The Official 2013 Wine and Dine Half Marathon Thread

[pix13dust]

Yeah!!! Just finished my 10k race. huge PR for me 1:07:38 which I know isn't fast for many 10k racers but for this long slow runner, it felt like I was flying. Thank goodness for the downhills but holy moly I'm ready for a nice flat steady run thru the Disney parks! I love the wine and dine course- except the banked road on the way into animal kingdom. That felt like an eternity to me. Otherwise, I find the whole race rather cool. Especially the Osborne lights. Thanks for all the pre-race advice coach. Was very helpful.

Congrats, Figs!!!!!! Awesome time

 

[cewait]

Yeah!!!

Just finished my 10k race. huge PR for me 1:07:38 which I know isn't fast for many 10k racers but for this long slow runner, it felt like I was flying. Thank goodness for the downhills but holy moly I'm ready for a nice flat steady run thru the Disney parks! I love the wine and dine course- except the banked road on the way into animal kingdom. That felt like an eternity to me. Otherwise, I find the whole race rather cool. Especially the Osborne lights.

Thanks for all the pre-race advice coach. Was very helpful.

Nice time. Set you up well for a nice corral and a great finish should you chose to push.

 

[peachygreen]

10 mile race this morning. I almost broke 2 hours. Official time 02:00:58.

I struggled more than I would have like over the last 2 miles.

 

[cewait]

10 mile race this morning. I almost broke 2 hours. Official time 02:00:58.

I struggled more than I would have like over the last 2 miles.

That's the new Katy 10 miler?

 

[jenny_nichole]

Figment - Congrats of your 10K race time and for setting a PR!

Peachygreen - Congrats on your 10 mile race today too! I just completed my 11 mile run yesterday - and I had the same experience with the last 2 miles. But we did it - so I think that's pretty awesome!

I thought that I posted last night, but my post is missing, so I must've failed to submit it.

Great job everybody who did their long runs this weekend!

I completed my 11 mile training run yesterday and it was a bear. It was hot with the sun beating on me, my legs were shot from my gym class the day before(too many squats & lunges), and was dealing with a lot of "negative self talk". Do you ever have those days? How do you overcome it?

My time wasn't stellar(Nike+ estimated that I could do it in 1:48 based on my history, but my time was 1:56.) Lots of walk breaks - especially those last 2 miles. But at the end of the day, I'm glad that I finished an I feel like I learned a few valuable lessons (run early to avoid heat if possible, don't attend gym class the day before a long run, and tell myself that "Yes, you can do this!")

 

[cewait]

Figment - Congrats of your 10K race time and for setting a PR!

Peachygreen - Congrats on your 10 mile race today too! I just completed my 11 mile run yesterday - and I had the same experience with the last 2 miles. But we did it - so I think that's pretty awesome!

I thought that I posted last night, but my post is missing, so I must've failed to submit it.

Great job everybody who did their long runs this weekend!

I completed my 11 mile training run yesterday and it was a bear. It was hot with the sun beating on me, my legs were shot from my gym class the day before(too many squats & lunges), and was dealing with a lot of "negative self talk". Do you ever have those days? How do you overcome it?

My time wasn't stellar(Nike+ estimated that I could do it in 1:48 based on my history, but my time was 1:56.) Lots of walk breaks - especially those last 2 miles. But at the end of the day, I'm glad that I finished an I feel like I learned a few valuable lessons (run early to avoid heat if possible, don't attend gym class the day before a long run, and tell myself that "Yes, you can do this!")

Think of surviving and finishing days like yesterday as Golden Opportunities. Use the thoughts and tricks you played in your mind to continue moving and bank them. They will come in handy on race day. No matter how well you are trained, or how well training is going, you will have a day or two that just stinks.

With regard to running the day after a hard leg day... I would grab that and do that at least every 2-3 weeks. The theory is that you get a much better endurance conditioning when you hit the long slow run on a set of tired legs. It is not something I would do every week, but if one were to do that on occasion, your legs will better accept the stress of race day.

Great job pushing through

 

[sully&mike]

Yeah!!!

Just finished my 10k race. huge PR for me 1:07:38 which I know isn't fast for many 10k racers but for this long slow runner, it felt like I was flying. Thank goodness for the downhills but holy moly I'm ready for a nice flat steady run thru the Disney parks! I love the wine and dine course- except the banked road on the way into animal kingdom. That felt like an eternity to me. Otherwise, I find the whole race rather cool. Especially the Osborne lights.

