Race Recap (Finally) - runDisney's 2013 Wine & Dine Half Marathon

It has now been a month since runDisney's Wine & Dine Half Marathon, so I am certainly well beyond a decent and acceptable time frame for getting a full recap of the race out here on my blog. As such, I guess I'm just flying in the face of blogger protocol as I write down my thoughts from the race that took place way back on November 9th.

So where was I (in my last post)? Oh right, it was somewhere between 7:00 and 7:30, and I was headed down to catch the bus to the Start at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex. And thus began the night's first mini adventure...waiting for the bus to take us from the Beach Club Resort to the Start. As I arrived at the bus stop, one bus was just leaving, so I was fortunate enough to be first in line for the next bus, which was supposed to be along in about "five or ten minutes" (for those of you who are fans, think Seinfeld). Well, after about fifteen minutes, the line waiting for the next bus was now probably about 200 deep, and needless to say, we were all getting a little antsy. The poor volunteer - who's "job was merely to count us as we boarded the bus" - was starting to catch some heat from the crowd, and he wasn't having too much luck with his radio. While we waited, two completely empty "Event" buses (the ones to take runners to the Start) just whisked past the bus stop without picking us up...we were getting dangerously close to an all-out riot when a third bus showed up and opened its doors. Whew!

I already wrote a post about some of the thoughts and emotions I was feeling when heading to the starting corral, so here I'm going to keep things a little lighter and focused more on the race itself. But first, though, I need to point out that I had a chance to meet and have a group picture taken with a bunch of online friends from the pbrc, which is the Disney PaceBook Running Club on Facebook. It was great to put faces with names, and although it was my first chance to meet all of these folks, it still had the feel of a family (of runners) reunion...

With the pbrc...Can you find me?

After the group picture and a few fun "catch up" conversations, it was off to the races...well, after my final restroom (porta-potty) break. Finally, around 9:00-ish, I made my way over to Starting Corral G.

In the starting corral, I found a couple of pbrc people with pacing signs (one for a 3-hour finish, and the other for 2:45), so I decided that I would start the race with them and then (hopefully) pull away as the race progressed. While waiting the final forty-five minutes for the start, it was fun to have some time to visit and chat with the other runners...the camaraderie in the running community is awesome! In addition, I ran into Leigh Rosica from Mousekeplanner, who happens to be the person who set up my travel arrangements not only for the Wine & Dine weekend but also for the Full Marathon weekend next month...great meeting you, Leigh! And thanks for the tremendous deals!!!

With each minute, the race got closer, and all of the sudden, the first corrals were on their way...and finally, the fireworks went off for Corral G at 10:15!

Here we go!

Things were pretty crowded as we got underway, but we moved slowly and steadily as we made our way out toward the first three-mile stretch of highway.

A sea of runners moving out to the course!

The first few miles of the race were all highway. After taking a left out of Wide World of Sports, we headed down Osceola Parkway toward Animal Kingdom Park. Along the way, there were a couple of spots to get pictures with characters, but I opted against taking any of these because I really wanted to just run the race and see what I could do...while still keeping a easier pace and remembering that this was part of the training plan for the Full Marathon in January. As such, I had targeted a training pace of 12 minutes per mile for the race...which would put me across the finish in about 2:37.

Before entering Animal Kingdom, we crossed the 5K timing mat, and I was pretty much right on my goal pace with a split time of 37:35, which had me at a 12:06 pace. I was feeling pretty strong with ten miles to go, and it was exciting to be headed into our first park.

Dinosaur teeth guiding us into Animal Kingdom!

After snapping the picture of the Dino Teeth, I decided that it was just too hard to take pictures and keep running my race; as such, my camera (phone) took on the official role of playing music for the remainder of my run.

Running through Animal Kingdom at night was pretty cool - Everest and the Tree of Life looked amazing - and it was definitely an awesome experience winding our way through this park at night...because it usually isn't open after dark. The cast members and volunteers were - as always - so awesome and supportive to all of us, and if I didn't have a smile on my face, I was definitely thinking happy thoughts. Now, with the animals tucked away in bed, we didn't have the blaring music or laser shows that would be coming up in the other two parks...but I was having a blast.

Definitely having a good time!

