Category Archives: run, Forrest, run
Thoroughbred Classic 5K – a new PR!
There’s no better way to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner than a 5K run, right?
Although we had just run the Southern Lights 5K a week before (The Big Kid finished in 20:54, Thing Two in 32:13, Thing One and I in 32:21 – actually a 5K PR for all of us! The boys & I ran together until the final stretch and we had to stop to tie three shoes along the course) we decided that since Granna & Grandad would be around, the kids would run the one-mile fun run & the grown-ups would run the 5K before consuming our turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, etc, etc.
The one mile run was first. Thing One is sporting the blue fleece and Thing Two is in yellow.
They were the 3rd (8:54) & 4th (9:14) boys to finish!
Next up was the 5K. I’ve raced at Keeneland before, but this was my first time on this course and my first chip-timed race there. First time in a crowd this size too. I waited for the start with some friends but really should have pushed my way up farther in the crowd. There is no reason why I should have to push past strollers & dog walkers for the first half of a 5K and no reason why faster runners should have to push past me. It’s not that hard, folks!
I was really gunning for a sub-30 finish. It’s been 3.5 years since I finished the Couch to 5K plan and I’ve always felt like a loser since I’ve not been able to complete a 30 minute 5K like C25K leads runners to believe they should.
29:51
It felt really good!
The Big Kid ran 21:27, 14th in his age group. Thing One and Thing Two had been told to stick around for their awards. The bling is starting to pile up around here…
Louisville Sports Commission Half Marathon
We survived! And it wasn’t as tough as I’d expected!
This was an inaugural race, put on by the same folks who organize the Kentucky Derby Marathon & Mini-Marathon. Reports were that about 2500 runners were registered for the half-marathon. Thing One & Thing Two were handed over to my folks the night before and we drove up the morning of the race, bringing along my friend A who decided after completing her first 10-miler the weekend before that she needed to attempt 13.1 and this was as good a time as any.
We parked the same place as we had for the Derby Mini-marathon and waited in the car for start time. About 30 minutes prior to the start, we made our way through the chilly air to find the port-a-potty line and get ready. Those tricky race directors hid the port-a-potties around a corner on the opposite side of the start line from where the runners approached, which confused many folks. People were lined up 40 deep for a permanent restroom in the adjacent park but we kept moving until we found the lines we had a chance of getting through before the start.
As is only appropriate for a race in Louisville, the start featured a bugler and the “call to the post”. The Big Kid pushed up closer to the front while A & I reviewed our strategy to use 4/1 run/walk intervals. I had done my last three long runs with this interval but it was new to A and she was a bit skeptical. She was VERY skeptical when, 4 minutes after the start, I signaled it was time to walk and people were just pouring past us.
The first few miles were uneventful. There were some great bands stationed along the course. The water stop volunteers seemed absolutely overwhelmed, like the race directors had not prepared them for 2500 runners to descend upon them. We’d been promised Powerade & water at every stop, but I didn’t actually see Powerade until after the 8 mile point. If I’d known that none would be available for the middle of the pack runners, I’d probably have packed a third Gu.
Miles 4 to 8 were the hills. Massive hills. Cherokee Park. A started to see the value in the walk breaks we’d been taking from the start. We had the power to keep going up the hills while many around us stopped to walk. After mile 9, the elevation flattened out. After mile 10, we were in all virgin territory for A. By mile 11, I was really looking forward to my walk breaks. Our last one was around mile 12.5 and we just kept running from there. She had a bit more left at the end and finished about 15 seconds ahead of me.
My final time? 2:19:20, just 1:20 slower than I was for the much flatter Derby mini. I think that shows that running intervals is probably the way to go for me!
We got the awesome medals dipped in red Maker’s Mark wax.
Post race food was great – Powerade, bagels, chocolate milk, bananas, powerbars, pizza, and MAKER’S MARK SAMPLES. I think there was beer, but that doesn’t really excite me.
The Big Kid ran his fastest half ever at 1:47:20. I think he was pretty happy when I finally finished so we could walk another mile or so back to our car and get warm!
yeah, we’re crazy
After lots of back & forth & trying to decide, The Big Kid and I are running the Louisville Sports Commission Half Marathon on Saturday. Thing One & Thing Two will be with their grandparents for the weekend anyway and we’re already trained for 13.1, so why not?
I’ll be honest, it’s pretty much all about the bling!
How can I pass up a medal dipped in Maker’s Mark wax?
Here’s the scary part:
The hills of Cherokee Park look pretty rough. I’ve been trying to train for uphills & downhills in the last few weeks and definitely will be running 4/1 intervals. I’ve done 4/1′s for an 11 mile and a 13 mile run and seem to come out with about the same time as if I ran straight through, so interval running is definitely the way to go. Running 6ish miles tomorrow and 2-3 on Thursday, then racing Saturday.
Disney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon 2011 race report
People often ask, “Why do you need to go all the way to Disneyworld to race? Aren’t there races here?” I think this video sorta sums up my answer:
Running at Disney is just more fun!
