No One Knows How Far I’ll Go - Comments Welcome

[sandam1]

I’ve been considering starting a running blog for a while, but I am finally getting around to actually doing it. The first few posts are going to be a (long and detailed) recap of my runDisney history. I’m writing these primarily so that I have everything down in one place. Feel free to read and comment - or not!

My name is Amy and I am 46 years old from Western New York. When I was a kid, my mom and stepdad were big runners. I tried to run with my mom from time to time, but always wound up with a terrible side stitch. I also hated listening to nothing besides my feet hitting the ground and my gasping breath. So while I grew up around running and races, I never participated in them myself.

Then around 2016 or 2017, I found out about runDisney and the Jeff Galloway run-walk-run method around the same time. I was intrigued by the idea of running at Disney - I really, really, REALLY wanted to run through the castle - and the Galloway method seemed to make running do-able. I would probably never be able to run for miles non-stop, but even *I* could run for 30 seconds, walk to recover, rinse and repeat until I reach the end. THAT I could do!

It took a few years before I finally felt strong and fit enough to attempt a half marathon, but I did it. My races to date have been:

• 2019 Marathon Weekend 5K & Half Marathon
• 2020 Fairy Tale Challenge (10K & Half Marathon)
• 2022 Marathon Weekend 5K, 10K & Half Marathon

My next runDisney events are (tentatively) the 2022 Wine & Dine Challenge in November and the 2023 Dopey Challenge. But as I haven’t registered yet, and this blog is appropriately titled “No One Knows How Far I’ll Go,” these plans are still subject to change, particularly if Running Universal decides to start their races back up again. But more about that later…

 

[sandam1]

Race Recaps: 2019 Marathon Weekend and 2020 Princess Challenge

My first runDisney race was the 2019 Marathon Weekend. I roped my best friend K (who I’ve known since 5th grade and probably thought that I had lost my mind when I told her that I wanted to run a half marathon) into coming on the trip with me and “running” the 5K. In reality, she did next to no training and our 5K intervals were 5-10 second run and 50 second walk, which just about drove me nuts because I was itching to do more. But she had a blast with the race and was already talking about “next year doing the 10K.” And I was like “hold the phone, this whole half marathon thing is a one-and-done for me. Let me run up Main Street, run through the castle, get across the finish line, and I’m D-O-N-E with this running thing.” Famous last words, right? After crossing the finish line, I was already talking about doing the Princess challenge because I wanted to do a challenge, wanted to run through the castle again, but had no interest in the training necessary to run a marathon.




Enter the 2020 Princess weekend! Ever since I had started running, I had a weird calf/ankle/foot pain at the start of every run. After about 2 miles, it would go away, but it was hard to get excited about running when the beginning of every run was downright painful. I tried different warm-ups, different shoes, you name it. I talked to several trainers at the gym and no one could tell me what was wrong or what to do to fix it. Finally when I started training for the Princess, I knew that I needed to find an answer. My personal trainer who was also a first-year physical therapy student finally said, “You need to go talk to Steve. He’s a local physical therapist who’s made a name for himself treating runners. If anyone can figure it out, it’s him.” Going to him was, by far, the best choice that I ever made! In less than 10 minutes, he knew what the problem was (lack of ankle flexibility combined with tight calves) and I had a treatment plan. He also started me on a series of runner-specific strength exercises. The timing was tight, but I managed to get in a good place with my training by Princess weekend. That weekend, the 10K was a frustrating race that I was glad when it was over (loved the distance, hated the course crowding, and due to a PT prescribed slow start, wound playing tag with the balloon ladies way more than I wanted to). The half was a great race. After the previous day, I loved the room to run on the open highway. When I got to the Magic Kingdom, I could FEEL how much more prepared I was compared to the previous year. In the post-race high, I started talking about the D-word (Dopey) for next year.

 

[sandam1]

The Pandemic:

About three weeks post-Princess, the pandemic hit the fan! With my gym closed, I lost access to the indoor track (I am a fair-weather runner), my personal trainer, and all motivation to do any sort of exercise. We walked the dogs daily (a sanity-saving measure to fend off cabin fever), but that was about it. By late summer, the gym re-opened, but I didn’t feel safe working out indoors. I did a few sessions with my personal trainer (getting the muscles going again was painful!) outside before the weather got turned.

