Becoming a Better Sarah ~ 2015 Journal (The End)

Hey...if there's one thing I've been thinking about a decent amount lately when it comes to exercise - you have to do what is right for you and what you enjoy. If running isn't it, that is okay! It shouldn't feel like a chore.

Hang in there, Sarah (Beth too). :)
 
I don't think I've commented here in awhile but I do try and keep up.

Hi!! Thanks for checking in!

I'm sad to see you struggling mentally with your runs (and running in general). I honestly go through this often but as soon as I give myself permission to quit/take a break I miss it. Maybe after the races you should just give yourself a few weeks off to see how you feel about it. My last run was Monday. Partly because I was having hip pain and partly because I needed a break. And just taking the week off has made me (dare I say) excited to get back out there this week.

I definitely need to sit down and think about things after January. I may decide to take a break and re-evaluate after a few weeks. I really don't know what I'm going to do ... or how I'll feel if I do decide to stop running.

Good luck tomorrow! and have fun shopping for the trip. This week is starting to feel like crunch time!

Thanks!! The trip is coming up so soon ... I really feel like I have to get everything done ASAP.

Hey...if there's one thing I've been thinking about a decent amount lately when it comes to exercise - you have to do what is right for you and what you enjoy. If running isn't it, that is okay! It shouldn't feel like a chore.

Thanks for saying this. I've had such a weird relationship with running over the years (I ran as a kid, after having knee problems at age 13, I was sure I'd never run again) that now that I've started doing it consistently, I feel guilty about even thinking about stopping. I definitely will have a lot to think about after the races in January.

Hang in there, Sarah (Beth too). :)

Thanks :hug:
 
Recap: Race Simulation #2
This simulation was supposed to be dress rehearsal. But a cold front hit NY, so a few modifications needed to be made to one of the outfits.

5K Simulation:
With weather for the start of this run in the mid 30’s, outfit modification was a must. My race-planned outfit was supposed to include capris, but I swapped those out for fleece-lined tights. I also added a light hoodie and a hat & gloves to the outfit.

Outfit Notes: No problems.
Nemo.jpg

The outfit was fine. I didn’t even notice the shirt at all, that’s how comfortable it was (although it was a little thin for 30’s in NY). The dress stuck to my pants a bit, but not enough that it bothered me. Also, that might be a bit different at the race, where I’ll be wearing capris, not fleece-lined pants. I also wore a MagicBand for this run (not the same one I’ll be wearing at the race, though), and I didn’t even notice it. In fact, when I got home, I couldn’t figure out why it felt like I had something on my right wrist.
The one note I do have is that at the race, where I only wear one earbud (and tuck the other one down my shirt), I have to remember to wear the earbud that’s further from my Garmin (aka right ear, because my Garmin is worn on my left wrist). I couldn’t hear my Garmin at first (I started with the earbud in the left ear), but it got better once I switched earbuds.
I had originally planned to have a gel in my belt for the run (because I’m planning to bring a gel with me to the 5K, but likely won’t use it), but I forgot. Hopefully that won’t affect the comfort of the outfit issue.

Pace Notes: Overall pace of 12:39 – decent pace, not great
I actually wanted to be a little faster. I started out very slow and did speed up, but I still ended up slower than I had hoped to be. That said … the pace wasn’t terrible. It just wasn’t what I wanted.

Nutrition Notes: Nothing needed!
I was totally fine this run – no hungry moments, didn’t get sick at all. I had originally planned to go out without my water bottle, but I was afraid to do that in the cold (I know, that makes no sense), so I took it with me, but barely drank anything. I think I’ll be fine without it at the race.

10K Simulation:
The cold snap we had over the weekend seemed to be on the way out. Weather was in the mid-40’s, which is in the okay range for the outfit I have planned for the race, so no outfit modification needed.
I woke up groggy and almost forgot to have a gel before going out, but I remembered last minute, so it was fine. The run itself was a little bit rough, especially early on, but I just kept reminding myself that all that mattered was finishing, so even if I had to take a few extra walk breaks, it didn’t matter as long as I kept going.

Outfit Notes: Skirt rode up a bit, but it was manageable.
Dumbo.jpg

For the most part, my outfit was fine. I wore a slip underneath so that the skirt didn’t stick to my pants, and while I noticed both the skirt and slip riding up, it didn’t really bother me. I was a little warm, which is weird because I’ve worn this shirt with no problems in warmer weather, but I just pushed up my sleeves and I was fine.
I noticed the MagicBand a bit more than yesterday, but it didn’t bother me, I was just aware of it.
Other than that … everything was fine. Although there are a lot of shades of yellow in that outfit.

Pace Notes: Overall pace of 11:57 – good pace
I struggled early, so it was nice to see that my pace didn’t suffer too much. This is a little slower than where I want my no-character pace to be on race day (with the characters and stops, I know I’ll be slower), but I think I’m still in good shape.

