Thankful Thursday: Lessons Learned

If you've read my blog this week, thank you for putting up with all the Disney Wine and Dine Half posts.  Now that I've had a few days to process this race experience, I want to list out some of what I've learned this training cycle.  The lessons go beyond just race weekend, but back to the start of training.  I think bullet points might work best for this.

• Coming back from serious injury takes patience, something I don't have in reserves. Training comprised of a lot of 2 steps forward, 1 step back feelings. 
• Yasso 800s WILL make you want to puke but they will also make you feel like a badass and make you faster.  I think I proved the faster part on my last long run. Doing 8 x 800s at a 4:30 pace made me a badass :)
• You can run three days a week and run a successful half marathon, provided you also commit to cross-training on the off days.  Even though I didn't PR this weekend, I finished a half marathon 6 months after being benched with a stress reaction and put in a boot for 6 weeks, on a very tough course, and only 6 minutes off my half PR.  I think that's a testament to my training plan and the encouragement of everyone cheering me on.
• You can be well trained but sometimes forces outside of your control will negatively impact race day.
• the weather might be too hot/cold/rainy/windy/sunny/humid/etc/etc
• the course might be very crowded and full of sharp twists and turns
• you might be getting sick
• your injury might start acting up again (ok, maybe that one was in my control)
• Dressing in a costume, while incredibly fun and cute, can present problems if you end up not dressed appropriately for the race conditions.  I was definitely too warm Saturday night and overheating really killed my time.
• Expecting to PR because you've had some great runs just makes you cocky.  Nothing is ever guaranteed.  Bad runs can happen any time, any place.
• GI issues suck big green donkey d*cks.
• Course conditions greatly impact how you'll run, especially if you aren't trained for those conditions.  In my case, I didn't do enough hill training and the camber of the on/off ramps and bridges really tore up my legs.
• Fueling for a night time race (or any race outside of your "norm") is hard! I really didn't know what to eat and when.  I'm not sure if my food choices contributed to my GI issues or if it was just a random event.
• Disney knows how to put on a quality race. I was impressed throughout the entire weekend at how smoothly everything went.
• The expo was huge and well organized
• The volunteers rock
• I loved having the wide-open field to relax in before the race. Much better than the parking lot for Tinker Bell.
• Bag check was effortless. I'll admit, I was nervous about leaving my bag at Wide World of Sports and expecting to see it again when I got finished at Epcot, but there it was, within minutes of me stopping at the table.
• They did a decent job of assigning corrals by projected time.
• There were plenty of water stops and it looked like enough fuel stops too.
• You can't beat the scenery of running through Disney parks.
• Disney medals are Da Bomb!!!! Seriously, my Disney medals are amazing - they don't skimp here.
• There were a couple things about this race that didn't thrill me.
• The course was too crowded, not just in the parks but at the beginning as well.  I should've expected this since it was the same out in Anaheim for Tinker Bell, but I think it still messed with my head a bit.
• I think for the price we pay, a ticket to one of the parks or at least a discount for park tickets like Tinker Bell had, should be mandatory.
• The afterparty wasn't long enough.  I know this seems crazy since it went until 4 am, but for slower runners, there really wasn't enough time to enjoy it.
• Please, runDisney organizers, offer women's fit shirts for ALL your races.
• Spending the day before a half marathon walking around theme parks (Tinker Bell) or Downtown Disney and the expo (Wine and Dine) might not be the best pre-race strategy.
• Unless you were carried off the course on a stretcher, the race was not a disaster.
• Even if you think you've failed on a run, you really haven't. Take whatever happened and learn from it. 

Wine and Dine Half: Post-Race Party!

After running my butt off through 3 Disney parks, I got changed and scooted (Ha! very slowly) back into Epcot for the Wine and Dine post-race party. The good folks at Disney were keeping Epcot open until 4am for race participants and my goal was to last to as close to 4am as I could since I hadn't spent any time park hopping before the race.

(I apologize in advance for the somewhat crappy pics - all I had with me was my iPhone.)

With as messed up as my tummy was and as slow as I was moving, I didn't manage to hit any of the rides. Plus, there simply wasn't enough time. I definitely needed some nourishment and real beer so I hoofed it straight to World Showcase and made my way around the lagoon.


Normally I have issues with seeing Christmas lights before Thanksgiving, but I loved all the Christmas decorations I saw during the race and at the after party.


I love Spaceship Earth all lit up at night. I wanted to ride that one since I've heard it's been updated, but I was afraid if I sat for that long (it's a long ride) that I'd never get up again.


Getting cozy with Mulan and Mushu. After not getting any character pics during the race, I needed one here! Mushu asked (with Mulan translating - it was so cute!) if I'd run all the way from the west coast for the 2nd medal. I told him it sure felt like it!


Decided on a seared filet of beef with sweet potatoes and a spicy tomato sauce from South Africa first. Bad, calorie-deprived blogger I was at the time I didn't take pics of my food. I was a bit disappointed in the size of the portion, but it was delicious.


Is that Paris across the pond?


Long lines at some of the booths made me walk by, but I waited for some great German food - Schinken Nudel (a noodle dish with ham and cheese) and Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll with a spicy/sweet German mustard. (Sorry no pic / total fail.) I was only able to eat a few bites before my tummy said "no more" but it was also delish.


