Somehow, The Marathon Returned - comments welcome!
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nancipants
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Orlando Half Marathon Race Report, December 7, 2024
As I said in an earlier entry, I was not looking forward to this race. It was going to be cold at the start, I was feeling tired and run down, and ready for this entire training block to be over with. (But not nearly ready to run the marathon!) My first alarm went off at 4:30 and I snoozed several times until I dragged myself out of bed at 5 am. I slept badly and had dreams about getting lost during the race, so I was definitely not feeling my best. I tried to eat as many Cheerios as my anxiety would let me, got dressed, and then made my way to downtown Orlando. I'd pre-paid for parking in a garage I was familiar with (I used to work downtown), and since I was earlier than planned, I didn't have any trouble getting in and finding parking close to the stairwell on the second floor. The walk to the starting area took about ten minutes and it was COLD for Florida, but it was nice to get my legs moving. I wore sweatpants and a sweatshirt over my running clothes, and was debating keeping my sweatshirt for the beginning of the race, at least. Didn't have any line at gear check, then went to the bathroom, then started fixing my outfit and broke out the mylar. I moved my bib to my shorts so I could keep the sweatshirt on for the start, but I ended up taking it off before the start anyway. No big deal. The race started at 7:15, and a little before 7 I went back for a last-minute porta stop. Of course the line was huge by now, but I got through in about 10 minutes and made it back to the start line before the national anthem. There was an entire block corralled off for the starting (and later finish) area, and I pushed my way up the 13 minute mile area. Carissa was one of the announcers so it was nice hearing a familiar voice.
Although it was cold before the sun came up, I really couldn't have asked for better weather. I started with a short-sleeve shirt and arm sleeves, and pushed down the arm sleeves about an hour in. I also had a hat which I took off before the start, and fingerless gloves that I took off about a mile in. The sun felt great but there was enough crispness in the air to keep it from getting too hot. It was about 43 when I started and in the 50s when I finished.
Due to the ideal weather, I debated my goals for this race. It was a training run for the Disney marathon, so I didn't want to push myself too hard, but I wanted to take advantage of weather we don't usually get in Florida! (Except for these past few weeks, apparently!) I decided to stick to my goal marathon pace of around 13:30-13:45, or a 6 hour finish. The start was chaotic since there weren't proper corrals, so everyone just shuffled to the start line. Also, there was a 5k happening at the same time, so I got stuck around a lot of walkers and was trying not to spend a lot of energy weaving around them, but also trying to stick to my intervals so I didn't go out too fast. (Nothing against walkers - I'm one of them! - but I wish they'd started the two races separately. Next year, the 5k will be the following day, so it won't be an issue.) About five minutes in, I spotted the 3 hour pace group ahead of me, and literally fell into the group because it was an easy way to weave around the crowds in the first mile. I turned off the run/walk alerts on my watch and decided to join the group. Once the 5k participants split off, the course got a lot less crowded. I thought I'd go off on my own, but I actually really enjoyed being in the pace group, so I stayed. It was nice not having to keep track of my intervals by myself, and the pacer's run/walk speeds matched my own pretty well. I fell in step next to an older guy wearing a bright orange shirt, and we got to talking throughout the race. I wish I'd caught his name, but I never did. It was nice having someone to chat with! At one point he was telling me about some marathon books he'd read, and asked if I'd heard of David Goggins. I replied in a many voice, "who's going to carry the boats??" We laughed about, and that became our rallying cry/mantra.
My fueling plan was cheerios for "breakfast", an applesauce pouch prior to the start, and then fuel with Tailwind about every 3 miles, or every other water stop. This worked great for me. I didn't have any stomach problems at all, and that was my downfall during the Princess half. I did really well maneuvering the water stops and pouring in my Tailwind beforehand, so each stop was maybe 30 seconds at most, and I had no problem catching up to the pace group afterwards. I filled up four times total, and had an applesauce pouch around mile 8 when I felt a little hungry, but I had no issues with energy or feeling like I was hitting a wall. I will keep this strategy for the marathon, with some additional applesauce pouches and possibly an uncrustable for the later part of the race.
