This one caught me by surprise. The week before the Princess Half, Ted tells me his friend Andrew thought it would be fun if we met them in Jacksonville since his wife Melissa was running a race. I actually thought I was agreeing to a little 10k until I looked at the dates and started cursing. I was already facing a half I wouldn't be trained for; now I had a 9 miler the next week. On the positive side, the half would serve as a good long training run for the 15k!
So, we pack up our stuff and head to Jacksonville. On the way, Harry has a cookie fit. He wants the "chocolate cookies you have in the car!!" He's almost at meltdown level before I interpret correctly- "you want thin mints?" "YES!" Yeah, those cookies were in the car a month ago- they've long since been eaten. I break it to him that he's going to have to settle for something else since I can't produce Girl Scout cookies on demand. We stop at a convenience store before we hit I95. Ted goes in to get some drinks and some sort of cookies. On his way out, he spots of all things, a Girl Scout cookie stand. So Harry got his Thin Mints. And I suppose he learned that if he was loud enough and irrational enough, we'd do whatever necessary to meet his demands. That will probably come back to haunt us, but it totally worked in the short run and sometimes that's okay.
We made it over to the Expo. It's at the stadium, and it's really tedious to park my ginormous car. Of course, dragging all of us in is also tedious, but I expected that. We actually ran into Melissa on the way in. Our plan was to have dinner together, but I was getting anxious about dealing with my 3 and Melissa's baby. OK, actually I was only worried about Captain Harry, but that was a pretty big worry especially since he'd just scarved down a ton of Thin Mints. When you're trying to find the stadium and park, you just keep passing the cookies back...
We finally coordinated with our friends and ended up at their hotel. We walked across the street to a very nice restaurant. When I say nice, I mean no kid's menus, no high chairs, etc. I'm realizing that in the frenzy to get to the Expo, I forgot about the whole re-applying lipstick, brushing hair thing. Yep, I'm dragging in a horde of children looking like crap. Nice. Surprisingly, Harry and the babies were well behaved at dinner. Food was good, and it was fun to talk to Andrew and Melissa.
We headed over to our hotel by the Town Center. The hotel is in a huge outside mall type place. We had a suite, and were upgraded so that we were in basically a two bedroom apartment. I was sad we weren't staying all weekend!
So, it's the usual race day prep stuff. I put on the running skort I wore last weekend. Loved it last weekend, but it drove me crazy all day- who would have guessed? I drove over to the stadium. I ended up in a parking lot that charged $5. That irritated me but I didn't want to try circling the stadium. I did take a couple of pictures of where I was parked so I could find my car. I only took my iPhone this time, with headphones.
Everyone is just milling about by the start. I don't see anyone in costumes, and everyone pretty much looks like they just staggered out of bed and headed to the race. Not to complain, I'm not dressed up either, but it was a funny contrast to the Princess where everyone seemed dressed for the theme. I had on my fancy "Run Like a Princess" hat I bought at the Princess Expo. That was a lucky accident- I added it to my pile of stuff I was buying. I was so distracted holding the baby that I didn't notice it was $30 until I got to the hotel. I was a little irritated by it's price, but it turned out to be a fabulous hat.
So there I am, just standing in a sea of I think 15,000 people. I'm texting my mom because I'm so bored, and I'm listening to the always present 80s music. People aren't really chatting because they all have on their iPods.
Finally, the start! There's a cannon blast and the theme to Rocky. We head off through downtown. We pass the Maxwell House coffee place- it totally smells delicious. We're on a wide street but there are people all the way across. It's really packed. I was a little disoriented seeing Forest Gump blaze by in his short shorts with his box of chocolates. Bands were playing at almost every mile- I turned my music all the way down and tried to wave.
Then there's the Main Street bridge (I think- it's blue). It's not that bad, but I'm so over bridges. It has that grating that always makes me think I'm going to fall through or at the very least trip. We head through a trendy shopping area on San Marco and then we are on River Street. It's a really nice neighborhood- people are sitting in lawnchairs watching. There's a guy in a kayak watching us from the river- that would be cool. One yard had a "mimosa stand" which I thought was great. Some kids had sliced oranges they were handing out, and a runners club had those popsicle-like things without the sticks. It was a veritable buffet.
The spectators were funny in Jacksonville. They were out there and they were clapping, but it wasn't nearly as over the top as Disney. I think maybe that's because the spectators at Disney either are cast members or have a personal connection to one of the runners. I felt more like the Jacksonville spectators were out there to watch the race cause it was in their neighborhood- which is cool, but I felt weird, like we were on exhibit. It added to my feeling of isolation within the herd. I think that goes back to the iPod thing. Was no one talking because everyone was listening or was everyone listening because no one was talking?! Anyway, except for the couple of times some crazed dad pushing a stroller pushed through the crowd, I didn't hear much. Maybe Becky and I just talk too much and I've grown accustomed to chatting on the courses. Or maybe I was just way too tired.
The last mile was the bridge they call the "Green Monster." Much as I expected, it sucked. Although it did not suck as much as the bridge in Savannah, and the bridge in Savannah did not suck as much as the bridge in Brunswick. See? I have way too much bridge knowledge for someone who hates hills.
You go straight down the bridge and to the stadium for the finish. It was a little longer than I anticipated, but really was downhill. I cruised through and then ran smack into a horrible traffic jam. A mass of runners was slowly making their way to the medals and then to the Expo. It took me at least 15 minutes just to get free. I decided there was no way I was going into the Expo mess and broke out of the crowd as soon as I could. At this point, I was realizing my car was possibly on the other side of the hordes of runners coming off the bridge. As I got closer, I decided that my car was actually under the ramp the runners were coming down, so all was well. Turns out the $5 fee was totally worth it, since the man running the lot had to talk me through backing out. Again, the curse of the ginormous vehicle.