I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of my beer! I tried a Weizen from Germany -  Schöfferhofer Weizen - and it was amazing. Next time, I'll definitely take more food pictures and run faster so I have time to enjoy more of the party and rides.

Have you ever been at Disney for the International Food and Wine Festival?  I'd seriously consider going back just for that, although the sizes of the portions could've been bigger given what they were charging for them.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wine and Dine Half - the 2 day race: part 2

When we left off, I was zonking out on the plane after downing a couple of these babies in my much deserved upgraded seat:


(Seriously, if you can afford to upgrade to business or first class after a destination race - DO IT! Hell, even if you can't afford it, upgrade anyway.)

The fireworks had gone off and I was bouncing along to Eminem as my playlist started. If you haven't read part 1 of my recap, you can find it here. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Glad you're back! All caught up now? Did you grab yourself a beverage? This is going to be another long one.  You know I'm overdressed but feeling really good at the start of this race. I'm not warmed up though, but since I've never started a race with a warm up run anyway, I'm not too worried about it. I've missed the excitement of the starting line and I can't wait to have all my training pay off. I'd taken it really easy on my legs during taper week, swapping out 2 runs for a cycle workout and swim. My last 2 mile run plus strides on Wednesday went great and felt easy at race pace.

Now, onto the race itself.

Miles 1-3
My plan was to start out slow - somewhere around an 11 or 11:30 m/m pace. (I knew from Tink I'd need to weave around people & the start would be crowded). I figured once I got out on the main drag it would quickly open up and I could pick up my pace a little. I was wrong. Right away, I felt bunched in but also like I was running a bit too fast. It felt like I was working to hold about a 10:30 pace but every time I looked at my watch I saw high 11's. My breathing was already feeling off and I couldn't get my groove. It also felt like the first 3 miles were uphill, but I know there was a dip down in the 2nd mile based on my splits. My Garmin was beeping the miles before the course markers, but I figured it was from all the weaving early on or possibly the course markers weren't exactly in the right places. I tried to just get lost in the early songs on my list and find holes in which to get around people. (Side note: I have no issues with people using the Galloway run/walk method since they are out there covering the same distance I am, but their timers should be set on vibrate because the constant buzzing gets annoying fast. Also, they need to learn to watch behind them when the start walking so people running don't run into them.  Really.  If you are walking a race or need to stop for some reason, please, for your own safety, take a peek behind you and then move to the side.) There was a band playing along this stretch and I said "hi" to Mr. Incredible as he passed me (we'd leapfrog for a part of the race). I hit the 5k mat just before I entered Animal Kingdom. My paces were all over the place but overall I still felt ok and my target pace for the first 3 miles wasn't bad.

5k (3.1 miles) in 34:37 (11:08 pace). Mile splits from my Garmin (remember they beeped early): 11:22, 10:45, 10:59.

Miles 4-6
Most of the 4th & 5th miles are run through Animal Kingdom. The paths were very narrow with a lot of sharp turns. This park is DARK. I remember a man working a giant lizard puppet and the smells of animals. Seeing Everest lit up and running through "Africa" was incredible, but mostly I kept my head down. I couldn't believe how tired I already felt and how much I was sweating. As I exited Animal Kingdom around mile 5, I took a gu (Espresso Love if you're wondering). This is a tried & true flavor & I chased it with plenty of water (I was making sure to drink at every mile marker plus a little extra at the water stops). Somewhere in here I switched from water to Nuun since I was sweating so much. The 6th mile was outside of the park and I was able to speed back up a little (but not to nearly the pace I wanted to be at here).  I crossed the 10k mat and was disappointed to see how much I'd slowed down already. I knew my ultimate time goal was gone at this point.

10k (6.2 miles) in 1:10:24 (11:20 pace). Mile splits: 11:28, 11:24, 11:05.

Miles 7-9
Most of this section was parking lot and roads and was wide open but I couldn't seem to pick up the pace. I did some mental math at mile 7 (very difficult for me to do which was a really bad sign) and knew if I could get my shit together and pull off a negative split that I could still PR, but it would be really tight. There wasn't much to see here that I remember, just some cute lighted cars from the Electrical Light Parade doing circles in the parking lot. I do remember one of the green Army men from Toy Story at the curve around mile 7.5 yelling at us to get up the hill.  He made me smile, even though the hill and curve of the on-ramp were kicking my ass.  (To be honest, I don't remember many characters at all and the ones I did see did not have Disney staff taking pictures, just people with their own cameras. Not cool if you were running alone. They might have been there, though, and I just didn't see them.) Anyway, I was getting close to Hollywood Studios and starting to feel a little sick. My stomach was cramping up and this was a totally new experience for me. I've gotten nauseated if I take a gu too fast, but nothing like this. I kept burping & started feeling like I needed to make a pit stop. Did you know, when you think you have to go there is NEVER a place to stop? I kept plugging along but started taking some short walk breaks to see if it would help.  I should've taken another gu at the end of mile 9 but I was afraid if I did it would make things worse, so I really set myself up to bonk at the end.

15k (9.3 miles) in 1:46:48 (11:27 pace). Goodbye PR dreams. Mile splits: 11:10, 11:43, 11:35.