The next hit was coming down with COVID in mid-December 2020. After months of being super cautious, I wound up being exposed by someone that should have known better. While I suppose you could say that I came down with a “mild case,” it really knocked me on my butt. It was mid-February before my energy levels started to rebound and the end of April before I finally got rid of the nagging “COVID cough.” After I finally got vaccinated, it was time to head back to the gym and try to undo 15 months of inactivity. It was pretty brutal, to say the least. But I was also keeping my eye on runDisney’s return to in-person races. When that magical announcement came, I decided that it was Dopey or bust.

 

[sandam1]

Race Recap: 2022 Dopey Prep and Marathon Weekend

My Dopey training immediately hit a speed bump before it really had a chance to begin. Back in March, I tried to stretch the lifespan of a pair of sneakers and wound up with a flare up of plantar fasciitis. I’ve had it in the past so I knew all of the at-home treatments and tried them all with no long-term success. I would rest it for a bit and start to feel better, but as soon as I tried to amp up my activity, I would be back to square one. Finally, feeling slightly panicky after losing scheduled run after scheduled run and with the days flying by, I wound up back at the PT’s office at the end of August. After getting the “why did you wait so long to come in” head shake (which I will admit that I thoroughly deserved), I was immediately grounded - no weight bearing activities/stuck on the bike - which just about drove me crazy. The good news was that both Steve and his assistant Jay knew the end goal and we had developed a great working relationship during the lead up to the 2020 Princess. But I will admit that the process was stressful and bumpy at times.






I finally got back on the road at the beginning of October. I got a @DopeyBadger training plan, but I had to accept the painful reality that time was not on my side and that I was going to wind up running the race severely undertrained. But I was going to do my best and see what happened. At my last PT appointment before race weekend, Jay’s parting words were “good luck and be smart.” I don’t think either of us knew how prophetic those words were going to be.

After almost canceling the whole trip 36 hours before I was set to leave (the combination of omicron, flight disruptions, weather issues, and feeling unprepared for the race came to head in an epic meltdown), it was finally go-time. I walked the 5K with my friend (who had done even less preparation than she did in 2019) and I felt pretty good during the 10K. I loved the new course, which I thought was significantly better/less crowded than what I experienced at the 2020 Princes, and my intervals were strong.



All along, I was daunted by the marathon and I kind of took the half for granted. I was like “I’ve done this distance twice before and it felt sooooo good in 2020. I’ve got this.” And that came to bite me HARD when I found myself just 30 seconds ahead of the balloon ladies as we exited the Magic Kingdom. I realized that I needed to take this race seriously and quickly or my Dopey attempt was going to end with the half. The best decision I made at that point was to join the 3:30 pacer group. They pulled me through cone alley and all of the highway miles to the cloverleaf at Mile 10-11 or the “hill of death” as I call it. I knew at that point that I was going to have to let the group go here as I was feeling every missed minute of training at this point. Although my legs didn’t feel too bad (strength training for the win), my conditioning was giving out. Making the last climb up the final bridge to Epcot, I was even with the balloon ladies (who were fabulous and sooooo encouraging). Everyone kept saying "make it to Epcot before them and you're going to finish." Well, I kicked it in and entered about 2 seconds ahead of them. At which point I was DONE. I walked the last mile, but I did it.

Even before I finished, I knew that the marathon wasn't going to happen. If I had gotten into that much pace trouble with the half, there was no way that I could complete the whole. But I hung on to the hope that I could at least get the Magic Kingdom. As soon as I finished, however, my feet seized up and the walk to the parking lot was one of the most painful things that I've done. Once back at the hotel, I threw all of my treatments at it (meds, ice, heat, elevation, TENS unit), but everything gave me minimal relief and it took a couple of hours to get the pain under control. It became very clear that the Magic Kingdom was out of the question. Trying was only going to get me hurt.

