Post Race Workout

I had my first real workout post race today.  That is unless you count unloading and setting a new store with hundreds of cartons 24 hours ahead of schedule.  My upper body definitely felt that.  I have chosen my next race and it will be the Disney Wine and Dine in November.  I did my first training without any speedwork just choosing to get through.  Rather than slack off the workouts, I have decided that for the next six weeks, inspired by The Great Fitness Experiment, I will do Tabata based workouts combined with the Bowflex six week challenge.  I am tracking body measurement and mile speed, I will probably due a 1/2 way check in as well.  I started today running a straight mile for my baseline mile time.  I finished that mile in 8 min. 40 sec., can I just point out that is approximately 3 1/2-4 minutes faster than the first mile I finished when kicking off my training for the 1/2? I cannot wait to see what my next race will bring.

13 Moments

I achieved my goal of finishing my 1/2 marathon.  There were so many things that happened during the race I want to write before I forget them all. 

1. The jukebox in my head was in full force.  As we were walking to the corrals I was singing "Defying Gravity" from Wicked and "Past The Point Of No Return" from Phantom of the Opera.

2. No fear. There was not a single point on Sunday Morning that I ever doubted I would finish the race. Well, that is not entirely true as running under the Water Bridge scared me and made me claustrophobic, I really had no idea I could move quite that fast.

3. Strength. I never in my life have felt as strong as I did for those 3 hours and 8 minutes.

4. Running through Cinderella's Castle with my best friend, Jenny.  I mean it truly doesn't get any more magical than that.  It was so magical in fact that my emotions spilled out my eyes.

5. Mile 5-6 looking at Jenny and yelling, "Look at me, I am running a 1/2 marathon." Jenny's response was "You are just figuring that out?", me "Yeah, kind of.".  I think that getting to that point in the race and feeling so very amazing made me realize I was realizing this goal. The only race I did in preparation was a 10k.  I think nearing that distance and knowing I had a ways to go made it very, very clear.

6. Tears of Joy.  I really could not stop crying.  I cried as I crossed the start, the Magic Kingdom Parking gate, relief at making it through that stupid bridge, seeing the Castle, running through the castle, Mile 10 marker (maybe 11 and 12, too), seeing Spaceship earth and knowing all I had left was to run around it and to the finish line, and just after crossing the finish.  The tears at the finish were definitely the ugly cry.

7. Jenny had told me at some point towards the end she would look at me and yell "Balls Out" because that is what Joshua said.  Around mile 10 I looked at her and said "This is a woman's race it should be Boobs Out"  I think the other runners actually cheered for that one.

8. The lovely lady on the overpass somewhere between 9 and 10 that when we neared the top told us, "Look to your left." We did and her response was "They all wish they could be where you are right now, they will all finish behind you, you are doing great.".  God Bless that lady.

9. The lady in the Epcot parking lot with the sign that said "I don't know you but I am proud of you."

10. Overwhelming Joy.  Shawn took a picture as I was running towards them where they watched us.  The picture is focused behind me but all I could see was the smile on my face.  When I did the 15k a few years back he took a picture where I look frustrated and that was in view of the finish line.  Sunday I looked thrilled and we hadn't even made the halfway mark.

11. The marching band changing the song to "Eye of the Tiger" as we ran by.

12. The gospel choir at mile 13 that gave as many runners as they could high fives as they passed.

13. The finish line.  My goodness, I never thought I would get here.  I signed up after being able to run only 1/4 a mile. 

.1. Rocket propelled toilets make it very hard to sleep the night before a race.

13 Things

We have made it to the day before the race.  In celebration of making it through my first expo and training experience, I thought I would share 13 things I have learned.

1. If you don't love the scent of your deodorant, switch.  Especially if you use one of the "activated by activity" types.

2. If you have a pair of shoes you love, buy two.  They will wear out in your training and your emotions will vary from ecstatic that you wore through your shoes to sad that you cannot wear them for your race.

3. The support of family and friends will carry you farther than your legs. I have friends that ask "What is your distance this week?" or even "How is your running going?".  To everyone that has supported me, I will not let you down.

4. Your mind is a powerful tool. It can get you through each mile, do not let it trick you. Mile 10 is much closer to the finish line than the start.