Miles 10-13.1
Miles 10 and 11 are run through Hollywood Studios. I LOVE this park. I ran by Rockin' Roller Coaster and really wished I'd had some Aerosmith on my playlist. The route here was great as far as visuals go - around the hat, thru an area covered with Christmas lights, thru the Imagineer's Workshop. You name it - Disney hit all the highlights. Except port-a-potties. There were none. I walked a lot in mile 10 and was starting to wonder if I was going to be THAT runner. You know the one. The poor soul who craps their pants during the race and then either doesn't finish or finishes with shit running down their legs (sorry if that's TMI, but it's not an urban legend). Finally in mile 11 (I think, my brain is pretty fuzzy at this point) I saw actual bathroom facilities that were open. Woo-hoo!!! I ran in and hit the first open stall.  Only...I couldn't go. Just peed a little and the cramping feeling stayed with me, but at least I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be known as "Poop Pants" for all eternity. I decided then and there that I was ready to be DONE. I felt like shit - literally - and figured I'd run as much as I could to get this race over with. It was all about "left foot-right foot-lather-rince-repeat".  My one regret was not taking pictures at this point.  I knew all my time goals were gone and I was in it to finish and have fun.  I should've gotten my phone out and started preserving the memories. This was by far the most scenic area of the race and I blew it as far as race pictures go. The 12th mile runs along Disney's Boardwalk and here there were a ton more spectators, but it was also more narrow. I wanted to run but people wouldn't move! I got lots of "Go Jessie" cheers and even a few "Go Woody"s. Really? You can't tell the difference? It made me laugh, though, which I really needed at this point.  Finally I was heading into Epcot. I couldn't believe how many twists and turns there were! (This was very similar to Tink now that I think about it. That last .25 never seemed to end either.) Finally, I saw the finish line and busted out my fastest pace for the whole race in the last .26 miles - a 10:15 - the pace that was supposed to be my average for the race. At least I was able to hit it for a couple minutes, right?

Official time: 2:33:52 (pace 11:44).  Mile splits: 12:08, 13:59 (ish-my Garmin stopped when I was in the bathroom), 12:04, 11:38, and 10:15 for the last .26 (my Garmin had the course at 13.26 and a time of 2:33:55 when I added back in the stopped time). Even though my time wasn't what I'd trained for, I was thrilled to see I'd finally broken into the top 50% of a race - in all areas, overall, gender and division!!!

I was DONE!!! and if there is anything that Disney does right it's race organization and medals. I got my race medal, some water and then my Coast to Coast medal - the main reason for doing this race. Clearly I was thrilled to be done.


I quickly got my bag from bag check (totally impressed by this, Disney!) and used the changing tents.  Then, I grabbed my pouch of sangria (the choices were sangria and Michelob Ultra - there might have been others but they were gone) . I drank about half before I had to dump it. My tummy was still pissed. I was also limping at this point.  My left calf was completely cramped up and nothing was going to make the knot go away. I was hoping walking around would help.

A couple weeks ago, I set 6 non-pace goals for this race.

Finish with a smile on my face :)

Have Fun!

Remember the words I have tattoo'd on my wrist and ankle and keep them in mind through the whole race

Make my friends and family proud - but mostly be proud of myself

Come away from the race with double bling - my Wine and Dine Half and Coast to Coast medals

Have enough left in my legs to have fun at the afterparty!

I was thrilled with finishing (goal 1) and having fun (goal 2).  I think I made my friends and family proud (at least all the tweets and Facebook messages from you indicate I did - I love you guys, THANK YOU!!!).  I tried through the race to "Believe" I would finish and I found "Strength" to keep going when I really thought the last 3 miles might end up a death march to the end.  Double bling? CHECK! and CHECK! As for energy in my legs for the afterparty...you'll have to wait for the next post to hear about that.

I finally made it to bed around 5:30 am, feeling more hate for running than love thanks to the agony in my legs and disappointing finishing time, but I was definitely in love with my bling. It was so bizarre to start a race on Saturday and finish it on Sunday.  It was a 2 day race! Maybe if I ever do this one again, I'll get fast enough to finish on the same day that I start :)



What I didn't post when I talked about race goals were my time goals.  Those of you who know me knew I would have some.  (And please respect my feelings about "racing" this race by not slamming my decision to do so or telling me that my finishing time is something others would dream of or is better than nothing at all.)

I failed at all my time goals. I had not posted them here on the blog or really anywhere (just a few people helping with my training knew).  My training was designed for a 2:15 half. It would've been a 12 min PR and as of my last long run, I believed I could possibly hit it under the right conditions. My 2nd time goal was for a PR in general - I'd have needed to be under 2:27 and I truly believed this was in the bag.  I'd missed it by a mere 6 minutes. I was incredibly disappointed in myself and I've spend the past day or so trying to figure out what I did wrong.  What I've come up with is that it just wasn't my day (or night). Just like the bad training runs that happen, sometimes there are bad races.  It just sucks out loud that a Disney race was my "bad" one. I was overdressed, the temperature was a full 30 degrees higher than what I'd trained in for the past 2 weeks (and almost month), the course was too crowded and twisty, and I really wasn't 100% healthy with my leg acting up in the 2 weeks before the race.  The issues with my gut? Who knows.  I still haven't figured that out.  I don't know if it was just the night atmosphere, eating the wrong foods, severe dehydration, or what.  I might never figure that piece out.

