i want adventure in the great wide somewhere - running journal! (comments welcome)

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Disney Princess Half Marathon Race Recap

I did it. I actually did it. First half marathon. In Disney. What? Before I dive into this recap, I want to thank everyone on this board for your support and well-wishes and advice and just everything this community offers. I genuinely think that I'd have thrown in the towel early on if you didn't hold me accountable and give me a place to share. You da real MVP.

WDWRUNDISNEY_WDWMARACOURSEACTION5_20180225_8188790362.jpg
I'm not sure where this photo was taken, but it makes it look like I'm not totally dying.

The Expo
I went on Thursday. Our flight was 6:00 am so we landed by 9:30 and were at the hotel by 10:30 and we got on a bus for the expo around 12. Some people getting off the bus told us good luck, so I was nervous, but getting there and in was a breeze. I got my bib first and there was zero line, ditto for getting my t-shirt and going through the vendors. I went over to merch and was directed to a separate line for pre-orders. I ordered a large jacket and Devin got a medium, so we ended up switching because she needed more length in the body. The medium is a perfect fit for me. I also got the pins and magnet bundle. We then did a loop around the merchandise and I grabbed rose gold ears, a magnet for Jenna, a weekend magnet and pins for me. We waited in line for about 45 minutes/an hour and then were back to the hotel for lunch. Easy peasy.

The Morning Of
The alarm went off at 2:30 a.m. The night before I had tried on and laid out my outfit. I went for Belle-inspired with a tutu and tank top, lulemon cropped leggings underneath that had pockets to hold my phone. Nothing on race day was new except for the tutu, which I was willing to ditch if it didn't work. It ended up being fine. Devin and I made our way to the bus stop for 3:00 and were at Epcot in plenty of time. We found a place to sit down and eat breakfast. I had peanut butter and a banana. With no toaster I forewent the English muffin. In retrospect I ate too early and wish I had waited to get to the corral to eat because I ended up feeling hungry during the race, more on that later. I thought the DJ was great as we waited for the corrals to open, and then again as we met up with Jenna and made our way over to them.

The Race
START: My bib assigned me to E, as did my training buddy Jenna's, but we dropped back to the front of F to be with Devin. We got there early enough to be in the front and crossed the start just around 6:00, about a half hour after the first corral. I turned on my endomondo about a moment after crossing the start. (Note: I had some phone issues a little bit after Magic Kingdom and had to turn my phone on and off in cone alley, and then I forgot to turn my endomondo off after finishing, so these split times are weird. Also they don't account for stops for pictures).

MILE 1: 12:47
The first mile felt quick and easy. I think we stopped for the pirates somewhere either in mile 1 or 2.

MILE 2: 12:35
Another quick mile. Lots of weaving in and out of other runners and running on the grass alongside of them, then cutting over to the right for walking breaks.

MILE 3: 12:01
This is the fastest mile according to endomondo. I think it's because somewhere in here is the sign for the Magic Kingdom and we got really excited. I think the sun began to rise around this time. Somewhere around here I was feeling hungry and realized I didn't have breakfast late enough, so I hoped my aunt would bring the rice krispie treats she had made so I could snack, but I forgot by the time I saw them. I was bummed that I didn't fuel right, especially because I rarely felt hungry on a run except for once around mile 8/11 on a training run. My first 14 mile training run I had a gummy and never felt hungry on it, so I was glad to have my gummies on this run. I decided to hold off on eating them until later so that I didn't waste them.

Mile 4: 12:18
This is through the ticket and transportation center and the first place where I saw my parents and aunt and cousin. This was a huge motivator and the first cry of the course.

Mile 5: 12:16
This had a tiny hill up to the contemporary, but I felt pretty good. It got a bit narrow but there was enough room. Rarely did I feel like I didn't have enough room. Arriving at the Magic Kingdom at the end of this mile was absolutely unreal.

Mile 6: 15:46
I can't believe this isn't my fastest mile. If I took out stopping for the castle, then it probably would be faster, but Jenna and I took lots of pictures along here. My parents, aunt and cousin were along Main Street which was amazing. While in the parks the rest of the week, I spent lots of time pointing out the places I ran and reminiscing about the race. Also, I got a super dope photo jumping in front of the castle.


WDWRUNDISNEY_WDWMARACOURSEACTION8_20180225_8194445809.jpg WDWRUNDISNEY_WDWMARACOURSEICON5_20180225_8194095035.jpg
Ya girl's got hops. // Pretty as a princess.

