#12 of 13 in 2013 Race Recap: Promise 10K

I was looking forward to running this race not only because it was my first 10K but also because it was my 12th race for the year!!!  With Ralph out of town and none of my friends running it with me, I had to brave it and ran it solo.   Reluctantly, I got up when the alarm came on at 6 am this morning.  After a quick blueberry bagel and green tea breakfast, I got ready.  I arrived at the venue with only 10 minutes before the start time of 7:30.  Immediately I could tell that this was going to be a small race.  There were probably less than a hundred runners.  It also appeared that there were more people wearing the 5K bib than the 10K.  We started the run with a prayer instead of the singing of the national anthem.  This is a first for a race I've run this year.  We then lined up behind the start sign. There was no starting mat unlike all the other races I've run.  Again, a first for me.

My goal was to finish but not finish last.  The problem with these small races is that all the other runners are so much faster than I am.  I knew I'd be close to the end of the pack.  To top it all, this was my first run in two weeks!  I knew I would be pretty slow! I set my interval timer to 1/1 and decided I will have to run faster on the run portion and walk faster on the walk portion.  I noticed a younger runner with an interval timer and she had it set at a loud beep so I knew she was going for a 1/1 interval as well.  In the first two miles, I was behind her by 10 yards or so.  I decided that if I didn't pass her soon, she might finish before me and I will end up being the last runner!  I scrapped the 1/1 interval and just kept running until I passed her.  After mile 3, I never looked back.  I could hear the timer go fainter and fainter.  I cheered inside because I knew I wouldn't be last!   I was the fourth from the last!! After I crossed the finish line, I limped towards the refreshments because I had developed blisters in my left pinky toe.   Having had a slice of banana and oranges, I headed back to the car and headed home.  I didn't check my time until a few minutes after I arrived home.  Well, what do you know?  I placed second in my age group!  Oh yes, I was second of two runners with about 30 minutes difference in finish time !!!!  I told you it was a small race!  I went back to the park and claimed my medal!  I was so excited to have earned this medal.  I may never earn another place medal so I will forever treasure this one!
 

My first ever place medal!  Placed 2nd in my age group!

This race turned out to be a memorable one.  Not only because I earned a place medal but this is also my 12th race in 2013. One race away from accomplishing an incredible personal feat.  My next and final race for the year is the Space Coast Marathon on December 1st.  I pray that I continue to be healthy between now and then to run my first marathon!

Disney's Tower of Terror 10 miler race recap

"Oh no, I forgot to eat a bagel!"  This was the refrain that kept going over and over in my head as we stepped off the bus at Hollywood Studios. We always eat a bagel before we go on our long training runs!  As soon as that realization set in, I started to feel hungry and weak!  I told Ralph I don't know if I can run if I'm hungry.  Of course Ralph wouldn't hear about it so we just moved on along to where the bag check area was.  After dropping off our bags, we headed towards the corrals.  The pre-race party was in full swing but I couldn't even get myself to enjoy the music because all I could think of was the bag of 6 fresh plain bagels that we left in the hotel room!

This was our first night race and our second long race since the Princess half marathon in February.  Aside from the thoughts of bagels hanging in my head, I was excited to run in it.  The weather wasn't too bad; it was definitely humid but not too unbearable.  It was actually a bit cooler, dare I say. We were in corral I, the second to the last corral, but it didn't faze us.  It was one corral up from the last corral in February.  We had about two hours to wait before we run so we just sat down on the ground and took in the sight. We saw runners sitting on the ground, some were taking pictures, others were sleeping, and quite a few were at the pre-race party nearby.

By 10 pm, we started moving out and headed toward the starting line.  Along the way, we sang the national anthem and cheered as every corral ahead of us was called out.  The best part about running at Disney is that every corral that goes out gets a nice fireworks display.  However, for some reason, our corral didn't get one. We felt like the middle child!

By the time the gun went off for our corral to start, I had forgotten about the bagels and I had a surge of energy after eating an entire pack of Power Beans.  Adrenaline kicked in. As soon as we got out of the gate, we run up the ramp to Osceola Parkway.  This was our first time to run up a "hill" in a long time since most of our training runs are on flat roads.  It was definitely a challenge.  Ralph told me after the race that he started having hip pain at this time.  Thank goodness it went away after a mile. They had some fire display in the pond next to the exit and boy was that hot.  We then

Showing off our medals!