I may not have set a PR at Wine and Dine (although I did blow away my previous Disney half time from Tinker Bell in January by 15 minutes!) but I did learn a lot during this race. Those lessons learned will be shared in another post because this one is already too long!


One thing is for sure, though....3 is definitely better than 1 :)

Did you run the Wine and Dine Half?  If you did and you wrote a race report, please leave a link in the comments so I can read it!

Wine and Dine Half - the 2 day race: part 1

This is my account, or race recap if you will, of my 2012 Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon. I'm not really sure where to begin - my training started some 12 weeks ago. If you've followed my blog you've seen the training recaps each week. This was a fairly aggressive plan designed to get me running again after my injury last spring, but with the ultimate goal to result in a huge PR at Disney World. I had some acting up of my shin/calf and a small knee issue that slowed me down a bit, but if my last 2 long runs were any indication, a PR of some sort was definitely in my grasp when I got on the plane to fly to Orlando. The fact I'm starting this recap on my bumpy first leg home less than 18 hours after finishing what was certainly a bumpy race seems a bit ironic.

Warning - long post alert

Anyhoo...I should probably get to the race itself. I arrived at the expo over at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex on Friday afternoon and quickly secured my race packet, bib, and got outfitted in my "Coast to Coast Challenge" wristband that would be my companion until I crossed the finish line and a very nice race volunteer exchanged it for medal number 2 of the night. While waiting in the short line for my packet, I ran into Barb! She was my virtual training partner back in the winter for January's Tinker Bell Half and was also going for her C2C.


After saying "see you later" to Barb, I headed into the expo to shop around and pick up my race shirt. (Note to those doing Disney races, only the Princess Half has women's cut shirts and my size small race shirt, while I love it and am wearing it right now, was a bit too big. Tons of women were trying to exchange for smaller shirts.) The expo was quite similar to the larger race expos I've been too. It was well organized with tons of vendors.


I did something that I hadn't done at the Tinker Bell expo - I listened to a couple speakers, including the amazing Jeff Galloway. He had tons of practical advice for running a night race and discussed his run/walk method (which many runners used on the course - both to my amazement and chagrin).


After awhile, I met up with Christie and her friend and we headed to Plant Hollywood at Downtown Disney for a late dinner.


I was on my feet for quite awhile on Friday. I didn't think this would impact me much on Saturday night, but who knows.

Flash forward to race day. I spent the day staying off my feet, watching sports and having a healthy chicken pita sandwich with fruit for lunch. Plus lots of water.


I felt good and tried to take a little nap Saturday afternoon. I might have slept 20-30 min, it's hard to say. Around 5:00, I ate my leftover pasta with a creamy basil sauce for dinner (mistake?) and at 5:30 or so I got ready in my Jessie costume and hit up Starbucks for some last minute fuel.


It was about 65 degrees at race time (remember it was in the low 30s for my last two long runs at home). I had a jacket that I wore before checking my gear because I thought my arms would get cold, but in all honestly, I was overdressed for this race. My upper body was fine but I think the Jessie hat, capris and compression socks with my cow socks over them contributed to the clusterf*ck that was going to happen. Who knows. Hindsight is 20/20 or some crap like that, right?

I was able to just hang out in the grass and people watch while I waited for the race to start. I loved all the costumes and was totally blown away to see one woman light a cigarette and start smoking about 45 min before the start. For realz. There wasn't really anywhere to do any warm up or strides though. About 30 minutes before the start of the race, I hit the bathrooms one more time (there were about a million of them) because I'd been hydrating with water all afternoon. I tried to get as close to the start of Corral B as I could because I had some lofty goals for this race. I hadn't trained my ass off (literally, I lost about 6 pounds in the 12 weeks of training) to be stuck behind a bunch of walkers. With a few minutes to go before my corral (B) was to start (at 10:05 pm), I snapped pics of the starting fireworks for corral A.


I started my playlist and tucked away my phone. Pretty soon, they were counting down the start and the fireworks for corral B went off and the nearly 2400 of us started the slog to the starting line. (There were about 14000 people running the half - bib numbers went up to 14300).

Remember how I said I was typing this recap on my first flight home? The 2 vodka cranberries I've had are kicking in. Back soon.

*I wrote the above section on the first of two plane rides home Sunday night. It's now Monday morning and I've decided to publish this race report in two parts. I still need to process the race itself.*

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thankful Thursday: Any Guesses?

Today I'm giving thanks for three things:
1. That I'm physically able to run the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon on Saturday and hang out with my friends while I'm there.
2. That I have a wonderful boss who is allowing me the days off to go.
3. That people on the interwebs have done my job for me and created some pretty great packing lists for out of town races.  You can bet I've been checking and double checking these lists!  Here is one great one I found (click the image to make it easier to read):

source

That's it!  I'm packing up and ready to take to the skies, hit the roads and run around a little, magical place called Disney!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wine and Dine Half Training: Week 12 !!!!

Holy crap on a cracker - I made it! 12 weeks of training and I'm *relatively* unbroken.  Last week was another tough but very good week & I'm feeling pretty confident going into taper mode.  I have no doubts I'll finish the race, how quickly remains to be seen.

Monday 10/29/12 - RUN: 6 mile tempo in 1:00:47 - I was SOOOO freaking close to doing this in under an hour.  

