tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9707687923714354122024-03-13T09:43:26.212-04:00The Fat RunnerAdventures in running from the last guy on Earth who thought he would run.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-13554812437151286682016-05-31T11:10:00.000-04:002016-05-31T11:10:10.545-04:00I Can Feel It...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been 5 months now...</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the Goofy Challenge I played nice and went to the Doctor to finally solve the knee problem that has been nagging me for almost 2 years now. He told me to get an MRI. Another one. Why do they have to be so expensive?! I kept putting it off "until I could afford it".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have not run since.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, I have felt the deterioration of everything I have worked for in the last 4 years. Endurance, cardio and lung capacity... Weight has started to creep back up. Clothes feel tighter... and all the while my knee feels just as screwed up as it did in January.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this is definitely not one of those "rest and let it heal" injuries. If I remain standing up too long, it hurts. If I run in anything but "The Beasties" it hurts. If I run in "The Beasties" it hurts somewhat less but it still bothers me. Last week I finally tried running again. I barely made it a mile before I called it quits. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This blog has never been about quitting. I always look at the positive angle, even in moments like this. If I sound a bit depressed, it's because I can't run like I want to run. I want to run. 5 years ago I would have laughed in your face if you told me I was depressed because I was sitting on a couch not doing anything. Yes. I'm complaining about not being able to run. How times change... and while I can't say that I'm in a good place right now, the fact that my "issues" have to do me wanting to lead a more active lifestyle then I can't help but think that's a good thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I were happy or content with my current situation, that would be sad. That would be very sad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I'm gonna continue to try running. I'm also gonna try some cycling and cross-training to see how that feels. While some might think it unwise to run injured, I think it's important that I do run, even if it is at a lesser capacity than before. If I'm to get that MRI (and I am gonna do it, I promise) then it might as well show the full extent of what's wrong and that's not gonna happen sitting around the house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm also gonna be reviewing a product I've had my eye on for a while and now seems to be the perfect time to try it and report it to you guys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So while The Fat Runner has been down for some time, he is most definitely not out and if he is gonna be down, then he is gonna go down fighting.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-73135057534119829452016-02-10T14:06:00.003-04:002016-02-10T14:06:36.020-04:00The Goofy Challenge Aftermath<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Allow me to begin by apologizing. I left you all hanging after posting my brother's account of being swept and the somewhat controversial things we found out from that experience. It has generated some great conversation and I loved everyone's input on the matter. Shortly after posting however, I left for Phoenix on business and didn't answer all of your comments which I traditionally do. The issue has been corrected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After all the feedback, I think I can say two things: 1) A race, and the medal you might or might not get, means different things to different people. It's great that we all have very defined positions on what we would do, but we have to be ready for the inevitable fact that not everybody thinks the same way. We don't have to agree but at least we have to understand that we won't agree on everything. 2) Having said that, the whole "sign up and run knowing you are not gonna finish" debacle really rubs "traditional" runners the wrong way and I include myself in that group. It's kind of hard to swallow but again, it goes back to what it means to us. But, to each their own I guess. See thing #1.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, concluding that and after some hard work and great sushi in Phoenix...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My wife was telling me about how fast time flies. Here we are, on the other side of the Goofy Challenge with 3 more medals hanging on my lonely nail on the wall (I should do something about that). It seems like yesterday when I decided to do this and the Challenge was literally a year away. Now it's done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what do I take from this? Aside from three beautiful medals of course:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Freaking Cut-Off Point</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope all my fellow back-of-the-packers that read this are paying attention. You CAN make it to Disney's Hollywood Studios and be swept afterwards. Yes, there are no more "public" roads once you enter the park but you do have to pass through the main entrance to enter the path towards The Yacht and Beach Clubs and right before that path is the DHS parking lot. Cars park there. So do buses. Like the ones that pick people up. Disney is not only looking to open back the roads, they also want the parks to run normally. By the time we make it to DHS and Epcot, the parks are open with restricted traffic where we are running. Disney wants to end that as quickly as possible so any stray people running behind the Balloon Ladies get picked up in the Hollywood Studio's parking lot. Period.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let's put it this way: If you make it to the Yacht Club, THEN you are truly safe. Hope this helps.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Running is not a contact sport...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet somehow, I ended up really beat up from this. The soreness is expected. In fact, I recovered much faster this time around compared to my first marathon. I'm talking about actual bruising. Here's the tally: I have a cut right under my chest plate from the heart rate monitor. That had never happened before with my current HRM but apparently if you wear it long enough... felt really nice when I took it off and took a shower too. It also cut me right under my right arm. Also there was the knee of course, which I could not bend the day after the marathon. I ended up with a nasty bruise in the back of the knee because of the brace I wore (it was the first time wearing it) and I'm pretty sure I broke something in my foot. I'm not sure what but most of my limping after the race was due to my foot hurting, not the knee. Since it's the right foot (same as the knee) I'm pretty sure I did something to it trying to protect the knee during the Challenge. The pain is mostly gone now, though I still feel it a little.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Where I'm At</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Running a marathon or a challenge like this one, tends to put runners in one of two frames of mind: Those who want to do it again or at least who would consider doing it again, and those who are content with that one time and they are done. They keep running but are perfectly happy running 5K's or Half Marathons or whatever distance they feel comfortable. There really is no wrong answer. Running a marathon does not a runner make. Much less a challenge like Goofy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For me, there was not much thinking needed but I was kind of surprised with my conclusion. Amidst all the pain and soreness, I knew I would want to do it again. Another marathon for sure and most probably another challenge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was under-trained and I was injured. That made the whole thing a bit unpleasant and emotionally draining but I pulled it off. Many people would understandably think: "I never want to go through that again." Totally logical train of thought. But my brain is not wired like that. My train of thought was: "Imagine how much better I can do the next time." Yes, it's hard. Yes, I was in pain, but I also had a great time. I can have an even greater time under better conditions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In fact, having done the Goofy Challenge, I can now totally understand the appeal of the Dopey Challenge. It is totally doable and not as insane as I thought it was. Now, I'm not saying that I'm doing the Dopey Challenge, but I'm also not saying that I wouldn't do it either. We will see... I'm suddenly reminded of women in labor. Not that running a marathon compares to that. Not even close. But I've been often told that for all the agony women go through when delivering a baby, it seems they forget about it or subconsciously decide not to think about it. After all, most women decide to go through with it a second time and sometimes even more than that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maybe runners are like that. We block out the agony and only choose to remember the good parts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-38274730782333026342016-01-29T15:33:00.001-04:002016-01-29T16:08:37.335-04:00To get the medal... or not... Revisited.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I mentioned in my recaps, my brother and partner in crime Ernest tried to run the Disney Half Marathon with me and sadly got swept at mile 8.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the race, we had an extremely</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> interesting conversation. As you might recall, I wrote a blog post about being swept and the fact that Disney gives you the medal whether you finish the race or not. (You can find that <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2015/04/to-get-medal-or-not.html" target="_blank">here</a>) This is a very controversial topic that people feel very passionate about. Obviously, I was very curious about Ernest's experience on this matter, being a first-hand witness and all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sure enough, when I got in the car after finishing, there was his medal on the back seat. I asked him about it and he said: "Before I tell you, I want to know how you feel about it. Would you have taken the medal?" Now, Ernest is neither a regular runner nor is he familiar with run Disney and the crazy discussions it generates, so this was gonna make for some great conversation. I answered: "I would not take it. But that doesn't mean it's wrong to take it though. The medal means different things to different people." "Exactly!" he said. "There are so many different reactions to not being able to finish. There really can't be just one right answer."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was listening to him with a smile on my face because it kind of validates my feelings on the subject which is essentially, "to each his/her own." But then he went on to recount his experience of being swept and taking the bus back to the start line and what he saw and heard... kind of rattled me a bit. Like I said on the other post, there are many reasons for taking the medal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I just wasn't ready to hear what some of those reasons were.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>So I got swept. Now what?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know this information is asked about often so it's important to talk about it. Hopefully it will help others. Contrary to popular belief (or unfounded paranoia), being swept by the Balloon Ladies does NOT look like this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, the Balloon Ladies don't actually sweep you (or look like Godzilla). They are simply keeping the minimum required pace to stay in the race. There are several cut-off points where Disney does a "hard sweep". Meaning that once the Ladies pass that particular point, Disney -along with State Troopers- block the road with buses and don't allow anyone else to pass. A "soft sweep" on the other hand is people that are swept from the course outside of those cut-offs whether for medical reasons, exhaustion or simply if you don't want to go on. This is not as bad as it sounds though. The Balloon Ladies spend the entire race calling out what those cut off points are and when they are coming up. In the case of my brother it was mile 8. He was actually not that far behind the Ladies so after they passed the cut off, he got intercepted by a police officer on a bike. It's important to mention that the Balloon Ladies also spend the entire race motivating people to keep up with them. They are very nice people and I have to commend them on the job they do. It can't be easy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once the blockade is in place, Cast Members and medical personnel impart instructions and tend to those in need. They clap and cheer those that have been cut-off and even take pictures for those that want a reminder of where they were swept (like the one above of my brother). It takes a while for the buses to fill as runners keep arriving at the cut-off depending how far behind they were. It took about 15 minutes for the first buses to fill up and leave for Epcot, according to Ernest. In his words:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"The trip back felt long as hell. Even though it's a whole different route, it still makes you think about how long you still had to go. Not sure how long the trip back was, maybe 15-20 minutes, there was traffic, It may have felt like longer for me because i was standing and my stomach was still not feeling well (soon after getting on the bus i needed some fresh air, something that is obviously lacking in a bus full of sweaty people). We arrived at EPCOT and the bus pulled up right behind the tents where there are people waiting to give you your medal and goodies box."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And that, folks, is how you get swept at a Disney race. Another thing I found interesting from Ernest's account was people's reactions during the race when they realized they were behind the Balloon Ladies or close to it:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"My favorite reactions came before reaching the 8 mile marker, when i spent a while running after and around the balloon ladies. Anytime they passed a set of portable toilets, rest stops or people waiting in line to take pictures with characters, they announced themselves going by reminding people that you need to stay in front of them, and people just started scrambling. "Is that really them?!", lines break up, people come running out of the toilet lines, and a lot of "oh crap how did this happen?!" kind of reactions. Mind you not like angry or upset type of reaction, they are mostly surprised and laughing at what just happened. From what i saw there's a great deal of people who train well and come ready to run the event yet still fall behind just because they are enjoying the whole event so much, they stop at every photo op, maybe make a lot of stops or aren't moving at such a quick pace especially when they are in the park areas, then they see the balloon ladies and are all like "what the hell?! how slow was i going?!". You can tell who this lot are because they'll just take off and sprint past the balloon ladies then continue at a quick pace (guess they won't make any stops for a while), something many who stay behind simply aren't able to do after the first half of the race. Some people don't even notice that they've fallen behind, and a few were surprised to find out that the ladies with the balloons were the actual balloon ladies and not just someone in a costume. Most tried to keep up with them, others just give up like "well i ain't going any quicker than this guess i'm getting picked up"."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ernest was surprised (and a little appalled) that in the past people have dressed up as "Balloon Ladies" and wreaked havoc on the course. Yes. It has happened.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was surprised at how many people fall way behind simply because they insist on taking every character picture and savor every moment. There are many who don't get swept that are always running away from the Ladies simply because they gotta have that pic with Goofy or Minnie or whatever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another surprise, although both my brother and I agree it might have been different in other buses or cut-off points, is that he saw nobody crying or frustrated on the bus. Just a lot of "Oh well, next time." kind of reactions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Hold on to you hats</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's where it gets interesting and kind of weird for me. As Ernest was giving me the info on what happened post-sweep and he was talking about the different reactions he heard from others, it became very clear to me that, while the reactions were of course, varied, there was a particular group of people that took me some time to process their motives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Putting all the pieces together, it seems there is a group of people who sign up for these races knowing full well they are not going to finish. They sign up, have fun, take pics, soak in the atmosphere, run through (some of) the parks and do this knowing that for them, it ends on a bus. No finish line. Then, the next year, they do it again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Excuse me. What?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My brother, once again:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"I think for sure there are, and i don't think this should be a surprise at an event as big as Run Disney or any other big event. They sign up knowing that there is a big chance that they are not gonna finish in time, or maybe even not being aware of what it means when they say you need to keep a certain pace. Among those that sign up and don't finish there are likely many categories of people but from what I saw there are two major ones:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>There's definitely a lot of people who have tried this more than once without finishing, who, I'm sure, are actually hoping to finish, i don't think they go in knowing that they're not going to finish, but they are content with just making it further than previous attempts. For the lady i mentioned before, she mentioned she had tried the previous year, this time she made it further than last year. So i guess for some, it's just another way (albeit a slower way) to get to the same goal as many people who want to go finish a race. They're thought seems to be "Every year i go, I've made it further, that's a good thing, and eventually, i'll finish one of these things." </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Another group of people that don't finish, are those who actually signed up just " for the heck of it". I'm sure there's plenty of people that were simply talking with friends one day and said "hey, Disney marathon weekend, sounds like fun, lets do that!" They signed up, maybe trained a little or not at all, tried to do a race, couldn't finish, yet probably still had a blast. They are there at the event because it's a fun thing to do, not because they've set themselves any kind of goal. If it's fun enough for them, I'm sure they go back and do it again, maybe they finish, maybe not. These were some of the people who were in the lines to take pictures with the characters when the balloon ladies went by, and didn't run after them, they were just glad that the line got shorter all of a sudden."