5. For being such a solitary sport the legions of other runner whose faces light up when you ask them about their race shirt or smile and encourage when you tell them this is your first 1/2 marathon made me realize this is much more like a team sport.

6. Learn how to balance your nutrition in the best way for you.  There are plenty of websites stating study after study. Find what works for you.  I had one run that ended with me crashing on the bed an hour later and another where I did 12 miles and went to Disney afterwards.  The difference having this dialed in is incredible.

7. For a sport that supposedly only needs shoes, this can be quite pricey.  Race entry, cold weather gear, new shoes, special socks, belt to hold things, the list goes on and on.  Start with the shoes and add from there.  EDITED: Not to mention the replacement clothing for the jeans and things that no longer fit as your body changes.

8.  Your first step is the hardest. Tell everyone you can what your goal is, this will keep you accountable and maybe just maybe inspire someone else.

9. According to a study I read somewhere, Carb Loading should not just be a one meal thing but a multi day process with a taper.  Seriously, rest and eat carbs? This is this Italian girl's dream week.

10. You may feel stronger than you ever have.  This feeling of "I can conquer anything" is amazing. Once I hit twelve miles, my new goal is to run the Goofy Race and a Half challenge next January.

11. When I finish tomorrow, I will be on my way to fulfilling a goal I set in the days before my Daughter's birth.  We were walking around Disney the day after the Marathon.  I looked at my husband and told him I wanted one of those medals, tomorrow I will have one. I still want the Mickey medal most of all so when I run the January races that to me will be goal completed.

12. My cousin and I have our longest races to date this week.  She did an 8.3 miler in Honolulu last Monday.  I am so proud of her. She told me after one of my races that I inspired her, can I just say the inspiration goes both ways?

13. Nervous doesn't begin to cover my feelings today.

Breaking In

Today I started using my new running shoes.  I just did 2 miles today because I figured I would take it a little easy.  The shoes feel great, they feel very springy and easy on my knees.  I did 1 mile running and one Tabata hoping that would allow me to see how the shoes feel doing my regular pace or doing sprints.  I think these shoes and I will have a nice couple hundred miles together.
Since I have my new shoes I thought I would add up the miles put on my old ones since I started training for the 1/2 this go round.  I have put 103 miles on my old shoes since the beginning of October.  I have had these Nikes for a couple years but didn't always use them for training. This is the first time I have ever replaced a pair of running shoes because I ran through them.  I am so proud of these shoes and what they stand for, I hope they are just the first of many to be worn out from their intended use.

Race Mantras

When I finished the 15K just barely coming in under the allotted time, I kept repeating to myself "No loser bus." I know that it sounds horrible but my worst fear was that I would be picked up by the sweep and branded a loser. It is ridiculous to me now but in that moment made perfect sense.  I am not afraid this time.  I am well trained, I have already gone most of the distance on a long run, and I will have my BFF by my side.  This time I will probably repeat "Castle, Castle, Castle" for miles 1-5 and "Epcot, Epcot, Epcot" for 6-12, and "Finish, Finish, Finish" for the last 1.1. I am really hoping I can come home and change the blog title to something having to do with 26.2.

Long Runs & I Got This!

Since recovering from my cold I have managed to get in two long runs.  I put in 8.5 miles last week on 1/26 and was planning on following it up with a 10 today.  I had figured 10 was a good distance to try to knock out a 12 last week and have time for a two week taper.  Ten felt so great today I actually finished twelve.  Today I learned that Kona Punch Power Gels taste like bad cough medicine.  Blech. Also that my shoes have served their purpose and need replaced within the next day or two so I have time to break them in.  I am now overwhelmingly at peace that my race is 22 days away and confident I will finish strong.  If you had told me in October that I would voluntarily run 12 miles and then head out to Disney for the evening, I would have laughed hysterically. Today, I can tell you it was a blast.

31 Days

The overwhelming thought in my head right now is "Oh sh**, Oh please God help me" repeating over and over and over.  I am more nervous now because I have not been able to get my runs in since Thanksgiving due to two mutant colds that took up residence in my chest.  My first run was a strong 2.5 miles and I would have gone farther/longer but I didn't have time. I am hoping I can still continue to build up the mileage and not panic. I have some other things going on that are causing me to be a little more anxious than usual so hopefully I can put the nervous energy into my runs.