Tuesday 10/30/12 - XT: Did a couple Nike Training Club workouts for about 30 minutes total.  Arms and abs & I felt it for days afterwards.  Note to self: more strength training is needed.

Wednesday 10/31/12 - XT: Cycled spin intervals.  My shin has been starting to complain more and more so today I did intervals on a spin bike instead of 800s.  I felt a little like I was cheating on my running though, but giving my shin and break was really the best move.  Covered 20.5 miles in 56:53 (if you are to believe the bike).

Thursday 11/1/12 - Rest day. Not really intended, but my daughter was diving in the conference prelims and I was at the meet all night.

Friday 11/2/12 - XT: Swimming 1200 meters/yards (no clue what our pool is) in 33:52.  It felt good to give my leg a little break from gravity, but all the kicking still kicked my butt - pun intended. 

Saturday 11/3/12 -  RUN: 10.01 miles in 1:46:21.  This run freaking kicked ass! It wasn't my fastest 10 miles ever, but came pretty close.  The amazing thing was running the last 2 miles at my fastest pace - 9:45s.  Crazy.  I recapped the run here. Almost immediately after the run, hubs and I headed to the D (that would be Detroit) to watch the State Marching Band finals.  Our kids finished 8th in the state in level 1 (the biggest schools). It was a very long day & I don't recommend sitting in a car for 3 hours and then a football stadium (they marched at Ford Field) for the rest of the night after running 10 miles. You WILL hurt. A LOT.

Sunday 11/4/12 - XT/stretching: Mostly I sat in the car some more, including some time on I-696 after our tire blew. Basically, we paid for our AAA membership and barely made it home in time to get the kids.  At one point, their busses passed us as we were driving the glacial speed of 55 mph after we got the donut put on the van. I did some stretching when we got home and lots of walking up and down the stairs doing laundry.  I figure all that counts somehow.

Now I am officially in taper mode and my last half marathon of the year (this will be number 3 in case anyone is keeping track) is just a few days away.  I'm not sure what I'm more excited about, running the race, running through Disney World, or getting to hang with my friends a bit this weekend.  In any case, it's gearing up to be an amazing weekend.

Thanks for putting up with the training recaps.  Next week should contain a race report!

Motivation Monday: #WineDineHalf Playlist!

If any of you know me, you know I rarely run without music. I've made playlists for all my races but never posted any of them until now. Music motivates me and keeps me going.  Normally I hit shuffle and let the songs fall as they may, but this time I decided to go with the order I created. Each song is here for a reason, whether it has special meaning or a certain beat (often it's both). I love to start with Lose Yourself & even when I'm shuffling songs, I'll start with that one.

I tested this playlist on my 10 miler on Saturday & it was perfect. The music started with a great beat to get me in a groove and picked up when I needed it to. My 1:45ish run ended with Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons, so I figure I have plenty of songs here to get through the half. I'm only posting screenshots of the playlist because I'm writing this post from my phone, so if you want any if the music, you'll have to look them up yourself.
Enjoy!








What about you? Do you run with music? Any standards you need on your playlists?

Wine and Dine Half Training: Week 11

I won't lie...this week really kicked my butt!  Peak weeks are no joke, my friends, and my legs are not very happy but the rest of me feels great about how the week turned out.

Monday 10/22/12 - XT: 2 mile walk in 31.55.  Basically I just needed to stretch my legs after my relay the day before. The hills on the course really nuked my legs and then trying to run with my team to the finish line was just the nail in the coffin (the pictures only prove how much I sucked at that point because I'm not even in them since I couldn't keep up).

Tuesday 10/23/12 - RUN: 6 mile tempo in 1:01:53 - I ran on my BFF's treadmill while she rode on her trainer because storms were predicted (and hit while we were working out). This wasn't a great tempo run and I really struggled to maintain paces - the struggles were more mental than physical.

Wednesday 10/24/12 - XT: Cycled clipped in at my gym (used one of the gym spin bikes). Rode 10.5 miles in 32 minutes and felt pretty good.  Still way to chicken to clip in on my own bike - in fact, I haven't even installed my new pedals yet.

Thursday 10/25/12 - RUN- Yasso 800s x 8 in 36:17, plus 1 mile wu/cd.  I did these at the gym again and managed to hit my paces (around 4:30ish for each 1/2 mile).  I've decided I MUCH prefer running these outside, but our weather hasn't been cooperating. It doesn't look good for this coming week either due to the remnants of some Frankenstorm.

Friday 10/26/12 - Rest day. 

Saturday 10/27/12 -  RUN: 13.1 miles in 2:29:37.  I finally had a strong run!   It was super cold out (32 degrees) and sunny with a breeze that didn't bother me until I was running into it for miles 9-11.  My shin/calf were unhappy through the whole thing, but nothing I couldn't work through.  Mentally I stayed tough and I ran the whole time (except for all the stop lights I stood at - those weren't recorded by my garmin except for the spike to zero miles per minute and a pause, and stopping at home after 3.1 and at the gym at 8.1 to top off my water bottles).  When I uploaded my data, it had my "moving time" at 2:26 - so I might have actually set a half marathon PR if you don't count the funky way I ran the route today.  :)

Sunday 10/28/12 - XT/stretching: I'm counting the 1.5 hours I spent walking around doing the grocery shopping as cross training. I also stretched and foam rolled several times during the day.

