Wk of Jan. 13th-- WISH Walking/Running Club

[panthergirl]

Susan...sorry we didn't get to meet. Will you be joining us next year? Good luck with those INTERVALS

Hi Mel - yes I was hoping to meet you too but no such luck! I'm not sure about next year yet but I am mulling over trying for the full. I will have to get much more serious about training if I do and we all know that means MORE INTERVALS . Congrats on finishing the full. That medal is awesome!

 

[padisneyfan]

Well now I know who all three of the people I was with for a short time on the walkway over to Boardwalk were--- Vic, Jen and Mel. I was dying and would have just liked to have stopped at BWV and gone to bed by then. Somehow my feet kept me going to the finish line.

Judy--- How many people did it take to eat throught the Kitchen sink?

Enjoying reading everyones adventures.

I'll be back next year but will be doing the Donald.

Nancy

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Good Morning TEAM:

I'm really enjoying reading all the reports. I can visualize you all on the course, and I'm thinking how much fun everyone must have had partying together. How great it must have been to run into each other at the start and along the course. I'm very proud of all my teammates and friends. I can't wait to see you all again soon..

Anne- I loved your story about the WISH socks. I need to get back on that again. Maybe with the new people around we can get enough people to place an order.

I've been diligently biking 30-35 min everyday. I haven't done any running since last week because I still feel some irritation in my hip. It feels like there's something in the socket itself now. I'm planning on running again on Saturday. We'll see how it goes.

I have a request, I submitted some of my photos for the DIS Unplugged Podcast photo contest, but no one's voting for any of my photos. Could I recruit some of my friends/teammates to check out some of my photos and vote if you like any. Thanks. If you want to vote for a photo, I think you need to log into the photopost site. Click the login link in the upper right hand corner of the blue box.

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=93578

 

[Jen117]

OK everyone... I am back at work today and had to drive in a snowstorm. What a huge change in weather for me. Oh and my knees ache because of it.

Mel - I think I am going to work on getting faster... so I am pretty sure I will do the 1/2 marathon and work on a PR and maybe the 5K if I can make it there in time. I think I may do another Full, I am just not planning to do it next year.

OK, today is day 1 of losing these last 30 pounds. I hate my thunder thighs!!! And I decided that on Saturday I am NOT doing a long run. My first time in almost a year!!!!!

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

OK everyone... I am back at work today and had to drive in a snowstorm. What a huge change in weather for me. Oh and my knees ache because of it.

Mel - I think I am going to work on getting faster... so I am pretty sure I will do the 1/2 marathon and work on a PR and maybe the 5K if I can make it there in time. I think I may do another Full, I am just not planning to do it next year.

OK, today is day 1 of losing these last 30 pounds. I hate my thunder thighs!!! And I decided that on Saturday I am NOT doing a long run. My first time in almost a year!!!!!

Jen- You deserve a HUGE congratulations on completing your 1st marathon. Don't be too hard on yourself or your body. You've done something that few other people have done. Enjoy it and be proud of yourself. Go PACKERS!!!

 

[deekaypee]

I just have to chime in & add my disappointment at the medal situation. Two years in a row is unacceptable! And then the chip timer being turned off?? I'll be writing to Disney with feedback and suggestions for next year, and these things will be at the top of the list. (I'm also going to suggest disposable toothbrushes at the finish, because after 26.2 miles of Powerade drinking, my mouth felt icky and my breath was probably worse. Note to self: pack toothbrush/paste in bag next year. Did I just say next year? )

And to Sandy and everyone else who finished but didn't get their medals, I just want to say that you're the real winners in my book! Not only did you finish, but I just know you handled the affront to your accomplishment with style and grace. I'm so proud to be associated with people who epitomize what it means to be good sports & true winners!

As for me, I'm easing back into a "normal" workout routine after this weekend, which feels weird. The blisters still hurt, so I went the gym last night & used the elliptical instead of the treadmill. Just moving without impact on my feet felt really good, so I stayed on for about an hour. I'm hoping to literally be back on my feet by tomorrow or Saturday. I need to get a new training program, so I'm hoping to do some research on that tonight or tomorrow; one of the best things about this experience is that I learned I really like the structure training for an event gives me.

 

[solotraveler]

Morning everyone!!

I am SO proud of Charlie! He did so well in his first marathon! Plus, he was fine afterwards!