entered Animal Kingdom, made a loop  and was out again in no time. When we hit mile marker 4, Ralph and I exclaimed excitedly at how we made it that far quickly.  We were making good time but Ralph signaled that he needed to hit the port-a-potty.  This was the first time we've ever stopped to go potty in any race.  There is more to be said about using these port-a-lets in the dark but that's for another day to tell!  I found out later that he used compression shorts and it was pressing on his bladder.  After the potty break, on we went towards mile marker 5.  A friend of mine who ran this race last year had warned me that this part of the course would be dark and the course turns into gravel.  Run Disney must have gotten a lot of complaints about it last year that this year, the gravel road leading into Wild World of  Sports was adequately lit.  The only problem was the road was narrow so running was not possible without running over other runners.  It reminded me of running through Cinderella's castle in the half marathon.  It was tight and slow moving!  Ralph and I had to slow down our pace at this time.  I thought it was going to hurt my legs when we got to this portion of the course but it actually felt fine for me.  It was a welcome relief from the hardness of the asphalt!  We were in the WWOS area for about two miles.  We ran the track and the Atlanta Braves field. Throughout the run, my knees didn't hurt but my right posterior tibialis tendon was making it's discomfort known.  I stopped at the medic station around mile 8 and popped a couple pills of Tylenol .

When we got back to Hollywood Studios' New York sound lot, we felt very excited.  We knew that we were close to the finish line.  We stopped for a photo op at this time.  They say that when you run a half marathon, the final .1 is the longest distance.  Well, when you run a 10-miler, the last mile is the longest!  It seemed as though we made so many turns before we actually saw the finish line.  The volunteers were screaming, "the finish is right around the corner".  This was just mean when they knew that around the corner was about 6 more turns!!!  Unlike at the Princess Half Marathon, this time Ralph and I crossed the finish line hand in hand!  We posed for every cameraman man along the way to the finish.  We had so much fun in these last few yards because we knew we were close to the end!  We did it again - another fun run and another accomplishment for both of us!

At the expo earlier in the day!

We walked towards the volunteers who were handing out the medals and beelined towards the food and drinks tables.   The walk to the bag check area felt like a "death" march!  My feet were hurting and I could hardly walk anymore.  We finally got our bags and I decided to remove my shoes, take off my compression socks and wear my flat slippers.  Big mistake! I could hardly walk towards the bus and couldn't walk towards our hotel room. It felt better when I put my shoes back on!

I iced my knees and legs after we arrived in our hotel room and wore my full compression socks to sleep.  We didn't get to bed till 3:00 am!  Phew, what a long and tiring day!  Although I was in pain after the race, this was still a fun race to have run.  The on-course entertainment was great and the volunteers were awesome!  This being a night race definitely posed some challenges and was a learning experience. Lessons for the next time?  Make sure to take a long nap during the day, have plenty of time to eat a decent dinner and do not forget to eat a bagel on the way out the door!  Oh and don't run on a new pair of shoes and insoles!

This was my 11th race in 2013!  I have two more races to go and I will have accomplished my goal of running 13 races in 2013!  I never imagined myself to have the will to stay on course to achieve this goal, but I have, and for that I am very happy!  Thank you all for cheering me on!

Next race, Let's Get Moving 10K.  This will be my first 10k race!

Our first time to visit Wide World of Sports

Inside the expo for packet pick up.  

Our hotel building at Pop Century Resort!

Marathon training update

On July 2nd Ralph and I started training for what would have been our first marathon at the WDW Marathon weekend in January.  About two months ago, Ralph and I decided to change courses and run the 26.2 miles in the Space Coast marathon on December 1st.  After the initial fear and the what-was-I-thinking mode, we have gone into full swing in training.  Here's a quick recap of training thus far, including training for WDW:

Training method used:  Galloway
Interval used:  1:1 run:walk
Weeks in training: 13
Weeks to go: 9
Total miles run: 112
Longest run:  15 miles
Fastest pace: 12:21 mm
Slowest pace:  15:13 mm
Roadkill seen: 1 squirrel
Rained on:  once
Used the bushes to do number 1: 1 (Ralph, by the way)
Longest time without going to the bathroom:  3:48:26 (me)
Injuries: None
Aches and pains: plenty
Blisters: pinky toe (me)
Bleeding nipples:  none (thank you, Bandaid)
Favorite fuel during runs:  Power Beans and Gu gels
Weird experiences:  loss of appetite after a long run
Post run refueling: Silk chocolate milk or protein shake with bananas
Pre run energy favorite:  slice of plain bagel
What not to do before a long run:  put cheese on your bagel
Worst part of training: 5 am wake ups on Saturdays!
Best part of training:  end of any run!
Newly found favorites:  full compression socks after a long run!
Amusing event #1:  Ralph busting into a dance move during our walk intervals
Amusing event #2:  Ralph breaking into a song during long runs!
Best cross training workout:  Strong!
Days wasted after long runs: 1
Next run:  10 miles
Biggest fear to date: getting hurt when we run 20 miles in November
Best lesson:  Put one foot in front of the other and just do it.
What's next: Why, keep running, of course!