</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It has taken me a while to process this information. Allow me to put things in perspective here. As mentioned before, if you get swept, Disney gives you the medal anyway. To them (<i>them</i> being the operative word), that belongs to you either way. After all you paid for it and ultimately Disney is a business like any other. Call me naive or even obtuse, but in my head, every person who signs up for a race has at least the intention to finish it. There was no space in my mind, for the possibility of someone purposely signing up with the intention of </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">getting picked up. Discussing this on the car back to the hotel, I was about to get upset when my brother, who was certainly not upset and is not emotionally compromised as I am over this running "thing" brought me back down to Earth:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Dude, to YOU it's about goals, and finishing and achieving something. To others, it might just be about having a fun day and nothing more."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wait a minute, I'm having a fun day too you know. I know I describe my struggle pretty vividly on the blog but I wouldn't be doing this (let alone thinking about doing it again) if it was no fun. I guess they are just having a different kind of fun maybe? I don't know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What I do know is, this information is gonna bother a whole lot of people.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Think about all the arguments runners have engaged in over the "accept or not accept the medal" debacle. Now add to that, the fact that there is people out there with race medals that knew they were not gonna finish beforehand. I can see the hateful threads now...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even though it took me some time to absorb, this information does not change my view on this issue. I know what the race and the medal mean to me. I can't expect everyone else to feel exactly the same way. For some people, this is just a race. An event. It's not the life-defining phenomenon that some of us make it out to be. Ultimately, we ascribe value to things and not others. Things become important if you make them important. So if others don't come into this giving it the sacred importance I feel it deserves, it's their loss but I'm not gonna berate you for it.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before handing this over to you readers to discuss I'll add one more thing. My brother and I don't agree on one thing. Here is Ernest one last time.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"The way I see it, the medal isn't a prize, it's a souvenir. It's probably going in a box with all my other souvenirs, and this probably would've been the case even if I had finished. I have two WB10K medals in there somewhere, if they didn't get lost in the move (actually, i think they did).</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: black;">On a side note, if there are indeed people who don't finish that actually refuse to take the race medal from the people who give them out. I would tell them, take the damn medal, don't put someone who's just doing their job in a difficult position. After you take it you can throw it away if you want. The medal can mean anything you want it to mean, but a volunteer/employee giving it to you doesn't mean anything, except "here's the stuff you paid for". Refusing it would just cause them unnecessary trouble. This isn't the Olympics, the race medal isn't a placement medal or even a 'finisher' medal, it isn't a prize, at least from Disney's point of view. From their point of view, you get it because a)you paid for it, and b)you participated in the event (well you can't pick it up if you don't even show up, I don't know if you can get it in the mail)."</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's where I disagree. If you don't'want to take the medal, don't take the medal. I totally understand what my brother is saying about giving grief to a volunteer or Cast Member who doesn't deserve it. It's not their fault and they are just doing their job. However, I have to be fair. If I can't force a person to not take the medal because it's not my business, then you can't force me to take it because it's none of yours. It works both ways. It is also not difficult for Disney to give instructions to these folks to avoid any problems. If, after asking "Are you sure?" , they still won't accept the medal, do not insist further. Let her/him be. That's not hard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm one of the runners who would not accept it if it happened to me. I don't like making scenes and in a time like that, it would be the last thing on my mind but this is important to me and I would definitely insist on not taking it. Scene optional. And no Ernest. They most definitely do not mail you the medal.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what do you guys think?</span></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-42354228349395288332016-01-20T15:47:00.000-04:002016-01-20T15:47:55.828-04:00The 2016 Walt Disney World Marathon<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Waking up the morning after the Half Marathon, I was happy to see that I was not any worse for for wear. Only my knee was a little sore but the rest of my legs seemed close to 100%. This is why you do twin long runs for Goofy Challenge training. That part of it was paying off. Right after the Half, I was feeling stiff and the knee was hurting bad but my body remembered what to do and after a night's rest, I was fine.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One more race...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also close to 100% recovered was my brother. Definitely feeling a lot better than the day before, he now had the joyless job of driving me back to Epcot. At 3 am. The worse, at least for him, was now behind though. Me, on the other hand was very nervous. I know I was because I'm not a superstitious guy and at that moment I was invoking all sorts of stuff for good luck. I had my Jeff Galloway-signed bib, my legendary NY Jets shirt, the socks I wore for my first marathon... Suddenly all of that was "crucial" to my race strategy. So yeah, you could say I was nervous.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As far as an actual race strategy, mine was pretty simple: Run. Run until you can't run anymore and hope I have run enough to walk the rest of the way before the Balloon Ladies catch up with me. That's it. I did have an Ace up my sleeve though. My PR in the Philadelphia Half Marathon had earned me corral placement squarely in the middle of the pack (Corral J) and I was going to milk that for all it was worth. On the flip side, it was humid and not as cold as I would have liked. In fact while waiting in the corral it was downright warm. Thankfully, as the day went by, it got colder and the breeze that came in throughout the day was well received. I was also behind on my hydration. I could feel it in my mouth but there was no point in filling my stomach with liquid right before the race, so I would have to work on that during it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You will notice that contrary to the Half recap, this one doesn't have many pictures. That's because once Mickey counted us off, I was dead set on one thing: Finishing. I avoided stopping as much as possible. Too bad, because the Marathon course has changed since I last did it in 2014. Because the WDW Race Track no longer exists, (a part that I really liked with the cars and all) the course has been modified. Most of the changes I think, are for the better. I'll try and point them out.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LU3taQYtpek/Vp6WcNR9M6I/AAAAAAAAKco/PTevbGCgFfA/s1600/2016-01-10%2B06.06.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LU3taQYtpek/Vp6WcNR9M6I/AAAAAAAAKco/PTevbGCgFfA/s400/2016-01-10%2B06.06.56.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first 10K was pretty uneventful. I got into a rhythm pretty quickly and was feeling pretty good. I was kind of surprised about how well I had recovered but I was definitely thirsty so I started to drink more than usual at every station hoping to slowly make up for it but the humidity was making it harder. I was soaking wet. Normal for Puerto Rico but not for this race. Then we reached the Magic Kingdom and of course this is the moment when everything is fine in the World.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NlmnQV_jomE/Vp6ZAtkluNI/AAAAAAAAKdI/pCEX5q5XAY0/s1600/2016-01-10%2B06.49.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NlmnQV_jomE/Vp6ZAtkluNI/AAAAAAAAKdI/pCEX5q5XAY0/s400/2016-01-10%2B06.49.42.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First race selfie... Fail. LOL</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not as foggy as the day before.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is actually one of the major changes to the course. Now you pass in front of the 7 Dwarf's Mine Train and get to see all of New Fantasyland, including The Little Mermaid ride and Gaston's Tavern. Then, you head back to (Old?) Fantasyland and through Cinderella's Castle. Overall, you spend quite a bit more time in the park. A great thing in my opinion. Also, it was still dark enough to actually see the Castle all lit up. Sure, the clouds helped a little. It was overcast the entire day. I can see why runners like to pass through it while it's dark. By the way, this time around there was no choice but to go through the tunnel. There was no optional route. Instead they had Cast Members telling people not to stop for a picture to keep the area moving. You could still have your pic taken at the base of the Castle though.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Right before leaving the Magic Kingdom...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The thing about going through the parks, is that the terrain becomes more dynamic. Whereas the roads are flat most of the time, the parks go up and down, which give them a great feel when you are walking during a normal visit, but not so great when you are trying to conserve energy during a marathon. I'm not talking about major hills here but the overall effect zaps your energy level a bit. Leaving the park, I found myself trying to catch my breath as we headed down to Animal Kingdom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This particular stretch is one of the longest without any "park action". Disney tries to spice things up with characters and stuff and spectators line up when you pass the Polynesian and Grand Floridian but it's mostly uneventful. It was here I started to feel fatigue setting in. I told myself to calm down and take it in sections. "Make it to mile 10." I told myself. "Then make it to 15, asses yourself and eventually make 20." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They now added a little out and back section going down where Bear Island Road meets Western Way. I hate that. Makes me want to cut through the cones and get on with it, especially when your Garmin is running long (which mine was, by a quarter mile at that point). This is also the moment you pass by the now infamous water treatment facility which, oddly enough, was not smelling as ripe as I remember the last time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What was smelling full and ripe was the elephant house in the outskirts of Animal Kingdom. Wow, that was stinking up this year. This was good news however, as this meant we had made it into the park and were close to the half way point of this race.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NSywC8W-dDc/Vp6Ylv3AU6I/AAAAAAAAKdA/jeM4r-Q5FF4/s1600/2016-01-10%2B09.23.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NSywC8W-dDc/Vp6Ylv3AU6I/AAAAAAAAKdA/jeM4r-Q5FF4/s400/2016-01-10%2B09.23.30.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, that didn't come out right.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Animal Kingdom is probably the worst park in terms of ups and downs. Worse than MK in fact. Also, I think we ran through more of it this year than 2014 but I'm not sure. In 2014 I felt like we were barely in there. This year I had a good look at it, including the Tree of Life of which there was a great spot to take pics (just not enough light). Many were waiting to ride Expedition Everest. I just ran through. Maybe one day... But not today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the halfway point, and as I ran through the Animal Kingdom parking lot, and read I had done it 11 minutes faster than the day before filled me with pride. Yes, there was plenty of road ahead, but I had just run 2 Half Marathons back to back on consecutive days and, this part is important, I was still going.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I also caught a glimpse of Pandora. Hope they finish that soon.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8yqEf1jWm4c/Vp6ZtUQfi9I/AAAAAAAAKdY/Il2KkKCuTZc/s1600/2016-01-10%2B09.48.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8yqEf1jWm4c/Vp6ZtUQfi9I/AAAAAAAAKdY/Il2KkKCuTZc/s400/2016-01-10%2B09.48.33.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">See the cranes?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hVHvAWWmAhc/Vp6aaMNFLgI/AAAAAAAAKdc/mfNNR7-n8Cc/s1600/20160110_094834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hVHvAWWmAhc/Vp6aaMNFLgI/AAAAAAAAKdc/mfNNR7-n8Cc/s400/20160110_094834.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can see the "floating" rock starting to come up...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the Animal Kingdom, you run on Osceola Parkway. Do you know what happens if you keep going on Osceola Parkway? You reach ESPN's Wide World of Sports. I hate ESPN's Wide World of Sports.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A.K.A. Hell</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm going to start a petition to change the name of WWoS to Hell. Just name it Hell because that's what it is and if you want to finish your marathon you have to go through Hell. I really don't have any pleasant memories of this place back in 2014 and even less so now. It was shortly after entering here, that the wheels started to come off for me. After entering Hell, I met Mary again at a hydration stop. I was so happy to see her. That was followed by sponges. I took one and pressed it on the top of my head and it felt ridiculously good to have the water drip down my face. That was the end of the good news.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then came that endless maze of fields... baseball, softball, lacrosse, football... it never ends. Then the track. The surface there felt like stone for some reason. Then I was forced to take a restroom break so I took advantage of a real restroom in the middle of the endless field of fields and that's when it happened. As I started running again my legs turned to jello. They just did not want to go on. I finally managed to get the intervals going but just barely. That's when I switched from 2:1 intervals to 1:2. I went around the stadium and the announcer called my name and that sort of got me going a bit but the writing was on the wall. As I exited Hell and crossed mile 20, I started to only walk. I texted my friends Gilbert and Frankie "The Jet" Ramos and told them with this pic.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1hKFQ1BnpLo/Vp6cL4ac3fI/AAAAAAAAKd0/7AMLwKVzxH4/s1600/2016-01-10%2B11.41.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1hKFQ1BnpLo/Vp6cL4ac3fI/AAAAAAAAKd0/7AMLwKVzxH4/s400/2016-01-10%2B11.41.27.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now the real race began.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Coming out of WWoS, I noticed that no one was coming in anymore. The station were I met Mary was now empty. Somewhere in the maze of Hell, were the Balloon Ladies, lurking ever-closer at their steady 16 minute per mile pace. I've heard that the final 10K of a marathon is where the real race begins and this couldn't be more true this day. I tried to focus on keeping the fastest walk I could muster but still, I was being passed by everyone on the course and that made me a bit more anxious. I was back on Osceola Parkway and as I was about to take the exit for Hollywood Studios, a State Trooper in a motorcycle passed by and said through his mic: "The Balloon Ladies are 2 miles away from this point. I'm pretty sure you guys are safe." I wasn't so sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was somewhere near mile 21, which meant the Ladies were at mile 19. With me walking, they were definitely gonna catch me before the finish. But I didn't need to reach the finish to be safe. I just needed to reach the cut-off point where everyone who passes before the Balloon Ladies will not be swept. If only I knew where that was... This was going to take everything I had. My friends texted me back sending words of encouragement. "The Jet" sent me this, from Rocky IV:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amen</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This picture reminded me of another saying that travels the internet quite often. It's from Muhammad Ali.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I continued my march and entered Hollywood Studios. A lot of people were celebrating but I had a feeling this was not it. We were given chocolate, which to me was the best-tasting in the World, then I had to take another bathroom break right at the park entrance. This could not come at a worse time. Then, as I left the park and headed to the trail that leads to Epcot, a Cast Member told me: "This is it! No more buses from this point on." I desperately asked the people around me if this was the cut-off point and only a lady ventured to tell me "I guess". I just couldn't believe it. Was I really gonna be able to pull this off? This part of the course is very pretty and full of guests. You see the Boardwalk and the Yacht and Beach Clubs. My phone died. Off in the distance I saw the entrance to Epcot...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I turned right for the World Showcase in England I started to cry. For the first time I felt safe and with that came an overflow of emotion. I thought about my daughters and how I wished they were there. The music they were playing on the park speakers was awesome! You know, that triumph of the spirit kind of music that Disney is so great at. I started to cheer back when people cheered for me. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, as I was coming up on Morocco, a lady dressed in pink with a</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> balloon tied to her waist passed me on the left.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Balloon Ladies had caught me. I said "Oh Crap!" out loud which they heard and she looked at me concerned and said: "It's OK. You are safe! We just need to come in time officially. You are all safe." And that calmed me down as she started to pull ahead of me. "Great, I can now finish in peace." I thought to myself. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Or can I?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bear in mind that all this happened in my head and it took seconds. All this struggle to finish. All this uncertainty. All that work. Yes, it was to finish this challenge but it was etched my head that to do that you had to beat the Balloon Ladies and here I was behind them. Safe of course, but it didn't feel right. It took all of two seconds to make the decision.