I drove back some ridiculous way to avoid the race route. I still made it back in time to shower and pack before check-out time at noon. I grabbed a quick bagel while holding Milo. I was telling Ted something about the race when I realized Milo had stolen my bagel and was gumming away! So, fully packed and checked out, we hit the stores and then drove on home.
Would I do it again? Yeah, sure, but it's not a big goal. If it works out in my schedule next year, great. I am glad I did it, but I'd really like to stay away from bridges...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Princess Half
I tried to exercise some self-control and not sign up for this race. I really, really tried. I told myself that I'd run the same course in January; that Disney races are expensive; that I don't even like princesses... And then I argued back: I could go faster on a course where I knew what to expect; the whole family likes Disney and Harry would only be under 3 and free for another month; and some princesses are pretty tough. Thinking about the new medal finally did me in. I don't know why I bother trying to be good.
I sort of trained for this one after the half in January. My longest run still never made it past the Dolphin Days 10k, but I ran more consistently. My Disney running partner, Becky, recently hit a new PR of 2:23. I printed out a pace chart and taped it to my phone with a goal of 2:21. In theory I could run 3-6 miles at a faster pace than that goal, but not having run long distances in awhile I wasn't sure how long I could maintain a faster pace.
We drove down on Friday planning to hit the Expo that night. I dropped Ted and Harry off at the hotel, and Emma and Miles and I drove over to the Expo. Slight complication: the stroller was at the hotel and there was a Braves game at the Wide World of Sports. We parked the car and began the long trek to the Expo, carrying the baby. That might have been more tiring than the actual race...
We bought a bit of stuff at the Expo. Why does Disney insist on making ugly shirts?! Seriously, I could make a better shirt in like 30 seconds. One shirt said something like "Who's the fastest one of all" with an apple- cute idea, but on ugly gray. Another shirt said something about my other slipper being a running shoe, but on shockingly bright turquoise. They had potential, but missed the mark. Which is not to say I didn't buy them. Ahem. As I was debating the ugly shirts, Miles (who I was still holding after the eternal trek) was making a spectacle of himself. I didn't really think about the atmosphere at a women's only race- he had to smile at everyone and they all had to respond. I wonder if he could have crowd-surfed to the exit? Hmmm....
We made it to the room, and hit Epcot. After wandering the countries aimlessly, we drove back to our room at the All Star suites, and amused ourselves with all the pull out beds. (Three in one room- the couch, a big chair, and the ottoman! The coolest part- pillow storage was built into the beds. I wonder if most people are smart enough to see the pillows on the first try? I had a complete fit until I re-folded the bed and found them- then I was quite captivated, but I'm easily entertained).
Saturday morning, we did the Magic Kingdom thing. Emma got to ride just about everything, so she was happy. Harry rode Splash Mountain twice. You know where the boat starts doing that jumpy uphill thing for the last fall? That would be where Harry turned to me and said "I don't want to be on this ride!" Too late. He laughed at the end and proclaimed it his favorite, but declined to go a third time. ("It's scary and you get wet.") Good thing he declined, cause we weren't standing in line again!
Milo and I entertained ourselves while waiting. See? It takes so little to entertain me now.
And, it was off to Epcot. We got a Kim Possible phone thingy. You go on missions to the various countries. It's very cool- you follow the clues and strange things happen. For instance, in Norway, smoke comes out of a chimney. In China, a creepy door opens and then slams shut. It's all done in a way that no one around you really notices what's happening- it was a huge hit with us. It also stopped the drama between Ted and Emma- one wants to ride Test Track, while the other wants to partake of food and beverages... We actually had to turn in our Kim Possible Kimmunicator because Epcot was closing. Note to self: get to the Kim Possible station earlier next time.
Finally, the morning of the race. Hello, daylight savings. The race started at 7:00, which of course, felt like 6:00- that hurt. My phone managed to vibrate the alarm- like that could get me up! Fortunately Milo is an alarm all to himself so I wasn't too late. I got dressed and drove to Becky's hotel. We'd decided against wearing the WISH shirts, only because they are too hard to make "Princessy." Becky had on pink, and I had my "Princess" tiara. (Becky also had on not one, but two, knee brace contraptions. I'm thinking a good friend probably shouldn't have encouraged her to run, especially not for a PR. Of course, a good friend wouldn't run with a 10k with someone who'd had a baby 3 weeks before-- Becky and I are such bad influences on each other!)
We drove to Epcot and parked the car (which we later found again with only a little drama). Being old hands at this by now, we didn't even go to the herding area and just started walking to the corrals. It was really cold and dark. I had a little water and ate a Snickers marathon bar. I had to mess with my tiara until it felt right- it's a little too far back to be perfect in the pictures, but it didn't bother me. I was very amused with it, although a little insecure not having a hat.
I'm such a slacker now. I call Becky Kim Possible because she has all sorts of stuff in her belt (and her gloves pinned on it!). I had my phone in my pocket, my camera in my hand, and my key in a shoe wallet. That's it. I hadn't even had water that morning- just a Diet Dr. Pepper. For my first long race, the Minnie 15k, I had a water belt fully loaded with bottles of water and Powerade. In the bag part, I had bandaids, tylenol, extra contacts, sport beans, money, etc. I even had a bandana tied around the belt for some inexplicable reason. I probably need to find a place somewhere between being too prepared and just showing up...
OK, so we are in Corral A, which is pretty sweet. We're with the fast people. We're not completely delusional and don't go to the very front, but in theory, we could see the elites. (The closest I've ever seen the elites at Disney is when they are either warming up along the road outside of the corrals, or when the leaders pass us on their way back from MK). We can see the starting line banner, and can sort of see the presenters. Now that I look back on it, this may have been the first time I wasn't basically inside a speaker, so it wasn't completely deafening. A random man found his peeps in front of us. He was passing out lemon drops. Concerns of choking brushed aside, we accepted. I finally finished that lemon drop after a couple of miles. I kind of liked it.