#10 in 2013 - Turtle Krawl 5K

The Turtle Krawl 5K at Nance Park was my 10th race in 2013.  This is touted as running for the turtles and how fitting since I still run almost at a turtle's pace!  Although I did not PR this year, I shaved off almost 9 minutes from last year's time! That was all I really wanted to achieve on this race and I did.  What made this race even more special was that two of my best friends and a fellow teacher ran the race as their first ever 5K!   It makes me so happy that I have encouraged my friends to try running.  They may not continue on with any more but at least I got them to go out and try!

There was nothing new about the race; same course, same heat, same awesome t-shirt, and the same overall well organized event.  What was different was that there was a record close to 2200 participants this year! The organizers did an excellent job at getting these many runners to the start by providing shuttles so that there was no jockeying for limited parking spaces closer to the venue.  The after race food and refreshments was a aplenty that from the looks of it, no came out hungry or thirsty after.  They even had coconut water!  As for my running what was different was that I didn't feel like I was dying from exhaustion this time around.  I also did more running than walking, thus, the faster finish.  I can attribute this easily to having run at least 9 races since last year and putting more miles on my running shoes in preparation for my first full marathon in December.  This will definitely be an annual race to run for my husband and I in support of the Sea Turtle Preservation Society.

I look forward to running more races with my friends and maybe you may want to run along with us.  I also look forward to completing 3 more races to achieve my 13in2013 goal!

Next race, Disney's Tower of Terror 10 miler on October 5! 

With two of my friends, Nahid and Monica.  This was their first 5K ever!

  

With my fellow teachers, Natalie and Michelle.  This is Michelle's first ever 5K and I am so proud that she came and conquered the race! (Photo courtesy of Natalie Marshall)

A sea of runners, getting ready to run for the turtles! (Photo courtesy of Natalie Marshall)

Changing course

As many of you know, Ralph and I have been training for the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 11, 2014.  This would have been our first ever marathon.  Well, this race will no longer be our first, but our second marathon.  We have decided to change our registration to the Space Coast races on December 1st from the half to the full marathon. Have we gone bonkers???  Well, yes we have, it seems.  Okay, here's the rationale behind it and it does make sense.  Our Jeff Galloway training schedule for the WDW marathon puts us to run 23 miles that weekend.  Initially we were going to run the half on December 1st and run the 23 mile training run the following weekend.  After careful reconsideration, we decided why not just run the 26.2 miles and be done with the 23 mile training run with a 5K mixed in!  No big deal adding 3.2 miles to our training run, ha!  Honestly, I have had some major doubts about our being able to run the full this soon.  However, I believe that with proper training, we can do it.  I am now mentally prepared and looking forward to running and finishing the race.

2013 Space Coast Marathon Medal

#9 of 13 in 2013 - Firecracker 5K Race Recap

Runners singing the National Anthem before the race!

I couldn't have asked for a better morning to run on the 4th of July at the Firecracker 5k. Well, it was all we could ask for for a July morning in Central Florida, that is.  The race was scheduled to start at 7 am to avoid the blazing heat of the sun.  Even so, the sun was already up but the humidity wasn't so bad yet (at least for me) at race time.  It surely got hotter and more humid as soon as the gun went off.

This was my first 5K for the year with my running buddy, my husband, Ralph.  The last time we raced together was at the Disney Princess Half Marathon back in February.  Princess was also his last race until today.  For me, I had been running at least one race a month since the beginning of the year but the last race I ran was the Run for the Gecko 5K on May 11.  Just like him, it felt like this was  my first race all over again.  With my excitement, I beat the alarm clock set at 5:30 by an hour!  I waited until Ralph woke up before getting out of bed.  For breakfast, I had one fried egg, two hot pandesal (Filipino bread), and a cup of piping hot green tea.  Ralph made a bowl of oatmeal with sliced banana.  We quickly took a shower, got dressed, spread on some sunscreen, grabbed our water bottles and iphones and we were out the door.

