Eye of the Dragon 10k

When I signed up for the Eye of the Dragon 10k, I planned on using it as my one race between WDW Marathon Weekend and Star Wars weekend. Will had run this race last year and really enjoyed it plus our work was offering a discount code so it was really a no brainer for us to sign up. And, somewhere along the way, I also signed up for the Princess Weekend challenge, which was the weekend immediately after this race. Oh, well. We all fall prey to the siren call of extra races sometimes.

The weather for this race was so lovely! Nice and cool in the morning and there was a bit of fog after sun rise which helped mitigate the energy sucking Florida sunshine. The course was an out and back one direction and then out and back the other direction. The first 5k went down by the river in an area that had some pretty old houses. The second half went out and back over a causeway. Since Florida is so flat, a lot of local races run over the causeway to give us some simulated hills. Luckily, I ran this causeway a lot last summer with a local running group that I'm hoping to do some runs with again this summer. So I felt good with my ability to handle the "hill".

This race was really well organized and even had some fun entertainment. There was a martial arts group there doing sparing drills which was really cool. I didn't think of this before hand but this race is usually right around lunar new year which fits really well with the theme. They also had a dragon dance. It was so cool!

The actual race went really well. Since I was running a 10k and a half the next weekend, I didn't set any specific time goals. I wanted to have fun and feel good while running this race. My legs were feeling so good and with the weather cooperating, I was in a good place to try and PR by the halfway point.

The finish line and 5k split mats were right next to each other and I crossed the 5k mark just before the first place finisher finished. Boy, he was fast! I was focused on running my own race, though, so I kept up my pace out and over the causeway. I lost a bit of time at the water stop near the turn around. Between walking for water and the noise of the traffic, I got off on my intervals and walked a bit too much. But I went up over the causeway strong and flew over down the hill.

As I ran around the corner towards the finish line, Will was there cheering for me. He yelled at me to put on the gas and come in under 1:10. I was still feeling really strong so I let it all out and sprinted towards the finish. It was such an adrenaline rush finishing strong and fast. I even passed several people on my way in. The finish line photographer got a great shot of my focused running face.

My finish time came in right under 1 hour 10 mins at 1:09:42 which I was really happy about. It was a PR of 2:49 and I definitely didn't push myself as hard as I could have. Training for my half marathon really paid off! Right now, the 10k is my favorite distance and I really want to run this race again next year.

And the finisher medal for this race was gorgeous! It's a beautiful green and blue with a huge dragon. Green is my favorite color! It's a nice size too, about the same size as my WDW Half Marathon medal. I've learned that pretty medals really motivate me and this race did not disappoint.

Guest Post: 10 Things I Discovered During my First Marathon

Today's guest post is brought to you by Will of  The Intentional Steward-blogging hubby extraordinaire and the one responsible for getting me into running.

Since losing a little over 100 lbs over the course of a couple years, I decided to run a Spartan race.  I used to be in the military before gaining all my weight and wanted to get that thrill again. The Spartan race I ran was the shortest distance of their races, a “sprint,” in which I walked about half of the 3-4 mile course. The obstacles were fun but I was beat and it took me over two hours to complete.  After the race was over, I knew I wanted more and, to do so, I had to get better at running again. So I trained for a 5k a month later. I ran the whole thing and had a decent time-around 27 minutes. I was rather happy. Not amazing but a lot better then I had been a year ago.

Then I got a crazy idea: To get myself to a point where I can run a full marathon within one year of that 5k! And just like that, under one year and over a thousand miles later, I crossed the finish line of the WDW Marathon in a time of 4 hours and 59 minutes. It wasn’t the time I wanted. Some things went well and a lot went wrong…

Here are the top 10 things I discovered during that training year and the marathon itself:

1.     You need an intentional running plan.

Seriously, get a plan. My first goal after completing the 5k was to do a half marathon. Most of those plans only took 12 weeks so that wasn’t too terrible and I was sort of amazed at how easy it was to steadily add on miles.  Now, I say “easy” and for the most part, it truly was easy but it took a lot of time and sacrifice (see #5).  After my first half marathon, I felt completely amazing. It was so great to cross that finish line but completing a marathon? Well, from what I had read, it was a completely different type of race.  I got a plan and I stuck with it perfectly.

