The Running Thread - 2016

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: Tell us about your first race and how did it go? How much have you improved since then?

ATTQOTD: My first 5k ever was my freshman year in high school. I started with the team ~2 weeks before the first race and of course my coach wanted me to run it. I am not sure of the exact time, but it was over 30 minutes and I finished 2nd the last. My teammates came out on the course and ran the last mile or so with me. I knew at that point that runners where a special group of people. My Jr. year was my last year of CC and I ended up with a PR that year around 19:05. I don't count that one as my current PR since it was nearly 15 years ago. My first 5k back to running wasn't much better, and my current 5k best is 21:18. Hopefully soon I get into the 20's and find myself back into the 19's before long.

 

[LSUlakes]

Just like beers!

Not all beer is created equal... But all miles are.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Just like beers!

Posts like this should allow more than one press of the "Like" button

 

[Anisum]

QOTD: Tell us about your first race and how did it go? How much have you improved since then?

It will have been a year ago this weekend! It was the Run the Vineyards Old Country 5k/10k (I did the 5k) to get my used to racing before I did my proof of time 10k later that summer. I had just come back from a cruise and was a little jetlagged. I ended up running the entire thing (my goal for the race) and finishing in 48:16. I was in before 50 other people and was 3rd to last in my age/gender division. As you know a few weeks ago I got a PR for a 5k which was 37:11 so I've improved a lot. This year I'm going to do the 10k (I hadn't even run that far period as of last year) and while I may get a PR (only because my last timed non-Disney 10k was in November) I don't think my time will look nearly as good as my 5 miler or 10 miler times from last month because the heat is killing me I'm excited to see how much better I've gotten on the same course. Hopefully the rain will hold out!

 

[ZellyB]

I did our annual Turkey Trot 5K with my husband and kids several years ago. I'd not call it a race since we walked most of it and my kids were pretty little, but that was my first official timed race. I don't even remember what my time was.

So, as of today I've run 4 marathons and 7 half-marathons plus the debacle that was Wine and Dine 2016. I'm still not fast, but at least faster than I used to be.

 

[DopeyBadger]

QOTD: Tell us about your first race and how did it go? How much have you improved since then?

My first race was a marathon in October 2012. I've told this story before but I had only been running 3 miles 3x/week during the summer of 2012 (the first time I had been running since 2003). Someone had mentioned that they were doing a half marathon, and I was like "oh, what's that?" And they said 13.1 miles. And I said to myself "yea, I could probably do that." Then, I checked out the race website and saw a marathon for only $10 more. I was like well if I'm going to run 13.1 miles I might as well run 26.2 miles because it's only $10 more...

Looking back it's quite comical on my reasoning. However, when this friend told me I COULDN'T run a marathon I said well now I AM going to do it. So I trained for 8 weeks going from 3 miles up to 26.2 miles. My strategy in the race was to bank time. So, I started off going as fast as I could so that I could have all those fast miles in the beginning and then I'd just hold on till the end. So, at the 8 mile point was when the sub-4 hr group finally passed me and I thought "wow, I'm doing so well". And then I crossed the half marathon mark in 2:05 and said "wow, I'm doing so well". Then came the second half... Needless to say I was very tired come mile 17 and was in a lot of pain. Many of the remaining miles were in the 15+ range. My phone died even though it was 100% at the start so then I didn't even know my splits anymore. My family thought the worst because I had live-tracking on my phone and suddenly I wasn't moving anymore. They actually got in the car from the finish line to come find me. They found me around mile 23, but didn't say hi or anything. They just drove by and then drove to the finish line. I finally finished in 4:50 which was 10 minutes faster than my goal of sub-5. I was in so much pain that my wife's grandfather had to lift me into the car. I said repeatedly after that I would never do a marathon and never do another race.

Since then I've done 3 5Ks, 3 10Ks, 13 Halfs, 8 Marathons, and 3 Dopeys. As the story goes, I'm doing a lot better now then I was then. I've learned quite a few things along the way: about running and about myself.

 

[Barca33Runner]

QOTD: Tell us about your first race and how did it go? How much have you improved since then?

