Anthem Half Marathon - March 18, 2012

It was an early morning.  I am not a morning person so this whole running thing is tough sometimes.  But, I got up at 5:30 a.m. to get myself together.  I had set out my stuff the night before which greatly reduces the amount of time one needs to get ready in the morning.

Even though it was dark out, I did remember the sunblock.  I'm white as a ghost and I knew eventually there would be sun.  We headed out about 6:00 a.m. to the start line.  Our hotel was at 29th Street, the start was somewhere around 40th Street.  Which was fine.  I didn't mind the walk and there were all sorts of people out and about heading to the start.

We got there about 6:30 a.m. and hung out chatting.  Somewhere around 6:45 a.m. Brian headed off to find a spot along the route to cheer me on and I headed to the corrals.  It was a tad chilly in the predawn darkness, but I knew it would warm up.  As I waited I realized I had to hit the little girl's room.  But the lines...they were so long.  So, I made the executive decision to wait until the first set of port-o-potties on the course.  Being in the last corral, I had plenty of time to wait until we went off and low and behold it held me in good stead.  I reached the next cross street and there were port-a-potties...with no line!  Yea!  I ducked into one and got back before the corral was sent off.  :-)  Genius!  And this comes in handy later as I never had to make a bathroom stop on the course!

What I remember from the start are three things:

1. As we waited to be set free, the Black Eyed Peas song "This is gonna be a good night" was playing.  I have good associations with this song - dancing with some good friends in Las Vegas and dancing in a club in Florence Italy with new good friends.  This song is never a bad addition to any activity.

2. The song that played immediately afterwards which was what sent us off was Will Smith's "Summertime."  I'm from the Philly area, Will Smith is from Philly.  When I hear that song it makes me think of summer and all the fun times that summer brings.  It was a great kick-off to the half marathon.

3. Though Brian wasn't sure where I would be, he found a spot along the course at the start and waited.  And we saw each other!  I was shocked!  With all those people, I didn't think we would.  He even got a photo of me starting.  It's kinda blurry...

And then I wouldn't see him until Mile 13... It was all me and my Garmin from here on out.  There won't be any more photos until the finish because I didn't take the camera this time around.  I wish I had, but I thought with the temperatures being warm I had no jacket to put it in when my hand started to hurt.  So, you'll just have to bear with me.

It was a bit crowded at the start.  Lots of people being too far up and walking.  I did quite a bit of moving, swerving, bopping.  I passed many a person on the course, which felt kinda good.  I never pass people.  I was thrilled, but tried to keep my head about me.  It's great to pass people at the beginning, it's another thing to pass them at the end. 

When Garmin went off at half a mile, I ran another 5:55.  Crazy!  I was shocked, but happy.  This stretch of the course (along with almost all of it in general) was flat.  It was a highway-type road that went past many a neighborhood, which brought out the neighbors to cheer us on.  Almost every side road had people at it cheering and encouraging us along.

When the highway-type road veered off towards the woods, there was a beer stop.  Not officially sanctioned, but random people who decided to set up a tent and hand out beer to runners who might want or need it.  I chose not to partake.  Just kept trucking along.

Brian (who ran the marathon last year) said the wooded area was kinda boring.  In a sense he was right.  It was a road with trees on either side that made a very pretty arch overhead.  But, what made it fun were the signs on the side of the road.  This is where I really wish I had my camera because I can't remember all the jokes.  The one I do remember is:

What happened when the leprechaun landed in the lake?

He got wet!

Yea, I know.  Awful.  But what's funny is this particular joke was after a ton of really punny ones and I really kept trying to figure out the catch.  Then there wasn't one.  I literally laughed out loud at this one.  I'm sure I got a funny look or two.  LOL!

Somewhere around 5 to 5.5 there was a DJ, which was nice because for some reason this race seemed really quiet.  There wasn't a lot of chatter on the course.  But, what bothered me about the DJ was she kept saying you're halfway there.  Now, if we're talking the finish line she obviously can't do math.  Which is exactly what I told the woman next to me as we passed the DJ.  But, onward we went.  