I can't believe I only have 1 more week of hard training before I'm into the taper for Wine and Dine.  I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to be heading to the Happiest Place on Earth!  

Fitness Friday: Wine and Dine Half Goals

source

My next half marathon is a mere 15 days away - SQUEEE!!!!  I'm setting some non-time based goals for this race.  It is Disney, afterall.

1. Finish with a smile on my face :)
2. Have Fun!
3. Remember the words I have tattoo'd on my wrist and ankle and keep them in mind through the whole race
4. Make my friends and family proud - but mostly be proud of myself
5. Come away from the race with double bling - my Wine and Dine Half and Coast to Coast medals
6. Have enough left in my legs to have fun at the afterparty!

Do you set non-time goals for your races?

Wine and Dine Half Training: Week 10

Getting into the home stretch.  It's time to start earning that taper in a couple weeks - I can't believe the race is in less than 3 weeks. I know I can cover the distance, but I had a bit of a rough week, so I'm not going to say much.

Monday 10/15/12 - RUN: 6 mile tempo. My longest tempo to date and it didn't go well. 1:01:04 (10:10 pace overall).

Tuesday 10/16/12 - XT/Cycling - I hooked my bike up to my girlfriend's trainer.  Holy sweat fest! I cycled for an hour & guess it was around 14 miles.

Wednesday 10/17/12 - RUN: 7x800 Yassos (plus 1 mile wu/cd in 10:47).  First time to do 7 of them.  I ran outside (my 1/2 mile neighborhood loop) and I averaged a 9:07 pace. 3.5 miles in 32 minutes is crazy - but when you take into account the 4:30 rests it's not as impressive.  

Thursday 10/18/12 - XT/Yoga- Did 30 minutes of yoga. The workout was supposed to be 40 minutes but it was mostly sun salutations and I got bored.

Friday 10/19/12 - Rest day. 

Saturday 10/20/12 -  RUN: 2.4 mile shake out run. Easy 2 miles followed by 4 sets of strides. Averaged an 11:10 pace, but the strides were crazy fast.

Sunday 10/21/12 - RUN: 12 miles in 2:16:23 (ave 11:24 pace).  I ran the 2nd leg to the Grand Rapids Marathon Relay and then ran back to town. You can read what a disaster it was here.

I REALLY need some good runs this week to get my confidence back but my training this week scares me.  This is peak week - 6 mile tempo, 8x800 and a 13 mile long run. To be brutally honest, I'm scared.  I'm still sore from Sunday's crap 12 and I'm afraid  I know I can finish the half at this point, but I also want to have fun and not completely suck. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Wine and Dine Half Training: Week 9

This week turned out to be a bit of a bust.  I shortened my long run way down because I was planning on a 25 mile group bike ride and because of the weather (read torrential downpours and high wind) I didn't ride. I only logged 13 miles this week.  Not the kind of numbers you want to report a month out from your half marathon.  Anyhoo...here's the way the week played out.

Monday 10/8/12 - RUN: 3 mile tempo. 1.5 mile wu/cd at 11:35 pace then 1.5 mile tempo at 9:45 pace.  Massage appointment after school.

Tuesday 10/9/12 - Nothing :( I don't even know why I didn't work out.

Wednesday 10/10/12 - RUN: 6x800 Yassos (plus 1 mile wu/cd).  First time to do 6 of them and I averaged a 9:03 pace. Used the TM at the gym and it seems that surface makes my shin and knee less cranky but is boring as frak. It's pretty cool to see on DailyMile "Bari ran 3 miiles in 27 minutes" even though it's not really true with the 4:30 rests between sets.  I'll still take it though.

Thursday 10/11/12 - XT/Strength - 20 minute core circuit.

Friday 10/12/12 - Rest day. 

Saturday 10/13/12 -  RUN: Long run Saturday and I only ran 6 miles, but I did them at a 10:08 pace in a cold rain.  That should make them count double, right???  The first 4 miles were sub-10 m/m pace, which was clearly really, really stupid.  Kids...this is how NOT to do your long run. Just sayin'. I wanted to just run the middle 2 miles at HM pace and I ended up running the whole thing at my 5k pace. Oops.  I'm also disappointed in myself for not riding in the charity ride I was supposed to do but I really didn't feel comfortable biking 25 miles in the rain and wind. One of these days I'll be a badass on my bike, too, but not less than a month out from my half. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to ride when I set out for my run at 7 am.  I should've added on a couple more running miles but after busting out 6 way too fast miles, I had nothing left. Live and learn, I guess.

Sunday 10/14/12 - XT/Stretching - I found a new YOGA app (I downloaded the free version) and it was pretty good. I had an app awhile back that only showed photos and I'm yoga dumb so the videos in this one were much easier to follow.  Did the level 1 20 minute workout and then finished with 10 minutes of foam rolling.  One of my friends asked which app, so here it is.  I'm going to do a few more of the "free" workouts and if I still like it, I'll drop the $3 for the full version.

So, even though I only logged 13 miles this week (which probably should have been my long run #fail) I at least did a couple easy stretching/toning workouts.  Not ideal, but better than the zero XT sessions I had last week.  Baby steps.

