Tower of Terror 10 Miler 2014

[EcbLovesMickey]

Hey all. Just signed up for the TOT last night. I ran the glass slipper last month and had a not so great time (travel wise not race wise, lots of women = lots of drama). This time I am traveling with my family.

I am the only one running the 10 miler though, so looking for someone/group of folks to hang out with before/after. I am not fast AT ALL, I run about a 12/13 min mile on a good day, but I am also running the 5K that morning with my son, so I may be closer to the 14/15 by that time of day

Also, anyone know which resorts are host resorts?

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Hey all. Just signed up for the TOT last night. I ran the glass slipper last month and had a not so great time (travel wise not race wise, lots of women = lots of drama). This time I am traveling with my family.

I am the only one running the 10 miler though, so looking for someone/group of folks to hang out with before/after. I am not fast AT ALL, I run about a 12/13 min mile on a good day, but I am also running the 5K that morning with my son, so I may be closer to the 14/15 by that time of day

Also, anyone know which resorts are host resorts?

Welcome!

Sorry your PHM/Glass Slipper didn't go over well. I think sometimes I went into the career path I did to avoid female drama.

I'm not a fast runner either. I am training but I hope to be around a 13:00min/mile overall for the race.

Some of us in the race are hanging out over on the Pre-Trip boards.
annmarieda: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3238588
Tinker326: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3240565
Mine: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3239003
StayCool's Training: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3236023

Host Resorts are:
Boardwalk
Beach Club
Polynesian
Wilderness Lodge
Old Key West
Saratoga springs
POR
POFQ
Caribbean Beach
All Stars (all of them)
Pop Century

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

Welcome!

Sorry your PHM/Glass Slipper didn't go over well. I think sometimes I went into the career path I did to avoid female drama.

I'm not a fast runner either. I am training but I hope to be around a 13:00min/mile overall for the race.

Some of us in the race are hanging out over on the Pre-Trip boards.
annmarieda: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3238588
Tinker326: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3240565
Mine: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3239003
StayCool's Training: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3236023

Host Resorts are:
Boardwalk
Beach Club
Polynesian
Wilderness Lodge
Old Key West
Saratoga springs
POR
POFQ
Caribbean Beach
All Stars (all of them)
Pop Century

Thank you! We're DVC'ers so looks we'll be at SS this trip! I will check out the Pre-trip boards, thanks!

 

[Radiorox]

Looking like either POP or POR for me. I was REALLY hoping AKL or CSR would be hosting.

 

[JamieLM]

Does anyone know roughy what time we need to bus for this event? I thought I read 7:30pm?

Also, is there an "I did it" shirt at the expo or something similar, just curious. Thanks!

 

[Tinker326]

Hey all. Just signed up for the TOT last night. I ran the glass slipper last month and had a not so great time (travel wise not race wise, lots of women = lots of drama). This time I am traveling with my family.

I am the only one running the 10 miler though, so looking for someone/group of folks to hang out with before/after. I am not fast AT ALL, I run about a 12/13 min mile on a good day, but I am also running the 5K that morning with my son, so I may be closer to the 14/15 by that time of day

Also, anyone know which resorts are host resorts?

Drama? What?

I'm doing ToT with my hubby and SIL. But PHM with women. I don't want no drama.. just lots of cupcakes! And alcohol...with maybe some running thrown in there!

I am a slow runner too. 12/13 mile on a good day here too!! I am also doing the 5K.

Does anyone know roughy what time we need to bus for this event? I thought I read 7:30pm?

Also, is there an "I did it" shirt at the expo or something similar, just curious. Thanks!

For Wine & Dine I made the mistake of waiting till their cut-off time (they said by 8pm) and it was a HUGE mistake. The line was about a mile long & busses were slow coming. I was very, very worried that we wouldn't even make it on time. We did- but barely. I won't make that mistake again.

There is an "I did it" shirt. They were sold out by second day of EXPO for Wine and Dine. I was sooooooooo bummed! I will be going first day for ToT so I can get one!