I did not carry my camera through the race or to the after-party, so I don’t have a lot of photos for this post. I ran this race last year with friends, but The Big Kid did not arrive until later that trip, so this was his first experience with a Disney half-marathon. We ran the inaugural Expedition Everest Challenge in 2008, but this was his first time at a longer, bigger Disney race. We both ran the Kentucky Derby “mini” (half) marathon in April 2011.
We arrived in Orlando Wednesday night went right out Thursday and did exactly what we were not supposed to do – we walked 11.5 miles! So much for a “low key” day. We were in the Magic Kingdom, then went to Epcot for 2 laps around Food & Wine Festival in World Showcase, then back to MK for dinner & the trek to the parking lot. Friday totaled about 8 miles for me because I did 2 miles with Jeff Galloway, then walked around the Expo, the Beach Club, & the outlet mall/Downtown Disney that night. So much for taking it easy before the race!
On Saturday I attended the Disney Moms Panel Meetup at Epcot, then spent some time resting by Stormalong Bay before heading out to the race start. We stayed at the Beach Club and were pleasantly surprised when we walked out to the regular Beach Club bus stop around 7 PM and hopped right on a bus to the start. Last year, my friends & I waited 30-45 minutes at the Yacht & Beach Convention Center for a bus with available seats. It did take a while for the bus to let us off once we reached the Wide World of Sports, but that was fine.
Once we arrived at the Wide World of Sports, we dropped his bag off at bag check – since he was likely to finish at least 20 minutes faster than me, we decided to check only one bag using his bib number. Then we waited. We wandered and snacked, then finally found the WDW Radio Running Team and spent some time chatting with everyone there. We listened to the DJ, watched everyone dancing, marveled at some of the costumes, and checked out everyone’s bib number to see if those lower than The Big Kid (424) looked faster or slower than him.
Finally, after a quick port-a-potty stop, we headed over to Corral A. We tried to hang near the middle but kept being asked to move forward. More waiting. Finally – an “interesting” version of the national anthem, fireworks, and we were off! I was so glad RunDisney moved to a wave start for those in the back corrals and also glad that every wave got their own fireworks. Running out of the WWOS through the turn on to the Osceola Parkway was a bit crowded, but not too bad. I mostly tried to hold my pace down and not chase the faster runners who were passing me. I still started out too fast, my 5K split was 31:33, technically a 5K PR for me by about a minute! Yikes. My first mile was a 9:53 and I pretty much slowed down every mile from there.
I loved the Animal Kingdom this year! Last year I felt boxed in by walkers & had to fight the desire to push & shove others out of my way. This year it was comfortable & easy. I caught up with the wheelchair racer near Expedition Everest and we passed each other a few more times before the end of the race. I did know I’d been moving too fast and tried to back off a bit as I left the Animal Kingdom. I ended up walking some short stretches once I was back on the Osceola Parkway.
At about 80 minutes into the race I made the turn onto World Drive and was so glad the out-and-back part of the course was removed. After that, the course changes messed with my head a little bit. I’m happy with the new course, for sure, I just kept remembering the 2010 race. Last year, we entered the studios at mile 10. I was at exactly 2 hours at that point and realized I did not have a 30 minute 5K in me to meet my goal time of 2:30. This year, it was right about mile 9, which was great. I knew I’d beat last year’s time but wasn’t sure how fast I’d be able to go for the next 4 miles. After coming through the costuming tunnel, I started wondering about The Big Kid. At 1:45, I hoped he’d finished and at 1:50, I really, really hoped he’d finished and felt good.
Out of the Studios, around the Boardwalk, waved to Deb Wills & the All Ears crew, then up & over the walkway to the International Gateway… oh, no, I have to keep running, the finish isn’t right here? Hey, there are people cheering. Hey, there’s some spotlights. Where the heck is the finish? Keep going, keep going, keep going, finally! The finish!
I crossed the finish line & almost immediately The Big Kid was calling me. I’d been hoping to finish around 2:15 since I was 2:18 at the Derby half. I was actually right at 2:24, so he was starting to get concerned that he’d missed me. I couldn’t hear him, but we stayed on the phone, I got my medal, my bag of food, and then I found him waiting for me right where runners could exit into the mix of non-runners & finished runners. He had already retrieved our checked bag and changed. I couldn’t believe it when he said he walked right in and the volunteer practically had the bag waiting for him to get to the table! What a change from last year, great job, RunDisney! The changing tents were fantastic too, much better than stripping down behind the entrance gate to the Millenium Pavillion.
I quickly changed into dry clothes & my compression socks, we grabbed our “free” beer, and hustled into the PARTY! I’d have much rather had a “free” wine, I think we ended up giving mine away to a random stranger. We met up with our friends for one loop around World Showcase. It seemed to me to be MUCH less crowded than 2010, both because I arrived at the finish earlier and because the partygoers were more spread out. Finishing in the front of Epcot made the experience SO much better. We were able to sample food & wine from some of the booths we skipped on Thursday during the soft opening of Food & Wine Festival. We dropped back by the WDW Radio Running team meet-up at 2 AM but did not stay long enough to be in the group photo, it seems. About 2:45 AM we finally gave up and headed back to the Beach Club Villas for a few hours of sleep before flying home to Thing One & Thing Two.