Coming out of Animal Kingdom, we got back onto Osceola Parkway and headed back toward Hollywood Studios. During this stretch, I ran over the 10K timing mat and saw that I was maintaining the same 12:06 pace and had been running for an hour and fifteen minutes. At this time, I was feeling pretty good and decided to pick up my pace a little bit - maybe it was because I had just eaten my first energy gel - so I shortened up my pace a bit while picking up my cadence.

Well, the next thing I knew, I was on the race's biggest "hill" (the overpass taking us off of Osceola and pointing us toward Hollywood Studios) and a faceless green army man from Toy Story was yelling at all of us to get our butts up that hill...I laughed and gave him the thumbs up as I passed, and he saluted me for my efforts!

About a mile and a half later, we were running into the north end of Hollywood Studios...and boy was that park a-hoppin'! The course was moving us to-and-fro through the park on routes unfamiliar to me as a park guest, and the next thing I knew, a DJ had the music blaring as I ran toward the huge Sorcerer Mickey Hat in the center of the park. A few minutes later, we were running through the costume tunnel, and that too was filled with artificial fog, blaring music, and disco balls...quite honestly, it was fun but at the same time a little disorienting (since we had run around 10 or so miles at that point).

Having fun in Hollywood Studios!

At some point in Hollywood Studios, we crossed the 15K mat, and my picking up the pace a bit had worked...my average pace moved up to 11:55 per mile, and I kept moving a little faster every mile.

One of the most awesome parts of the entire race was running through the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights in Hollywood Studio's Streets of America. A lot of people have expressed disappointment that I didn't stop to take at least one picture here, but to be honest, a picture wouldn't capture how awesome a sight it was...great motivation for the last couple of miles!

After leaving Hollywood Studios, it was time for another energy gel, and I only had a couple of miles to the finish! Even though it was past midnight, there were a LOT of spectators watching the race along the Boardwalk, Yacht, and Beach Club Resorts...and their cheers helped my legs to move even faster (even though they were certainly starting to hurt).

What kept me going, though, was knowing that all I had left was a quick jaunt through EPCOT's Future World, under the big ball (Spaceship Earth), and back out to the Finish Line! I was tired and sore, but right near the end, I ran past Michelle and Mary, and they provided the spring in my step that took me to the Finish!

Almost There!!!

Tired, Sore...and Very Happy!

At the end of it all, my official time for my first half marathon was 2:33:23, and my official pace was 11:42. As such, I was pretty happy that I had sped up after the 10K point and that I had run a negative split! Most importantly, with the exception of walking for ten or fifteen seconds through each drink station - every 1.5 miles - I ran the entire race from start to finish...and regardless of the time it took, a big goal of mine was to run the whole way.

The Race According to Garmin

Now, I should divulge that my Garmin statistics showed that I didn't run the quickest route by which a race course is measured...in fact, I'm even more proud of the fact that I actually ran 13.35 miles in 2:33, which actually put me in at an 11:31 pace, broken down as follows:

Mile 1 - 12:01

Mile 2 - 11:58

Mile 3 - 11:56

Mile 4 - 12:15 (Got a little bunched up in Animal Kingdom)

Mile 5 - 11:37

Mile 6 - 11:30

Mile 7 - 11:08 (Energy Gel Boost)

Mile 8 - 11:28

Mile 9 - 11:38

Mile 10 - 11:21

Mile 11 - 11:09 (Energy Gel Boost)

Mile 12 - 11:18

Mile 13 - 10:54 (Running through EPCOT; Seeing Michelle and Mary)

0.35 Miles - 9:58 (Racing to the Finish Line)

Still Standing!

 Overall, I was happy with my first half marathon, as well as my choice for my first half to be runDisney's Wine & Dine! After making my way through some crowds to catch up with Michelle and Mary, I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the Greece kiosk in the World Showcase, and then it was back to the hotel for a nice bath and some sleep.

Since that wonderful day a month ago, my mind and my training have been focused on one thing, which was actually my first thought after I crossed the Finish Line:

Time to Double the Distance!

But let's get into that next time. Until then, enjoy your journey...

Pre-Race Recap - RunDisney's Wine & Dine Half Marathon

Well, since it has now been three weeks since I ran my first half marathon, I guess I should provide another recap, huh? I haven't been avoiding it...I guess things have just been a bit hectic.

Anyway, in my last post, I talked about Friday, so let me run through Saturday's preparations before my final post about the race itself. In short, this was my goal for Saturday...

Rest Those Legs!