Other than that, there really isn't much to report. I stuck with the pace group pretty much the entire way, until the last .3 mile or so.
I didn't stop other than to adjust my sock (for some reason my shoe kept pinching it on the top of my foot, but I managed to fix the problem) and refill my handheld. My legs were starting to feel sore toward the end of the race, and I had a moment of panic where I thought, ***, I'm supposed to do TWICE this distance???, but honestly, I felt way better than I did after the Princess half. Near the end of the race, when we got back into the downtown area, the pacer said if we felt good, now was the time to break off. I set my run/walk intervals on my watch, skipped to the next song on my playlist, and took off. My music app played HOT TO GO right then, which was absolutely perfect. I crossed the finish line, stopped my watch, and grinned when I saw the "new personal record" alert.
Here's some stats from Garmin:
As I said in an earlier entry, I was not looking forward to this race. It was going to be cold at the start, I was feeling tired and run down, and ready for this entire training block to be over with. (But not nearly ready to run the marathon!) My first alarm went off at 4:30 and I snoozed several times until I dragged myself out of bed at 5 am. I slept badly and had dreams about getting lost during the race, so I was definitely not feeling my best. I tried to eat as many Cheerios as my anxiety would let me, got dressed, and then made my way to downtown Orlando. I'd pre-paid for parking in a garage I was familiar with (I used to work downtown), and since I was earlier than planned, I didn't have any trouble getting in and finding parking close to the stairwell on the second floor. The walk to the starting area took about ten minutes and it was COLD for Florida, but it was nice to get my legs moving. I wore sweatpants and a sweatshirt over my running clothes, and was debating keeping my sweatshirt for the beginning of the race, at least. Didn't have any line at gear check, then went to the bathroom, then started fixing my outfit and broke out the mylar. I moved my bib to my shorts so I could keep the sweatshirt on for the start, but I ended up taking it off before the start anyway. No big deal. The race started at 7:15, and a little before 7 I went back for a last-minute porta stop. Of course the line was huge by now, but I got through in about 10 minutes and made it back to the start line before the national anthem. There was an entire block corralled off for the starting (and later finish) area, and I pushed my way up the 13 minute mile area. Carissa was one of the announcers so it was nice hearing a familiar voice.
Although it was cold before the sun came up, I really couldn't have asked for better weather. I started with a short-sleeve shirt and arm sleeves, and pushed down the arm sleeves about an hour in. I also had a hat which I took off before the start, and fingerless gloves that I took off about a mile in. The sun felt great but there was enough crispness in the air to keep it from getting too hot. It was about 43 when I started and in the 50s when I finished.
Due to the ideal weather, I debated my goals for this race. It was a training run for the Disney marathon, so I didn't want to push myself too hard, but I wanted to take advantage of weather we don't usually get in Florida! (Except for these past few weeks, apparently!) I decided to stick to my goal marathon pace of around 13:30-13:45, or a 6 hour finish. The start was chaotic since there weren't proper corrals, so everyone just shuffled to the start line. Also, there was a 5k happening at the same time, so I got stuck around a lot of walkers and was trying not to spend a lot of energy weaving around them, but also trying to stick to my intervals so I didn't go out too fast. (Nothing against walkers - I'm one of them! - but I wish they'd started the two races separately. Next year, the 5k will be the following day, so it won't be an issue.) About five minutes in, I spotted the 3 hour pace group ahead of me, and literally fell into the group because it was an easy way to weave around the crowds in the first mile. I turned off the run/walk alerts on my watch and decided to join the group. Once the 5k participants split off, the course got a lot less crowded. I thought I'd go off on my own, but I actually really enjoyed being in the pace group, so I stayed. It was nice not having to keep track of my intervals by myself, and the pacer's run/walk speeds matched my own pretty well. I fell in step next to an older guy wearing a bright orange shirt, and we got to talking throughout the race. I wish I'd caught his name, but I never did. It was nice having someone to chat with! At one point he was telling me about some marathon books he'd read, and asked if I'd heard of David Goggins. I replied in a many voice, "who's going to carry the boats??" We laughed about, and that became our rallying cry/mantra.
