October 10-16
Total Miles: 41.1
Total Time: 6h44min
Oh, WDW. I could write an entire trip report, but it would be kind of negative. I think I may simply be done with non-race WDW trips for quite a while, as so much has changed and it's not for me anymore. And that's ok! It's still possible to have a good time, but it's requiring a level of effort and money that I'm not terribly interested in fronting any longer. I don't want to wait in long lines anymore, but at the same time it feels like a huge slap in the face to now have to pay $15, $20, or $25 (real prices during out trip) per person per day for something that used to be free, and now it's more or less required to have a positive experience. I'm a mosey-er by nature and like to jump on rides when I pass one that suits me, but I'm sorry, as much as I love Spaceship Earth, it's not worth an hour wait, nor is it worth
Genie+ prices to ride.
And man, it was hot. I know that's not Disney's fault, but it was so miserable. It really puts into perspective how badly places like Toy Story Land are designed, when you're standing there baking in 90F heat and there's nowhere to sit and next to no shade. Who thought that was a good idea? Plus, 1.5+ hour waits for all the rides on top of it.
We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter. There were no discounts, which meant we were on the hook for the nearly $400/night (after taxes and fees) rack rate. I know it's been said many times, but Disney really ought to have much higher quality accommodations for the prices they charge. They've got you if you want to stay on-site and they know it, but that doesn't make it sit well with me.
Lastly, there was apparently a price hike in food right before we arrived? I don't keep up with Disney news anymore so I'm not sure if that's accurate, but multiple people mentioned it, and we definitely felt it with what we paid. We went with a larger group (7 total), which meant we ate a lot of resort QS and places that are easy to get large groups. And just like the prices for the hotels, Disney should be ashamed of themselves for churning out the low quality garbage food at the resort QS and in MK. It is absolutely ridiculous to pay that much for such terrible, terrible food. There is good food at WDW, but it seems like it's getting harder to find, and prices are just going up.
On the plus side, we did have some good food experiences. I was pleasantly surprised by Artist Point and had feared the worst after it converted to a character meal, but the food was good to great. $65/adult is very hard to swallow, but at least I didn't feel totally ripped off. We also had dinner at Boma one night, which is my favorite restaurant on property and it remains great, but again, $54/adult is a big ask. Everything else we ate - from park QS to resort QS - was somewhere between mediocre and downright terrible. At the very least I wasn't hungry, and I felt... uncomfortably greasy.
MNSSHP was a good time though! Ended up with 2 huge bags of candy and rode some rides. It didn't seem very crowded at all despite being sold out. We were really here for my niece, who recently turned 10. She had a great trip, and that's all that matters in the end.
Training! Yeah all of this sucked because of the heat, and I didn't finish 2 out of 3.
Monday: 6 Miles EA (10:22); T+D 73+68 = 141
- Splits: 10:34, 10:39, 10:20, 10:20, 10:22, 10:24
Tuesday: 6 Miles EA (10:22); T+D 74+70 = 144;
Actually completed 5 miles
- Splits: 10:37, 10:53, 10:23, 10:33, 10:31
I originally was scheduled to rest Tuesday, but the forecast indicated possible inclement weather on Thursday, so I moved everything up a day. Look at that dew point - 70! - absolutely miserable. Full Sun, not a cloud in the sky. I couldn't finish the last mile because I was dying. This should have been a warning, but I'm hard-headed.
And yeah, I think I've mentioned this before, but I grew up and spend 30 years of my life in the deep South, in hotter and more humid temps than this, and it's something to which I simply never adapted. But I guess it was different back then, in that we all knew and agreed this kind of heat was dangerous, so we maximized our time inside - inside a house, work, car, etc. I would think I'd be at least a little adapted after all those years, but no, every time the temp rises, I feel awful.
Wednesday: Block: 1 Mile WU (11:03) + 10 min each EA (10:22) + EB (9:41) + LR (9:25) + M Tempo (8:38) + HM Tempo (9:17) + LT (8:02) + 1 Mile CD (11:03); T+D 75+73 = 148
Actually completed: Everything up to HM. HM and LT were shortened, no CD.