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started running again. Hard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, by this point I thought I had left everything on the course but: a) Apparently pride can also be used as fuel because I'm pretty sure that's about the only thing I had left. b) It seems I had walked long enough for my legs to "recover" enough for me to pull one big, final push to the end. Whatever it was, in the words of Forrest Gump, "I was running.!" The pavilions were nothing but a blur and I was passing absolutely everyone I came across. There was a lot of "excuse me" and "on your left" going on. I could hear the Balloon Ladies yelling behind me, telling people they were safe. It's quite ironic how such nice people can invoke so much fear in others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I made it to Future World and Spaceship Earth was right in front of me, then I turned right on the service entrance and there was the Mile 26 sign, with the glorious choir singing in front of it. I had planned to take a picture here, but then again I wasn't planning to be sprinting at mile 26. Anyway, my phone was dead so it didn't matter. A little further ahead, was the finish line. For the Half, they were playing the Imperial March from Star Wars when I crossed. It was awesome! For this one, I couldn't even tell you if there was any music at all. It was all over. I had completed the Goofy Challenge. 39.3 miles in two days. A volunteer was putting the marathon medal around my neck when I heard the announcer saying the Balloon Ladies were crossing the finish line... on time. My official time? 7 hours, 37 minutes, 14 seconds. A very long way off my first (6:45:25) but I had made it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Further ahead, I was given the required runDisney box of goodies, water, sports drink... then you go to a tent were they check your bib and a picture they took of you during the Expo so they can give you the Goofy medal. I fought the tears for a while but then I remembered that I had to contact my brother to pick me up and had no phone. I was pondering what to do as I walked from the runner's area over to were the rest of the people were when I saw him standing right in front of me. I tried to tell him something. Anything. But I felt like if I did, I would start crying. All I could do was point at the medals on my chest and look at him. "You did it man!" he told me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had to wait until we got back to the hotel because of the phone dying. But I finally took some pictures. I think this says it all. It's already my Facebook profile picture. I was so tired. I can'r believe I made it up the stairs to our room.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the bling was sure shining bright wasn't it? I think this post has run long enough so I will talk about my feelings on this race and challenge in another post. Suffice to say, I learned a lot with this experience. I always do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-26549447452565857962016-01-19T13:42:00.000-04:002016-01-19T13:42:20.494-04:00The 2016 Walt Disney World Half Marathon<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After arriving in Florida and being picked up by my brother, we drove to ESPN's Wide World of Sports to get our race packs. All the while I kept reading Team Run Disney's Facebook feed about the 10K that morning, and how wet it was. Not that I needed confirmation. I had to hide the waivers under my shirt just to avoid getting them drenched on the way from the car to the Expo. I was a little worried but not too much about rain the next day. Florida weather can be so unpredictable. I was half expecting Saturday to be 90 degrees and sunny.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Flat Frank #1</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, Saturday was not 90 degrees and it wasn't even close to being sunny. As we walked out of our hotel at 3:30 am to head for the race, we were met with the most fog I have ever seen in Florida. And it would stay that way the entire day. Not even a little bit of Sun. The temperature was iffy. It sure was not warm but I wouldn't call it cold either. This, was not good for me and what I was trying to do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even as I sat in the corral, my mind kept wondering towards the fact that I had not trained enough for the Goofy Challenge. I knew I could finish the Half no problem but in what condition? Was I gonna be able to go the full distance the very next day? We were sure gonna find out.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XgZ1SMlZeZ4/Vpj8dM73VbI/AAAAAAAAKZ4/VgffmiWq3BU/s1600/20160109_055214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XgZ1SMlZeZ4/Vpj8dM73VbI/AAAAAAAAKZ4/VgffmiWq3BU/s400/20160109_055214.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So few people showed up for this one...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As if I was not worried enough, my brother was having his own set of issues. When we woke up, the first thing he told me was "I just threw up." I thought it was just nerves but then he went to the bathroom for #2 again before we left, then again at the gas station we were getting coffee in, then twice in the port-a-potties at the race. Clearly there was something wrong. We didn't know what. First culprit of course is something he ate but we had the exact same thing for both lunch and dinner the day before and I was fine. This mystery might never be solved but the fact remained: he was not well.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wc3PgbMA4Xg/Vpj9mPJ-esI/AAAAAAAAKaI/YSsHIMPvFzA/s1600/20160109_061503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wc3PgbMA4Xg/Vpj9mPJ-esI/AAAAAAAAKaI/YSsHIMPvFzA/s400/20160109_061503.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's go time!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And just like that, our corral was called and it was time to head off. Donald Duck gave the countdown and off we went. Not three minutes went by when my brother told me he had to go again. Mercifully, there were port-a potties not too far away and we stopped. They were crowded but he managed to get in. We started up again. He was having trouble keeping up and told me that as soon we started a run interval he would get the urge to go. This was not good. First mile: 17:06. There was no way we were gonna survive at that pace. Not that early in the race. With every running interval, he kept falling further back. Then he gave me the signal to go ahead and leave him. I was torn. Our plan was to run this together as slowly as we could so he could finish his first Half and I could survive to run another day but this pace was dangerous and he knew what was at stake for me so he told me to go on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I kept tabs on him through my phone as I had signed up for runner tracking for both of us. His official pace remained in the 19's and then after the 10K update I heard no more. He got picked up at mile 8.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile, I was having my own set of issues. A bit of panic had set in regarding my pace and I got a little overeager to try and make up the time. I went as high as the 14s and I felt I was all over the place. Crowding was an issue and I zig-zagged a lot from one side of the course to the other. This would have been fine if it was just the Half but I had a whole other race to run the so this was not the most efficient use of my energy. And then there was the fog... It was so foggy! Everything seemed to be hiding in a haze of gray, giving the whole place an eerie feel. Seemed like a great day to take some moody pictures. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G4dMR7wnEJc/VpkAqNjcNBI/AAAAAAAAKac/KuvRLG0Xjoc/s1600/20160109_073446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G4dMR7wnEJc/VpkAqNjcNBI/AAAAAAAAKac/KuvRLG0Xjoc/s400/20160109_073446.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Can you see Space Mountain?!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...or the Castle?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then we got to the Magic Kingdom...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VgZ53HQKVYs/VpkBVGDfxxI/AAAAAAAAKas/a4gvgnHtB68/s1600/20160109_074200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VgZ53HQKVYs/VpkBVGDfxxI/AAAAAAAAKas/a4gvgnHtB68/s400/20160109_074200.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A runner kindly took this for me.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OhicPHjcpK0/VpkCVicvLeI/AAAAAAAAKbA/IE-cULLLWaQ/s1600/20160109_074518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OhicPHjcpK0/VpkCVicvLeI/AAAAAAAAKbA/IE-cULLLWaQ/s400/20160109_074518.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Might as well been called the Slow-way while I was passing through.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And everything was fine! This will never get old folks. You turn right on Main Street USA and suddenly you forget everything and a huge grin shows up across your face. It truly is magical, even with all the fog. You go through Tomorrowland and Fantasyland and then you reach Cinderella's Castle which was lit up but you could hardly tell in the fog. Anna and Elsa were waiting for us there. Here, Disney was giving runners the choice to go through the tunnel and take pictures or run through the side of the castle for those who could or would not wait for the queue formed up in the tunnel. I decided to wait it out and took my pic in front of the Castle. A luxury I have never dared to take. I also took a bathroom break in Fontierland. Thinking back now, it sure was gutsy of me to take my time like that during my run through the Magic Kingdom but I guess I just felt I had made up enough time back or something.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DDCt5JMUNTM/VpkFf4xQLQI/AAAAAAAAKcE/0fJUtPGq3l0/s1600/blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DDCt5JMUNTM/VpkFf4xQLQI/AAAAAAAAKcE/0fJUtPGq3l0/s400/blog.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My daughters are so jealous!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I exited the park, on a downhill ramp right after seeing the the train, I tweaked my knee. I seem to have trouble while going downhill the most with the knee and it took me a while before I felt it was OK again. It was at this point you reach the 10K mark and a hydration station right before leaving the service entrance to the Magic Kingdom. There I had a gel and met Mary, a fellow Team run Disney member who was volunteering during the Half. It would not be the last time I would see her thankfully.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_F2mA8Qni5A/VpkBzDoQMUI/AAAAAAAAKa0/RigTE_49hKg/s1600/20160109_075844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_F2mA8Qni5A/VpkBzDoQMUI/AAAAAAAAKa0/RigTE_49hKg/s400/20160109_075844.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thanks Mary!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then came the time to head back down towards Epcot. This part was uneventful and while there was plenty of stuff (dj's, characters etc.) I was back to focusing on the matter at hand. After spending a while on this section, I realized I had stopped getting updates from Ernest so I texted him and found out he got picked up. His day was over. I was feeling pretty good and the knee was behaving even with the little mishap at mile 5. So, right before mile 11 I did the math and saw that I could take it easy. I walked almost the entire rest of the way.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PVUBM0DU2Ck/VpkD0q10AmI/AAAAAAAAKbk/ZbNUBFH6Yhs/s1600/20160109_071843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PVUBM0DU2Ck/VpkD0q10AmI/AAAAAAAAKbk/ZbNUBFH6Yhs/s400/20160109_071843.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Best sign on the course</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's not to say it wasn't a hard decision. Both the runner and the competitive person in me went into a bit of a fit at this point. If I were to keep going hard, I would have posted a somewhat decent time, and by that I mean less than 3 and a half hours. Way less than that maybe. By walking, I was "dooming" myself to finishing with my worst time ever in a Half Marathon and officially over the time limit. So, while this would seem like a no brainer to most people, I was having some issues. Thankfully, cooler, more logical heads prevailed and I kept walking from there to Epcot.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XkIDDadTYAk/VpkEFR8mSGI/AAAAAAAAKbs/j3XK4MQ2Fz4/s1600/20160109_094941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XkIDDadTYAk/VpkEFR8mSGI/AAAAAAAAKbs/j3XK4MQ2Fz4/s400/20160109_094941.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fog... fog everywhere!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-shNLv9yDoCQ/VpkD0p7DkbI/AAAAAAAAKbg/sD4wQ41c3ak/s1600/20160109_094231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-shNLv9yDoCQ/VpkD0p7DkbI/AAAAAAAAKbg/sD4wQ41c3ak/s400/20160109_094231.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So hard to photograph such a huge thing...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once in Epcot however, the fast-approaching finish line got me going and I ran the "victory lap" around the square in Future World and through the finish line. Official time: 3:40:58. My worst ever.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QHd0arTEYvo/VpkEL-1r3rI/AAAAAAAAKb0/qKVVtL1llOI/s1600/20160109_101634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QHd0arTEYvo/VpkEL-1r3rI/AAAAAAAAKb0/qKVVtL1llOI/s400/20160109_101634.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We live to run another day... hopefully.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wasn't really upset with the time, even though it is the worst by a lot. Taking it easy and saving myself for the next day was my main objective. My problem with the race was how inconsistent I ran. Sometimes I was slow, sometimes too fast. If I would have kept a more consistent pace, it surely would have been more efficient and maybe I wouldn't have had to walk in the end. Of course, all this frustration was mainly due to the fact that I still had a marathon to run. The very next day I might add.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I got my medal and walked to the parking lot where my brother was waiting for me. I apologized for leaving him behind but he was actually pretty unscathed by the whole thing. I think he was just happy that his stomach was feeling better. So we had lunch a Panera Bread which, I had never tried before and then to the hotel to get ready for the next day. This folks, was not over. Not even close.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-1503647045771571262016-01-15T11:14:00.001-04:002016-01-15T11:14:16.911-04:00The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Saga<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow... that's all I can really say about this past weekend. Wow...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't worry though, I will be posting full race recaps and give as much detail as I can on how I did as usual. After some thought however, in order to streamline this as much as possible, I felt I should do this post first, explaining some stuff ahead of time and reminding you guys of some other things before diving head first into the details. This way (hopefully) the recaps won't run too long.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Galloway Method</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think regular readers of this blog are very familiar with this and I have praised the Galloway Method countless times as it has allowed me not only to run long distances but to run them faster. However, other than saying that I do 2:1 intervals (2 minutes running, 1 minute walking) I have never really given any more details on how I do it. It just was not important I guess. Well, it was important for Marathon Weekend. As it turns out, in the run/walk equation, I seem to be seriously lacking in the walking part. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm a slow walker. Some people are very good at walking quickly. Some can even maintain the 16 min/mile minimum pace without running at all and believe me, I saw a lot of people doing it this weekend. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I can't do that for whatever reason. If I really focus and hustle, I can get to 18:30 min/mile but I cannot sustain it for too long. For me, anything above 20 min/mile is "fast". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Balloon Ladies</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Again, something I have talked about several times in this space. In fact, it was a big part of my narrative during the recap for my first marathon (which you can find here). These ladies maintain the 16 min/mile pace after everyone has crossed the start line. If you fall behind them, you will eventually get picked up at one of the many cut off points along the race courses. You end up in a bus and your race is over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is plenty of debate on the internet regarding where exactly, the last cut-off point is. In other words, what part of the course do you have to reach in order to avoid being swept even if the "ladies" pass you by. During Marathon Weekend 2014, I was told that if I reached Disney's Hollywood Studios I would be safe and that is what I used as reference. The logic behind it being that once you reach DHS, there are no more public roads that have to opened thus, you are officially safe. Turns out, that is not accurate. In fact, I have to this day not heard any official word from Run Disney regarding this so don't take my word for it but I seemed to have discovered it this past weekend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Of Finishing and Medals</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which brings me to my brother. If you read my 2014 marathon recap you know who I'm talking about. He signed up for the Half Marathon this year and sadly got swept at mile 8. While I have a nagging feeling he did not train as he should have, we didn't get to find out. He got sick and could not stay out of a port-a-potty long enough to stay ahead of the Balloon Ladies. There is no way I can pass up an opportunity like that. An actual "victim" of the sweep police? You can bet I will post a full interview on what exactly happens. He also shared with me some very interesting perspectives regarding the medal "issue" and what he heard while in the bus back to the parking lot. Some of you might recall I wrote a post about that a while back. Well, I have some new info to share and some of it might surprise you and even shock you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Knee</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like you have not heard about this enough already. Even though I will do my best to not mention it during the recaps, it is important to understand that the knee issue figures heavily in this whole story. It's the reason why I could not train properly and therefore why I had such a hard time during Marathon Weekend. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow, we begin our story in earnest. Stay tuned.</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-22438209501696127052016-01-07T14:51:00.000-04:002016-01-07T14:51:08.819-04:00Off to Florida!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My bags are packed... Ok, so they are not packed yet but I do leave tomorrow. Packing last minute has always been my style I guess.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to admit that the one feeling I was not expecting to have when I signed up to run the Goofy Challenge was uncertainty. I mean, after 3 years (almost 4 actually) of running, countless 5K's and 10K's, one full marathon and several half marathons under my belt you would figure I would be a little more confident going into this but it's not to be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was just not able to train as I should have for this and my knee is most definitely not OK. It's not as bad as it was three weeks ago but not close to 100% either. So, I march forward in total survival mode. My goals are pretty well defined: Finish any way I can.