My fueling plan was cheerios for "breakfast", an applesauce pouch prior to the start, and then fuel with Tailwind about every 3 miles, or every other water stop. This worked great for me. I didn't have any stomach problems at all, and that was my downfall during the Princess half. I did really well maneuvering the water stops and pouring in my Tailwind beforehand, so each stop was maybe 30 seconds at most, and I had no problem catching up to the pace group afterwards. I filled up four times total, and had an applesauce pouch around mile 8 when I felt a little hungry, but I had no issues with energy or feeling like I was hitting a wall. I will keep this strategy for the marathon, with some additional applesauce pouches and possibly an uncrustable for the later part of the race.
Other than that, there really isn't much to report. I stuck with the pace group pretty much the entire way, until the last .3 mile or so.
I didn't stop other than to adjust my sock (for some reason my shoe kept pinching it on the top of my foot, but I managed to fix the problem) and refill my handheld. My legs were starting to feel sore toward the end of the race, and I had a moment of panic where I thought, ***, I'm supposed to do TWICE this distance???, but honestly, I felt way better than I did after the Princess half. Near the end of the race, when we got back into the downtown area, the pacer said if we felt good, now was the time to break off. I set my run/walk intervals on my watch, skipped to the next song on my playlist, and took off. My music app played HOT TO GO right then, which was absolutely perfect. I crossed the finish line, stopped my watch, and grinned when I saw the "new personal record" alert.
Here's some stats from Garmin:
jmasgat
DIS Veteran
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A great race! And not to belabor the Cheerios "magic", but when I was a kid (way back in the 60's!) our town had a summer parks program. And part of the was the big Field Day. I used to do the short "dash" (50-100 yds, I expect). One of those times, I remember being very nervous in the morning in anticipation. I had a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast, and went on to do well at the races (2nd or 1st or something--might still have the ribbons somewhere in the house).
So Cheerios are permanently embedded in my brain as a pre-race go to, especially when the nerves are high.
So Cheerios are permanently embedded in my brain as a pre-race go to, especially when the nerves are high.
WillRunForPizza
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Congrats! Fantastic job and nice consistency!
GollyGadget
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Great job! I hope you finished the race doing the dance. H O T T O G O!
DopeyBadger
Imagathoner
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Way to go! Great recap, and even better splits!
superchime
DIS Veteran
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Great job! Congrats on the PR! 
nancipants
DIS Veteran
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Well I didn't get to rest on my laurels very long, as the half marathon was a training run for a much longer race. I'm back at it and it's peak week, and my right knee is sore. It's fine, it's totally fine! I'm stretching more and hopes it goes away like all those other pains I've gotten in previous training plans.
December 8 - December 17
December 8 - rest.
Was going to attempt a recovery run, but decided I needed rest instead.
December 9 - 3 miles easy.
3 miles, 46:40, avg pace 15:32.
Took it nice and slow to help recovery.
December 10 - rest
December 11 - 4 miles easy.
4.09 miles, 1:00:24, avg pace 14:46.
Around this time is when my right knee started getting sore. It wasn't enough to prevent me from running, but enough to be annoying.
December 12 -HM tempo run.
Skipped this because I didn't want to aggravate my knee more.
December 13 - 3 miles easy.
3.09 miles, 45:01, avg pace 14:33.
My knee felt okay during the run, but was bothering me otherwise, which is why I think it's just from not stretching. I've had the same issue with other muscles before and it eventually goes away.
We went to Legoland this day and walking a lot probably didn't help me. But it was for my son's birthday, so it was worth it.
