up with running.

Amanda

It was somewhat easy since I had my parents there to watch the boys and Chuck and I got to run together. If I'd had to jump on the treadmill for my runs, not sure I would have kept up with it.

Beautiful pictures. It had to be so nice just sitting in those chairs enjoying the peace and quiet.

The boys are getting noticeably taller. You are going to get passed up pretty soon.

Good luck with your running.

Yes, I keep saying Sully will be taller than me very soon!

 

[carissanboys]

Drumroll please!










I booked my flights!!!!! I got a good rate through Southwest with perfect flight times and best of all, they're non-stop!

So, let's see how things are looking for this half-marathon trip, shall we?


Room reserved? CHECK! Two nights at Pop Century.

Flights booked? CHECK!

ADRs made? Two have been made and still trying to decide on where to eat on Sunday.

Ticket purchased? Not yet. I plan to just purchase my ticket when I arrive. I will be getting a three day ticket. I've heard there is a good chance Disney will be offering discounted military tickets starting in January. However, I'm wondering if it will be like last time and the active duty person has to be there at the park when you first use it?

Outfit purchased for the half-marathon? No, but I do have an idea of what I want to get.

Training underway? Sort of. I'm finishing up my training for the 10k in two weeks. I ran 6 miles last weekend. Once the 10k is finished, I will start in with the half training. But, I'm right on track.


Here is my current itinerary:

Friday - Arrive in Orlando around 9 - 10 a.m. I will probably take ME and head over to Pop to check in and drop off my stuff. Room probably won't be ready, but at least I can leave my things.

Head to Epcot and take in some sights/attractions. Have lunch (where?) and then meet up with Liz at the Expo. Pick up our packets.

Back to Epcot and dinner at Chefs de France.

Saturday - Early morning half-marathon and all that jazz! Lunch at Pop food court. Head to MK for the afternoon/evening. Dinner at The Plaza.

Sunday - Head to Animal Kingdom and ride Expedition Everest for the first time! Lunch (where?). Head to airport around 2 p.m.

I'm starting to get excited for the trip, finally! Tomorrow is my first race. It's supposed to be sunny, cool, and WINDY! At least there's no rain in the forecast. I can't wait to come back and share the experience with you all.

 

[that's nice]

I love your lighthouse pics and all your pics from Maine! It is a different way of life up there... everything seems just a little bit slower.

So glad you had some alone time with your DH. That is very important considering he has been gone for a while.

Congrats on your room and plane tix!!!!! Makes it that much more real huh? I thought if you were running in the marathon you get discounted park tickets? Is there a number to call to find out?

Good luck on your race tomorrow(?) or was it next Saturday?

 

[carissanboys]

I love your lighthouse pics and all your pics from Maine! It is a different way of life up there... everything seems just a little bit slower.

So glad you had some alone time with your DH. That is very important considering he has been gone for a while.

Congrats on your room and plane tix!!!!! Makes it that much more real huh? I thought if you were running in the marathon you get discounted park tickets? Is there a number to call to find out?

Good luck on your race tomorrow(?) or was it next Saturday?

Only those running the full marathon get a one day ticket. Us half-marathoners get nuttin'. For the price we pay to register, we should get one!

Thanks! My 5k is tomorrow and my 10k is two weeks from tomorrow.

 

[jmskinner]

First off. Good luck in the race tomorrow.

Congrats on getting flights you wanted and at a good price.

I was reading your post on email and had to come out here. You mentioned the active duty member being there for the military ticket. Active duty member didn't have to be there on the previous promotion. Just someone with a current military ID. I activated my mothers ticket without a problem. Hope they come through with that offer for ya.

 

[carissanboys]

First off. Good luck in the race tomorrow.

Congrats on getting flights you wanted and at a good price.

I was reading your post on email and had to come out here. You mentioned the active duty member being there for the military ticket. Active duty member didn't have to be there on the previous promotion. Just someone with a current military ID. I activated my mothers ticket without a problem. Hope they come through with that offer for ya.

Oh cool! I thought for sure it had to be the active duty person. Hmmmmm.

Thanks Melissa!

