Day 1 - Mother-Daughter Disney Adventure

It seems this blog has become a race diary, chronicaling my running and race efforts. But for the next few posts, it's going to take a detour and become a trip diary. A place where I share the adventure and magic of my Mom's first trip to Disney World. It's more for us to be able to look back and remember all the little things that time may remove from our memories, but if the cyber-space public gets some enjoyment out of it, well, that's great too.

Day 1 - Travel and Arrival, In Which We Get Delayed But The Pixie Dust Makes Up For It

Our Disney adventure began not so bright and early on the morning of Monday, May 30, when our alarms woke us up at 3:30am so we could beat the security lines at the Pittsburgh Airport. We had heard horror stories about how security lines at airports were long and slow causing people to miss flights, so we decided we wanted to get to the airport early so we wouldn't have to stress about the possibility of missing our flight. But, being a nervous flier, I was stressed anyway; and that kind of nervousness and stress makes me queasy. After being sick in the airport parking lot, I decided I didn't want to be the grown up any more and said I was giving that job back to Mom. She told me to wait until we got to Disney to turn in my grown up hat because, as the trip planner and holder of all the details, I had to stay in charge at least until then.

With a resigned sigh, I got us through security (with little or no wait, despite all the rumors and news stories) and to our gate with plenty of time to spare. We people-watched until it was time to get on the plane, amusing ourselves watching two out of three adorable triplets run around (#3 was asleep in the stroller). And then it was boarding time. We were in the first boarding group so got on the plane fairly early and found our seats, Mom by the window, me in the middle, empty seat on the aisle. And then we waited for take-off.

The Delay

And take-off didn't come. Instead, we get an announcement that there was a problem with the plane's computer system and we were waiting for maintenance to come and take a look at it. Wonderful. Thankfully we had some good flight attendants who told corny jokes and kept us all entertained while we waited. And crossword puzzles - we did a couple of those too. Finally, about an hour later than we were supposed to be, we were in the air and on the way. We were going to DISNEY!!!

There was nothing remarkable about the flight itself, and soon we were landing in Orlando, and wandering the airport to find the Magical Express to take us to Disney. Mom was a little concerned about not picking up our luggage, but I told her Disney Magic would make it appear in our room and we didn't have to worry about it ( or did we?)

The Pixie Dust

We arrived at the Magical Express lines and were just about to check in when my phone rang. I checked to see who it was, thinking I would just ignore it and call whoever it was back. But when I saw it was a Florida number, I stepped out of line and answered, in case it was Disney about some problem with our trip.

It was Disney, but it wasn't a problem. The cast member explained that sometimes they give guests staying at their resorts an upgrade to a higher level resort, and they wanted to know if we'd be interested in staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge instead of Caribbean Beach. Umm, is the sky blue?  It didn't take me long to jump on the opportunity.

So off to Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House we went. 

As awesome as the upgrade was, it had my stress level rising again. Worry about our luggage making it to the right place, how our plans would be affected by the change in location, and fear of the unknown were all making me nervous again. I just wasn't quite sure what to expect. But we got checked in and found our room. And were very pleasantly surprised. 

And The Pixie Dust Continues

With the upgrade, I didn't really expect to be given the best room available, or a room with a view. I figured we look out our window onto a parking lot or a roof top or something. But nope, they had given us a savanna view, and we had a balcony. We looked out to see an ostrich, a giraffe, some zebras, and a bunch of other animals. So freaking cool.

After taking a few pics of the room and the view, I commented that there wasn't a lot in the room to make it Disney. It was very nice and fit the African theme, but here wasn't anything that jumped out and said "this is a room in a Disney resort." But after a trip to the bathroom, I was all excited because I'd found some hidden Mickeys on the shower curtain and in the tiles on the wall. I was happy - there was a bit of Disney in the room after all. Little did I know there was more, if you only knew where to look. (More on that later.)

Since we hadn't eaten and it was after lunchtime, we decided to find the resort's food court to grab a bite to eat. I was still feeling nervous and sick, and didn't really want anything. But we decided to split a chicken nugget meal. Much to Mom's dismay, I didn't eat much, but saved my half for later. The food court, decorated like a jungle or rain forest, was smaller than I expected and was busy and loud, so we didn't stay long. We headed back to our room to rest a bit.