- Pre-run: Honey Stinger gel, water
- WU 11:33
- Splits
- 10 min EA (10:22): 10:30
- 10 min EB (9:41): 9:44, 9:59
- 10 min LR (9:25): 9:24, 8:56
- 10 min M Tempo (8:38): 8:51, 8:35
- ~3.5 min HM Tempo: (8:17): 8:49
- 5 min LT (8:02): 8:36
In my Strava I wrote:
I hate the heat, I hate the humidity, I hate the sun, I hate Florida. Sunny disposition, that's how all my friends describe me.
So yeah. This is the peak workout for the training plan, as the goal is to teach you how to start slow so you have enough left in the tank for the hard paces at the end. Well, lesson learned. I very rarely did any T+D adjustments throughout my plan, but nothing was as hard as this workout, and I went from cool temps and perfect running weather to... whatever this is. 73F dew point! Ugh.
I cut off the HM Tempo because I had to stop and walk for about 30 seconds. I tried the LT after that, but I only made it 5 minutes before I had to stop for good. The heat was just too much and I couldn't take it any longer.
So, fine. This is annoying because I knew better, but it's my own fault for not adjusting for the absolutely absurd, nearly 150 T+D. Lesson learned, and I need to move on. I stewed about it for a little while, then got over it with a very mediocre bacon, egg, and cheese bagel from the Sassagoula QS.
Thursday: Rest, and board the train back home. Here's a picture of the locomotives while we were stopped in Raleigh, NC, because locomotives are neat.
Friday: Rest, and back home a bit early - a rarity on Amtrak long distance! A true treat.
Saturday: 9 Miles EB (9:41) + Strides, T+D: 54+48 = 102
Finally, back in the friendly confines of reasonable running weather. We're getting closer and closer to starting these runs in the 40sF and I cannot wait!
- Splits: 9:44, 9:43, 9:43, 9:45, 9:41, 9:45, 9:41, 9:48, 9:29
It's amazing what I can accomplish when the Sun isn't trying to kill me.
Sunday: Fast Finish: 13 Miles LR (9:25) + 2 Miles Sub-4 (9:00)
- Starting T+D: I forgot to check, but probably reasonably close to the ending T+D.
- Ending T+D: 60+50 = 110
- Pre-run: 1 scoop Tailwind, water
- In-run: Water, Maurten CAF 45:00, Egel 90:00 and 135:00
- Splits:
- 13 Miles LR (9:25)
- Mile 1: 9:10
- Mile 2: 9:28
- Mile 3: 9:42
- Mile 4: 9:34
- Mile 5: 9:53
- Mile 6: 9:41
- Mile 7: 9:27
- Mile 8: 9:18
- Mile 9: 9:23
- Mile 10: 9:27
- Mile 11: 9:32
- Mile 12: 9:32
- Mile 13: 9:25
- 2 Miles Sub-4 (9:00)
- Mile 14: 9:01
- Mile 15: 8:53
So, couple things - Maurten CAF remains pretty bad, but it was easier to take in this time I guess because I was anticipating the bitterness. I also didn't need the 3rd and final gel right at the end (total moving time was 2:21:40, so a gel at 2:15:00 did nothing for me), but I know I'll be using way more than 2 gels during the marathon and there are precious few workouts to train with more than 2. Plus, I used a gel while at race pace - all good practice! In something that is likely only notable to me, that Egel still tasted good even after 2 hours and 15 minutes of running. Definitely gonna use my Maurten CAF gels early in the race.
Also, it was a bit hot.
This was a very leisurely stroll down Rock Creek Trail again, as I ventured much further north into the city and took the trail down as far as I could to maximize my trail time. The leaves are starting to change colors and it's beautiful. Also, there was a moment where I was daydreaming and kind of just enjoying the run, and my watch suddenly buzzed for the 12th mile indicator. It's a true testament to me to see how far my fitness has come, in that I can run 12 miles with relatively low effort and still be fine. And I'm not done building fitness yet! I had a couple of slightly slow miles thanks to some steep uphills, but all in all I'm thrilled with how this turned out. I could've done more than 2 miles at sub-4 at the end if it was necessary, but if I'm being honest I was out of water and the traffic was getting heavier, so I was happy to be done.
Next week is a down week in mileage (but still a couple tough workouts) before I roll into peak week capped by a 16 mile Fast Finish workout. I'm looking at everything remaining in my plan and I can do all of it. I can tell I'm approaching peak fitness levels as my confidence is high and I feel great even after 15 miles.
Thanks for reading!