December 14 -rest 2 hour easy run
8.4 miles, 2:00:57, avg pace 14:24
Was supposed to be a rest day, but I switched around the weekend days due to theme park plans.
I refilled with Tailwind at 3 miles and 6 miles, and this fueling plan is working very well for me.
The temperature started nice, but it got toasty, which is good marathon practice after it's been so chilly in the mornings lately.
My knee was not 100 percent but felt okay to run. The soreness eventually went away once my muscles got warmed up.
We went to Epcot later in the afternoon - again, not the greatest plan, but we had to experience Festival of the Holidays before our passes got blacked out.
Plus, my knee feels better the more I move, apparently.
December 15 - rest
Went to Animal Kingdom so my son could experience the Boneyard one more time before it closes.
My husband is taking him to AK on marathon day and they'll be hanging out there until it's time for me to run by.
December 16 - 3 miles easy
3.1 miles, 46:17, avg pace 14:56
My knee was still sore during the run, but it's getting better.
I also tried an uncrustable beforehand. I want my husband to bring me one during the marathon, so I figured I should test it beforehand! I felt okay, but might try again this weekend before one of my long runs.
December 17 - rest
Took the dog on a mile walk. Knee is feeling a little better. I'm icing and compressing it.
This week is peak week, and due to the holidays, I have 7 days straight of running.
Wednesday - 4.5 miles HM tempo
Thursday - 4 miles easy
Friday - 3 miles easy
Saturday - 6 miles easy (1.5 hours)
Sunday - 11 miles easy (depending on how my knee feels, will probably round this up to 3 hours)
Monday - 3 miles easy
Tuesday - 4 miles easy
My next rest day is Christmas, and I will be eating A LOT.
Things are starting to feel real. Both at Epcot and AK, I finally started getting true physical anxiety about the marathon, after thinking to myself that the next time I'd be at Disney, it would be for the race. I can't believe it's less than four weeks away.
December 8 - December 17
December 8 - rest.
Was going to attempt a recovery run, but decided I needed rest instead.
December 9 - 3 miles easy.
3 miles, 46:40, avg pace 15:32.
Took it nice and slow to help recovery.
December 10 - rest
December 11 - 4 miles easy.
4.09 miles, 1:00:24, avg pace 14:46.
Around this time is when my right knee started getting sore. It wasn't enough to prevent me from running, but enough to be annoying.
December 12 -
Skipped this because I didn't want to aggravate my knee more.
December 13 - 3 miles easy.
3.09 miles, 45:01, avg pace 14:33.
My knee felt okay during the run, but was bothering me otherwise, which is why I think it's just from not stretching. I've had the same issue with other muscles before and it eventually goes away.
We went to Legoland this day and walking a lot probably didn't help me. But it was for my son's birthday, so it was worth it.
December 14 -
8.4 miles, 2:00:57, avg pace 14:24
Was supposed to be a rest day, but I switched around the weekend days due to theme park plans.
I refilled with Tailwind at 3 miles and 6 miles, and this fueling plan is working very well for me.
The temperature started nice, but it got toasty, which is good marathon practice after it's been so chilly in the mornings lately.
My knee was not 100 percent but felt okay to run. The soreness eventually went away once my muscles got warmed up.
We went to Epcot later in the afternoon - again, not the greatest plan, but we had to experience Festival of the Holidays before our passes got blacked out.
Plus, my knee feels better the more I move, apparently.
December 15 - rest
Went to Animal Kingdom so my son could experience the Boneyard one more time before it closes.
My husband is taking him to AK on marathon day and they'll be hanging out there until it's time for me to run by. December 16 - 3 miles easy
3.1 miles, 46:17, avg pace 14:56
My knee was still sore during the run, but it's getting better.
I also tried an uncrustable beforehand. I want my husband to bring me one during the marathon, so I figured I should test it beforehand! I felt okay, but might try again this weekend before one of my long runs.
