Official 2011 Wine & Dine Half and Relay Thread

[J3nn78]

Hi everyone!

I thought I would jump in and say hello, as I have officially decided to run the half! I am really looking forward to it - I have been training for a running event for over a year now, but haven't actually done any races so I am excited for this to my first experience.

In April of 2010 I started walk/jogging with no athletic experience, really. A two mile course at about a 15 minute mile every few days was challanging for me. I am now up to a 7 mile run every other day with a 10 to 11 minute average mile, with a 3-4 mile easy jog (at about a 12-13 minute mile) occasionally in between on my 'non-run' days. I have lost 75 lbs, have gone from a size 18 to a size 6 (I just bought a size XS shirt and it fits!!), and my heart beats 20 beats per minute less than it used to. I have also maintained a diet of between 1200 and 1600 caleries a day for the last year, if anyone is interested. I LOVE RUNNING!!!

I hope to lose another 20 lbs total (which I suspect I will accomplish by October) and I am REALLY EXCITED about the Wine & Dine Half. I am also a little nervous. I will be running by myself but would love to 'virtually meet' some of you through disboards so we can cheer each other on leading up to the event.

YAY!!

- Carey

Congrats Carey! That is awesome. I had a similar story. I was never a runner. I actually hated it, or thought I hated it. Then I committed to seeing through the C25K program and from there went to running the Disney Full this past January. Running made me lose 50lbs and get into the best shape of my life. I LOVE running!

I am in the process of training my non-running husband for the Wine and Dine. I am hoping that he catches the running bug too!

Anyway, Welcome and Congrats again on such an awesome accomplishment.

 

[OregonGirl]

Thanks for the comments and cheers, everyone. I appreciate it. Though I never really thought I was *FAT*, about a year and a half ago I was tipping at about 220 and realizing that if I wanted loose fitting clothes, I needed to buy XL or size 18 jeans and that was just not cool.

Nowaways I hate wearing loose fitting clothes, hee hee. I had a figure back in college and now I have that figure (actually BETTER) back. And Jenn, I hear ya. I used to see others jogging down the road and think to myself "I will never do that", and now I am one of those people and I LOVE IT.

So, some questions for you more experienced runners out there:

1) Does anyone recommend a certain fit belt that I can carry my phone in (its a Droid and doubles as my tunes when I run). I am getting tired of hand carrying it and keep expecting to drop it one of these days.

2) Now that I am able to run 7 miles every other day without it really being a huge stress, should I continue to train that way, or should I take 3 or 4 days off, run 13 miles, take another 3 or 4 days off, and go back to my routine? Does anyone run 3 or 4 days in a row and then take 3 or 4 days off?

3) Is anyone worrying about their overall miles per minute? I like my 11 minutes a mile pace and I don't really care to get up to 7 or 8 minutes a mile, but I have noticed that at 11 minutes a mile it doesn't feel like a huge stress on my heart or lungs... so I kinda of translate that into a maintenance pace and not a training pace. Thoughts?

4) My joints are not so great. I have popped, dislocated, or otherwise injured my right foot, right knee, and left knee in the joint area several times over the past 15 years. Subsequently, any given knee after any given run will hurt for a little bit. Any suggestions on helping with that pain? Does anyone wear a wrap while running? Or wrap afterwards? Or do icy hot or bengay? Stretching exercises? Supplements? I am not going to NOT RUN, so I could use some alternatives.

Sorry for the long post which maybe isn't even appropriate for this forum. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

- Carey

 

[ChloroFiend]

1) Does anyone recommend a certain fit belt that I can carry my phone in (its a Droid and doubles as my tunes when I run). I am getting tired of hand carrying it and keep expecting to drop it one of these days.

I'm currently using an AmphiPod ArmPod to carry my Droid 1. It's not a perfect solution, but its by far the best one I've come across yet. For my training and race day, I'll be going with either the Nathan TrailMix belt or a Camelbak Octane LR pack; I live in TX where heavy hydration is a necessity and haven't yet figured out which I'm going to prefer.

 

[APrunner]

2) Now that I am able to run 7 miles every other day without it really being a huge stress, should I continue to train that way, or should I take 3 or 4 days off, run 13 miles, take another 3 or 4 days off, and go back to my routine? Does anyone run 3 or 4 days in a row and then take 3 or 4 days off?


Training is a very personal thing. One thing you could do is check out some training plans, based on a race you want to target (like Wine and Dine), and go with what works for you. I generally do not like long breaks. I run 4-6 days a week, depending on how I feel. The runs vary. I will typically do one long run a week, one day I will do intervals (run hard for half a mile or whole mile, then recover, repeat), throw in some hills, occasionally just cruising. Mix it up and have fun with it. Do listen to your body though. If you need some time off, take it.