Shortly after the DJ we turned into the military base, which would be where the real turnaround point was located.  I'll be honest, this part of the course was kinda boring.  There weren't a lot of people out and about, there wasn't much to look at.  I kept looking for the lighthouse, but it never loomed over the trees.  The one thing I did like was a pretty little church on the base.  I think it was St. Theresa's. Not sure though.  It was set off from the road, tiny, and just cute.

The only part of the race that I had that "are we done yet" feeling was when I was running towards the 9ish mile water station.  For some reason it just seemed to take forever.  I was stopping at every other water stop for water and sports beans.  I didn't feel like I needed either per se, but it just seemed forever before I got to it.

After hitting the turn around point, I felt pretty good.  My goal had been to run the half somewhere between 3 hours and 5 minutes and 3 hours and 10 minutes.  I was hoping to shave some time off my Philly Half Marathon time.  Around mile 6, I felt I stood a chance of finishing under 3 hours.  But, I said to myself not to get too excited over the possibility because when you come in over three hours, but ahead of Philly you don't want to be disappointed.  Well, around mile 9 as I was drinking my water and chewing my beans, it seemed if I did the math correctly, I could really finish with a sub-3 hours half marathon.  This time I let myself get a tad bit excited and entertain the notion that I really could finish in under 3 hours.  So, low and behold at the 10 mile mark I was at 2 hours and 10 minutes with 3.1 miles to go.  Now, at my very worst 5k race I finished in 45 minutes.  This sub-3 hour half marathon was looking more and more probable.  I was getting really excited and trying to calm myself down.  When I hit mile 11 I knew there was no way, barring an injury that wouldn't let me walk the rest of the race that I wouldn't finish under 3 hours.  I wanted to jump up and down with excitement, but I figured I'd get funny looks.  LOL!  Around the 12 mile mark there was a water stop, which was not in the plans to stop at, but I decided to do so.  My throat was dry and I had time.  :-)

When I made the turn onto the boardwalk, I passed people.  Yes, at the last few hundreds of a mile, I passed people heading onto the boardwalk.  Crazy!  I came down the boardwalk and knew without a shadow of a doubt I was crossing that line in under 3 hours.  As I got close to the finish line I saw Brian again.  He yelled out did I know how fast I was going?  Uhhh...yea!  

I went past him onto the finish line.  I crossed the line and stopped Garmie - 2:51:56.  Wha??????  Holy moly!  I just smashed my half marathon time!!!  Not only did I beat my time from Philly, but I crushed it.  Oh I was happy!!  The official results were even better - 2:51:15.  :-)

After my first two half marathons I had unfortunate physical side effects.  After Princess, my back hurt.  Badly.  It started hurting at mile 10 and just didn't stop.  I was not happy.  In Philly, my back started hurting about mile 12 (which is an improvement over mile 10) and I was slightly miserable until the end.  And then, my stomach hurt afterwards.  I now realize what I did, but man, at the time I felt awful.  But Shamrock?  I felt amazing!  No back pain.  Barely any pain at all.  Some hip pain around mile 6 that lasted til the end, but it was a mild discomfort rather than a nagging pain.  After the race, no stomach pain...at all.  I felt fine.  I felt amazing.  I felt like I could have run a few more miles (and no, this does not mean I'm ready to train for a marathon!).  I just felt good.  

After crossing the finish line, I received my medal, hat, and sweatshirt.  Not too bad.  Then I found Brian on the beach.  We headed into the party tent for me to get my free adult beverages.  I chose not to partake in the beef stew, but I did partake in the beer.  Priorities. 

We hung out on the beach for quite a while, then headed in and listened to the DJ and band.  It was fun dancing around on the beach inside the tent to the music.  How I ran 13.1 miles, then danced for an hour in the tent is beyond me, but it was fun!

On the way back to the room, I had my picture taken with the sand sculpture.

Oh and how's this for a cool medal?  At the bottom is a bottle opener and hanging from the center is a removable charm.  Nice job J&A Racing!

After a shower, we stopped at Starbucks for coffee and a yummy walnut banana bread slice.  Then we wandered down the street to the stores.  We also stopped at the arcade and played some skee ball.  Because who doesn't play skee ball after a half marathon?  ;-)  It was fun!