The Fairy Godmother came out and rambled for awhile. I was pre-occupied with my lemon drop, the cold, and the sudden realization that I was about to run 13.1 miles horribly undertrained, but I'm sure she said something sort of encouraging. The wheelchairs took off amidst some colored smoke effects. I thought they might be waiting for the "big" start for the fireworks, but alas, no fireworks. Really, fireworks are fun, but over-rated. I always think they are going to be cool, and then end up hacking over the start line.
Becky and I take off. For once, I set my Garmin at the right time. The first mile is uneventful. It's a little crowded, but not anything like the January weekend. Costume watching is fun. Allthe guys started in Corral B and back, so a few passed us early. One was in a full Snow White outfit, wig and all.
The next three miles are all a blur. Lots of costumes to check out. Some entertainment- they had a few bands, string quartets (I think- all I remember is they were dressed formally), and a little group playing guitars. I tried to take pictures of the mile markers, but they all blur or delay too much because of the dark. The signs had different princess scenes. Apparently there were hidden Mickeys in the signs- I must be the world's worst hidden Mickey finder. I didn't even think to look. Of course, looking would have required slowing down. Didn't really think it through, but everyone there was in pink, white, or black (or full costume). I would never have found Becky again if I slowed too much!
It's getting a little lighter as we blaze down Contemporary Hill and blaze back up (and by blaze I mean we didn't walk at all).
Going into the Magic Kingdom was exciting as always.
I was a little disappointed to not see Chip and Dale in Tomorrowland cause that's usually where my picture madness peaks. We raced over to a bathroom by Ariel's Grotto and then got a picture taken outside the Castle. We took another one with Snow White by the Castle. Then we stopped for the posed photo in front of the Castle. It turns out I could start picture madness without Chip and Dale! Luckily, Becky reigned me in and we got back to trying to keep moving reasonably fast. There were a bunch of picture opportunities behind Splash Mountain, but we didn't want to slow down.
Silly me, at about mile 7, I looked down at the pace chart on my phone and told Becky we were right on pace. Yep, she really wanted that PR. That was when I started to realize that long runs in training are a good thing...
So, off through the boring stretch. There were princesses along the way, and more photo ops than at the regular half. The lines weren't long, but we both decided it would hurt too much to stop (well, hurt too much to start again). I thought the fairies at the bottom of the last overpass were in a really odd spot. It would have been so painful to tackle the overpass after a stop there.
We dragged on up the overpass with Epcot in sight. I say "in sight"- try blinding. The sun was up and I was wishing I had my hat. (My anti-fog glasses were not living up to their promise).
We really tried to dig in the last mile or two. All my pictures were of people's feet and the roads- it was so hard. We were pretty much at the grunt, point, and groan stage.
The finish- I look up and see we're headed for a 2:21 finish. Sweet! I'm so tired, I let Becky take off on the last few feet. I'd suddenly realized we were running for her PR, and I didn't have to hurry anymore... We got back together at the finish, got our fabulous medals, and praised our time.
And then it was back to the hotel for a quick shower, packing, and a trip back home. I think that the Princess was my favorite half- I love the traditional Donald, but there were a lot of advantages to the Princess. This one's going on my list of races I want to run again (ok, all Disney races are on that list, but this one is slightly higher than others).
I sort of trained for this one after the half in January. My longest run still never made it past the Dolphin Days 10k, but I ran more consistently. My Disney running partner, Becky, recently hit a new PR of 2:23. I printed out a pace chart and taped it to my phone with a goal of 2:21. In theory I could run 3-6 miles at a faster pace than that goal, but not having run long distances in awhile I wasn't sure how long I could maintain a faster pace.
We drove down on Friday planning to hit the Expo that night. I dropped Ted and Harry off at the hotel, and Emma and Miles and I drove over to the Expo. Slight complication: the stroller was at the hotel and there was a Braves game at the Wide World of Sports. We parked the car and began the long trek to the Expo, carrying the baby. That might have been more tiring than the actual race...
We bought a bit of stuff at the Expo. Why does Disney insist on making ugly shirts?! Seriously, I could make a better shirt in like 30 seconds. One shirt said something like "Who's the fastest one of all" with an apple- cute idea, but on ugly gray. Another shirt said something about my other slipper being a running shoe, but on shockingly bright turquoise. They had potential, but missed the mark. Which is not to say I didn't buy them. Ahem. As I was debating the ugly shirts, Miles (who I was still holding after the eternal trek) was making a spectacle of himself. I didn't really think about the atmosphere at a women's only race- he had to smile at everyone and they all had to respond. I wonder if he could have crowd-surfed to the exit? Hmmm....
We made it to the room, and hit Epcot. After wandering the countries aimlessly, we drove back to our room at the All Star suites, and amused ourselves with all the pull out beds. (Three in one room- the couch, a big chair, and the ottoman! The coolest part- pillow storage was built into the beds. I wonder if most people are smart enough to see the pillows on the first try? I had a complete fit until I re-folded the bed and found them- then I was quite captivated, but I'm easily entertained).
Saturday morning, we did the Magic Kingdom thing. Emma got to ride just about everything, so she was happy. Harry rode Splash Mountain twice. You know where the boat starts doing that jumpy uphill thing for the last fall? That would be where Harry turned to me and said "I don't want to be on this ride!" Too late. He laughed at the end and proclaimed it his favorite, but declined to go a third time. ("It's scary and you get wet.") Good thing he declined, cause we weren't standing in line again!
Milo and I entertained ourselves while waiting. See? It takes so little to entertain me now.