 

[APrunner]

3) Is anyone worrying about their overall miles per minute? I like my 11 minutes a mile pace and I don't really care to get up to 7 or 8 minutes a mile, but I have noticed that at 11 minutes a mile it doesn't feel like a huge stress on my heart or lungs... so I kinda of translate that into a maintenance pace and not a training pace. Thoughts?

As I mention above, take a day once in a while and push yourself. Maybe do some intervals. Run a little harder for a certain period, recover, and repeat. Intervals will help you get faster. Ultimately it all depends on what you want to do and what your goals are. The key is making sure you have a plan that you will stick to and enjoy.

 

[APrunner]

4) My joints are not so great. I have popped, dislocated, or otherwise injured my right foot, right knee, and left knee in the joint area several times over the past 15 years. Subsequently, any given knee after any given run will hurt for a little bit. Any suggestions on helping with that pain? Does anyone wear a wrap while running? Or wrap afterwards? Or do icy hot or bengay? Stretching exercises? Supplements? I am not going to NOT RUN, so I could use some alternatives.

Tough one, given your injury history. Make sure your foot wear is appropriate. Maybe a local store that can see you run and offer advice.

Watch your running form. Keep the stride length reasonably short. Try not to land on a straight leg on the back of your heel. This can lead to knee problems. Try to land with your foot closer to you.

Some leg strengthening exercises may help. I do not have knee issues, so I am not sure what are the best one's for preventing that.

I like calf sleeves (compression), but I tend to battle lower leg issues. There are probably some knee braces that are not overly restrictive, that may be of use to you.

 

[OregonGirl]

Hi ChloroFiend and APrunner -

Some really great suggestions and ideas and I really appreciate them. Hopefully the advice will also benefit others in the forum as surely I can't be the only one with bad knees.

I still don't see tickets for the afterparty available yet. Does anyone know about that? Does anyone know what the limit is for how many tickets per runner? I have a party of 5 with me and they all want to go. I hope its not an issue.

Also, I noticed on the run website that if you think you can finish in less than 2 and a half hours (or something like that), you have to mention that for correct corral placement and prove your time. I don't understand what they mean and I also don't know if, since I think I can finish in 2 hours 20 minutes, I should bother or if for my first race I should go with the flow where ever I am put and just enjoy it.

Yes, I realize its a little bit of a personal decision, but I was hoping for others input on how they rationalize it and how long it takes them to finish the race, and so forth. So, thoughts anyone?

Also, does anyone have pictures from past wine and dine races or even past WDW races? I hear the course is way different than a typical run and so I am curious. Thanks!

 

[airtime247]

Hi Carey, congratulations on your weight loss and running success. You are a real inspiration! I'll do my best to answer your questions.

1) I like my Spibelt and use it to carry my bulky Ipod Classic. It holds it snug against me so it doesn't bounce.

2) I would shoot for more of an every other day schedule rather than so many days off in a row. I wouldn't take more than two or three off at most. I try to run four days a week. Day 1 I try to do speed work, Day 3 I do hills, Day 4 I do an easy run (all three of these I shoot for no more than four miles), and on Day 6 I do my long run which gradually gets longer. After I hit ten miles in my long run, I increase a mile every other week and cut down to 6-8 miles the weeks inbetween.

3) I only worry about my pace in training on all non-long run days. In races I just go out to have fun and soak in the experience. I frequently bring my camera and stop to take pictures. Races are like my reward for all the hard work I put in with training.

4) I have knee issues too. I ended up seeing my doctor, a podiatrist and a physical therapist. I needed orthotics as I overpronated and it was causing a lot of pressure on my knees. I also had very tight hamstrings and glutes. Even with my orthotics, I still have problems if I don't stretch those muscles a lot before running to loosen up.

About the corral placement and finish time, if you don't have a previous race to post, they will just put you in one of the later corrals. The corrals are basically their way to keep a huge mass of people from starting at the same time and to lump runners of similar speeds together. It can be really frustrating to be a fast runner (not that I would know) and be stuck behind a pack of runners or walkers going at a much slower pace.

Me personally, I wouldn't worry about my time in this race. Disney races are so big and crowded that there will be huge bottlenecks, even if you start in the corral you belong in. I would just enjoy the moment. Oregon is such a beautiful place and I'm sure there are some great races there where you can focus on a fast finish after you get this one under your belt.

Sorry, I can't answer your other questions as this will be my first Wine & Dine.

 

[Cripey]

Hi ChloroFiend and APrunner -

Some really great suggestions and ideas and I really appreciate them. Hopefully the advice will also benefit others in the forum as surely I can't be the only one with bad knees.

I still don't see tickets for the afterparty available yet. Does anyone know about that? Does anyone know what the limit is for how many tickets per runner? I have a party of 5 with me and they all want to go. I hope its not an issue.