Has Anybody Seen Our Luggage?

When we got back to the room, our luggage wasn't there yet. I wasn't all that concerned, because I know it can take a few hours. While we waited, and since we'd had an early morning and some stressful times, we both crashed out and took a little nap.  We had dinner plans at Hollywood Studios and wanted to not be dead tired when we got there. And I think Mom wanted to wait for our suitcases to show up.

Which didn't happen. I knew it could take up to 4 hours, but it had been that long and our bags still hadn't shown up. So, thinking maybe the luggage handlers didn't get the upgrade memo, I called bell services.  Bingo - our bags had gone to Caribbean Beach. But the lovely guy I talked to said they'd get it straightened out and the bags would be transferred to the correct room within an hour.

With that little problem solved, we decided to head off to Hollywood Studios and Mom's first Disney park visit.

The adventure continues... Stay tuned.

Race Report - Pittsburgh Half Marathon

Nothing like waiting 3 weeks to write a recap of a race. Specific memories are fuzzy but the highlights  still stand out:

1) It rained.

 2) I was slow.

3) I had friends "stalking" me.

 4) I finished.

I'm always nervous before a race (especially a half) but the thought of running 13.1 miles and being on the course for 2.5++ hours in the rain had me questioning whether I really wanted to do this race. Compound that with training that didn't go as well as it should have/needed to, and I was feeling particularly doubtful about my chances. 

I knew I had specific points I had to get to by a certain time or I ran the risk of getting swept and riding to the finish in a bus. I'm slow, and am almost always somewhere towards the back of the pack. But this was the first race where I actually thought getting swept was a very real possibility. My friends were all supportive and full of encouraging words, such as "come on, you know you can walk that minimum pace. You've so got this" when I voiced my doubts of finishing multiple times over the weekend. I was full of responses that started something like "yeah, I know I can, BUT..."

The first few miles were downright miserable - it was cold; it was raining; my socks were feeling really weird. But I was able to stay pretty consistent with my pace - right where I wanted to be.  But then I started to think, and when I think in a race it's usually not a good thing. I don't think happy positive thoughts; nope, I start dwelling on the bad. And since running is very much a mental sport, it all goes downhill from there (and not the good, literal downhill.)

I started thinking it was too hard, my feet hurt, there's hills coming and I can't do hills. So I essentially gave up. I was still putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward, but I had no fight, no drive, to do anything more than the bare minimum. 

The one positive thing keeping me going was my own personal group of stalkers. They were out there, popping up at various points of the course, to ring their cowbells, hold their signs, and yell and cheer me on. They were very good at it. I often heard them before I saw them. Having your own spectators, where you don't have to rely on the "go random stranger" signs or pretend the signs for others with the same name are for you, is pretty awesome.

And that was the race. I started in the rain, I put one foot in front of the other, I got high fives and cheers from friends, and most importantly, I finished.

Race Stats

Pittsburgh Half Marathon

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Finish Time: 3:07:49 (Garmin); 3:08:20 (official)

Place: 13,244 of 14,132 overall; 7,928 of 8,597 women; 837 of 917 age group

Race Report - Disney Princess Half Marathon

We could call this one "the Princess Half that almost didn't happen".  Not because I didn't get registered in time; not because the weather messed up travel plans. Nope, none of those things went wrong - I was online as soon as registration opened, and got in just fine; the weather was fairly decent, and travel was a breeze.  No, this time my body was the traitor.  Pre-race stress, a certain time of the month, a migraine, and a possible stomach bug all came together to make me think that I wasn't going to be able to run. 

The night before the race, I felt like my head was going to explode, and I couldn't eat without throwing up. I was not exactly in prime race condition. At all.  But going to bed early and sleeping with a heating pad on my head eased the headache enough that by our 2:00am alarm, I was feeling halfway human. And pre-Disney race excitement was pulling me through - It was time finally time to wear my Buzz costume!

My original plan for the day had been to go to  my corral and run by myself, with a goal to finish in about 3 hours. But the way I was feeling, I didn't want to be by myself, so I stayed with Becca. I needed her to pull me through.