I've already made a contingency plan for tonight's workout. I'm hooking my bike up to a friend's trainer and giving indoor biking a shot.  I'll have no way to determine speed or distance since I don't have a cadence adapter for my new Garmin, but I'll at least shoot for a good hour ride.  On Saturday, I bought cycle shoes on clearance and when pedals go on sale at Thanksgiving, I'll add those to my arsenal.  Still trying to find a trainer on craigslist since those things are so freaking expensive.

This week the rain and wind stopped me on the bike but I had no issues running in it.  Where do you draw the line with training outside in nasty weather?

Wine and Dine Half Training: Week 8

I'm a bit amazed that I'm not just a little over a month away from heading to DISNEY!!! This week has been another week of strong running and little to no cross training.  This seems to happen at about this point in all my training cycles.  I keep up with the running, but everything else goes to pot.  I keep saying, "this time it will be different" but it's time to call bullshit on myself.  It's never been different. I don't know why, but I can't keep up with the cross training and stuff. I should be able to, but for whatever reason I completely fail in this regard.  Ugh.  

Monday 10/1/12 - No workouts, but saw my massage therapist for my usual Monday treatment.

Tuesday 10/2/12 - B double E double R U N BEERRUN! Tonight was the final GR Marathon Beer Run for the year (except for the post-marathon one they usually do in November) so I moved Monday's tempo to today.  Since I needed to get 5 miles in, I left for the run about 20 minutes before the organized group run started. 1 mile warmup and then one of my fastest 3 mile runs ever (29:48, a 9:56 pace!), followed by a 1 mile cooldown.  This was very tough but the beer afterwards was worth it.

Wednesday 10/3/12 - Bupkiss. This is becoming a very sad trend.

Thursday 10/4/12 - Run - 5x800 Yassos.  This time on the treadmill because the weather was pretty crappy.  Averaged a 9:02 pace for the 1/2 mile sprints, which was great, but I hated doing them back inside after the great outside runs I've been having.

Friday 10/5/12 - Rest day. 

Saturday 10/6/12 -  Run: 12 miles beyotches!!! This was an untimed run, which for me is almost unheard of.  I have no idea exactly how long it took (I have a rough idea but I'm not reporting it). It was very refreshing to just go out with my music and try to find that joy in running again.  

Sunday 10/7/12 - Nothing. I focused on stretching and rolling. Also went up and down my stairs doing the laundry and did all the grocery shopping. That should count as cross training. (This is exactly what I wrote last Sunday, only the stairs were more painful this time.)

This coming week I have a few shake-ups in the schedule and I'm hoping the weather holds for what is in store on Saturday.  More to come!

Wine and Dine Half Training: Week 7

Over half-way there for Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon!  I'm getting excited and at the point where I know (baring any bad injuries) I can definitely FINISH the distance - how quickly I finish still remains to be seen.

This week the long run and speedwork miles ramped up quite a bit again but I'm feeling better than I was last week at this time.  I'll consider that a win.  I was awful, however, on cross training this week. That part is a fail.

Monday 9/24/12 - Run: 3 treadmill miles (1.5 mile tempo) at 6am. Kept my tempo pace at just under a 10m/m but I was tired and this run felt harder than it should have considering it was a step-down from last week. Finished the day with my massage therapist after school. I like that she helps flush out all the lactic acid from the weekend's long run.

Tuesday 9/25/12 - XT scheduled but I did nothing. I have no excuse.

Wednesday 9/26/12 - Run: Yasso 800s around my neighboorhood. 1 mile warm up/cool down in 12:00, then 2.5 miles of 1/2 mile repeats (5x800) with a 4:30 rest in between sets. Averaged an 8:56 pace for these (provided I did the math right) and I felt incredible when I was finished.  They still kicked my ass and I was dying about 1/4 mile into each one, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of them. I'm so proud of myself for hitting my paces pretty consistently throughout too (4:25, 4:33, 4:23, 4:34, 4:27).

Thursday 9/27/12 - XT - biked 7.8 miles in 36:49 (ave 12.7 mph).  I was hoping this ride would help flush my legs out after the speed work but they just felt heavy and fried. My average speed was awful compared to what I should be able to do and I ended up cutting the ride short because I really wasn't feeling it.  It was still probably better than nothing, though.

Friday 9/28/12 - Rest day. 

Saturday 9/29/12 -  Run: 10 miles in 1:52:58 (11:17 pace). I ran a supported (sorta) 10 mile training run that was put on by one of the local running stores.  I paid and registered and had a race number but the run wasn't times and there is some question that the distance wasn't totally accurate so I'm not calling it a race. The weather was beautiful and I ran the first 4 miles with one of my runner girlfriends.  The conversation was great and it helped the miles go by faster.  I had forgotten how hilly this section of the Grand Rapids Marathon course was, though, and the hills kicked my ass. Literally. As in my ass was still sore on Monday.  But I need to suck it up since this will also be my section of the GR Marathon Relay in a few weeks. My splits weren't too shabby considering all the hills: 11:24, 11:29, 11:22, 11:19, 11:22, 11:36, 11:22, 11:47, 10:56, 10:23.  With that push in the last 2 miles, I definitely had some gas left at the end, but still don't think I can maintain that pace (10:23) for 13.1 miles.  Time will tell. I felt pretty good by Monday, but Saturday night and Sunday I was pretty sore and my ankle was PO'd from the slant on the street.  Again, just telling myself to suck it up.