Nutrition Notes: Clif Shot Gel Chocolate (pre-run), 7 jelly bellys (mid-run), ½ pack Sport Beans (post-run)
I think I picked a good time for my snack break (first walk break after mile 3). I wasn’t hungry when I took the break, and I never got hungry after, and it did end up being pretty close to halfway through.
After the run, I ate my normal half pack of Sport Beans, but I felt a little off so I figured I’d have some Vitamin Water when I got home … which I did not do. I ended up getting sick later in the day, and while that may have been because all I ate after my run was a latte and chocolate, it scared me enough that I think I will half a full pack of Sport Beans after the race (and if I don't feel 100% after that, I'll buy a Vitamin Water when we get back to the hotel).

General Notes:
This simulation didn’t seem to go as well as the last one, but it was still okay – nothing happened that I wouldn’t be okay with on race day. 5K outfit worked out great; 10K outfit was okay, not perfect, but wearable with no problems.

Things I’ve Learned From Race Simulation #2:
1 – I need extra electrolytes for a day of activity after the races. I’m so used to not being up and about after my long runs, and I got a bit of a wakeup call on Monday reminding me that there’s a big difference between sitting on my computer all day after a run and walking around … and I know which one I’ll be doing at Disney.
2 – My knee could end up being a problem. It hurt a bit during the “10K.” We were already thinking of walking a bit more of the 5K than originally planned – while walking home from the park on Sunday (my 5K simulation day), Beth proposed run/walking the backstage parts of the 5K, and then switching over to walking (probably moderately fast walking) once we hit World Showcase. With her calf issues and my knee situation … I think this is a good idea, and we’ll likely stick with this plan. (We may end up just walking the whole thing, but I think that starting off with run/walk gives us a little bit of a chance to stay ahead of the crowds/character lines).
3 – I think our timeline for 10K to Animal Kingdom, which seemed a little tight, should be doable. I got home from my run on Monday at about 9:15, spent 5-7 minutes talking to Beth, showered, changed, and did my hair (blow-dried and ironed), and was still ready to go by 10. So that’s 45 minutes … add 10 minutes on race day for my morning prayers (when I run at home I do that before I go out, but at Disney it’s too early), and subtract 5 minutes because I’m not planning to iron my hair that morning. So that’s 50 minutes. Less if I don’t wash my hair at all (it’s possible). I’m pretty sure our schedule gives us a little over an hour between getting back from the race and having to leave for Animal Kingdom … so I think we’re in good shape.

T-minus 2 weeks!!
 
Progress Update: 12/21 – 12/27

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Monday 12/21: Ran in the morning, then went to the mall/Target with Beth. Almost threw up at Target. I probably should have eaten something other than Starbucks and chocolate after my run, right?
Run Recap: 6.69 miles in 1:20:00 hours (11’57” pace) – 10K costume simulation was okay. I had to take a few extra walk breaks, and my left knee hurt a bit. But overall, it was fine. I’m really not worried about the race – even if I have to walk a little extra because of my knee, I know I can still finish ahead of the sweepers.

Tuesday 12/22: Today was a religious fast day for me, so I was purposely a little low-key. I was fairly thirsty for most of the day, but was still able to do most of my knee exercises and get through the day okay.

Wednesday 12/23: I overslept a bit (seriously, both Beth & my brother were up before me) and was too groggy to do morning cross training. I ended up getting in a 30 minute Cardio Ballet video later in the day. No stretching at all, which is pretty bad because I spent some time sewing, which always hurts my knees and back.

Thursday 12/24: I woke up at 5:50 for my run, checked the weather, got out of bed, spoke to Beth, went back to bed around 6:45, got up again a little after 7:30, gchatted with my brother in Italy (he was hanging out in a lounge before his flight boarded … Rome was his layover, not his final destination), got dressed, had breakfast … and then a little after 10 Beth came upstairs again and we decided to go out running before it started raining. And that was my morning.
Run Recap: 2.55 miles in 30:00 minutes (11’46” pace) –It was so darn humid out, and that messed with me a lot. I’m glad I went out … but this was a rough run.
Also, this run was supposed to have a speed component, but with the humidity, I knew it wasn’t going to happen.

Friday 12/25: Today’s good news is that I lost 2.5 of the 3 lbs I gained last week. Yay! Today’s bad news is pretty much the rest of the day.

Saturday 12/26: I did my knee exercises. Yay! I also skipped my cross training … not so yay. Saturdays are just not my day sometimes.