Mile 7: 13:17
The beginning of the end. Jenna and I stayed pretty strong along here. I stopped at almost all of the water stops to get some electrolytes in my body and hydrate. The sun was in my eyes at this point and I put my sunglasses on so I could see, and I definitely got some sun. Seeing the backstage was cool, but like many of the characters before, the lines were VERY long and I was a little too nervous to stop and I didn't want to wait, especially for characters (like the princesses) who I would see later in the parks. I had my gummy around here and hoped it helped give me some energy and filled my tummy a little bit.

Mile 8: 14:19
Not too much to report, still doing my run-walk. Trucking along. The humidity had broken for a moment, but was back in full force. I stopped to use the bathroom and couldn't quite get my leggings to feel comfortable again because of the sweat.

Mile 9: 13:05
Ditto mile 8. One foot in front of the other. I put on my music since the entertainment was less here. I grabbed some sports beans but didn't like the gritty feeling.

Mile 10: 13:03
Hey, just a 5k to go! Let's do this! Go go go!

Mile 11: 13:31
Guys. I got cocky. Real cocky. "I can run up hills, that's no big deal. I live in Boston, we're made of hills. Florida's hills are stupid baby hills." I am an idiot. This hill isn't a hill. It's a full mile of gradual incline. Give me Heartbreak Hill over this any day. This was gradual and hot and had the weirdest autobahn slope to it that was evil. I told Jenna that I needed to walk a LOT here because I was tired and this hill sucked and did I mention I was tired?

Mile 12: 15:57
Finishing up that mile and coming to Epcot was amazing. The crowd support coming into Epcot is amazing, lots of great signs and candy from strangers! The only problem with this part is that all of a sudden my arms went sort of numb and tingly. I figured that it was because of low sugar and tried to get that candy in me, but it didn't help. Looking back I'm wondering if it was my sodium levels or just pure dehydration, even though I felt well-hydrated and stopped at a lot of the water/powerade stops. Either way, I entered Epcot and immediately had to hold back tears.

Mile 13: 14:47
Almost done. Almost done. Almost done. Keep pushing. One foot in front of the other. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. You can do it. Go. This. Was. Hard. But I was determined. Great choices for music in Epcot. Entered to "Just Around The Riverbend" and then "Go The Distance" followed. Stopped for a photo. That choir was amazing. My parents, aunt and cousin and Jenna's family were at the finish line so that helped.


WDWRUNDISNEY_WDWMARACOURSEACTION24_20180225_8194066311.jpg
This is toward the end, which I know because my phone is out. Looks can be deceiving, I was struggling here.

Finish/Mile .67: 23:28
Some of the .67 is because of weaving, and some of it is because I forgot to turn off the endomondo until some time after finishing, so it looks like a very, very slow end of the race. In reality I crossed that finish line strong with my arms held up high and a smile on my face (okay, and I also started to sob my eyes out). Big time sobbing. Jenna and I grabbed each other for a hug and then found someone to give us our medals. They also handed us those cooling cloths that you add water to - a nice little surprise.

I met up with my family and stretched out a bit. I had been texting Devin who joined a 3:30 Galloway group early on with :15/:30 ratios and that worked for her. She finished about 30 minutes after Jenna and I and we found each other at the Girl Power 2 Cure Tent. (They were AMAZING to run with, by the way. The kindest people you'll ever meet.) My parents, aunt and cousin were also hanging with us at the end. Jenna joined her family and headed out to their hotel for a day of rest.


Screen Shot 2018-03-02 at 9.21.29 PM.png

Final Thoughts
I had a blast. The course was fun, the people around me were great. I saw my family a lot and am really proud of my finish time. I definitely want to do this again, except I want to do the challenge. I did a lot of park days before the race and that definitely affected my legs and feet so I was in a lot of pain walking. My mom wants to do the 10k for her 60th birthday in 2020 (my 30th) so I think I'm going to start thinking about doing that one day. I learned a lot of lessons and I think I was too nervous to stop for photos, but next time I'll stop more and do parks AFTER the race.

FINAL TIME: 3:05:34
 
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Disney Princess Half Marathon Race Recap

I did it. I actually did it. First half marathon. In Disney. What? Before I dive into this recap, I want to thank everyone on this board for your support and well-wishes and advice and just everything this community offers. I genuinely think that I'd have thrown in the towel early on if you didn't hold me accountable and give me a place to share. You da real MVP.

View attachment 306283
I'm not sure where this photo was taken, but it makes it look like I'm not totally dying.