 

[STILLWISHING]

Drama? What? I'm doing ToT with my hubby and SIL. But PHM with women. I don't want no drama.. just lots of cupcakes! And alcohol...with maybe some running thrown in there! I am a slow runner too. 12/13 mile on a good day here too!! I am also doing the 5K. For Wine & Dine I made the mistake of waiting till their cut-off time (they said by 8pm) and it was a HUGE mistake. The line was about a mile long & busses were slow coming. I was very, very worried that we wouldn't even make it on time. We did- but barely. I won't make that mistake again. There is an "I did it" shirt. They were sold out by second day of EXPO for Wine and Dine. I was sooooooooo bummed! I will be going first day for ToT so I can get one!

I'm all for cupcakes and booze or boozy cupcakes. Running solo - DH and kids will probably be fast asleep. I'm in the 11 -12 minute range these days so I don't expect to be much faster by fall.

 

[Figment1990]

I'm so so so tempted by this race! I've wanted to do it for a few years now but was signed up for wine and dine instead. I did not sign up for wine an dine this year since I promised DH no race-cation halfs this fall, but I'm thinking a 10-miler shouldn't count!

Only problem is that DH will have to be back by Monday morning and I do not want to have to check out of a hotel a few hours after finishing the race and party.... Not to mention, DH can't fly down until fri after work so we would have to hit the expo the day OF the race and its just a lot of money for 48 hours and no park time. Sometimes I really hate being married to an accountant with an inflexible work schedule. Plus there's the humid weather that I swore off racing in last month after princess....

But I don't want to be left out of the runDisney party this fall! I love runDisney night races....

Guess ill just have to wait for w&d 2015 or hope that they change the ToT weekend next year.

 

[faneuil]

Glad to see so many 12/13 mm runners. It makes me feel a lot better. I'm at 13 right now, hope to get down to 12 or so for TofT.

I'm sure I'll be able to run the first 1/2 fairly well, but the second half will probably become a power walk.

There's a pic of the "I Did It" shirt from last year here: http://onceuponarunfairytale.blogspot.com/2013/12/tower-of-terror-10-miler-expo.html

 

[Tinker326]

I'm all for cupcakes and booze or boozy cupcakes. Running solo - DH and kids will probably be fast asleep. I'm in the 11 -12 minute range these days so I don't expect to be much faster by fall.

Boozy cupcakes. Yes, Please!!! I think 11-12 min mile is great... esp. for long distances!

I'm so so so tempted by this race! I've wanted to do it for a few years now but was signed up for wine and dine instead. I did not sign up for wine an dine this year since I promised DH no race-cation halfs this fall, but I'm thinking a 10-miler shouldn't count!

Only problem is that DH will have to be back by Monday morning and I do not want to have to check out of a hotel a few hours after finishing the race and party.... Not to mention, DH can't fly down until fri after work so we would have to hit the expo the day OF the race and its just a lot of money for 48 hours and no park time. Sometimes I really hate being married to an accountant with an inflexible work schedule. Plus there's the humid weather that I swore off racing in last month after princess....

But I don't want to be left out of the runDisney party this fall! I love runDisney night races....

Guess ill just have to wait for w&d 2015 or hope that they change the ToT weekend next year.

Did you do W&D last year? I did too! I liked the night race so I am excited for ToT although the weather is a concern for me!

I am an accountant too- I get the weird work schedule. I'm pretty sure I'm going to encounter issues with this when I do Princess next year as Feb is typically VERY busy for me. But I'm going to find a way to make it work!

Glad to see so many 12/13 mm runners. It makes me feel a lot better. I'm at 13 right now, hope to get down to 12 or so for TofT.

I'm sure I'll be able to run the first 1/2 fairly well, but the second half will probably become a power walk.

There's a pic of the "I Did It" shirt from last year here: http://onceuponarunfairytale.blogspot.com/2013/12/tower-of-terror-10-miler-expo.html

Have you tried interval training? Run/Walk made all the difference for me when I started going distance! Allowed me to keep going past certain mileage that I could never do just solely running. Many people swear by it. And I found that my per minute mile was faster in the long run (even with the walk breaks) because I wasn't wiped by the tail end of the run. I do 7/2 intervals.. but lots of people do 5/1, 4/1 & even 1/1.

 

[PrincessV]

Does anyone know roughy what time we need to bus for this event? I thought I read 7:30pm?