I was feeling ok as long as I was moving around, but unfortunately, Disney races have a lot of hurrying up to wait. We rush to the bus at 3:00am to make it to the start area with plenty of time, and then sit around and wait until it's time to go to the corrals. Normally, this isn't an issue, but this time, the longer we waited, the worse I felt. When it was time to drop off our bag to go to the corral, I didn't want to take off my sweatshirt. I knew as the race progressed I wouldn't need it, but I was feeling a particular attachment to it for some reason. But I took it off and gave it to Becca to put in the bag so we could head out.  I remember saying "I don't want to do this" but don't know if I was referring to leaving the sweatshirt or the race. It became clear that I meant I didn't want to do the race when I had to stop to be sick in a trash can by the port-a-potties. I was close to giving up and telling Becca to go without me, but I pulled myself together and we headed to the corral, discussing silly distracting things to keep my mind off of how I was feeling (have you ever noticed how you don't often see runners wearing the same shoes as another runner? Check it out some time - there really is an amazing variety of running shoes out there.)

And after some more time sitting around in the corral, it was finally time to start. I no longer had a plan, other than to put one foot in front of the other until I reached the finish line. The first mile or so, we followed the beeps on my watch, running 2 minutes, walking 1. But I soon felt like we were starting too fast and hard and I would  use up what little strength I had way too early. So instead of starting strong and finishing slow, I decided we'd switch our strategy so we were starting slow and finishing strong - or as Becca so helpfully pointed out, we might end up starting slow and finishing slower - and we started walking.

We walked until we got to the Magic Kingdom and then started running a bit here and there. We ran (as much as we could, considering the crowd) down Main Street and towards the castle, making the turn toward Tomorrowland. And there was Buzz. One of my goals for the race was to (finally) get a race picture with Buzz (especially important this year, since I was him). So we stopped:

     

And then continued on with the race, running through the castle (always a highlight), noticing that the Kristoff on the balcony actually looked just like Kristoff (from Frozen). The next few miles were a blur and I don't have much specific memory of them - I was putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward. But at some point, I started to feel better - strength was back, tummy was settled - it was all good. Right around the time I started feeling better, Becca was starting to struggle.  But we were running 1:1 intervals along the boring back stretch back to Epcot (where we usually just walk).  The billboard with Flik appeared sooner than we expected it to; the hill with the Green Army Man wasn't quite the struggle it had been in prior years (we even managed to run because the army man was threatening to make anybody walking do push-ups, and as hard as running might have felt at that point, push-ups would've been impossible.) It really wasn't until mile 11 that we found and hit the dreaded wall (further into the race than we usually feel it).  So my start slow, finish strong plan actually sort-of worked. We were fairly strong until almost the end. But even in the end, when each step hurt, when the last miles seemed extra long, we pulled each other through. We crossed that finish line. Together. A team. And I couldn't have done it without her.

Race Stats

Disney  Princess Half Marathon

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Finish Time: 3:31:06 (garmin); 3:42:27 (official) (we stopped for pics, to stretch, etc. and my garmin auto-pauses)

Place: 17,589 of 20,126 overall; 15,731 of 18,090 women; 1,953 of 2,240 age group

Race Report - Winter Series 2015-16

Race 1: 5k - Dec. 13, 2015

December was an odd month - it was hot. Race day was around 70 degrees. Not what you'd expect from a race called the "Winter Series." I was not feeling all that confident, as you can see from my Instagram post pre-race:

I had set a rather optimistic goal for the race, and sitting in the car, I was convinced I was nuts; convinced there was no way I could even come close. I could restate what's in the pic, but I'll just let you read it there instead. So with those thoughts in my head, I headed for the start line to give it a good try. 

And actually managed to finish in within my goal range.

Race Stats

Winter Series 5k

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Finish time: 34:06 (Garmin); 34:36 (official)

Place: 295 of 378 overall; 145 of 209 women; 28 of 53 age group

Race 2: 8k - Jan. 10, 2016

This race was as cold as the 5k was hot. Cold, windy, spitting snow - it was pretty miserable. Since I was in the middle of Princess Half training, I had the bright idea to run a few miles before the race so I could have a total of 8 miles for the day.  which gave me a heads up to the conditions I would face during the race - cold on the way out with the wind at your back; frigid after the turn around with biting wind blowing right in your face.  Nice.  And I had left my good, warm running jacket at home, because I didn't think it was cold enough. Ha! (It most definitely was.) So in the interest of staying halfway warm, I elected to run in my hoodie (the purple one earned at this race series 3 years ago).