But I was determined to at least start the race and get my bling. In the morning, the feet were not nearly as tender when I woke up, but they were still rough. My theme at that point was “live to run again.” I started, ran one interval, and my feet told me a big fat NO. So I walked to the Mile 1 marker/medical tent, got two character photos (which I hadn't allowed myself in any of the other races), got my one mile photo, and boarded a van for the slow ride back to start. I accepted my marathon medal and, although it took some time to deal with the complicate emotions that came with it, I now display it with pride. On that day, I was strong enough to do the right thing even when it was very hard. I look at the medal not as a failure, but as the universe telling me "not yet."

 

[sandam1]

Post-Dopey Recovery and What’s Next

While the DNF was not the way I wanted the weekend to end, I was (and still am) 110% positive that it was the right thing to do. Going back to my post-race PT check-up, I promptly got grounded again to let everything calm back down and it was almost the end of January before I was cleared to do any running. That time-off was almost harder than anything else because I was climbing the walls! After burning the candle at both ends for months (between Dopey training, a crazy patch at work, and the holidays), all of a sudden I had way too much time on my hands and it was not pretty. One technique that was suggested was to take the time to do a detailed race debrief - what worked, what didn’t, what I’d do differently. While some of it is personal, I will probably address some of it in this blog in hopes of helping some other runner.

Two months post-race, I’m still seeing Steve and Jay every other week and ramping up the running very, very, very slowly. Since I have nothing on the calendar, I am taking the time to do the rehab right (and probably still undoing some of the damage that I did by training for Marathon Weekend). I’ve learned what happens when I don’t address problems right away (hint: they become bigger problems) and that trying to train while injured is NO FUN. So I am doing every little thing that I am told - down to the letter of the instructions - to try to keep that from happening again. I’m doing A LOT of strength exercises to fix some of the imbalances that keep causing me problems and I signed up for Steve’s 5-week workshop to work on my running form (www.MidfootProject.com) which starts on Monday. I’m getting my ducks in a row and quacking in tune to set myself up for future success.




The next big thing is probably going to be another try at Dopey in 2023, using the Wine & Dine challenge in November as a training run for it. My travel partner J and I usually do an Orlando trip in late September/early October, but I already have a trip to the beach (Outer Banks, NC) and a couple of major work events scheduled for the fall which makes the beginning of November the only time that I can go. And if I can fold a runDisney race into it, all the better. Plus I love the Genie theme for the challenge!

 

[sandam1]

Note: My runDisney Trips Are A Little Unconventional

I have a confession to make - very little of my time on my runDisney trips is actually spent at Disney. In fact, outside of the Expo and the races, I usually don’t set foot on Disney property. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Disney fan. I tear up at the sight of the castle just like the next person (witness that just the thought of running through the castle inspired this whole journey). I love the magic and wonder of the parks, but I find the logistics of “doing Disney” exhausting. And it is super expensive! I work for a non-profit so my vacation time and budget are usually quite tight. For all of these reasons and more, I spend my time in Florida on the “dark side” - aka at Universal Orlando. Yep, I’m on the side of the boy wizard.






The Disney or Universal decision was originally made while planning my first runDisney trip. I gave K the choice to either do Disney, staying off-site to stay on budget, or we could stay at Universal, stay on-site and get annual passes. We had done both types of vacations so we kind of knew what they would look like. And K put it the best - that the purpose of going to Florida was to finish the races. If we chose to do Disney, given the cost, I would feel the need to do everything in the parks, which could impact that goal and my ability to run. If we did Universal, it would be much easier to take it easy and focus on what I needed to do to succeed at the races. Plus if I felt that I needed to rest, being onsite would give her the choice to stay at the parks, as we would both have easy access to transportation. (In reality, this has never happened, but it’s nice to know that it is an option). It’s an unconventional choice, but it works out perfectly for me. I’m so much more relaxed at Universal and it has become “home.”

So you might notice that my medal pictures take place in front of a different castle!






For most of our trips, we stay in a suite at Cabana Bay. There are so many things that I love about the hotel - the ease, the vibe, the food court (a great variety of food at good prices), the lazy river, the extra space/kitchenette to name a few. The only downsides are the lack of Express Passes and relying primarily on the bus transportation, but we’ve been to Universal so many times that we have developed strategies to minimize any issues.