 

[that's nice]

Only those running the full marathon get a one day ticket. Us half-marathoners get nuttin'. For the price we pay to register, we should get one!

Thanks! My 5k is tomorrow and my 10k is two weeks from tomorrow.

Awwww Bummer! You can always check undercover tourist and buy some non expiring tix. Then you can hold on to them for next time too!

5K should be a breeze for you! Have a great run!

 

[carissanboys]

Awwww Bummer! You can always check undercover tourist and buy some non expiring tix. Then you can hold on to them for next time too!

5K should be a breeze for you! Have a great run!

Disney has already released a military discount for rooms and was supposed to release the info on the tickets, but held off for some reason. So, it sounds pretty good that they will have a ticket deal starting in January. The rumor is I can get a 4 day Park Hopper for $138. Fingers crossed it will indeed happen!

I'm pretty confident about running the 5k. It's just the finding a place to park, getting set up before the race, etc. that I'm nervous about.

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Your plans sound great carissa. I cant wait to see what outfit you choose. Good luck at your race tomorrow. I have one tomorrow too. The forecast is sunny, cold, and windy. (you would think we live in the same area) cant wait to hear all about it.

 

[carissanboys]

Your plans sound great carissa. I cant wait to see what outfit you choose. Good luck at your race tomorrow. I have one tomorrow too. The forecast is sunny, cold, and windy. (you would think we live in the same area) cant wait to hear all about it.

It's raining here right now. Let's hope the sun is shining bright tomorrow just like they've promised.

 

[All7OfUs]

I really do hope it's bright and shining for you tomorrow!!!

 

[DrMomof3]

Good luck with the 5K tomorrow. What are you thinking about wearing for 1/2? I have no clue!

Amanda

 

[carissanboys]

I really do hope it's bright and shining for you tomorrow!!!

It was!

Good luck with the 5K tomorrow. What are you thinking about wearing for 1/2? I have no clue!

Amanda

I know I want some running tights and a running skirt. Not sure about the top yet. Probably a long sleeve technical shirt with some over top.

 

[carissanboys]

The day finally arrived. I began my running adventure back in January and am just now competing in my first race. Yesterday was the Tidewater Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k. The day dawned sunny and bright albeit quite chilly (I think it was in the low 50’s).

The night before I had set out my outfit with my racing bib already attached and my chip through my laces. I ate my typical bowl of frosted shredded wheat and added a banana for good measure. Once my entire gang was ready, we headed to the beach to find a place a park. We found a lot that was about 10 blocks from the starting point and decided to park there instead of battling the crowds trying to find a closer spot.

I took a few pictures along the way:

Look! There’s the finish line! Too bad the race hasn’t started yet. Can you see King Neptune in the distance? The event took place in Neptune Park.

There were over 10,000 participants in this year's race. Thankfully, only a small portion were actually running competitively and wearing a timing chip. We were at the front of the pack.

We did a lot of standing around waiting (and I took about 3 trips to the bathroom). I ate a granola bar since I was starting to feel a little bit hungry. We took a couple of pictures:

In my opinion, the event seemed a bit disorganized. There really wasn’t much direction as far as lining up for the race. All of a sudden I noticed people starting to get near the start line, so I did the same. I don’t think there was enough room to house everyone who was participating so some people were standing on the sidelines and some people were just pushing their way through to find a spot. I stayed all the way over to the right. My concern is that I’d have people much faster than me right on my heels and I didn’t want to hinder anyone’s progress. Finally I heard some cheers and began to see the people in front of me start to move. I really wasn’t that far from the start line and as soon as I crossed it, I began to run.

This is a picture Chuck took at the start:

From the moment I crossed the start line, my main worry was put to rest. I had plenty of room to run and crowding was not an issue at all. I decided to look down at my Garmin and realized I was going way too fast! My fastest speed of the day was about 8 mph, which is very fast for me. But, the excitement of the race and the pull of the other runners kept me going at a fast speed for the first run interval.

Normally I do a 5:2 run/walk interval. I decided to switch to a 5:1 for the race and it worked pretty well. My average running speed was usually under 12 minute mile. Since it was a short race, I let myself go all out.

It seemed in no time at all, we reached the turning point to start heading up the boardwalk (the first part of the race took place on the street). We were more than halfway!

