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

[sandam1]

Race Recap – Springtime Surprise Challenge – 5K Day – Friday, 4/14

At this point, you would think that race mornings would be old hat, but the first race always gets the butterflies going. My plan was to walk the 5K and have fun. Actually, my whole race weekend philosophy was to PR in fun. Dopey was so big and so important – and so long – that I had to respect it and take it seriously. For Springtime, I knew that I could do the distances and the paces so that the balloon ladies weren’t going to be a factor. So now it was time to enjoy the work that I’ve put in and have a good time.



And I had a great time during the 5K! I took more of an opportunity to soak in the atmosphere. If I saw a picture that I wanted to take, I took it. I also stopped to get photos with Russell and Dug from Up (OMG, that line was crazy long) and Joy from Inside Out. The only time that I ran was when I saw a PhotoPass photographer.















After the race, I headed back to the hotel, showered and changed, and we headed back out the door for a day trip to Kennedy Space Center. J and I had been talking about wanting to go there for years (I hadn’t been there in more than 10 years and J had never been) and this was finally going to be our opportunity. We had a fabulous time in spite of the fact that it was incredibly busy. If this was how KSC was, maybe it was a good thing that we weren’t going to the parks.







It was a long day and we didn’t get back to the hotel until after 5 p.m. After a quick dinner in the food court, I headed to the pool. We had been upgraded to a pool view and the water looked very enticing. The downside was that it meant sacrificing some sleep, but it seemed like a reasonable trade-off at the time.

All in all, it was a very good, but very full day.

 

[sandam1]

Race Recap – Springtime Surprise Challenge – 10K Race Day – Saturday, 4/15

This was such a FUN race! It was everything that I wanted it to be and so much more.

The morning started early - again - but it was no big deal. I did wind up getting a little “lost” (well, more like turned around) by following the Disney provided road signs to Epcot. I followed the 4-5 cars in front of me and took a tour around the Epcot resort area, but it was okay because I had plenty of extra time.



I socialized for a little bit before heading to the corrals. I was in Corral C and I knew that was going to give me a lot of extra time ahead of the balloon ladies, but I didn’t want to take anything for granted either.

My plan was to take this race easy and to settle into a very conservative 10 second run/30 second walk and see what happened. I wanted to respect the heat and humidity, but I was pretty confident that, at this point, I felt like I had run in it enough to know what it was going to feel like and how best to cope with it.

The first mile went well. I almost stopped for Mickey around mile 1.5 (more about that later), but I was feeling so good that I decided to keep going. For Mile 2, I played around with my intervals and ran the entire down ramp into Epcot. Looking at my watch, I realized that if I pushed a little bit, I could get under a 15 minute mile, something that I’ve never done at a Disney race before. I was pretty sure that I could do it without blowing up the rest of my race so I went for it - and got it. From that point on, I felt like I was floating. I dialed back the pace - not because I had to, but because it was the smart thing to do - and planned my confession to Coach Chris, which started with “I know that I was supposed to take the 10K easy, but….” About a mile later, I caught up with Bob from Rise and Run and walked and chatted with him and a couple other people until we entered Epcot. We might have been walking, but we were still moving at a pretty good pace. I got back into my intervals at that point for a pleasant and scenic trip around the World Showcase.









With about a quarter of a mile left, I was able to achieve one more goal for this race weekend - to feel comfortable stopping for a character during a timed race. This was a pretty personal and “private” goal in that I wasn’t telling a lot of people about it in advance. Up until this race weekend, as a slow “back of the pack” runner, I never felt like I was “fast enough” to indulge in character stops. In all of my races, I literally have one character photo from a timed race that I finished (Maleficent from the Princess 2020 half). Based on my recent runs and paces, I knew that I was going to be okay. I had done the hard work and now it was time for the reward.

As I mentioned earlier, I had seriously considered Mickey, but the timing didn’t seem right. The only other character that was remotely interesting to me was Chip and Dale, but I wasn’t willing to wait in that line (I knew that the longer I stopped, the harder and more painful it was going to be to get started again). Then I saw Pluto! The line looked reasonable so the decision to stop was easy. And then it hit me that the only character I stopped for during Marathon Weekend in 2022 when I DNF’d was Pluto. At that point, I knew that I was going to pull myself at the first medical tent so I allowed myself that one stop. Today, I was in a completely different place - a fact that hit me HARD at that moment. Everything that had happened and everything that I had done to make this change came flooding back. I tried not to, but yeah, I was in tears at that point. I felt like I was closing that circle once and for all. I don’t think that I’m ever going to let go of that DNF, but I'm no longer “running scared” from it either.



I ended the race strong with a sprint to the finish and man, that felt good to be able to do! I got my medal and started my recovery by getting my feet up in the air for several minutes, taking in this beautiful scene.



Since I had gone a little harder than planned, I knew that I couldn’t skimp on my recovery.

After getting back to the hotel and getting cleaned up, we headed out for a late breakfast/early lunch at one of my favorite Universal restaurants - Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen. Yum! Then we did some shopping at City Walk. I was afraid that it would be hard to be so close to the parks and not go in, but it wasn’t too bad.