The Expo
I went on Thursday. Our flight was 6:00 am so we landed by 9:30 and were at the hotel by 10:30 and we got on a bus for the expo around 12. Some people getting off the bus told us good luck, so I was nervous, but getting there and in was a breeze. I got my bib first and there was zero line, ditto for getting my t-shirt and going through the vendors. I went over to merch and was directed to a separate line for pre-orders. I ordered a large jacket and Devin got a medium, so we ended up switching because she needed more length in the body. The medium is a perfect fit for me. I also got the pins and magnet bundle. We then did a loop around the merchandise and I grabbed rose gold ears, a magnet for Jenna, a weekend magnet and pins for me. We waited in line for about 45 minutes/an hour and then were back to the hotel for lunch. Easy peasy.

The Morning Of
The alarm went off at 2:30 a.m. The night before I had tried on and laid out my outfit. I went for Belle-inspired with a tutu and tank top, lulemon cropped leggings underneath that had pockets to hold my phone. Nothing on race day was new except for the tutu, which I was willing to ditch if it didn't work. It ended up being fine. Devin and I made our way to the bus stop for 3:00 and were at Epcot in plenty of time. We found a place to sit down and eat breakfast. I had peanut butter and a banana. With no toaster I forewent the English muffin. In retrospect I ate too early and wish I had waited to get to the corral to eat because I ended up feeling hungry during the race, more on that later. I thought the DJ was great as we waited for the corrals to open, and then again as we met up with Jenna and made our way over to them.

The Race

START: My bib assigned me to E, as did my training buddy Jenna's, but we dropped back to the front of F to be with Devin. We got there early enough to be in the front and crossed the start just around 6:00, about a half hour after the first corral. I turned on my endomondo about a moment after crossing the start. (Note: I had some phone issues a little bit after Magic Kingdom and had to turn my phone on and off in cone alley, and then I forgot to turn my endomondo off after finishing, so these split times are weird. Also they don't account for stops for pictures).

MILE 1: 12:47
The first mile felt quick and easy. I think we stopped for the pirates somewhere either in mile 1 or 2.


MILE 2: 12:35
Another quick mile. Lots of weaving in and out of other runners and running on the grass alongside of them, then cutting over to the right for walking breaks.

MILE 3: 12:01
This is the fastest mile according to endomondo. I think it's because somewhere in here is the sign for the Magic Kingdom and we got really excited. I think the sun began to rise around this time. Somewhere around here I was feeling hungry and realized I didn't have breakfast late enough, so I hoped my aunt would bring the rice krispie treats she had made so I could snack, but I forgot by the time I saw them. I was bummed that I didn't fuel right, especially because I rarely felt hungry on a run except for once around mile 8/11 on a training run. My first 14 mile training run I had a gummy and never felt hungry on it, so I was glad to have my gummies on this run. I decided to hold off on eating them until later so that I didn't waste them.

Mile 4: 12:18
This is through the ticket and transportation center and the first place where I saw my parents and aunt and cousin. This was a huge motivator and the first cry of the course.

Mile 5: 12:16
This had a tiny hill up to the contemporary, but I felt pretty good. It got a bit narrow but there was enough room. Rarely did I feel like I didn't have enough room. Arriving at the Magic Kingdom at the end of this mile was absolutely unreal.

Mile 6: 15:46
I can't believe this isn't my fastest mile. If I took out stopping for the castle, then it probably would be faster, but Jenna and I took lots of pictures along here. My parents, aunt and cousin were along Main Street which was amazing. While in the parks the rest of the week, I spent lots of time pointing out the places I ran and reminiscing about the race. Also, I got a super dope photo jumping in front of the castle.

View attachment 306284 View attachment 306286
Ya girl's got hops. // Pretty as a princess.

Mile 7: 13:17
The beginning of the end. Jenna and I stayed pretty strong along here. I stopped at almost all of the water stops to get some electrolytes in my body and hydrate. The sun was in my eyes at this point and I put my sunglasses on so I could see, and I definitely got some sun. Seeing the backstage was cool, but like many of the characters before, the lines were VERY long and I was a little too nervous to stop and I didn't want to wait, especially for characters (like the princesses) who I would see later in the parks. I had my gummy around here and hoped it helped give me some energy and filled my tummy a little bit.

Mile 8: 14:19
Not too much to report, still doing my run-walk. Trucking along. The humidity had broken for a moment, but was back in full force. I stopped to use the bathroom and couldn't quite get my leggings to feel comfortable again because of the sweat.