Sunday 12/27: Today’s run was a real 5K simulation – Beth and I ran together. We figured it would be a good way to assess how easy/hard it would be for us to run around the same pace at the race itself.
Run Recap: 3.10 miles in 41:00 minutes (13’13” pace) – This run was pretty slow … but I actually felt myself struggling with the pace early in the run, and I had a hard time keeping up with Beth. I think she slowed down as the run went on, and I was able to keep up more easily. I had a hard time with her intervals (1:45 walk/1:30 run, which is pretty similar to what I was practicing with my 5K simulations, but not exact because my Garmin doesn’t do 45 seconds) and never really got a good internal sense of when to expect a run interval to start or end. We also walked a bit more than expected … we started a few run intervals late because we needed a few seconds to get our bearings. At the end of the day, while it was a slower than expected run, our goal was to see if we could pretty much stick together for a whole 3 miles, and we did that.

Weight Loss (as of 12/25): 0.5/3 lb (17%)
December Mileage To Date: 42.56/48.6 miles (88%)

General Comments:
1 – I don’t think I’m going to make my December mileage goal. It would mean two 3 mile runs this week, and I really wasn’t planning on that. I’m pretty disappointed, but … whatever. 2015 hasn’t been my best year, and I’ll just be happy when it’s over.
2 – It’s not just running … I’m now having a hard time getting motivated to do any exercise. Running, cross training, knee exercises … all equally unmotivated. It’s gonna be a fun week plus until the races.

And now, for next week’s schedule…
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As you can see, it only goes through the end of December. Not sure what I’m doing about January yet … we’ll see what happens.
 


Hey Sarah, congrats on your dress rehearsals and I love you outfits!

Can you believe it's next week??!!! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN!!

You have been doing fantastic with hitting your goals so definitely don't be too hard on yourself about December, I think it's the month that catches everyone off guard.
 
Hey Sarah, congrats on your dress rehearsals and I love you outfits!

Thanks!!

Can you believe it's next week??!!! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN!!

I KNOW!!!! I leave in less than a week - and you leave even sooner!!

You have been doing fantastic with hitting your goals so definitely don't be too hard on yourself about December, I think it's the month that catches everyone off guard.

Thanks. It's definitely hard for me to accept not reaching my goals, but ... it's been a crazy month, and I think I just have to be okay with whatever happens.
 
December Recap & January Notes

(Sorry if this seems a little disjointed, I just wanted to get it out there ASAP, even if it wasn't as well-written as I usually try to be)

December Goal Recap:
Goal: Stick to My Schedule – Um … no comment. The end of the month was the worst, but the whole sticking to my schedule thing was a hot mess. At least I got in my two race simulations, which was good.

Goal: Lose 3 lbs – Total loss for the month was 0.5 lbs. Better than gaining, but still disappointing. Especially because I had gone down more and then went back up.

Goal: Run 48.6 miles – GOAL MET! 4 miles and 2 miles on the last two days of the month got me there. This goal was definitely too ambitious for the month, though. Oh well.


January Notes;
January 1st-4th: This is mostly an extension of December. Plan is for maybe some cross training on Friday, probably a rest day on Saturday, and a 2.5-miler on Monday.


January 5th-12th: Disney time! I may try to do one last cross training Tuesday morning before we leave (schedule permitting), but really this is about the races and Disney fun. And trying to get in my knee exercises every other day or so. And maybe another short run on departure day, but I'm not so into that idea (my sister is).

January 13th-31st: Refocus. There are a few things I need to think about:
  1. Do I want to continue running? I will probably do 2-3 short runs per week in my first week or two back and decide from there. A few months ago I was actually enjoying my long runs more than I was enjoying my short runs, so I think that if once the pressure is off I can somewhat enjoy the shorter runs, I'll be fine going back to the longer runs.
  2. If the answer to #1 is yes, how do I want to progress my runs? Original plan (way back when) was to do some 5Ks, move up to 10Ks after a couple of years, and have my first half be the Disneyland Half in 2020 (aka the 15th anniversary). That got accelerated (and I may go into how eventually, but not right now) to Disneyland Half 2016. It almost then got accelerated to Tinker Bell Half 2016. Now we're thinking Princess Half 2017 (which has special significance because Princess was our first race weekend). So I have to decide if I want to delay it even further, or if I actually want to do a non-Disney half before that. I need to find a balance between progressing at a good rate (I was progressing much faster than I thought I would be this fall, and I actually felt really good about that) and not putting too much pressure on myself (which I think is what led to the current situation). Also ... we're still talking about maybe doing the Disneyland 5K in 2016, so I have to decide if I want to stick to the original new timeline and try for that half, just without my sister.
So … that’s January. But more on that when I get back from Florida, maybe.
 