Then we headed to Disney Springs for some more shopping and the Rise and Run meet-up. The first task was to get in the virtual queue for Gideon’s. The wait was 200 minutes, but that actually worked for us. It was really, really hot while we were walking around and there were very few places to sit and cool down.

The weather really got my attention when we were about 3 minutes away from the meet-up and a message went out over the chat that Disney had red-flagged the course for Sunday (later it was clarified that it was yellow) AND that they had backed the pacers off by 30 seconds. To say the least, the weather was the number one topic at the start of the meet-up and a lot of people (including me) were concerned about what this meant. Looking back, it was probably the best group of people to be around at that point, because everyone could voice their worries to other people who understood - and then get some perspective and move on.

The meet-up was, as always, an absolute joy and one of the best parts of the weekend. We were just wrapping up when I got the text for Gideon’s so that timing was perfect. We got our cookies (this was the first time I’d had them and OMG, they are to die for!) and then headed back to the hotel.

Sunday was going to be a busy - and very long - day. J was scheduled to fly home VERY early in the morning (she was planning on leaving the hotel at 4:15 a.m.) while my flight wasn’t until 8:40 p.m. I had managed to get a noon check-out time, but I wanted to maximize my nap time when I got back after the race so we both got as much packed as possible. I also needed to get checked in for my Southwest flight at 24 hours so I was cutting into my limited sleep time - again.

All in all, it was a fabulous day!

 

[sandam1]

Race Recap – Springtime Surprise Challenge – 10 Mile Race Day – Sunday, 4/16

This morning started off a little rough. I was awake shortly after midnight with an unusual pain on the outside of my left ankle and I had a hard time falling back asleep. I wound up using my heating pad, which must have helped, because next thing I knew my alarm was going off. But it did cut into my already limited sleep and make it that much harder to get up. I also took the extra precaution to be very generous with the biofreeze on that area as I got ready.

This is probably a good place to comment about the weather. As I’ve mentioned, I’m definitely a cold weather runner. I don’t like the heat and humidity so I knew going into this weekend that conditions were going to be rough for me. There was a lot about this weekend in both the weather and the courses that reminded me of Wine and Dine weekend where the half marathon was - by far - the most miserable run that I’ve ever done. It would have been very easy to project my struggles at Wine and Dine on this weekend, but I’m proud to say that I didn’t allow that gremlin to come out and play. I kept reminding myself that that was the past. This was a new weekend and I’m also not the same runner that I was back in November.

Anyway, back to race morning! I spent more time socializing this morning and soaking up the atmosphere than I had on the previous days. I knew that it was going to be almost another year before my next runDisney Florida race so I didn’t want the fun times to end. I was still able to get a good position in my corral so that was good.





I started out with some very conservative 15 second run/45 second walk intervals that I knew would keep me at a reasonable pace. This was the perfect plan and I wound up staying here for the entire race. My run intervals were strong and easy. The walk breaks really helped me handle the heat and to enjoy the entire race from start to finish. It could not have been more different than Wine and Dine.










As the race went on, I could feel how much I’ve changed and progressed since November. I had taken that disaster, learned the lessons, and used them to make this a completely different race experience. And I felt so incredibly powerful during the entire race. There was never a doubt in my mind that I could do this. What a way to wrap up a remarkable runDisney season!







After the race, I hung out in the reunion area for a little bit. I caught up with a few friends and got off my feet, which had gotten “cranky” as I finished. They weren’t terrible, but I was definitely feeling it and I needed to give them a break before the looooong walk back to the car.

Side note: While driving to Epcot in the morning, I had gotten a call from J. Her original flight had gotten canceled and Delta had rebooked her on a mid-afternoon flight. In some ways, this was a good thing because J wasn’t excited about flying home so early in the day and I wasn’t sure about being solo (and homeless) for the bulk of the day. The downside was that the new flight had her getting home late at night (actually about a half an hour AFTER my flight since she had a connection) and she was supposed to work in the morning. But we didn’t have much choice in the matter.

When I got back to the hotel, I took a look at the pool and decided to sacrifice some sleep for several laps around the lazy river which felt heavenly! I left myself just enough time to take a shower and a short 25 minute nap before packing everything up and checking out. Then we got lunch before taking J to the airport.

I had another 4 hours before I needed to return the rental car and initially, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I finally decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at Disney Springs. There were a few stores that we didn’t get to the day before and I really wanted to go to Polite Pig as a celebratory meal/early dinner. After waiting out a drop pour, I wandered around, did some more shopping, and got some yummy food. Then it was off to the airport.



My flight home was uncomfortable as my feet were very unhappy with me and fatigue was really starting to set in. By the time I got to bed, I had been up, except for that short nap, for over 22 hours, which made for a VERY long day. But I got home and that was the important thing. I’m not sure if I will fly home the evening of a race again, but it was the right thing for this trip.

Another successful runDisney trip complete!