For the 2022 Marathon Weekend, we stayed the first two nights at Royal Pacific since I got a killer passholder rate and because I was trying to save time on my feet with Express Pass and access to boat transportation. I’m not sure that it was worth it - both the extra money and having to switch hotels the day of the 10K - or if I’d do it again, but we’ll see.

As I mentioned in one of the previous posts, since my heart (and wallet) belong to Universal, if Running Universal starts offering races, I would jump at the opportunity. They’ve done a couple of races - only 5Ks and 10Ks due to the limited size of the property - and they’ve never fit my schedule (the last one was about 3 weeks before the 2020 Princess), but it’s a goal for me. Also, due to the short length of the races, K is super interested in doing a Universal challenge. Considering all that she’s done to support me at runDisney, I’d love to return the favor. But Universal has been mum about when or if they are going to offer races again (and believe me, I’ve asked)

 

[Naomeri]

Welcome to the wonderful world of training journals!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Great intro. Excited to see where you do go on this journey.

 

[sandam1]

Welcome to the wonderful world of training journals!

Thanks! Putting everything in the "public sphere" is a bit intimidating to me, but the DIS running community has been so helpful to me that I feel the need to share my journey with the next person.

Great intro. Excited to see where you do go on this journey.

My background is in history so I tend to get a bit long-winded when I write - particularly when it's a topic that I am passionate about. So thanks for sticking through it.

 

[sandam1]

3/16/2022 Training Recap:

PT Plan - 30 second run/30 second walk x 11 reps
Personal training with Tristan

At my physical therapy appointment on Monday, I got a training plan for the next three weeks that has me running on Mondays (except for days that I have PT), Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. This gives me two evenings per work week that I don’t have to go to the gym, which is a nice balance. In past plans, I was doing M,W,F one week and Sun, Tu, Th, Sa the other and that second week was a killer because I have other commitments on Monday night and then my personal training on Wednesday. Thankfully, I remembered to ask for the days to be adjusted this time so I get some complete rest days - and time to do things like laundry, paying bills, and the other necessary things that come with being an adult.

I’ve been working with my personal trainer, Tristan, for several years now (maybe 6?) and he and I just gel. He will be graduating from physical therapy school in May and he does a great job blending his knowledge from PT school and his years of experience as a personal trainer. I may not always like the exercises he gives me - for instance, he likes burpees, I disagree - but I trust his judgment of my capabilities completely. When I first started working with him, I was in very rough shape and even basic exercises were hard for me. Now I can do some of the crazy things that he comes up with. It’s never easy, but I usually come away with a sense of accomplishment - and appropriately sore muscles.

Tonight’s workout consisted of a 15 minute warm-up on the bike, series of calf stretches, and then on to the track for 11 reps of 30/30 walk/run. My calves were a little tight by the end, but it wasn’t too bad.

Tristan really amped up the workout tonight and ended with a 7-minute set of compound exercises that focused a lot on cardio conditioning. I was sweating A LOT and my heart rate was really up there by the time we finished. Looking back, I’m very, very glad that I did my run before I saw Tristan because doing it afterward would not have been pretty.

Post-workout, my body feels pretty good. My heels (particularly the right) tightened up a little when I was working on my computer, but it wasn’t too bad. I put on my heated socks (they have little packs that you can microwave) and that helped, but I think I’m going to need to use the night splint as well. I expect some soreness tomorrow from working out with Tristan, but I’m not sure where yet. We'll find out what new muscles he found to work out!

 

[sandam1]

3/20/2022 - Training Recap

PT Plan - Friday 30 second run/30 second walk x 11 reps; Sunday 30 second run/30 second walk x 7 reps
Start of the Midfoot Project

Surprisingly, I was NOT sore after my workout on Wednesday. Both my feet and the rest of my body were nearly 100% on Thursday.

Friday was my first run outside since Marathon Weekend, taking advantage of the time change and some beautiful weather. I had picked up a pair of Feetures plantar fasciitis socks at the MW Expo and on one other occasion accidentally run in them (I totally forgot I had them on until I got to the gym). It didn’t go badly the first time so I figured that I would try it again. This time was a complete disaster. The outside of my right foot started complaining within the first interval and my left heel followed right behind. I was tempted to head home and change, but I had a measly 11 intervals to do and just wanted to get it done. It wasn’t pretty, but I did it. From now on, the socks are for walking/standing and not running.