January 13th-31st: Refocus. There are a few things I need to think about:
  1. Do I want to continue running? I will probably do 2-3 short runs per week in my first week or two back and decide from there. A few months ago I was actually enjoying my long runs more than I was enjoying my short runs, so I think that if once the pressure is off I can somewhat enjoy the shorter runs, I'll be fine going back to the longer runs.
  2. If the answer to #1 is yes, how do I want to progress my runs? Original plan (way back when) was to do some 5Ks, move up to 10Ks after a couple of years, and have my first half be the Disneyland Half in 2020 (aka the 15th anniversary). That got accelerated (and I may go into how eventually, but not right now) to Disneyland Half 2016. It almost then got accelerated to Tinker Bell Half 2016. Now we're thinking Princess Half 2017 (which has special significance because Princess was our first race weekend). So I have to decide if I want to delay it even further, or if I actually want to do a non-Disney half before that. I need to find a balance between progressing at a good rate (I was progressing much faster than I thought I would be this fall, and I actually felt really good about that) and not putting too much pressure on myself (which I think is what led to the current situation). Also ... we're still talking about maybe doing the Disneyland 5K in 2016, so I have to decide if I want to stick to the original new timeline and try for that half, just without my sister.
So … that’s January. But more on that when I get back from Florida, maybe.

I'm hoping the answer to 1 is yes and that you don't wait until 2020 but as a fellow grad student I understand. I also think Disney would be a good first half for you. Or look into the Divas series. I think they have a Long Island race.
 
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I'm hoping the answer to 1 is yes and that you don't wait until 2020 but as a fellow grad student I understand. I also think Disney would be a good first half for you. Or look into the Divas series. I think they have a Long Island race.

Thanks for the heads up on the Diva series ... that's one I've never heard of before, so I'll have to look into it.
I definitely have a lot to think about with the running ... but I think I'm starting to enjoy it more than I did a few weeks ago, so we'll see what happens. Right now I'm just focusing on the two Disney races I'll be running in LESS THAN A WEEK!!!
 
Progress Update: 12/28 – 1/3

So … no detailed progress update for this week. It hasn’t been the best of weeks.

The Good:
I hit my December mileage goal (just barely).
Run Recap – Wednesday 12/30/15: 4.08 miles in 50:00 minutes (12’16” pace)
Run Recap – Thursday 12/31/15: 2.27 miles in 25:00 minutes (11’00” pace)
Both of these runs were done with 4:1 intervals. Neither run was particularly memorable … it was just about getting in the miles. The good thing is that I got in the miles and didn’t hate the runs … the bad news is that I didn’t like them very much either.

The Bad:

  • I tried to eat well this week, but I let snacking get the best of me.
  • I did my knee exercises a few times, but not as often as I should have.

The Ugly:

  • I skipped my cross training on Tuesday (was originally supposed to be Wednesday, but Tuesday and Wednesday got swapped when the forecast was for rain all day Tuesday), and then again on Thursday. I did do a cross training later in the week, which was good, but still … it was a bad pattern earlier in the week.
  • I have no patience for anything right now. Running, trying to eat healthier, not being cranky with people … I got nothing.
  • Still trying to figure out if I’m bringing my laptop to Florida. I’m terrified of being away from the real world for over a week, but I’m also not wild about staying up an extra hour (or more) after a day at the parks to do things that are not Disney-related. It’s rough.

So ... that was my week. Probably no progress update next week, even if I bring the computer. I will be back after I get home from Florida to update y'all on the races and whatnot.

Also ... if you're looking to keep track of my while I'm in Florida, twitter & instagram are probably your best bet. If you don't already follow me, the links are in my signature (and if you're on mobile and can't see my signature ... username for both is slkworks).
 
I'm Back!

Well ... I'm back from Florida. Races went pretty well, but slow. I will try to have quick recaps later this week, and once I get up to the races in my TR (once I start my TR), I'll post links here so that you can read all about it.
 
Race Recap: WDW 5K
The Details:
Race Date: Thursday, January 7, 2016
Race Start: 6:00 AM
Race Location: Epcot
Race Length: 5K (3.1 miles)

Before The Race:
Registration: Beth and I registered for this and the WDW 10K back in April. We chose this weekend because it’s the only runDisney 10K that we can do.

Packet Pickup: No problems. We went to the expo Wednesday late afternoon and had minimal lines. We also did some shopping at the Expo, but I didn’t buy anything (Beth bought a headband for the 10K and a few shirts).

The Night Before: We had deli sandwiches and rice for dinner, then went to bed relatively early (like 9:30ish). All of our stuff was ready and laid out, and we set an alarm for 3:30. I had a pack of Sport Beans, jelly bellys, and a gel in my belt just in case, but wasn’t planning to use any of them. My water bottle was filled and ready for the race (yes, I decided to bring my water bottle to the race).