NO KIDDING!!! At Mile 12, it was like "Hi Charlie!... Oh, Bye Charlie!!" I'm sure when you do the full next year you'll be the same way....

He certainly remembers Rhonda and Kathy though. For reasons that shall remain unspoken here. We have photographic evidence....Whatever happens in Cam and Howards Beach Club Villa...stays in Cam and Howard's Beach Club Villa!

What an AMAZING weekend this was!! I sadly had to leave in the predawn hours Monday morning to get to work in Fort Lauderdale, but it was SO SO worth it that I made the trip and took a chance to run and finish the Goofy.

It was so wonderful to finally meet so many of the people on these boards after so long, not to mention seeing the few familiar faces that I'd met before. To both the new folks and old folks alike here-- this group of people is so encouraging, kind and generous it is almost unbelieveable. Everything from the beginning of the weekend to the end was very WISH filled for me and that made things even more special.

I'm working on yet another epic race report (so Judy will have something new to read), and I hope to have that posted sometime early next week. I have so many people to thank for helping me through this past weekend, I figure that would be the place to do it....

Apparently, according to the ladies of WISH, I "have" to come up for Minnie weekend and... I'm pretty close to being sold on the idea. I think I had too much fun this weekend, LOL. I'm trying to work out a race schedule for 2008 that will prep me for.... the 2009 Goofy, I think. I want to see how I can do with it if I actually trained hard... if nothing else, perhaps I wouldn't feel like death warmed over for the last 18 miles of the full.

I'm off for now... but if there is anyone lurking out there or posting sitting on the fence trying to decide if they can can do it... YES, YOU CAN!!!

Happy training!
Kevin

 

[Honeibee]

Greetings Race Team -

You guys are ambitious. I've done nothing since Saturday. I'll hop on the TM tomorrow morning for 20 min then do 2 miles Saturday. Then back to my regularly scheduled training until it's time to ramp up for the Minnie.

Dave - I'll go vote. Be right over there as soon as I am done here.

Kevin - Thank you for your kind words but I have no intention of doing the Full until maybe my 50th birthday. Which gives me, oh, 15 years or so to train. Charlie has been talking about the Goofy, but we'll see. It was really great to meet you, finally! And I am waiting on that trip report.... Oh please please please come to the Minnie! You're so close now, you have no excuse!

I'm going to post some pics now in a separate thread so I'll be back later.

 

[princessrunner]

Kristi: April 6, Great Bay Half????????????

 

[TnTsParty]

It is great to read everyone's race reports from the weekend. I am reading them all so I can get ready for next year. Before we know it we will all be back to training like crazy (especially if this year goes as fast as 2007 did)

I am slowly working up to my "official" training for Minnie which starts the week of Feb 24. I did 2 miles on the TM this morning and thought I was going to die!! Not really but.... We had the windows opened because the last few days it was chilly but this morning it started getting warmer and so without the air on it got hot. How I wish we would at least get a whole weeks worth of cold!! I barely manged the 2 miles in 25:35. I better get my butt in gear so I can start my training in Feb!!! YIKES

 

[lenshanem]

Congrats again to everyone getting back. I have enjoyed reading everyone's reports and would love to see more pics!

Jen in GA, I read your blog. Awesome! Loved it. Congrats on going Goofy!

DH and I have been talking about plans for the half for next year so it is fun to read and see everyone's experiences from this race.


I'm now in week 5 of 15 for my half training. I was gonna run 6 today, but the weather was yucky. I'm planning on running it tomorrow instead. This will be only the fourth time I've ever run a 10K. Wish me luck!

Oh, I don't know who mentioned it, but I ordered a pair of those Airdrives headphones. We'll see if they're any better than those other speakers I ordered that gave me a scar. Yep, a scar. (They clip on your clothes and they rubbed me raw!)

 

[Kira G.]

I just want to say that it is so great to read everyone's race reports! Keep them coming! I'm just starting out and feel like 2 miles takes everything I've got. It's so hard for me to believe that I could get to the point where I could run the half next year. When I read your reports I know that it's possible.

Thanks!

 

[AmyBeth68]

Hi Guys!!! I’m just trying to get back to normal life again. I have to say that this year’s marathon weekend was incredible!!! The highlights included meeting up with DisBoards friends like Scott, Laurie, Stacie, and the entire WiSH racing team. I met people at the dis Pop meet, for lunch at MK and most importantly on the race course. Seeing Laurie, Kevin, Howard, Renee, Denny, Stephanie and Scott among others AND most incredibly ALL the scream team support was just a huge boost, particularly during
day 2 of the Goofy Challenge. Running with Scott (ScoJo15) was once again an absolute pleasure as we really helped to pull one another through some really tough times on Sunday. Thanks buddy!!!!