December 17 - rest
Took the dog on a mile walk. Knee is feeling a little better. I'm icing and compressing it.
This week is peak week, and due to the holidays, I have 7 days straight of running.
Wednesday - 4.5 miles HM tempo
Thursday - 4 miles easy
Friday - 3 miles easy
Saturday - 6 miles easy (1.5 hours)
Sunday - 11 miles easy (depending on how my knee feels, will probably round this up to 3 hours)
Monday - 3 miles easy
Tuesday - 4 miles easy
My next rest day is Christmas, and I will be eating A LOT.
Things are starting to feel real. Both at Epcot and AK, I finally started getting true physical anxiety about the marathon, after thinking to myself that the next time I'd be at Disney, it would be for the race. I can't believe it's less than four weeks away.
Herding_Cats
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- Aug 3, 2017
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Here to say that no matter how nervous/anxious you feel on race morning, SHOW UP.
nancipants
DIS Veteran
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- Nov 18, 2013
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- 4,074
Don't worry. I'll be there, even if I'm ready to puke.
Herding_Cats
DIS Veteran
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- Aug 3, 2017
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- 5,062
I really really really know that exact feeling. And my first MW I had just about talked myself into turning off my alarm and not running the full at about 1am when I was laying on the bathroom floor of our room at OKW, sure I was going to be sick.Don't worry. I'll be there, even if I'm ready to puke.
Your fellow not-so-fast'ers will be there for you!
azrivest
Chasing the rDream
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- Jul 15, 2020
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- 2,149
Just wanted to say that I think this is so cool! Your son can have fun while they wait
nancipants
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And then he won't hug me because he thinks it's gross when I'm all sweaty.
The Expert
Has been to every Disney park in the world
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- Nov 8, 2009
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It's a known fact that high fives = running power-ups so he should be prepared. Get him one of those Mickey hand gloves for that extra bonus!And then he won't hug me because he thinks it's gross when I'm all sweaty.
nancipants
DIS Veteran
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I want to make him a sign that says "tap for kid energy!"
The Expert
Has been to every Disney park in the world
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2009
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I will tap any sign on the course that says that!I want to make him a sign that says "tap for kid energy!"
nancipants
DIS Veteran
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- 4,074
I'm in the middle of peak week, so this is the perfect time to think about what I'm doing next, right?
(I'm signed up for the Princess Challenge. The 10k will be with friends for fun, and I will probably also do the HM at an easy pace. But that's not what this post is about.)
Since I got my new Garmin, I've been watching the race time predictions get lower and lower. I don't actually believe that I can run a sub 33 minute 5k, but I'll take Garmin's faith in me! The really intriguing prediction, however, is the 10k. It's been getting lower and lower, and is currently predicting 1:08:31. As you may know, the POT for Disney HMs is a 1:08:00 10k. I thought it would take me years to even think of that, but maybe that can be my next big goal?
(I'm signed up for the Princess Challenge. The 10k will be with friends for fun, and I will probably also do the HM at an easy pace. But that's not what this post is about.)
Since I got my new Garmin, I've been watching the race time predictions get lower and lower. I don't actually believe that I can run a sub 33 minute 5k, but I'll take Garmin's faith in me! The really intriguing prediction, however, is the 10k. It's been getting lower and lower, and is currently predicting 1:08:31. As you may know, the POT for Disney HMs is a 1:08:00 10k. I thought it would take me years to even think of that, but maybe that can be my next big goal?
jmasgat
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2006
- Messages
- 5,249
Go for it! It's always good (and yet also scary) when goals that you thought were far-off/unobtainable suddenly appear as feasible.
Meanwhile, my Garmin is showing me numbers that depress me--historically and currently. It's a real test of my ability to look past race times in favor of just running/training/being injury free. (Currently flunking the test!)
Meanwhile, my Garmin is showing me numbers that depress me--historically and currently. It's a real test of my ability to look past race times in favor of just running/training/being injury free. (Currently flunking the test!)
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