And, it was off to Epcot. We got a Kim Possible phone thingy. You go on missions to the various countries. It's very cool- you follow the clues and strange things happen. For instance, in Norway, smoke comes out of a chimney. In China, a creepy door opens and then slams shut. It's all done in a way that no one around you really notices what's happening- it was a huge hit with us. It also stopped the drama between Ted and Emma- one wants to ride Test Track, while the other wants to partake of food and beverages... We actually had to turn in our Kim Possible Kimmunicator because Epcot was closing. Note to self: get to the Kim Possible station earlier next time.
Finally, the morning of the race. Hello, daylight savings. The race started at 7:00, which of course, felt like 6:00- that hurt. My phone managed to vibrate the alarm- like that could get me up! Fortunately Milo is an alarm all to himself so I wasn't too late. I got dressed and drove to Becky's hotel. We'd decided against wearing the WISH shirts, only because they are too hard to make "Princessy." Becky had on pink, and I had my "Princess" tiara. (Becky also had on not one, but two, knee brace contraptions. I'm thinking a good friend probably shouldn't have encouraged her to run, especially not for a PR. Of course, a good friend wouldn't run with a 10k with someone who'd had a baby 3 weeks before-- Becky and I are such bad influences on each other!)
We drove to Epcot and parked the car (which we later found again with only a little drama). Being old hands at this by now, we didn't even go to the herding area and just started walking to the corrals. It was really cold and dark. I had a little water and ate a Snickers marathon bar. I had to mess with my tiara until it felt right- it's a little too far back to be perfect in the pictures, but it didn't bother me. I was very amused with it, although a little insecure not having a hat.
I'm such a slacker now. I call Becky Kim Possible because she has all sorts of stuff in her belt (and her gloves pinned on it!). I had my phone in my pocket, my camera in my hand, and my key in a shoe wallet. That's it. I hadn't even had water that morning- just a Diet Dr. Pepper. For my first long race, the Minnie 15k, I had a water belt fully loaded with bottles of water and Powerade. In the bag part, I had bandaids, tylenol, extra contacts, sport beans, money, etc. I even had a bandana tied around the belt for some inexplicable reason. I probably need to find a place somewhere between being too prepared and just showing up...
OK, so we are in Corral A, which is pretty sweet. We're with the fast people. We're not completely delusional and don't go to the very front, but in theory, we could see the elites. (The closest I've ever seen the elites at Disney is when they are either warming up along the road outside of the corrals, or when the leaders pass us on their way back from MK). We can see the starting line banner, and can sort of see the presenters. Now that I look back on it, this may have been the first time I wasn't basically inside a speaker, so it wasn't completely deafening. A random man found his peeps in front of us. He was passing out lemon drops. Concerns of choking brushed aside, we accepted. I finally finished that lemon drop after a couple of miles. I kind of liked it.
The Fairy Godmother came out and rambled for awhile. I was pre-occupied with my lemon drop, the cold, and the sudden realization that I was about to run 13.1 miles horribly undertrained, but I'm sure she said something sort of encouraging. The wheelchairs took off amidst some colored smoke effects. I thought they might be waiting for the "big" start for the fireworks, but alas, no fireworks. Really, fireworks are fun, but over-rated. I always think they are going to be cool, and then end up hacking over the start line.
Becky and I take off. For once, I set my Garmin at the right time. The first mile is uneventful. It's a little crowded, but not anything like the January weekend. Costume watching is fun. Allthe guys started in Corral B and back, so a few passed us early. One was in a full Snow White outfit, wig and all.
The next three miles are all a blur. Lots of costumes to check out. Some entertainment- they had a few bands, string quartets (I think- all I remember is they were dressed formally), and a little group playing guitars. I tried to take pictures of the mile markers, but they all blur or delay too much because of the dark. The signs had different princess scenes. Apparently there were hidden Mickeys in the signs- I must be the world's worst hidden Mickey finder. I didn't even think to look. Of course, looking would have required slowing down. Didn't really think it through, but everyone there was in pink, white, or black (or full costume). I would never have found Becky again if I slowed too much!
It's getting a little lighter as we blaze down Contemporary Hill and blaze back up (and by blaze I mean we didn't walk at all).
Going into the Magic Kingdom was exciting as always.
I was a little disappointed to not see Chip and Dale in Tomorrowland cause that's usually where my picture madness peaks. We raced over to a bathroom by Ariel's Grotto and then got a picture taken outside the Castle. We took another one with Snow White by the Castle. Then we stopped for the posed photo in front of the Castle. It turns out I could start picture madness without Chip and Dale! Luckily, Becky reigned me in and we got back to trying to keep moving reasonably fast. There were a bunch of picture opportunities behind Splash Mountain, but we didn't want to slow down.
Silly me, at about mile 7, I looked down at the pace chart on my phone and told Becky we were right on pace. Yep, she really wanted that PR. That was when I started to realize that long runs in training are a good thing...
So, off through the boring stretch. There were princesses along the way, and more photo ops than at the regular half. The lines weren't long, but we both decided it would hurt too much to stop (well, hurt too much to start again). I thought the fairies at the bottom of the last overpass were in a really odd spot. It would have been so painful to tackle the overpass after a stop there.
We dragged on up the overpass with Epcot in sight. I say "in sight"- try blinding. The sun was up and I was wishing I had my hat. (My anti-fog glasses were not living up to their promise).
We really tried to dig in the last mile or two. All my pictures were of people's feet and the roads- it was so hard. We were pretty much at the grunt, point, and groan stage.
The finish- I look up and see we're headed for a 2:21 finish. Sweet! I'm so tired, I let Becky take off on the last few feet. I'd suddenly realized we were running for her PR, and I didn't have to hurry anymore... We got back together at the finish, got our fabulous medals, and praised our time.