My first race was the 2012 WDW Half Marathon. When I took the somewhat crazy step of committing to the race I weighed around 260 pounds (probably a little heavier) and I honestly don't know when was the last time I had continuously walked a mile. I was a poster boy for the sedentary lifestyle (I'm pretty sure no one bought the poster). I did most of my "training" on a recumbent bike and walking/jogging on a treadmill. By the time the race rolled around I was down in the 245-250 range, but I was pretty brazen/foolhardy in my belief that I could finish a half marathon without putting in much effort and that I wasn't really in "bad shape"; that belief had really undermined my training. Well, yes, I was in bad shape. I jogged parts of the first 5 or 6 miles of the race and walked to the finish in 3:22. My feet had huge blisters and I could barely move for a couple days afterward. I had both proven myself correct (yes, I did technically finish a half marathon) and shamed myself at the same time. I went into the race thinking it would be the one and only distance race I would ever do and came out of it with a new resolve to better myself. I have been back for WDW Marathon Weekend every year since and ran the Marathon in 2013 and the Dopey Challenge in 2014, 2015, and 2016. I have lost quite a bit of weight over those years, getting down as low as 180 and currently sitting at 190. I am working on improving that as we speak, as I once again got a little too complacent and am attempting to ramp up my training to shoot for even loftier goals.

When I signed up for that race I never would have envisioned where I have come. I really did believe it was going to be the only race I ever ran. I consider myself incredibly lucky that my sister was looking for someone to run the race with her and that registration was still available in September 2011 for the 2012 race; I think it was only a year or two later when the half started selling out in days or hours rather than months. I'm excited about how far I've come and just as excited to see how much farther I can go.

 

[gjramsey]

ATTPQOTD: Early morning runs for me all the time. More humid, but much less hot in the Houston area.

AATQOTD: Since I started running again, my first race was in Nov 2011 R&R San Antonio Half. I started running about a year before that, and decided that with all the running I was doing, why not do a race? I put a guesstimate finish time of 1:45 and ended up assigned to corral 5 out of 20something. I spent a good chunk of the pre-race wondering why I was so close to the front. As the race progressed, I kept passing people. Finished in 1:42:11 and was shocked that I finished 636 out of 19,545. I had absolutely no clue I was that fast!

Since then I have improved my Half PR down to 1:37:54. I have been more focused on Full training that I keep within a couple of minutes of that time for the half, but have not lowered it in a couple of years.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

QOTD: Tell us about your first race and how did it go? How much have you improved since then?

My first running race was a 5K in September of 2012. I had done a handful of triathlons earlier that summer, but this was my first ever running race. We had been out of town two hours away the night before at a friend's wedding so I probably didn't prep as well as I should have (beers count as carb-loading, right?), but I still managed to end up with a time of 19:00 even after having my only goal to go under 20 minutes. The only catch was that the turnaround cone was placed 50m short of where it was supposed to be, so the 5K was actually only 4.9K I don't race a lot of 5K's so that time actually stood as my PR for a while and it always bugged me knowing that it was on a short course. That race also began a long frustrating string of 4th place AG finishes...all I wanted was a medal and I was consistently off the podium by one spot.

 

[roxymama]

I totally missed yesterday's posts because I am in full bathroom remodel obsession. But everything I would have said about heat was said. Mostly I agree with whoever complained about winter turning into summer and us in the mid-west getting NO SPRING! My stack of capri's missed out as I went from long tights to shorts with no in between.

ATTQOTD: If you want to read my very first race recap of The Candy Race 5k from last year it's on page 5 of my journal in the middle of this link. It's not as crazy detailed as my latest races, but I was a newbie and less over-analytical. I had done a run/walk for charity un-timed earlier that year and finished at 42 something. And my first running race a few months later I finished at 31:33 which surprised the beejesus out of me in a good way. And I was hooked...despite starting way too far back, drinking waaaay too much water, wearing cotton, not understanding pace etc. Then I became addicted to getting better and the rest is history.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/roxymamas-5k-2015-2016-journey-rundisney-jan-2016.3396392/page-5

 

[Chaitali]

I had walked a couple 5ks in the past but I started training to be able to run a race in January of 2014. I was very methodical about it, joined a 5k training group, and ran the 5k in March. It sadly was cold and rained the whole time. I think it took me over 45 minutes. Then I trained for a 10k in June, the Tower of Terror 10miler in October and my first half marathon (Richmond) in November. So that was my year of firsts for races My 5k PR from last month is now at a bit less than 35 minutes so I'm continuing with my slow improvements

 

[Slogger]

QOTD: Tell us about your first race and how did it go? How much have you improved since then?