 

[sandam1]

Race Recap – Springtime Surprise Challenge – Post-Race Thoughts

I have to admit that I didn’t have a lot of expectations for this race weekend. I signed up for it because a) I loved the Pixar theme and b) I think I was unconsciously freaked out over Dopey and needed to add a “back-up race” to my schedule. For every careful decision that I made for Marathon Weekend, this weekend was “let’s try this and see what happens.” But it went so unbelievably well.

Springtime Surprise has officially become my second favorite runDisney weekend. (Marathon Weekend will always be my favorite). I think the fact that the longest distance is “only” ten miles is less stressful and allows people to have more fun. The atmosphere was so incredibly relaxed and so very different from MW.

I loved all of these races! I absolutely hated these courses (particularly the 10 mile course) when I did them during Wine and Dine, but this time I took in more of the subtle details. There isn’t the “wow” moment like running down Main Street or through the castle, but I knew that and adjusted my expectations. I also enjoyed seeing all of the Flower and Garden Festival’s topiaries.

This was also an unusual trip in that it was a very short, no-park trip. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but I did. We never lacked for something to do and in fact, I would have liked a little bit more time to relax and sleep, swim, eat somewhere besides the hotel food court, play miniature golf, etc. Would I do it again? Absolutely, 100% yes.

So what’s next for me?

Right now, my next runDisney race is the Disneyland 10K and half marathon. However, since I got back, I’ve been on the hunt for a Wine and Dine 10K bib. I figure that would be a good compromise - giving me a reason for another Florida trip, but without the commitment (and expense) of adding a full race weekend. Plus, I love Beauty and the Beast! Fingers crossed that something becomes available.

Originally, I was planning on Princess weekend as the second half of my Coast to Coast medal in 2024, but now I’m wavering on this. If K wants to do Princess, that’s what I’ll do. I mean, Main Street and the castle. How could I not? But if she says no, I’m seriously considering doing Springtime instead.

In the meantime, I have some local races penciled in for the summer and fall to keep me occupied including:

June 17 - Niagara Ultra Races 10K (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada) - Goal race!

July 4 - Depew-Lancaster Boys & Girls Club Bob Giza 10K (Lancaster, NY) or Cranberry Lake Firecracker 10K (Cranberry Lake, NY)

July 14 - Christmas In July Red Kettle Run 10K (Niagara Falls, NY)

August 6 - Run716 15K (Buffalo, NY) - Goal race!

September 30 - Mighty Niagara Half-marathon (Lewiston, NY)

October 22 - Niagara International Marathon 10K (Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada) - Goal race!

November 23 - Turkey Trot 8K (Buffalo, NY)

I think that’s enough to keep me busy and out of trouble for now! I’m excited to see what I can accomplish and exploring some races outside of Disney.

 

[azrivest]

There was a lot about this weekend in both the weather and the courses that reminded me of Wine and Dine weekend where the half marathon was - by far - the most miserable run that I’ve ever done. It would have been very easy to project my struggles at Wine and Dine on this weekend, but I’m proud to say that I didn’t allow that gremlin to come out and play. I kept reminding myself that that was the past. This was a new weekend and I’m also not the same runner that I was back in November.

Congrats about the positive mindset! I agree with you about the W&D Half, it was miserable with a depressing second-half of the course

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Congratulations on a great weekend!

 

[NYC_MW]

As the race went on, I could feel how much I’ve changed and progressed since November. I had taken that disaster, learned the lessons, and used them to make this a completely different race experience. And I felt so incredibly powerful during the entire race. There was never a doubt in my mind that I could do this. What a way to wrap up a remarkable runDisney season!

Congrats! This is so great.

 

[sandam1]

Congrats about the positive mindset!

Thank you for saying this! I've spent a lot of time working on my mental game (in every area of my life).

I agree with you about the W&D Half, it was miserable with a depressing second-half of the course

I've heard from a lot of people that they struggled during Wine and Dine, which made me feel marginally better afterward. But in the middle of it - well, let's just say that I was questioning A LOT of my life choices.

 

[sandam1]

Training Recap - 4/17-5/2

Monday, 4/17 - Cross-training - Rest day

I was completely and utterly exhausted when I got home. I had anticipated this and taken the day off from work to recover so it was no surprise that this turned into a rest day. My feet were also pretty tender just walking around the house so I was going to give them some rest as well.

Tuesday, 4/18 - Rest day

Wednesday, 4/19 - 2 mile walk

My feet felt almost 100% in my daily activities. I was actually surprised by how quickly they recovered. However, I didn’t want to take any chances so I used this as a test to see how they would respond - and was pleasantly surprised. I was able to move at a brisk pace without any discomfort. I briefly tried to run, but shut that down almost immediately. My legs were saying “absolutely not!”

Thursday, 4/20 - Rest day

Friday, 4/21 - 5 mile Recovery Run/Walk

This was actually scheduled to be on Saturday, but I shifted it to Friday to take advantage of the weather and go outside. I tried to run/walk for a half of a mile and my feet told me a hard “no.” But walking felt fine so I stuck with that. I was thrilled to just be able to finish five miles - pain free - less than a week post-race. What an improvement from the past!

