The Running Thread - 2019

[Waiting2goback]

First, the good:

November Totals:
Distance: 212.99mi
Pace = 7:52/mi avg

Best mileage ever, and a great pace as well.

And a Race Report:

Chase the Turkey 5K

Thanksgiving morning dawned with perfect weather for running, clear blue skies and temps in the upper 40s. My wife and daughter came with me, with my daughter running this race as her baseline run (she hasn't trained at all over the summer/fall), and my wife deciding the morning of to participate as well. The race is run in my usual training run park, so it can be called my true home field race. Picked up my race swag (TWO t-shirts and a bag of sports beans), and after a short warm up run, lined up for the start.

The route for the race is a 2 mile loop around the whole park with an extra out and back to complete the 3.1 miles. The race starts at the main intersection in the park, and the first 1/4 mile is downhill, great for getting a good start. I started off near the front, with nothing but teenagers in front of me by the bottom of the hill. The next 1/4 mile is up hill, with the first 2/3rds of that gradual, but a steep hill marks the end of the first half mile (you have to do this hill twice, it also marks the turnaround point for the out and back to finish the race). By the top of the hill, I had caught 3 of the eight teenagers who were ahead of me, and felt great. The next 1.5 miles I was just cruising, felt really good, just kind of pacing the group of teenage cross country boys at the front about 100 yards back.

As we pass the start/finish line to end the loop and begin the out and back portion, I decided to see if I could push to catch any of the runners ahead of me, who were starting to string out. By the second time up the hill, I had caught and passed the first of the lead pack, and set my sights on the next runner. Once we were going downhill, the progress slowed a bit, and I pretty much paced him until the last 10th, where it begins to go back uphill. I decided now was the best chance, and kicked it up a notch, very pleased I had some left to give. I ALMOST caught him, but once he heard me he picked it up as well, and finished a yard ahead of me.

But thrilled with the result, I crossed the finish at 18:52, a new PR by 44 seconds! I finished 5th overall and 1st in my age group. Here is me with my fun turkey trophy:

View attachment 456017



And now the bad:

Saturday marked two weeks till my marathon, and 3 miles into my run, I stopped for a drink of water at a fountain, and when I stepped to take off again, sharp pain shot through the back of my lower right leg. I tried to stretch it out and continue, but it only got worse. I shut it down and limped the 3 miles back to my car. Two days later, and I am still feeling it in my calf, its very tight and tender. I am very upset and nervous, both for making the race at all, and for attempting my BQ (as I watch my fitness score drop each day I can't run).

Is it calf or achilles? Either way, that stinks right before the marathon. Now, even if you can run, it will be in your head the whole time. Keep us posted.

Question of the Day:
As the last weekend in the US seems to be about being thankful and consumption, with respect to the thread topic, (a) what Disney and/or running related items are you thankful for? (b) what running and/or Disney related things did you buy on Black Friday, small business Saturday, the Sunday with no tagline, or Cyber Monday?

ATTQOTD:
(a) I got a chance to use my friend's CM discount for two extra Disney trips this year! I got to take my kids to their first Disney race, and they loved it. They asked when they can go back to run the kids mile- if it were not already sold out in January or February I would have signed them up and figured out the how to pay for a trip later. They did reflect that it was more fun than the local Turkey Trot 1k, but agreed that they wanted to do both in the future, one of these seems more attainable. The inability to move my swollen ankles during pregnancy has left many lasting marks, one of which is an immense gratitude that they work, and amazement that they have worked in concert with the rest of my body to carry me through 3 half marathons (however slow) and nearly 500 miles this year.
(b) There was no way I was heading out on Friday! Saturday I picked up some new socks (smartwool and taller Feetures) and tried to buy shoes, but I cannot bring myself to pay full price for the 2019 Adrenalines when the 2020s are already out. I have been stalking the smartwool skirt @PrincessMickey recommended about 20 pages back, but it has only been full price where I have seen it. There were new fuzzy kids PJs purchased from Disney, but that was the extent of the Mouse cash spent.

a. Like others, I am thankful to be back running again. It has been a disaster since my surgery and now I am consistently running, with much less fear of reinjury (if I stay smart) since August. I am not gaining the fitness as fast as I would like. I am not getting faster as quickly as I would like, but I am still running. It is such a stress reliever to me, I missed it.