My overall thoughts on the Goofy challenge:

I WOULD do it again, absolutely. I would just need to take the lessons learned from this year and apply them. I felt like I was well trained, my legs held up and I never hit a wall during the entire race. I felt particularly and surprisingly good from miles 20-26. Go figure. The first half of the marathon was tough because my legs felt more tired, naturally, but I was able to get past that once I hit AK and push onward. At that point my body just seemed to say “ok…looks like you’re going through with this….so let’s just move on”. The only issue was the fatigue from two EARLY mornings accompanied by my inability to fuel up enough on Saturday for Sunday’s long race. Scott and I both felt like we were lacking energy due to food and not so much training. The humidity also played into that, as we were sweating like crazy from mile 1 onward in both races. Even though we both took gels more frequently than we even anticipated…and ate along the course….and both carried and took water along the course….we still felt like we couldn’t get enough energy. So it wasn’t our legs or our endurance that let us down, it was our nutrition. Speaking with others who ran Goofy, several said the same thing.
As for the organization, I personally felt that Disney did a lot of things right this year and corrected issues that came up last year. Plenty of TP in the porta-potties! PLENTY of water (thank God). And just tons of support along the GF area where it was desolate for us last year.

During the half marathon I had an absolute BLAST. We just took our time and enjoyed every last second, getting pictures, chatting up fellow runners, enjoying the sights and sounds. We finished a little faster than planned . We had decided to try to run/walk a 2:45 half but came in around 2:29. I don’t think this actually factored into day two at all. My legs felt perfect (no soreness, no tightness, no aching, no cramping) going into the marathon the next morning! I was surprised that I felt very strong, albeit sleepy. Our plan was to finish the marathon somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00 hours depending on the weather. Once we realized that the course was really too crowded starting in the corral that we did, thus we couldn’t log fast miles for the first 5 miles of the race, we gave up on 4:30 and set our sights on a solid 5 hour finish. The humidity was factoring in a bit as well so we were happy to take a 5. Unfortunately, my stomach issues reared their ugly head around miles 10 and 13 so that slowed us down a bit. I would guess that overall we lost a solid 10 to 15 minutes due to waiting on line for porta-potties and having to stop completely. After mile 13 Scott’s legs started cramping, which I feel was due to excessive sweating AND lack of food, not to mention having to stop for my stomach problems. He was absolutely starving hungry for the entire second half of the race and that factored in largely to his bad leg cramps IMO. My legs felt strong but my stomach was just not cooperating. It made for a tough race, but things settled down and we walked a lot to ease his leg cramps. We were able to finish in 5:23 and all things considered that is nothing to be ashamed of. I PR’d by 1 hour over last year LOL! So hey…who can complain about that right?!

Post race I felt surprisingly good…it took a couple of hours for my feet to stop being sore and my legs to settle down. I took one aleve and we hit the parks for some rides (ended up getting STUCK on ToT!), some dinner (props to our favorite bartender David from 50’s Prime Time and favorite waiter David from Brown Derby!!!) and ultimately some partying. I danced like crazy, ended up on stage at Jelly Rolls and made some new friends! On Monday my legs felt amazingly good….slightly tight but nothing unusual after a long run. My shoulders and upper back were sore but that dissipated quickly.

If I decide to run goofy next year, the only thing I would do differently would be to eat MUCH more the week leading up to the races, then on Saturday after the Half eat LOTS of small portions constantly throughout the day. I also need to figure out how to handle my stomach condition better….I don’t want to go through another race dealing with porta-potties and losing 10-20 minutes as I’ve done the past two years.