Saturday was a recovery day. Originally, I was going to go to the gym and hit the bike, but it was cold and rainy and I decided that I didn’t feel like leaving the house.

Today I did 30 minutes on the bike at a higher resistance, warm up stretches and 7 reps of 30/30 walk/run. Today was a light running day since I’m scheduled to run again tomorrow. So far, the back to back runs have gone relatively well so fingers crossed that remains the case. For the next week, the plan also has me going up one more rep per day. The slow pace of my progress is KILLING me, but I know what happens if we try to ramp things up too fast. I like being able to stand up without wincing too much to go back there.



Today was also Day 1 of the Midfoot Project, a 5-week course taught by my PT. For this week, it’s primarily adding some more exercises to the PT exercises that I’m already doing. I’m a little bit nervous about the program because Steve has warned that changing run form can add stress to the calves, achilles, and foot. Basically everything that I’ve been struggling with! But he gave me the okay to try the program and warned me that some soreness is to be expected so I’m going to do the homework and see what happens. I know that my run form is probably contributing to my injuries so I’m hoping that changing it now will help me in the long-term.

I’m a little nervous about registration for Wine and Dine on Tuesday. Not with the process - I’ve been through that a couple of times and as long as runDisney doesn’t change the process AGAIN, I’ve got that down. I think it’s more that this is the first concrete step towards Dopey. Also, after the painful training cycle that I had for Marathon Weekend and how little I’m doing right now, I’m a little nervous about committing to ramping up the miles again. My head knows that I still have a few months before the training plan even starts, but my gut disagrees. But come Tuesday, it’s time to suck it and just do it.



On a completely different note, I’m headed for a last-minute trip to Universal a week from tomorrow. My travel partner J and I had been considering going to experience Universal’s Mardi Gras. I got to do the festivities in 2020 (including riding a float and throwing beads) when I was in Florida for the Princess weekend, but J wasn’t with me on that trip and I knew that she would love it. We kept talking about scheduling a trip for this year, but couldn’t commit. Finally, two weeks ago, she said “book it.” It’s going to be a whirlwind trip - leaving early Monday morning and coming home late Wednesday night. I was tempted to adjust the dates and stay to do the sunrise yoga for Springtime Surprise on Thursday, but an extra $250 for the registration plus the extra night at the hotel was a bit much - particularly on top of the Wine & Dine and Marathon Weekend registrations. Where is that money tree when I need it?

 

[sandam1]

3/21/2022 - Training Recap

PT Plan - 30 second run/30 second walk x 12 reps

I squeezed in this run into the short time between when I got home from work and when dinner was ready. It wasn't ideal, but I had to go back out later in the evening and I didn't want to run on a full stomach. Because I was pressed for time, I did the shortest warm-up/stretch that I thought I could get away with. The good news was that it didn't work out too badly. My calves started to tighten a bit, but not enough to cause me to miss a run interval and they loosened right back up once I finished. So far no ill effects from running on back to back days either. I just need to see how I feel when I get up in the morning before I proclaim victory.

I'm just about ready for Wine and Dine registration tomorrow. I have been purchasing discounted Disney gift cards and I am just waiting for the one that I bought this evening from Shop Disney to show up in my email. All in all, I managed to save over $30 off my challenge registration and every little bit helps.
Next challenge is spending the next month seeing what sort of deals I can score on gift cards to pay for my Dopey registration. The Mouse is putting a hole in my wallet.

 

[sandam1]

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men Often Go Awry

That was my Wine and Dine race registration morning. I didn’t get all of my computer browsers (two on the desktop and two on the laptop) set up until just about 10 a.m. and ALL of them were saying over an hour. Ugh! Finally, the first two started inching downward, but at a rate that was going to take almost all of that hour. I wasn’t really stressed because I was counting on the fact that 1) historically W&D doesn’t sell out as fast as other races 2) it was challenge or bust for me and I know that the individual races tend to sell out faster and 3) if I didn’t get in, I wasn’t going to be devastated.