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, it's not all doom and gloom folks. I did train as much as my knee allowed and cross-training helped me become a stronger runner I think. The Half-Marathon -barring a major setback- is in the bag I think. The real question here, is whether I have enough legs (and knee) to finish the full the next day. And if I don't, am I able to run enough to avoid being swept and cross the finish line, even if it is walking (or crawling...).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In that spirit, the plan is pretty simple: Take it as easy as possible during the half, then leave absolutely everything on the course during the full. Finish any way I can. Period.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, like the last time I was at Marathon Weekend, I'm gonna need your support and virtual cheers. As for every Disney race, runner tracking is available and free. I have already set up my media channels on Facebook and Twitter to receive the updates so if you follow me there, you will get them. You can also set it up to receive them directly to an account or phone of your choosing by going <a href="http://results.xacte.com/track?id=1191" target="_blank">here</a>. Just enter my bib number (31411) and choose how you want to track me. You guys can also text "wdw[31411]" to the number 72147 and track me by phone automatically.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that is it. If everything goes somewhat well, the next thing you should read here is a couple of epic race recaps. If not, well... we will chew that food when we have to. Until then, good luck to all who are running at Marathon Weekend and any other race this weekend.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-28819001718438467292015-12-30T13:21:00.000-04:002015-12-30T13:26:22.471-04:002015: The Year in Review<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was 2 seconds away from naming this post "The Year of the Knee" because that's exactly what it turned out to be. But then my other "Year in Review" posts wouldn't match with this one so I resisted the urge. Just remember the unofficial title.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>It was promising...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in January, I called 2015 the year of the athlete. After completely crushing all expectations in 2014 by both running my <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-2014-walt-disney-world-marathon.html" target="_blank">first marathon</a> that January(Disney) and a positively <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014-philadelphia-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">huge Half Marathon PR</a> in November (Philadelphia) you could say I was riding pretty high. You know how people say that you shouldn't go grocery shopping while hungry? Maybe it applies to planning future goals while being in a "runner's high" as well.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NX7mbDPSsXE/VKqjSleDDmI/AAAAAAAAJw4/MN2R6xk3wOw/s1600/2014-12-27%2B15.28.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NX7mbDPSsXE/VKqjSleDDmI/AAAAAAAAJw4/MN2R6xk3wOw/s400/2014-12-27%2B15.28.34.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Machine</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided that it was time to aim high and finally try a tri. I have triathlon in the brain folks. I've had it for a long time now. This was gonna be the year and to prove it I bought <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-fat-runner-in-the-machine.htm" target="_blank">The Machine </a>and started cycling. I also talked about cross-training and to crown the Year of the Athlete, I would start 2016 by running The Goofy Challenge, which I signed up for.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V8sI8OW6wvA/VNoqX8SPB7I/AAAAAAAAJ2Q/NpzXIhe72_g/s1600/2015-02-08%2B08.37.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V8sI8OW6wvA/VNoqX8SPB7I/AAAAAAAAJ2Q/NpzXIhe72_g/s400/2015-02-08%2B08.37.43.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First "big" ride</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>However...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In all this goal planning (which included some lofty mileage goals) I seemed to have forgotten that I had gotten into some serious trouble with my right knee and that even though<a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2014/10/we-keep-on-running.html" target="_blank"> the doctor cleared me to run Philly</a>, it was essentially a patch job and I would have to return and deal with it. I didn't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the race in Philly, the knee was a total non-issue. Hardly felt a thing. So I guess I just thought I was gonna be OK but...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In March, I ran the<a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2015/03/2015-puerto-rico-half-marathon.html" target="_blank"> Puerto Rico Half Marathon</a> and while the knee did not give me much trouble, the bonk during the final 2 miles as the Sun (and heat) reared it's head let me know there was some work to be done.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HVL1NyEraq8/VRmYARGbNXI/AAAAAAAAJ70/_7V6_Ec4ks0/s400/2015-03-22%2B08.33.39.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="225" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We need more Half Marathons in Puerto Rico</span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wasn't all bad</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the Half, things were looking pretty good. My wife and I both started to make <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-winds-of-change.html" target="_blank">changes in our eating habits</a> that have been very positive and I finally started cross-training by doing <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2015/08/p90x3-final-veredict.html" target="_blank">P90X3</a>. The short, but tough workouts are a good complement to a runner. I also found out that I enjoy cycling as much as I enjoy running. Even did a 40 mile charity ride that included the steepest hill ever and survived. I felt I was on the right track and finding balance. I even PR'ed at the 5K distance even though I hardly raced this year.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-25RxBuYj8rQ/Vds6sjtc7lI/AAAAAAAAKK8/giKHSB9RTJE/s1600/2015-08-23%2B18.21.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-25RxBuYj8rQ/Vds6sjtc7lI/AAAAAAAAKK8/giKHSB9RTJE/s400/2015-08-23%2B18.21.51.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5K PR... those are hard to come by</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8FGcv4tiabU/VgKybhDpkUI/AAAAAAAAKWA/71MvWCO-YOs/s1600/2015-09-20%2B11.07.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8FGcv4tiabU/VgKybhDpkUI/AAAAAAAAKWA/71MvWCO-YOs/s400/2015-09-20%2B11.07.19.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trying to do P90X3...</span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The past starts to creep up on you</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the summer though the wheels started coming off. I noticed my knee wasn't recovering after my runs and the pain became more prevalent more often. Afraid to put the Goofy Challenge in jeopardy, I decided to stop cycling and focus on running so I parked The Machine for the rest of the year. Then, I went on a mini vacation to take our girls to the Frozen Summer of Fun in Disney World and the 2 long walking days took a toll on the knee. It swelled for the first time through all this and that's when I really felt like it was serious. Obviously, any possibility of a tri this year went out the window as well.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ph72ieD9YE8/VfbhYY6KS_I/AAAAAAAAKT8/SY5Sryi_Vns/s1600/2015-09-14%2B14.59.42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ph72ieD9YE8/VfbhYY6KS_I/AAAAAAAAKT8/SY5Sryi_Vns/s320/2015-09-14%2B14.59.42.png" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got to see 2 awesome friends while at Disney World</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By this time, it was do or die with the Goofy Challenge so I have been training as best I can but it's been slow and painful. I missed some crucial long runs and fell short on others so I will go and just do my very best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know all this sounds a bit grim but overall, I have to say that I'm quite happy with my year. Things didn't exactly go as planned for sure but think about this: Here I am, trying to figure out how to pull off the Goofy Challenge. Here I am, thinking about the steps I have to take so I can continue running and hopefully cycling and swimming and accomplishing the goals I have set for myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here I am realizing that this has truly become important to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What can be better then that? At any other time in my life, this could have been an excuse to stop. "I got bad knees. Can't do it." The old me would have said. Just seeing it written like that makes me shiver. I want to keep going. So I'm going to tentatively call 2016 the Year of Recovery. I want to do what I can to deal with this and if it means surgery or even an extended resting period so be it. I'll come back even better than before then. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here's to a good year and hoping for an even better one in 2016. Hope your 2015 was good as well and that you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-87461271471893535452015-12-01T10:56:00.002-04:002015-12-01T10:57:05.087-04:00Magical Miles: The Runner's Guide to Walt Disney World 2016 Giveaway!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back when I decided to run the 2014 WDW Marathon, I had so many questions about what to do and how and when to do it. I remember looking at the runDisney site and thinking that this race was truly different from others so planning for it was going to be different as well. When should I register with such high demand? Should I stay on site or off? What's the pick-up process like? What time to get up? Are the Challenges worth the money? What about all those extras that they offer? Are they worth it? That is just the very tip of the iceberg regarding the questions I had.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thankfully, I met many friends through this blog who pointed me in the right direction. For example Team Run Disney, which I have talked about here before. A group of great people that are Disney fans and can (and will) help you answering the questions you may have and supporting you every step of the way. If you think this Run Disney "thing" is something you will be doing, I highly recommend you join them on Facebook.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other resource I found extremely helpful was the book we are talking about today, Magical Miles: The Runner's Guide to Walt Disney World, written by Megan Biller and with contributions by Krista Albrecht. I bought a copy of this book back in 2013 and I can say without hesitation that running shoes aside, this is the most important investment I made for Marathon Weekend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm gonna try really hard to not sound like I was paid to say this (and I wasn't by the way, this is my honest opinion) but objectively, there is no other guide like this one out there and it covers every possible question you could ever conceive regarding any of the races held at Disney World or Disneyland (and Paris is coming in the near future I hear...) Accommodations (both on-site and off), meals, where to eat (runner focused), registration, what to bring, what happens on race day, what happens if you can't make it... it's all covered in an easy to understand way. It is also a great reference. If you are totally new to the world of Run Disney, you can pick up this book and read it cover to cover or if you have a little more experience or simply want some information on a particular matter, you can jump straight to that section with no problem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Without going into the details -I would rather you get those straight from Megan and Krista- I will tell you the two things that I appreciate the most from this guide:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. It is truly objective. This is not an "Official" Disney guide and the research for this book was done by going to these races and paying for them just like anybody else. When they give you the rundown on why something is worth it for you or not, it's because they tried it and are giving you first hand knowledge. Megan in fact is a Dopey Challenge finisher along with her many, many other pieces of Disney bling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. They work hard. Every year. Back when I bought my first copy, there was no Dopey Challenge. No Star Wars or Avengers Half Marathon. Therefore the guide didn't include it. Well, now it does. As Run Disney continues to grow, so does the guide. You can bet that if you get the most recent edition, you will have the most up to date information (at the time of publishing) in your hands. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So there you have it. A complete guide to the oftentimes crazy world of RunDisney written by runners who are Disney fans. What else could you ask for?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, you could ask for more huh? What, you want it free? You do? Well ask and you shall receive!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To celebrate my return to Marathon Weekend in January and to pay it forward since this guide helped me so much, I'm hoping it can help others I'm going to give away two copies of this guide's latest edition (2016). All you gotta do is this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Leave a comment here. Come on, don't be shy. You can just let me know how bad you want this book or say hi but leave a comment</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Follow this link to enter: </span><a class="a-spacing-top-mini a-link-normal" href="https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/7ece1ae025102dd4" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #c45500; cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-top: 6px !important; outline-offset: -2px; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/7ece1ae025102dd4</a> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Once there it will ask you to follow me on Twitter so if you have not already done so...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And that's it! Easy. The entry deadline is December 7th so an entire week but don't wait. Enter and win. If you don't win, I still recommend this book so head on over to Amazon.com and grab a copy. All your questions will be answered. At least those regarding runDisney.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-11946127172111853062015-11-25T10:18:00.001-04:002015-11-25T10:18:40.695-04:00Silence... and a giveaway!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know I've been out of it for bit but I can't seem to help it. It's the way it has been with me forever. When things get tough, I go quiet. This of course, is kind of stupid since the whole point of a blog is to share, especially the tough times, so that people can avoid the pitfalls and offer support where needed but, that is just the way the cookie crumbled and here we are.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, there's the knee... again. There are no two ways about it. After Goofy, I'm gonna have to stop running, get it checked out and dealt with in some way or another. it is not gonna go away on it's own. I have wasted too much time giving it time "to rest" with no results whatsoever. In fact, I seem to get better when I'm running regularly. Something I have realized way too late and now I'm a bit behind on my training plan. I'm slowly catching up but it's gonna be close. No doubt about it. Do not worry though. I'm not harboring any thoughts of regular running as a recipe to get better. There is definitely something wrong and it will be taken care of... just not right now. If I ever intend to do a triathlon (a boat I missed again this year thanks to the knee) this will have to be solved for sure. Half-Ironman for my 40th birthday? We will see...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Secondly, there were a bunch of personal problems. This was the part that sent me into blogging hibernation. They were dealt with but I was sure going around depressed for a while there. At this point in my life, there are very few things that will push my buttons to the point of depression but oh boy, were they pushed. It happens. Not often but it happens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Through it all, I ran. Maybe not with the same passion or determination and I surely missed a few here and there but I ran. Like so many times before I realized that running has become an important part of my life and that running actually helps deal with all the hard stuff. Even if it hurts -and it hurts- it is better than not running at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, enough with the sad talk! Next week, as part of celebrating my return to Disney Marathon Weekend and (hopefully) tackling the Goofy Challenge I will be giving away... something. I'm not saying what it is yet but, it is something that helped me a great deal on my first marathon, especially in preparing for it and now I want to give the chance to a couple of people of having that same opportunity. So tell your friends, be on the lookout and get ready. The Fat Runner is going to do his first giveaway next week!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-16373894133179866042015-10-23T13:34:00.001-04:002015-10-23T13:34:22.131-04:00Because now it's getting serious<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Goofy Challenge is now 2 months away. Might as well be 2 seconds from now with the speed that time is ticking. While training has been pretty good, I can't say I'm totally happy about it. I have been plenty busy these past few months so keeping consistency has been difficult. Thankfully this is not the same guy that was training for his first marathon 2 years ago. I wouldn't dare call myself an "old pro" but it is definitely a wiser runner taking the road these days so I take things as they come in stride (pun intended). Like for example:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm having knee issues. Again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually, It's the same issues as before. They never really went away but they had certainly subsided. It's funny because right around this time last year I was forced to visit a doctor and get an MRI and all that and here we are again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 weeks ago I went out for a long run and had no trouble whatsoever during it. The next morning though... ouch. I had to suspend the second long run scheduled for that day. It took a couple of days for the pain to go away but it did. When I tried to run the next time, I essentially limped for the first 10 minutes or so as the pain went away enough to run "normally". A painful start before everything kind of falls into place and goes away. I was starting to get worried but whatever happened seemed to work itself out. The knee still bothers me. It always does. But now it's back to "normal" levels of discomfort.