Saturday, 4/22 - Aqua jogging - 45 minutes

The pool was going to be closed on Sunday so I shifted this workout. Other than the annoying children splashing in the pool, it was fine.

Sunday, 4/23 - Cross-training - 2 mile walk

Easy pace, just focusing on time on feet and recovery.

Monday, 4/24 - PT check-in

I really wasn’t sure how this appointment was going to go. Yes, I’d had a flare up after the races (bad), but things settled down within 48-72 hours (good). Yes, I had some pain when trying to run on Friday (bad), but at the same time I was able to walk for five miles without any issues (good). The wildcard was the fact that I hadn’t been able to do any significant amount of running. This could be viewed as a bad sign that my feet couldn’t handle it or a good sign that I was learning to be patient and give them the time that they needed.

And it went surprisingly well! Steve did a lot of manipulation, stretching, and “does this hurt?” and “how does this feel?” and he seemed okay with the results. The basic conclusion was that I just needed more time (ugh! I’m beginning to hate that phrase). I was given the okay to target the 10K in mid-June and instructions to maintain things (i.e. don’t do anything crazy with pace or distance) for the next four weeks. He recommended waiting until Wednesday before trying to run again and sent me on my way with instructions to do a check-in in two weeks. Wait, really? I'll take it!

Tuesday, 4/25 - Rest day

Wednesday, 4/26 - Tempo run

I rearranged things to do a tempo run here. Looking ahead at my schedule, I had a Magic Mile on the calendar for Saturday so I really wanted to do a mile here and see how my feet felt before trying to run full out. Everything went as planned and I felt good during and after.

Thursday, 4/27 - Cross-training - 2.3 mile walk

The weather was picture perfect so I decided to walk. Nothing fast, but it was enjoyable.

Friday, 4/28 - Rest day

Saturday, 4/29 - 5 miles with Magic (Half) Mile

I would have loved to do this on the outdoor track, but it was supposed to rain - a lot - so I had resigned myself to using the indoor track. However, as I was about to head to the gym, the weather cleared so I thought about pivoting and moving outside. In the end, I decided to stick with my original plan as it had less variables.

I started out with a very gentle two mile warm-up. I was careful not to rush things plus I wanted to see how my body (and particularly my feet) were feeling. Everything felt really good. So I started my Magic Mile. The good news was that I was running well and fast. The bad news is that I started off way too fast to maintain it for a full mile. This is not a new problem for me. Intellectually, I know all of the theory on how to pace this run, but in practice, I always have this issue. In my comments to Chris, I wrote “one day, I’m going to learn how to pace this. Today wasn’t that day.”

After two laps, I had a choice. I could either pull back to finish the mile and hope that I didn’t blow the whole thing up or I could continue going full out and do a Magic Half Mile. I decided to go with Plan B. I knew that Chris said that the half mile was always an option and I was going to take it.

I finished the half mile without feeling like I couldn’t breathe at the end, which was a big improvement over the mile. I did the math (double the half mile time and add 18 seconds) and I had dropped almost another full minute off my previous time. Wow! I was obviously thrilled - I had always suspected that my inability to pace the mile properly was affecting my time - but I was surprised by how much. I was a little intimidated when I looked at my new paces, but that was a problem for another day. Today I was going to celebrate.

Sunday, 4/30 - Aqua jogging - Rest day

I had every intention of getting to the pool, but I didn’t go when I normally do and then it just never happened. The power of routine definitely worked against me here. Oh, well!

Monday, 5/1 - Tempo run - 30 minutes

This was a chance to try out my new paces. Not only that, but “race pace” was now 10K pace (as opposed to 10 mile/half marathon pace that I had been doing prior to Springtime) so I was really going to have to bring it for this run. I’m proud to say that I nailed it - down to the second! After I finished, I kept looking at my watch, going “did I really just do that?” I’m not sure that I could have kept it up for another five miles - yet - but the pace didn’t feel crazy fast either. Apparently, the Magic Half Mile was right.

Tuesday, 5/2 - Rest day

Final thoughts - Just over two weeks post-Springtime, I feel mentally and physically ready to transition to my summer race schedule. It’s a little weird since I’ve been working towards the next runDisney race ever since I joined CTP, but I think that I’m ready to branch out a little bit and try a few new things. We’ll see how this goes!

 

[sandam1]

Why Do I Run?

This question was posed recently on The Running Thread and it got me thinking. But since the answer is long and fairly complex, I decided to answer it here rather than on the thread.

If you asked me why I started running, that answer is easy - to run down Main Street and run through the castle. Period, end of conversation. If I had to run thirteen miles to do that, fine. For my first two runDisney races, I ran to complete the races. I started running when my training plan said to and stopped immediately post-race.

But that isn’t the whole story. Back in 2010 (yikes, that’s a long time ago), I started on a journey to become more active. Growing up, I never did anything athletic. I didn’t participate in sports and I had no idea how to exercise. All I knew at that point was that, when I got older, I didn’t want to have the same health and mobility issues that my grandparents were suffering from at the time. So I joined the local YMCA and started to gradually learn and become comfortable with different types of exercise. It took a LONG time with a lot of starts and stops, but by the time I decided to start running, I was comfortable with physical activity and (most of the time) had come to enjoy working out. But I still wasn’t a “runner.”