Sunday 9/30/12 - Nothing. I focused on stretching and rolling. Also went up and down my stairs doing the laundry and did all the grocery shopping. That should count as cross training.

Last week at this time, I was fighting a cold and a little worried as to how it would affect my training. Luckily, it seems I've mostly nipped it in the bud.  This coming weekend I might shoot for 12 miles.  I need to flip-flop a couple weeks because I agreed to do a 25 mile bike ride/fundraiser thing on the 13th and have ZERO desire to also attempt a 10 or 12 mile training run that day (I can switch to the 10 mile ride if I need to, but even that after a 10 or 12 mile run would be nuts). I think this weekend's 5 would be much more reasonable that day. 

This training cycle I'm hoping to hit at least a couple 12 milers before the half.  I've never trained past race distance before (obviously I've run farther than 13.1 in the past since I've done a 25k and marathon).  Do you ever train past race distance, or stick to just below?  I remember topping out at 20 in marathon training and thinking there was no way I'd be able to add a 10k to that, but I did. This week I knew after running 10 that I could add another 3.1.  Running is so mental, don't you think?

Wine and Dine Half Training: Week 6

I can't believe I'm half-way through my training for Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon and in just over 6 weeks, I'm going to be earning my Coast-to-Coast medal :))))

This week the miles ramped up quite a bit and I'm feeling the effects.  It's all good though. Just means I'm working hard.

Monday 9/17/12 - Run: 4 treadmill miles (2.5 mile tempo). Kept my tempo pace at a 10m/m (a few seconds slower than last week). Tempo felt good and I can feel my endurance and strength coming back. Had another appointment with the chiro & massage therapist again after school.

Tuesday 9/18/12 - XT - 2 mile, easy walk.  Checking out my route for neighborhood 800s.

Wednesday 9/19/12 - Run: Yasso 800s around my neighboorhood. 1.5 mile warm up/cool down in 17:00 (11:20 pace), then 2 miles of 1/2 mile repeats (4x800) with a 4:30 rest in between sets. Averaged a 9:04 pace. This was a huge test for me. I've only ever done speedwork on a treadmill and it was a huge boost to know I could maintain those paces outside as well.  I was sore for days.

Thursday 9/20/12 - Nothing, nada, ziltch 

Friday 9/21/12 - Again, nothing. 

Saturday 9/22/12 -  Run: 8.17 miles in 1:30:58 (11:08 pace but ran awesome negative splits - starting at 12:05 and ending at 10:41 or 10:10 if you count the last .17 miles). I keep hitting longer and longer runs and this one felt really good.  I met a friend at 0 dark:30 and had a great run.  The conversation made the miles go faster and the company made the dark less scary.  I only tripped twice. Or maybe 3 times. Never actually fell down though :)

Sunday 9/23/12 - Recovery walk while taking in Artprize (a huge art competition here in town for the next couple weeks). Very slow walk but I think we covered about 2 miles and it helped with some of the kinks from the week.

I'm extremely proud of going outside my comfort zone and completing those 800s outside.  That was probably one of the hardest workouts I've ever done (and will only get harder since I have 5x800 this week).  I see some speed peeking through here and there and my endurance keeps getting better.  Sadly, I'm now fighting a cold and I hope it doesn't frak up my remaining runs this week (I did my tempo yesterday before the cold knocked me on my butt).

Did you do any workouts (or anything else for that matter) that put you outside YOUR comfort zone this week?

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Wine and Dine Half Marathon Training: Week 5

Normally I post these recaps on Tuesdays, but tomorrow I have a very special guest blogger (hint-hint: she just became an Ironman!) so I'm posting W&D stuff today.

Monday 9/10/12 - Run: 4 treadmill miles (2.5 mile tempo). Kept my tempo pace just under a 10m/m. Still not convinced I could keep that pace outside.  Saw the chiro & massage therapist again after school & I'm making good progress getting healthier.

Tuesday 9/11/12 - Strength: 40 minute arms and abs circuit.

Wednesday 9/12/12 - Run: Yasso 800s. 2 mile warm up/cool down in 22:06 (11:03 pace), then 2 miles of 1/2 mile repeats (4x800) with a 4:30 rest in between sets. Averaged a 9:09 pace.

Thursday 9/13/12 - Nothing, except that planking vlog :)  

Friday 9/14/12 - Biking: 10 miles in 42:40 (14.1 mph).

Saturday 9/15/12 -  Run: 7:03 miles in 1:18:33 (11:10 pace but ran a negative split). Longest run since injury.  I still think my long runs are too slow (they are a full minute longer than what I want my 1/2 marathon pace to be). Hopefully the speed work and tempo runs will help come race day because I can't seem to hit the 10's much at all on these long runs.

Sunday 9/16/12 - Biking: 22 miles in 1:44:27.  Biked from Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, north through 2 towns and all the way to Rockford on the White Pine Trail.  The trail was a little congested in spots, but overall this was a nice ride.  I'm looking at a 25 mile group ride next month & wanted to make sure I had the distance in me.  I might need some cushier bike shorts by then, though.  The tri shorts left some serious chaffing, even with the use of my Hoo-Ha Ride Glide.  

So, overall a really good training week for me.  My shin is barely noticeable anymore and my knee is doing much better as well.  Crossing fingers and praying that I don't end up with any other stupid injuries between now and November 10th.

How was your week? Run any cool races this weekend?