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While it's not what I had planned, training for this challenge will happen without any speed work and at a much slower pace than anticipated. There will be a tempo run here and there sure, but I can't risk speeding up to the point where I make the knee worse. I have a pace, slow as it is, and I have to live with that so don't expect any PR's for the time being.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has become pretty apparent that the knee "thing" is not gonna go away on its own and if I intend to keep on running over the long term (and I fully intend to by the way) I'm gonna have to stop, do something about it, recover and continue. What that "something" will be remains to be seen. Sorry if this post is a little "gloom and doom" but I guess that's the whole point of things like this. You show the good and not so good and yes, sometimes the bad but...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other news: I hope you all got to see the latest trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens because it is the most awesome thing in the universe. I was pretty excited already but now... forget about it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I'm just gonna drop this right here...</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-13733391988502323412015-09-30T11:59:00.001-04:002015-09-30T11:59:53.837-04:00Susan G. Komen's Race for the Cure 5K<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fate works in interesting ways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was not planning to run this race at all. Just wasn't on my radar but less than a week before the race, I was talking to a running buddy about, what else, running when Nitza walked in on our conversation. Nitza is currently fighting breast cancer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't quite call Nitza a colleague from work, though we do work together in a way. She's in the human resources and labor relations office of one the agencies my Union represents, which means we very often sit at opposing sides of the table and have argued countless times. However I have no reservations calling her a friend. She has been with the agency for several years now and sure, we fight but its all with the best of intentions and absolutely no hard feelings. It's the job.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, Nitza walks in on us talking about running, turns around and asks me "Are you gonna be with us on Sunday?". It was her look more than what she said. A million thoughts rushed into my head and flashed before my eyes. "Are you gonna be <u><i>with us</i></u>?" It wasn't that she needed me personally to be there. It was more about support. Group support for her and the many women suffering from breast cancer. All this happened in a millisecond but for me the answer was obvious. "I'll be there." was all I could say and left. Suddenly, I never wanted to do a race more than right at that moment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, the race organizers set up shop in an empty store on one of Puerto Rico's biggest malls to sign up people right up to the very last day so on Friday I walked in and signed up. It was all very organized and quick. I think it took me all of 10 minutes from filling out the form to paying and walking out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was not quite ready for what I encountered on Sunday. This was the biggest draw of any race I have ever done in Puerto Rico. Bigger than the World's Best 10K even. The atmosphere was electric. Everyone seemed happy to be there and there were A LOT of teams from different companies and organizations. All decked out in some form of pink or white, which of course made me stand out more than usual with a blue shirt. But the shirt included in registration was cotton and not available in my size so I got one for my wife.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The starting line was an interesting exercise. There were parallel starting lines for walkers and runners, which covered the entire avenue sidewalk to sidewalk. I guess it makes sense. The starting gun was for both groups at the same time, with the runners naturally taking the lead and leaving the walkers to bring up the rear. Eventually, both lanes converged into one huge group but by then, everyone is pretty much where they need to be speed-wise so there was no unnecessary traffic problems. At least not enough for it to be a problem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which brings me to the race itself. Running was not really the point here. Oh, I'm sure the runners up front had a great time sprinting down to the finish but for the immense majority gathered this was about something else. I was plenty happy with the PR in my previous race and had no intention of chasing a number on this one so after taking off and posting my first mile somewhere in the 12's I decided to step back and walk most of the way. There was just this great vibe all around and I wanted to take it all in. So without any set intervals I walked some then ran some all the way to the finish. At 43 minutes and change, this is my slowest 5K in years but who cares?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is not the first time they do this race in Puerto Rico but I do think this was the biggest so far. Hopefully it will get bigger. I do want to give people who are thinking of doing this race next year some advice though. Respect the distance. Sadly, a lot of people came to the race thinking that since they were just walking, it would be easy. It wasn't. The heat and humidity conspired for some grueling conditions and the amount of people who ended up on stretchers or an ambulance was large enough for the news to report on it. So get some miles under you before the race and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I never did run into Nitza that day. With so many people there it would have taken a miracle but still, I wore the tag and ran in her name. For her, and all the women suffering from the disease. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-48470478661580145162015-09-23T11:15:00.002-04:002015-09-23T11:15:37.866-04:00Clif Builder's Bars<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week, thanks to my relationship with Fitfluential, I received some goodies from the nice folks over at Clif Bars. They are promoting their Builder's Bars and I thought I would share with you what my experience has been using them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As runners, we tend to focus (some would say obsess) on carbs and whether we are getting enough of them for running. Sure enough, they are extremely important to avoid stuff like, bonking, which can be a bad thing. But I have often found that runners don't pay much attention to protein and more importantly, the crucial role it plays in recovery and even during runs and hard workouts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the Clif notes (see what I did there?) version of protein and working out. A lot of people think that when they work out (lift weights, run, etc.) they are building muscle but they'd be wrong. You are actually breaking down muscle fibers during your workout. After you are done, your body starts rebuilding those fibers. Do this enough times and your body eventually figures out that it has to build them stronger and thus, stronger and bigger muscles. Yay!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, a bunch of people a lot smarter than myself figured out that if you feed your body protein right after working out, preferably within 30 minutes of doing so, that process of rebuilding muscle fibers is greatly enhanced. This helps with a whole bunch of things like muscle building, avoiding soreness and proper recovery. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which brings us to Clif Builder's Bars. Along with a nice 30 grams of carbs, they also contain 20 grams of protein. Now, what sets Builder's Bars from other protein bars out there is the quality. You'll notice a lot of people prefer protein shakes over bars post-workout. Mainly because protein bars use low quality protein that is not optimal for use at that time. Clif Builder's Bars on the other hand have soy protein isolate as their first ingredient. The isolate part is important. Unlike say, eating a steak after your long run or eating something with protein concentrates which is what you'll find in other protein bars, protein isolate has been processed to work faster on your system so you can really take advantage of the 30 minute window post-workout.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since Clif Bar Company was gracious enough to send me plenty of Builder's Bars to share, I made sure to put them to good use and get an overall reaction to the product from runners aside from myself. So, I showed up at the finish line of the Lola Challenge Weekend Half Marathon with a bag full of goodies. The Lola Challenge is a 5K, 10K and Half Marathon done over the course of three days. Who better to take advantage from the recovery benefits of these bars than runners who had gone through that gauntlet?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, my friend Indiana and her running group, the Diva Moms, became the "test group" for this post. They all loved the flavor, especially the chocolate peanut butter and the reaction I got every time I said "protein" or "recovery" was priceless. "Just what I need right now!" was a common statement. I also gave bars to as many finishers as my bag allowed and I can tell you, I think Clif has really struck the right chord with this product.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PC0vKFN06Pw/VgKybnE58hI/AAAAAAAAKV4/TuzewMVgEuk/s1600/2015-09-20%2B07.36.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PC0vKFN06Pw/VgKybnE58hI/AAAAAAAAKV4/TuzewMVgEuk/s400/2015-09-20%2B07.36.33.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of the Diva Moms reveling in their success... and recovery,</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for myself, regular readers of this blog know I am currently training for the Goofy Challenge, where I will attempt to run a Half Marathon followed by a full Marathon the next day. This means double long runs on the weekends to get the body used to the actual conditions I will be facing. Proper recovery is important after a long run. Can you imagine how important it is when, after completing a long run, you go right back out the next day for an even longer one? Yeah, I would say it is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I have been using Clif Builder's Bars after my long runs and after cross-training on non-running days. The combination of a Builder's bar along with some sports drink right after a long run is pretty hard to beat and puts me on the right track to get ready for the next one. On cross-training days, it is a lot more convenient than a protein shake. No powder, no mess, no shaker bottles and no need for refrigeration. Just unwrap and consume.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there you have it folks. If you are looking for a solid recovery product, Builder's Bars are tough to beat. They are convenient, they taste great and are extremely versatile.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Disclaimer: Clif Bar Company provided me with some product along with Clif-branded gear for promotional purposes through my affiliation with Fitfluential. All opinions on the product are my own.</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-4623725441367919282015-09-14T21:02:00.000-04:002015-09-14T21:02:18.899-04:00Kamikaze WDW - Disney's Hollywood Studios<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's parts <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2015/09/kamikaze-wdw-pop-century-resort.html" target="_blank">I</a> and <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2015/09/kamikaze-wdw-magic-kingdom.html" target="_blank">II</a> of this trip just in case you want to catch up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's another interesting tidbit from our trip (read the previous post for the first): I've been to Orlando to visit the parks countless times. Of all those times I have been here as "the head of the family" with my daughters three times. Three times and we have visited the same two parks every time. Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. There's a demographics lesson for you. Know your audience folks. Princesses and Disney Junior is where it's at. Hopefully, I'll be able to remedy the fact that my daughters have yet to visit Epcot and Animal Kingdom at some point in the future but for now, we came here for the Frozen Summer of Fun so here we are!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day started... late. Everyone was pretty tired the night before and I told Mayline to allow the girls to sleep as much as possible so they could rest. These girls... at 5:30am they are usually up and about whether tired or not so I figured that with their level of exhaustion they would sleep all the way to maybe 7:30am but they went past that. Probably for the first time in their lives. After a record-breaking dressing and combing session we swallowed some breakfast and headed for DHS.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We literally walked through the gate to catch the start of the Frozen Royal Welcome parade. The main objective of this day was simple: Catch all the Frozen-related activities happening in the park. So, while late, we were off to a good start. Disney, being well... Disney, made sure to create the proper ambiance for the parade by making it snow along the parade route. You don't see that everyday. Especially during a hot, Florida, summer day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that got the girls amped up and after hearing Let It Go for the first time of many this day we headed over to the Animation Courtyard for some character time with some of the girl's big favorites.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This part of the day was Angelica's show by the way. "The Kraken" ran all over the Animation Courtyard leading the way to the characters she wanted pics with, which were all of them. At one point, we saw the line for Doc McStuffins to be shorter than the one for Sophia the First so we switched. She went ballistic. I would've never guessed that this would be her reaction to the characters. Worst case scenario: she would be afraid. Best case? She would "tolerate" getting her pic taken with them. She ended up the bravest of the three. That's kids for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next off was Olaf's Summer Cooldown over at the Main Stage. Here I made my best Queen Elsa impression.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here is a tiny Cast Member for your viewing pleasure.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So Elsa can conjure snow flakes. So what? I can conjure cast members... apparently. Olaf's Summer Cooldown is essentially a dance-along and it was pretty fun. We did the Twist, threw around some beach balls and of course endured a rendition of Olaf's Ode to Summer. The streaming jets of cold mist at the end were extremely welcome. It was a pretty hot and humid day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was a bit disappointed by Disney Jr. Live on Stage. Whether because of changes or technical issues, some of the effects on the show were missing and I think it took away from the experience. That didn't stop the girls from enjoying it of course but my gut feeling is that next time we come here, we'll be skipping this one unless they update it with something like Miles from Tomorrowland which is big at my house. Kids grow up. It happens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lunch was at Pizza Planet. I was warned that this place looks nothing like it does in the Toy Story films but the girls insisted and I obliged. I tried the Meat Lover's pizza. Nothing to write home about but you know, it's pizza. Can it ever be bad?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From there we did our first round of Star Tours. I say first round because the girls LOVED it so much that we went again later in the day. After all the girly stuff, after all the Princess stuff, after all the Frozen stuff... they are my daughters after all. I was so proud. Of course, that lasted all of 15 seconds. We went straight from Star Tours to the Frozen Sing-along.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the "main attraction" if you will, to the whole Frozen Summer of Fun. It is done in the stage where American Idol used to be. Here's the short version: Princess Anna summons Arandelle's official historians to tell the extremely truncated version of the events in the film. Think of the film, take out everything except the songs and you're there. Of course everyone is encouraged to sing along. Do I have to tell you that my girls enjoyed this attraction? Anna and Elsa can pop up a million times and it will never get old for them. Plus, they got to sing their tiny lungs out. My favorite part? When one of the historians mistook Kristoff for Justin Beiber. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then came the highlight of the day for me. My friend and coach extraordinaire Katrina Pilkington and her husband Gary drove from Tampa (she'll soon be moving to Las Vegas) to meet us at the park. It was absolutely amazing to finally meet someone who has inspired and motivated me so much in person. As much as I loved meeting you Kat, hopefully you'll get to see less of me next time we meet. Wink wink. By the way, Mayline thought you were taller. That's what happens when you have a bigger than life personality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania were waiting for us and we knew from previous experience this was a favorite for the girls. The best part here was when they all decided they had beaten my score by combining everyone else's so I guess I was the loser.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which brings me to another attraction I was sad to see not working properly. Voyage of The Little Mermaid was missing all of the water effects. Again, maybe it was just broken but this and Disney Jr. Live on Stage were reminders that DHS is a park in a state of transition. There are big things coming here and the Frozen stuff is basically masking all that has been closed. Hollywood Studios has always been one of my favorite parks and I can't wait to see it 100% functional again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also ran into Minnie Mouse all dressed up for beach summer fun and dancing the afternoon away! Veronica and Maria did not want to dance with her for some reason but guess who was total game for this? Oh yeah. Time to "release The Kraken!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This brings us to the low point of the day which I know sounds bad. It wasn't too bad I guess but sometimes, especially with kids, the only way to know you're gonna get burned is to put your finger in the fire.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, the two oldest were gonna scream for real in a bit</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The two older girls wanted to ride The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. I was hesitant but they insisted. I explained what the ride was and how it worked. As we walked up to it I pointed at the fact that people were screaming inside the building. They bravely kept walking. A part of me thought: "well, they loved the Mine Train and they went crazy for Star Tours so maybe this was not gonna be so bad." Well, that part of me was wrong. As soon as the ride was over, Maria was trembling in terror (how fitting) and Veronica was outright crying. It took a lot of soothing to calm them down. Yeah, they're not gonna be riding this one anytime soon. To this day, The Tower of Terror is a touchy subject around our house, so don't bring it up. Me? Some of you may know that Tower of Terror is programmed to act differently every time and this particular turn was my favorite ever. It was the first time I felt truly weightless while riding it. Which is probably what scared the girls more than anything.