When you have a plan, you wake up knowing exactly what you need to do. It leaves no wiggle room and keeps you accountable. Feel free to adjust it some what as necessary but the miles need to get done! There will be A LOT of running. To compare, I racked up 300 miles of my half marathon training. For my marathon? Over 700 and it took 20 weeks instead of 13. Just google “running plans” and you’ll find the best ones. Do your research on which is best for you.

2.     I lost a lot of strength.

Before I started running, I was getting pretty strong. I was doing Crossfit style workouts and general strength training. Even after my half marathon, I felt a little weak but not terribly. I scheduled a lot of strength days during that training to keep some balance. To this day, I still think the half marathon is my favorite distance. After the half marathon, I took a couple months off from running during the summer and focused hard on strength training while maintaining a 6-8 mile run.

During marathon training, however, I had to commit more time to running. I completed two more half marathons and I did some strength training because I had another (14 mile) Spartan race in December.  Needless to say, the obstacles were a lot harder on me but the running was great without issues, even on the trail.

After the full marathon was over, I started to “rebuild the temple” as we Christian athletes like to say. I was shocked with how weak I had become. For a reference, I lost about 50 lbs on my bench press max and close to 75 lbs on my squat. Running itself can do a number on our muscle mass. That, on top of less time in the gym lifting, will result in a severe lack of strength “gains”. Be sure to have at least 1-2 good strength days during your training if you want to attempt to maintain your strength.

3.     I gained weight.

Wait, what? Yep. I totally gained weight. Not much, only about 5-10 lbs but considering how much muscle mass I lost it was significant. How did this happen? A few things:

• I went from a pretty healthy high fat low carb diet to eating… everything. I was burning so many calories that I was having a hard time keeping track of them and how many I put in. I foolishly said that “I’m on the, ‘I’m running 30-50 miles a week diet’ so I eat whatever I want.”  Wrong. There is some truth to this but I’m guessing eating three dozen cookies over 6 days probably wasn't the best idea.  It was the holidays but still… too much.
• Keto to carbs. Carbs are not bad and not the enemy, but I went from eating high fats to eating  A LOT of carbs. Too many carbs. Sure, I burned through most of them but not all of them. There are a lot of high fat diet endurance runners out there that I was following and what do I do? I changed my diet up half way through my training.  Not smart.

To summarize this point, make sure your nutrition is on point. Yes, you can and probably should eat a lot more if training for a marathon but that doesn’t mean you can eat anything however much you want to. This came back to really bit me during the race.

4.     Running shoes.

Pay the extra money to get fitted for a good running shoe! Most shoes have a 300-600 mile lifespan. That means you’ll need at least two, if not three pairs of shoes, if you do what I did and run 1,000 miles in a year.  Go to a local running store (NOT A CHEAP RETAIL SHOE STORE) but an actual running store that will fit you. They will look at how your foot strikes, see if your arch collapses and if you pronate to determine if you need a neutral, support or motion control shoe. I am personally a fan of Brooks and love the Ghost 11’s. I also like Altra’s as well but they are both completely different shoes. Read reviews and see how much there is to learn about them. Be ready to spend $100+.

