rmgreenesq
Toadi Acceleratio Semper Absurda
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2008
- Messages
- 218
Executive Summary
The author celebrates one year of running, the loss over 100 lbs., a year of managing depression symptoms, and running his first half marathon: the Disneyland Half Marathon.
Introduction
Three hundred and sixty-six days ago I ‘ran’ Week One Day One of Couch to 5K. Today is my runnerversary, and I ran the Disneyland Half Marathon. I got off the couch on September 2, 2011 and started run because I wanted to run the Neverland 5k at Disneyland last January. After finishing that 5k, I got a bib for the Disneyland Half Marathon.
My Training
I started training in earnest for this race in early May. I used the Runner’s World Smart Coach iPhone App for a plan, and the plan it gave me was rather static. After running 25 miles a week in varying increments week after week for 6 weeks, I chucked the Smart Coach plan in favor of a self-authored plan. My new plan slowly raised the volume to 39 miles with a long run of 13 miles.
I did not do any kind of formal speed work. I just ran. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Sometimes travel or circumstance took me over hills, but most of the time I just ran on the sidewalks and dirt trails around my native Huntington Beach, California.
My Goal Times
This is my first half marathon. About a month ago, I posted my goals for this race. Based on the advice I got in that thread, my prior 10k race time (71:09), and 13-mile race pace training run performance (2:37), I picked three time goals:
1. Impossible Dream™ goal time: 2:15.
2. Realistic but still really hard to achieve goal time: 2:30
3. Rick had a really bad day goal time: 2:45
OK, A friend of mine who runs a whole lot faster then me suggested 2:15. Unless Disney sprays some kind of magic pixie dust on runners as they cross under the starting arch, I really don’t see a 2:15 half marathon as possible given my current fitness level and weight.
The Start
I arrived at Disneyland at 4:30 am where the air temperature was 68F with a dew point of 59F. I was praying for an overcast sky to block the sun, but it did not happen. Preparing for this possibility, I bought a Halo running hat at the Expo for $20. This had to be the best $20 I spent all weekend.
There’s a reason why they call them corrals. Disney sells 17,000 bibs to this event. That’s a lot of cattle err I mean people. As a first timer, Disney put me in corral E. When I arrived at my corral, I noticed that all of my fellow corral mates were either wearing the race shirt, were wearing a fuel belt, or were members of Team in Training. This was the newbie corral; the fresh meat corral. The mood in the corral was festive as the TnT people saw this less as a sporting/athletic event and more of a social event. Many of my corral mates shouted out one-liners like “Is this the lines for Pirates of the Caribbean?” One quip from the start corral resonated with me: Welcome to my mid-life crisis.
The First Four Miles
My corral crossed the starting line at 6:10 am. The first four miles are on Disney property. The first mile was out of the hotel area, down Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard and into California Adventure. We snaked through California Adventure, crossed the entrance plaza and into Disneyland.
In the parks, Disney had lots of characters out for runners to stop at for pictures and autographs. Some of these characters like Darth Vader and Rapunzel were rather popular. I don’t quite understand why people queue up to have their picture taken with people in costumes. Tick tock! The clock is running! Don’t they know that this is a race? The fourth mile marker is at the north end of Disneyland Drive on the way off Disney property.
I was clearly in the wrong corral. I found myself passing lots of people. I was saying “Excuse me” a lot. I wanted to say, “Excuse me, I trained for this event.”
Around mile 3, I met a young man in his late 20’s who was running with an automobile radial tire over his shoulder. Wow…. I passed him and moved on
Mile 1- 10:57 Mile 2- 11:20 Mile 3 - 10:59 Mile 4 – 11:09
The Next Four Miles
Miles four through eight are out on the streets of Anaheim. Right after leaving Disney property, I encountered the one and only hill: The Ball Road Interstate 5 overpass. The course snakes through an industrial section of Anaheim, including the plant my brother works at and the building that housed my law school. The course then passes under the Orange freeway and around the Honda Center, the home of the Anaheim Ducks NHL Hockey Club.