Race Day:
Getting There & Pre-Race: We got up, got ready, and were on a bus at 4:18. The bus was actually not where we were expecting it to be, but we saw the bus as soon as we got to the front of the hotel, so we were fine. We got to the start area and took a few pictures, including one with Pluto. I also met the wonderful Stacy (who you may see comment on this journal sometimes) and her family, which was awesome!! We made our way to the corrals around 5:30ish and stood around a bit. According to my Garmin, we started at 6:25 AM (we were in the incredibly determined Corral D).

The Course: This course was almost entirely either in Epcot or in its immediate backstage area. It was almost exactly the same course we ran at Princess last year, so we were feeling pretty comfortable about the course.

The Race:
We started the race with intervals of 1:45 walk/1:30 run, but ended up walking a lot more than planned because of characters. We also started with the plan of walking all of World Showcase, but changed our minds towards the end because we were so far behind my anticipated pace and we were feeling okay to run.

Here are a few mile-by-mile comments:
Mile 1 – Mile 1 was all backstage, and we mostly stuck to our planned intervals. Towards the end of the mile, we saw a line for Chip ‘n’ Dale, and since they’re favorites of ours, we stopped. I believe our next stop was the mile 1 marker.

Mile 2 – We hit World Showcase during Mile 2, so we did a lot of walking. We met Rafiki in the Outpost area, Mittens the kitten (from Bolt) in American Adventure, and Marie in France. We also stopped for some World Showcase pictures. So yeah, this was a really long mile. I clocked it at over 28 minutes.

Mile 3 – Last mile! We were back to our walk/run and felt pretty okay. The only character we saw was Lilo, and we did decide to stop, even though we don’t like Lilo & Stitch.
By this point in time we were almost at Epcot opening time, and we actually saw them shortening the course for people behind us!

Final 0.1 – Nothing too exciting happened here. We finished – yay!

Overall Stats:
Garmin Time: 1:19:57
Garmin Distance: 3.47 miles
Garmin Average Pace: 23:04/mile

Overall Thoughts:

  • The race was fine. RunDisney 5Ks are always fun, but nothing really stuck out as memorable for me. I think that’s a by-product of running with my sister … when I run with her, I sometimes remember less about the run. That’s weird, right?
  • We did pretty good with the walk/run transition. We did have to weave a bit to do it, but we were fine. Didn’t hit anyone, didn’t get yelled at, made most of our transitions at the right time.
  • Once we finished, we chatted a bit with Stacy & family, and then stretched and headed back to the hotel. We were feeling pretty good and knew we’d be able to do parks. We did take it easy at DHS, but still got pretty much everything done.
  • I’m surprised by the fact that I’m not upset about my time. I wanted to finish in under an hour. I didn’t. But it didn’t bother me. That surprised me.
 
Race Recap: WDW 10K

The Details:
Race Date: Friday, January 8, 2016
Race Start: 5:30 AM
Race Location: Epcot Center Drive & Epcot
Race Length: 10K (6.2 miles)

Before The Race:
Registration: Beth and I registered for this and the WDW 5K back in April. We chose this weekend because it’s the only runDisney 10K that we can do.

Packet Pickup: Same as for the 5K - no problems.

The Night Before: We were planning to be at Hollywood Studios until at least after Fantasmic! (ended up staying until after the Star Wars fireworks), so we had PB&J sandwiches for dinner while watching F! We got back to the room around 8:30-9ish, and we hustled to get our stuff ready and head to bed. I had a pack of Sport Beans, jelly bellys, and a gel in my belt, and I knew I would need all three

Race Day:
Getting There & Pre-Race: We got up and got ready, and I switched my planned chocolate gel with a mocha because I wanted the caffiene. It was raining, so we debated what to bring to keep us dry. At the end of the day, we decided that we were hoping for the rain to clear up, so we didn’t bring much – I just grabbed a hat that I was planning to ditch before the race. We got on a bus, got to Epcot, and it was still raining. We took a picture, but mostly just got frustrated with the weather. We headed to the corrals around 5ish, tried to get as close to the front as we could, and continued to be annoyed at the rain. We ate our gels when they set off Corral A, I took off my hat (and, on Beth’s advice, attached it to my belt), and we started at 6:01am.

The Course: The course started on the backroads, went onto Epcot Center Drive, and then into World Showcase. From World Showcase, we went along the Boardwalk/YC/BC before going back into Epcot and finishing in the parking lots. I actually really liked this course, minus the darkness in some of the backroads areas.

The Race:
I ran the race with intervals of 4:00 run/1:00 walk. Mostly I stuck to my intervals … except that I made a lot of stops. I was definitely slower than I wanted to be because of the crowds.

Here are a few mile-by-mile comments:
Mile 1 – Mile 1 was crowded! I think it was along Mile 1 that we saw Anna and Elsa up on an overpass talking to us. Something about roller skates. Other than that … mile 1 did not stand out as memorable.