With a night race on the docket (I mean, who runs at 10:00pm?), my focus was on two things: eating properly and getting enough rest. After taking our time getting up and ready, Michelle, Mary, and I headed down to the breakfast buffet at the Yacht Club's Captain's Grille, which is a great (and less busy) alternative to the Beach Club's character breakfast at the Cape May Cafe. Since it was late morning, I decided that this was going to be the "big meal" for the day, so I did help myself to a few helpings of this, that, and the other...although I kept it pretty simple and stayed away from spicy and/or adventurous foods.

After breakfast, I went back to the room to lay down for a little bit and to contact a blogger or two whom I was planning to meet over the weekend. Well, I got in touch with Jen Lefforge from Running for my Life! and Michelle, Mary, and I had the opportunity to meet her for her lunch right back at the Captain's Grille! It was awesome getting to spend some time with Jen, and we are hoping to get together with her and her whole family at some point during the Marathon Weekend in January...she's done the Full at Disney before and will be running the half marathon this year; her husband Scott, however, will be undertaking the Goofy Challenge! 

Although taking a picture at the time slipped my mind (I guess I'm still not used to this whole blogging thing), later that night, Jen and I did remember to get a pre-race shot...

With our Newest Friend - Jen Lefforge!

After lunch - well, Jen had lunch, Mary had ice cream, and Michelle and I had iced teas - it was off to the pool for some R&R. Fortunately, it was a bit of a cloudy day, so finding a shady spot (and staying out of the energy-draining sun) was not difficult. Oh, and on the way to the pool, I ran into a couple of other bloggers - Pam and Christine, the mother-daughter running team from We Run Disney - who happened to be staying at the same hotel. It was great getting to meet them as well; in fact, we also ran into them on Sunday night at Thunder Mountain in the Magic Kingdom, and Michelle put it best when she said, "it just feels like we know you already because of your blog!"

From a food standpoint, for the remainder of the day, I ate small snacks every couple of hours (a banana here, a yogurt there, a CLIF bar here, and a peanut butter bagel about three hours before the race)...and, most importantly, I kept drinking water, and I mixed in a few waters with nuun tablets for some pre-race electrolytes.

I was able to lay down and get an hour or two of (very light) sleep around 4:30 to 6:30-ish, and then it was time to suit up...

Flat Pete - Ready to Run!

And at around 7:30, I headed downstairs to catch the bus to the Starting Line. 

My first half marathon awaits. Let's do this...

I'll tell you the rest next time. Until then, enjoy your journey...

Day One Recap - runDisney's Wine & Dine Half Marathon

Okay, I've waited long enough, and now I absolutely positively must start recapping the Wine & Dine Half Marathon weekend. With so much happening in just a few days, I now understand why everyone's runDisney recaps usually require a few separate posts. In fact, this is already my second, and in my first, I spoke briefly about some very inspirational people who entered my thoughts while on my way to the starting corrals (you can read that post HERE).

So without further ado, let's review the weekend's first day. Here we go...

Friday, November 8 - The Expo, The Beach Club, and Epcot

One of the advantages to where I live is that it takes just a couple of hours to drive to the Walt Disney World Resort, so I don't have the frustrations of battling airports, ground transportation, and general travel challenges faced by many who partake in the Florida runDisney races. In fact, I guess I'm fortunate in that I have yet to take a "race-cation"  since my feet have been back on the pavement. That said, I do see a few in the stars for 2014...but more about that in future posts.

After getting the car packed up, my wife Michelle and I picked up our daughter Mary at school around noon, grabbed a quick "on the go" (and completely unhealthy) meal at McDonald's, and were on our way to see Mickey. Admittedly, with my first half marathon about a day and a half away, I was feeling a little jittery, maybe a tad anxious, but overall I would say that I was still doing okay.

Over marathon weekend back in January (Mary and I ran the 5K, which you can read about HERE), we drove straight to the expo before heading to our hotel, and since it worked out well back then, I decided on the same strategy this time around. So at around 2:30, we arrived at the Wide World of Sports Complex for the expo, which at the time had been open for about four hours.

With Mary at Wide World of Sports

And to much pleasure, it was an easy and painless experience. Because I had printed and signed my race waiver in advance, I walked right up to where I needed to pick up my bib, waited zero seconds, and picked up my bib.

From there, we had to head over to the other building to get my race shirt, and again the experience was easy and painless...total time at the expo was maybe a half an hour at this point. Oh, and that includes Michelle and Mary having to wait in a line to pick up their $10 Gift Cards for the Finish Line Party.