I am thankful for being a part of this group, although my participation as lessened because of lack of time, I still think about this thread and not letting people down all the time. It keeps me going.

I am thankful for the experiences I have had as a result of running. The places I have run, the people I have met from running, and the accomplishments I have had.

b. I had to buy a new headlamp recently but not because it was on sale, I just needed it. Other than that, I haven't bought anything from the "sales" yet.

I thought of this QOTD awhile ago, but I keep forgetting to get online in the morning to ask it!

QOTD: When you "travel" to races, do you usually travel alone or with family/friends? And do you like it that way? (You define "travel" - it might be driving several hours, or an overnight stay, or far enough away that a flight is required, etc. You might have different answers for Disney vs non-Disney races.)

I will answer myself later, since I have a student waiting to see me! (priorities, ha)

I have done both. My first race I traveled for was 2014 TOT and it still ranks as a top 3 weekend in my life. Such a great experience. But, I have traveled with others to other races and it's fun both ways. I am hoping to get a few more non-Disney races in the upcoming years. I haven't raced in over a year and I have many I would like to do. I am looking forward to it. My wife is enjoying running more so she seems open to a few 1/2's around the country so we shall see what the schedule, and budget, allow for.

 

[Slogger]

ATTQOTD: regarding thankfulness, I don't really have a lot of Disney stuff or any Disney trips planned right now so my answer may not seem exciting.

a>I am thankful that I am healthy enough to run each day if I choose to and have the freedom to do so. I enjoy my Garmin watch, and my shoes, and other stuff, but none of it would be meaningful if I didn't have health and freedom and support of my family and my RunDisney friends.

b>I didn't buy ANYTHING for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Not just running items, I seriously didn't buy anything at all. We were traveling and with family and too busy to shop. Please don't judge too harshly!!!

 

[avondale]

I thought of this QOTD awhile ago, but I keep forgetting to get online in the morning to ask it!

QOTD: When you "travel" to races, do you usually travel alone or with family/friends? And do you like it that way? (You define "travel" - it might be driving several hours, or an overnight stay, or far enough away that a flight is required, etc. You might have different answers for Disney vs non-Disney races.)

I will answer myself later, since I have a student waiting to see me! (priorities, ha)

ATTQOTD: Answering my own question, finally.

I have almost always traveled to races alone. I would consider traveling to be a race requiring an overnight stay or a flight. (But I usually go alone to all my races.) My mother traveled with me to one race and we made it a mini-vacation.

I thought of this question because when I was planning my trip to the Space Coast Marathon in Florida, my mother thought it was just too bad that I was going by myself. She thought about flying down with me, but it was too close to Thanksgiving by the time she mentioned it and the airfares were more than she wanted to spend.

I wouldn't mind my husband traveling with me (or my mother) because it would be nice to actually have someone waiting at the finish line sometimes, but I can understand why he doesn't want to go for quick trips that mostly involve him waiting around for me. And I actually enjoy traveling alone sometimes, because I can do exactly what I want! It's probably because I'm an introvert.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

November totals:

DW: 82.6 miles. New PR!

Me: 123.6 miles. Also new PR!
10.2 miles more than October, which raised my PR by 5 miles.

 

[bovie]

Hey, I know some folks (@Sleepless Knight + maybe others?) have talked about Huma gels. I'd been wanting to try them, and when i went to their website, I found they were running a promotion where you could spin a wheel for a chance to win some of their gels. I got three free, just paid cost of shipping. Just thought it might help someone out! I tried the apple cinnamon, the mango, and one of the recovery ones.

 

[mtnmjd]

ATTQOTD:
I have done both. I've traveled with friends and family running the race with me and I have traveled with family not running as well. I have also traveled solo to races.
There are pros and cons to both.

My favorite is probably traveling with a friend running with me (or with my wife running as well). You are on the same schedule, you can split costs, you have someone to share the experience with and someone there for support if needed.

But being a natural introvert and someone who cherishes their alone time, I do enjoy going solo. You can choose the itinerary solely on your desires. You can eat where ever you choose, sleep when you want and you move and transition from one thing to the next much quicker.
The only downside I've encountered is not having someone at the finish line. After running my first full marathon (WDW Marathon 2015) that moment of joy and euphoria at the finish was quickly replaced by a bit of sadness in not having my wife there to share in it.....but that was just as quickly replaced with the joy of heading to MK solo.