Again, I had an ambitious goal that I didn't think I'd be able to reach, but I was going to try. And was on track to do it, until the turn around into the wind.  Then it all kind of fell apart, but that's ok.  I ran, I finished. It's all good.

Race Stats

Winter Series 8k

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Finish time: 57:07 (Garmin); 57:34 (official)

Place: 233 of 302 overall; 111 of 161 women; 19 of 39 age group

Race 3: 10k - Feb. 7, 2016

Since weather seems to be a theme for this post, I have to mention that this particular race day was warm, sunny, and practically perfect. Again, it was long run day, I needed double digits in preparation for Princess, so I had a few miles (4) to do before the race. Because it was such a nice day, and I was feeling good, it was a struggle to keep my pre-race miles slow enough. So I went into the race hoping I hadn't used up all my good feeling and energy.

It was all going well - feeling good and running my 2 minute intervals fast(-ish) and strong - until mile 6, when I started to struggle and slow down more than I wanted. Considering  mile 6 was actually mile 10, I'm not surprised. Actually, I'm kind of surprised I didn't start feeling tired sooner. ( Another one of those "hey, I really am stronger than I think" moments.) I finished outside my goal, but I was close, and I know I ran strong. So, again, it's all good.

Race Stats

Winter Series 10k

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Finish time: 1:11:11 (Garmin)

Place: 232 of 300 overall; 118 of 166 women; 22 of 38 age group

(Note - my official time was 22 seconds slower, but I like the repeating ones, so I'm sticking with the Garmin time for this one 😋)

Overall Series Stats

2015-16 Winter Series

Finish time: 2:43:44

Place: 188 of 241 overall; 94 of 131 women; 15 of 30 age group

Race Report - Marshall Half Marathon

The Marshall University Half Marathon - my first, my PR race, my "hometown" half. The one I've returned to every year (returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak; returning to the race where the half bug bit me).

I had big plans for this race this year. Big plans to return to the land of finishing under two and a half hours (which would result in being able to be in a faster corral for the Princess Half, which would allow me the time to go slower and take pictures with all the fun Disney characters along the course. But that is another story, for another post (look for it in about 110 days)). 

I trained; I struggled and worked hard to bring my pace back down into the 11 minute mile range. (Important point to remember - pace is individual to the runner; what is slow for one is fast for another; what is fast for the other is slow for yet another.) And right now, it's fast for me. But I was confident that I could sustain it for the full distance. I could run hard and finish the race in under 2:30. It wasn't going to be easy, but this was the year I was going to embrace the hard work. As I said, I had big plans... 

But, you know what they say about "best laid plans."

I woke up Saturday morning feeling kind of crappy with a sinus headache and other body aches. But I wasn't giving up; maybe I'd feel better in the morning. So I went and picked up my race packet, I planned my outfit (which was difficult; wasn't sure what the weather would do), and I prepared to race on Sunday.

And woke up at o-dark thirty on Sunday, feeling worse than Saturday (with a slight fever to boot). But I went to the race anyway. I was going for it.  I could do this.

Mile 1 was ok; slower than I wanted, but ok. Mile 2 I got way too hot in the long sleeve shirt (and since my car was conveniently parked in the stadium lot along the course, I ran to the opposite of the street, safely ditched it in the back seat and returned to the race). Pace was faster, even with the slight detour. Miles 3 - 6 got progressively harder. I kept up with my 2 minute run intervals, but was slowing down - my body ached, I felt more tired than I should have. I made the decision to mostly walk the limestone path/Ritter Park section. I knew my goal was gone and I just wanted to finish in an upright position. So miles 7, 8, and 9 were mostly walking ( although I did manage a run for the photographer 😜)

Once out of the park, I started running through portions of my run intervals. It was slow, but it was a run.  At some point in mile 10, the first marathoner went flying by, making this whole running thing look way easier than it is (how DO they do that? So fast, so smooth, so seemingly effortless.)