Mile 2 – I think this was the mile when I started to believe that I wasn’t going to have the runDisney experience that I wanted. I didn’t really want to blame rD too much (they can’t control the rain), but when I saw a trailer with a sign indicating that it was for an A Bug’s Life meet, I was kinda pissed that the characters weren’t out. This mile was probably the low point of the race.

Mile 3 – During mile 3 I realized that I needed to just make the best of the experience. Yes, it was raining and that hurt the experience. And yes, I was frustrated that I couldn’t go anywhere near my normal pace because there were points where I couldn’t weave around the slower people. But I just needed to enjoy as much of the experience as I could, and then when it was over I could worry about getting a runDisney 10K do-over next year.

5K Split: Pace 13:24 min/Mile; Estimated Finish Time: 1:23:11

Mile 4 – It was during this mile that things really started to improve. I had been told that there would be no characters out due to weather, but right after I texted that information to Beth, I saw Mushu and Mulan in China. So I stopped, and then Beth met up with me (that would be the way it worked for all of the character pictures). I also stopped for a few pictures in World Showcase – basically, this mile was when I started having fun!

Mile 5 – Another good mile! We saw Remy & Emile in France and Mike & Sulley outside the ESPN Club. This was also where I finally got some speed – I ignored the warnings about the slippery Boardwalk and finally picked up some speed here just because I finally had the room.

Mile 6 – Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Future World! I was feeling pretty good, so I was able to stop for a few minutes to talk to @rteetz, who was cheering from the Beach Club. Character meets were Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum right before going back into Epcot, and Phineas & Ferb in Future World. I stopped for both just because at that point I didn’t see any reason not to.

Final 0.2 – This was all backstage, and I was kinda excited to just finish. I was hoping to get a good finish line pictures, and I slowed to let some people finish ahead of me so that the photographers could get a good shot of me (they did, and if I end up buying the picture, I will post it here). That’s probably what stopped me from finishing in under 2 hours, which was fine, but a little sad.

Overall Stats:
Official Time: 2:00:14
Official Pace: 19:21/mile
Garmin Time: 2:00:16
Garmin Distance: 6.74 miles
Garmin Average Pace: 17:51/mile (this is where the huge difference with the Garmin distance really comes into play – with all the weaving, Garmin says my pace is a minute and a half faster than runDisney)

Overall Thoughts:
- The first and second halfs of the run were like night and day. As rough of an experience as the first half was, that’s how great the second half was.
- It rained through the vast majority of the race. The rain annoyed me, but didn’t bother me. Which I know sounds weird, but that’s the best way to put it. I didn’t really notice it, except for the effect it was having on the race.
- I really had to weave in and out around people. I think that in the future, when registering for something like this I need to put in my running pace, not my average pace (obviously races that require POT will be different because then it has to be based on my average pace). Based on my running pace, I think I could have ended up in corral C and maybe not have had to deal with as many slow people in front of me (although I probably would have dropped back to start with Beth in D, so it would have been a moot point).
 
I enjoyed both of your race reviews! I actually had a response typed up the other day to the 5k post and then stepped away from my computer before I finished and it disappeared when I returned.

5K thoughts:
In hindsight I wish we would have stopped for all the characters during the 5k. Especially Chip and Dale. I really don't know why we didn't ....maybe my "runners pride"...if that's a thing? But we didn't really run much of it anyways since Lucy was kinda struggling with it so I should have just embraced the Disney. Lesson learned for me. I'm glad that you and Beth had a great time.
I had kind of forgot we ran into you after the race too. I was in a personal fog of panic knowing I had to get Lucy and Aaron ready and packed up to head home and me and Olivia moved to a new resort. Haha! So I guess we actually bumped into you 3 times (or 4 if Aaron and Lucy at DHS count). We were really lucky like that!

10K thoughts:
Ugh all that rain. I live in fear of having to run a rainy race because I don't do runs in the rain.
It's really understandable that you had a difficult start but I'm thrilled that you were able to come away with a fun, wet 10k experience!
Remy and Emile are such a great meet. Super jealous of that one.
Can't wait to see pictures.
 
Race Recap: WDW 10K

The Details:
Race Date: Friday, January 8, 2016
Race Start: 5:30 AM
Race Location: Epcot Center Drive & Epcot
Race Length: 10K (6.2 miles)

Before The Race:
Registration: Beth and I registered for this and the WDW 5K back in April. We chose this weekend because it’s the only runDisney 10K that we can do.

Packet Pickup: Same as for the 5K - no problems.