This is where I was glad I bought the hat. As we turned east on Ball Road and headed up the I-5 overpass, the sun began to rise. I was staring into the silhouette of ten thousand runners. I was pretty blind. I pulled the cap down to shade my eyes and kept on running.
These miles were very enjoyable. Unlike other races I’ve run, I never really found myself alone. I was always running in a heard, but the herd I was with was running at about the same speed as I was. Also Disney placed marching bands, cheerleaders, and a collection of old/collectors cars parked along the road. My mid-life crisis now came with a cheerleader and a spots car!
Mile 5- 10:52 Mile 6- 10:41 Mile 7 – 10:45 Mile 8 – 11:03
The Next Four Miles
From the Honda Center, I ran onto the Santa Ana River Trail. The trail is more like the dirt access road along the drainage ditch and is one of my favorite places to run. We ran down the trail to Anaheim Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim professional baseball team.
I stopped to use the port-a-potty at the base of the river trail because there was no line.
I found the stadium very exhilarating. Disney had placed boy and girl scouts on the trail across the parking lot to cheer us on. A quick lap around the warning track and then a turn west and back towards Disney property.
As I was exiting the stadium the reality of the fatigue caught up to me. I felt like I was a sailing ship that just turned into the eye of the wind. I was going nowhere fast. I could not hold my 10:45 mm pace. I was being passed by lots of runners. I wanted to walk very badly.
This is where I found Mickey’s pain cave. Mickey’s pain cave is a half-mile long tunnel that connects the northbound I-5 to the House of Mouse. It is at mile 11. I found it painful because the clock on the Mile 11 sign said 2:30. That was my goal time and I just passed mile 11. There goes my goal.
I know that the clocks on the mile markers display gun time and that because I was in Corral E there is a 25-minute delay between my time and the gun. But after running 11 miles faster than I ever had in my life, basic math was a bit beyond me.
I kept running because of something I read on the back of another runner’s T-shirt. It said, “If you can read this, I’m beating you.” Now there’s a challenge! I chased down my newly found nemesis and vowed to pass him.
Mile 9- 11:46 Mile 10- 11:04 Mile 11 – 11:36 Mile 12 – 11:40
The Last One and a Tenth Miles
I popped out of the pain cave and ran down Disney drive, across Harbor Boulevard and back onto Disney property. I ran across what’s left of the original Disneyland parking lot, back up Disneyland Drive and across the finish line.
My nemesis was in much better shape than I was. I held pace with him. I could not catch him. As we turned down the home stretch, I poured it on. There wasn’t much to pour. I was done. I was happy that it was over. I crossed the line, kissed my wife and then got into the post race runner area. I got my medal, water, power aide, and banana. This is where I realized that I’d forgotten to turn my Garmin watch off. As I was heading down the chute, I asked the guy with the T-shirt what corral he was in. He was in corral D. He had a five-minute head start. I beat him after all.
Mile 13- 11:58 The last .23 of a mile – 3:57
Finish time per runDisney: 2:27:20.
Weight Loss & Other Stuff
One year ago, I weighed 366.9 lbs. Today, I weigh 257.0 lbs. Since starting C25k and using the Lose It! Put Down the Fork™ Diet, I have lost 109.9 lbs. I have 32 lbs. to go until I hit my goal weight of 225 lbs.
I suffer from depression. One year ago, by Providence, serendipity, or just dumb luck, I discovered that exercise is an effective treatment for depression symptoms for me. After finishing C25k Week One Day One, I felt something that I had not felt in a long time. I felt good. I’d been in a depressive funk for about three years. After stepping off the treadmill (I was far too embarrassed to run in public view), the depressive fog had blown out of my head. After Week 1 Day 2 of C25k, I still felt good. I went looking for a causal relationship between running and depression.
Now that the depression symptoms are under control, I have the perspective to see and deal with the aspects of my life that feed/drive depression. I am a healthier person both physically and mentally because I run.
The Next Race
My next race is a return to my first race ever: The Chapman University 5K. My goal there is to break the sound barrier… I mean run it in less than 30 minutes. From there I get on a plane and fly to Florida for another half marathon: Disney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November.