I was feeling pretty good. I slapped many hands along the course and just tried to enjoy the moment. I did have some cramps in my side during the second half, but that was really my only issue. It was a very windy day and it was much worse when we reached the boardwalk. The sand in the face was not fun.

Before long, I could see the finish line! My plan was to do the intervals for the first two miles and then try to run as much of the last mile as I could (I had just read an article by Jeff Galloway in the most recent issue of Runner’s World and he had suggested this very thing). The stitch in my side was making that plan difficult. I did take two short walk breaks (maybe 30 seconds). I started looking for Chuck and the boys on the sideline and finally spotted them close to the finish line. Here is the only picture Chuck was able to get of me running:

I’m in the middle of the photo, all the way next to the railing and you can just see my left hand is up waving.

I crossed the finish line and pressed stop on my Garmin. My time? 38:44. My fastest 5k time before this race was 41 minutes so I was pretty pleased. I was hoping to make under 38 minutes and was pushing it towards the end, but oh well. There will be another 5k race. (Official race time posted at the bottom.)

I was so focused on finding my family after crossing the line that I never even noticed a time clock. I hope I wasn’t supposed to do anything else after finishing the race (like turn in that little tab on the bottom of my bib) because I completely flaked afterwards. I grabbed a bottle of water, found my family, and we headed home. Of course, we had to walk 10 blocks back to the van first.

I am so glad to have my first race under my belt. It was the uncertainty of what to expect that had me most nervous. I think I’ll feel much less stressed for the 10k in two weeks although that will be all competitive runners – possibly 7,500 of them!

I am looking forward to receiving my first medal at the 10k and then starting my official training for the half-marathon. 7 miles – here I come!


**Edited to add official race results! My official time was 38:43. I came in 730th out of 820 (just of those being officially timed with chips - more people than that finished ahead of me and thousands more finished after me).

 

[that's nice]

GREAT JOB!!!!!!!

I love your sunrise picture!

I'm not a runner but it sounds like you had a good handle on what your body was telling you. I wonder if eating the granola bar before you started gave you the cramps?

10,000 people for a 5K? That is crowded!!!! What a great cause to be running for!

Time to get training for the next one! (it is in a few weeks right?)

 

[carissanboys]

GREAT JOB!!!!!!!

I love your sunrise picture!

I'm not a runner but it sounds like you had a good handle on what your body was telling you. I wonder if eating the granola bar before you started gave you the cramps?

10,000 people for a 5K? That is crowded!!!! What a great cause to be running for!

Time to get training for the next one! (it is in a few weeks right?)

I don't think the granola bar bothered me. My normal routine is to eat a bowl of shredded wheat or oatmeal about 30 - 60 minutes before I run. But, even then I tend to get a cramp in the side towards the end of my run. I was pushing myself much harder than normal yesterday so I wasn't surprised with the cramp.

Most of those 10,000 were walkers and/or people running with no chips.

Yes, my 10k is two weeks from yesterday!

 

[dismagiclover]

Great job Carissa! Sounds like a real fun race running along the Boardwalk. One of the toughest things about racing is not starting off too fast. It doesn't matter as much in a 5K, but if a runner starts too fast in a longer run then they pay for it in those last miles. It's great how far you've come and I can't wait to hear all about the 10K in a couple of weeks. You are right in thinking 10Ks are different animals than 5Ks. 10Ks tend to be a runner's race so I would guess there will be lots more really fast folks. Good luck

 

[DrMomof3]

CONGRATS on a great job!!!! I'm so proud of you!

Amanda

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Oh Wow, Carissa!!! CONGRATS TO YOU!!!!! I'm so proud of you for doing this. Sorry I haven't been around as much as I used to be but I have been reading from time to time to see your progress. Even if I haven't posted. You have worked really hard for this right from the start. You had a goal and you've really stuck with it. I'd love to take part in a 5k one day. A 10k.....YIKES!!! Not sure I have that much dicipline when it comes to running.

Can't wait to read about your next race!! GOOD LUCK AND KEEP UP THE HARD WORK!!!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Yay Carissa!!! Congratulations!!