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are in the last row. The very last girl on the left, screaming and crying and laughing nervously is Veronica, then my Mom looking amused at her reaction followed by Maria, holding on for dear life. Quite the scene.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fearing some permanent damage, we quickly went back to Star Tours for some badly needed happy memories. Did I mention how happy it makes me that they love this ride so much? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After that we had dinner at ABC Commissary where everyone had Cheeseburgers except me, who was feeling adventurous and tried the steak. It needed a bit of salt but otherwise it was pretty good. ABC Commissary actually has a pretty decent and varied menu. I have tried different dishes here over the years and have always been happy. Definitely recommend this one if you are looking for Quick Service option in DHS. Quick side note: For the sake of order and peace, I sat everyone down and went to order by myself. The order was too big for me to handle and just when I resigned myself to doing two trips, the Cast </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Member who gave me the food happily offered to help me carry the trays to our table even though it was not his job. This is a Quick Service restaurant after all but that's Cast Members for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was during dinner that it started to rain. Really hard. Thunder, lightning... it was pretty bad. it was at this time that I started fearing that we were gonna miss Fantasmic! and the Frozen Fireworks Show. Or rather, that it was not gonna happen at all. And basically, that's how our day ended. After a couple of hours of waiting it became evident that the rain and lightning was not gonna let up and my brother reluctantly went out in the rain and bought some ponchos, which did almost nothing because it was raining so hard and we ran to the buses and eventually our room. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so it was over. We almost got to do everything we set out to do. We missed Fantasmic! and the Frozen Fireworks although it was not our fault and we didn't get to see Frozen Fever which was no biggie as we had seen it when we saw Cinderella at the Theater. Everything else we had set out to do in this Kamikaze trip to Disney World, we accomplished. Oh yeah, I would have loved to catch Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular one more time since it's scheduled to close but that was a personal thing so it was never part of the official schedule. No joke, it took me about a week and a half to get rid of the felling of exhaustion after we returned home. It was just so crazy but looking back I wouldn't have done it differently. We made some wonderful memories on this trip and the girls... The girls are still talking about it weeks later. Sometimes, I'll be driving them to school and they'll ask me if we can talk about the trip. Tower of Terror and all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yup, I'd say it was worth it for sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-68342282682935051952015-09-09T20:52:00.001-04:002015-09-09T20:52:39.273-04:00Kamikaze WDW - The Magic Kingdom<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's a logic to the madness. You can read <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2015/09/kamikaze-wdw-escape-from-puerto-rico.html" target="_blank">part I</a> and <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2015/09/kamikaze-wdw-pop-century-resort.html" target="_blank">part II</a> of this story to know what's going on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We made it out of Puerto Rico by beating a tropical storm, got to Orlando and managed to settle into our hotel room. Now, it was time to get down to business. After a not-so-good-night's sleep (the girls were still on an adrenaline rush from it all) we woke up on Friday and had a good, strong breakfast to get ready for the day ahead. When we exited the hotel to wait for a bus to the Magic Kingdom we were pleasantly surprised to find one already waiting for us. So, on to the Happiest Place on Earth!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is an interesting fact about our day at The Magic Kingdom: We spent the entire day, from morning until the fireworks show that night, in Fantasyland. Yes, the entire day. Not only that, we didn't get to do everything there was to do there, including PhilharMagic and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh among others. I have to admit, I wasn't too sad to miss It's a Small World.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, what did we do? Well, after the requisite pictures at the entrance and the oohs and aahs of walking towards the castle, (which never gets old by the way. Plus it was my youngest daughter's first time in Disney) we headed straight for Fairytale Garden to meet Angelica's favorite princess: Merida!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me tell you guys, this moment made all the planning, hassle and worrying worth it. When Angelica saw Merida, the look on her face... Merida started talking to her but Angelica was completely stricken in awe. Then she started to touch her hair. It's as if she was saying "You are real! Look at your hair!" Of course, I was too busy enjoying the moment to do stuff like, you know, take pictures. Thankfully, Disney came to the rescue here. I paid to include Memory Maker in my vacation package so they took care of that for me. My wife also lapsed out of her own personal coma to take some pics of the girls afterwards trying out the bow and arrow. They loved it! 20 minutes into the trip and it had already payed for itself. Everything from here on was pure profit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And folks, we did some stuff. From Merida we went to the Mad Tea Party, Dumbo, the Carousel and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I was a bit concerned that the girls were gonna find it too scary but they absolutely loved it. Angelica stayed with Grandma for that one though. Not tall enough.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Dumbo my wife took this picture which I thought was priceless. Can you see why? My wife was calling Angelica and this was the result.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From there we made a short stop by Rapunzel's tower for something I had promised the girls we'd do...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone around thought it was pretty cute. We even got some applause! Veronica actually wanted to wait to see if she would come out. I promised we would meet her later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By then, it was time to head over to The Crystal Palace for our reservations with Winnie the Pooh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here, things got a little weird. Veronica, who is usually fearless, did not want her picture taken with any of the characters here. I don't know why. Not a Winnie the Pooh fan it seems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Festival of Fantasy Parade was next. I tell you, these girls simply can't get enough of the princesses. They cheered for every single one they saw in the parade. Thankfully we were saving the best part for later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the parade, we could tell the girls were exhausted. It wasn't part of the plan but we felt it best to head over to the hotel, have them sleep a couple of hours, then regroup and return to finish what was left on our schedule. Frankly, I don't think we were gonna be able to go through such a long day without a break. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So they slept, then they overslept. It was raining so there was no point in waking them up so I waited until it passed to do so. I was forced to rearrange some fast passes and we ended up missing the one we had for Cinderella and Rapunzel but since the girls were able to rest, we managed to get all we wanted to do even with the extra lines. Besides, this was the most important part of the visit: Meeting the Princesses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After we got back in the park, we first met Anna and Elsa. My own little Anna (Veronica) and Elsa (Maria Rosa) were speechless. I enjoyed seeing their faces as the sisters from Frozen took the time to talk to them. Not that my girls said much. They just pretty much nodded at everything they were told. The look on their faces say it best I think.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cinderella and Rapunzel were pretty much the same experience in that my girls were just in awe. These are the "regular" princesses after all. By that I mean that when they are not playing Frozen, Maria says she is Rapunzel and Veronica says she is Cinderella. We were really lucky and happy that these two were together in the same experience. Veronica managed to tell Cinderella about how much she loves her shoes. Even at the Princess level, girls talk about shoes it seems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I should point out, that Angelica became a total character groupie! We literally had to restrain her from running over to the characters and giving them hugs while it was some other person's turn. She might have ruined a couple of pictures... I would grab her hand and explain we had to wait in line and she would cry and give me this face like "But Rapunzel is right there! Why do we have to wait?! I mean she is right within my reach Dad! I don't get it." Such is life. When our turn would come up, my brother would joke that it was time "to release the Kraken". She was sneaky too. She would wait until just the right moment to escape my grasp.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From there we went to Enchanted Tales with Belle, where my oldest got to play the part of Maurice, Belle's father. I wouldn't mind more character experiences like this one. It was interactive, the kids loved it and you get to take pictures. It was one of my favorite moments on this trip.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Then, we rode on Journey of the Little Mermaid which is a classic "Dark Ride" It's so full of color and so many things going on. Everyone loved this one. I forgot to take any pics here though...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, we missed Celebrate the Magic. The show where they project all sorts of stuff on the Castle from different Disney films. It started just as we were exiting the Little Mermaid ride and were taking a restroom break. We were just caught out of position I guess. The projection can only be seen from the front and Journey of the Little Mermaid is behind it. So while that was happening we made our way to a better spot so we could watch Wishes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If Wishes causes the jaws in adults to unhinge, what do you think the effect is on a child? Plus Tinkerbell "flew" right over us! This is one of those "moments" that parents live for. Veronica kept looking back at me like "Is this really happening?" I did not want it to end. Sadly, it did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, after that "moment" was over my body quickly reminded that we were on the tail end of a very, very long day and while the girls had been able to sleep during the afternoon, I hadn't. My feet were destroyed. In fact, I they hadn't hurt this much since running the marathon. The walk back to the room was painful. I was actually concerned I would have trouble getting up the next morning. I was exhausted. But the memories... no amount of pain will take those away.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-57041956152144070672015-09-02T21:01:00.001-04:002015-09-02T21:01:59.505-04:00Kamikaze WDW - Pop Century Resort<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make sure you catch part 1 of this story and our daring escape from Puerto Rico <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2015/09/kamikaze-wdw-escape-from-puerto-rico.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where were we? Right, after an uneventful flight we made it to Orlando International Airport, got on Disney's Magical Express and headed for our Hotel, Pop Century Resort. Before I delve into our Disney adventures, I thought fellow runners might benefit from a description of this resort so here we go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pop, (as I will refer to it from now on) is a value resort along with the All-Star Resorts (Music, Movies and Sports) and Art of Animation. Being a value resort, there is not much in terms of amenities here and the accommodations are equivalent to say, a Holiday Inn but that is not necessarily a bad thing. When your itinerary has you all day at the parks or other places, what do you really need out of your hotel other than a place to collapse after a long day? If your time in Orlando includes some leisure moments and time away from the parks to do some other stuff, then the moderate or even the deluxe resorts make more sense but this was not our case. That extra money could be better spent elsewhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, just because the accommodations are spartan, it doesn't mean that Disney has cut corners here. The hotel is beautifully themed. A homage to the latter half of the 20th century, the resort makes reference to the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. With much of the current adult population having grown up somewhere along those decades, this is a trip down memory lane for most of us. One of the main focal points of the resort are the gigantic icons that anchor the buildings. For example we were staying in the 80's buildings so we were greeted every morning by a giant Roger Rabbit and a huge Sony Walkman. The ends of the buildings were flanked by huge Rubik's Cubes. (In the 70's buildings it was 8-track tapes, in the 50's it was bowling pins and so forth)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unlike the All-Star Resorts, Pop is very walkable. The 80's section was the very last set of buildings of the resort and I found the walk to the main area to be fairly decent. I'm not saying it's close but compared to the same walk at say, All Star Sports, it is definitely shorter, therefore making the need for a preferred room (one closer to the main building) less of an issue. Of course, after an entire fun-filled day at the parks or after running a marathon, any walk to your room will seem endless. Especially if it's raining. (And it was on the last day.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main building is an exercise in efficiency. Your required check-in counter -which is quickly becoming obsolete with online check-in- is joined by Everything Pop, which is a gift shop/food court hybrid designed to handle large crowds quickly. The gift shop exit leads to the park buses so every time you arrive from a park you are treated to all the stuff you forgot to pick up while you were there. The food court is a large area with different stations and great variety. I particularly enjoyed to the Omelet station, where you get to pick your fixings and are made-to-order. My girls all enjoyed the Pop Waffles. Just like the Mickey Waffles but with the Pop Century logo. As far as lunch and dinner we only tried the pizza which I felt was pretty good considering the source. All other meals were done at the parks. At the end of the food court are the beverage stations where you can fill your resort mug with anything from tea and coffee to all kinds of Coke products. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While we made this trip on the tail end of the summer season and the parks were relatively peaceful, Pop Century was playing host resort to a Masters Basketball Tournament being held in ESPN Wide World of Sports so it was full of old basketball players from all over the World. Despite this, we never failed to find a seat for breakfast or found the lines at the food court to be long. Again, everything was very efficient and all the Cast Members we came in contact with were very friendly and never seemed to be in a hurry to get rid of us, which you would expect at this level and with this amount of people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an added bonus, if you are using Disney transportation Pop Century does not share buses with any other resort, unlike the All Star Resorts in which you have to endure multiple stops if you are staying in either Music or Movies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all, Pop Century is a solid choice for anyone looking for a "no frills" option on site. It covers the basics and then some. If you simply need a place to crash after a long day in the parks and still have access to both the Dining Plan and Disney Transportation you can't go wrong with Pop Century. In fact, if you are looking for a Value Resort for Marathon Weekend, this along with All Star Sports would be my top picks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow, our very busy day at the Magic Kingdom. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-31590338779073522015-09-01T16:16:00.001-04:002015-09-01T20:37:44.183-04:00Kamikaze WDW - Escape from Puerto Rico<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We survived. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was crazy, just as I knew it would be. In fact, it was even crazier thanks in no small part to Tropical Storm Erika and her extremely erratic behavior but we accomplished all the stuff we set out to do except one thing (I'll get to that) and had a whole lot of fun in the process.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>There's a Storm Brewing...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had been standing watch since the previous week and saw it coming from miles away but in the end I was still helpless to do anything about it. Everyone was forecasting for Erika to be right over the island in the early hours on Friday. Our tickets to Orlando? Yup, they were for 5am Friday. As early as Tuesday, I began calling Jet Blue asking about what was gonna happen and their answer was the same on Tuesday and Wednesday: The flight was scheduled to leave on time and if I wanted to make any changes it would be about 700 dollars extra. I tried to explain my situation and that if my flight was canceled, I could not pick a later flight because I would lose my reservations, tickets and everything else but Jet Blue would not budge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, Puerto Rico issued instructions closing some schools and government functions on Wednesday night at about 11pm. This thing was coming for sure and Jet Blue was still adamant that my flight was leaving on time. On Thursday morning, I found out that they decided to include my girl's school as one to close so, with two of my girls in tow, I left for work resigned to the fact that we were probably gonna miss our flight. Then, just as I was parking at work, Jet Blue issued the code to change flights and I was forced to look for alternatives right then and there. Sure enough, our only choice was a flight at 1:40pm that very day so I set it up, signed off on some stuff at work, got the kids back in the car and headed home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't think I have ever packed a suitcase as fast as I did for this. It was a madhouse. The girls were screaming all over the house because we were leaving for Disney World while me and the wife were trying to figure out what we were leaving out. Most of the packing was in order but when you're in a hurry, that nagging feeling that you are leaving something out is inescapable. More than leaving, we felt like we were evacuating. With me still in my work clothes and the girls still in their school uniforms, we headed to the airport.