The only option I'm not a fan of is traveling with non-running teenage kids......their schedules just don't sync with that of a runner.

 

[KSellers88]

Hey, I know some folks (@Sleepless Knight + maybe others?) have talked about Huma gels. I'd been wanting to try them, and when i went to their website, I found they were running a promotion where you could spin a wheel for a chance to win some of their gels. I got three free, just paid cost of shipping. Just thought it might help someone out! I tried the apple cinnamon, the mango, and one of the recovery ones.

Thanks for this tip, just got three free too! I love Huma!

 

[KSellers88]

ATTQOTD: I've never traveled to a race alone that required an overnight stay. My Disney travel buddy is my mom who loves Disney even more than I do. My husband and I have done two racecations this year and I can normally talk him into traveling to places that interest him (Atlanta, Nashville, Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans and Destin to name a few). My best friends have also gone with me to several races where my husband/mom wasn't interested (Asheville, Chattanooga, etc.) or when we needed to save money on dog boarding and hotel expenses. Luckily I have not had much trouble talking someone into traveling with me so far. Let's hope that continues as I try to check more states off my list!

 

[Slogger]

ATTQOTD-I've done it both ways. Entire family has participated in Disney races with me, some races we do with friends, some with just Mrs. Slogger and I, and lately, a lot of races by myself. This weekend I have a half that I can drive to in 90 minutes and be home by lunch. Next month I will drive 7 hours and spend the night for a half in Charleston, and in February I will fly to AZ for a meeting and run the marathon that weekend. My preference is to run with others but sometimes it's hard to get everyone's schedule lined up.

 

[IamTrike]

I travelled alone to Disneyland to run the half and 10k one year. It was a fun trip, but a little lonely. Also I got so excited going from ride to ride that I forgot to eat.

at least once a year my running buddies and our wives do a destination Marathon. We've done Disney a bunch, Chicago, NY 2x, Marine Corps and Outer banks. It usually makes for a fun trip. We've ranged between groups as small as 4 and as large as 27. 4-6 seems about optimal. Beyond that it becomes kind of chaotic.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

ATTQOTD: I've also traveled to races both solo and with a family member. As others have said, there are advantages to both. It's really fun to celebrate an accomplishment like that with a friend/family member. One nice thing about traveling with another runner is being on the same schedule.

 

[flav]

And I actually enjoy traveling alone sometimes, because I can do exactly what I want! It's probably because I'm an introvert.

Even extroverts, like myself, can enjoy occasional vacations away from our loved ones... We just compensate by talking to total strangers

 

[flav]

ATTQOTD: I have traveled solo for races, I have had DU or DM accompanying me and I also raced during our family vacations. I like both having some support and doing my own thing. I guess that I am happy to have others but do not put my racing happiness in their hands either. And regarding teenagers, I am perfectly fine slipping out of an hotel room in the early morning while they sleep to go run or to go read with a coffee.

 

[dis_or_dat]

Running thankfulness: I'm thankful for all that I was able to accomplish this year and for my family's support.

Disney specific: I was at Aulani from Black Friday past Cyber Monday, does that count? My friend lives in Oahu and she cooked my entire family a Thanksgiving feast - can't ask for a better friend.

Travel: I try to keep my races super local so that my family doesn't feel obliged to come. Despite DH despising my training, he's actually wanted to come to my recent races but I told him not to bother with my last half, which was good since the kids would have been bored and it was chilly. Plus, when he comes, I never get to wait around for AG awards since he wants to leave ASAP. I won't be bringing my youngest to my next marathon, but hope to make a big family trip to NY in 2021 since my brother lives out there.

 

[RunDopey]

ATTQOTD:
- I am thankful that I am healthy and relatively happy. I am thankful for all of the wonderful experiences that I have had running. I am thankful that I started running 6 years ago and how much better I fell about myself.

- I am not a fan of shopping after Thanksgiving. Sixteen members of the family went to go see Knives Out on Black Friday instead.