Not really having too much to purchase at the expo - some KT Tape for me (and my Achilles) and a Sweaty Band for Michelle (Mary decided to get her prize at Epcot) - we did a little bit of meandering but ended up getting out of there in a couple hours at the most...probably more like an hour and a half.

From the expo, we got back in the car and headed over to check in at The Beach Club Resort. While we typically don't stay at the Deluxe resorts for our Disney trips, I decided to go the extra mile this time for two reasons: First, I knew that we weren't going to be doing much on Saturday, so since we were going to be hanging around the resort, we should at least hang around one of the nicest pools on all of Disney's Florida property; Second, knowing that the Finish Line Party was taking place in the Epcot World Showcase, I knew that being able to walk back to the hotel after the race would be much easier than having to jump on a bus...turns out I made the right call.

Here's a great shot of Michelle and Mary right after we arrived at the hotel and were already heading to Epcot...

Mary & Michelle - My Cheering Section!

I had made dinner reservations in advance for the San Angel Inn in Epcot's Mexico, one of our favorite restaurants around the World Showcase...but we had planned a couple of hours for rides before dinner, so we went over the Future World and took rides on Test Track (yes, we had gotten Fast Passes in advance), Spaceship Earth, and Living with the Land before heading back to dinner in Mexico.

Dinner actually gave us the first of just two disappointments of the weekend....and it had nothing to do with the food.

One of the negative facets of Epcot's Food & Wine Festival is that some people have more difficulty handling the wine part than others. Unfortunately, we were seated next to three who were about twelve sheets to the wind, and there were quite a few F-Bombs and other not-family-friendly crude comments flying around. At the end of it all, though, we asked if we could change tables, the staff complied, and we ended up having a lovely dinner.

As a side note, I did have some initial "how's my stomach going to react to Mexican food before a half marathon?" concerns when making the reservations at San Angel; however, when taking into consideration that we were eating about twenty-seven hours before Saturday night's race, I made the judgement call that all systems would be functioning properly come race time. Fortunately, I was correct; and even more fortunately, there were no stomach issues resulting from any meals over the entire weekend.

After dinner, we took a leisurely stroll through the countries, stopped off in Japan to get Mary a "trip gift" she was asking for, and then headed back to the hotel for some shuteye. Saturday was, in fact, going to be a very big (and ultimately a very long) day. But let's talk about that next time.

Until then, enjoy your journey...

RunDisney's Wine & Dine Half Marathon: Inspiration at the Start

Even without a race recap, many of you - my dozen or so readers - already know that just a few nights ago, I completed my first half marathon down in Orlando at Disney's Wine & Dine Half Marathon. And while I am proud as punch that I, a formerly obese smoker, was able to run 13.1 miles in just a little over two-and-a half hours, I really want this post to be about a few people who are much more inspiring than I'll ever be. Yes, I've lost 100 pounds; yes, as of Monday, I have been smoke-free for two years; and yes, and even though I'm a lot slower than I was twenty-five years ago, I have regained some of my running mojo and have put myself on that proverbial path to my first full marathon in January.

And while all this has required hard work and dedication on my part, walking to my starting corral this past Saturday night, I came to realize that my hurdles have been insignificant little bumps when compared to those of some other people...some real heroes...


Kimberly Markey

It wasn't too long ago that my daughter Mary, my wife Michelle, and I were watching Kim's YouTube videos to give us some motivation to run some RunDisney races. We like this one in particular (and Kim knows it!)...





But even though Kimberly's running served to inspire in and of itself, what she has been through in the last few months - and what she has done with it - is off the charts.

Not too long ago, Kimberly was diagnosed with a fairly aggressive type of breast cancer (read about it HERE), and she immediately was put onto an aggressive treatment path. But that didn't stop her...nope...not even close.

In just the last month, Kimberly has run RunDisney's Tower of Terror 10-Miler, both the Chicago and New York City Marathons (both races taking place on a Sunday following chemotherapy treatment just a few days prior), as well as this past weekend's Wine & Dine Half Marathon.

So as I made my way to my starting corral on Saturday night, look who I ran into...

Thank Goodness for Serendipity!

Kimberly - You are a hero and an inspiration, and I look forward to seeing you at RunDisney and non-RunDisney races for years to come!