Finally, @GreatLakes was kind enough to pass along a shorter wait time than any of the ones that I currently had. Awesome! I was in. Then in the registration page, I could NOT get a dropdown for the shirt size. I know this happened one other time, but I couldn’t remember the trick to fix it. Fine! I’ll just move on and see what happens. It let me get to the payment page, put in my gift card information, hit submit and - boom! - error because of the darn shirt size. And there’s no way to go back. Find the link again, open it up, and restart the registration process. This time I can choose a shirt size. Get to the payment page. Can’t use the gift card because it doesn’t have enough money on it. ***! Fine, I pull out the credit card instead. Success!

Good thing I’m going to need even more money to pay for Dopey next month so I have a use for the $400+ gift card that I couldn’t use.

I spoke too soon in my last post about not feeling bad after my back to back days. About three hours after I ran, all of a sudden I got a tightening behind my right knee when I stood up. All I could think was “what NOW?” followed by “you have to be kidding me.” I’ve primarily had issues with my feet, ankles and calves, but usually not my knees (knock on wood). I decided to put my Back on Track knee brace on and head to bed, hoping that it would be better in the morning. Overnight my right hip decided to join the chorus. On the eve of a race registration - fabulous. By the morning, the hip was much better and the knee worked itself out within a couple hours of getting up. I have no idea what caused it, but I don’t care as long as it doesn’t pop back up again. But all of the usual suspects were feeling okay.

 

[sandam1]

3/23/2022 - Training Recap

PT Plan - 30 second run/30 second walk x 12 reps
Personal training with Tristan
Midfoot Project Exercises

I got to the gym and hopped on the bike for 10 minutes to warm up, followed by stretching and the MFP exercises (which are also great to warm up). I did my run on track with no serious foot/heel pain during or after. My calves are still tight, but I keep getting told that that is just going to take time.

Tristan decided to torch my upper body tonight. He said that his goal was to work me so that I was unable to move my arms tomorrow. He was kidding (I think), but I don’t think that he was too far off the mark. Since we didn’t do any lower body, all of my PT exercises are getting put on the calendar for tomorrow.

 

[sandam1]

I got back from my short, three-day trip to Universal late last night and I had a GREAT time. Beautiful/bordering on hot weather, lots of good eats at the food booths, and lots of walking, lines and crowds. The best part of the trip (and the real purpose of the trip) was to experience the Mardi Gras parade. We managed to snag a spot on one of the floats, throwing beads, for Monday night and then got to see the parade and catch beads on Tuesday night. It was an absolute blast. I wish we could have done it one more time, but we had to leave for the airport on Wednesday before the parade started. IMHO, this is Universal's best event (I'm not interested in HHN) and that's saying a lot considering how much I love their Christmas events. Maybe we can to do it again next year in combination with Springtime Surprise?








3/31/2022 - Training Recap
PT Plan - Friday 12 reps at 30/30 walk/run; Sunday 5 reps at 30/30 walk/run; Monday 13 reps at 30/30 walk/run; Wednesday (rescheduled to Thursday) 13 reps at 30/30 walk/run
Midfoot Project & PT exercises


Nothing remarkable about Friday, which I suppose is a good thing. At this point, I’m happy with the status quo. On Sunday, I used the short run as a chance to add a little bit of speed and I still felt good afterward – and even maybe a little better than usual.

Jay intentionally scheduled two runs (Monday and Wednesday) during my time at Universal to see how my feet could stand up to the combination of park walking and running on the same days. I’ve had pretty bad flare-ups both times that I’d tried this before (last November and then during Marathon Weekend). I have to say that I was pretty nervous because this was the ultimate test. Also, I was going to be running on a treadmill at the hotel’s fitness center and I haven’t done any treadmill work in many months. I kept reminding myself that 1) I am in a much different place than I was on those other trips and 2) success wasn’t defined by being pain-free, but about recovery. If I could recover after each day and start the next morning relatively pain-free, we’re golden.