Finally I have to say a HUGE THANK YOU to the WiSH scream teams. You guys were EVERYWHERE on the course both Saturday and Sunday. Anne and Heather at Mile 21...you guys were just a sight for sore eyes! I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to see those smiling faces when I needed them most. Laurie and Kevin…it was an honor spending time with you guys on the course on Sunday. It helped me a TON! Renee…I hope you’re feeling good and that your back is better, I know we were commiserating in the AK parking lot and I was hoping to see you at the finish. You guys all totally ROCK!! And Scotty….my running partner….it goes without saying but I had soooo much fun this year with you! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

So what’s next??? We’re looking at a few half marathons this spring, going to choose one of them (Country Music, Kentucky Derby, Flying Pig or who knows???), after that Disneyland in August for sure (YAY!) and next January MAYBE Goofy . But I am absolutely planning on running another marathon in a year from now! Congratulations to all the Wish 5K, Half, Full and Goofy Runners. You guys are all amazing and should be SOOO proud of your accomplishments.

 

[chimera]

Debra...I didn't know that was you we were stalking during the full!

Dana...congrats on shaving so much time off...that's amazing! What's your secret?

Bill...what are you and Lynnda registering for next year?

DH mailed our registrations today He just registered for his first full, I'm going to do the half. I think we're going to alternate years (depending on how 2009 goes).

Jen...wanna go for a half PR next year? My motto for 2008...better, stronger, faster!

 

[RedDragon]

Judy: you are the best! Thanks for the pictures of me and Craig and the hot fudge sundae. By the time I thought to think about it, the thought of it made me nauseaus! YOU are the BEST!!

I did my first cardio today since Sunday. 20 minutes on the eliptical and 10 minutes on the bike. My legs were very heavy. Shock of shocks! I will slowly start back into the swing but will not be running until probably the end of the month. But the eliptical, bike and stairmaster (IF my IT bands hold up) are still a good workout. It just feels kind of strange to consider a 30 minute workout as a workout! LOL!!!

DH came home today from Florida. We are happy to see him: the cats have not left him alone yet! Work is busy as ever but I think I've caught up so I can now move forward.

Hope everyone has a great evening!

 

[Kristi1357]

Kristi: April 6, Great Bay Half????????????

No way in you-know where!
We did that race last year. They said it was hilly.
They underestimated "hilly!"
I did finish and had a PR (see what training will do for ya? ), but I was in alot of pain and was crying after the race because I hurt so bad.

Let me talk to Mom and Chad, and see if our bad memories have faded enough to go for it again. (ok, maybe I am crazy)
I do need a reason to train - without a race, I am a total slacker!

 

[KeenHo]

Hi everyone! We arrived back home yesterday evening. I wanted to thank everyone for their time and friendship during the weekend. I got to meet a lot of new WISH friends I previously hadn't met and actually got to run (and/or visit with) some during the Marathon on Sunday.

First my stats:

Half-Marathon : 2:24:16 11:00 Pace, 4,586 out of 12,288 finishers.

Marathon : 5:18:45 12:01 Pace, 6,785 out of 12,964 finishers.

According to published reports there were 18,000 signed up to participate in the Marathon and 16,500 for the Half-Marathon. 3,000 signed up for the Goofy.

So, you can see that there were probably a combination of no-shows and those who could not complete the races. It is a tough endeavor, all those that got to the starting line are champions in my book. I witnessed some gutzy people laying it on the line. I am inspired by them all.

I am happy with both my races and the resulting times given my short training schedule ( a little over 3 weeks), the congestion in the early part of the course and the temperature/conditions, etc. I bettered both of my Goofy times from last year too! I actually had a rougher race experience during the Half-Marathon. I was tight, had to stop twice to stretch, got winded, etc. During the Marathon, I never stopped or had to to stretch, felt strong and displayed short bursts of energy to pass people as needed. My feet/toes suffered a lot during the weekend of racing. I had some serious blister issues, everything is almost back to normal now. At one point during the Marathon I think I referred to my legs as feeling like there were two bloody stumps at the ends of them. That is pain.

I enjoyed spending time in the Corrals with SilverE, Kevin - SoloTraveler, Kevin Z., Lynne- Xterratri, SteelerSteve, Cruella, Stephanie, Denny, etc.

I managed to run in the Marathon with/beside or just behind AmyBeth, Denny (Your it!), Kevin - SoloTraveler, Sara - Mlsrobs, Stephanie - Nucpharm, Bill, Martha, Charlie ( I assume you were near me based on our finish times - 5:18:14 Charlie / Howard 5:18:45), etc.

It was so great to see everyone and spend time chatting, sharing tips, and hanging out.

A special "THANK YOU!!!" to all of the WISHers who got up in the wee hours of the morning to cheer us on. I loved seeing everyone of you on the course and looked forward to every "COWBELL" along the way. I will be among you next year during the half. I have decided to run in the 5K with DS and in the Marathon (no Goofy in 2009).