Mile 9: 13:05
Ditto mile 8. One foot in front of the other. I put on my music since the entertainment was less here. I grabbed some sports beans but didn't like the gritty feeling.

Mile 10: 13:03
Hey, just a 5k to go! Let's do this! Go go go!

Mile 11: 13:31
Guys. I got cocky. Real cocky. "I can run up hills, that's no big deal. I live in Boston, we're made of hills. Florida's hills are stupid baby hills." I am an idiot. This hill isn't a hill. It's a full mile of gradual incline. Give me Heartbreak Hill over this any day. This was gradual and hot and had the weirdest autobahn slope to it that was evil. I told Jenna that I needed to walk a LOT here because I was tired and this hill sucked and did I mention I was tired?

Mile 12: 15:57
Finishing up that mile and coming to Epcot was amazing. The crowd support coming into Epcot is amazing, lots of great signs and candy from strangers! The only problem with this part is that all of a sudden my arms went sort of numb and tingly. I figured that it was because of low sugar and tried to get that candy in me, but it didn't help. Looking back I'm wondering if it was my sodium levels or just pure dehydration, even though I felt well-hydrated and stopped at a lot of the water/powerade stops. Either way, I entered Epcot and immediately had to hold back tears.

Mile 13: 14:47
Almost done. Almost done. Almost done. Keep pushing. One foot in front of the other. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. You can do it. Go. This. Was. Hard. But I was determined. Great choices for music in Epcot. Entered to "Just Around The Riverbend" and then "Go The Distance" followed. Stopped for a photo. That choir was amazing. My parents, aunt and cousin and Jenna's family were at the finish line so that helped.

View attachment 306285
This is toward the end, which I know because my phone is out. Looks can be deceiving, I was struggling here.

Finish/Mile .67: 23:28
Some of the .67 is because of weaving, and some of it is because I forgot to turn off the endomondo until some time after finishing, so it looks like a very, very slow end of the race. In reality I crossed that finish line strong with my arms held up high and a smile on my face (okay, and I also started to sob my eyes out). Big time sobbing. Jenna and I grabbed each other for a hug and then found someone to give us our medals. They also handed us those cooling cloths that you add water to - a nice little surprise.

I met up with my family and stretched out a bit. I had been texting Devin who joined a 3:30 Galloway group early on with :15/:30 ratios and that worked for her. She finished about 30 minutes after Jenna and I and we found each other at the Girl Power 2 Cure Tent. (They were AMAZING to run with, by the way. The kindest people you'll ever meet.) My parents, aunt and cousin were also hanging with us at the end. Jenna joined her family and headed out to their hotel for a day of rest.


Final Thoughts
I had a blast. The course was fun, the people around me were great. I saw my family a lot and am really proud of my finish time. I definitely want to do this again, except I want to do the challenge. I did a lot of park days before the race and that definitely affected my legs and feet so I was in a lot of pain walking. My mom wants to do the 10k for her 60th birthday in 2020 (my 30th) so I think I'm going to start thinking about doing that one day. I learned a lot of lessons and I think I was too nervous to stop for photos, but next time I'll stop more and do parks AFTER the race.

Congrats on a great race! A wonderfully written recap that I could feel the emotions from.
 
Great recap. I love your willingness to share your emotions with us. Sometimes I think we feel all alone on our own island of running and don't realize that others currently have similar fears or used to have them before overcoming them through experience. I love that we share both the good times and the bad times. Like social media posts, happy race photos don't tell the full story of struggling to find motivation to train, improving in training, and most importantly the actual struggles during the race.

I once feared running a 5K a day before a half because I worried it would destroy my legs for the half. Touring Disney World for 4 1/2 days before a half and then running a half convinced me that with proper training a multi race weekend challenge could happen. I've since set much crazier running goals than a multi race challenge. So, you've got the next challenge you undertake.
 
Great recap and I’m jealous of the fabulous jumping photo. Mine never come out. It’s either right as I’m about to jump or right at the end. Someday!
 
Congrats on your first half!! Loved the recap. Your pictures came out so much better than mine lol, love the castle/jumping one!
 
Congrats on a great race! A wonderfully written recap that I could feel the emotions from.

Thank you!

Great recap. I love your willingness to share your emotions with us. Sometimes I think we feel all alone on our own island of running and don't realize that others currently have similar fears or used to have them before overcoming them through experience. I love that we share both the good times and the bad times. Like social media posts, happy race photos don't tell the full story of struggling to find motivation to train, improving in training, and most importantly the actual struggles during the race.