I am very happy to report that I met almost all of those goals. At the end of each day, my feet were mostly tired (I was doing over 20,000 steps per day after all), but not painful. For the first day, I needed to remind myself that I didn’t need to anticipate the pain every time I got up from sitting - because the pain wasn’t there. I fit my stretches and exercises in while we were waiting in line. Nontraditional, but it worked. I wound up only doing one of the runs - Monday’s - as I just couldn’t fit one into yesterday. The hotel gym was very nice with a lot of good equipment, but it was also brutally HOT and I didn’t have time for a shower.

I wound up shifting that run to today and it was a bit of a mess. I went out as soon as I got home from work, my main goal was to just get it done with. It was windy and cold and I started getting that familiar sharp stabbing pain in my heels almost immediately. I hobbled through the first couple of reps and the smart thing would have been to bail on the run at that point. I kept going and things loosened up, but I definitely need the next two rest days already on my schedule. I will do my stretches and exercises and maybe a light walk, but that’s it. I have one more run on Sunday and then a PT appointment on Monday.

 

[sandam1]

My thoughts are starting to turn towards planning for Wine and Dine weekend.



I used this week’s Universal trip as a bit of a “dry run”/information gathering exercise for W&D. That weekend I will be traveling with my usual Universal buddy, J, who is coming along for the trip, but won’t be acting as support crew for the race morning. Going solo makes me a little nervous. It was comforting to know that I had a friend in the crowd - someone that I could text with while in the corrals and on the road and someone to help troubleshoot if any problems came up. I’m trying to remind myself that I’ve done similar challenges and can rely on that experience for W&D, but that little voice is still in the back of my head.

The bright side of this is that I’m going to take this opportunity to meet some people in “real life” and do a couple of meet-ups. In the past, I’ve felt too awkward to do them, but I’m going to step outside my comfort zone on this. Right now, my plan is doing the DIS race morning one, of course, assuming that we had one, and one for the Rise and Run podcast, which looks like it will be Saturday afternoon and/or during the after-party.

My current travel dilemmas:

The Southwest flights to Orlando opened up on Wednesday and the morning flight choices are pretty crummy. Both choices are connecting flights (one in Chicago and one in Baltimore) and they are pretty pricey. We were looking at flying in on Thursday or Friday, but there were pros and cons of each day. If we fly in on Thursday, there is wiggle room in our schedule and I can get to the Expo on Day 1, but it means that there is less park time after the race. If we fly in on Friday, there is the risk of issues with the flights, but I can enjoy the parks without worrying about conserving my energy. Without a solid answer, we didn’t jump on anything right away. I looked at it later and there is a non-stop flight (the only SW flight directly from Buffalo to Orlando) in the late afternoon on Wednesday and Thursday that is also cheaper. It would require an extra night at the hotel, but it’s an intriguing option. I could also work part of the departure day, which would be helpful in conserving my vacation time. Too many things to think about! But my goal for this weekend is trying to make at least some preliminary plans (which may change numerous times in the next 215 days).

Right now the plan is to stay at Universal’s Cabana Bay hotel. We tried staying at one of their value hotels (Dockside) and it was a nice hotel, but there were a few downsides (mainly the buses) that make me want to head back to Cabana Bay. Of course, we are still months away from annual passholder discounts coming out (if there are any) and that could change things. But again, right now I just want to get something booked.

I’m also on the fence about transportation options. I usually rent a car for runDisney weekends, but I’m considering going with rideshares to avoid having to park at Epcot and bus to the Magic Kingdom for the start of the races. I am the queen of the catastrophic Disney transportation failure and will do just about anything to avoid dealing with Disney buses. But four round-trips to Disney (at least Expo, 2 races, and after-party if I don’t do any other meet-ups) and one to the airport might get pricey as well.

Anyone interested in playing travel agent for me on this one?

 

[GollyGadget]

Is flying another airline an option? i bought my w&d flights this week and for the first time I found that southwest was not the cheapest option. I live in the middle of nowhere and there are no direct flights with anyone so that's a non factor.
Regarding ride-sharing, I'm still too nervous to depend on those for a race. I've used them successfully in Orlando before and generally not opposed to Uber/Lyft but it sounds like it was hard to get a ride for awhile after covid. Maybe that's changed and I'm just a worrier, but I'm staying onsite just because of it.

 

[sandam1]

Is flying another airline an option?