And then it was back to the hotel for a quick shower, packing, and a trip back home. I think that the Princess was my favorite half- I love the traditional Donald, but there were a lot of advantages to the Princess. This one's going on my list of races I want to run again (ok, all Disney races are on that list, but this one is slightly higher than others).
Monday, February 23, 2009
Super Dolphin Day 10k
My 10k report from the Super Dolphin Days 10k:
So, thankfully, my Warrior peeps had me dressed appropriately for 30 degree weather! I was in a thick turtleneck, pants, gloves, hat, and vest. I was much more comfortable than I expected (in normal life I would have waited until later in the day to run, since it reached 65 by mid-day!)
We picked up my packet Friday night at an elementary school. I picked it up early to get it over with, only to find out you had to get the chip the morning of the race. I thought that was weird. Turns out it took all of 20 seconds to get my chip that morning, so no big deal. Anyway, they said get there 30 minutes early to get your chip, so I had roughly 29 minutes to kill.;) I took some pictures on my phone. As usual, I was the only doofus taking pictures...
So, I'm studying the map, thinking this is farther than I really wanted to go, when a random woman starts talking to me. She's asking if the course is well-marked. I have no clue, but we kind of chat a bit. She's wearing a big coat and sweatpants; she's older, and kind of has that perfect older lady hair. I think she's either a leisurely walker or a spectator...
We all wander down towards the start. Hard to find- this is it:
People are standing around chatting. I'm texting and checking my facebook. Again, doofus. The race starts with a quick airhorn blast. I see it coming, yet I jump. So embarassing to be so twitchy!
This was my plan: start the first two miles at about 9:45, then try to creep towards 9:30 for the middle, then push for 9:00s for the last two miles. I really just wanted to break an hour. (Previous 10k best was 1:08 but I haven't run one in a long time without the complications of pregnancy or a friggin' bridge).
I start running, and find myself behind an older steady guy. My first mile is 9:02. The second was 9:07. I knew I couldn't keep that pace, but I was in that delusional stage of racing... Third mile, 9:11. I decide to let the old guy go!
I walked a bit through a waterstop. Might have been a mistake...
Fourth mile was 9:35; fifth mile was about the same. By mile 5, I was sending my mom text messages about my distance so she could find me (she had the kids). I tried to text her "kill me" but accidentally sent through "kills" which I thought was actually more appropriate.
Mile 5, guess who's cheering and yelling that the finish is around the corner? My friend who looked like a spectator! She took first in the 50-54 category with 47 minutes- D'Oh! I loved that- so fun when someone totally surprises you!
Mile 6, there are some kids cheering. I manage to smile a bit, but nothing like my usual, friendly racing self. Then I look up and see the boys in the stroller with my mom and Emma jumping up and down. That did make me happy, although not faster... The last little bit is up a curved drive- the only hill has to be there? It's in the same 9:30 range.
So, I finished with a 58:38. I felt good about my effort level, but I need to do some more training. And drop some pounds. That would help. I taped a pace chart to my phone and checked it each mile- that was really good. I spent all of mile 4 wondering where I could add the extra seconds I gained by not running at an average pace of 9:27 per my chart. Stupid, but distracting, and sometimes distracting is all you've got.
We wandered down to the coffee shop and then watched the 5k. The Coast Guard was running. Some were really fast, but then a big group was running in a sort of chain following the flag. Very cool.
I made everyone linger for the results. According to my calculations based on last year's results, I had a chance for a medal. The fastest people in my group last year moved up to another age group. Yeah, I was 11th out of my group!! What was that all about?! I'm so taking those people next year...
And that's pretty much it.
Jen in GA
So, thankfully, my Warrior peeps had me dressed appropriately for 30 degree weather! I was in a thick turtleneck, pants, gloves, hat, and vest. I was much more comfortable than I expected (in normal life I would have waited until later in the day to run, since it reached 65 by mid-day!)
We picked up my packet Friday night at an elementary school. I picked it up early to get it over with, only to find out you had to get the chip the morning of the race. I thought that was weird. Turns out it took all of 20 seconds to get my chip that morning, so no big deal. Anyway, they said get there 30 minutes early to get your chip, so I had roughly 29 minutes to kill.;) I took some pictures on my phone. As usual, I was the only doofus taking pictures...
So, I'm studying the map, thinking this is farther than I really wanted to go, when a random woman starts talking to me. She's asking if the course is well-marked. I have no clue, but we kind of chat a bit. She's wearing a big coat and sweatpants; she's older, and kind of has that perfect older lady hair. I think she's either a leisurely walker or a spectator...
We all wander down towards the start. Hard to find- this is it:
People are standing around chatting. I'm texting and checking my facebook. Again, doofus. The race starts with a quick airhorn blast. I see it coming, yet I jump. So embarassing to be so twitchy!
This was my plan: start the first two miles at about 9:45, then try to creep towards 9:30 for the middle, then push for 9:00s for the last two miles. I really just wanted to break an hour. (Previous 10k best was 1:08 but I haven't run one in a long time without the complications of pregnancy or a friggin' bridge).
I start running, and find myself behind an older steady guy. My first mile is 9:02. The second was 9:07. I knew I couldn't keep that pace, but I was in that delusional stage of racing... Third mile, 9:11. I decide to let the old guy go!
I walked a bit through a waterstop. Might have been a mistake...
Fourth mile was 9:35; fifth mile was about the same. By mile 5, I was sending my mom text messages about my distance so she could find me (she had the kids). I tried to text her "kill me" but accidentally sent through "kills" which I thought was actually more appropriate.
Mile 5, guess who's cheering and yelling that the finish is around the corner? My friend who looked like a spectator! She took first in the 50-54 category with 47 minutes- D'Oh! I loved that- so fun when someone totally surprises you!