I once feared running a 5K a day before a half because I worried it would destroy my legs for the half. Touring Disney World for 4 1/2 days before a half and then running a half convinced me that with proper training a multi race weekend challenge could happen. I've since set much crazier running goals than a multi race challenge. So, you've got the next challenge you undertake.

I definitely have my next challenge lined up! And I'm already thinking of how I'll tackle it. This running thing isn't a fluke - I'm sticking with it.

Great recap and I’m jealous of the fabulous jumping photo. Mine never come out. It’s either right as I’m about to jump or right at the end. Someday!

Thank you! Initially the photos that came through were me in the middle of the take off or landing, then that jump photo came through and I was stoked! Got lots of air. You'll get your jumping shot one day! :) I've got tips if you need them!

Congrats on your first half!! Loved the recap. Your pictures came out so much better than mine lol, love the castle/jumping one!

Thank you! :) The photos were MUCH better than I anticipated they'd be. Not all of them are winners, though. Haha. I saved the best for here.
 
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AWESOME job and great race re-cap! I live for jumping pictures and yours is PERFECT!! And in front of the castle too! YAS.

Nothing on race day was new except for the tutu, which I was willing to ditch if it didn't work.
I have tried to run in a tutu once at Disney and the tulle strands in the front kept going between my legs and I hatedddd it. So I switched to sparkl skirts. Haha. Glad yours had no issues!
 
Great recap. I started in E too. I wish I could recall all the miles like you did. After the MK is all blended together until mile 11. I'llbe 30 in 2020 too but I don't I could wait until then to try the challenge, going to do it next year instead. Great job! It looks like you really enjoyed yourself.
 
AWESOME job and great race re-cap! I live for jumping pictures and yours is PERFECT!! And in front of the castle too! YAS.

I have tried to run in a tutu once at Disney and the tulle strands in the front kept going between my legs and I hatedddd it. So I switched to sparkl skirts. Haha. Glad yours had no issues!

Thank you! I only noticed that the tulle was in between my legs sometime toward the end of the race, but for the most part it didn't get caught up and I didn't notice it/have to adjust at all. I'm glad I ran in the tutu, but I have no need to do it again. I'll stick to my leggings from here on out, unless I'm with a group and we decide to do tutus for our outfits.

Great recap. I started in E too. I wish I could recall all the miles like you did. After the MK is all blended together until mile 11. I'llbe 30 in 2020 too but I don't I could wait until then to try the challenge, going to do it next year instead. Great job! It looks like you really enjoyed yourself.

Thanks! It all blends together for me, too! I looked at the race map + my endomondo GPS to take note of when things happened. I have a good sense of my surroundings, so I just needed to match those up with the miles and the map. Good luck on next year's challenge! :)
 
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Martha's Vineyard Half Marathon Training Journal
Remember me? I ran the Disney Half about a month ago? Didn't do too bad? Well! I'm back and training for my next half marathon! Here's the haps on that situation:

When: May 19
Where: Martha's Vineyard
Who: Jenna & Me
What: 13.1 miles (again!)

Now, I stopped running for a little bit right after Disney for two reasons. One, I wanted to take the two weeks after the half marathon off as recovery/vacation/getting back into real life. My plan was to have a solid 10 weeks of training for the next half and start up on March 13. Unfortunately, I got hit hard by a nasty cold and the break went longer than anticipated.

I did go for a 5 miler on March 4 with Jenna (stats: 5.33 miles in 1:08:00 average pace of 12:46 min/mile). Then I skipped the next few weeks and had my first weekly run on the treadmill on March 20 (stats: 3.5 miles in 44:39 average pace of 12:46 min/mile). Yesterday, March 24, Jenna and I intended to do a 6 mile run and, in true J&J fashion, ran an extra mile (stats: 7.36 miles in 1:34:32 average pace 12:50 min/mile).

So here's the general plan for the next few weeks... Tuesday/Thursday maintenance runs (45 minutes) with a weekend long run. The long runs are (subject to change)...

Week 1 • 3/31: 5 miles
Week 2 • 4/7: 9.5 miles
Week 3 • 4/14: 6 miles
Week 4 • 4/21: 11 miles
Week 5 • 4/28: 6 miles
Week 6 • 5/5: 12.5 miles
Week 7 • 5/12: 4 miles
Week 8 • 5/19: Half Marathon Race Day!

I'll see you all next week with an update! :)
 
Congrats on getting ready for your next race! It's good to take a break after a race, too, I think.
 

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