During the pandemic, I didn’t run at all. I admire people who exercised at home. I was not one of those people. Without access to a gym and no social accountability, there was no chance that it was going to happen. By the spring of 2021, post-vaccine, I got back to the gym, but with no race on the horizon, running wasn’t happening.

I think it was sometime during the training for Dopey 2022, particularly when my running was severely limited, that things started to change. I was still training for a race, but I actually started to feel that desire to run. I would look at the track and all I wanted to do was to be out there. I didn’t realize what was happening at the time - I was so focused on the clock ticking down to Dopey at the time - but I can see it in hindsight.

After I didn’t finish that year and got grounded (again!), I had my first clue that this running thing had changed for me. I was determined to get back out there and it was driving me crazy when I couldn’t. And at that time, I had no Disney races on my calendar as I didn’t make the decision to recommit to another Dopey attempt until the end of February. All I knew was missing something in my life and I wanted it back.

Over the last year, running became my sanity-saver and my outlet. I had an extremely rough year at work and running gave me a way to get away and burn off the day’s stress. My answer to a bad day was “let me go running.” I never would have thought that I would say that. Sitting on the couch, watching TV and eating a bag of chips as a coping mechanism - 100% yes! Running 10+ miles - never! Apparently, I need to learn to never say never.

The gains in my running also gave me confidence that bled into other areas of my life that I never expected. I overthink things a lot less often and found strength in my own decisions. After finishing Dopey, I started to ask myself “if I can achieve THAT crazy goal, what else is possible?”

So to make a long answer short - the question isn’t “why do I run?,” but “with all that running has given me, how could I not run?”

 

[sandam1]

Training Recap - 5/3 - 5/20

Wednesday, 5/3 - Drill run + one mile

Pretty typical run! I was feeling good so I added the optional one mile at tempo. I didn’t quite hit 10K pace, but I was close.

Thursday, 5/4 - Cross-training - One hour walk

Spring has finally (maybe) come to Western New York so I took advantage of the beautiful weather and did a long walk outside.

Friday, 5/5 - Rest day

Saturday, 5/6 - 8 mile long run

Got it done! I didn’t feel like going fast so I walked the first 3ish miles and the last 2 miles, but it was all about getting the miles in and I did that.

Sunday, 5/7 - Aqua jogging - Rest day

I didn’t get to the pool. Oops!

Monday, 5/8 - Tempo run - 1.5 miles

I didn’t quite hit my 10K pace, but I was close. I also added an optional half mile to get a little bit more endurance

Tuesday, 5/9 - Rest day

Wednesday, 5/10 - Speed work 4x400s

I knew that my new paces were going to be challenging, but I kept reassuring myself that it was only four reps. I could do anything for four reps - and I did, even coming in around 10 seconds under time on each one. It was hard, but do-able. Afterward, I walked an additional 2.5 miles. I've been working on two virtual challenges - the Key Largo to Key West 100 Mile Challenge and Run the Year (2,023 miles) - and I wanted to add some extra miles. Also, things flared up at work again and I spent most of that walk time decompressing/venting on the phone with K. Multitasking at its best!

Thursday, 5/11 - Cross-training - Walking 35 minutes

Again, I added some walking to get in some extra miles

Friday, 5/12 - Rest day

Saturday, 5/13 - Aqua jogging - 45 minutes

I swapped my weekend workouts since Sunday was going to have the better (cooler) weather for my run. I found out that if I go to the pool later in the afternoon, there are A LOT less people at the gym. While I appreciate getting the workout done earlier in the day, I might try going later in the day more often and see how it goes.

Sunday, 5/14 - One-hour Prediction Run

I don’t like this workout! It requires running blind (i.e. not looking at my watch), which is really, really hard for me. Also, it is supposed to be done at race pace so I was trying to hit some faster paces.

The run started out relatively comfortable, trying to find that happy medium. It felt consistent, although looking at my numbers later, my pace was slower than what I was going for. At the halfway point, I turned around and headed home. I was almost spot on for the third segment at just two seconds slower than the first segment, but then the wheels came off. Both of my feet started feeling numb which was a) uncomfortable and b) a safety issue as I was worried about possibly stumbling. I took a few extra walk breaks which helped and about a half of a mile later, I felt fine. I tried to salvage the prediction part of the run by picking up my pace. And, to my utter amazement, it WORKED! I arrived back home at 1:00:18. Sometimes you’re good and sometimes you’re just plain lucky - and I definitely felt that this run was the latter. I would have rather this run been a little off on time, but more consistent on pace throughout. But that gives me something to work on for the next time.

Monday, 5/15 - Tempo run - 1 mile

I was doing this run later in the evening so I stuck with a one-mile run. I was faster than race pace, but I’ll take it.

Tuesday, 5/16 - Rest day

Wednesday, 5/17 - Speed work - 6x400’s

This felt challenging, but I nailed all of my paces so mission accomplished! I added some walking afterward to finish out my 100 mile virtual Keys challenge.

