The Running Thread - 2018

[FFigawi]

QOTD: What is one of the craziest decisions you have made regarding running?

Signing up for my back to back Comrades race. Doing once was dumb enough. Doing it again the next year was just crazy.

ATTQOTD: The other race is October 7 in Houston which is just before the deadline to update POT.

If you're in Houston to race on the 7th, let me know. I'll be out having birthday beers.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

ATTQOTD: I ran a 52 mile ultra, somewhat on the spur of the moment.

I was in marathon shape, and bumped up the mileage for a couple of weeks and did it.

I'm glad I did the ultra, but never again!

 

[Barca33Runner]

ATTQOTD:

Running the 2012 WDW Half Marathon on basically no training (my longest training run/walk was 6 miles) and having never run more than a mile continuously before Summer 2011. Fortunately I finished and decided I wanted to keep running and actually get better at it.

 

[Disney at Heart]

Diet: Like some others, I don't believe in "dieting," especially if it means buying in to all the billion dollar businesses or newest fads. I just eat good food in moderation. I love fruits and vegetables, all kinds of meat and bread in small servings, dairy products, and dessert occasionally. No vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, lactose free for me. I don't worry about whole foods, organic, Keto, Atkins, counting points, recording what I eat in an app or whatever is out there. Cook in or eat out? Don't care. I just eat and enjoy my food. (And I am fortunate that I can eat anything I want without allergies or any intolerances.)

We ate out last night for DH's birthday; I had a house salad and one of two pork sliders; I brought the other home for lunch today. I chose the salad as a side over fries or chips. When I was full, I quit eating. My problem is that I don't always stop when I am full! I'm 63, 5'7'' and weigh 125 and I am a runner who is signed up for W&D and Goofy (my 4th Disney marathon). I'm doing all right!

Crazy decision: running the Atlanta 10-miler 6 days after a stomach virus and two bags of fluids. Let’s just say I finished!

 

[Princess KP]

ATTQOTD:

Signing up for the 2017 Disney HM when I didn't even run. All I heard was that my friends were going to Disney and I wanted to go too.

I was physically active - spinning, bootcamp, etc...just not running. Hated it. In some of the bootcamp classes, I would come up with excuses on why I couldn't run. I still hate running at times but I guess not enough cause I will be back for my 3rd marathon weekend.

 

[gjramsey]

ATTQOTD:

Signing up with a team to do Texas Independence Relay. 200 miles, overnight, 2 vans, no showers, etc. Ended up being an amazing experience and have done several other realys since. My wife is a lot like the lady in this video

 

[PrincessV]

ATTQOTD: I think I have to give it to a stupid move a couple weeks ago: opting to start an out-and-back run when I could clearly hear thunder. I really thought it would pass! 2+ miles later, I was crouched under the overhang of a nursing home, watching lightning strike the baseball field across the street, calling my mother to come rescue me. Not my brightest move lol!

 

[YawningDodo]

ATTQOTD: My craziest running decision? Deciding this summer, despite the fact that I hadn't run in two years, that I was going to commit to running a marathon by 2020. It sounds absolutely crazy when I say it out loud to myself (or to others), but it wasn't entirely out of the blue. I've thought for years that I'd like to "someday" run a marathon, and I suddenly realized that with my life settled into a regular routine and money no longer a big obstacle, all my reasons for putting it off had been downgraded to excuses. There's nothing stopping me from doing this.


As for dieting...y'all ready for some oversharing of my personal journey?

Back in 2013 I did the perfect Weight Watchers program. I went from 255 lbs to 170 over the course of a little more than a year. I got a lot of praise for that from my WW group, from my family, from friends. It made me feel empowered--I'd proven I could do it, and I loved the way I looked at my target weight. I loved that it was easy to find clothing that fit me. And I blew off the comments from people who said they'd done WW, had a miraculous loss, and then gained it all back. Clearly that wasn't going to happen to me.

Except then I moved to a new city, had several big upheavals in my living situation, and developed a more robust social life. And over the course of three or four years, I gained literally all of that weight back. I realized that WW had worked for me because I was a hermit bachelorette who never dined out, who ate almost nothing but lean cuisines, and who walked everywhere because I literally had nothing else to do with my time. (edit: I don't mean to imply that this is representative of WW users!! That's just where I was at that point in my life and reflects the differences between then and now that I think contributed to my personal inability to stick with/go back to WW). But hey, it had worked, and I don't regret it even though it didn't last because the journey helped me accept a lot of things about my body that don't change regardless of the weight I'm at.

I've struggled a lot with feeling like I should be able to just will myself skinnier, because hey, I got skinny once. I've tried Noom; tried WW a second time. I couldn't get into the mindset anymore; tracking my food used to make me feel like I was in control, but now it just makes me feel neurotic. I know that I want to make changes to how I eat and I know that I do want to lose weight again, but I've set my weight as a lower priority and given it less emphasis as an indicator of health for now. For now, I just run. I've reintroduced fresh fruit to my daily routine and I'm working to reduce (and then hopefully eliminate) the fast food I've been eating. I don't have an overarching system, though, and I'm happier that way for now. For now, I run, I get better at running, I make little changes to how I eat along the way, and I deliberately refuse to view it as some kind of moral failing when I "mess up" by eating something unhealthy. I'll get to where I need to go eventually, regardless of what that looks like in the end. I'm in this for the very long haul.

 

[LSUlakes]

Signing up for my back to back Comrades race. Doing once was dumb enough. Doing it again the next year was just crazy.



If you're in Houston to race on the 7th, let me know. I'll be out having birthday beers.

Its the Space City 10 Miler. You should run it if I do to celebrate your birthday! Beers on Sunday will be hard to do since we have a 5+ hour drive back home post race.