When I was 25, Our historic little town put on a 5k in middle of Summer and a friend of mine asked me to run and support the event.
I had never run a distance event before and just hoped to finish in less than an hour with no training. Ended up taking me 47 minutes but it was miserable and I didn't try to run again for nearly 20 years.

Thanks to the support and encouragement of my wife and daughter, I started running again 4.5 years ago. I have definitely learned a lot and improved my times and distances since that first event without putting in a lot of effort or miles. Now I am in the process of making the next step to improve my physical and mental performance and get even better.

Thanks to everyone here for your inspiration and support!

 

[camaker]

QOTD: Tell us about your first race and how did it go? How much have you improved since then?

ATTQOTD: My story is pretty boring. My PT talked me into doing Wine & Dine with him in January, 2015. He'd been trying to get me to come to Disney for a race for a while and I thought I was crazy to even consider attempting a half marathon, with all my athletic experience being in sprinting-based sports. I knew I'd need a PoT for the Disney race, so I signed up for a local chip-timed 10k, the Cary Road Race in April, 2015. It was a two-lap course with a long, slow hill in the middle and I went into it hoping to break the 1:00 mark. It was the longest run I'd ever done and I ended up at 54:56 with a hunger for more. So I went out and did a 10 mile training run the next week. What do you mean I need a slow progression of mileage?! Since then, I've run two 5ks, two 10ks, seven 1/2 marathons and one marathon (as part of Goofy). I guess you could say I've taken to the whole running thing. The funny part is, the race that started it all, W&D 2015? Didn't even get in...

 

[BuckeyeBama]

QOTD: Tell us about your first race and how did it go? How much have you improved since then?

I guess that my first race was my 2 mile run as a part of my PT test at the end of basic training in the Army in 1986. We had to run it in 17 minutes to pass, but the goal was to run it it 11 minutes to max the test. It was the last of 3 exercises in the test. First was the push-up test, then the sit-up test, then the run. I had never run for speed until I joined the Army (was in shape from years of playing football), but I was young and we had been training for a few months in the Georgia heat, so I managed to max the run. My official time was 11:03 (11:05 maxed).

As for improvement since then - yeah. I improved at shorter distances. My PB for the mile is 4:34, which came about 2 years into my time in the Army. My PB for 2 miles was 10:50, but the max was 11:05 so I only wanted to hit that time. Those times are long since in my past. My goals no longer have anything to do with finishing times.

 

[rteetz]

QOTD: Tell us about your first race and how did it go? How much have you improved since then

I would say my first race is a Susan G Komen race for the cure 5K in Madison, WI. However we didn't run as I was like 9 years old we just walked. My first real race that I ran would be the Walt Disney World 10K in 2015.

I would say I have improved as I am more into running now. I moved up to my first half marathon this year and now next year I'm doing Dopey. Many think I'm crazy but I love crazy

 

[croach]

QOTD: Tell us about your first race and how did it go? How much have you improved since then?.

Thanks to the nice site Athlinks I was able to find my first race in May 2009, the Gallop for the Greenways 5k. Fun little local race that had beer and pizza at the finish - so count me in right. I finished in 27:39. I don't do many 5ks because I'm cheap and don't like to pay to run 3 miles but as luck would have it I just did the same race last month. I finished in 20:08 so it's fun to see that improvement. I would have never looked if not for this question.

 

[Dis5150]

QOTD: Tell us about your first race and how did it go? How much have you improved since then?

