Running Renaissance: One Skip Ahead of my Doom

[RuntheMouse]

Feeling your winter runs up north here! It was 14 and sunny out today and it felt glorious! Great job on the Santa run

 

[GollyGadget]

Since we’re on the topic it was 34 on my run this afternoon and I nearly felt unstoppable.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Hey, I have a shirt like that....

 

[GollyGadget]

2025 Year in Review
As mentioned in the running thread, I somehow ran 1000 miles for the fifth consecutive year . This happened despite only running 12.7 miles for the entire month of June


I intentionally took it easy this summer to give my body time to heal. Turns out, unlike muscles & bones, tendons don’t heal with rest so it didn’t go as planned. Not that I knew I was dealing with a tendon problem at the time... Lesson learned, if something isn’t feeling better after 2 weeks rest, go see a professional.

2025 was my lowest mileage year since 2020, but I’m still quite proud of the year. I didn’t have any races planned after May but still kept running without a big scary goal to motivate me. I’ve definitely found the joy in running. I even missed some of the mileage this summer when I was doing less. This is a much better place to be than burnt out and over it.



The highlight of the year was unquestionably the 2025 WDW Marathon. Like most here, there’s something about WDW that pulls at my heart strings. I also squeaked in 3 minute PR with a 3:54:41.



Apparently, I also ran a 10K PR in April. The 10K is by far my worst distance somehow. I’ve run faster equivalent times in the mile, 5K, 10 miler and half marathon in the last two years. It’s kind of bizarre. This is likely why I forgot about the PR. I expect to be able to run faster than 48:45 but I just haven’t. Oh well, I still got my finisher photo with a cute dog.



By May, it was obvious that my body needed a change. However, I still snuck in another solid 10K performance with an official time of 48:19 although the course was a bit short and followed it up with my 8th sub 2 hr half at the end of the month.

After some travel & recovery in June, I spent more time doing strength workouts and less time running for a few months. I never really found my strength groove or a program that clicked. In hindsight, I wonder if some of that is because my hamstrings & connected tendons were begging for proper attention.

In September, I started ramping up mileage again for a late January half marathon. It became apparent that my hamstrings did not magically fix themselves so this training cycle has been a bit of a dud. It was finally enough that I went to PT but there was no magic fix there either and I’ve had to omit most running that’s quicker than my easy pace. However, I do think I’m finally heading the right direction and while I probably won’t set any records, I will be able to finish my half (hopefully with a smile on my face ).

Not really a spectacular finish to the year, but another year of running and still some highlights to be proud of.

Happy running y’all! May 2026 bring you many happy miles & smiles.

 

[GollyGadget]

2026 Running Aspirations
Now that we’re a full week into 2026, I thought I should document my goals…ahem, aspirations. I’m hesitant to make any concrete “goals” until I get my hamstrings sorted but I do have plans for the year.

1. Fix my hamstring. It’s in a good enough place that I can run but it still bothers me if I run fast. My primary focus is to get rid of that pain and be able to train normally again.

2. Incorporate the Running Rewired workouts. I gifted myself this book for Christmas and really enjoyed it. It was science-y but approachable. My theory is that if I achieve this, I should be able to avoid more injuries. The book also thinks I could be faster but that is secondary to me.

3. Run 1500 miles. This is highly dependent on #1. I’m not going to push it if my body can’t handle it. Since 2021, I have ran 1100, 1300, 1500, 1500, and finally 1000 in 2025. 1500 isn’t a crazy number for me but it does require consistent mileage.

4. Run a sub 7 mile for the 4th consecutive year. Also highly dependent on #1. The mile race is in April and I won’t even attempt this if my body isn’t ready. I know sub 7 doesn’t sound incredibly fast but it will take a lot of work to get me into that kind of fitness. I’m way more suited to longer distances.

5. Run a half PR/sub 1:45. Current PR is 1:46:02 so I’m not very far off but I do need my legs back. The current plan is to go after this in the fall. I’ve been researching a few options and I’m currently leaning toward the Good Life Halfsy in Lincoln, NE. Anyone have experience with this race? Other contenders are Des Moines or Madison. I looked at Twin Cities but I fear it being warm again. I’d much rather chance a cold day which is what I’m likely to get if we go to Madison in mid-November. I worry that might be too cold. Hence Nebraska but my partner isn’t really sold on that being a fun destination .

6. Train for my triumphant return to rD at the WDW Marathon in 2027. I miss marathon training and the most magical place on earth. Really hoping my hamstring is better before registration in March so I have more confidence in my training capabilities but I’ll probably sign up anyway.

7. Have fun! This is just a hobby after all. If it’s not fun, what’s the point?


Happy running y’all!