My race splits:
5K in 31:33
10K in 1:05:56
15K in 1:40:36
13.1 miles in 2:24:14
Overall Place 3203 / 8254
Gender Place 1568 / 5213
Division Place 322 / 953
I’ll spare you The Big Kid’s stats, but I do know that he was the 477th finisher overall.
meet up, eat up with Jeff Galloway
I thought I had missed out on the opportunity to RSVP for the Jeff Galloway pre-race meetup this year. I was busy at Thing One & Thing Two’s school that morning, doing PTA volunteer stuff. When I got home and saw the blog post, I quickly fired off an RSVP with my name but figured I was way too late to be accepted.
A few days later, I got an email from RunDisney saying I had been pulled from the alternate list and was now invited to attend. Unfortunately, I didn’t include The Big Kid’s name in the RSVP, so he was not invited. Doh!
We decided I’d take our rental car to the Wide World of Sports at 7 AM and he’d meet up with me there at 10 AM for the expo.
Everyone met out front, signed liability waivers, and then we were driven around to the track at the back of the WWOS on golf carts.
Once there, we were treated to a “physics & form” lesson from Brooks Johnson! I was not expecting anything more than just to show up & run with Jeff Galloway, so this was a real treat. He actually had us up & running on the track in small groups while we focused on posture, foot strike, and arm swing.
Race director John Hughes talked a bit and promised us great weather for the run!
We also heard from last year’s winners about their experiences.
And then Jeff Galloway talked about his run/walk method.
Then it was finally time for us to run! A group of faster runners took off with last year’s winners, mentioning something about 6 minute miles… the rest of us knew then we’d made the right choice. Jeff wouldn’t quote us a pace, just that he wanted to “avoid huffing & puffing” and that we’d be doing 30 seconds running/30 seconds walking. Overall we moved about a 13 minute/mile pace, I didn’t quite run the intervals since I dropped to the back to talk to someone from the Running of the Ears group, then caught back up to the main group. In the last mile of the run, something he said finally “clicked” with me – he reminding us that his numbers are ratios, not minute:minute prescriptions. One of the reasons I’ve resisted using his run/walk method is that I CAN & WANT TO run for longer than 3-4 minutes at a time. I just keep thinking “3:1 or 4:1″ means “3 minutes running, then 1 minute walking”. I think I’d actually be more comfortable with 6 or 8 minutes running, then 2 minutes walking. After running this race, my third half-marathon, I’m ready to try this new mindset, especially if I ever attempt a full marathon.
Once everyone finished our 2 mile trail run through the swamp behind WWOS, we hopped back in the golf carts and moved back to the WWOS Grill, where Chef Gary Jones and Chef Mickey were waiting for us.
There should be no shortage of official Disney video & photos from this event…
The chefs and their assistants put together a quinoa-based muesli. We all had a small taste.
We heard more about the future of RunDisney, including the promise of more events on both coasts and a focus on international participants. Personally, I’m hoping for another full marathon, but we’ll see.
There were photo ops with both Chef Mickey & Jeff Galloway.
The RunDisney folks took some of the meet up, eat up participants to the front of the line for packet pickup. Since I had to wait for The Big Kid anyway, I went on into the expo and bought a shirt from the One More Mile booth while there were no lines. This year packet pickup was in an entirely different building at WWOS, which meant more walking around but a little less chaos in the main expo room.
Finally! That’s The Big Kid in the Perry shirt and our fantastic South Florida-based friends who were coming to pick up their after-party tickets.
Disney Parks Blog post about the meet up
Disney Parks Blog photos on Facebook
At the end, we were given a RunDisney goodie bag that included both a WWOS bag and an individualized t-shirt with my Twitter name on it! All in all, this was a fantastic meetup! I was so grateful to be included and really enjoyed the entire morning. Thanks, RunDisney!
(photos not tagged with @StateOfChaos were stolen from RunDisney’s Facebook page)
I’m not sure I’m that fast…
Waivers with bib numbers are now available for RunDisney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon!
Several weeks ago, DH & I submitted our finishing times from the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon and the RunDisney folks updated our estimated finishing times. I finished Derby in 2:18:01 so RunDisney adjusted my estimated finish time to 2:03 – yikes! Yes, my Derby time was an 18 minute improvement from the 2010 Wine & Dine half, but to cut another 15 minutes from my times sounds a bit ambitious. Derby was The Big Kid’s first-ever half and he finished in 1:57:18. RunDisney didn’t send back a new estimate for him, but he’s hoping for 1:50 or under.
His bib number is 424 and mine is 1736. Looks like we could both be in the first corral! I’m not confident I belong there, will have to try hard to EARN it!