Thanks for all the pre-race advice coach. Was very helpful.

Yay for the 10k & your PR!!
I ran the Great Race today, too!
It was so congested at the beginning. I felt like I was people-dodging the first mile/mile-and-a-half!!!

I'm Wondering if the Run-Disney races are like that? It felt so crazy disorganized - from Expo (go here to get this/here to get this/here to get this -- couldn't it all have been put into one bag for me??????), to start line, to post-race. I STILL don't know where the bananas were!

There really isn't much of a corral concept for the Great Race. Just an 'elite' Corral and EVERYONE ELSE. There were people who were walking and who would just STOP that you were trying to weave around. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I'm a newbie and I'm just trying to absorb everything. Perhaps this is how all races function???

Anyway, I typed out a mini race report for another board I participate in. Thought that I'd paste it here, too!

The 10k went well.
I ran it in 50:42. 8:10 min/mile is my official race pace.

Because I'm sure that you all know that in crowded races, one must weave in/out of the crowd...I actually ran longer than 6.2 miles. So, I ran a little further and my pace is a little quicker. But I digress.

I did take a nasty fall on a curb. I have a baseball-sized bruise/scrape on my right forearm. It is ugly. I cursed on the race course. Another runner gave me a really dirty look. Oh well. He'll survive. There were no children within earshot and he wasn't the one who went-down in pain.

Overall, I went out too fast - first mile was HILLY - 8:20, second mile was downhill and 7:24. Got into my groove at 3-4. I loved running downhill parallel with I-376. It just felt right and there was someone that I recognized running alongside me. He is an older gentleman and he was KILLING everyone. So motivating! Such an inspiration. Mile 5 was the toughest and 6 felt like it was never ever going to end. We ran past my building that I work in at the tail end of 6, right before we headed to the finish line. I really wanted it to be over when I saw my skyscraper!!!!!! That was rough. I felt like turning and going into the building. My SLOWEST mile was 8:34. That is usually my FASTEST mile running. I did really well for me. My first 10k was a 55:36. This 10k is a 50:42. That is just shy of a 5 minute improvement. H0lycr@p!!!!!!


Also, I stopped before the finish line. I got a little confused by the newscameras thinking that was the 'final shot' and the race was over. I still had a little ways to go. OOPS. Oh well.


61st in my age group of over 700 women!

502 in females.

1766 overall (15,500 10k runners)

I'm pleased.

Hope you had good weekend runs!

In just over 6 weeks, I'll be in WDW and the half-marathon will be behind me!

 

[peachygreen]

That's the new Katy 10 miler?

Yes. They did a nice job with it. I loved the bib timing over the shoe time chips. They had well organized anf staffed water and Gatorade stops every mile. There were approximately 900 10 mile finishers. I'm not sure how many ran the 5 mile race. It was fun but hot and humid.

I definitely started out too fast. My first mile was 11:07. My goal was 11:45 - 12. I keep in that range until about mile 8-1/2 or so. I might adjust my intervals for the race. I tried 1:15/0:30 today. I don't think 30 seconds was enough recovery time by the end. I might try it at 2:30/1:00 which is the same essential interval. I do 4:1 on my midweek runs.

 

[Figment1990]

Yay for the 10k & your PR!!
I ran the Great Race today, too!
It was so congested at the beginning. I felt like I was people-dodging the first mile/mile-and-a-half!!!

I'm Wondering if the Run-Disney races are like that? It felt so crazy disorganized - from Expo (go here to get this/here to get this/here to get this -- couldn't it all have been put into one bag for me??????), to start line, to post-race. I STILL don't know where the bananas were!

There really isn't much of a corral concept for the Great Race. Just an 'elite' Corral and EVERYONE ELSE. There were people who were walking and who would just STOP that you were trying to weave around. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I'm a newbie and I'm just trying to absorb everything. Perhaps this is how all races function???

Anyway, I typed out a mini race report for another board I participate in. Thought that I'd paste it here, too!

The 10k went well.
I ran it in 50:42. 8:10 min/mile is my official race pace.

Because I'm sure that you all know that in crowded races, one must weave in/out of the crowd...I actually ran longer than 6.2 miles. So, I ran a little further and my pace is a little quicker. But I digress.

I did take a nasty fall on a curb. I have a baseball-sized bruise/scrape on my right forearm. It is ugly. I cursed on the race course. Another runner gave me a really dirty look. Oh well. He'll survive. There were no children within earshot and he wasn't the one who went-down in pain.