In past years, the buses started running at 7pm. I've gotten on a bus at or shortly after 7 both times and was at the race within 10 minutes.

Also, is there an "I did it" shirt at the expo or something similar, just curious. Thanks!

Yes, and if there's even a chance you think you'll want one, get it when you see it! I didn't get one at the expo in 2012... and then I didn't get it at DHS after the race (they had some race merchandise on racks in the park during the after-party)... and when I decided I wanted one, the expo was over. I got very lucky at WWOS - they had the shirts in their closed gift shop and a very kind CM opened the store to let me buy it. Don't be me!

Glad to see so many 12/13 mm runners. It makes me feel a lot better. I'm at 13 right now, hope to get down to 12 or so for TofT.

I'm sure I'll be able to run the first 1/2 fairly well, but the second half will probably become a power walk.

You will truly see runners of all different paces - 12-13:00/mile is right about middle of the pack, especially at TOT! If I may be so bold as to offer a suggestion, I wouldn't wait to do some walking until the second half - this is a HOT, HUMID race and it will suck your energy. The more energy you can save at the front end of the race, the better you'll feel toward the end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In general, I caution folks who are new to this race and/or new to running in what is really still summer here in FL not to get too hung up on speed/pace. Unless you're very used to our weather or are near elite level, chances are good you'll be slower than you're used to. And that's a good thing - nothing spoils the fun like heat stroke! Plan to take it easy and back off on pace if you start feeling woozy.

 

[faneuil]

You will truly see runners of all different paces - 12-13:00/mile is right about middle of the pack, especially at TOT! If I may be so bold as to offer a suggestion, I wouldn't wait to do some walking until the second half - this is a HOT, HUMID race and it will suck your energy. The more energy you can save at the front end of the race, the better you'll feel toward the end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In general, I caution folks who are new to this race and/or new to running in what is really still summer here in FL not to get too hung up on speed/pace. Unless you're very used to our weather or are near elite level, chances are good you'll be slower than you're used to. And that's a good thing - nothing spoils the fun like heat stroke! Plan to take it easy and back off on pace if you start feeling woozy.

Definitely. I live in Florida (and lived in Atlanta before that), so I know about the weather sucking your energy, even when doing something low impact. People misjudge humidity.

The words of caution are always appreciated though, as sometimes I'm too hard on myself, and have to remind myself environment plays a huge role. Few days ago in the gym, the A/C was broken, and that was a fantastic test. Most people just walked out, but I took advantage of the hot, non-circulating air to test myself. It slowed me about a minute a mile.

Right now, I'm tackling this as three 5K's. So I really shouldn't have split it into 2 when talking about it. I'll probably be more like a decent 5K, a walking 5K, and then a split run/walk/run final.

Glad to know a 12-13 minute mile pace is middle of the pack. Right where I want to be for my first real race. (Everest will be my first!)

ETA: I just remembered something very, very important. TofT has those two huge overpasses on Osceola. Those are big hills. Need to keep it slow the first mile, or I'll never make it up those hills!

 

[faneuil]

Have you tried interval training? Run/Walk made all the difference for me when I started going distance! Allowed me to keep going past certain mileage that I could never do just solely running. Many people swear by it. And I found that my per minute mile was faster in the long run (even with the walk breaks) because I wasn't wiped by the tail end of the run. I do 7/2 intervals.. but lots of people do 5/1, 4/1 & even 1/1.

Yup, I'm doing intervals. I keep extending my run time, and it definitely works better. I'm usually at 7/2.5 (now, started at 3/2), which seems weird, but it works for me. I discovered yesterday that sticking to that did cut my MM by about 10 seconds.

I'm actually *almost* to my goal, but it feels a lot like weight loss in that the last 5 pounds are the hardest, this last .2 is killing me. I'm running at 4.8 miles an hour, and I want to hit 5. My body just isn't ready.

and lemme say, I LOVE the support on these boards. I was a care giver for 2 years and my life was "work, care give, sleep, work". It did a killing to my all aspects of my health. Now that I'm getting in shape, it's wonderful to get advice and support from people at all different levels of ability.

 

[STILLWISHING]

Yes - the humidity and heat in FL can get to you. I was zapped at PHM bc I was training in cold temps- I was much slower. I will train for this race in Maryland summer and will be much better trained.