Steve Bell

Parting ways with Kimberly, I had some time to think as I made my way through the crowds, and thinking about the New York City Marathon she had just run, I was reminded of a new Facebook / Team Boomer friend of mine: Steve Bell.

As many of you - again, my dozen or so readers - know, I am running for Team Boomer, which is the athletic fundraising side of the Boomer Esiason Foundation to fight and find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis, which is primarily a lung disease against which my niece and nephew have fought their entire lives.

Well, Steve battles the same illness, and sometimes he does so fiercely...





I was reminded of Steve because, like Kimberly, he too had run the New York City Marathon just a week earlier (read his recap HERE), and although he was disappointed with his performance, the last two sentences of his blog post certainly tell us who he is: Another New York City marathon under my belt.  Another great day of celebrating life.

Steve - You are a hero and an inspiration, and I look forward to running "your" race - the New York City Marathon - with you in the years to come!


Anna Corr

It's a good thing I'm not presenting this blog post to my dozen or so followers in person. I've already teared up a few times while writing about Kimberly and Steve, and I don't think I'd be able to get through telling you how my niece Anna was also there with me in spirit (and purely unintentionally) as I prepared for the race.

After making my way into my starting corral around 9:00-ish, I was checking out my phone to see whether Pandora was going to help get me through the miles in front of me. Well, as that app wasn't loading (14,000 people taking up the 4G airwaves simultaneously), I decided to see whether anything interesting had posted to Facebook...and I saw the following post from my niece Anna:

I just want to be able to breathe, it's not so much to ask for....

Standing in a sea of people, I just stared at the post for a few minutes before I tried (unsuccessfully) to respond...because of the whole 4G thing. It wasn't until a day or two later that I thanked Anna for reminding why I was wearing a Team Boomer shirt.

Anna - You are a hero and an inspiration, and my sincere promise to you, to Aidan, to Steve, and to everybody battling Cystic Fibrosis is that I will continue to run races to raise money to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

And, no, Anna...it's not so much to ask for...

Anna & Aidan

Until next time, my loyal readers, do me a favor and put these heroes in your prayers...and if praying is not your thing, just send some positive thoughts.

And rather than me telling you to enjoy your journey this installment, I'll use Steve's words this time:

Until next time, celebrate your life...

Race Recap: Evergreen Pumpkin Run 10 Miler

This Sunday, October 27, I ran the Evergreen Pumpkin Run 10 Miler in Jacksonville, Florida, and it was actually the first race I had run since the Castaway Cay 5K during my Disney Cruise earlier this year. The reasons why I've held off on racing are simple:

1. I didn't travel anywhere in the last four months;
2. During that timeframe, there weren't any local races that started at 5:30am, and that is the only time I ran during the ridiculously hot Summer months here in Florida.

But boy was this weekend different in an awesome running weather type of way! But let me get to that in a minute.

For me, some race stress actually started to kick in on Saturday night because as an avid Red Sox fan, I was conflicted between staying up to watch World Series Game 3 or being a responsible runner (who happens to be coming off an injury) and getting a good night's sleep before taking on what would be my longest race to date. Actually, it was my first double-digit-miles race. I ran a 15K earlier this year, but that was "only" 9.3 miles, so in retrospect, this Sunday was a pretty big deal!

Anyway  - back to the story - when the Red Sox fell behind 4-2 late in the game, I decided to go to bed; however, I texted a friend and told him to text me back only if the Sox had the tying and/or go ahead runs in scoring position. Well, an inning later the Sox threatened, he texted, the Sox tied the game, and I ended up staying awake for the rest of the contest...which didn't turn out as well as I would have liked in the end. In hindsight, I guess I should have just stayed in bed...oh well.

So after watching the Sox lose, I went back to bed and ended up getting a whole four-and-a-half (maybe 5) hours sleep before getting up at around 5:00am for the 8:00am race. After a couple cups of coffee, a bagel with peanut butter (my pre-race favorite), and some water, I did some Trigger Point massage therapy on my lower legs, bundled up a bit, and was in the car around 6:30-ish.

Bundled up? What do you mean by bundled up, Floridian?

Well, it turns out that it was in the low 50s when I woke up - Nice! - and was forecasted to be in the high 50s/low 60s for the race. To a Floridian who has been running in temps in the 70s and 80s with humidity in the 90s (before the sun comes up, mind you), that is absolutely IDEAL running weather.