Overall, I went out too fast - first mile was HILLY - 8:20, second mile was downhill and 7:24. Got into my groove at 3-4. I loved running downhill parallel with I-376. It just felt right and there was someone that I recognized running alongside me. He is an older gentleman and he was KILLING everyone. So motivating! Such an inspiration. Mile 5 was the toughest and 6 felt like it was never ever going to end. We ran past my building that I work in at the tail end of 6, right before we headed to the finish line. I really wanted it to be over when I saw my skyscraper!!!!!! That was rough. I felt like turning and going into the building. My SLOWEST mile was 8:34. That is usually my FASTEST mile running. I did really well for me. My first 10k was a 55:36. This 10k is a 50:42. That is just shy of a 5 minute improvement. H0lycr@p!!!!!!

Also, I stopped before the finish line. I got a little confused by the newscameras thinking that was the 'final shot' and the race was over. I still had a little ways to go. OOPS. Oh well.

61st in my age group of over 700 women!

502 in females.

1766 overall (15,500 10k runners)

I'm pleased.

Hope you had good weekend runs!

In just over 6 weeks, I'll be in WDW and the half-marathon will be behind me!

With regards to the expo, Disney does make you go here and then there for things, but in true disney fashion, it's probably related to you ending up in a "gift shop". Lol. It's a MUCH bigger expo space than at the great race, which actually I enjoyed a lot bc I didn't feel like I had to walk for miles and I actually had time to browse a little of everything. Disney has much better race merch for sale than the great race but then again, so did the Pittsburgh marathon expo.

I too was surprised at the lack of corrals. DH and I speculated that it was perhaps because the course is sort of unpredictable- I took 8 min of my most recent 6.25 mile run thanks to all the downhills (and some tough training) and I was sick. Almost tempted to try again next year to see how much more I can shave off. It was very crowded in the beginning and it never really seemed to open up. I was always able to get around when I needed to but I'm slower and not running 8 min miles either so perhaps I would have been more annoyed if I were. Compared to Disney (wine and dine) the start of wine and dine felt a little more crowded for longer than today's race - I think because the first hill today was a tough one and maybe it thinned out people who weren't ready for the hill. I was and was able to maintain pace and perhaps move ahead. Then again, at wine and dine, I had no proof of time, was in corral e and was trying to pass people. I managed to go up and run in the grass for a bit behind some people and that helped but I'm lucky I didn't turn an ankle. Anyhow, long story short, even starting back in the second to last corral last year, I felt that the wine and dine thinned out better than the great race did overall. There were some tight spots going into animal kingdom and running towards the boardwalk, but mostly it felt much more open than today.

I had a very similar race to you- went out a little fast (faster than I planned but I was ok with that), had a very fast downhill mile 2, got "in the groove" as u said during 3 and 4 thru CMU and Pitt and then flew up onto the boulevard for a very tough mile 5. Gosh that felt like it went on forever! Mile six was ok but I was searching for my parents and son and it seemed like forever before I saw them and then the last turn into the finish seemed like a trick! For some reason I thought it would end outside the park but I got there. There was a woman down on the finish line (literally on the ground ON it), so I sort of walked across it and almost got run over by a wheelchair they were bringing her. They told us to stay left, but I think they should have said right because I went left and that's where they were trying to get to her. Anyhow, I agree that the reunion area seemed a bit disorganized. I have no clue why they put the Gatorade in the furthest spot from the finish line but they did have quite the spread: eat n park cookies, bagels, bananas, oranges... DH and I met in the shady tent which I thought was a very nice touch.

I think I would run it again but definitely not when I'm feeling sick like this! That combined with sun combined with the mile 5 hill and the crowds made it a tough one. But definitely awesome to see so many runners out enjoying our sport and spectators too. Loved the signs and the woman who shouted near the end "you're almost there! It's just around the corner" and pointed to the finish line. That helped. And the runner who at the end of mile five said "that's it! The toughest part is over! Just one more mile people!" She was uplifting at the right time!

 

[Figment1990]

And thanks everyone for the congrats! Love the supportiveness of RunDis peeps! You are all the best! (And I can't figure out how to multi-quote posts on my phone).

 

[jenny_nichole]

Think of surviving and finishing days like yesterday as Golden Opportunities. Use the thoughts and tricks you played in your mind to continue moving and bank them. They will come in handy on race day. No matter how well you are trained, or how well training is going, you will have a day or two that just stinks.