5.     It takes a lot of sacrifice.

Aside from losing strength there was a lot more I had to sacrifice:

• Time. It simply takes a lot of time to run all these miles. My longest training run was 21 miles and it took about 3.5 hours. Plus I had to run 3-4 other times that week.
• Social life. If you work, you also have to get your runs done earlier in the day (usually) forcing you to get to bed early which will hurt your social life. You’ll also not have much else to talk about when you do go social gatherings:

“So what did you do this weekend?”.  “Me? Oh, I went running and did 20 miles.” *Blank stare* “Oh cool,” they finally reply. “What are  you doing next weekend?” they continue. “Next weekend is fun! I’m in a recovery week so I only have to run thirteen miles.” *Deeper blank stare as the awkwardness sets in*

• Money. You already read what I had to say about shoes but these races are usually not cheap and a lot of training plans have you running shorter races to prepare for the longer ones. And if you’re doing Disney races… well… be sure to have a budget! Shoes, races, gear, clothes…  it can add up.

6.   Have no expectations other than to finish.

When I started my marathon I had set goals.  4:15, 4:20 or a 4:30. If I got later than that then something must be going wrong.  This was a mistake going into my first marathon. You can’t simply double your half time and add some minutes. Temperature, terrain and training all play a huge part.  My training was PERFECT. Seriously, I think I missed one day but I had actually added some mileage to my long runs. I was totally ready and had a time in mind; unfortunately, I let my ego get in the way and had it determine what was a good run for me or not. It was a mistake. I thought it would motivate me but ended up hurting me instead.
           
If you’re doing a marathon you’re doing something incredibly difficult! If this is your first one, the goal should be to FINISH. If you get a decent time (what is a decent time anyways?) then that’s just icing on the cake. If something goes wrong, it will mess up with your time expectation which will play games with your head which leads us to number six…

7.     A lot can and probably will go wrong.

Murphy's law. It’s a terrible thing but 26.2 miles is a long distance for something to not go wrong. During my run, I started cramping at mile 13. Instead of going away, they got worse. It was terrible and I had some serious mind games torturing me during that run. I mentioned my goal times? Ha… I barely got under five hours, but I finished and finished strong.

Cramping is just one thing though-blisters, dehydration, stomach problems, sore joints, illness, headaches, etc. Be ready for anything.

8.     Have someone there to support you.

           

There were some seriously dark times during my marathon. I don’t want to be overdramatic but it’s true. I was able to text my wife, Stephanie, during points of my run and she always replied back with some amazing and well needed encouragement. During the marathon, I also got to see her alongside the course and at the finish line. That was truly a sight and a huge uplifting moment.  She could have been sleeping, but no, she got up after already waking up early and running a half marathon the day before just to see me for a couple seconds. That is true support. Be sure to find that person that will be there for you during the training and for race day!

9.     Never forget why you’re doing this.

I can’t say I had what I would say is a high calling to run the marathon. I literally just wanted to see if I could do it but it turned into something much more during the race. Some people race for individuals or run to raise money for charities. Doing it for yourself though is also a good reason but it needs to be meaningful. It has to be your drive. It could just be for the thrill of running in general. It could also be something far deeper and even spiritual. Whatever it is that causes you to put one step in front of the other, always keep it there in the front of your mind.

10.     It can be beyond emotional.

For a guy, I can pretty emotional and passionate. Despite that fact, what I experienced during the marathon was far more of a mental and emotional exercise than I thought it would be.  The first half was pure bliss and a complete adrenaline rush. My body failed me half way through the race, though, and, for the last 13 miles, I was in completely new territory with a challenge I had never experienced before while running. It didn’t seem fair and I was angry about it, almost as if the last year of training was wasted. The ending, however, was a clash of pain, numbness, resolve, satisfaction and happiness.

Conclusion:  It’s not about the race or distance

When I realized how far off I’d be from my goal time during my the marathon, I really started to cave in on myself and I felt completely defeated. The truth is, though, I knew I could run a marathon but I was still dealing with an insane mental game. I had done a 21 mile training run just three weeks before and had enough energy to keep going and time would have been around a 4:15 assuming the same pace. On race day though, the challenge for me wasn’t completing the 26.2 miles. It was about completing it through the adversity. Life isn’t fair so why should the race be? If I was in a competition, it may have been a different story but I wasn’t.  I was competing against myself alone. I needed to complete the race but I also needed to complete with a much better attitude and had to defeat myself to win, if that makes sense.