The Night Before: We were planning to be at Hollywood Studios until at least after Fantasmic! (ended up staying until after the Star Wars fireworks), so we had PB&J sandwiches for dinner while watching F! We got back to the room around 8:30-9ish, and we hustled to get our stuff ready and head to bed. I had a pack of Sport Beans, jelly bellys, and a gel in my belt, and I knew I would need all three

Race Day:
Getting There & Pre-Race: We got up and got ready, and I switched my planned chocolate gel with a mocha because I wanted the caffiene. It was raining, so we debated what to bring to keep us dry. At the end of the day, we decided that we were hoping for the rain to clear up, so we didn’t bring much – I just grabbed a hat that I was planning to ditch before the race. We got on a bus, got to Epcot, and it was still raining. We took a picture, but mostly just got frustrated with the weather. We headed to the corrals around 5ish, tried to get as close to the front as we could, and continued to be annoyed at the rain. We ate our gels when they set off Corral A, I took off my hat (and, on Beth’s advice, attached it to my belt), and we started at 6:01am.

The Course: The course started on the backroads, went onto Epcot Center Drive, and then into World Showcase. From World Showcase, we went along the Boardwalk/YC/BC before going back into Epcot and finishing in the parking lots. I actually really liked this course, minus the darkness in some of the backroads areas.

The Race:
I ran the race with intervals of 4:00 run/1:00 walk. Mostly I stuck to my intervals … except that I made a lot of stops. I was definitely slower than I wanted to be because of the crowds.

Here are a few mile-by-mile comments:
Mile 1 – Mile 1 was crowded! I think it was along Mile 1 that we saw Anna and Elsa up on an overpass talking to us. Something about roller skates. Other than that … mile 1 did not stand out as memorable.

Mile 2 – I think this was the mile when I started to believe that I wasn’t going to have the runDisney experience that I wanted. I didn’t really want to blame rD too much (they can’t control the rain), but when I saw a trailer with a sign indicating that it was for an A Bug’s Life meet, I was kinda pissed that the characters weren’t out. This mile was probably the low point of the race.

Mile 3 – During mile 3 I realized that I needed to just make the best of the experience. Yes, it was raining and that hurt the experience. And yes, I was frustrated that I couldn’t go anywhere near my normal pace because there were points where I couldn’t weave around the slower people. But I just needed to enjoy as much of the experience as I could, and then when it was over I could worry about getting a runDisney 10K do-over next year.

5K Split: Pace 13:24 min/Mile; Estimated Finish Time: 1:23:11

Mile 4 – It was during this mile that things really started to improve. I had been told that there would be no characters out due to weather, but right after I texted that information to Beth, I saw Mushu and Mulan in China. So I stopped, and then Beth met up with me (that would be the way it worked for all of the character pictures). I also stopped for a few pictures in World Showcase – basically, this mile was when I started having fun!

Mile 5 – Another good mile! We saw Remy & Emile in France and Mike & Sulley outside the ESPN Club. This was also where I finally got some speed – I ignored the warnings about the slippery Boardwalk and finally picked up some speed here just because I finally had the room.

Mile 6 – Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Future World! I was feeling pretty good, so I was able to stop for a few minutes to talk to @rteetz, who was cheering from the Beach Club. Character meets were Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum right before going back into Epcot, and Phineas & Ferb in Future World. I stopped for both just because at that point I didn’t see any reason not to.

Final 0.2 – This was all backstage, and I was kinda excited to just finish. I was hoping to get a good finish line pictures, and I slowed to let some people finish ahead of me so that the photographers could get a good shot of me (they did, and if I end up buying the picture, I will post it here). That’s probably what stopped me from finishing in under 2 hours, which was fine, but a little sad.

Overall Stats:
Official Time: 2:00:14
Official Pace: 19:21/mile
Garmin Time: 2:00:16
Garmin Distance: 6.74 miles
Garmin Average Pace: 17:51/mile (this is where the huge difference with the Garmin distance really comes into play – with all the weaving, Garmin says my pace is a minute and a half faster than runDisney)

Overall Thoughts:
- The first and second halfs of the run were like night and day. As rough of an experience as the first half was, that’s how great the second half was.
- It rained through the vast majority of the race. The rain annoyed me, but didn’t bother me. Which I know sounds weird, but that’s the best way to put it. I didn’t really notice it, except for the effect it was having on the race.
- I really had to weave in and out around people. I think that in the future, when registering for something like this I need to put in my running pace, not my average pace (obviously races that require POT will be different because then it has to be based on my average pace). Based on my running pace, I think I could have ended up in corral C and maybe not have had to deal with as many slow people in front of me (although I probably would have dropped back to start with Beth in D, so it would have been a moot point).

I'm pretty sure I saw you two in the corral next to me! I was the grumpy one up too early in the morning wearing two ponchos to stay dry and warm. :(

And I completely agree with your assessment of Mile 5 - I don't know what kicked in for me, but I really picked up pace on the Boardwalk to the point where I felt like I was flying. Maybe it was because I knew it was almost over and my warm, dry car was waiting for me? IDK.