Then I kinda crashed.  I was very tired.  We went back to the hotel and I took a nap.  Hubby woke me up about 7:00 p.m. and we headed off to CP Shuckers.  We ate there last year and it was yummy.  And it was yummy this year.  We shared Shuckers chips and enjoyed a delicious burger with fries.  Then we shared a molten chocolate cake.  :-)  After dinner it was fairly late, so we headed back to the hotel.  

It was an amazing day.  I was proud of myself.  I worked really hard the last several months training for this and for the first time I could see a marked improvement in my running.  A 25:33 minute PR??  I've been somewhat been on a high ever since.  LOL!  I suppose that's acceptable... 

Amazing!

Got up for week 2 of half marathon training this morning.  I'm not a morning person, so this is quite the accomplishment, let alone going for a run afterwards.  LOL! 

Hit the neighborhood where I run and headed out.  I felt like I was pushing it.  I wanted to push it.  I had a great 30 minute run (as part of my 3 mile run) on Saturday and I wanted to see if I could improve. 

1/2 mile: 6:38
1 mile: 13:08
1.5 miles: 19:27
2 miles: 26:33

30 minutes: 2.27 miles

Holy crap!  I am no speed demon.  I'm not going to qualify for Boston, run in the Olympic games, give Usain Bolt a run for his money, but that ladies and gentleman might very well be the best 2 mile and 30 minute run of my life!  And I am only on week two of half marathon training!  I had a goal of 2.5 miles in 30 minutes.  I think I might just hit that!

Recap of the Disney's Princess 1/2 Marathon

Thank you to everyone for the fantastic support you have given me over the past few months!  You all made me feel so loved!  So, here's how it all went down!

Brian and I were up by 2:15 a.m. to get ready to get the bus.  We had been told the day before that the lines to get on the shuttle buses would be long and to get there early.  So, we were in line by 3:00 a.m. along with many other people!  It was dark and fairly chilly (though not the chilly of the North, the chilly of "hey! It's FL and I'm shivering!"

We reached the staging area about 3:15 a.m. and had to wait around.  There were so few people there at that hour!  LOL!  Guess we overestimated a bit.  ;-)  But, it was good to just know I was there.  We took the time to take some photos

and decided where to meet after the race.  With 16,000+ signed up to race, finding each other after wards might not be so easy.

About 4:30 a.m., I headed off to the start line...which turned out to be a long walk along a dark road.  Seriously.  I believe we walked about 20 minutes to the start line.  It was something no one was happy about.  And once at the start area, it was a long wait.

It was a wave start, which was fine.  I was in the last wave, so had the opportunity to see everything as it went down.  The first to head off were the wheelchair racers, which turned out to be one person.  The half marathon began with the Fairy Godmother magically opening the race and fire works lighting the sky.  We were all impressed with the fireworks.  And as those of us in Corral F waited, there were lots of bantering among those on the platform.  The one thing I remember is a joke the Fairy Godmother made - Why does Peter Pan always fly around? Find out at the end of the post!  ;-)

What we of Corral F were thrilled with was that each wave started off with fire works.  It was great to know that all of the racers had that fabulous start.  As I got closer to the start line, I got nervous for the first time all morning.  I was happy the nerves only lasted a little bit.  I think it was because I met a lovely lady who was also running her first half marathon...and her first race ever.  She was so sweet and we just had fun chatting before the race!  And before I knew it, the Fairy Godmother was starting our wave and the fire works were going off.

The start was a mess.  Too many people in too small an area.  My first mile was awful time-wise because I just couldn't get past people.  At times, I would just run on the grass to get moving.  The first mile was rougher than I thought it would be and was really disappointed with my first mile time.  But, I kept moving and hoping for the best.

The course was fun from the start.  Lots of characters and music along the course.  There were great high school bands who played some great up-temp music and then the characters started.  The first one I really remember is the pirate boat and pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean.  And wow did Jack Sparrow look like Jack Sparrow!  The pirate ship was very popular with the ladies.  LOL!  (I'll be honest, I don't remember every single character, so when I talk about characters on the course know that they aren't all-inclusive.)