            Your first marathon is not about the race itself. Its about seeing how you overcome adversity. The distance is just one obstacle that your body, mind and soul have to face.

Hopefully these ten things will be of benefit to anyone thinking about running their first marathon. If you can run a 5k you absolutely can train to do a marathon within in a year. You just need to apply yourself and get it done!  Good luck!

Valentine's Day 2019

For Valentine's Day, Will surprised me with a mini trip to Disney! Disney is definitely the way to this girl's heart! Will arranged for me to take a half day off of work on Thursday so that we could head over to Disney early. We stayed at the Coronado Springs resort which was really nice. It's still got quite a bit of construction going on but once you got passed the main entrance, you really couldn't tell there was much construction at all. It really was a beautiful resort.

We had dinner at the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian resort. It's a lot more low key and easier to get into than Ohana next door but it still has delicious food! I decided to eat all of the sushi that night. We got the large kona sampler platter to share and I got the dragon roll which had eel and shrimp. Eel is my absolute favorite kind of sushi! In real life, eels kind of creep me out but they sure do taste good!

I wore my brand new dress from the Cherry Tree Lane Dress Shop at Disney Springs. It's the Minnie Mouse Rock the Dots dress and it's too cute! It even has sequins on some of the dots. I love the 50s inspired silhouette and that every dress I have from them has pockets. Dresses with pockets are the best.

After dinner, we took the boat across the lagoon to Magic Kingdom. I adore Magic Kingdom and usually we don't stay after dark so it was a real treat to be in Magic Kingdom at night! The park is so gorgeous all lit up. We had to have some pictures in front of the castle.

Out of all the holidays, Disney doesn't do much for Valentine's Day but I'm ok with that. Magic Kingdom is pretty romantic as is. Add a pretty dress and your prince charming and you've got all you need for a romantic evening.

Meeting princesses was high on our list for the evening. First up was Elena of Avalor. I have to admit, I've never seen any of her movies but she is the princess for the 5k this year so it was fun to meet her anyways. I learned that her grandma is a great cook and seamstress and that she's a very animated talker. She asked if Will sang me love songs. I said no but that he makes me bacon, which is much more important.

We also met Cinderella who is such a sweet heart! This princess wanted to know if Will was my true love (yes) and if we met at a ball (actually, yes). She was impressed. I love that Cinderella is so hard working and positive. I still feel a bit awkward talking to face characters sometimes but I really enjoyed meeting these ladies.

 I really feel like I need to up my character meet and greet game this year!

We also road my favorite ride, the Jungle Cruise, which is even more fun at night. We had an awesome skipper who was very punny. The park was pretty crowded since it was President's Day weekend and local schools had off Friday and Monday but we took advantage of the firework show drawing off a lot of people to ride Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain. Considering how short of a time we spent in the park, we did a lot of things!

I want to know. Who is your favorite character to meet at Disney?

Evil Sea Witch

It's no secret that I love dressing up. I love vintage style, historical costuming and Disneybounding. There's something magical about feeling all put together even if it's just for every day life! So it's probably no surprise that I also enjoy getting dressed up for running and the gym.

But what exactly can you wear for an active day that looks put together but lets you move? Bonus points if it's Disney related. Enter Crowned Athletics.

Crowned Athletics is a small business that produces beautiful athletic wear inspired by our favorite characters. I wore their After Midnight Princess top for the WDW Marathon Weekend Half Marathon and it was a blast to run in. I loved it so much, in fact, that I had to pick up another of their tops.

I really wanted to try one from the mermaid line so I decided on the Sea Witch Villain top. The design lines of this top are stunning! And I love wearing black so it was really a no brainer for me to get one. And I also ordered the Vampire Mermaid headband to match.

Aside from running or hitting the gym, I thought that this top would be perfect for wearing to the parks. It gets crazy hot here in Florida and even the most dedicated fashionista has to make some concessions for the weather. When I wore this outfit to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, I felt awesome! 