ATTQOTD:

Signing up with a team to do Texas Independence Relay. 200 miles, overnight, 2 vans, no showers, etc. Ended up being an amazing experience and have done several other realys since. My wife is a lot like the lady in this video

Love these videos!

 

[LSUlakes]

Heres another one!

 

[camaker]

QOTD: What is one of the craziest decisions you have made regarding running?

ATTQOTD: Signing up for the 10k + Goofy at Marathon Weekend on the strength of 5 months of serious running and a grand total of 1 half marathon. Guess it worked out OK, though.

 

[michigandergirl]

ATTQOTD: Signing up for the 2016 Disney Marathon after having never run more than a 5K. There may have been a little peer pressure and beer involved with that decision, but I'm so glad I did!

 

[Capang]

ATTQOTD: The fact I started running again at all was a crazy decision. Does that count?

 

[MissLiss279]

ATTQOTD:
#1 Signing up for a second marathon (Dopey Challenge) before I had ran the marathon that I was actually training for!

#2 Running marathons in back to back weekends. Would have been fine, except I had been having a foot issue that I could run through. The first marathon was a downhill marathon, which put more pressure/impact on that part of my foot. I tried not to change how I was running, but my ankle began to hurt during that race. I could barely put any weight on that foot at times during that next week (but still went biking and hiking). Started the second marathon, knowing that I might have to call my sister to come pick me up. I took it easy, it ended up being okay, and I finished.

 

[LdyStormy76]

QOTD: What is one of the craziest decisions you have made regarding running?

In 2017 I decided to complete my first half marathon at the 2018 WDW Marathon weekend with no prior race experience. Then in 2018 I decided to do the marathon in 2019.

Which brings me to:
11 - LdyStormy76 - Walt Disney World 10k - (NG / N/A)
13 - LdyStormy76 - Walt Disney World Marathon- (NG / N/A)

 

[Chasing Dopey]

ATTQOTD: My first races of any kind were the Star Wars Rebel Challenge in Anaheim, then the first Dark Side Challenge in Orlando in 2016. I had just finished the Kessel Run, and registration for marathon weekend opened up while we were still at WDW. So we signed up for Dopey in '17. Nuts!

 

[jennamfeo]

ATTQOTD: I have a few things I think running has made me do that I consider crazy.
1. Signing up for a 10k & HM challenge without ever have running farther than a 5k.
2. Following through on that challenge after not training for either of the races.
3. Running a half marathon and then spur of the moment signing up for another half marathon that was an exact week later. (Both under-trained, for sure.)
4. Running on holidays and on vacation.
5. SIGNING UP FOR THE DOPEY CHALLENGE AS MY FIRST MARATHON. Literally the craziest thing I have ever done in my life.

 

[PCFriar80]

QOTD: What is one of the craziest decisions you have made regarding running?

For my one and only Disney marathon [Disney on Ice - 2010], I ditched my gloves too soon, around mile 10, proceeded to apply bio-freeze with my hands to my calf around mile 14/15 and my hands were numb both from the 32 degree temps and the bio-freeze. I was so miserable that I was looking for a men's room with blow dryers in AK but to no avail. It was getting the best of me until a volunteer offered me her gloves at around mile 17 which was a life saver! I made it to the finish for my bucket list full marathon.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Yeah, this forum is a great resource. And you will find that there are things that can happen in a marathon that don't happen in shorter distances. Losing nails, pains in muscles you never expected, you name it.

That should prove to be interesting.

QOTD: What is one of the craziest decisions you have made regarding running?

I blame the wonderful people in this very community for my craziest running decision ever. "It's so amazing finishing a marathon." "I love the marathon distance." "Dopey was such an amazing experience. One of the best things I'ever done."

ATTQOTD: My first races of any kind were the Star Wars Rebel Challenge in Anaheim, then the first Dark Side Challenge in Orlando in 2016. I had just finished the Kessel Run, and registration for marathon weekend opened up while we were still at WDW. So we signed up for Dopey in '17. Nuts!

The Star Wars races were my biggest gateway drug. While I had run 3 half marathons before, Star Wars offered the carrot of a single weekend challenge medal themed to Star Wars. One thing led to another and here I am training for Dopey.

ATTQOTD: I have a few things I think running has made me do that I consider crazy.
1. Signing up for a 10k & HM challenge without ever have running farther than a 5k.
2. Following through on that challenge after not training for either of the races.
3. Running a half marathon and then spur of the moment signing up for another half marathon that was an exact week later. (Both under-trained, for sure.)
4. Running on holidays and on vacation.
5. SIGNING UP FOR THE DOPEY CHALLENGE AS MY FIRST MARATHON. Literally the craziest thing I have ever done in my life.

Oh good. I'm not the only crazy one around here. My little sister is joining me for Dopey as well and it will be her first marathon also. We both ran all 3 Dark Side races as a test of sorts for Dopey.

9 - Sleepless Knight - Walt Disney World 5K (Finish)
10- Sleepless Knight - Walt Disney World 10K (Finish)
11- Sleepless Knight - Walt Disney World Half Marathon (Finish)
12- Sleepless Knight - Walt Disney World Marathon (Finish)

The good news here is that if I complete Dopey, I also get a guaranteed PR for the marathon. And since I probably won't take 90 minutes to run a non Star Wars 5K, I should PR the 5K as well.

 

[jennamfeo]

The good news here is that when I complete Dopey, I also get a guaranteed PR for the marathon. And since I probably won't take 90 minutes to run a non Star Wars 5K, I should PR the 5K as well.

Fixed it for you.

We are all a little crazy here.