 

[RuntheMouse]

5. Run a half PR/sub 1:45. Current PR is 1:46:02 so I’m not very far off but I do need my legs back. The current plan is to go after this in the fall. I’ve been researching a few options and I’m currently leaning toward the Good Life Halfsy in Lincoln, NE. Anyone have experience with this race? Other contenders are Des Moines or Madison. I looked at Twin Cities but I fear it being warm again. I’d much rather chance a cold day which is what I’m likely to get if we go to Madison in mid-November. I worry that might be too cold. Hence Nebraska but my partner isn’t really sold on that being a fun destination .

I have a little info for you, not much but a little.

I was signed up for GLF a couple of years ago. We ended up with a scheduling conflict so I didn’t go but they were amazing about offering a deferral or switching to a virtual which I did. They sent all the swag and had great communication the entire time. Also spent a chunk of this pst summer in Lincoln and was impressed with the running community there so I imagine the race is probably well run even if it’s nit the most exciting getaway spot.

This year was in Madison for the 10k and boy was the weather terrible! It was so cold that whole weekend, we even bailed on the Badger game we had tickets for. A little mad because they finally won but we woke up on Sunday, and scrapped the race. So that race can be a gamble as well! I feel you though, I think I’m trying TC one more time even though my brain is telling me DSM is a safer bet. Weather is so fickle!

 

[GollyGadget]

I have a little info for you, not much but a little.

I was signed up for GLF a couple of years ago. We ended up with a scheduling conflict so I didn’t go but they were amazing about offering a deferral or switching to a virtual which I did. They sent all the swag and had great communication the entire time. Also spent a chunk of this pst summer in Lincoln and was impressed with the running community there so I imagine the race is probably well run even if it’s nit the most exciting getaway spot.

This year was in Madison for the 10k and boy was the weather terrible! It was so cold that whole weekend, we even bailed on the Badger game we had tickets for. A little mad because they finally won but we woke up on Sunday, and scrapped the race. So that race can be a gamble as well! I feel you though, I think I’m trying TC one more time even though my brain is telling me DSM is a safer bet. Weather is so fickle!

Much appreciated!! When I saw you replied, I really thought you might try to convince me to do TC . I was signed up for Madison a few years back. Nearly froze at the Badger game beforehand and woke up not feeling well so decided to just bail. I know GL is around the same time but it’s also not in Wisconsin so the weather should be ever so slightly warmer.

I’m sure Lincoln isn’t a tourist hotspot but it’s an easy drive and I’m sure it’s a fun weekend. Heck, I could probably ditch my partner for the weekend and convince a running friend to tag along.

DSM does seem to get pretty good weather and I could walk to the start line but that just feels like a boring choice.

 

[RuntheMouse]

Much appreciated!! When I saw you replied, I really thought you might try to convince me to do TC .

Not trying to convince you anymore. I planted the seed and now I’ll wait to see if it grows.

 

[GollyGadget]

Clearwater Running Festival Training Recap
Well, the race is this weekend and I’m currently waiting at the vet while Hattie gets a few stitches removed, so no better time for an update. I’ve basically been training on vibes, slowly increasing my long runs and running 5-6 days per week for a total weekly mileage of 25-30 miles. My longest run was 12 miles two weeks ago. I feel adequately prepared to cover the distance. The pace at which I can run is another story….

Due to the hamstring tendinopathy, I’ve had to avoid any sort of pace work. I have tried a few times but it keeps aggravating the problem spot so I haven’t done much. I’ve been diligent about my PT exercises but haven’t been able to visit the PT for a few weeks now since I’ve been out of town.

Speaking of travel, I’ve been in South Florida where it’s hot & humid. I’m really hoping I get some of the “poor man’s altitude” benefits. But I’m also not expecting much from my performance due to the vibe training. Originally, I thought this could be a PR race (1:45). Right now my tentative goal is 1:53 since that would be good for a Corral A POT for MW 2027. However, mostly I just want to survive and not be in too much pain.

I’m also running a 5K the day before as part of the event. The goal for that is to not push it which is something I struggle with because of all the race day adrenaline. Ideally, I’ll finish around 30 min or slower but we’ll see. I’ll try to keep this photo from my 11 miler in mind as a reminder to slow down .

 

[nancipants]

Good luck! I hope you can get that Corral A POT without pushing too hard.

 

[GollyGadget]

Good luck! I hope you can get that Corral A POT without pushing too hard.

Thank you! We drove up to Clearwater today and I forgot how tall the bridges are!! I guess I’ll find out how my legs feel about them on Sunday

 

[GollyGadget]

Clearwater Running Festival Pre Race & 5K

Packet pickup
As mentioned above, we arrived to town yesterday. After unpacking and dog chores, we headed to packet pickup & dinner. Packet pickup was only from 4-6p on Friday but they had pre race pickup options as well so I wasn’t too fussed about going on Friday. However, it was easy enough to add into our dinner plans so that’s what we did.