After mile 10, I started having issues with my shoes feeling too short. So I imagine I was limping along for miles 10-12, running when I could, walking when I couldn't. I couldn't figure out if I was more hot or cold (weird being both at the same time, but I was), and I really just wanted to be finished. A couple more full marathoners passed me, and the ones coming towards me on their 2nd loop were encouraging, as always (runners are a good group of people).  

They helped me mentally through mile 13 towards the stadium; I think I actually managed to run the full 2 minute intervals for that last mile - I had people I had to pass (there's always at least one in a race that I arbitrarily decide I have to beat) on my way to the finish. So off I went, down the cruel little hill ( always painful, more so this year with my shoe issues) and into the stadium. I sped up a tad, passed a few other runners, and finished. Only 22 minutes later than I hoped and planned (and just 7 minutes slower than last year). But I did finish, and that's really what's important. 

The race didn't go at all as I planned and it wasn't the race I wanted - I was slower than i planned, I walked more than I wanted, I was sick with a sinus headache/body aches/fever, I ended up with some blisters on my toes, and I've got a toenail that's going a little black - but I finished. 

Race Stats

Marshall University Half Marathon

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Finish time: 2:52:31(garmin); 2:52:54 (official)

Place: 850 of 1,012; 464 of 589 women; 77 of 95 age group

Race Report - Charleston Distance Run

Quite a few years ago, back in the days when I "wasn't meant to be a runner", in the days when my Dad was the runner and was running the Distance Run, I had a dream. Not the "I'm gonna work really hard, I'm gonna do this someday" kind of dream, but an actual while I was sleeping images in my head dream. I had a dream that I, a non-runner with no plans to ever be a runner, ran the Distance Run.  And not only did I run it, but I won it. And not won as in first woman or first in my age group, but won it won it, as in crossing the finish line first.

Fast forward a few years, to 2015. To the days when I was (am) a runner, and had (have) been for over 5 years. Fast forward to a time when, after a few years of thinking maybe I'll do it, but then wimping out and doing the 5k instead, I made the decision that I was going for it. I was going to sign up for the 15 miler. What better year to try to run 15 miles than 2015?

What was originally going to be a summer of running just for fun turned into a summer of training. A summer of being stronger than my excuses - which meant running in the pouring rain, running in the heat, running in humidity. Short runs, long runs, slow runs and "fast" runs. 

And when race day arrived, I was ready. Or as ready as I thought I could be.

The first two miles on the boulevard went by fairly quickly. I made it over the bridge, and up the long "Capital Punishment" hill with no problems. I cruised my way through the rest of the hills in South Hills and back down to the bridge. 8 miles down, 7 to go on the flats of downtown. But, the one minute walk breaks started to seem way too short, the one minute runs way too long. By about mile 10 and the Capitol complex, I was pretty much ignoring the beeping watch and walking way more then running. By mile 11, I wasn't running at all. My foot was hurting; I was hot; the water in my water bottle was warm.

forget the "...and Beyond" I was just going for the finish line

For a while there were some runners in sight in front of me and I could hear some behind me. But then the course made some turns. The runners in front were out of sight; I turned around and couldn't see anybody behind me.

And just like that, I was out there all alone. Hot, tired, sore, and alone. It was too much. I cried. I really wanted to quit, and I almost did.

What made me keep going? Practicality. It was around mile 13 and I thought to myself, "ok, you want to go home? Well, guess what - the car is at the finish line and you've got to get to it to get home, so..." Yep, it was the location of the car that kept me in the race. I figured I'd have to walk that 2 miles anyway, so it made sense to finish. Hey, whatever works, right?

It was hard; it wasn't fun; I missed my goal finish time; but I finished. 15 in '15 was done. Another thing I never imagined I'd be able to do accomplished.

For the record, the dream didn't come true. I wasn't anywhere close to being the winner, as in the one who crossed the finish line first. Nor was I anywhere close to being the first woman or first in my age group (unless 443rd (or 167th or 25th) means 1st in some alternate universe). 