Thursday and Friday, 5/18-19 - Rest days

With a ten-mile long run coming up this weekend, I took the extra rest.

Saturday, 5/20 - Aqua jogging - 45 minutes

It was supposed to rain most of today so I moved my long run to tomorrow and went to the pool today. It was a little busier than last week (probably because of the rain), but it worked out.

I've also spent a LOT of time today, watching dots on a map. Five members of the Customized Training Program (including Coach Chris) are running the Keys 100 (aka an insane 100 mile race from Key Largo to Key West) and it's been fascinating to "watch" their progress. It’s not something that I would ever be interested in actually doing, but I have a ton of admiration for anyone that has the guts and determination to try.

 

[sandam1]

Training Recap - 5/21-8/15/2023

I apologize for not updating in these many months. It has been a series of ups and downs.

At the beginning of June, I realized that my running was lacking a certain sense of inspiration. I had built in a break after Springtime and it probably was a good thing for me to do physically. But mentally it was pretty demotivating to not have anything interesting on the calendar. Thankfully, I was able to just follow my training plan and that has been enough to keep me moving in the right direction, even if I didn’t feel a sense of urgency. Do the workout, hit the paces, and move on!

The other thing I was struggling with was my right hip. I started out with a pain in the hip area and burning sensation in my quad immediately after I ran. Then I started to feel it at the beginning of my runs. Finally it got painful enough and I knew that I couldn’t ignore it any more. I couldn’t tell if it was muscular or structural, but I started out at the chiropractor, partially because he could get me in sooner. He identified some issues and did an adjustment. His theory was that I’ve been favoring my left side due to my historic foot pain so the right side was compensating. He gave me the okay to keep running although he suggested using a track to absorb some impact.

That sounded good to me, but my body disagreed. I managed to get two short runs in. Then I tried to do some speed work that was on my calendar. The right hip felt pretty good, but I managed to seriously tweak something on my left hamstring. I could feel it when I was running, but afterward it spiked to a level 4 (hurts a lot) pain. The next morning I was limping badly. I went back to the chiropractor and got another adjustment and made an appointment for PT. I was supposed to do a 10-mile run that weekend and I hated to skip it, but with some races coming up in the next month, I didn’t want to compromise all of them by doing something “ill-advised.”. (A fact that I had keep reminding myself)

By the time I actually got to my PT appointment, things were feeling better, but I started to feel it again as soon as I started the ladder test. Steve didn’t seem too concerned. He gave me a few stretches and strength exercises and told me to stick with walking/biking for a few more days and then try an easy run. He didn’t rule out my upcoming races although he did strongly imply that I would not be racing the first one. All in all, it could have been worse.

I wound up spending a couple of weeks bouncing back and forth between the chiropractor and physical therapy with some short runs in between. Things settled down (slowly) and actually the hamstring lingered the longest.

The hip pain popped back up in July (this time in the other hip), but I caught it quicker - and didn’t do speed work on it - which helped me to recover faster. I also figured out that the root cause of the issue was my chair at work. I was working on a project that had me spending A LOT of time at my desk with very few breaks. Once I changed chairs and made a point to get up and stretch regularly, the problem went away.

Around the end of June, I also asked Chris to add some longer runs back into my schedule. I hadn’t done anything longer than 8 miles since Springtime Surprise and I honestly missed my long runs. It was time to get back at it. I also got some adjusted speed work paces. Those two things really helped re-engage my interest and got me out of the training doldrums that I was suffering from. For the past month or so, I’ve been working a lot harder and been a lot more focused on getting the most benefit from every workout rather than just checking the box.

 

[sandam1]

Update on my Magic Mile

Back in May, I wound up turning a Magic Mile into a Magic half-mile when I went out waaaaay too fast. Because of this, Chris wanted me to try to do the whole mile and see if I could validate those paces. That turned into a complete disaster and I wound up getting seriously into my own head. I’ve always been anxious about the Magic Mile, but at this point I was frustrated by my inability to figure out how to do this workout. I knew the concept, I listened to all of the tricks, and I still couldn’t pace it properly. I kept fading - badly - at the end and feeling terrible at the end of it.

At this point, as per usual, Chris was absolutely brilliant at talking me off the ledge. It took a while, but he got me to finally realize that 1) this is just one workout and I needed to remember that all of the rest of my running has been going really, really, really well, and 2) I am seriously overthinking this, which never ends well. One thing that I did ask him to do was to put more Magic Miles on my schedule so they aren’t an “OMG” test type thing that pops up every 6 to 8 weeks. If I’m going to conquer this, I need to practice it.

The next time it appeared on my schedule, I asked Chris the fateful “mile or half mile” question and he said to do the half. That made me more relaxed, but he also gave me a target time to shoot for. It didn’t happen, but the half mile was in the ballpark of my previous one so it did verify that my paces were right. I also came away with a little bit of perspective. I realized that if I never got a second faster, I would be 100% okay with it. With my current Magic Mile times, I could finish almost every race that I’m thinking about doing - and have a great time doing them. That took so much of the pressure (aka craziness) off. Obviously, I would like to get faster, but it isn’t a “do or die” scenario like it was back when I started CTP and was working to stay ahead of the balloon ladies.