So by the time I got to the race site (around 7:20), I picked up my timing chip (the shoelace chip), made sure the porta potties were in working order, mulled around for a little bit, had some idle chit chat with other runners, and then made my way over to the starting line.

By the way, all of this took place in a cemetery! Cue Puddy from Seinfeld - Yeah, that's right....a cemetery.

The Evergreen Pumpkin run - which actually consists of a 10 Miler and a 5K - is a run that makes its way through Jacksonville's Evergreen Cemetery, which is a beautiful old venue with majestic oak and magnolia trees canopying the paths and roadways. The route itself was pretty interesting, with quite a few twists and turns; but the signs marking the journey were clear, and there was never any doubt about which way to go. Oh, and by the way, we didn't trample on anyone's graves...all running was done on asphalt paths and roads, so the chances of a Poltergeist movie breaking out were slim to none.

But it was certainly an adventure...



From my Garmin Connect

Anyway, before embarking on this journey, I had a race plan. You see, the only reason I was running this race was to get myself a better corral placement for the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon, which requires a 10-Mile qualifying race (the 9.3 miler "missed it by that much"). As such, I just wanted to go out and run a decent "slow and steady" training-pace (12-minute-mile) race in order to move up a handful of corrals at Disney.

But remember when I said that the weather was just perfect for running? Well...

At the race's start, I definitely stuck with my plan. I ran the first mile at an 11:50 pace, and I was just enjoying the scenery, as well as the company of my fellow runners...although, to be honest, I wasn't actually talking with anybody because I was listening to some good running music.

But although I didn't pay close attention at the time, when I looked at my splits (at every mile) on Garmin Connect after I got home, I realized that with the exception of Mile 5, I got faster and faster as the race progressed. As I look back, it was just that I was having such a good time running through a beautiful venue in perfect running weather, I just happened to move faster and faster as the race progressed.

Somewhere around Mile 8, I hammed it up for the camera person who yelled that it looked like I still had a lot of spring in my step...and she was right!



Feeling Great around Mile 8!

In fact, for each of the last five miles, I was able to achieve negative splits (I think I'm addicted to negative splits); and my 10th mile actually turned out to be my fastest with a 9:55 pace, which must be why I found myself smiling at the finish!

What a Fun Race!

In short, I had a blast this past Sunday morning, and I highly recommend this race to Jacksonville's running community. Heck, even if it were hot, the course is so heavily shaded that battling the sun would not have been an issue...that said, I'm glad we had a cool morning!

At the end of it all, I beat my two-hour target by over ten minutes, as my chip time was 1:49:16, which put my overall pace at 10:55. And since this was my first 10-Mile race, it was of course a PR!!!

So did any of you race this past weekend? If so, I hope you had as much fun as I did!

Let's hope that's the case when I recap my upcoming Half Marathon at Disney, which is now less than two weeks away! I'll keep you posted on my nerves as we get closer to November 9th.


Until then, enjoy your journey...

The Wine & Dine is Almost Here!

Over the last month and a half, much of my training focus has been geared toward getting my left Achilles working without pain or discomfort...and, fortunately, it has been cooperating; and with long runs back into double digits, I'm feeling really good that my Achilles has been feeling really good! In retrospect, though, it hasn't been a cup of tea. On top of my marathon training schedule, the added challenge of my Achilles injury brought an additional checklist into the mix:

• Taking things slowly and steadily on the pavement (Check)
• Undergoing self-administered deep tissue massage therapy to various lower leg trigger points at least three (and preferable four) times a day (Check)
• Keeping up with calf and soleus strengthening exercises at least three times a day (Check)

But during my 10-mile long run over this weekend, it dawned on me that I was (seemingly all of the sudden) just three weeks away from this...

...and I have to admit that I am pretty fired up about my first official Half Marathon!

In addition, as the father and husband in a Disney family (and I happen to be a pretty avid Disney fan in my own right), it's even more exciting that I'm undertaking my first official Half at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida!