I remember crossing the 3 mile mat for timing purposes and thinking, "just 10 miles to go!"  Shortly after crossing the mat, I got totally excited.  Up ahead was Lilo and Stitch!  I hadn't stopped for anything yet and in the back of my mind, I wasn't going to stop.  But, IT WAS LILO AND STITCH!  I stopped.  :-)  I didn't take many, but there was no WAY I was skipping Lilo and Stitch.

And off I went again, sending a quick text of the photo to a few people.  I did have a qualm about sending it since it was early...though I really had no idea what time it was.

The heat started kicking in.  It was a decent start, as the race began before dark and it was chilly.  A bit humid, but decent.  Then the sun rose and the lack of shade was killer.  The change in temperature from training in 30 degrees to running in 65-70 degrees hurt.  Bad.  But, I kept running.

Shortly after Lilo and Stitch was the entrance to the Magic Kingdom...which was deceiving.  I never realized how far away the car entrance was to the actual park.  We were all sorely disappointed when the park didn't appear quickly.  As we reached a part of the entrance of the Magic Kingdom, I saw Brian for the first time.  He made it to the area just past mile 4 and it was so fun to see him there!

We ran around the parking lot until we started into the park.  I anticipated coming in the front gates, but nope.  We came in through a side road and then up Main Street towards the Castle.  It was amazing seeing it there in front.

As we went up Main Street, we took a right into Tomorrowland.  It was fun running through and there were more characters in the park, including Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum, which I thought odd.  And it was nice as we ran through the park that so many cast members came out to cheer on the runners.  We wound our way through the park until the reached the back of Cinderella's Castle.  The approach to the Castle was fun - off to the side was Minnie, Mickey, and Prince Charming for photos and above them were two heralds who blew their horns as you headed through the castle.  It was impressive.  We came through the other side and down the right side of the path and down to Frontierland.  Then it was through the park and into a back area used for storage.  IN that area were three parade floats that once again we available for photographs.  One was for Aladdin with the Genie, one was for Cinderella, and one was a pirate ship.

At this point, I knew I had passed the 6 mile mark in the race.  Sadly, I thought to myself that I was halfway done, then I did the math and realized not quite.  LOL!  It was ok though.  I felt good and I kept moving forward.  The fun part of the race was over though, as the rest of the race was along the highway until reaching Epcot for the final approximate half a mile.  They did try to help out with more characters and such.  I saw Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming along with a bed (which was freaking hilarious! You could get your photo taken with the bed as well and many people jumped on it for their photo!), Donald Duck dressed in golf attire on the golf course.  I stopped one last time to be photographed with Cinderella's Carriage and a footman.  He was so sweet too actually.  As I walked up to him, he said "I like your red hair.  It reminds me of Ariel."  LOL!  He actually was very sweet and made me smile. Which at this point was a tall order! 

I saw Brian again just past mile 8.  He almost missed me as I ran by though.  I saw him and waved.  Just before I started to yell, he looked up and saw me.  It was fantastic seeing him again.  Even though he said he would be out on the course, I wondered if we'd really see each other on the course.

From there it was a struggle.  I was excited when I hit the 10 mile marker, thinking I only had a 5k to go.  Which was the way I thought in all my training runs.  Break it down into bits that you have done before and it always worked.  Well, this time it was tough.  I chalk it up to two things - 1. the heat and 2. having not run more than 10 miles in training.  It was also at this point that many of the people who were running started walking more, making it much more difficult to keep going.  Constantly having to run on the grass or having to slow down because the person in front of me randomly stopped.  It was a struggle.