The pickup was in the same park as the races but there were zero signs and no information online. If not for the small sign warning me that the park was closed for the race the next day, I would have worried that I was in the wrong place. Eventually we made it to the end of the park and I could see the start/finish line and figured that was where I needed to be. That wasn’t exactly true. I had to take a small little jaunt out onto the beach, but close enough. They just really could have used a sign or posted some info on their website. I got a pre race email about a week before and that would have been a great opportunity to provide a map of the race area. I was supposed to also get an email the Thursday before the race with my bib number but I didn’t. Maybe the info was in there?

Anyway, pickup went fine. This is a smaller race so just a few tables with volunteers. First I collected my bib and then a second stop for my swag: a hat for the 5K & 3/4 zip for the half. There were a few local vendors as well but I was tired and really just wanted to get dinner & go to bed.

5K
The 5K started at 7a but they warned of limited parking so I set my alarm for 5a and left our rental at 5:30. I know that isn’t runDisney early but I was still questioning my life choices as I waited in the dark for the race to begin. There was plenty of parking for the 5K and I hope that’s true tomorrow as well but there will be twice as many runners so I’ll probably still arrive ridiculously early.

Around 6:30 I decided it was time to get out of the car to use the facilities and do all my pre run warm ups. My pt would be proud . I headed to the starting chute 10 min prior to race start and it was pretty empty. Lots of folks hanging out just outside the chute. I found a spot between the 9&10 min/mile signs. My garmin was suggesting a 30 min base run which was perfect for my plans.



Before the race they announced there were participants from 49 out of 50 states. Oregon was the only state without representation. I found that pretty surprising. Even more surprising, the national anthem signer was from Iowa! It’s a small world after all….

They also announced that there was only one hill on the course, but we’d have to run it twice. I really hadn’t been paying attention and thought we’d just run a nice flat course around the park. Nope. We were running across Sand Key Bridge & back. I prayed my hamstrings would survive.

The race started and I was across the line in the first few hundred participants. Since this a was more or less a shakeout, I just tried to take it easy and not get caught up in the race. I kept an eye on my HR but didn’t even have my pace on display. It was mid 60s and humid which felt a little cool waiting around but I was instantly sticky once I started running. Fortunately, only a 5K. I happily accepted some water just before mile 1 to cool down a bit.

Mile 1 ticked by and my pace was 9:26. I was pretty much right where I wanted to be. Then came the bridge. Lots of folks walked it but I didn’t find the uphill that bad. The downhill looked particularly steep but I just used gravity to my advantage as best I could. I could definitely feel my hamstrings at this point but it wasn’t necessarily painful, just there.

Much to my surprise & despite having the two hill climbs of the race, mile 2 was somehow faster at 9:15. I spent the last mile reminding myself to take it easy. I had a few folks pass me in the last quarter mile but I couldn’t be bothered about it. I was happy to see my finish time of 29:xx. Not quite the 30 min goal but close enough and my legs felt fine.



5K down, 21K to go.

 

[The Expert]

We were running across Sand Key Bridge & back.

My grandparents moved to that area in the mid 1970s and for years lived just south of where that bridge is (well before it was built) in one of the first condos to go up out there. I bet you got a lovely view of the area from the top of it!

 

[GollyGadget]

My grandparents moved to that area in the mid 1970s and for years lived just south of where that bridge is (well before it was built) in one of the first condos to go up out there. I bet you got a lovely view of the area from the top of it!

It was a great view! I tried to soak it all in. It was still a few minutes before sunrise so the sky was colorful and the water a beautiful blue.

 

[RuntheMouse]

Have a great race today!

 

[GollyGadget]

Clearwater Running Festival Half Marathon

On Friday, I had some mild regrets about signing up for the 5K on Saturday. For some reason I thought it was an evening race and I wasn’t excited about the additional early morning. In hindsight, it was a good decision because it gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the morning logistics. I decided to keep everything the same and set my alarm for 5a with a goal of leaving at 5:30 again. Turns out, I woke up naturally around 4:45 and didn’t need my alarm. Since I had some extra time, I decided to make some tea and eat my pop tart breakfast before leaving instead of in the car. This delayed my departure slightly but i was still on the road by 5:40.

The park was a 15-20 min drive and there was noticeably more traffic but I still arrived with plenty of time. I took a few minutes getting “race ready” i.e. attaching my bib, putting on shoes, etc. Before I knew it, it was time for a pre race potty & warm up. The race had several portas available but the bathhouses were also open so I decided to take advantage of the plumbing. Afterwards it was time for my dynamic warm up moves and a little jog. I was running a little behind schedule so I only had 10 min for my jog but I just had to hope that was enough. It was certainly better than nothing.