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, from this point on things slowed down a bit. We got to the airport and checked in and despite my wife having some issues with security - They weren't accepting her type of I.D. anymore- we made it to the gate on time and had a chance to actually breathe for a minute before getting in the plane and heading for Florida.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In terms of pure nerves, this was the worst part of the trip. Things got a whole lot more fun from that point on, but not any less hectic. We had a very, very full schedule ahead of us so things were just beginning.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We made it!! In our school clothes but we made it.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-37479676486430665282015-08-25T16:27:00.000-04:002015-08-25T16:27:20.434-04:00Popular Bank's 5K 2015<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It eludes me. While I admit that I have never focused on developing it, by this time I would have hoped I was a little faster. I hoped that as I matured as a runner, my pace would just naturally get faster. That hasn't panned out. As I close in on 4 years of running, progress in this department has been, like my pace, very slow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Case in point: the 5K, and the fact that my fastest time in this particular discipline is from 2013. The 37:43 I managed to pull off in the <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2013/11/alliance-5k-race-recap-and-few-other.html" target="_blank">Alliance 5K</a> -which is the hardest 5K I've run. Ever.- keeps staring at me from my computer every time I log into Garmin Connect. Almost teasing me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, there's this race. My first ever <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2012/08/popular-banks-5k-race-recap.html" target="_blank">back in 2012</a>. This is the 4th time I step on the line for this one and I love to hate it and hate to love it. It's deceptively simple: You go up one avenue then go back down another. It's flat and potentially very fast but I have never managed a PR here even though the conditions for it, on paper, look perfect for exactly that. My best time here? 39:22. Clearly, something had to be done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During all my runs these past two months, all I've thought about is how faster I am when I use the Galloway Method. Time and time again it keeps proving itself to my surprise. I mean, you are walking!! How is this possible?! But the times don't lie. I am faster. However, I have relied on it for longer distances. Marathons and Half Marathons mainly. I've actually never tried it for shorter stuff. I mean, a 5K is just too little distance and certainly too little time for it to be effective right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, we were about to find out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bear in mind, I didn't train for this. I have just been running like I always do in preparation for the Goofy Challenge: Running during the week then using the Galloway Method on my weekend long runs. I was going to be treading new paths for this one. I know you are not supposed to try new things while racing but given my current level, I thought the risk was pretty low, plus I mentally prepared myself that if something did go wrong, nothing was really lost. After all, my eyes are on the real prize: The Goofy medal. The 5K PR could come later. With this in mind, I developed a very simple strategy: Run like zombies are after me, then hope the walk interval will be enough time to recharge for the next run interval. That's it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I met up with my now traditional running posse for this race. Gilbert walked the race with his wife and kid and his sister Cristie joined us as well. Frankie "The Jet" Ramos sat this one out. Apparently, after running a sub-5 hour marathon, this sort of stuff is now beneath him. (Hi Frankie!) This year they had corrals (Yay!) and sure enough I got sent to the last one. I ended up almost in the very back of the pack but I wasn't worried. I was the dead last person out of the Philly Half and look how that turned out.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The beautiful Ramos family and little Ramos' first 5K</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so it began. No sooner had I crossed the starting line, I took off like someone was trying to force me to watch a "Twilight" marathon. The walk break could not come soon enough. Plus, I was dodging people left and right which was expected. It turned out to not be a factor though the crowd thinned out a bit later but even so my fastest mile was the first one. 10:52, walk breaks and all, although for some reason I saw some other number on my watch and thought I was behind so I pushed on which was a mistake as I was already running well beyond my threshold. Sure enough, halfway through, that breakneck pace caught up with me and my legs started to seriously complain the final 30 seconds of each run interval. The supposed 2 minute run / 1 minute walk plan slowly turned into 1:50 run / 1(ish) minute walk as I didn't have enough legs to support such a fast pace.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The thrill of victory (...and exhaustion)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The result was an ugly positive split. A 10:52 first mile turned into a 11:59 second mile and finally a 12:19 third mile. I was totally spent. I was trying to muster some strength to finish resembling something close to running when I saw a friend of mine run past me and I decided to catch up to him and finish with him. As I crossed the finish I thought I was gonna pass out but it was over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Final time, 36:24 - A shiny new PR and a 2 minute improvement from last year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's funny. When I started running, I thought that to be a "normal" or "regular" runner you had to do a 5K somewhere in the mid 30's. I don't know how I arrived at that number. I can't even tell you what I meant by "normal runner" but here I am, squarely in the mid 30's and I don't feel any different so there you go. It's not like I'm thinking I gotta reach some crazy number. However, I do feel that with some practice, I could maintain that 1st mile pace throughout the entire race. That would be cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-87081194588589448242015-08-20T11:27:00.001-04:002015-08-20T11:27:12.505-04:00Planning is a... you know.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Less than two weeks from now, I'm heading to Disney World for our two-day Kamikaze incursion into Frozenland. Otherwise known as Disney's Hollywood Studios. Things have evolved a bit since the last time I wrote about this. We have decided to go all in on this and will head over to The Magic Kingdom as soon as we land on Friday, making an already crazy trip even crazier. Why? Because as I was planning this debacle of a trip, I realized that for all the Frozen fun to be had at Hollywood Studios, there was no way to actually take a picture with either Anna or Elsa there. To do that you have to head on over next door to the Happiest Place on Earth, where both characters are waiting for you with open arms at Princess Fairytale Hall. Provided you wait in line for a million hours or something like that. Oh, there's a FastPass, but those were long gone by the time I tried to grab one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really don't know what's more difficult: Planning a long Disney trip (like a week or more) or a quick one like this. I'm starting to think it's the latter but that may be because I'm right in the middle of it all. The fundamental problem with planning a Disney trip -long or short- has always been that there is simply way too much to do. Initially, I thought that since the main focus of the trip is Frozen, then it was just a matter of picking those things and forgetting the rest to survive. Not true. Along with the Frozen activities -which are at specific times so you must work around them- there are several "classics" that the girls will not want to miss. Can I go to DHS and not catch Disney Jr. Live on Stage? Not if I don't want a full-blown mutiny. Can I say "not today" to Toy Story Mania? The girls have already made it very clear we have to do that one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And with 3 small girls, there are so many other things to consider... Have you ever done a seating chart for a Disney trip? I have. Yes, a seating chart. My Mom will be joining us at the parks and with that comes the dreaded problem: Who sits next to grandma? So I have it broken down by ride. On the ones that are two people per seat like Dumbo or Toy Story Mania, I have a chart of who sits with who so everyone gets a turn to sit next to Grandma on a ride. This was pre-negotiated with the girls so they already know who goes where ahead of time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am currently working on the Aircraft boarding and traveling procedure. The plane we are taking to Orlando is 2 seats, the ailse, then 2 seats. Not enough room for a family of 5 to seat together. Mayline has to care for the youngest first so they sit together while I'm one seat in front. This leaves the older girls (insert Psycho theme here) alone together across the ailse. Not only that, but because we are waking up so early and have such a full schedule once we are there, I have to figure out a way to make 3 very excited little girls to sleep on the plane. So I have been talking to them about it for a while now about what's gonna happen at the airport and especially while on the plane. Wish me luck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the sort of thing I've been dealing with recently, and I realize this sounds a bit extreme but there are a couple of million things out of my control that can and will go wrong so I'm just trying to deal with the stuff I can control. The schedule is tight and there's no need to screw things up because of something I could have done something about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the meantime, I have a race on Sunday: Popular Bank's 5K and my first race since the Puerto Rico Half Marathon back in March. I have done this race every year since 2012 and a PR is long overdue at this distance.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-60509933928663945832015-08-12T09:41:00.000-04:002015-08-12T09:41:02.365-04:00P90X3 - The Final Veredict<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With less than 2 weeks to go before finishing my first round of P90X3, I can give you an honest assessment on what this program is all about and more importantly, how this program can help runners. Even runners like me. Granted, this program is not specifically designed for runners but after three months of program creator Tony Horton kicking my butt, I can honestly say that there's a lot here for runners to like and reap benefits from. Let's take a look.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">P90X3 -which stands for Power 90 Extreme 3- is a home video workout program that promises to get you into the best shape of your life. Provided you follow it correctly of course. As the 3 in the name suggests, it is the 3rd edition of P90X -The extremely famous workout program- although this really is more of a sequel to P90X than P90X2 which is more focused on sports-specific training. You do 6 workouts a week, with a 7th "recovery" workout as optional. With the help of the awesome Katrina Pilkington, I did a hybrid version where I alternated running days with P90X3 days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you've seen the infomercials for this program, you've seen that a main talking point they mention repeatedly is the duration of the workouts. They are all 30 minutes. Everyone can do 30 minutes right? I can vouch for this personally. I tried P90X some years back and didn't stick to it. Mainly because the long workouts took a lot of my time. Also, because my fitness level was so low, the prospect of torturing myself for an hour or more, 6 days a week, killed my motivation. This "condensed" version, even though it's equally challenging, really helps people remain consistent. This has even more value to runners but I'll get to that in a bit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Who is this program for?</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the part where you have to take a good look at yourself before taking the decision to try P90X3. This is a challenging program and people with joint or back issues might have trouble here. A lot of the workouts are high impact and involve jumping and balancing. Also, if you are starting out from a totally inactive lifestyle, this program might prove to be too much. Starting out with a program like P90 (notice the lack of X at the end) might be recommended. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having said that, there is a lot of replay value here for the uninitiated like me. Most moves in the program have a modified version you can do first, then work yourself to the normal version, thus adding said replay value. What I mean is, it's going to take many rounds of this program to master it completely so it will be a long while before you need to move to something else, therefore giving you value for your money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ultimately, only you -preferably with the help of a doctor- can asses your fitness level and decide if this program is right for you. If you do try it out, there is a lot here to keep you busy for months and months.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What about runners?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The workouts are varied and challenging but throughout the entire program, Tony Horton focuses on three things: Core strength, balance and flexibility. All important things to runners. For me it was quite the learning experience to do these workouts, then go out and run the next day and feel my still-sore core muscles and how they relate to my running form. My back as well. There are two reasons why I recommend this program to runners: The first is the aforementioned focus on core, balance and flexibility. The second is time. If you are a long distance runner -and by that I mean you run Half Marathons or longer- you are already spending serious time running. Once you pass that 5 mile threshold, the time spent on the road adds up quickly. This makes it hard to find time for other things, including cross-training. At 30 minutes, the P90X3 workouts make it very easy to schedule the required time. The variety will also keep you coming back. The program is divided into three blocks that are a month long. Each month has a different set of workouts so you are doing a lot of different stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>My experience</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It bears repeating: This thing kicked my butt. It was tough. There were times when I yelled at the TV "You want me to do WHAT??!!" (I may have used more colorful language) but I had fun and I'm in much better shape now than three months ago that's for sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It helped me discover and work on my two biggest weaknesses: Lack of upper-body and core strength, and serious lack of flexibility. Videos like X3 Yoga, Isometrics and Pilates X twisted me in ways I didn't think possible and I still suck at them but there was noticeable progress for sure. Then there''s the push-ups and pull-ups. Two things I simply could not do. I did them assisted and will probably keep doing them like that for a while but yesterday I actually did some real push-ups so I'm getting stronger. Neither Disney World nor Rome were built in a day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will definitely be returning for a second round of P90X3 and probably beyond that. There is plenty here for me to work on. There is also another program called PiYo, which is a combination of Pilates and Yoga that is very low impact that I can combine with P90X3 that will allow me to focus on my core and flexibility even more. I'll keep you guys posted on that front. Meanwhile, if you are runner looking for an effective cross-training program or just someone looking to get in better shape, I recommend P90X3 wholeheartedly. It's awesome, it's challenging and I love to hate X3 Yoga. Bring it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-13138073229689474242015-07-31T11:01:00.000-04:002015-07-31T11:01:24.726-04:00Galloway Tips: Dealing with the Heat<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So today we have our latest round of tips from the Main Man Jeff Galloway and this one hits close to home folks. Dealing with the heat while running is a huge concern, especially if you live in place like Puerto Rico where it's hot and humid all the time. And I mean all. The. Time. Without further ado...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Dealing With the Heat</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Training through the summer can not only be grueling, but down right dangerous. Here are some tips to train safely and as comfortable as possible in the hot summer months.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Slow down by 30 sec/mile (20 sec/km) for every 5F temperature increase above 55-60F ( every 2.5C above 14C)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When the temperature is over 70F (21C) you may take a 5 minute “cold shower break” every 25-30 minutes to keep cool.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Try to complete your run before the sun rises above the horizon.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>More frequent walk breaks during hot weather can lower body temperature increase. If you used to run 3 minutes between walk breaks, run only 90 seconds (walk 30 seconds) at 70F (21C) and at 80F (26C) drop to 60 sec run/30 sec walk or 30/30</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When you start to heat up more than normal, take a longer walk in a mall or indoor AC building</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Pick shady courses on hot days.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Don’t wear a hat! Pour water over your head</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Have an indoor alternative—treadmill, etc</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Run in the deep end of the pool, using a flotation belt</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I should point out...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>PS from The Fat Runner...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That performance decrease based on temperature is no joke. At both the Disney Marathon and Philadelphia Half Marathon, after doing all my training in Puerto Rico then traveling to the US in winter time, I felt like I had super powers. Running in the heat is VERY different.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-61280614396815131562015-07-23T14:08:00.000-04:002015-07-23T14:08:02.366-04:00Am I Absolutely Insane?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I need someone to confirm this. Please.