Around the 11 mile mark we hit a tough hill.  You ran around an entrance ramp (which at the middle of the curb had an army Sargent from Toy Story there for photos.  When I came around the bend, I heard the last bits of Hogan's Heroes playing, which totally made me smile.) and then the hill.  Oh it was not fun, but I had heard about a hill at mile 9 that would be rough and I figured this must have been it as there was no hill at mile 9.  And maybe it was the mile they were referring to.  On the other hand, when we hit about mile 12 there was another hill.  Which just seemed mean.  Once over the ramp, there was a live band playing music as you entered the parking lot to Epcot.  Hitting Epcot lifted everyone's spirits as the finish line was just past the park.  On the way in, we saw the mom from The Impossibles (I think, I'm not as up to date on the new Disney movies) and Mulan.  Then it was into the park.  Around the ball to the lake, then back again.  As we left the park, with less than a quarter mile to go, we made a turn and there was a full gospel choir smiling and singing us on.  It was great!

From there, a few more turns and I could see the finish line.  It was the best thing in all the kingdom!  :-)  Seeing the world FINISH ahead lifted a weight from my shoulders.  I knew I had it then.  I knew I could finish.  As I approached the finish line, I saw Brian cheering me on.  It was great seeing him so close to the end as we had no idea if he would be able to get to the finish line and be there in time to see me cross.
Cross the finish line was a crazy feeling.  Relief. Happiness. Pain.  LOL!  As I continued forward, there was a nice woman who beckoned me over to place my amazing medal around my neck.  That was a feeling I would love to relive again.  :)  Then it was off to the finish area to grab snacks (blueberry muffin.  Yes!  A blueberry muffin! and Poweraid).  I headed to out to meet up with Brian and tell him everything I've written down here.

Thank you again to all everyone who has said an encouraging word throughout this whole crazy process.  I honestly had no idea if I could manage it or not, and everyone's unwavering support sure made it easier to get through some of the rough miles along the highway.  THANK YOU!

Oh, and why does Peter Pan always fly?  Because he can Never Never Land.  ;-)

Operation 20 Still Plugging Away

It has not been as easy as I thought it would be to stick to healthy eating over the last 6 weeks.  I really though I had it licked.  I was motivated.  I wanted to kick some fat to the curb.  I wanted to reach a certain weight by the end of the year.  And then...I don't know.  It didn't happen.  I've been playing with the same few pounds for the last few weeks.  It's frustrating. 

Operation 20 Goal (February 25th): 20 pounds
Operation 20 Half-Goal (December 31st): 10 pounds
Today's Result: -1 pounds.

Operation 20 To-Go: 17 pounds
Operation 20 Half-Goal to Go: 7 pounds

So, not where I wanted to be at this stage in the game.  There are three weeks left in the year, which means I can still lose a bit more before the New Year.  I won't hit my 10 pound goal by the end of the year, but I'm not going to give up.  I'm going to keep on plugging away and if I lose 5 pounds by the end of the year, well, that's 5 pounds I can cross off my list.

I will say, I have really gotten into the Disney Princess Half Marathon training now.  I have a running plan all laid out for me that will help me reach that 13.1 miles come February 27th.  The plan and I differ about where I should be right now, but no worries, some how we meet up at the end of the month and I will be on-track mileage wise with it going into 2011.

With that being said, hubby and I hit the Jingle Bell 5k this morning.  I was scheduled for 3 to 3.5 miles today, it was perfect timing.  We like it because for some unknown reason we always finish with really good times.  I ran my PR for a 5k at this race last year and missed it this year by thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much.  Ugh.  Ah well.  It's the first time I've run 3.1 miles since October 17th, so I'm not complaining too much...and it was the second best time I've ever had.  ;-)  So, a good cold run.  The next race on the horizon is Disney...eep!

Woohoo Run!

Saturday mornings, unless occupied, are running mornings. This morning I had no desire to get up. It's kinda gloomy out, the bed was warm, I had a kitten. Yea, I didn't want to get out of bed. But, I dragged my lazy butt up and got out of bed. Put on my running gear and with hubby, headed off to the park for a run. I had a feeling it was going to be a bad one. I didn't feel great this morning, so I wasn't sure how long I would last before it caught up to me and I had to stop.