Honestly, no. I use SW Rapid Rewards points to fly because of the flexibility that it allows. I have a pretty decent stockpile of points which should allow me to book flights for W&D (and hopefully all of Marathon Weekend) for virtually free.

Regarding ride-sharing, I'm still too nervous to depend on those for a race.

I'll admit that I'm pretty nervous about depending on rideshare for the race mornings. But I know that people have been using it successfully. I would probably add some extra time in the morning and try to pre-book a ride if possible.

I'm staying onsite just because of it.

As I mentioned, I am the Queen of the Catastrophic Disney Transportation Failure and I don't trust Disney to get me anywhere in a timely manner. I've sat at the the MK tram station at park close for almost an hour because they couldn't manage to get the tram going - all the while watching tram after tram after tram go from the other station. I've gotten stranded at the Contemporary (trying to get back to the Grand Floridian) due to a malfunction on our monorail at park close during a Halloween party. And these are only a few of my examples. I know there are people that swear by Disney buses for race mornings. I will never be one of them! It's either rideshare or car rental for me.

 

[sandam1]

4/3/2022 - Training Recap & Physical Therapy Appointment

PT Plan - Sunday 13 reps at 30/30 walk/run
Midfoot Project & PT exercises

Two whole days of rest helped quite a bit. I was a little ambivalent about running on Saturday night as I didn’t feel 100% yet, but I felt good enough to give it a try by Sunday morning. Jay was right (as always - he loves it when I start my update emails admitting this) and his original schedule was spot on with three rest days post trip. But I didn’t get that since I had to move Wednesday’s run to Thursday. I was faced with the choice of either taking the extra day of rest and going to Monday’s appointment without a recent run or doing the run and hoping that I wasn’t overdoing it. Of course, I did the run. I struggle over these types of decisions as I’m not confident in navigating that fine line between putting in the hard work and listening to my body. The good news is that I have a supportive team that knows me and is accessible when I start overthinking things (and I overthink things A LOT). I would like to become more confident in making these decisions on my own. In this case, it was the right choice as the run went well and there was limited soreness afterward.

And now onto my big news - I’ve been FREED! Monday’s PT appointment went very well. Jay was happy with my progress and the work that I’ve done over the past three weeks. He is ready to give me a “regular” running plan that will allow me to ramp things up and my next check-in isn’t for a month. This was the best chance scenario and, although I was optimistic that it would happen, I was trying to not get too excited since I’ve been disappointed so many times in the past. I almost skipped out of the office! Don’t get me wrong - I love Steve and Jay and can’t express how much I value their expertise and assistance - but I’m looking forward to losing the restrictions.



Now that I *finally* feel like I can see the light at the end of the injury tunnel, I’m starting to think about goals for the next three months before serious training starts for Wine and Dine and Dopey. So far I have:

1. Build a strong base of consistent running 3-4 days a week.
2. Remain consistent with my PT exercises (I know that those aren’t going away any time soon) and the associated strength training.
3. Get faster. I know that most people say that, but most of my running right now has been SLOW. People tell me about how they can walk a 16 minute mile and I’m jealous because I have to work to run/walk a 16 minute mile at times. I want to increase my cardio fitness and get my “comfortable” pace to at least a 14 minute mile.
4. Work on my run form through the Midfoot Project. I’ve been doing the initial exercises, but I haven’t been focusing on doing the actual running component. I need to figure it out and then implement it. I feel a little bit lost/uncertain, but I need to lean into the resources available to help me figure it out.

 

[sandam1]

4/6/2022 - Training Recap

Training Plan - 8 reps at 30/30 walk/run x 2; 2 minute break between sets with calf raises and moonwalk
Personal training with Tristan

Since I don’t have a new training plan yet (I just sent a bunch of information on various Dopey training plans to Steve late this afternoon), I decided to wing it a bit tonight and do something a little different. Instead of simply adding more reps to what I’ve been doing, I split the run into two parts with a short break in the middle to do some calf exercises. It worked well and I liked the variety that it gave me. It kept things interesting and I could totally replicate this concept more often.

Personal training was almost all weight-based training and compound exercises tonight. I definitely got a total body workout and it feels good.

Right now I’m applying heat to my feet and then I’m off to bed. Today was a good day!