Mile 6, there are some kids cheering. I manage to smile a bit, but nothing like my usual, friendly racing self. Then I look up and see the boys in the stroller with my mom and Emma jumping up and down. That did make me happy, although not faster... The last little bit is up a curved drive- the only hill has to be there? It's in the same 9:30 range.
So, I finished with a 58:38. I felt good about my effort level, but I need to do some more training. And drop some pounds. That would help. I taped a pace chart to my phone and checked it each mile- that was really good. I spent all of mile 4 wondering where I could add the extra seconds I gained by not running at an average pace of 9:27 per my chart. Stupid, but distracting, and sometimes distracting is all you've got.
We wandered down to the coffee shop and then watched the 5k. The Coast Guard was running. Some were really fast, but then a big group was running in a sort of chain following the flag. Very cool.
I made everyone linger for the results. According to my calculations based on last year's results, I had a chance for a medal. The fastest people in my group last year moved up to another age group. Yeah, I was 11th out of my group!! What was that all about?! I'm so taking those people next year...
And that's pretty much it.
Jen in GA
Disney Half Marathon 2009
It's finally here. The Disney Half.
So, my mom and I decided to do the half after I ran the Goofy last year. We did two long runs of 8 miles each together. They weren't particularly fast, but they beat the sweeper time. Still, we were horribly undertrained.
My mom picked up my packet for me. That's always highly stressful- you have to get your packet by Friday night at 8:00. We usually leave around 1:00 and it's about a four hour drive. I was able to actually let people get out of the car for a bathroom break once I knew my packet was accounted for!
After doing all the night before prep, and then helping my mom with hers (which throwaway clothing did she want to bring, which shorts would she wear for the race, etc), we went to bed. I dumped the baby by Ted at around 3 a.m. and went outside my mom's door. We joined forces, and headed for the bus (after a quick bathroom break- never, ever give up the last opportunity for a real bathroom!) I was dragging all of our stuff since I was to be our sherpa.
We wander past the red carpet and over near the WISH people. As much as I like them, I can't really face talking to anyone at 4 a.m. We kill time looking at the band, the merchandise tent, etc. Did I mention it was freezing cold?! We both had on sweatshirts and gloves and sat on a Princess blanket that Emma decided was too "baby" to keep.
On a quick port-a-potty trip, we bonded with a woman who'd flown in from Maine. She had done a half at home but was 30 minutes over the sweep time for Disney. I told her to get near the front of her corral and look for the bikes. I liked her, and hoped she'd make it.
Finally, we headed to our corral. Silly me, I put my mom's time down as whatever the fastest time is that doesn't need proof. Had we been properly trained, it would have been a reasonable time, so I don't feel bad about being too far up. It bought us a little wiggle room. We abandoned our blanket, though I felt kind of attached to it.
The fireworks start, and we are off! We're doing somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-13 minute miles, so not bad at all. My mom is alternating between euphoria, panic, and general grumpiness. I'm just babbling cause there's nothing better than a Disney race!
We took pictures of the mile markers, even though they weren't new. I was disappointed to not see the "Choose your Groove" sign, but they had the music playing, so we went disco. Finally, we hit the Magic Kingdom. The spectators are crazy as always. I had to take a picture with Chip and Dale in Tomorrowland, then we found Alice and Piglet. We took pictures in front of the castle- good thing since the photographer missed us completely! (Somehow in our training, I didn't emphasize the need to anticipate the photographers and position yourself well- major oversight).
We'd been very strong through the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, our lack of long runs caught up to us- not so much from an endurance perspective, but from a wardrobe perspective. My mom had to stop to adjust her shoe/sock at least once per mile from Tomorrowland on. She'd have known that those socks sucked had we run longer in them, but such is life.
Hmmm... so miles 7-11 are a blur of photos (Mary Poppins), a stop at the port-a-potties, yelling for random WISHers, giving strangers Tylenol and bandaids(remember, sherpas are prepared for all emergencies). Because we lost a lot of time with shoe/sock stops, we gradually got in with a much slower crowd. I was very proud that I could stay focused- we said we were doing the race to finish and we were not going to worry about our finish time. I almost lost my focus once, when the old guy with the jazzed up walker passed us, but once we got past him, we were ok.
Mile 11 or so is an awful ramp/bridge with the sun beating down on you, but you can see Epcot. It's up towards the countries and then back down past the Epcot ball... then through the really long stretch of parking lot to the finish line. I made my mom do the cheesy holding hands up in the air across the finish thing, cause as Harry would say "I had to." We got our medals! (Time was somewhere around 3:23, but at least 20-30 minutes of that was lost to the shoe/sock crisis, bathroom breaks, pictures, etc).
We didn't wear our medals in the parks because the ribbon is scratchy but did wear our t-shirts. We hit MK and Epcot and chatted with anyone who made the mistake of asking about the race. It was great fun. My mom totally gets it now- you can be thoroughly miserable by mile 11, limping and exhausted all afternoon, and trying to pick your next race at dinner.
Oh, and the woman from Maine in the port-a-potty line? Would you believe we walked out of the massage tent, looked up, and there she was? She had a big smile and her medal. That's one of my all time favorite Disney race memories.
So, my mom and I decided to do the half after I ran the Goofy last year. We did two long runs of 8 miles each together. They weren't particularly fast, but they beat the sweeper time. Still, we were horribly undertrained.
My mom picked up my packet for me. That's always highly stressful- you have to get your packet by Friday night at 8:00. We usually leave around 1:00 and it's about a four hour drive. I was able to actually let people get out of the car for a bathroom break once I knew my packet was accounted for!
After doing all the night before prep, and then helping my mom with hers (which throwaway clothing did she want to bring, which shorts would she wear for the race, etc), we went to bed. I dumped the baby by Ted at around 3 a.m. and went outside my mom's door. We joined forces, and headed for the bus (after a quick bathroom break- never, ever give up the last opportunity for a real bathroom!) I was dragging all of our stuff since I was to be our sherpa.