- For all the non-local races I have done, I have traveled with my wife. She runs some and supports me on some. We have done the 12 people in two vans for 48 hours race thing. My mother joined us in May for the Keys 100 and I am thankful to have such a supportive wife and mother.

 

[PrincessV]

I am literally on a 6.5 mile run right now but I had to ask... does anyone else get really itchy when they run in the cold? It’s in the 30s today but sunny. I remember being itchy during cold runs even in high school over 10 years ago.

Just itchy, or hives? I grew up in WNY and broke out in big, painfully itchy hives whenever I was out in the cold more than a few minutes. Nobody really knew why. It wasn't until I was an adult that I was diagnosed with Raynaud's Syndrome, which is an autoimmune disease in which the body responds to cold like it does an allergen. Worth a Google to see if it sounds like what happens to you! I have to be really careful when the temp drops here in FL, as even in the 40s and 50s, I can start to react.

QOTD: When you "travel" to races, do you usually travel alone or with family/friends? And do you like it that way? (You define "travel" - it might be driving several hours, or an overnight stay, or far enough away that a flight is required, etc. You might have different answers for Disney vs non-Disney races.)

ATTQOTD: I only travel to WDW races, which are a 2-hour drive from home. Some of my running community friends are always going to be at those races and I'll have a meal ro two with them, and/or do some park time with them, so in that sense, I'm not necessarily alone. But I stay in my own room solo and enjoy plenty of time alone - I relish that time to myself! My son has joined me for a couple WDW race weekends: those were fun, too.

 

[sky13]

ATTQOTD: I've only travelled to two races, both runDisney ones (one DLP, one WDW), and both involving long haul flights to get there. Running in Disney is probably the only sort of race that I will plan a long distance holiday around!

Both times I've gone solo - but I've also done plenty of solo Disney trips over the last few years. It's also a lot easier to plan solo trips as I can't find anyone I know who is as interested in both running and Disney as me to go fly halfway around the world to do a runDisney race. I do meet up with a friend who lives near WDW though!

My preference for travel is something like:
Travelling with people I like travelling with > travelling solo > travelling with people I don't know well or don't like travelling with.
So I'd much rather be solo if I can't find someone to travel with that I like travelling with!

While there are quite a few disadvantages to being solo (feeling lonely, having to deal with travelling by myself, increased per person cost), there are also quite a few advantages (can do whatever I want whenever I want, no need to coordinate annual leave dates with someone else, I get my "me" time). It helps that I'm really quite introverted so I do enjoy my "me" time!

 

[mtnmjd]

And regarding teenagers, I am perfectly fine slipping out of an hotel room in the early morning while they sleep to go run or to go read with a coffee.

My problem with the teenagers is their bedtime doesn't fit with a runners early bedtime. I can never get to sleep with them rustling about the room.

Mornings are great though. They are sleeping when we leave to the race and often still sleeping when we get back.
Unless of course they wake up and go to Cape May Cafe for breakfast mistaking it for Beach Club Market Place and run up a $150 tab......and don't even get one picture with the characters.

 

[bovie]

Anyone have advice to make the treadmill a bit more pleasant? I try to run outside but it’s occasionally necessary to hit the gym with he days so short. I find quick or interval days reasonably entertaining, but i tried to do an hour long easy paced run at the gym yesterday and wanted to pull my hair out. A podcast helped some.

 

[IamTrike]

Anyone have advice to make the treadmill a bit more pleasant? I try to run outside but it’s occasionally necessary to hit the gym with he days so short. I find quick or interval days reasonably entertaining, but i tried to do an hour long easy paced run at the gym yesterday and wanted to pull my hair out. A podcast helped some.

It depends on the treadmill run. For harder runs I find a playlist is usually enough to keep me entertained. There are TV's in the gym where I use the treadmill though so there is still some video content to distract me.
For easy runs if I am on my treadmill at home I use the option to run a specific portion of a race.

If I'm not on my treadmill at home I'll usually watch one of RunArnoRun or RezRuns race videos. Both have a large number of Disney race videos. Arno also has a lot of City race video's that are pretty interesting. These are races held in Europe that take you through a city and you run through a lot of that particular towns local attractions. (like going down into catacombs or through a concert hall) the race concepts are pretty neat and for me it's interesting to get to experience a little piece of the rest of the world.