To Kathy (Valentine): Thank you for your time both before, during and after the races. Your time spent with me, Cam and Jenn were wonderful. We will miss you tons and hope to set up an interim visit at a midway point sometime soon. The "whips" certainly gave me a boost on the course and you did off the course. Have a safe trip home later in the week.

Kevin - SoloTraveler: I enjoyed meeting you and running with you for the first part of the Marathon. I think we made it about 4 or 5 miles together. I could have finished with you, I came in not too far behind with my running partner, KevinZ.

Lynne: You were missed during the Marathon. I am so glad Erin was there for Cam, your lil sis is an angel. Take care of yourself. Good luck in HI!

Martha & Craig: It was a true pleasure sharing time with you (as always) at LeCellier and at the various events throughout the weekend. Congratulations on your efforts!

Lastly, I am SOOOoooooooooooooooooooo proud of my lovely bride, Cam. She exemplifies the true WISH spirit and always gives of herself to others and to her marathon/half-marathon efforts. Great job babe.



Howard

 

[angietuck2]

Hello WISH team:

I really feel like a REAL member of the WISH team after spending time with you guys this weekend, and I didn't even run

I know I was always an OFFICIAL member, we all are but now I feel closer to you.

Jen Thank you for finding me at Kid's races and I am sorry I never came and found you again, we were actually out by track and it was chaotic Poor DS lost shoe right as race started and had to fight 75 sprinting 7 & 8 year olds to get it But he fought his way back and finished anyway. You looked good when I saw you on the course for the full and at mile 24.5 !! YOU GO GIRL
Krista I was sooooooo happy when I saw you come walking up at BC I wasn't sure if you were still coming and I had a lot of fun "screaming" with you!!!! Can't wait to see you guys again.
Kristi & Judy I had sooooooooo much fun with you guys at the water stop I would definately do it again, but I better be running next year!!!!!
Cam & Howard & Rhonda and Cam DD Thank you so much for the hospitality. I was so happy to be able to stay and do water stop and scream team!! I honestly had soooo much fun doing that.

To anyone out there who is new please don't be afraid to jump in here anytime. I found these boards right before marathon last year and have been hooked ever since. This team has gotten me through an awesome 1/2 PR at Gasparilla even better PR 15k at MINNIE MARATHON !!! back surgery for me and DH and my college graduation!!!!!!!

You guys are like family!!

I know there are soo many people I am forgetting from this weekend but I can not possibly remember everyone I am soo sorry. There were two other people who joined us at BW to scream team and I can't remember names, please tell me who you were.

OK really long post sorry but as for the training. I did a class tonight at gym called Bodyflow - it is PERFECT for me right now with my back issues. It's a combination of Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates and core work. It felt really good.

So have a good night everyone and welcome back

angie

 

[solotraveler]

Judy-- That's good.... begging usually works... but I fear I'll need a costume if I Minnie with you all...

AmyBeth-- I felt so badly when I ran into you two at the half point during the full... I thought you were right behind me and then *poof* you were gone... glad to hear you made it through.

And a huge WORD to your entire post. I swear we had the very same race experience this year. Like I have told everyone since, it wasn't so much that I was sore during the full, I was TIRED! Two 2:30am wakeup calls, all those miles... I have to rethink that preparation for next year.

Howard-- It was very nice to finally meet you as well "corral buddy." And trust me, I have a sneaking suspicion that you could not only have run with me, but smoked my butt after about mile 18 or so. Please make sure you pass on our congratulations to Kevin on finishing his 1,000 miles.

Kevin

 

[ScoJo15]

While I'm still working on a race report, I did want to stop by and say a big THANK YOU to every one of the WISH'ers who made the weekend experince a great one. Whether it was kindness and comraderie at the POP meet, encouragement and companionship out there during the races themselves, or the tremendous support given by those lining all areas of the courses...this is truly a second to none organization that made me happy to be a part of.

My goal is to stop lurking so much this year and post more so that I can try to give back a fraction of what you all provide each and every week.

Kevin and Laurie - It was nice to run with you guys for a bit out there. Congrats to each of you on a job well done!

AmyBeth - Thanks for being the best race parter in the world! Your words and actions helped me get through those final 6 miles on Sunday and I cannot thank you enough. Here's hoping for a successful Goofy '09