But the rain SUCKED. Like major sucked.
 
I didn't stop for chip and dale during the 5k either. It was the first character stop and I asked my sister and she said oh we'll stop at the next one. We stopped at every other one except for whatever the black cat character was at the American Pavillion.

I didn't run the 10k this year but did last year and loved the course. I can understand how it must've sucked running in the ran it sucked just standing in it at the beach club.
 
My first 10k was in pouring rain too. It sucks so much. I'm glad you still ended up talking a lot of positives out of it.
 
In hindsight I wish we would have stopped for all the characters during the 5k. Especially Chip and Dale. I really don't know why we didn't ....maybe my "runners pride"...if that's a thing? But we didn't really run much of it anyways since Lucy was kinda struggling with it so I should have just embraced the Disney. Lesson learned for me. I'm glad that you and Beth had a great time.

I think it's really a mentality thing. I went into the 5k thinking about it as a character stop with running in between. I think that if you go into it thinking of it as a race, it's harder to stop for all the characters. Which I guess is where my being very weird pays off.

I had kind of forgot we ran into you after the race too. I was in a personal fog of panic knowing I had to get Lucy and Aaron ready and packed up to head home and me and Olivia moved to a new resort. Haha! So I guess we actually bumped into you 3 times (or 4 if Aaron and Lucy at DHS count). We were really lucky like that!

It was really awesome that we got to see you so many times!!

Ugh all that rain. I live in fear of having to run a rainy race because I don't do runs in the rain.

I had practiced running in the race once or twice, but I really hoped that would mean we'd get dry races. No luck.

It's really understandable that you had a difficult start but I'm thrilled that you were able to come away with a fun, wet 10k experience!

Thanks!

Remy and Emile are such a great meet. Super jealous of that one.

I was so excited when I saw them!! I actually saw them leaving for a quick break and knew I had to wait for them to come back.

Can't wait to see pictures.

Hopefully I'll post a few here soon, and then the rest will go on the TR. I just have to finish sorting through everything.

I'm pretty sure I saw you two in the corral next to me! I was the grumpy one up too early in the morning wearing two ponchos to stay dry and warm. :(

What??? Oh man, I wish I had seen you, I would have screamed hi! But mostly I was so focused on the rain that I wasn't looking for anyone.

And I completely agree with your assessment of Mile 5 - I don't know what kicked in for me, but I really picked up pace on the Boardwalk to the point where I felt like I was flying. Maybe it was because I knew it was almost over and my warm, dry car was waiting for me? IDK.

For me I think it was that the rain finally let up and I was hoping I could finish relatively dry. That didn't happen.
But a warm, dry car is definitely a good motivation to go faster.

But the rain SUCKED. Like major sucked.

Totally agree on that one.

I didn't stop for chip and dale during the 5k either. It was the first character stop and I asked my sister and she said oh we'll stop at the next one. We stopped at every other one except for whatever the black cat character was at the American Pavillion.

I think a lot of people didn't stop because it was the first stop. We thought about skipping it because we see Chip and Dale all the time, but decided to stop because why not.

I didn't run the 10k this year but did last year and loved the course. I can understand how it must've sucked running in the ran it sucked just standing in it at the beach club.

I actually really loved the course. I wish it hadn't been raining because it would have been an incredible experience had the weather been better.

My first 10k was in pouring rain too. It sucks so much. I'm glad you still ended up talking a lot of positives out of it.

So ... apparently 10K is just not a good distance for a dry race. Who knew?
 
The End

I've been trying to figure out what to do with this journal. Some days I want to keep writing, keep updating you guys on what's going on with me.
But most days ... not so much. Lately the idea of updating this journal has been something I'm dreading. I'm not by nature a very positive person, but I don't want to be negative here, so it can be a little overwhelming for me to keep trying to put a positive spin on what's going on.

I definitely have a lot on my plate right now. I'm trying to pick out my first half marathon, and while I want it to be Disneyland, the flights are going to kill me. Most of my other candidates just won't work for my schedule. I need to get my eating and non-running exercise under control. I have to get back to doing my knee exercises and stretches, because my knee has been bothering me for the last month. I need to get a handle on my personal and professional lives. And that's just the beginning.

Ultimately ... I do need to figure this out. But I no longer feel like I need to share that information, which is a big step for me. Right now the sharing is more stress than necessity, and I think I need to be avoiding the extra stress.

So, this is the end of my WISH journal. Thank you all for following along and for all of the encouragement and advice you have given me over the past few months. I appreciate it more than I can say, and I hope to continue to see you all around the boards!
 
Sounds like a good decision. Best of luck to you going forward, and thanks for sharing everything that you did. :) But I know I'll "see" you around in other threads. :hug:
 

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