Hit the trail and felt really good. Well, as good as I'm going to feel because honestly, I wasn't feeling a run this morning. Hit the first 1/4 mile marker and was thrilled when the watch said 2:41, that ties my best 1/4 mile time. I was kinda shocked. Kept trucking along and hit the 1/2 mile marker and checked the watch again, this time 5:51 - THE BEST HALF MILE TIME EVER! I was getting excited. I had a shot at have a one mile PR. With that in mind, I kept running. I checked the 3/4 mile marker and I was 8:53, well below my normal 9 minute and some time. This could happen. I booked and pushed myself to the one mile marker. And it freaking paid off! I hit the one mile marker at 11:50!!! My personal best! So excited and happy about that! I had a small goal of getting below 12 minutes before going on vacation and I did it!

And that was just the beginning of a good run. My 2 mile time was the best I've had at the park at 28:22. My three mile time was the best at the park at 45:01 (stupid one second). I had what I thought was a decent 4 mile time at 1:02:something. LOL! I was so thrilled to see 1:02 that I kinda forgot to look further. I had high hopes of hitting 1:15:00 and chopping 2 minutes and 20 seconds off my previous 5 mile run. So, thinking I stood a shot, I booked it! I didn't look at the first mile marker and just concentrated on running hard. When I hit the last marker telling me I'd run 5 miles I stopped my watch and just breathed. I knew I did good. I headed back to meet the hubby and checked my watch - 1:12:11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Five minutes and 10 seconds better than my last 5 miles! What a run today! I know every run can't be like this, and I'm ok with that. I'm just happy today was THAT day. :-)

All Sorts of Good Stuff

Sunday afternoon, a tad overdue for the weekly weigh-in update, but eh. So be it.

Yesterday was weigh-in day. I was a little unsure how it would work out. The scale at home was doing crazy things all week. One day saying I lost, the next saying I was up three. Really? Three pounds overnight? Did a grow a small cat or something? So, I wasn't sure if I would stay the same or loose. Not to be boastful or anything, but I was pretty sure I didn't gain. So, off I went to weigh-in. Had the lady I like weigh me in. She's nice and very encouraging. And I lost! Woohoo! Lost 1.6 last week. So excited about that. Now I'm down a total of 17.4 since January. Not too bad. I need 13.6 between now and the end of July. It's going to be tight. I might be able to swing 10 between now and then, 11 even. But, I should be close. :-)

After weigh-in it was off to the park. Brian came along, but he wasn't running. He was prepping for a 10k this morning and didn't want to run the day before. So, he walked while I ran. My running coach told me to go with another 2.5 mile run this week. Off I went for 2.5. It was not a fun run. Maybe no run is a fun run, but by the end of the first mile, I was feeling it. I think I didn't stretch my thighs enough and they hurt more than usual. Plus it was hot. I'm not digging the hot weather so much. It needs to go back to being cold for my running training. I got to the 1 mile mark and really didn't want to keep going, but I had a feeling my running coach would kick my butt if I didn't, so I kept moving. And I was moving fairly quickly, for me at least. I ran into an issue between mile 1.75 and 2 where I just kinda slowed down a lot, but picked it up on the last quarter mile and finished strong. I completed the two loops in 36:57. That was 34 seconds faster than the week before. :-) That made me happy, even as I was dying. LOL!

And since I mentioned Brian's 10k, he ran that this morning in Baltimore. He did AWESOME! It was HOT this morning, but he rocked it and finished in under an hour. It was his first 10k ever and did wonderful. And with that, he's done with 10ks until fall. LOL! Which I completely understand. Running a race in the city on a hot day? Yea, bring on the fall and cooler temps. Congrats Brian! You did amazing!

New PR

Tonight was an unusual night. I have been trying to run two days a week now that the weather is getting lighter later. I have been going Sat. after WW and Wednesday night. The problem this week is I am going out tomorrow night to an event for my alma mater. So, I can't run. With that in mind, I chose to run tonight at the park.

I will say by the time I got home, I had NO desire to go to the park. I felt kinda down and just wanted to curl up on the sofa and watch M*A*S*H*. But, I went. I went to the park and ran my 1 mile route. And I was rewarded for it! I ran the lap in 19 seconds faster tonight than last time I ran at this park. Yea!

I was really really shocked. I think what did it was I didn't want to run. LOL! My thought was, the faster I can run, the faster I'll be done. And it worked!