So here a few things I know about the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, which many avid runDisney participants consider their favorite of the Disney's races:

• Fireworks will set the runners in motion on November 9th at 10:00pm...yes, it's a night race.
• The three-park race starts at Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports, sends the runners over to Animal Kingdom, back to Hollywood Studios, past the Yacht and Beach Club resorts, and then off to EPCOT for the Finish!
• Following the race, participants and their families attend a Finish Line party that keeps going at EPCOT until 4:00am.
• The families also get to hang out at EPCOT while the participants are running, and they'll probably have full stomachs by the time their runners arrive because in addition to being able to ride a handful of rides in Future World, they'll also get to visit a few dozen food stations around the World Showcase. You see, this whole shindig takes place during the final weekend of EPCOT's International Food & Wine Festival!
• I'll have the opportunity to spend some quality time with my wife and daughter, as well as a whole bunch of runDisney runners (fanatics?) I've gotten to know over the course of the last year!

I don't know about you, but this sounds like a great time to me! And the good news is that it all happens in just 19 days!

In the interim, though, since it's race season, I guess I'll need to use my next post to recap the 10-Mile Pumpkin Run coming up this weekend in Jacksonville.

Until then, enjoy your journey!

Back on Track...With a Few Changes

When I finished my easy run/walk yesterday evening, it marked the first week since August that I was able to stick fully to the week's marathon training schedule. Oh, it wasn't for a lack of trying (a.k.a. laziness) or an incredibly busy schedule (yes, I've been busy lately but certainly not too busy to run); rather, it was an Achilles injury that turned out to be far less debilitating because I shut the running down quickly rather than trying to muscle through the pain (which was my first inclination).

For some more background on the injury, you can check out these older posts:


The Story of Achilles

Slow & Steady Recovery



So for the first time in a month, I am very relieved to say that I'm back on schedule...although that schedule required a number of revisions following the injury. Since the primary reason for tweaking my Achilles seems to be that I was coupling long runs with tempo runs, I made the following changes to the training plan (well, with the help of Hal Higdon)...

• Long Runs - Backed off on the distances. Although I was up to 13 miles before the injury, the past three weeks, my Saturday long runs have been 6, 7, and 5 (with Higdon, every third week is a "stepback" week). This Saturday, I'll be stepping back up to 9 miles and then up to 10 the following week. In addition, my old training schedule had me working all the way up to a 26-mile training run, but I've changed to the Higdon-recommended 20 miler (right after Christmas).

• Race Pace Runs - Eliminated midweek race pace runs because for this marathon, I have adjusted my mindset to be of the "let's just run this 26.2 miles this time" variety. As such, all of my midweek runs will be at a comfortable pace...perhaps a little faster than my long run pace, but definitely slower than my capabilities.

• Speed Work / Tempo Runs - Completely deleted all speed work and faster-paced tempo runs from this marathon training schedule. The goal of one's first marathon is to finish, so I need to put thoughts of speed off until future marathons. I have to keep reminding myself of this...over and over and over.

• Calf Strengthening / Trigger Point Therapy - New to the marathon training schedule is daily calf strengthening exercises (Eccentric Heel Drops) and Trigger Point deep tissue massage therapy. Both of these have become something I do four times a day...no ifs, ands, or buts.

So things have certainly changed, but I can't tell you how relieved I am to be back to my marathon training. Yes, I'm certainly proceeding with caution so as not to reinjure myself...but the best news is that I'm proceeding. Here are last week's results (and, yes, I still have the overall number of weeks from the start in July), as well as this week's schedule...

Marathon Training - Week Fourteen (September 30 - October 6)

Monday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 10), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Tuesday - 3.05 Mile Run (10:49 Pace)
Wednesday - 4.08 Mile Run (11:06 Pace)
Thursday - 3.10 Mile Run (11:04 Pace)
Friday - 3.01 Mile Walk
Saturday - 5.09 Mile Run (11:24 Pace)
Sunday - 2.99 Run/Walk (2:00/2:00 Run/Walk Intervals)

Total Miles on the Pavement - 23.99 Miles (Includes Warm Up and Cool Down Walks)

Total Marathon Training Miles - 273.87

Days to Half Marathon (More About This Next Week) - 32

Day to Full Marathon - 96


Marathon Training - Week Fifteen (October 7 - October 13)

Monday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 9), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps) - COMPLETE
Tuesday - 3 Mile Run
Wednesday - 4 Mile Run
Thursday - 3 Mile Run
Friday - OFF (Walk)
Saturday - 9 Mile Run
Sunday - Family Run


Now I just keep things slow and steady as I continue to progress. It's not about speed...it's about finishing. It's not about speed...it's about finishing. It's not about speed...it's about finishing.

I just need to keep reminding myself...it's not about speed...it's about finishing...


Until next time, enjoy your journey...