With regard to running the day after a hard leg day... I would grab that and do that at least every 2-3 weeks. The theory is that you get a much better endurance conditioning when you hit the long slow run on a set of tired legs. It is not something I would do every week, but if one were to do that on occasion, your legs will better accept the stress of race day.

Great job pushing through

Thanks for the advice Coach Charles! It's good to hear that leg training the day before a long run isn't harmful, and can actually help if done in moderation.

 

[peachygreen]

I should not have gone back and looked up my last 10 mile race time. Granted it was 5 years ago, but I honestly thought I was in better shape now than 5 years ago. My tome then was 15 minutes faster than my time today.


Question about slowing down at the end. Do you think the fact that I had no taper for this, but attempted to run at race pace could have attributed to it? I did 12.5 miles at LSD pace last Saturday and 2 strong midweek training runs this week.

 

[cewait]

I should not have gone back and looked up my last 10 mile race time. Granted it was 5 years ago, but I honestly thought I was in better shape now than 5 years ago. My tome then was 15 minutes faster than my time today.


Question about slowing down at the end. Do you think the fact that I had no taper for this, but attempted to run at race pace could have attributed to it? I did 12.5 miles at LSD pace last Saturday and 2 strong midweek training runs this week.

Hard to say....

- How did you train and come into the last race?
- Was the weather comparable
- The last course was different, the slight terrain change could be a difference.
- Are you older?
- How long were you running before the last 10 miler?

Most certainly, a long run the day prior to a race could slow you up but there are other variables that can contribute. Probably the largest variable here is the how long were you running (and how often were you racing) before the last 10 miller. The mental game is often the unaccounted for difference between runs. If you had a little more continuous running time under your belt last time, you may have had a tougher mental game, allowing you to push through the negative thoughts.

Hard to answer the question in isolation - but I gave you a few things to think about.

Looks like you are nearly ready for the W&D

 

[jenny_nichole]

? about 10K race on a scheduled long run day:

My 10K race is scheduled for Saturday, 10/12, which is also my next scheduled long run(11.5 miles). My dh suggested that I just "keep going" and do the course twice, which would cover my 11.5 miles + cool down. Has anyone tried something similar?

It would be awfully convenient - already have dh available to watch the kids, morning temps should be great, and a change of scenery would be nice. Is there any reason I should forego this idea and just do the 10k on Saturday and make up the long run on say, Monday. ???

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[cewait]

? about 10K race on a scheduled long run day:

My 10K race is scheduled for Saturday, 10/12, which is also my next scheduled long run(11.5 miles). My dh suggested that I just "keep going" and do the course twice, which would cover my 11.5 miles + cool down. Has anyone tried something similar?

It would be awfully convenient - already have dh available to watch the kids, morning temps should be great, and a change of scenery would be nice. Is there any reason I should forego this idea and just do the 10k on Saturday and make up the long run on say, Monday. ???

Thanks for your thoughts.

Either way is fine but here is some food for thought.

If you ran the 10k for time and ran it as a race, I would stop there. Running a 10k as a race could bring in a mile or two of warm up strides making the day 7-8 mile day; well within the tolerance of a good long run. The added effort of the race miles will pay dividends from the speed work as well. Mentally, you will be fighting to get the entire 10k in if run as a race.

If you wanted to get the 12 miles in, I would suggest pulling back from a 10k race effort and run the race in your training pace range. Trying the run the added miles post-race may create an injury situation due to the fatigue from the race.

I am assuming that the 10k is here for a corral improvement or proof  run the race, get your best time and call it good.

 

[schoonersky]

Hi everyone! Glad to see everyone is keeping up with training and getting those runs in! I had two weeks with only one 5k on the middle, but my thyroid must be kicking back to normal because I am starting to feel human again. So, I am running tonight! Yay! Hope it goes well!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[peachygreen]

Hard to say....

- How did you train and come into the last race?
- Was the weather comparable
- The last course was different, the slight terrain change could be a difference.
- Are you older?
- How long were you running before the last 10 miler?

Most certainly, a long run the day prior to a race could slow you up but there are other variables that can contribute. Probably the largest variable here is the how long were you running (and how often were you racing) before the last 10 miller. The mental game is often the unaccounted for difference between runs. If you had a little more continuous running time under your belt last time, you may have had a tougher mental game, allowing you to push through the negative thoughts.

Hard to answer the question in isolation - but I gave you a few things to think about.