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like I don't have enough on my plate. Training for the Goofy Challenge, trying to make cross-training an ongoing part of my routine, becoming a Beachbody Coach, trying to adjust after a huge promotion at work and planning a cruise for next year, you could say I have plenty to worry about. But, when the flesh is weak and the will is strong there is always something else you can add to the stack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My cousin just came back from this huge trip. She traveled to New Orleans for a volleyball tournament her daughter was participating in. Of course they did the whole tourist thing as well and had their share of Gumbo and Beignets. Then they drove from New Orleans to Orlando and visited some parks. Because really, if you are in Orlando, can you really not go visit a theme park of some sort? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, of all the stuff they did, she simply could not shut up about their visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios. I found this weird at first. DHS is undergoing major changes and many attractions are closed. Not to mention that the Sorcerer's Hat is no more. Aside from Star Wars and Toy Story Mania, it could easily be skipped right? Well, no. Not if you are a Frozen fan...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can see where I'm going with this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disney -ever the efficient revenue creator it has always been- has turned what could be a negative (empty, half-operating park) into a positive. Until September 7, 2015 DHS will be celebrating the Frozen Summer of Fun. Without going into the details, it will be everything Frozen. Frozen sing-along, Frozen Royal Welcome, Frozen parade, Olaf's Summer Cooldown, Frozen Fireworks... Frozen, Frozen, Frozen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"All I kept thinking about was how much fun your girls would have there." she kept telling me over and over. You see, she has three girls as well but they are a bit older and while they had plenty of fun, they seemed to have just missed the Frozen bandwagon so it wasn't such a big deal for them. My girls on the other hand, have Frozen in the head. I think I have established that pretty soundly this past year. In fact I could use a little Frozen break, really. But, as you parents out there already know, it is rarely about you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah, this whole Frozen fever is getting really old but my girls love it. Plans started to pop in my head. Ambitious plans. Expensive plans...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I needed someone to talk me out of the ledge. My Dad shows up right at that very moment. (serendipity?) I explain my situation and crazy ideas popping in my head. Surely cooler heads will prevail. He'll think it's crazy, talk some sense into me, end of story. Instead, he pushes me over the edge then jumps himself. Funny thing is my Mom (who also schemed in favor of this by the way) later told me "What the heck were you thinking asking him?" and she is right. I guess he just showed up at the wrong time and I just needed someone to talk to but I can see my mistake. I talked to him as my father and forgot that he is, for all intents and purposes, a GRANDFATHER. In fact we call him Iron Man sarcastically because when it comes to his granddaughters he breaks easily.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As luck would have it, my parents are gonna be staying at Disney's Pop Century Resort the last week of August because of a basketball tournament where my Dad will be coaching the Puerto Rico team. So, we are gonna fly that final weekend on Friday morning, spend Friday and Saturday there, then leave on Sunday. All this to immerse ourselves in Frozen Summer Fun. It's insane.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How did it come to this? There really is no justification but here was my line of reasoning, if you can call it that: We are not gonna be doing a full-on Disney Parks vacation anytime soon. Frozen Summer of Fun is a temporary thing. They did it last year and repeated it this year. Will they do it again? I don't know. As they ramp up work on the massive transformation that will turn DHS into Disney's Hollywood Adventure and permanent Frozen attractions (like the Frozen ride in the Norway pavilion) open, Frozen Summer of Fun could very well be axed. Even if it survives another year, we won't be able to go next year as we have another trip planned. If I wanted to take them to see this, it had to be now or never.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What sealed the deal for me though, was this: My girls will never be the age they are now again. Other films and fads will come and go but that sense of wonder, that sense of magic they have over Frozen and Disney and Princesses, that will eventually go away. Which also means you, as a parent get to enjoy that moment only once as well. Many people ask: "Why take a small child to Disney World? They probably won't remember it later." and they are probably right. But remember what I said at the beginning about parents and it rarely being about you? Well, this is the part that is about you. Getting to experience those thing through their eyes. You treasure those moments closely in your heart.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-4767709216567948982015-07-10T15:55:00.000-04:002015-07-10T15:55:57.222-04:00The Challenge is in the Eye of the Beholder<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5K's are hard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been following the running adventures of Jenn over at <a href="http://www.runswithpugs.com/" target="_blank">Runs with Pugs</a> for a while now. Incidentally, she is the inspiration for this post so thanks Jenn! Anyway, Jenn ran the Walt Disney World in January and immediately afterwards (Actually, I'm pretty sure it was well before that) made the decision to not run marathons and focus on other things; specifically work on her 5K times. Something she has accomplished successfully by the way. She has already managed to go sub- 30 minutes in training and is about to do so in a race pretty soon I'm sure. You go, girl!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jenn's journey this year has gotten me thinking about how we set goals and how we, and others view those goals. While it is certainly different for everyone, when runners gather together (whether in person or online) and talk, we can sometimes make it seem like running a marathon is the ultimate goal for every runner. It almost feels like finishing a marathon is the core requirement before you can consider yourself a runner. If Runnerville is the place where all runners live, then the marathon is the gate you have to go through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, this is totally untrue and not only that, I have personally never heard any runner actually stating something like that (thank goodness, I know some have) but again, when you gather runners in a discussion, invariably some will be marathoners. They will begin talking about how rewarding it is and how challenging. They will talk about how it was probably their greatest running accomplishment (guilty!) and of course this creates unconscious peer pressure. You want to be one of the cool kids. You want to be a marathoner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It also doesn't help that many people look at 5K's as a "first step" and therefore an easy one as you develop your ability to go farther. We make it look sometimes as if a 5K or even a 10K is just something you do on your way to running Half and Full Marathons. Again, this is totally untrue. I will argue in fact, that training for a 5K is one of the hardest things you can do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marathons are in essence, a test of patience. Especially to us slower folks. You train your body to keep moving for hours and hours until you reach the finish. In many ways, it's a grind which is probably why the Disney marathon is so popular: it actually gives you stuff to see and do while you grind your miles for hours and hours. You do something other than running with your time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time, on the other hand, is what you don't have on a 5K. It is a mad dash to the finish. It doesn't matter if you are a 20 minute finisher or an hour finisher. A time improvement at this distance requires a gargantuan effort, mainly because regardless of your fitness level, a 5K is a sprint. Sprinting is hard. Have you ever tried to sprint for 30 minutes? You have if you have run a 5K.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Exhibit A: Yours Truly. In the course of a year, I improved my Half Marathon time by a half hour. That is a HUGE PR. (and you will recall, <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014-philadelphia-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">a very memorable moment for me</a>) On the other hand, my quest to run a sub-40 minute 5K was... well, difficult. I finally managed to pull it off in <a href="http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/2013/11/alliance-5k-race-recap-and-few-other.htm" target="_blank">November 2013</a> and to this day, I have not been able to improve that time despite many efforts to do so. Sure, when I train I don't focus on that distance. I have spent the last 2 years working on Halves and Fulls but it goes to show you: A 5K PR is not something you wake up one morning and simply do. It takes a lot of hard work. Just as hard as training for a marathon. Don't think so? Ask anyone who trains for 5 and 10K's for the Olympics and such to see if it is any less hard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-486400662052265832015-07-01T10:46:00.000-04:002015-07-01T10:46:34.328-04:00The Road to Goofy<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So it officially begins... Sort of.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The actual training plan for the Goofy Challenge begins in September. But the enormity of the Challenge definitely warrants preparation. So I have worked out a long term training plan which includes the preparation of the preparation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The current agenda is paying off big time. Cross-training in the form of P90X3 is starting to show it's benefits. The program is tough and it has been challenging to get used to the extra work besides running, but the purpose was to come out stronger out the other end and its working. Yesterday, I ran probably the best 4 miles I have run in a long while. I've been losing weight slow but steady, just the way I want it and I've been eating better than ever. Now, it's time to focus all that into the specific task that is the Goofy Challenge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main part of course, is the running. I've been running steadily about 3 times per week. Now I need to specify those runs into regular runs, workout runs and long runs. Regular runs are what are usually called easy runs but I refuse to call them that. Nothing easy about running long distances if you ask me. Fun? Of course! Good for you? Definitely! But easy? Not if you are doing it right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Workout runs have a specific purpose. Tempo runs, speedwork, hills... they all fall in this category. One of my runs per week will be a workout run. I will be very careful in this area as this is what I believe got me into knee trouble the last time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Long runs are, of course the bread and butter of the training plan. I will be adding distance very slowly. Starting early affords me this time to get my body used to it. Eventually I will add a second long run to start "simulating" the Goofy Challenge conditions so that will be 4 runs a week total with 2 long runs on consecutive days. Again, being very careful to avoid injury. I know it sounds like a lot but it really is alright. In fact, apart from the extra long run, its not that much different from my current schedule.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, there's racing. I feel weird even saying it but I've hardly raced this year. In fact I haven't raced since the Puerto Rico Half Marathon but that has been by design as I focus on cross-training and other things. However, racing will be an important gauge of where I'm at training-wise. There will be three races that I consider part of my training plan. First, the Popular Bank's 5K, which I have done every year since it was my first race ever. A PR here is, in my opinion, a step in the right direction. Then in September there will be the Lola Challenge Weekend. This one will be very important as it will involve running a 10K on Saturday and a Half Marathon on Sunday. I call it the "Mini-Goofy". I can't think of a better way to make sure everything is going according to plan than this. Finally in November I will again run the Diva's Half Marathon. Yes, it will be done in a tutu. Can't really back away from that at this point. On both of these instances, I'm not looking for a PR of any kind. I just want to finish and feel good afterwards. If I can pull that off, it would be great. If I can run the Divas Half and wake up the next day without any major ill effects I would definitely hop on the plane to Florida in January with a whole lot of confidence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the cross-training department, I'm currently halfway through P90X3. I think I have made enough emphasis on how tough but rewarding this has been. As I reach the peak of run training and therefore, mileage, cross-training has to be brought down in intensity as I focus more on running. I was thinking of doing a second round of P90X3 back to back but after some thought, I think it would be better to try something that is lower impact. There is a great program called PiYo that is lower impact but still challenging that I'm very interested in. If I end up doing it, I'll tell you all about it when I do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that's pretty much it. The Road to Goofy in a nutshell. Nothing is written in stone though. I will be adjusting things as I go along and if you guys have any suggestions I'm all ears so bring it on!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970768792371435412.post-80521588263030649212015-06-22T14:12:00.003-04:002015-06-22T14:12:59.908-04:00An Important Announcement<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I admit I've been struggling a little bit about how to approach this post and in some moments I actually thought about not writing it at all. However, in the interest of full disclosure, I think it's important I talk about it for a bit just so you know where I'm at and since it is part of this fitness journey then why not?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you may have read here lately, there have been some pretty big changes going on as I ramp up my efforts on my way to the Goofy Challenge. Nutrition, diet, even the entire family approach to how we deal with health and everyday life has changed and so far it has been a very positive experience for which I'm very happy, especially having my wife on board working out and eating better. One of those changes is cross-training and P90X3 which has kicked my butt in a million, albeit good ways. The effects of that have also been very positive, even if I have been sore most of the time for the past 4 weeks or so. People at work and friends are starting to notice the changes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which is why, I decided to become a Beachbody Coach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beachbody is the parent company that makes P90X3, plus many other workout videos and they have a business opportunity where you can sell their products and earn a commission for it. Coaches also give support to the people who buy the products through them at no extra cost to keep them accountable and increasing their chances of finishing their program and stick to their workouts and nutrition, thus adding value. For me, the logic behind the decision to do this is: If people ask me what I'm doing and I tell them, and they end up buying a video or Shakeology because of it, is it a bad thing that I earn a commission? For something I was going to tell them anyway? Heck no!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is not something I was planning to do but then people actually started asking "You look good. What are you doing?" so I felt I should look deeper into it and give it a try. After all, we have three girls to take care of and money doesn't grow on trees. Plus, I got running shoes to buy you know. I see bloggers promote and endorse products they believe in all the time and in my case, P90X3 has proven to be a game changer in my fitness journey so far. I feel this a logical next step.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, I do want to make a few things clear and put your minds at ease.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What I won't be doing</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Fat Runner has been, and will always be about my running journey and sharing it so that maybe it can help others. That is not going to change. I will not be pushing products on this blog or trying to convince anyone to buy them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will also not pester anyone I have met through this blog to buy them either so friends and readers, rest assured I have not turned into a greasy car salesman and you can continue reading knowing that this place will remain what it always has been.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What I will be doing</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You will see banner ads that lead to my personal Beachbody coach page on this blog. There were ads there before so the only difference is, you will see more Beachbody ones than the others. Hopefully, it will prove to be more profitable than the 18 bucks Google says I have made so far with Ad Sense... (and I'm rounding up)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I do a workout like P90X3, I will mention it like always so you know what I'm doing fitness-wise. It is part of my journey after all. It will not be to sell it to you. If I try a new workout from them, I will review it as I always have, both the bad and the good. Just like I do when I report on running gear, watches, my bike etc... I know that cross-training is an important topic for runners and we are always looking for both practical and functional options so my reviews will focus on how these workouts impact runners.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plus, there are several videos I have my eye on that I would like to try out and as a coach, I get a discount so it's like... cool. Win-Win.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You will see on my social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram...) mentions and invites for Challenge Groups. This is the support part I was talking about earlier. I will be setting up these groups for people who want support and accountability while doing the workouts. A haven if you will, so they can share their experience and motivate each other. I can tell you that the support I have received from friends online has been an integral part of why I have made running a really important part of my life so being able to pay that forward is something that interests me very much. So, when you see me mention it on social media you will have a head's up and will know what I'm talking about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, I will not turn you away if you ask me about it and I have always been here to help. If you have always wondered about these videos or Shakeology or anything else I'm always more than happy to answer your questions and help out in any way I can. This blog has put me in contact with some pretty awesome people and opportunities so I'm always more than happy to repay in kind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that is pretty much it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.com2