Thanks for reading!
The author celebrates one year of running, the loss over 100 lbs., a year of managing depression symptoms, and running his first half marathon: the Disneyland Half Marathon.
Introduction
Three hundred and sixty-six days ago I ‘ran’ Week One Day One of Couch to 5K. Today is my runnerversary, and I ran the Disneyland Half Marathon. I got off the couch on September 2, 2011 and started run because I wanted to run the Neverland 5k at Disneyland last January. After finishing that 5k, I got a bib for the Disneyland Half Marathon.
My Training
I started training in earnest for this race in early May. I used the Runner’s World Smart Coach iPhone App for a plan, and the plan it gave me was rather static. After running 25 miles a week in varying increments week after week for 6 weeks, I chucked the Smart Coach plan in favor of a self-authored plan. My new plan slowly raised the volume to 39 miles with a long run of 13 miles.
I did not do any kind of formal speed work. I just ran. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Sometimes travel or circumstance took me over hills, but most of the time I just ran on the sidewalks and dirt trails around my native Huntington Beach, California.
My Goal Times
This is my first half marathon. About a month ago, I posted my goals for this race. Based on the advice I got in that thread, my prior 10k race time (71:09), and 13-mile race pace training run performance (2:37), I picked three time goals:
1. Impossible Dream™ goal time: 2:15.
2. Realistic but still really hard to achieve goal time: 2:30
3. Rick had a really bad day goal time: 2:45
OK, A friend of mine who runs a whole lot faster then me suggested 2:15. Unless Disney sprays some kind of magic pixie dust on runners as they cross under the starting arch, I really don’t see a 2:15 half marathon as possible given my current fitness level and weight.
The Start
I arrived at Disneyland at 4:30 am where the air temperature was 68F with a dew point of 59F. I was praying for an overcast sky to block the sun, but it did not happen. Preparing for this possibility, I bought a Halo running hat at the Expo for $20. This had to be the best $20 I spent all weekend.
There’s a reason why they call them corrals. Disney sells 17,000 bibs to this event. That’s a lot of cattle err I mean people. As a first timer, Disney put me in corral E. When I arrived at my corral, I noticed that all of my fellow corral mates were either wearing the race shirt, were wearing a fuel belt, or were members of Team in Training. This was the newbie corral; the fresh meat corral. The mood in the corral was festive as the TnT people saw this less as a sporting/athletic event and more of a social event. Many of my corral mates shouted out one-liners like “Is this the lines for Pirates of the Caribbean?” One quip from the start corral resonated with me: Welcome to my mid-life crisis.
The First Four Miles
My corral crossed the starting line at 6:10 am. The first four miles are on Disney property. The first mile was out of the hotel area, down Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard and into California Adventure. We snaked through California Adventure, crossed the entrance plaza and into Disneyland.
In the parks, Disney had lots of characters out for runners to stop at for pictures and autographs. Some of these characters like Darth Vader and Rapunzel were rather popular. I don’t quite understand why people queue up to have their picture taken with people in costumes. Tick tock! The clock is running! Don’t they know that this is a race? The fourth mile marker is at the north end of Disneyland Drive on the way off Disney property.
I was clearly in the wrong corral. I found myself passing lots of people. I was saying “Excuse me” a lot. I wanted to say, “Excuse me, I trained for this event.”
Around mile 3, I met a young man in his late 20’s who was running with an automobile radial tire over his shoulder. Wow…. I passed him and moved on
Mile 1- 10:57 Mile 2- 11:20 Mile 3 - 10:59 Mile 4 – 11:09
The Next Four Miles
Miles four through eight are out on the streets of Anaheim. Right after leaving Disney property, I encountered the one and only hill: The Ball Road Interstate 5 overpass. The course snakes through an industrial section of Anaheim, including the plant my brother works at and the building that housed my law school. The course then passes under the Orange freeway and around the Honda Center, the home of the Anaheim Ducks NHL Hockey Club.
This is where I was glad I bought the hat. As we turned east on Ball Road and headed up the I-5 overpass, the sun began to rise. I was staring into the silhouette of ten thousand runners. I was pretty blind. I pulled the cap down to shade my eyes and kept on running.