Today I was thinking about how much I want to improve my time when my husband called to remind me two years ago today I broke my leg and have a rod and screws put in to repair it. After four months off my feet and three months of pt, I neglected my fitness and put on weight and just didn't believe I would run again. So I thanks everyone on these boards for their motivation and inspiration. Intervals got me back out there and it can only get better, hopefully

Still wishing, keep wishing

 

[Waiting2goback]

When I decided to do this race it never even occurred to me their might be stuff I can buy to go along with the race itself. (What was I thinking, I know). I was just so excited to be able to run the race. This might cost me more than I was expecting.


I was thinking of running intervals as well. I was concerned I might look stupid doing it, as I am new to this I just assumed everyone would be easily running this whole race and I'd be sucking wind like a Hoover vacuum as people flew right by me. But, not only might it help conserve energy it is also the most efficient and effective way to burn calories.

I am not concerned about the humidity, although I probably should be. I live in MA. It's frigid this winter but the summer gets pretty humid. Since I will be doing most of my training in the summer I think I will be prepared for it.

Besides, I am hoping to be down another 20-30 lbs by October (lost 20 so far) so this run will seem much easier than carrying around all that weight last summer. At this point I will just be happy if I finish without throwing up.

 

[AThrillingChase]

ETA: I just remembered something very, very important. TofT has those two huge overpasses on Osceola. Those are big hills. Need to keep it slow the first mile, or I'll never make it up those hills!

Interesting point! I am not familiar with this course and I am not the greatest runner . So something like this will definitely affect me. Can anyone who has already done the race before help out with what I should be prepared for along these lines? TIA!

 

[Castle2Castle]

Interesting point! I am not familiar with this course and I am not the greatest runner . So something like this will definitely affect me. Can anyone who has already done the race before help out with what I should be prepared for along these lines? TIA!

Going up the overpass is probably a little under 0.25 miles if I had to guess from memory of last year's race. To me they aren't "that bad", but if you aren't getting much incline in your daily training, you can still sap yourself pretty good trying to power through it. Don't be too proud to either slow your pace running uphill or to flat out walk a bit more; powering through hills was something I did during some races last year, and I paid for it later. I've had much better success easing off a bit to conserve energy there, and then just making it up incrementally elsehwere on the course.

 

[annmarieda]

You will truly see runners of all different paces - 12-13:00/mile is right about middle of the pack, especially at TOT! If I may be so bold as to offer a suggestion, I wouldn't wait to do some walking until the second half - this is a HOT, HUMID race and it will suck your energy. The more energy you can save at the front end of the race, the better you'll feel toward the end.

This is a great suggestion! Last year, I was pretty tapped toward the end. Upright and able to still go to the bash... but my splits really reflected how much my energy was sucked from me.

In general, I caution folks who are new to this race and/or new to running in what is really still summer here in FL not to get too hung up on speed/pace. Unless you're very used to our weather or are near elite level, chances are good you'll be slower than you're used to. And that's a good thing - nothing spoils the fun like heat stroke! Plan to take it easy and back off on pace if you start feeling woozy.

This is so true... I have been substantially slower than my normal pace at east WDW RD event I have gone to. I have not found the trick to better planning for the humidity. Don't get me wrong... I am happy with my finish time. However as I said, it is not as good as my "normal" pace. Maybe I need to train in a sauna.

 

[faneuil]

Going up the overpass is probably a little under 0.25 miles if I had to guess from memory of last year's race. To me they aren't "that bad", but if you aren't getting much incline in your daily training, you can still sap yourself pretty good trying to power through it. Don't be too proud to either slow your pace running uphill or to flat out walk a bit more; powering through hills was something I did during some races last year, and I paid for it later. I've had much better success easing off a bit to conserve energy there, and then just making it up incrementally elsehwere on the course.

My only saving grace is I always train with incline. I make sure I'm going up hill and down hill both running and walking. It's helped a lot and I can feel the difference.

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

I am trying to picture it in my head... Is the incline similar to the ones at PHM? If so they weren't too bad. Pretty steady climbs not a straight uphill.

We're heading to WDW in April. I think I may drive the course areas that I can.