My first race was a 10k last year on 10/17/15 that I ran for a POT for W&D. I finished in 1:24, 4th from last and 7th of 7 in my age group. Very hilly race in a local amusement park. I was seriously happy that there were people behind me when I crossed the finish line as they had waited to do the awards for the 5k/10k until after everyone finished, so there were like 300 people sitting there, watching me. I just ran a 10k in April and my time was 1:16. So an 8 minute improvement in 6 months! Since that first 10k I have ran 4 half marathons, 3 10k's, 1 5k, and the half of a half that was W&D. I never imagined that I would come this far! My DD26 and I were just talking about this last weekend when I went out to visit her. She reminded me of when she first asked me to run W&D with here and I said "NO WAY! I could NEVER run a half marathon!"

 

[dis_or_dat]

ATTQOTD: I've run a few fun run 5ks in the past, but my first real race was a local 10k back in 10/2015 that I was using as POT for Tinkerbell. I was nervous so got there over 1.5 hours early - nothing was even set up! Everyone showed up about 30 min before the race. I ended up working my way up to the front with a bunch of middle/high schoolers and so started off much faster than I thought I could run! One kid kept drafting me and then pushing me over with his shoulder for some reason - I don't know why because it was pretty empty around us. He tried to do that with another guy and he just gave him a look and blew past him. I thought I was going pretty fast but then I'd see guys pushing strollers coming up from behind and breezing past me.

I ended up running a pace I never thought I could - 7:17 I think? I haven't trained properly to translate to a possibly predicted 1:41 half marathon per McMillan but I hope to! Anyways, besides that odd kid, I really enjoyed the race and will probably continue to run it annually. Plus it's cheap!!

 

[LSUlakes]

My first race was a marathon in October 2012. I've told this story before but I had only been running 3 miles 3x/week during the summer of 2012 (the first time I had been running since 2003). Someone had mentioned that they were doing a half marathon, and I was like "oh, what's that?" And they said 13.1 miles. And I said to myself "yea, I could probably do that." Then, I checked out the race website and saw a marathon for only $10 more. I was like well if I'm going to run 13.1 miles I might as well run 26.2 miles because it's only $10 more...

Looking back it's quite comical on my reasoning. However, when this friend told me I COULDN'T run a marathon I said well now I AM going to do it. So I trained for 8 weeks going from 3 miles up to 26.2 miles. My strategy in the race was to bank time. So, I started off going as fast as I could so that I could have all those fast miles in the beginning and then I'd just hold on till the end. So, at the 8 mile point was when the sub-4 hr group finally passed me and I thought "wow, I'm doing so well". And then I crossed the half marathon mark in 2:05 and said "wow, I'm doing so well". Then came the second half... Needless to say I was very tired come mile 17 and was in a lot of pain. Many of the remaining miles were in the 15+ range. My phone died even though it was 100% at the start so then I didn't even know my splits anymore. My family thought the worst because I had live-tracking on my phone and suddenly I wasn't moving anymore. They actually got in the car from the finish line to come find me. They found me around mile 23, but didn't say hi or anything. They just drove by and then drove to the finish line. I finally finished in 4:50 which was 10 minutes faster than my goal of sub-5. I was in so much pain that my wife's grandfather had to lift me into the car. I said repeatedly after that I would never do a marathon and never do another race.

Since then I've done 3 5Ks, 3 10Ks, 13 Halfs, 8 Marathons, and 3 Dopeys. As the story goes, I'm doing a lot better now then I was then. I've learned quite a few things along the way: about running and about myself.

That post should of started off with "What not to do before your first marathon". Its almost text book stuff you read in RW's not to do. I'm sure you learned a lot from it, and the good news is you are still at it! The banking time on the front end is my favorite part.

 

[PrincessV]

ATTQOTD: First race was the Princess 5K in 2012, run with my son. We'd visited over marathon weekend that year and saw the tail end of the full runners while in DHS, and I was stunned to find that normal, average people run races! I'd been running for enjoyment and fitness for decades, but never knew until then that recreational runners did races, let alone Disney ones. So I looked it up when I got home, saw that there was the Princess weekend the next month, ran it by my son, and we decided to try the 5K. Yep, registered a month out! We had fun - lots of walking, some running, just took in the whole experience. The rest of my rD history is in my signature - clearly, I like running Disney. I'd guess my improvement has come in the form of distance more than pace; I'm not much faster than I was then, but I'm covering a whole lot more ground nowadays.