These miles were very enjoyable. Unlike other races I’ve run, I never really found myself alone. I was always running in a heard, but the herd I was with was running at about the same speed as I was. Also Disney placed marching bands, cheerleaders, and a collection of old/collectors cars parked along the road. My mid-life crisis now came with a cheerleader and a spots car!
Mile 5- 10:52 Mile 6- 10:41 Mile 7 – 10:45 Mile 8 – 11:03
The Next Four Miles
From the Honda Center, I ran onto the Santa Ana River Trail. The trail is more like the dirt access road along the drainage ditch and is one of my favorite places to run. We ran down the trail to Anaheim Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim professional baseball team.
I stopped to use the port-a-potty at the base of the river trail because there was no line.
I found the stadium very exhilarating. Disney had placed boy and girl scouts on the trail across the parking lot to cheer us on. A quick lap around the warning track and then a turn west and back towards Disney property.
As I was exiting the stadium the reality of the fatigue caught up to me. I felt like I was a sailing ship that just turned into the eye of the wind. I was going nowhere fast. I could not hold my 10:45 mm pace. I was being passed by lots of runners. I wanted to walk very badly.
This is where I found Mickey’s pain cave. Mickey’s pain cave is a half-mile long tunnel that connects the northbound I-5 to the House of Mouse. It is at mile 11. I found it painful because the clock on the Mile 11 sign said 2:30. That was my goal time and I just passed mile 11. There goes my goal.
I know that the clocks on the mile markers display gun time and that because I was in Corral E there is a 25-minute delay between my time and the gun. But after running 11 miles faster than I ever had in my life, basic math was a bit beyond me.
I kept running because of something I read on the back of another runner’s T-shirt. It said, “If you can read this, I’m beating you.” Now there’s a challenge! I chased down my newly found nemesis and vowed to pass him.
Mile 9- 11:46 Mile 10- 11:04 Mile 11 – 11:36 Mile 12 – 11:40
The Last One and a Tenth Miles
I popped out of the pain cave and ran down Disney drive, across Harbor Boulevard and back onto Disney property. I ran across what’s left of the original Disneyland parking lot, back up Disneyland Drive and across the finish line.
My nemesis was in much better shape than I was. I held pace with him. I could not catch him. As we turned down the home stretch, I poured it on. There wasn’t much to pour. I was done. I was happy that it was over. I crossed the line, kissed my wife and then got into the post race runner area. I got my medal, water, power aide, and banana. This is where I realized that I’d forgotten to turn my Garmin watch off. As I was heading down the chute, I asked the guy with the T-shirt what corral he was in. He was in corral D. He had a five-minute head start. I beat him after all.
Mile 13- 11:58 The last .23 of a mile – 3:57
Finish time per runDisney: 2:27:20.
Weight Loss & Other Stuff
One year ago, I weighed 366.9 lbs. Today, I weigh 257.0 lbs. Since starting C25k and using the Lose It! Put Down the Fork™ Diet, I have lost 109.9 lbs. I have 32 lbs. to go until I hit my goal weight of 225 lbs.
I suffer from depression. One year ago, by Providence, serendipity, or just dumb luck, I discovered that exercise is an effective treatment for depression symptoms for me. After finishing C25k Week One Day One, I felt something that I had not felt in a long time. I felt good. I’d been in a depressive funk for about three years. After stepping off the treadmill (I was far too embarrassed to run in public view), the depressive fog had blown out of my head. After Week 1 Day 2 of C25k, I still felt good. I went looking for a causal relationship between running and depression.
Now that the depression symptoms are under control, I have the perspective to see and deal with the aspects of my life that feed/drive depression. I am a healthier person both physically and mentally because I run.
The Next Race
My next race is a return to my first race ever: The Chapman University 5K. My goal there is to break the sound barrier… I mean run it in less than 30 minutes. From there I get on a plane and fly to Florida for another half marathon: Disney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November.
Thanks for reading!
And thank you for sharing.
Great race report!