I was never an athleisure person. Gym clothes were for the gym and nowhere else! But I'm pretty sure this top has changed my mind! Yes, you can tell that it's made from stretchy tech fabric but it's so stylish and flattering that I didn't feel like a frumpy mess. I really love the cut of the "tail" in the back. It's so flattering for those of us who are pear shaped. And the mesh cut outs give it just a hint of sexy.

I'm used to getting a lot of looks and comments at Disney. Most people go super casual on their vacations, after all. And this outfit was no exception! I had a really great cast member interaction while check out the new Incredible's Municiberg area in Hollywood Studios. One of the citizens of Municiberg said I looked like a super villain and that she loved my super suit. Be still my villain loving heart!

I'm definitely going to be wearing this top again and again for Disney trips especially in the summer! And if you guessed that it will also be making an appearance at Princess Half Marathon weekend, you wouldn't be wrong!

This post is not sponsored. All items where purchased by me and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Marathon Weekend 2019 Part 5: Park and Photo Day

For our last day of Marathon Weekend, we decided to go to Magic Kingdom to get some photos with our medals and to celebrate our accomplishments.

There are Photopass photographers all up Main Street so we grabbed a few photos there. I like to stop at a couple of the photographers to make sure I get one that turns out. And some of the photographers are more creative than others and might have better ideas for poses.

Also high on our to do list was to do some character meet and greats. We're not huge character people so that's something we often skip on our regular Disney visits, but we really enjoyed doing a few during Marathon Weekend. It's a great activity to do when you're tired from all of the races and early morning wake up calls! And it's fun to meet characters that matched your costume from the weekend or ones featured on your new bling.

I wanted to see the stepsisters again. They are one of my favorite character meet and greats because they are so silly. They posed for some pictures with me and we discussed the merits of wearing swooshy skirts. All the twirling! During the race, there's not much character interaction, just snap a photo and move on. It keeps the lines shorter but you do miss out on some of the magic of meeting characters.

Will wanted to get his medal signed by Mickey Mouse so we made sure to book a Fastpass to meet him at the front of Magic Kingdom. (But you can also meet him at the other three parks.) During Marathon Weekend, he was wearing his magician outfit which was super cute.

Mickey was very sweet and complimented my outfit. He also autographed Will's medal. It was a lot of fun meeting more characters this trip and I think I'll try to do that more often in the future!

We had planned on meeting up with some running friends for a group photo in Magic Kingdom but we were very tired and decided to head home early. I definitely learned that I have to pace myself on a race weekend. It's great to spend loads of time in the parks, having fun and showing off your medal but it is so important to listen to your body especially if you ran the full or the half. It really was such a magical experience and I can't wait to go back in two weeks for Princess Half Marathon Weekend!

*******

WDW Marathon Weekend 2019

Part 1: The Expo
Part 2: Joyful Miles Meet Up
Part 3: Half Marathon Race Recap
Part 4: Marathon Spectating
Part 5: Park and Photo Day- you are here!

Super Hero Challenge Race Recap

This past weekend, I participated in my very first running challenge-a 1 mi and 5k! The Super Hero Challenge was a charity race to support advocates for abused and neglected children in my county. I hadn't run a 5k in over a year so I decided to sign up and see how much my time had improved. It was held at a local outdoor style mall.

My church's running group 3:14 Running also decided to do this run as our team race for the winter so a bunch of my friends showed up to participate! We all wore super hero running outfits. It's been great seeing some of newer runners really step up and complete their first races. I know they'll make great progress in 2019 if they keep at it.

First up was the 1 mile race. I decided to use the 1 mile as the warm up for my 5k so I could push really hard and crush my 5k PR. I felt a little silly going that slowly and getting passed by all the kids but you've got to run your own race. It was over before I knew it and we all regrouped to wait for the 5k to start.