This past week was my next Magic Mile and again I asked the “mile or half mile” question. Chris told me to do the mile so I took a deep breath and did it. I didn’t get a significantly faster time, but I felt more in control during the run and didn’t feel completely out of breath until the last quarter mile. I’m going to call that a win. I know that I still have work to do on this, but it feels possible.

 

[sandam1]

Race Recap - Niagara Ultra 10K, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario - Saturday, June 17th

I was just recovering from my first bout of hip pain when this race happened. Between that, my sore hamstring, and the fact that I had another 10K the following weekend, Chris and I decided that I wasn’t going to race this one. In hindsight, maybe I should have, but anyway... The plan was to start out at long run pace and drop my pace by 15 seconds for every subsequent mile. When Chris suggested it, I immediately loved the idea. It was something to keep me working towards without having a strict time goal.

The morning of the race wound up going sideways. I thought that I had left plenty of time to get to the race - until I got to the border crossing into Canada. Just before 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning, they had ONE inspection booth open and about 12 cars ahead of me. Ugh! Then when I got to the race site, the parking lot was full and I had to go to an auxiliary lot down the street. In the end, I wound up picking up my bib about 2 minutes before the race started. Thankfully, it was chip timed, but I had some adrenaline flowing to say the least.

My first mile was faster than long run pace (no surprise here) even with a few extra walk breaks thrown in. This created a dilemma - do I take 15 seconds from my first mile or what my first mile time should have been? Flipping a mental coin, I decided to go from my actual first mile. This worked out well and I was able to hit each mile pace until the last mile when it just wasn’t happening. I tried to adjust my run intervals to run longer. I tried to run faster. But I just could not move the pace down. In the end, miles 5 and 6 were only 4 seconds different. Not exactly on plan, but close enough.

Overall, I really enjoyed this race. There were four distances being run that day - 10K, half marathon, marathon, and 50K. The course was on a paved trail along the Niagara River that was partially shaded for most of it, which made for a scenic and comfortable run. I would definitely like to do this race again.



Fort George where the British fired cannonballs across the Niagara River at the Americans at Fort Niagara during the War of 1812



Scenic look at the lower Niagara River

 

[sandam1]

Race Recap - Niagara Craft Beer and Music Festival 10K, Niagara Falls, NY - Saturday, June 24th

This was my best friend K’s Marathon Weekend redemption race. After she wound up walking that 10K due to an injury, I told her that when she was healed and ready, we would do another race together. Well, this was that race. Leading up to the race, K was pretty nervous, but she had done all of the training and was in a good place to be able to finish.

The race was an out-and-back along another stretch of the American side of the Niagara River, this time starting at Niagara Falls and running north.



[View from the start, looking at the Rainbow Bridge with the mist of Niagara Falls visible]

Originally, I had hoped to run this for time and I felt like I was in a good position physically before the race. Unfortunately, it got VERY hot and VERY humid VERY quickly (there was no time for heat acclimation) in the days leading up to the race.

I started off relatively comfortable, but the heat got to me pretty quickly. Also, the course turned out to be quite a bit hillier than I expected. I never got into a good rhythm with my intervals and I realized between mile 2 and 3 that it was not going to be my day. So I slowed down, added a bunch of extra walk breaks, and turned it into a “just finish” run. My three positives for the race where 1) the distance felt easy. Six miles was no problem! 2) I recovered quickly once I was done running, and 3) one mile was actually faster than my fastest mile the previous weekend.

After I finished, I grabbed some water, turned around, and started walking back out to find K and finish with her. As much as I struggled with the heat and humidity, she was in even rougher shape due to her inexperience. (Once again, I have to thank Wine & Dine for these lessons) I took what was left in my water bottle and dumped it on her neck and shoulders and she almost instantly felt significantly better. K might have been the last finisher, but she did finish running her first 10K!

 

[sandam1]

Race Recap - 716 Resurgence Run 7.16K, Buffalo, NY - Saturday, July 13th

This was a double-pivot in my race schedule. The original plan was to do a 10K in Niagara Falls (actually on the same course that I ran my 15K on in March) on Friday night. And then, pivot #1, this race popped up on the calendar. I really liked the idea of the 7.16 distance* and they were offering a 7.16K race and a 7.16 mile race. I asked Chris about putting the two races back to back and he was okay with it, but he strongly recommended the 7.16K since it would be a stretch to do a 10K on Friday night and 7+ miles on Saturday morning. Then the original 10K race got canceled for pivot #2. That had me considering upgrading to the 7 miler, but then I looked at the weather forecast. It was supposed to be hot and humid - again! - and I decided to stick with the shorter distance.

* The first question that anyone asks is “why 7.16?” Well, 716 is the Buffalo area code. This race also happened the weekend before 7/16.