Looks like you are nearly ready for the W&D

Thanks - that does give me some things to think about. I'm not as worried about being slower than I was at my last 10-miler. I had forgotten I was running that kind of pace. It was 5 years and a 1 kid ago when I ran that race. It was also probably 20 degrees cooler and less humid than it was yesterday morning (it was in the mid 80's with 99% humidity yesterday - not unusual in Houston but very muggy)

I'm more concerned with the dead leg feeling I got at mile 8. I was definately feeling fatigued for the last 2 miles. I'm trying to decide if I need to adjust my early mile pacing or if some of that deadleg feeling will improve with a proper taper before the half. I actually finished the race right at my max goal time but I fell like I should have been able to have run stronger at the end of the race than I did. I'm normally much more consistant with my slipt times than I was yesterday. Here are my splits
Mile 1 - 11:07 min (way too fast for a planned 11:45/12:00 pace)
Mile 2 - 11:47 min
Mile 3 - 12:03 min
Mile 4 - 11:44 min
Mile 5 - 12:04 min
Mile 6 - 11:58 min
Mile 7 - 12:09 min
Mile 8 - 12:30 min
Mile 9 - 13:21 min
Mile 10 - 13:05 min

I'd feel better if I hadn't have dropped off more than a minute of my desired pace for the last 2 miles. The other variances (Miles 2 to 7) could easily be explained by where water stops corresponded with run/walk break cycles and they would generally average out at ~11:55. I was aiming for 12 min/mile pace yesterday due to the humidity etc. I'd like to do 11:45 pace for the half and hope that it will be a little cooler/less humid in Orlando. I'd be fine with 12 min/mile pace. I'm a little nervous about the drop off at the end. I really was struggling there at the end.

My plans for the rest for my weekend runs are
10/5 - 16 miles
10/12 - 5 mile
10/19 - 4 miles
10/26 - 12 miles
11/2 - 4 miles
11/9 - Race

My midweek runs are typically on Tuesday/Thursday and are 3-1/2 to 5 miles each. I try to get a minimum of 2 mile walk in the rest of the days (and more often than not have a 2 mile walk on my long run days too).

I'm planning to run another half in January in Louisiana so I can work to improve my time between now and then as well.

I probably should try to get some more speed work in during those midweek runs too I guess. As the heat and humidity of summer (and my travel schedule for work) picked up, I found myself running pretty consistant midweek paces of 11:05/mile with less variation in speed runs than I would have liked.

I'm not expecting a miracle cure all here and anticipate that this will likely not be a PR race (my PR half is 2:39). I really just want to finish it strong this time around.

 

[peachygreen]

Pre race logistics questions

I know you take the bus from either Epcot or one of the Host resorts starting at 7pm to ESPN WWoS.

What are the facilities like when you are there prerace? I know they should have bag drop there. Are you outside the entire time? Inside? Are there places to sit? One of my more miserable prerace experiences was the NYC marathon where you have to arrive so early to get to SI before the bridge closes and then you are sitting on the wet (think frost/dew) grass in the cold predawn hours trying not to freeze. So I don't expect it to be as cold as it was in NYC but I am curious what the set up is like.

Portapoties/real restrooms/mix of both? Do they have drinks/food? Is the bag drop area organized? I've been to some where you have a one way to get in and out and it was like trying to swim upstream without a paddel both ways to get to the right drop location. I'm not a big fan of being in crowds like that so I am just trying to mentally prepare for it.

 

[DoctorK]

I was aiming for 12 min/mile pace yesterday due to the humidity etc.

I think you're being a little too hard on yourself. You were aiming for 12 min/mile and ended up at 12:11. And you learned a little more about how your body reacts to going out a little too fast on a hot and humid day. Awesome job!

 

[jenny_nichole]

Either way is fine but here is some food for thought.

If you ran the 10k for time and ran it as a race, I would stop there. Running a 10k as a race could bring in a mile or two of warm up strides making the day 7-8 mile day; well within the tolerance of a good long run. The added effort of the race miles will pay dividends from the speed work as well. Mentally, you will be fighting to get the entire 10k in if run as a race.

If you wanted to get the 12 miles in, I would suggest pulling back from a 10k race effort and run the race in your training pace range. Trying the run the added miles post-race may create an injury situation due to the fatigue from the race.

I am assuming that the 10k is here for a corral improvement or proof  run the race, get your best time and call it good.

Thanks Coach Charles. You're right, I do hope for a PR for the 10k and use it for corral placement. With this in mind, I plan to take your advice and forego the 12.5 miles that day. If all goes well, I'd like to do the 12.5 the following Monday since I feel like those long runs are important...maybe even more mentally than physically speaking.