We wander past the red carpet and over near the WISH people. As much as I like them, I can't really face talking to anyone at 4 a.m. We kill time looking at the band, the merchandise tent, etc. Did I mention it was freezing cold?! We both had on sweatshirts and gloves and sat on a Princess blanket that Emma decided was too "baby" to keep.
On a quick port-a-potty trip, we bonded with a woman who'd flown in from Maine. She had done a half at home but was 30 minutes over the sweep time for Disney. I told her to get near the front of her corral and look for the bikes. I liked her, and hoped she'd make it.
Finally, we headed to our corral. Silly me, I put my mom's time down as whatever the fastest time is that doesn't need proof. Had we been properly trained, it would have been a reasonable time, so I don't feel bad about being too far up. It bought us a little wiggle room. We abandoned our blanket, though I felt kind of attached to it.
The fireworks start, and we are off! We're doing somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-13 minute miles, so not bad at all. My mom is alternating between euphoria, panic, and general grumpiness. I'm just babbling cause there's nothing better than a Disney race!
We took pictures of the mile markers, even though they weren't new. I was disappointed to not see the "Choose your Groove" sign, but they had the music playing, so we went disco. Finally, we hit the Magic Kingdom. The spectators are crazy as always. I had to take a picture with Chip and Dale in Tomorrowland, then we found Alice and Piglet. We took pictures in front of the castle- good thing since the photographer missed us completely! (Somehow in our training, I didn't emphasize the need to anticipate the photographers and position yourself well- major oversight).
We'd been very strong through the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, our lack of long runs caught up to us- not so much from an endurance perspective, but from a wardrobe perspective. My mom had to stop to adjust her shoe/sock at least once per mile from Tomorrowland on. She'd have known that those socks sucked had we run longer in them, but such is life.
Hmmm... so miles 7-11 are a blur of photos (Mary Poppins), a stop at the port-a-potties, yelling for random WISHers, giving strangers Tylenol and bandaids(remember, sherpas are prepared for all emergencies). Because we lost a lot of time with shoe/sock stops, we gradually got in with a much slower crowd. I was very proud that I could stay focused- we said we were doing the race to finish and we were not going to worry about our finish time. I almost lost my focus once, when the old guy with the jazzed up walker passed us, but once we got past him, we were ok.
Mile 11 or so is an awful ramp/bridge with the sun beating down on you, but you can see Epcot. It's up towards the countries and then back down past the Epcot ball... then through the really long stretch of parking lot to the finish line. I made my mom do the cheesy holding hands up in the air across the finish thing, cause as Harry would say "I had to." We got our medals! (Time was somewhere around 3:23, but at least 20-30 minutes of that was lost to the shoe/sock crisis, bathroom breaks, pictures, etc).
We didn't wear our medals in the parks because the ribbon is scratchy but did wear our t-shirts. We hit MK and Epcot and chatted with anyone who made the mistake of asking about the race. It was great fun. My mom totally gets it now- you can be thoroughly miserable by mile 11, limping and exhausted all afternoon, and trying to pick your next race at dinner.
Oh, and the woman from Maine in the port-a-potty line? Would you believe we walked out of the massage tent, looked up, and there she was? She had a big smile and her medal. That's one of my all time favorite Disney race memories.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Reindeer Run 2008
Last year I set a PR at the Reindeer Run 5k. The course starts at the YMCA, goes straight uphill to the hospital (convenient, no?) and then goes in a big square back. I ran it in 24:42. It was a beautiful thing, and I'll probably never come close to beating it. And it probably set me up for the leg pain I had during the full marathon, but whatever...
I was a little worried about running it this year. Obviously I wouldn't get close to my PR, which I can accept, but still... Then I decided to pressure my mom into running with me since she had only done one 5k before. Even though this is a low key race (as in no race numbers and you have to remember your time), any race experience is good for preparing for the half.
So, we ran uphill and in a big square. My mom hit the BMZ (Bite Me Zone) around mile 1, then got a little better around 2, and fluctuated until the end... We stuck around for the awards. Turns out even with a 38:xx minute run, we won age group awards! So, while my time was a little different, another age group ornament from the Reindeer Run.
Most importantly, we ran the entire 5k well within sweeping time of the Half!
I was a little worried about running it this year. Obviously I wouldn't get close to my PR, which I can accept, but still... Then I decided to pressure my mom into running with me since she had only done one 5k before. Even though this is a low key race (as in no race numbers and you have to remember your time), any race experience is good for preparing for the half.
So, we ran uphill and in a big square. My mom hit the BMZ (Bite Me Zone) around mile 1, then got a little better around 2, and fluctuated until the end... We stuck around for the awards. Turns out even with a 38:xx minute run, we won age group awards! So, while my time was a little different, another age group ornament from the Reindeer Run.
Most importantly, we ran the entire 5k well within sweeping time of the Half!
Savannah Bridge Run
Why do I keep signing up for Bridge Runs? Seriously, I train on flat ground and I'm scared of bridges...
Ted kept saying we needed to visit some relatives in Savannah, which I thought was a good idea. Being completely compulsive, I did a little race research for Savannah. Lo and behold, we just happened to decide to visit on the weekend of the Savannah Enmark Bridge Run. There was a 5k or 10k- you could do both for a 15k, called the double pump. I decided to go with the double pump because I can't help myself (and I found it very amusing what with my new pumping lifestyle).
After driving miles and miles looking for the damn bridge, we checked into the Westin by the start line. There are actually so many of us now that I brought an air mattress. There's a good look!
I got up early and got dressed. The temperature was 40 degrees, which caused me some concern since I'm a cold-weather weenie. I went with shorts, t-shirt, vest, and gloves. I'm never going anywhere without gloves again!