Also, I noticed on the run website that if you think you can finish in less than 2 and a half hours (or something like that), you have to mention that for correct corral placement and prove your time. I don't understand what they mean and I also don't know if, since I think I can finish in 2 hours 20 minutes, I should bother or if for my first race I should go with the flow where ever I am put and just enjoy it.

Yes, I realize its a little bit of a personal decision, but I was hoping for others input on how they rationalize it and how long it takes them to finish the race, and so forth. So, thoughts anyone?

Also, does anyone have pictures from past wine and dine races or even past WDW races? I hear the course is way different than a typical run and so I am curious. Thanks!

2:45 or less is the finishing time that will require "proof" from Disney. THe proof they require is a finishing time from an official race of 10k or longer that you finished in a time that would support your expected finish time for this race. For example, the Princess was my first half marathon...last December I did a 10k so that I could use that as proof of a finishing time under 2:45 for the Princess and get in a better corral. I finished the 10k in 1:07, turned that time in (along with a link to the official resluts of the race) to the appropriate people and based on that time, I was given a new expected finish time of 2:15 for the Princess (they are pretty generous!)...which landed me in Corral B. If you don't currently have a race time to provide proof (it must be a race that was completed after a certain date...I can't remember what the date is, but it's listed on the race website in the pacing requirement section I believe.), I'd suggest looking for a 10k to do and turn in that time. If not, then you can put 2:46 as your expected finish time as that would be the fastest time you would NOT have to prove and may land you one or two corrals before the last. I think it's also worth noting that everyone should only do that if you truly believe you will finish in that time...like another poster said, they use these times to place runners in corrals with other runners who run close to the same pace so that the race can flow with as little bottlenecking as possible. If you are planning to finish in 2:20, I think it would defintely be worth it for you to run a 10k and get the proof of time so you can be in a corral with other runners at your pace.

 

[disneyfreak1]

Since I live in Florida, I will be driving down. Will I be able to park at AK for the 5K or do I need to stay at a host hotel? We are thinking about staying off property.

 

[jeanigor]

Since I live in Florida, I will be driving down. Will I be able to park at AK for the 5K or do I need to stay at a host hotel? We are thinking about staying off property.

You will be able to park. I drove to the 5K last year and for the 5K for marathon weekend this year and the 5K for the Princess, too. I prefer to rent a car.

 

[disneyfreak1]

Thanks so much! This will be my first 5K and I am very excited. I am in Week 4 of C25K training and am not really a runner, but I want to do this. It's on my bucket list! I am surprised at some of the comments that people walk it and take their time. I thought there was a 16 min. mile time limit or you would get "picked up and taken to the finish line." Is that not correct?

 

[butiflfeet]

I just noticed on the race website they now have more info and a link to order spectator tickets for the after party!

 

[becky11]

Thanks for the head's up! Looks like it's a commemorative ticket AND a gift card as well!

 

[bigtony777]

I went on to check it out and the site states extremely limited. I don' t need any spectator tickets, but was curious as last year's party was not the most enjoyable with the crowds. I put in 10 tickets and it allowed me to proceed. I would really like to see them change this to purchase extra tickets when you register like they do with the pins.

I guess we will see what extremely limited means. I hope it doesn't mean they are extremely limited to the number of people willing to pay as it seems was the case last year.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I went on to check it out and the site states extremely limited. I don' t need any spectator tickets, but was curious as last year's party was not the most enjoyable with the crowds. I put in 10 tickets and it allowed me to proceed. I would really like to see them change this to purchase extra tickets when you register like they do with the pins.

I guess we will see what extremely limited means. I hope it doesn't mean they are extremely limited to the number of people willing to pay as it seems was the case last year.

10 tickets a person? That's absurd. Each runner should be given one freaking ticket, and no others sold.

 

[jeanigor]

10 tickets a person? That's absurd. Each runner should be given one freaking ticket, and no others sold.

While I find 10 to be an absurdly high number, I feel that only runners too exclusive. One or two per racer I could understand.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

While I find 10 to be an absurdly high number, I feel that only runners too exclusive. One or two per racer I could understand.

I didn't mean only runners. I meant a runner plus one.

 

[jeanigor]

I didn't mean only runners. I meant a runner plus one.

I could get behind that.

 

[FireDancer]

I didn't mean only runners. I meant a runner plus one.

That was my suggestion on the survey. I understand there are people that want more than one but they could get someone who wasn't going to have a plus one to get it for them.

When I eventually get over my complete annoyance at RunDisney for the whole Tinkerbell slight this will be the race I do next. As much as I like the January events this has become my favorite event on property even with the issues last year.

I'm thinking it will be at least a couple of years though because I am serious about hitting other non-Disney FL races and then adding park days.