And we're off!  Photo courtesy Gloria Abad Suan

Since it was a 4th of July run, the race was held at the Liberty Bell Museum in Melbourne.  Parking was at the nearby Melbourne Auditorium which is a good half a mile from the venue.  It was a good distance to walk and warm up before the race.  After finding our friends and the mandatory photo ops, the race was on.  I hit start on the mapmyrun app  and Lady Gaga's Telephone on my iphone and I was off.  With over 1000 runners, it was a little slow at the start but we spread out in no time.  Ralph had gone ahead of me (he always does) because he wanted to beat his last race record.  I was in the middle of the pack and was maneuvering my way around the other runners.  I hit a good stride in the first mile according to the "lady" on the app.  According to "her", I was at a 10:24 min/mi pace at mile 1.  However, the official race split put it at 11:32 min/mi!  Mmmm, who's more accurate?  I guess in the end it doesn't really matter.  I still fell behind this pace after mile 1 and continued on to officially finish at 38:59 (12:44 min/mi).  Since I can never catch that elusive under 35 PR, I will just shoot for the attainable under 40 every time!  Hubby PR'd at 31:45, woohoo!!!  Not bad for a 50-year old novice runner!

Crossing the finish line!  I look like I'm swimming in my sweat!
Photo courtesy of runningzone.smugbug.com 

Ralph crossing the finishing line with a PR!!
Photo courtesy of runningzone.smugbug.com

It was a great run all around.  We got American flags, necklaces, and an array of fresh fruits after the race.  And as always, a nice cup of fruit smoothie that hits just the right spot especially on a hot race day as today.  

I can't wait to run the 10th of 13 races in 2013 race next month at the I Run for Pizza Football Kickoff 5K!  I hope to see you there.

So happy to wave the American flag marking another great race together.

With our friends, Lorna and Tony Mazza. 

Me at mid-race. Photo courtesy of runningzone.smugbug.com

Ralph at mid race .. Photo courtesy of runningzone.smugbug.com

Team Eau Gallie High School!  Photo courtesy of Natalie Marshall

WDW Marathon Training

(Photo courtesy of rundisney.com)

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post.  Life just got in the way and writing took a back seat.  My last post was about my taking on the Runner's World Streak challenge.  Unfortunately, I had to cut it short due to illness.  I hope to try again next year.  The biggest change since my last post was the return of my running buddy and husband, Ralph, from a 6 month teaching and research stint in the Philippines.  At the same time as his return, the Florida heat and humidity arrived in full force.  Call me a wimp, but it is just so hot and humid to run out there.  So I have done what a wimp does and signed up for gym membership so that we can be active indoors.  The gym that we signed up for has an indoor track that we have used for a couple of runs.  We have also taken strength classes (Strong) and cardio exercises such as Zumba, Kickboxing and Metabolic Training.    

Another reason why we signed up for gym membership was to be able to use the facilities to train for a marathon.  Back in April, I signed us up to run the WDW full marathon on January 12, 2014.  Today is the official start of Jeff Galloway's Training Program for this race.  We are not new to Jeff Galloway's training program.  We used his training program when we ran the Princess Half Marathon back in February.  Personally, I like Jeff Galloway's training because it involves the use of run/walk intervals.  In his experience, incorporating walk breaks during long runs avoids injury.  I would not have been able to finish the half marathon if I had to run the entire race.  So, since Ralph and I have a half marathon under our belt, we decided that the 29-week training for Experienced Runners with a goal to "Finish in the Upright Position" was the best training program for us this time around.  The training program includes two maintenance runs of  30 minutes each on Tuesdays and Thursdays with long runs on Saturdays.  Long runs slowly ramp up in distance every other weekend with a final long run of 26 miles in Week 25 with a two-week taper before marathon weekend.  Jeff Galloway recommends cross training on non-run days so we will hit the gym for weight training, spinning, or Zumba.

When we ran the Princess Half Marathon, we used a run/walk interval of 45s/30s.  For the WDW Marathon, we have decided to train at 2/1 interval which is equivalent to a 12 minute/mile pace.  We will probably end up running at 1/1 interval in the first 13.1 miles and ramp it up to the 2/1 interval in the second half.  

Although we are no longer novices to the sport of running, we are quite novices as far as marathon training is concerned.  This is one journey that hubby and I are both excited and anxious to be embarking together.  I believe that we have it in us to finish the journey and cross the finish line upright.  We hope you will join us as we run, run, run to Marathon weekend 6 months from now.

Our training gear!  The inside pairs are our running shoes (Brooks Adenaline for Ralph and New Balance 890 v3 for me) and the outside pairs are our cross training shoes (Skechers for me and Nike for Ralph)