Completely by happenstance, this race turned into a very social experience. I had on my Springtime Surprise tank top and it started a LOT of conversations about runDisney. Around mile 2, I started chatting with another runner/walker about Disney and I made the quick decision that I would rather swap Disney race stories than run fast. I’ve never done this distance before so a PR was going to happen no matter what and I just wasn’t feeling it that day. And Plan B was definitely more fun.

 

[sandam1]

Things that I Learned:

After the 716 race, I took a look at the three races that I did in June and July and realized a couple things:

1. I simply don’t love running local races. Most of the time they aren’t worth getting up early to be at a certain place at a certain time. Plus they are pricey. Running at Disney is worth it. Running on an average Saturday morning, not so much. With this realization, I decided to skip the 15K that I had planned to run in August.
2. I don’t want to be running local races in the summer. I am a fair-weather runner. I’ll own it. I don’t mind training in the summer when I can move inside if it gets stupid hot outside. Obviously that’s not an option when I’ve entered a race. This year I made the strategic error to take some downtime after Springtime Surprise and waste the opportunity to race in the spring weather. Next year, I will adjust accordingly.
3. I’m really okay with just training and not racing so much. I really enjoy my runs around my neighborhood. I thought that doing more local races would help me get more experience - and it probably did - but it didn’t bring me joy.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

You have been busy! Congrats on all your races! And on learning new things, which is always good too

 

[sandam1]

Somehow I’ve managed to let myself get seriously behind on my updates - again - so I'm only going to focus on the race recaps.

As a result of my insights after my races in June and July, I decided to not enter anything until the end of September. Originally that meant a low mileage (nothing over 4-6 mile long runs) summer, but that got very boring pretty quickly. So Chris bumped up the long run mileage before holding at 10 miles every other weekend. It made me feel good going into my fall races, but it did get repetitious.

A tentative race on my calendar that wound up not happening was the 50-Yard Finish 5K in September. This one finishes at the 50 yard line of the Buffalo Bills stadium so I was interested in the experience more than anything else. However, like last year, it filled before I got a chance to register. Which turned out to be a good thing because, like last year, I wound up having a (thankfully temporary) flare of my plantar fasciitis on race day so running it wouldn’t have been a good idea.

Therefore my first race of the fall wound up being:

The Mighty Niagara Half Marathon - Saturday, September 30th

This was actually my first half marathon that was not at Disney and only the second that I’ve ever done that was not part of a challenge (the first was my first half marathon in 2019). It was billed as a downhill race and I was hoping to get some nice fall weather to make this a fast run. The one glitch was I found out after I registered that it had a 15 minute per mile pace requirement. This was mildly irritating because I had emailed the race director before I entered, asking some “back of the pack” logistical questions, and this fact never came up. But Chris was confident that I could do it so I just trusted his judgment.

The weather for this race was just about perfect. (Okay, I would have preferred just a touch cooler and cloudier, but for most people it was perfect). I got there in plenty of time to get warmed up and ready to run.

I felt good at the start, settling into my planned intervals. Yes, I was quickly passed by the other runners, but that was okay because I knew that I had a solid plan. Which promptly fell apart when the cop car at the end passed me - and a few other people - and they started opening the roads back up to traffic. This was NOT good! I knew that the route was a little twisty at the beginning and I was afraid that if I lost sight of the back of the pack, I would be completely lost. But if I tried to push the pace too much, I knew that my legs might cramp up. I was also really irritated because my first mile was just under a 14 minute mile. This should NOT have been an issue.

I spent the first 4.5 miles trying to get caught up to the back of the pack. Each mile was in the low 14’s. I knew that this was faster than I was supposed to be going and that I was burning through energy that I would like later, but I did what I needed to do. I also wasn’t fueling properly. I just put my head down and went.

Eventually, I did catch up to the people who had taken off too fast and passed them fairly easily.* Run/walk for the win, again!. Then I went into damage control mode, trying to dial back to conserve what energy I had left and take some time to refuel. Unfortunately, predictably, that didn’t work out too well. I hit the wall around mile 8 and the last five miles were a slog. I finished with a 22 minute PR, but it was nowhere near the experience that I had hoped for.





Old Fort Niagara - American military station during the War of 1812. This is across the Niagara river from Forth George (which I ran by back in June)



Looking out across Lake Ontario. On a clearer day, you can see Toronto.





*This had me especially irritated. The way they arbitrarily decided where the “back of the pack” was and didn’t follow their stated 15 minute per mile pace at all penalized me for starting off at a conservative (i.e. smart) pace. People were still finishing at least 20+ minutes after I did, which gives you an idea of the discrepancy between their speed and mine.

Would I do this race again? Maybe. There was a lot of crowd support, which I really appreciated. I just wish that I had had a better overall race experience. The issues at the back of the pack were unacceptable in my eyes and I definitely won’t do it again if they aren’t addressed. (Admission - I haven’t had a chance to follow up with the race director yet, but I do plan on it. I’ve run other races that he organized and he is usually very back of the pack friendly so I would like to think that this was an aberration)

 

[NYC_MW]

Congrats on the PR!
But sorry that it came with such a bad experience