I walked to the start at the base of the bridge. Ironic that we'd been circling for at least an hour trying to find the bridge the night before, and I was going to be crossing it three times. I people watched for awhile. They made an announcement that a bus was running late, so I drifted up to the start just to have something to do (and to see if there were more people dressed as Santas, elves, pirates, etc). I thought I'd take a picture of the start. A random spectator saw me, grabbed my camera, and insisted I stand at the start for a picture. Can you say mortifying?!
So, here's my official picture. I'm glad he did it, because when you wear a black vest with black gloves, you look like you don't have hands in the official race pictures.
The 5k was hard, the 10k harder. It was a whole lot of bridge, so a whole lot of up. I don't remember my times, but for the double pump I was in front of maybe 12 people out of 300 something. I fell somewhere in the middle of the pack for the 5k but they didn't report my times as just a 5k runner (somewhere around 35 minutes).
This sign made me laugh. Crap. You can't see the sign. Technical difficulties.
You got a t-shirt, towel, and special plastic glass for the double pump. My towel looks stupid on my medal rod. It was a really inexpensive race, but I would have gladly paid another $10 for a medal.
I might consider this race in the future, but the bridge thing is really getting old. How about a nice flat race?! Plus, Ted's relatives all saw my times listed in the paper with a 77 year old man beating me soundly. I'd explain that only the truly insane and not recently pregnant did the double pump, but that's kind of pathetic...
I was also the only person with a camera. What's up with that?!
Ted kept saying we needed to visit some relatives in Savannah, which I thought was a good idea. Being completely compulsive, I did a little race research for Savannah. Lo and behold, we just happened to decide to visit on the weekend of the Savannah Enmark Bridge Run. There was a 5k or 10k- you could do both for a 15k, called the double pump. I decided to go with the double pump because I can't help myself (and I found it very amusing what with my new pumping lifestyle).
After driving miles and miles looking for the damn bridge, we checked into the Westin by the start line. There are actually so many of us now that I brought an air mattress. There's a good look!
I got up early and got dressed. The temperature was 40 degrees, which caused me some concern since I'm a cold-weather weenie. I went with shorts, t-shirt, vest, and gloves. I'm never going anywhere without gloves again!
I walked to the start at the base of the bridge. Ironic that we'd been circling for at least an hour trying to find the bridge the night before, and I was going to be crossing it three times. I people watched for awhile. They made an announcement that a bus was running late, so I drifted up to the start just to have something to do (and to see if there were more people dressed as Santas, elves, pirates, etc). I thought I'd take a picture of the start. A random spectator saw me, grabbed my camera, and insisted I stand at the start for a picture. Can you say mortifying?!
So, here's my official picture. I'm glad he did it, because when you wear a black vest with black gloves, you look like you don't have hands in the official race pictures.
The 5k was hard, the 10k harder. It was a whole lot of bridge, so a whole lot of up. I don't remember my times, but for the double pump I was in front of maybe 12 people out of 300 something. I fell somewhere in the middle of the pack for the 5k but they didn't report my times as just a 5k runner (somewhere around 35 minutes).
This sign made me laugh. Crap. You can't see the sign. Technical difficulties.You got a t-shirt, towel, and special plastic glass for the double pump. My towel looks stupid on my medal rod. It was a really inexpensive race, but I would have gladly paid another $10 for a medal.
I might consider this race in the future, but the bridge thing is really getting old. How about a nice flat race?! Plus, Ted's relatives all saw my times listed in the paper with a 77 year old man beating me soundly. I'd explain that only the truly insane and not recently pregnant did the double pump, but that's kind of pathetic...
I was also the only person with a camera. What's up with that?!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Great Ear Piercing
Emma wanted nothing more in life than to have pierced ears, for all the accessory options, don't ya know. We originally told her she could have it done at 10. But then I started thinking about how we just made up the age restriction and how desperately she wanted them...
Of course, we caved. I told Emma she could have the official piercing done for her ninth birthday. Unfortunately, her ninth birthday falls on Thanksgiving. Obviously nothing would be open on Thursday and Friday would be crazy at the mall. I convinced Ted we should take her on the Friday before. We told her we needed to pick up some photos at Sears, which was true, but we really didn't all need to go. Silly Emma never noticed that we went all the way through Sears and halfway through the mall before we hit Claires. The salesperson asked me what I needed and I told her- Emma almost fell on the floor! So there she is in the chair, clinging to Ted, while Harry watches suspiciously and Miles decides I should feed him while taking pictures. We were quite the spectacle!
Here's the basic idea in pictures:
"Like, right now, really?!"
The finished look
Predictably, Emma was thrilled with the outcome and is totally OCD about the alcohol/turning routine. Equally predictable, Harry made a run for it when Emma was finished- no way he was going to let that lady touch his ears!
Of course, we caved. I told Emma she could have the official piercing done for her ninth birthday. Unfortunately, her ninth birthday falls on Thanksgiving. Obviously nothing would be open on Thursday and Friday would be crazy at the mall. I convinced Ted we should take her on the Friday before. We told her we needed to pick up some photos at Sears, which was true, but we really didn't all need to go. Silly Emma never noticed that we went all the way through Sears and halfway through the mall before we hit Claires. The salesperson asked me what I needed and I told her- Emma almost fell on the floor! So there she is in the chair, clinging to Ted, while Harry watches suspiciously and Miles decides I should feed him while taking pictures. We were quite the spectacle!
Here's the basic idea in pictures:
"Like, right now, really?!"
The finished look
Predictably, Emma was thrilled with the outcome and is totally OCD about the alcohol/turning routine. Equally predictable, Harry made a run for it when Emma was finished- no way he was going to let that lady touch his ears!
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