But I did finish. I ran the same course, crossed the same finish line, as those who did come in first. And that's something to be proud of.

Race Stats
Charleston Distance Run - 15  miles
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Finish Time: 3:34:28 (garmin); 3:35:00 (official)
Place: 443 of 461; 167 of 185 women; 25 of 30 age group

Race Report - CAMC Run For Your Life 5 mile run

I had a running plan for 2015 - I was going to lay off the races this year and just run for fun until fall.  I felt like I was putting to much pressure on myself to run a certain number miles or a certain pace, and all the fun was gone. Running had become a chore, and I didn't want it feel to that way. So I was going to take some time and just run for fun - no plans, no goals, just running to run, because I wanted to, not because I felt I had to.

Well, as plans tend to do in my world, it got pushed to the side. After a few months without a plan, running was feeling good again, but I felt like I was drifting. I was having fun running again, but something was missing. There was no challenge. Nothing to work for. So....  I found a race. A race with a challenge.  A race I'd have to work for. The CAMC Run For Your Life - a 5 mile run that goes up to the Spring Hill cemetery - hill being the key word.

Shortly after I registered, I started the Runner's World Summer Run Streak (run at least a mile every day from Memorial Day through the 4th of July) - which turned out be an awesome tool for extra training accountability. It's weird - I'll wimp out on a run if it's just up to me; but to miss out on a day of running followed by posting a pic on Instagram with the #RWRunStreak hashtag is just unacceptable for some reason. Weird how my brain works. 

Anyway - the running every day has made me feel stronger than I have in a long time. I'm starting to get faster - or more accurately, starting to get back to my fast (fast and slow being individual to each runner - my fast is another runner's slow, my slow is another runner's fast.) I've got a long way to go, but I feel confident that, if I keep working hard, I'll be ready to try for a new half marathon PR in November.

But what does that have to do with today's race? Everything and nothing. 

The last few days, I've made a big deal out of the hill, posting this pic to Facebook, with a caption stating my goal was "to not die on the hill":

I was feeling strong but hills intimidate me; no matter how many I run/walk/struggle my way up, they suck the life and the confidence right out of me. So I was afraid of the hill. I knew I'd be ok before and probably after, but I had no idea what I'd do on the climb.

I set the Garmin for 1:1 run:walk intervals, and set off at the start with a start:

• Mile 1 was on the flats of downtown, and I cruised my way with an easy- feeling pace to an 11:25 pace for that mile - faster than I've been training.
• Mile 2 held the dreaded climb to the cemetery. I took the Dean Karnazes quote above to heart - I ran when I could (which was not much), walked when I had to ( which was a lot - all of the uphill). Up and up and up. But, I am happy to report, there was no crawling and no giving up. Pace for mile 2 was 14:05
• For Mile 3, the course wound through the cemetery, with some rolling little hills. The view from up there is spectacular, but alas, I took no pics. I ran some, and walked more, with pace of 13:07.
• Mile 4 was back down the hill. Since I had pretty much been ignoring the interval beeps on my watch, I just kept right on doing so, although this time I kept running. Down and down and down. At the bottom, I started following the intervals again, so was back to 1:1.  Pace for mile 4 was a speedy 10:38.
• Mile 5 went back through downtown to the levee and the finish line. My legs were tired from the downhill, so some of the run intervals felt really hard, but I ran them to the lovely beep that told me I could walk. Pace was 12:14.

Knowing how I am with hills, when I set my goal for today, it was highly conservative - a finish between 1:05 and 1:15. And I was honestly expecting to be closer the the 1:15; 1:05 was a dream. Or so I thought.  Turns out, I'm stronger and faster than I think. I was faster than 1:15; I was faster than 1:10; I was faster than 1:05. Yep- I was faster than than "dream" goal, with a finish time of 1:03:02 (unofficial)

There may be something to this training thing. I am stronger than I think. And since I'm looking for challenges, 2015 may just be the year I do the 15 mile Distance Run.  15 in '15 has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

Race Stats

CAMC Run For Your Life

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Finish Time: 1:03:02 (Nike +); 1:02:57 (official)

Place: 173 of 196 overall; 82 of 100 women; 19 of 28 age group