The sky was finally lightening up and it was time to head to the starting chute. They had min/mi signs up again so I found a spot halfway between the 8 & 9 signs. This ended up right in front of the 2 hr pacer which surprised me a bit but it was really crowded by the point so I just stayed put.

As a reminder, my goal for this race was 1:53. I picked this time so that I could use it for corral A PoT for the WDW marathon. Because I had been training on vibes, I knew a PR was unlikely but 1:53 felt attainable. I’m glad I wasn’t going for a PR because this Midwest gal was not fully prepared for the T+D of 127 and 94% humidity at the start.

There were ~2000 runners in total covering half, marathon, or 50K. It took me about 30 seconds to cross the start line after the run. I put that information away for later in case I needed to do any runner’s math on my goal. Shortly after the start, the course narrowed and there was a sharp left turn. I could hear and feel the frustrations around me but I just went with the flow and even walked a bit until it cleared up enough to run. We exited the park quickly and immediately crossed Sand Key Bridge. I was already drenched in sweat but did my best to take in the sights.

Mile 1 was 8:43 and I was happy with that considering the early congestion and 100ft elevation gain for the bridge. Mile 2 was on Clearwater Beach and nice & flat. The sun was also starting to come up and I was thankful for the cloud cover. 8:27 - a smidge fast but I’m okay with it. Mile 3 was mostly causeway as we made our way onto the mainland. 8:40. There was a bit of a headwind at the end of this mile but I told myself at least it was a cooling breeze. I’ve been trying to improve my race mentality by focusing on the positives.



Mile 4 was another bridge crossing & 90 ft of ascent. This felt much tougher than the first bridge which I attributed to being further into the race. This mile was 8:44 and I decided I needed to pick it up to hit my 8:35 prescribed pace. Turns out my GAP was 8:36 so I was doing just fine. This lead to a faster than anticipated 8:21 for mile 5.

Miles 6-9 were through the local community. It was a bit hillier than I expected but nothing major, just not pancake flat. The clouds were breaking up and I was thankful for the shade trees. It was still oppressively humid for my tastes. My hamstrings were also making themselves known. It made me worry if I’d be able to finish. I kept reminding myself what was going well: I was still moving forward at a good pace & the pain wasn’t getting worse. 8:40, 8:34, 8:28, 8:29. My 1:53 goal was still in range.

My plan was to start pushing at mile 10 if I still felt good. This plan completely disregarded the fact that mile 10 was the location of the last big bridge crossing and also full sun. I managed to finish that mile in 8:24 but it took more out of me than I expected. At this point I was passing more folks than were passing me and that felt good. 8:30 for mile 11.

Thus far into the race, I knew I would reach my goal. The effect of the full sun also had me slowing down a tad. At one point my average pace dropped to 9:00 and I reminded myself of the phrase on my shirt: “positive vibes. negative splits.” My last two miles were 8:36 & 8:37. Somewhere along here I passed someone holding a sign about peeing your pants. This gave me a good chuckle because I knew with the amount I was sweating that I definitely looked like I had pee pants.

The last .1 miles was a couple of sharp turns into the park & finish chute. Here was my favorite sign: “keep chafing your dreams”.



Official time - 1:52:47 . Corral A here I come!!

There was a beach party at the finish with beer, snacks, ice baths & massages. I found it all a little overstimulating so I went and found a quiet section around the corner. I spent a good amount of time decompressing and stretching before heading home.




Overall it was a fun little race. There wasn’t much course support but there were sufficient aid stations. I earned a special challenge medal for running both Saturday & Sunday. They all link together with magnets which I found to be pretty clever. I wouldn’t go out of my way to participate in this race again, but it is a great excuse to escape winter for the weekend.

Happy running y’all!

 

[nancipants]

Woo-hoo! Way to go hitting your "A" goal! See what I did there?

 

[RuntheMouse]

Crushed it girl! Way to go!!!

 

[The Expert]

Nice work!

 

[GollyGadget]

Woo-hoo! Way to go hitting your "A" goal! See what I did there?

Crushed it girl! Way to go!!!

Nice work!

Thank you all! I’m fortunate to be a naturally gifted mediocre runner. As long as I do *some* training, I can run sub 2.

My very first half marathon was in 2010 and I finished in 2:01:47. At the time, my only goal was to finish but I was a bit disappointed to be so close to that round number. It took 3 more attempts before I broke 2 hrs in 2013, but since then I only have two half marathons over the 2 hr barrier and 8 under it. Excluding races that were just for fun, it’s been 10 years since I ran slower than 2 hours. I know I’ll slow down eventually but it’s kinda fun to be able to take advantage of all that cumulative mileage.