Super Hero 1 mi

Time: 11:35

Pace: 11:35 min/mi

Achievement: warm up for the 5k

For the 5k, I was feeling warm and ready to go so I went out fast. Since I'm currently training for the Star Wars Rival Run Challenge, I didn't do any specific training for the 5k. So I went out too fast! My first mile was at 9:35 min/mi which is pretty speedy for me. I slowed down a bit for the second mile, which was a good idea as I got side stitches right around mile 2. :( But I know how to handle them so I slowed my run down and made sure to stretch during my walk intervals.

They did eventually go away but that last mile felt so long! I think part of it was mental. After running a half marathon, my brain though 5k = short and easy and it expected short and easy. Which made it feel even longer! Plus, I miss read the course map. I thought the course was a loop twice so I kept waiting to start the second loop but we never did!

The finish line was right after a sharp turn so I didn't see it coming until the last minute! But by that point, I had recovered enough to sprint in the finish. I didn't hit my A goal of 33 minutes flat but I came really close and considering that I had side stitches, I was really happy with that.

Super Hero 5k

Time: 33:40

Pace: 10:51 min/mi

Achievement: 5k PR by 7:42

The race did a great job of having spectators a long the course and lots of mascots for entertainment before and after. It was a light and fun race. And there were only about 400 runners so there was so much space on the course compared to runDisney! The course ran along a lake and was actually a lot prettier than I was expecting for a race around a mall. I was a bit disappointed in the post race nutrition offerings. No bananas! I thought that was a running rule or something. They had donut holes and mini muffins, which I couldn't eat due to my food allergies. This is exactly why I always bring some post race nutrition to all of my races.

There were 3 age group placers in my group of friends, Will, Melissa and Paul. They each got an age group medal in addition to the challenge finisher medallion. I was kind of bummed about the challenge medallion. The age group medal was featured heavily in the advertising so I was kind of expecting to get that medal. But my PR still counts no matter what kind of medal I came home with and the medallion was a good option for a race with so many young kids running.

January Running Recap

The whirlwind of January is over and we've made it to February! There was a lot of running going on over here in January so let's check it out.

I started January in the midst of taper for the runDisney Marathon Weekend half marathon. I was pumped to run my first half marathon and my first runDisney race so week 1 was nice and easy.

Week 2 saw more taper and prepping for the race trip. The weather on Saturday was absolutely beautiful for my race and I had an amazing time! I've officially gotten the runDisney bug and I can't wait for the rest of my 2019 runDisney races. I've got a whole slew of detailed race recap posts for this weekend which you can check out here.

runDisney Marathon Weekend Half Marathon:

Distance: 13.1 mi

Time: 2:51:43

Pace 13:06 min/mi

Achievement: First Half Marathon

Recovery was the key to week 3. I did a lot of walking and a single, easy 3 mile run on Saturday. My legs were quite tired after my race so I listened to my body and give it a break. Overall, I was really happy with how prepared I felt for my race and I felt like my recovery went really smoothly.

I got to get back into running in the fourth week of the month. I decided to up my mid week runs from 30 mins to 45 mins but it was a lot. Losing that extra sleep in the morning coupled with a very busy and stressful work week was not a winning combo. And then I started my first back to back runs in preparation for the Star Wars Rival Run Challenge. My one mile on Saturday was great but then it rained for the next 36 hours and I had to do my 8 mile long run on the treadmill. I got it done but, man, intervals are a pain in the butt on the treadmill.

I switched back to my 30 min week day runs during the last week in January and it felt great. I'd love to be able to work up to 45 mins at some point in time but not right now. Technically this week should be a taper for a 5k & 1 mi challenge on Saturday 2/2 so I'm not too upset. The race recap for the Super Hero Challenge should be up later this week!

I logged 50 miles of walking and running this month which has been my average for the last few months. I'm not planning on training for any distances past a half marathon in 2019 so I'm expecting my monthly milage to be around 50 a lot this year.

How has your January running been going? Did you have a big race this month or are you training for a spring race?